McCall's 6282 Knit Dress

Here's the finished dress, I made collar/view C and sleeves/ view A.  I'm pretty happy with the result and think I'll get lots of wear out of this one.  I do quite a bit of fitting while sewing, as the pattern designers (Palmer/Pletsch) suggest.  I really gave plenty of thought about whether or not to add a bust dart.  After it was done, and I pin fit the dress, I hated them; now that all is put together, I'm glad I did.  I changed the gathers on the dress, they are supposed to go across the waistline but I lowered them to the high hip line- I just don't want extra fabric at the waist, they made a rectangular silhouette.  I used a JET lining from Jo-Ann's fabric and made it a teenie bit smaller, like Spanx!  That worked out great.  I also used a twin needle on my Bernina 1530 and it produced a smooth and beautiful hemline; I'm pleased with that.  I love the fabric, it's a cotton with Lycra from FabricMart, the soft-toned animal print is lovely.

Here's what I liked about this pattern:

• The basic draft, which included a lining
• Collar and sleeve choices

I didn't like:

• Instructions- I think they were a bit confusing and would probably cause a beginner to make mistakes.
• Sizing.  I felt this pattern ran a little large for a knit dress and I had to tweak quite a bit.  To be fair I did use a very stretchy knit, but I still think it should have been drafted smaller through the middle.

Where in the world is SewBarbie?

Well, I've been here,

And there.

"We're having a heatwave"

"Diamonds are a girls best friend"

"One silver dollar"

"Isn't it delicious?"

Carole Lombard was tiny

Back of Lana Turner's gown

Mending a tear

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was thoroughly entertaining!  Daniel Radcliff and John Laroquette were so much fun in their roles, we were all laughing and applauding wildly.  Then on to the Debbie Reynolds auction of movie memorabilia in Beverly Hills.  Do you recognize the first four dresses?  All Marilyn Monroe- it's amazing to see them this close and unprotected, I wanted to reach out and touch them, but people were watching.  She must have had great charisma to outshine a couple of these outfits.  The next dress was worn by Carole Lombard, boy- was she tiny!  If I had stood next to it, it would have looked like a child's gown...only very curvy!  The green dress was worn by Lana Turner, the mannequin is very small and still the corset doesn't even begin to close- this glamour girl had a teenie little waist.  Perhaps I should stop eating for a year or two...

Regarding sewing, which is what we are all interested in- most of the gowns had extensive hand stitches; I would say that the fell stitch was on more gowns than any other.  Did you notice the repair on the green dress?  I wonder if this happened before or after the filming.  I suppose that even the movie seamstresses made mistakes too- now I feel so much better. ;-)  It was interesting to see the applied embellishments and the stitches chosen to do so.  In many cases the buttonholes were the kind that you might make on a vintage machine.  I have an older Bernina 730 that makes these very delicate machine buttonholes.  I found the construction details very inspiring.  There are lots more pictures that I will share later, so stay tuned.

I am working on a knit dress and will blog that this weekend.  My motto for this one is: "Just say NO to bust darts!"

Vogue 1220

Hats off to Donna Karen for this design!  This pretty shawl-collared shirtdress is feminine, easy to wear and fun to make.  I had doubts about the color, but it looks great on, and is perfect for summer.  I'm taking it on a NY trip and will wear it there.  I like the obi-belt, but I think I'll wear it with an ivory belt and shoes- it gives a nice orange sherbert look to it.  I added a lot of length to this one , I was very concerned that it would be too small, but it ended up being a little loose, which is okay with me.  I love that it has pockets and the tulip shaped skirt give it a vintage 60's look, that I just love.  I'm already thinking about making it again- one of the bloggers did it in a stable weave and it looks wonderful, I may do the same.

My tool for this project is Bernina's #63 foot.  I hear many sewers complain that these narrow hemmers never work, but I have had nothing but easy going with this one.  I run these long seams at full speed with no worries, and zip, it's done.  The key is to start the narrow hem correctly and feed the fabric straight into the foot.

Vogue 1220 In Progress

I'm working on "orange sunshine", mind you, I live in a world of black, beige, grey and navy.  Originally I thought this fabric was too much for me, but at a dollar a yard, I couldn't pass it up.   The pattern has unusual seams for fitting which were daunting for me, I wanted a good fit in back and not too much fabric in front.  I took the pattern to my tailoring teacher and she helped pin-fit.  We decided to add a dart in front (pictured), we also added some length to the collar back ( I needed an extra 1/4 inch).  I'm basting and fitting this one more than usual and so far, so good.  I know it's been slow going, but my work has been super busy these days.  Hoping to have some sewing time on Sunday and Monday.  Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Happiness is.......

I'm truly pleased with my "little brown wearable muslin/dress".  I needed something quick and easy to get me out of the sewing doldrums.  Vogue 1250 is Donna Karan's close fitting draped neck dress.  The design is beautiful, the front and the entire skirt are cut in one piece then a separate back.  Only three pieces make up this dress.  Here's what I did to the pattern:

• lengthened the front above the waist 2.5 inches
• lengthened the skirt 3 inches
• lengthened the back 1 inch- eased front into back
• cut everything a 16, eased to 18 at the bust

This cotton/Lycra jersey is leftover from a another outfit and I thought it would work as a wearable muslin.  I have a pretty and subtle leopard print that I'll use for this dress unless the June BurdaStyle has something I love more.

What worked:  The style, alterations, fabric- like the result.

What didn't:  The hem.  I have a Pfaff Coverlock that I'm not in love with and don't use very often.  The result is not as smooth as I'd hoped for; but wearable.

I'm flirting with the idea of making it in this rayon/Lycra stripe.  It has an incredible hand, with a bit of weight so it drapes very well.  What do you think?  Too much?

Does This Ever Happen To You?

I'm buying fabrics and patterns like mad, but I won't live long enough to sew everything up.  Lately I've been in a deep sewing decline.  Am I being affected by the recession?  Am I lazy?  Did my sewing angels take a vacation?  Are the movies on Netflix too compelling?  I believe it's all of the above.  Just got back from Jo-ann's Fabric and picked up a few Vogue Patterns on sale.  I'm going to sew up something super- easy in hopes that I get my groove back.  Vogue Patterns $3.99, don't miss it.

Up next, Donna Karen Dress

I like the lines of this dress, but after looking over the pattern I find some fitting challenges.  The front bodice wraps completely around to the back creating a bit of a complication for the full bust.  I've cut the pattern and tried a few tricks with the mannequin.  I'm hoping that cutting the BF seam at a larger size will solve the problem.  I'm making it in bright orange!  I don't usually wear brights colors but the fabric was calling my name...