Vogue 8776

Pockets

Not the best outfit with this: long sleeves and pants would be better

Back

Open (I like it better closed)

Vogue describes this as a semi-fitted, unlined cape with convertible collar, lower side front seams with pockets and stitched hems. I guess it is a cape. I think of a cape as not having any arm openings and this has them. They providelimited mobility though so maybe we should just go with "cape".  I used size M which is one size smaller than my measurements as usual in an unfitted garment. I made View C, the longest one.


The designation "very easy" is wrong IMO. The slit buttonholes and slit armholes are a bit confusing I think. 

I love the unusual style and shape but I'm not so sure I like the low wearability factor. 

I used a raspberry red boucle that has been in my stash for many years, maybe 25. All this time I thought it was a woven wool. Once I got it down from the shelf I discovered that it is a knit, with a backing similar to fleece. Probably not all wool either as the moths had showed no interest in all that time. I'm quite happy to have this bulky fabric off my shelf. Now if I just had more closet space!

This fabric made the project much harder than it would be with a lighter or thinner fabric. Because of its bulk the buttonhole slits and a few other places were hard to maneuver and required careful hand stitching to make it look right. Because it is a knit, stretch was a factor in sewing seams. I didn't think about it ahead of time as I should have so some seams stretched as I sewed them. The bottom armhole openings grew as they are not reinforced at all. The top armhole openings are doubled with the self facing so they stayed more in shape. Fortunately I used a lining fabric for the pocket lining which helped to stabilize the pocket edge. I left off the extra buttons as the fabric was a nightmare and I knew buttonholes would look terrible.
Have you been watching Project Runway Allstars? Mila made a cape somewhat similar to this pattern. The silhouette is the same but the arm openings are vertical and there is no collar. Very sharp looking.

Sewing Workshop Tosca Dress

This is my third version of the Tosca Dress. Yes, you could say I like this pattern. Yes, the underarms are low but, no matter, I wear a tee shirt with the dress. Think of it as a jumper. This time I left off all pockets as well as the tucks and hem bubbling. Don't need that with this incredible fabric. First version. I don't think I reviewed the second version which I made from linen last summer. 

The fabric is a wool gauze, almost sheer, with an interesting folded and reverse appliqued border on one edge. I did not do this wonderful-ness myself but bought it looking like this from FabriX in San Francisco. The hardest part of this project was figuring out how to use the fabric. Fortunately, when this fabric was spotted, I was shopping with my friend Dorothy. We both were stunned and amazed by this fabric and wanted it. We discussed possible ways to use it. I think she was the one who thought of the Tosca Dress. We had both made this dress already and recognized its potential. She made her version with this fabric some months back. In fact she found a perfect china silk at Thai Silks to use as an underlining so I used that too. 

So not only do we have matching dresses, but we used the same fabric for our tee shirts. Joann's had cotton interlock in the right color to harmonize. We could dress as identical twins. People already ask if we are sisters when we shop together. Why not dress alike? Well, okay, maybe we won't do that.

Close up of the border.
Close up of the collar.
Side back

Anyway, I heartily recommend this pattern to you.

Fashion in Harmony: Chinese Lantern Skirt

I posted a review for the Chinese Lantern circle skirt on PR and I see that my widget linking from here to there has gone awry. Try as I might, I cannot get it to return with my review photos and the links. 

With the Thinker

With the column

Mystical View

This skirt is so totally easy to make. 

Back view

You cut 2 circles, cut an opening in the center for the waist on one circle and the legs on the other circle. Offset the circles at right angles, stitch together at the circumference, add elastic or drawstring for the waist and you are done. Looks much more complicated than it is.

In this version I used a wool jersey which is, of course, a knit. Because of the stretch-ability of a knit it is easy to walk in this skirt. If you are using a woven as I did in my other version, it may be necessary to make the leg opening larger than the waist opening. Depending, of course, on the size of your waist.

You can see, if you compare the two versions, how the draping differs between the two. Both really quite nice. I see more of these skirts in my future.

The Square Version
Reviewed here

Egad! I've been remiss!

Dish side, 1/8th of the total

I see that I haven't posted since October. True, we were in Jackson Hole twice, Christmas and New Year's happened, and other little things got in the way. I haven't even done much sewing although I have made a few things. I'm working on reviewing those that I have photos of at this very moment.

Teapots, 1/8th of this side

I have plans for new projects of course, but can't seem to get started yet. My kitchen and bathroom were painted last week which involved chaos. When I say kitchen you must understand that, in addition to all the excessive normal kitchen ware, I have many collections on display (cat teapots mostly). All things, including inside the cupboards and drawers, had to be removed as the insides are painted as well. While the painters were here we couldn't really cook anything as the room was draped in plastic. Thank heavens we have a second bathroom because that room was draped also. Although they finished their work last Friday, I am still living in chaos because I was told not to put anything back on the shelves for 5 days. Dishes stacked on the floors, pots under the chairs in the dining room, big boxes in the laundry. You get the picture. I think tomorrow I will wait no longer. Everything goes back in place. I cannot create fashion in such a situation!

After all this the kitchen will look exactly the same except the paint will not be chipped in places. I took lots of photos so I would remember where to put everything.

Vogue 1135 Chado Ralph Rucci dress

 A beautiful dress designed by Ralph Rucci. Intriguing shaped tucks circle around the bodice, skirt and sleeves. Vogue calls this a "lined, A-line dress, fitted at bust, with all over shaped tucks, below elbow length kimono sleeves, gussets, side front slit and back zipper. Braided, self-fabric belt is attached along seam. Asymmetrical hand rolled hems". I see that it is now OOP after only 2 years. Too bad.

This comes in size AAX (4-10) and DD (12-18). I usually cut size 8 or 10 at the neckline, shoulders and sleeves, do a FBA and add extra for waist and hips. My measurements put me between 16 and 18 but I know that is way too big for me above the bust. This time, though, it looked tricky to do the usual FBA and even to add at the side seams because of the tucks, side panel and gussets. Just way too much fuss. The pattern front gives the actual garment measurements at the bust, waist and hips. I saw that the 16 would be a little bit bigger than I am so I cut that planning to do necessary shoulder alterations at the overarm seam. The necklines hardly varied from size to size so I didn't worry about that.

The instructions are very complete except for assumptions that a skilled sewer should be aware of, like trimming seams. Lots of couture techniques such as fusing interfacing over all seams, hand rolled hems, and lining. The side panel and gusset are the only really advanced parts and the instructions are very complete for that part of construction. I guess getting the tucks lined up across the seams and zipper is also a bit tricky. I found one small mistake at step 34 where they forget to mention stitching the facings after instructing you to pin them. They do show the seams stitched in the drawing so that is a no brainer.

I used a poly/rayon/lycra Ponte with a miniscule stripe from Joann's. The pattern calls for moderate stretch knits only such as wool jersey and matte jersey. I read that the original designer dress was made of interlock or double knit. I think that is a better choice than jersey because of all the seams. The stability of double knit made this a lot easier to get all those seams and tucks to be smooth.

I didn't want to use wool, although that would be beautiful, but I knew it would irritate my skin with such a high neckline. The pattern calls for lining (with stretch charmeuse or stretch Crepe de Chine) which would help with the skin sensitivity issue. However the neckline facing uses the fashion fabric. The lining is entirely optional as it is there only to hide all the interior construction. I left it off as I am very concerned about being too warm in this style.

I recurved the outer sleeve seam to make the shoulders narrower and I tapered the back zipper seam in an extra inch starting just below the neck down to below the waist. I shortened the dress 5 inches. Design changes: I left off the braided belt as I want to wear necklaces with this and felt it would be too busy with the belt. The seam under the belt was not sewn into a tuck so I went back and added that to the seam at the end when I decided not to use the belt. This necessitated undoing about 6 inches of the zipper application in the back so it would be better to decide to do this earlier in the game.

I notice in the photos that some of the pieces look darker in color as though I used the opposite side of the fabric or cut them facing a different direction. It puzzled me when I saw the photos. It is caused by the varied grain directions which reflect the light differently. I followed the grain lines carefully so that is just what happens. It isn't that noticeable in normal light.

The slit looks alarmingly high on the model in the photo on the pattern envelope. I stitched mine as indicated and you can see that, on a person of normal height, the slit is not that high on the thigh. My DH's initial reaction was that it looked to be a nun's gown. When he said that I decided to keep the slit.

As I didn't add the lining nor do the hand rolled hems nor make the braided belt this didn't take much longer than many dresses. Of course mine isn't quite couture but it is fine enough for me. Now to have some cool enough weather to wear it!

Vogue 1210 Sandra Betzina dress

Not crazy about wearing it this way

Catching up with some garments I made in the past few months. This Sandra Betzina dress is super comfy to wear but the weather has been way too hot for sleeves and any fabric with lycra in it. Maybe in the next few weeks I can start to wear it. Easy and quick to sew. I should make it again.

Travel wardrobe

I'm back from a great trip to Ukraine and Russia. The Russia part involved Moscow and St. Petersburg linked by cruising along waterways between the two cities. This involves the Volga River, many canals, and the two biggest lakes in Europe. How does this relate to sewing you may ask? I sewed most of my wardrobe, some specifically for this trip, and some already on hand. I was going to sew more including this top, which was under the needle of my machine on the eve of our departure, when I suddenly had to rush my DH to the emergency room. Such drama! He had fallen on our sidewalk (replacing a sprinkler at 8 pm the night before a trip without being packed.... dumb idea) and gashed the back of his head. 6 staples and we were home after 5 hours at 1:30 am. We kept telling the personal at the ER that we had to catch a plane in the morning so hurry up. Well, we didn't really say that. So that top did not get to go on the trip! (side bar: the doctor gave me a tool for removing the staples in 8 or 9 days in case we couldn't get to a doctor or clinic. Are you kidding me? I couldn't see going to a doctor in Moscow but on the other hand, me removing staples stuck in my husband's head? Fortunately, I found a nurse among our fellow travelers who was happy to help out. Trauma averted).

The basis for my wardrobe was this green ponte jacket for which I used Sewing Workshop's Onde Jacket. I wanted a longer jacket to cover my longer tops and one with handy pockets. It also needed to be loose enough to go over two or three layers and work under my Babette rain jacket. The Onde worked perfectly. With it I wore black ponte Marcy pants and skirt from Vogue 8697, purple ponte Marcy pants Vogue 8712, the purple ponte vest I made recently, a new Butterick 5679 top in a chartreuse animal print, Vogue 8582 Marcy top with high neck and long sleeves of black ribbed knit.

There were other things too but those were what I wore the most. Because it was chilly and damp I often layered a top, a thin black sweater wrapped across my front, the Onde jacket and my raincoat. A few times I even threw a black fleece shawl over that. Hard to imagine all those layers now that I am back home where it is still 90+ degrees.

Sierra's new doll, dress, and bloomers

I seemed to have dropped out of blogging, haven't I? But I have been sewing. Lots of things. After I return from yet another trip, leaving tomorrow for 3 weeks, I will try to catch up. But in the meantime here is the latest. My DGD needed a soft doll so one was found at Joann's for a mere $4.99. The doll has lovely red hair and shoes and socks but no clothing. Also Sierra needed new bloomers. So I made bloomers for her and a matching dress for dolly. No pattern needed for dolly. Just traced around her and made an aline shape with scoop neck big enough to get on and off. I wanted it to be similar to Sierra's recent dress and lined it with the same fabric. Both dresses can be turned inside out and they will match. The dolly's dress has velcro to close at the shoulders as buttons would be too tiny and too hard for a toddler to do. I also made a little sash for dolly with the bow stitched closed and a velcro spot to hold it on her body. Also easier for little hands to manage. Sierra seems very happy with her new dolly and bloomers.

I used McCall's 6370 for the pants. Very simple. However, if you use this pattern, watch out. The order of construction is not what I'm used to and I managed to get almost done before I realized I had sewn the waist elastic to the pants legs which were not sewn together. Dumb. My excuse.... I was in a big hurry. Lots of ripping out, doubling the construction time. So watch out for that.

Also the suggested elastic length for the leg is too small. They suggest the ankle circumference plus 1 inch. I did that and it was way too tight as the pants ride up the leg. I took out that elastic and put in a longer one that added another inch. Also I used a narrower elastic which didn't cinch up as much.

The wall hanging I made for her room has embroidered faces in the center of the pieced flowers. I chose this fabric because it also has flowers with faces. I thought she would enjoy noticing that little detail.

Sierra's Dress

Front

Back

Interior lining

With purchased leggings

Sierra with her dress over pj's

Posing

Happy Girl

A delightful dress for a little girl. I bought this pattern at a quilt show so naturally it is designed to make use of fat quarters. Or you can cut it from regular cut yardage if you like as amounts are given for that also. It is fully lined and can even be reversible. The curvy edges of the pieces use coordinating purchased or custom-made bias binding trim. Buttons at the shoulders for an easy fit. A matching doll dress that fits 18 to 20" dolls is included. And leggings. View A has 5 different fabrics and View B has 6. I did View B, just so I could use more fabrics.

Sizes 2 thru 5 are included. I made size 2 for my GD who is a large age 14 months usually wearing 18 month sizing. It is big for her but she will grow!

Very easy instructions. Complete, everything a non-quilter needs to know. The pieces are layered onto an inner backing with the bias trim wrapped over the proper curving side. It is like putting together a simple puzzle. I found this garment a lot of fun to make.

I really enjoyed the construction technique and I loved picking out coordinating fabrics. I used quilting cottons pre-cut into fat quarters from Joann's. Also quilting cotton for the lining and muslin for the inner layer. I preshrunk all the fabric.

This was a fun project. It takes a bit longer than making a similar shaped dress for a toddler but much more fun. I made this at the recent retreat I attended that had many quilters there as well as garment sewers like myself. This little project got lots of compliments. I hope to sew it again. Maybe one in each size as she grows. And if she gets a doll the right size I will make that too.

Catching Up

View from the sewing room

More View

The Dragonfly Dress

The Tahoe Top

The table behind me

The Mizono Shirt

Sharon and Dorothy

Wearing the new Marcy Tilton Shirt

I had a fantastic time at the sewing retreat except for the fact that my friend Barbara was unable to attend with me. I really missed her companionship and ready advice when I needed it. We had fun keeping in touch while I was there by using my iPhone to take photos of each project and sending it to her immediately via email. That way she could comment and feel part of it too.


I was very, very focused and sewed many things. We can come to the sewing room anytime and many are there well before breakfast. Not me as I stay sewing until mid-night. Even so I am not the last one there at night. There are always the same 4 or 5 of us holding down the fort late at night. No one stays longer than Lyla Messinger who seems to have endless energy. She would be there until 3 am. Of course we never saw her at breakfast.


All meals are included at this retreat spot so I would sew, eat a meal, sew, eat another meal, sew, eat a third meal, sew and finally sleep. I figure I had 14 hours of sewing a day for 4 days and about 5 hours on the first evening. Crazy. Sore shoulders. 15 projects done! Some people are more relaxed and chat a lot. I enjoyed listening to all the chit chat around me and stopped to answer questions or show my things to anyone who came my way. But mostly I just sewed.


So I have a lot of garments to photograph and review. 1 toddler dress, 1 rain coat, 1 hooded jacket, 5 dresses, 1 pant, 2 shirts, 2 knit tops, 1 bizarre gown, 1 hospice hospital gown. The hospice gown is for a charity project the sewing group does every year. I won't review the Hospice gown, or several items I've reviewed before. But as you can see I have a lot to do.


One shirt I made is the Marcy Tilton Vogue 8709. I wore it the other day to meet SFShaza at my friend Dorothy's house. She wrote about the meet up on her blog http://communingwithfabric.blogspot.com/2011/07/blogger-meetup-meeting-ann-smith.html. So much fun.