The Dress that Wasn't For Christmas

I started this beauty at the beginning of December intending it to be my Christmas dress, and it got promptly shelved in all the Christmas creativity/mayhem that ensued. Thankfully things calmed down after Christmas and when I wasn't feeling terrible from being sick from that strange bug going around and the bonus high blood sugars that went with it I was able to get some UFOs done. This little corduroy jumper was on the list!

Butterick 7434 is a gem!

This was originally going to be part of Mari's Foundation Garment Challenge since it was a warm basic that would allow me to integrate, don't roll your eyes, some beautiful jewelry I never get to wear.

See I have this an another beautiful double strand blue necklace.
My handmade earrings also went perfectly with this ensemble,
which was not even dreamed about when I made them.

So back to the pattern! Butterick7434 is a great 50s wiggle dress with some unique construction. There is only one piece for the front and the back. You cut two and sew up a center front and back seam. All the shaping is done with darts! This is a great idea, especially when you don't have a lot of fabric. It also makes the dress easy to adjust to our more modern shapes since you can sew the darts a little less in some spaces and a little more in others.

Two open vertical darts and two bust darts on the front.
The vertical darts add some fun to the front.

Four vertical darts add shaping to the back.

The zipper hides in one of the long side dart. 

I made this a one piece pattern by omitting the facings
and finishing the neckline and armholes with bias binding.
I made sure to trim off the extra seam allowance first.

  This pattern leaves lots of room for adjusting to your shape but after wearing it for a day I did notice the bust darts need a little bit of work. Since I don't wear a bullet bra, (shocker, I know) the bust darts could come in and down just a scooch more. I think it will be easy to fix since I'm just working around the tip.
   I put in a one inch hem which hits me just below the knee. Its a good length since the skirt is fitted all the way down.
  The corduroy was a dream to work with. I did all my pressing on the wool side of my pressing ham or on a towel so I wouldn't smoosh the fabric's nap. I think I'm in love with corduroy and want to make one of those amazing 50s or 60s skirts with buttons and funky pockets next.
  Have you ever sewn a wiggle dress or worked with corduroy???

My Knitting Master

What a way to replace a hoodie!
I had this in the works for about a year!

A couple years ago my youngest brother came to me and said, “Hey, let’s learn to knit.” 

“Ok,” I said, “I’ll talk to the lady in our church who knits and see if she’ll teach us.” 

Instead I walked away and promptly forgot about it. Yes, because that’s how cool of a big sister I am. 

This happened a couple of times until one day he walked out of his bedroom and said, “Hey! Look what I made!” 

We stared in amazement at the beautiful scarf in his hands. Knitting ladies oohed and ahhed over his remarkable tension and perfect gauge. 

When asked, "How did you learn this?" 

“YouTube.” was his reply.

Fast forward a year and my brother drags me over to a lady and says, “Tell her she needs to learn to knit. She can’t just crochet.”

After a long conversation, in which I learned many interesting things, like the fact that knitting was invented by fishermen and in the beginning was strictly done by men until women stole it from them; or knitting was made for clothing because of it’s built in stretch, I was converted. I picked up my first set of needles and learned to cast on! 

It has been two years since I began to knit and after multiple Interesting knit projects,  I have finished my first full sweater! 

Meet My Joseph's Coat Of Many Colors

It is super beautiful, warm and I love to wear it! It has replaced several old hoodies and is much warmer than they ever were. It is 100% wool from Noro. I adapted two Noro patterns taking the shape from one and the stitch pattern from the other. I took the extra time to knit it to the correct length for me. For the back and front I just added rows to the bottom. For the sleeves, I knit an extra row before every sleeve increase so it would grow in proportion. 

To finish, I did a four strand braid in two colors to match the sweater colors. After some research on the best methods, I used grosgrain ribbon on the back and perl floss to sew the buttons on so I wouldn't rip the sweater with wear and tear.

A cozy collar instead of a hood to keep my neck warm.

I’m so thankful my brother took the initiative to learn a new skill and wouldn’t leave me alone until I learned it too! I really enjoy having someone to discuss a creative process with and watching him create is truly inspiring. Plus I now have some amazing things to wear!

More, More, More!!

 Here I am back with more STASHBUSTING! More Remaking and Replacing RTW! More Foundation Garments!!

Don't they look AWEsome with my sweat pants! :P

Is it a peppermint? A circus tent? Or the Cat In The Hat's hat? I went from liking this fabric to total bleh after playing around with the stripes. I decided to test my Built By Wendy raglan sleeve pattern on it. Raglan screams casual wear to me and I figured I could use it as a pajama shirt if it didn't work out. It was too short so I added cuffs and a bottom band. Then I wore it...

I'm in love with long sleeves!

The strangest thing happened when I wore the shirt so I washed it and wore it again. This shirt wins the prize for invoking happy, peppy feelings. It wins the Alter My Mood Prize. I happen to love it in spite of its brightness, simplicity and the peppermint jokes it brings me.

While it was a total stash busting project I must admit the next one isn't totally. After assessing my stash and online fabric shopping while I was depressed since my blood sugar was high AGAIN making some carefully thought out shopping decisions I bought this lovely dot fabric that I knew would match perfectly with the purple in my stash.

Beautiful dots! Now all I need is some teal to go with it.

Huzzah for long sleeves!

Neckline binding could be a bit tighter, or wider to give a turtleneck effect.

So there you have it! Two tops that decreased my stash and replaced my boring RTW. I had this great idea to have side by side photos of RTW next to my creations but I already chopped up my RTW shirts into little girl skirts.

Cut off the offending parts, draw a picture, sew neckband as waistband. Presto skirt.

Cut off arms and taper down. Sew up holes in side. Presto skirt. 

I'm almost embarrassed at how easy and how terrible these look in photos. They were made quickly for little girls to be comfy and wear around the house. Since they didn't want to take them off I consider it a win even if it isn't my best handiwork.

How about you? Anyone else taking the Foundation Garment Challenge? Do you have any great stash busting ideas?

Foundation Garments: PANTS!

Being taller than average yet not as tall as the tall brands leaves one struggling to find pants the right length. Add to this the chafing of your insulin pump's infusion sets from a waistband that won't stay up and you will wonder why I didn't overcome my fear of sewing pants much sooner.

I took advantage of a sale and bought Simplicity 2562.  I liked all the adjustable features and the beginner directions.
When I got it home and measured myself I realized I had bought the wrong size. Thankfully it had 1 inch seam allowances built in for adjustments, which meant sewing at a 5/8ths seam allowance they fit just fine. 

I did a muslin just as I was told to do. I made my adjustments and went to work on the pants. I added height to the waistband since I wanted a higher waisted look. I also wanted them high enough they wouldn't be catching on my infusion sets.

I like the second set of button!

Pros: 

The gorgeous brown.

The perfect length!

The waistband fits the correct spot perfectly!

The cute high waisted look.

Cons:

100% Polyester (It leaves you feeling rather moist for no good reason.)

Static cling

Pattern had me put the fly front in opposite to women's US pants.
Not sure about the center front placement of the buttons and fly.

Too baggy in legs?

For my first pair of wearable pants I am very pleased with them. I learned how to make pants and they are very wearable. I picked up a brown corduroy and a "sparkle" dark wash denim to make some flared leg jeans with next. As soon as I finish this shirt craze I am on.

Foundation Garments: Shirts!

Whoo Hoo! I am so excited to post about the progress I am making! These are the first two shirts I made from some knit I inherited from a friend who passed away. She was an amazing lady with a big personality!
The Michael Miller knit is loud enough on it's own but the brown needed some jazzing up!

 


I'm pretty sure I was influenced by Cindy's Tee and I think her whole science fiction vibe since I have nicknamed the brown shirt my "Intergalactic Space Travel Stewardess Shirt" Why, I don't know. I feel like Star Trek in it which is crazy cause I never watched Star Trek growing up.

Prepare to enter warp speed!

The buttons make me very happy. I love that they are all mismatched and how this color scheme evolved as I dug through the button jar.

Fun little details!

Which looks better? On me or on manikin?

While there is room for improvement I am pleased with how both turned out. Both are very wearable and the sleeves and body are both finally long enough for me!

Happy long sleeve!

So there you have it! My first completed Foundation Garment Post! So excited to have fun clothes that fit! What is your pet peeve when trying to find shirts? The fit? The color or pattern?

Planning Vintage Foundation Garments

I thought it would be a good idea to write down my goals and requirements for this challenge and since it is vintage pattern month on my blog I figured why not start the planning there!

Firstly: Winter Wind has arrived today and threatened to bring our first snow of the year; making me feel the need for some new warm and layerable clothing.

What I need:

• new longer turtlenecks/long sleeve tee
• longer jackets
• pants the correct length and waist that won’t ride on my infusion sets (I'm a Type 1 Diabetic on an insulin pump)
• pretty sweaters to replace hoodies

Requirements:

• correct length in body and arms
• warm for the winter and wind
• layer-able
• works with something else in my wardrobe
• good colors or interesting design
• looks professional/ like I know how to sew (for when I start teaching classes)
• makes me feel beautiful

So after digging through my box of favorite vintage patterns, here's what I have come up with!

This jumper has no side seams and promises an interesting sewing time. Now, do I dare to make it in my hot pink corduroy?

 I am in love with these jackets! The center one is getting sized up and made in a deep brown velvet I found at the thrift store. It will allow me to wear some of my summer dresses into the fall and I am sure I will feel like Lizzy Bennet in it.
The other two would make good layering and professional looking pieces. I am not putting the big bow on the back of the peplum one though.

I have wanted a suspender skirt since last winter and I think it is time to get one made! All that fabric will have to keep me warm, right? Love the collar on the vest and how it is a tunic and vest in one. Great layerablity. 

I like the neckline and flow of this top. Simple, elegant and with long sleeves.

I like the tuck details on the two blouses on the right and the brown top just fascinates for some reason. I am not sure when or if these will get made up since I am going to whip up some long sleeve knit tops first.

And now we come to the hard part! I love dresses! How do I work them into my winter wardrobe? These were my four winterest patterns. The Advance and Mail Order patterns have skirts that wouldn't be a problem in the wind, but will they work for jumping snow drifts? I love the little details on all of them. They would definitely be statement pieces and I would get to use some of my AMazing vintage buttons too!

What do you think? Which dress is your favorite to adapt for winter? How do you wear dresses when it's cold outside?

After looking at all my ideas I think this is more of a dream list than a sewing reality. I guess I'll have to give it some more thought and see how time goes! 

Happy Fall Sewing Everyone!

Challenge Accepted!

Isn't it amazing when you have been thinking about something for awhile and suddenly you find someone has written it out so succinctly? I want to introduce two challenges I recently found in the blogosphere that I am happily accepting!

Cindy of Cation Designs has decided to fill out her me-made wardrobe by making what most often ends up in her laundry. She even designed this cute button for those of us who want to participate.

I had already started doing this since I am taller than average and Ready To Wear doesn't always fit right. Plus why pay extra for something that may be long enough when I enjoy sewing it for myself and can get the perfect length!

The second, and actual challenge is from Mari of Disparate Disciplines. You must go check out her fascinating thoughts on sewing the basics v. foundation pieces and how clothing effects our moods.

Disparate Disciplines

Here, in her own words she defines a FOUNDATION GARMENT.

     "What is a foundation garment say you?

• A garment that goes beyond the simple, solid colors, materials, or construction of basic garments.
• Any garment that can anchor multiple outfits as the focal point.
• Often a garment upon which you can layer other things."

She has even given us a deadline!! January 1st we are supposed to have everything done so we can start the new year feeling brilliant. This challenge will help me take the time to focus on making sure I will actually wear what I sew and it will fit into my existing wardrobe. I love the idea of taking something necessary and basic and turning it into something a bit more special!

The third reason I am doing this.... 

That, my friends, is a huge pile of mostly knits that lives on the floor of my sewing/bedroom and it NEEDS TO BE USED! I have a very large pile of woven fabric that needs attention as well but I can only confess so much in one post. So I will be fulfilling these challenges with my stash!! No more fabric shopping for me! (I will probably need reminding of this down the road.)

I think I have set myself enough challenges for this fall. How about you? Do you have any amazing fall sewing projects? Do you have a stash threatening to overwhelm you?