Vogue 1454

September 19, 2017September 16, 2017 ~ Tia Dia ~ 12 Comments

Thank you all for your kind comments on the last post. You realize, right, that the topstitching on the previously posted trousers is now The Standard, which I shall drive myself insane trying to meet for the rest of my sewing life….. 🙂

Earlier this summer I went on a stash-busting spree. No particular motive in mind, except that I was so sick and tired of feeling ugly and underdressed. It started at Easter back in the spring, and I’ve been sewing up a storm, but never feeling like I wanted to photograph anything when I was wearing it. So I’m working backwards.

In August I took DD2 and DD3 on a month-long road trip to Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. I grew up in western Canada, and had a deep need to drive for miles under the open sky, wind through the mountain passes, and dip my toes into the Pacific Ocean. Along the way we visited Drumheller in the middle of the Alberta Badlands and home to the Tyrrell Museum. It’s ground zero for dinosaurs. Now, I’m not particularly interested in dinosaurs, but I do love the geography of the Badlands. It’s dry, windy, dusty, incredibly surreal and other-worldly. See?

I’m wearing the second version of the slim BurdaStyle trousers mentioned in the last post. The fabric is a stone-coloured stretch denim from EOS that’s been languishing in my stash for I can’t remember how long. It was a roll end, I believe, and there was just enough for these jeans. (Trousers? I always want to call them ‘trousers’, even if they’re made of denim, because they don’t have all the traditional ‘jeans’ details…)

This is a softer, stretchier denim than the peach denim in the last post. This was actually the first iteration of this pattern.

The top is from the last set of Donna Karan patterns that Vogue put out. I purchased it just because it was a Donna Karan pattern, and I’m glad I did. I love this top. It’s boxy, but it’s so comfortable and so fun to wear. I made it up from a linen blend from very deeeeeeeep stash. I honestly cannot remember where I purchase the fabric, and that’s saying something, because I always remember where fabric comes from.

Now, I really dislike fabrics that show the outline of undergarments, and this wasn’t quite opaque enough for me. So I self-lined the bodice, and used flat-felled seams to ensure nothing will ever get shifty.

But it didn’t quite work out in my favour at the hemline… lack of planning, I suppose, in terms of which direction the ‘fell’ went in the flat-fell. 😀 But it’s not really noticeable while I’m wearing it, unless you’re a fellow seamstress looking closely at details. Yes, this is the right side of the garment, looking at it from the front. oooopsie…

It was windy on the photoshoot, which worked in my favour, because it shows how the back flounce moves on this top.

Here’s another photo to show how much ease is built into this design. It made for a cool top in hot weather!

And a last one from the front. Like I said, it’s boxy, but I’m somehow liking this at the moment.

Marfy 1913: Pretty In Peach

September 15, 2017September 15, 2017 ~ Tia Dia ~ 22 Comments

I’m finally taking pictures of my sewing projects since April. This is Marfy 1913, the blouse that everyone made a few years ago when Marfy released it as a free download. I’ve made several for other people, including modifying the pattern so it’s dress length, but this is the first one I’ve made for me.

The fabric is from EOS. It’s a silk crinkle chiffon with the prettiest floral design. There was just enough fabric that I could make the blouse double-layered, and match the colour design of the fabric.

Like everyone else who has made this pattern, I have plans for others. It’s not difficult to make, requires very little fabric, and is simple to alter.

The trousers in this outfit are Burda 1/2016 #135. I’ve made three versions of them, which I’ll be sharing with you. I love the details, and I love how they fit. I’ve always shied away from slim fitting trousers, being a curvy shape. I dread looking like an inverted pyramid, but these seem to fit perfectly and they’re fun to make with all the seaming details.

The denim is an Italian denim is from EOS. This also was a roll end. I was pretty pleased with the quality when I made these purple jeans, so I jumped when I saw this roll end available. There was just enough to squeeze these trousers out of 1.3 yards.

This denim has a lot of body to it, and feels quite different from the softer fabrics I made these trousers in, which changed how they fit. You’ll see this next time when I post pictures from Drumheller! I went on a road trip through my childhood haunts in Western Canada. These pictures today are at my grandmother’s farm in Alberta. It was a great trip, although I didn’t purposely photograph what I packed and wore. Anyways, it’s great to be back!

Big Leaves: Vogue 9167

April 23, 2017April 23, 2017 ~ Tia Dia ~ 26 Comments

I’m supposed to be doing my taxes.

Meh.

I thought it would be more fun to share DD3’s latest sewing project with you instead. 🙂 We went shopping in my stash, and pulled out this fabulous fabric from EmmaOneSock, which I purchased with DD3 in mind a couple of years ago. In the latest Vogue patterns online sale, we also purchased Vogue 9167. She chose to work with View D.

We began with a toile of the bodice, using the 14-D cup bodice provided in the pattern, but it pulled in all sorts of unhappy ways, so I suggested that we do an additional 1.5cm FBA. She followed the directions from the 1982 Vogue Sewing book on her own, but decided to make it a 2cm FBA instead of a 1.5, hoping she wouldn’t need to make yet another toile. And we ended up with a really good fit through the bust, if it was a little loose. We didn’t need to lower the bust point at all. But it looked like something my dog found in the garbage with drag lines going on in every direction FOREVER.

And I couldn’t for the life of me think of where to even begin with this mess. DD3 has been in physio for a couple of years because she a) sprouted so quickly; b) went from a B cup to an F cup in less than 6 months (remember, she’s 13 years old), which affected everything from posture to self-esteem; and c) swims semi-competitively. Which, all put together, makes for shoulder issues, as you can see in these photos. Oh, and we’ve just learned that she has scoliosis – minor – only 1cm, or so – but it obviously affects the fit of a bodice. Soooo….

Because she’s a swimmer, I cut 5cm extra through the shoulder seams, in preparation for a square broad shoulder (remember, I’m trying to get her to work from a pattern, since that’s the way I work). Maybe it’s time to learn to work from a moulage… Ah, well, here’s a summary of what we ended up with:

Back: narrow back adjustment 1.5cm

Right shoulder: took away the 5cm extra, and sloped it 1.5cm. In effect, working from a size 14 pattern, it boils down to a 1.5cm sloped shoulder adjustment.

Left shoulder: left the 5cm extra on the front. Took away 5cm on the back. What is this called? Reverse forward shoulder adjustment? Backward shoulder adjustment?

Short waist adjustment: 5cm

R sloped shoulder — *perfectly matched waistband seam on an invisible zip*

This is the back of the dress. We still need more adjustments through the right shoulder… lower shoulder adjustment? narrow shoulder adjustment? sloped shoulder adjustment? Or maybe it’s a high neck issue?!?!?!

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Right shoulder still troubling me — *perfectly matched centre front seam, although the neckline looks kinda funny! Maybe we should have done a mirrored version of the CF panels instead of matching them.*

You can see it’s still a hot mess on the right side in this photo, but I’m not sure if she’s rolled her shoulders forward a little bit (something she is fighting on a minute-by-minute basis). However, this is so dramatically improved from her Christmas dress fiasco (we’re re-cutting the bodice for December 2017), that we both did major happy dances. It’s not perfect, but it is 1000 times better than it was. She didn’t want it to be fitted closely under the bust, so we left it with a little more ease than I would like. But it’s her dress, and she’s happy with it.

She loves the pockets.

We added an A-line lining to the skirt. Working with all those box pleats was a bit of a challenge for her, since she’s just done circle skirts to this point.

Thank goodness for Vogue’s wonderful instructions. She just followed them methodically and was so proud of herself when they worked out beautifully. And me, well, I’m super proud of her. My contributions to the project were some cutting, the back zip and colour-matching the thread for the hem. Because it just looked better that way. If you click on the photos, you’ll find yourself in my Flickr photostream, where you can zoom in and play Find the Stitches in the Hemline.

Well, now she’s working on the toile for her middle school graduation in June. And we’re going hardcore: foundations, boning, lace and petticoats!

Repeat: Vogue 2396 Wrap Shirt

April 11, 2017April 11, 2017 ~ Tia Dia ~ 8 Comments

Thanks for weighing in on my Easter ideas in the last post. I was shocked – SHOCKED, I tell you – that the option in the poll “Why make something!?” did not get even one little vote. I guess my DH doesn’t read my blog. 😉 The jumpsuit won hands down, and I’m currently working on that. The wrap dress is done and dusted, as they say, but I haven’t photographed it yet. Hopefully today sometime, so I can show you later this week. And the bouclé is waiting in the wings. I need to make a trip downtown into the Fashion District to find wool for the trim on it, because I’m thinking I’d like to try something like this for the jacket:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/6a/f0/62/6af06216b799bb580c1d27e4560a62b4.jpg — *Chanel, cruise 2017*

Over a dress cut on the bias like this.

Because in 2007, this outfit caught my imagination from the fall haute couture show (2nd from right).

But anyways, in my real world…

I’ve made another ivory version of this oldy-but-goody OOP wrap shirt from Vogue 2396 this time in a heavy linen/cotton blend.

I’m liking it. 🙂

Your opinions, please!

March 30, 2017March 30, 2017 ~ Tia Dia ~ 12 Comments

It’s been years since I made outfits for Easter. The last dresses I made were for my girls when they were small, somewhere along the lines of this picture.

I remember sitting for hours achieving a near zen state smocking those dresses. I still have all three (four, counting the one for Felicity, the American Girl doll). I do miss smocking, but my right arm and hand don’t miss the repetitive motion that goes into rows and rows of smocking by hand.

Anyways, I am wanting to please myself this year (such selfishness that implies) in making an outfit for myself for Easter that I will like… something from my sewing list that just got pushed to the side over and over again because I ‘didn’t need something new’ or could ‘make do with what I already have’ or would be completely overdressed for a casual family function. We don’t go out anywhere special, but rather celebrate with family, and the mantra I hear from year to year is ‘no pressure: casual dress’.

But I am totally SICK of casual dress.

I dress casually as a matter of course, and I don’t particularly like it. It’s not my default comfort zone. But I do jeans and shirts, yoga pants and tees because it’s crazy being overdressed compared to the rest of the population.

OK, OK… I’m completely exaggerating, but that’s how I feel.

I have two ideas rattling around in my head, which I’d like you all to vote on, since I don’t think I have time to make both. First, a jumpsuit out of stretch crepe, either green, wine or curry.

*BurdaStyle 04/2016 #130; fabrics and Vogue 1308*

Or something along those lines…

Secondly, a bouclé or tweed ensemble, comprised of a bias-cut dress and a LFJ-style jacket.

*vintage wool; BurdaStyle 02/2010 #130; Vogue 1180*

Or, just don’t bother with the fitting and the hand-sewing and the WORK and whip up a new Vogue 8379 wrap dress.

Please tell me what you think!

Burda 6838: Arctic Icy Blue

March 29, 2017March 16, 2017 ~ Tia Dia ~ 4 Comments

When I found the wool/tencel jersey mentioned in my last post, there were 5 colours available: dark brown, brown, grey, ice blue and lime green. DD3 fell head-over-heels in love with the ice blue.

So I made her own version of Burda 6838, at her request.

Here’s the back view. You can see how lightweight the jersey is in this photo.

DD3 requested a matching camisole for extra coverage, so I cut one out of the remnants using the slip pattern from an OOP Donna Karan pattern, Vogue 2874…

…and slap-dashed it together for her.

vogue-2784-camisole

DD3’s feedback? It’s warm, comfortable and she *LOVES* the colour.

Wool & Tencel Jersey Tops

March 22, 2017March 16, 2017 ~ Tia Dia ~ 10 Comments

I love winter.

I freeze in the winter.

But the cold air is so much easy to breathe and the sunlight is crisper than in summer, somehow.

So I love winter.

Crave winter.

I usually wear cashmere turtlenecks with down vests in my house during the winter. We keep the house deliberately cool – around 19C – which means that it feels cold in my double-brick constructed insulation-free 1950s build of a house. So imagine my pleasant surprise when my local Fabricland, of all places, had bolts of wool/tencel jersey. IN SHADES OF CHOCOLATE BROWN!!! I bought enough for three tops, but ended up with enough to make four. I’m so in love with this fabric I’ll probably buy more when it goes back on sale…. 😀

First up, the Sewaholic Renfrew. I must be the last person in the sewing world to make up this pattern. As it turns out, I really like it. I didn’t at first try-on. I thought it was shapeless and completely unflattering. But it has grown on me. It’s comfortable and has a lot of room in its rather straight cut, and that is just perfect for me these days. This is a beautiful rusty orange.

Oh! Before I forget, remember those made-a-few-years-ago-worn-almost-every-day brown jeans I mentioned in my Jalie jeans post? Well, they feature in all these photos despite their front fitting issues.

I made no changes to the pattern other than making the back in a double layer of the jersey, as it is rather lightweight. It washes and dries beautifully, too, although the Tencel in it tends to make it a bit prone to wrinkling.

The next pattern was Burda 6838 I love draped tops. This replaces an old RTW version that got worn and washed so much it started to look ratty.

I made no changes whatsoever to this pattern. WYSIWYG straight out of the envelope. Surprising.

Next up: Burda 11/2014 #114 in a lighter brown. I love the back yoke with the integrated draped front.

I made two changes: shortened the sleeve and, instead of doing an FBA, I lowered the attachment points of the drape at the side seams by 8cm so they fell under my bust instead of above it. And I left all the edges raw. The sleeves on this needed to be shortened by a whopping 8cm. Seriously. I’m not 100% in love with this. The dropped shoulders aren’t particularly flattering, and it could be taken in a little through the waist/hips, but I’m shying away from snug-fitting clothing these days. And I think shortening it about 2cm would be a good plan.

So! Make, wear, photograph and learn. It’s cozy for living in my house in the winter, and that was the point! And it’s also getting a lot of wear these days…

And lastly, this bi-coloured two-layer top from Burda 7/2010 #137. It’s a plus-sized pattern (44-52), which I can use because I make up size 44 in Burda. Lucky me – I can choose regular or plus size patterns in their issues. 😉

This is my second BurdaPlus knit top pattern, and as flattering as they are in pictures, they are not fun or easy to wear. It’s a very flattering look through the shoulders – which is probably the point in a plus-sized garment… drawing the eyes up and away from the goods… but keeping those shoulders in place is a nightmare.

I ended up running elastic through the neckline to the CB and CF points to snug it up a bit and stitching layers together the below the centre points to keep the shoulders from sliding off, and the CF and CB settling into a lower meeting place. Of course this is just lazy non-fitting, but after seeing this in photos, I’m not crazy about the use of the different browns, anyways. And it’s not very warm, which was the point of the wool jersey, precisely because the neckline is so wide and open. So, like this earlier BurdaPlus make, it’s been donated.

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