Marfy 1913: Pretty In Peach

September 15, 2017September 15, 2017 ~ Tia Dia ~ 24 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!

Miss V’s Wardrobe 2016

August 5, 2016November 3, 2016 ~ Tia Dia ~ 14 Comments

I was looking through my blog posts and realized I had made a collection of new clothes for Miss V only just last year! Amazing how time flies and yet seems so far away at the same time.

Miss V was here visiting home from Cambodia for the last 6 weeks, and she wanted new clothes. So, for a change, we went fabric shopping together at the Fabricland closest to her and bought fabric for 3 tops, 2 trousers, 4 dresses and a cardigan. I was all ready to start sewing two weeks ago, and then everyone under the age of 18 in my household got sick. I still don’t know what they were ill with, but it was miserable for a while. Needless to say, there was no sewing when there should have been sewing. But I managed to get everything done, and reasonably well enough (considering how little fitting opportunities there were), and off on the plane in Miss V’s bags earlier this week. This is more of a catalogue for my (future) self, but I thought you’d like to see what she chose this time.

Variations on Vogue 9595 (OOP). The pink is a stretch polyester brocade with a self-lined bodice. The cotton has a mock sarong overlay. Both of them have in-seam pockets (which I hate). She prefers gathers in the bodice to pleats.

Vogue 1415. I’ve actually made the trousers from this pattern twice for another client this summer. It’s a gorgeous pattern, and there is so little fitting to be done. Of course they look dreadful pinned to the dress form. They’re made of a polyester linen-look, lined with poly-cotton broadcloth (her choice). Considering how hard it is to keep white white in Cambodia, these should be easy to clean.

Vogue 2064 trousers in a woven, not the called-for knit. It fits so well as a woven for Miss V. This is the same pattern that I used for her upcycled sari and purple trousers. You’ll see the front needs some alterations, but, in my defense, Miss V requested that I make things a ‘bit small’ because she was going back into the sauna of Cambodia and would shed the extra that made these fit poorly through the waist/high hip. They’ll sit at her natural waist soon enough! 🙂

I copied a Vera Wang jersey top that she had worn to shreds. I was, thankfully, allowed to cut it all up so I could use it as a pattern. I traced the pieces and trued them up. It’s an interesting mock crossed drape front. Miss V was so funny when I cut the pink striped one out for her to try as a muslin (unhemmed in the pictures below). She danced around singing, ‘My top! My favourite top!’ I made three iterations of this, and, unfortunately, didn’t have time to tweak the fit to make it perfect. But she was sooooo happy with them that I’m not going to sweat all the things that irritate me about these. I’ll just make notes/adjustments on the pattern for next time.

Marfy 1913. This is such a gorgeous pattern. Why haven’t I made this for myself yet? Even DD3 wanted one for herself after seeing the pink paisley version on my dress form.

I also managed to get a cotton/silk top out of it for her wardrobe.

And I copied a cardigan that she loves. It’s a waterfall cardigan – well, a large rectangle (2 x .70m) with sleeves added at equidistant points from the CB fold, with enough fabric in the front to throw over one shoulder as a wrap. I cut the sleeves on the bias, using the Vogue 2064 pattern. The fabric is a mystery jersey of some sort that(surprisingly) washed well.

I sewed all long weekend to get this done, which I never do. I always hold weekends sacrosanct for family time. But it was so lovely having all my DDs and my DH around cooking, cleaning and planning while I just sewed. I need to make an excuse to have that kind of sewing weekend without interruptions again. 😀

Miss V’s Wardrobe 2015

April 16, 2015January 28, 2016 ~ Tia Dia ~ 15 Comments

I always love hearing from Miss V with her cheerful announcement that she’s got a bag of fabric that needs to be turned into clothes. She is back from Cambodia for a few months, and needs new clothes. What fun for the both of us. Here’s a catalogue of what she has added to her wardrobe this time ’round.

First, a plaid blouse, base pattern Burda 9/2010 #110. Believe it or not, this was the first Burda pattern I ever made. It seemed like a good place to start for the shawl collared sleeveless knit top that needed to be copied. Never mind that this fabric is a poly woven. The blouse has a lot of wearing ease, so I just cut off the fronts at the CF, omitting the overlap of the pattern.

Then I added a band, about 4 inches wide, cut on the straight grain to the bottom of the blouse, leaving a 4-inch gap between ends at the left side seam.

This simple shift dress is Miss V’s favourite. I use Vogue 9595 with a mock wrap sarong that I copied from one of her dresses. It has a hidden welt pocket.

This next dress is my least favourite, and imho, a fabric disaster. It’s not only a sheet, but the weirdest sheeting fabric ever. I’m sure it must be a 70/30 polycotton mix, and it’s as light as a voile. Anways, she’s pleased with it, although I’m not. The bodice is Burda 2/2011 #101, the first iteration of which you can see here.

I had originally put on a dirndl skirt, but she didn’t like that, so I substituted in the A-line version of Sewaholic’s Cambie with pockets. I confess to doing a less-than-stellar job of accurate cutting. *sigh*

Now this sweet little number is none other than the free Marfy 1913, lengthened into a dress. If you search Google images, you’ll see a entire world of versions of this great pattern. I added side seam pockets and lined it.

This orange striped polycotton jumped right out of her bag of goodies and screamed, “SUNDRESS!!!” I used Burda 9/2014 #130, which is the basic bodice associated with DD1’s recent LBD.

The skirt’s pleats are all edgestitched, both on the inside and outside to keep the pleats in place after laundering, and to prevent the fullness of the skirt flying up in the wind. I cut an A-line lining and attached it to the skirt using thread chains. Apparently it’s quite windy in Cambodia, and flying skirts aren’t an option!

Here’s another version of Marfy 1913, with side hemline vents and a side zipper in addition to it’s CB opening. It can be worn outside the trousers, or tucked in.

The trousers are Vogue 2064, which I used to re-make a sari Miss V brought last time. The pattern is for jerseys, but I find sizing up one size takes care of the negative ease and makes the pattern work for wovens. Miss V wanted a dramatic waist sash with a bow to finish it off. I’m really sorry the only photos I have of this outfit on the dress form. The fabric is quite stunning in person.

And that’s all, for this round of Miss V’s sewing. Keep stitching!

Blackwatch Plaid Coat: Finale

April 11, 2015 ~ Tia Dia ~ 39 Comments

Well, the skirt was fun! As mentioned before, it’s six quarter circles, and it twirls magnificently. Perfect for a dancer, no? I didn’t hem it. It’s faced with a 2 inch self-fabric facing which is stitched 1/8″ from the lower edge and catchstitched on the upper edge.. The hem edges are left raw.

It’s above the knee in length, at her request. She doesn’t care for long “dowdy” dress coats. I did not match up the plaid on the skirt with the CF panels deliberately. I thought with the ample folds of the skirt, it would be nice to not have the edges match – sort of a continuation of the broken plaid lines in the skirt. I did match all the plaid horizontally at the seams of each quarter circle.

BTW, I didn’t get any pictures of her wearing it with her hands out of the pockets, so the sleeves all look completely wonked in these photos. You’ll just have to believe me when I say they are the perfect length and hang properly!
Whew! I’m so happy this project was a success and that DD1 really likes the coat. I had to wrestle her into agreeing to have it made (stylish leather jackets look ridiculous in the middle of winter with a party dress), and I think she’s happy she did. She’s wearing her silk & spiderweb lace LBD with it today, on her way to a school semi-formal. Happy dancing!

Blackwatch Plaid Coat: Sleeves

April 3, 2015April 11, 2015 ~ Tia Dia ~ 21 Comments

Short post, but these sleeves were a trial for me. You see, I decided to cut the skirt before cutting the sleeves, and the skirt is h.u.g.e., comprising six quarter circle panels. So I was left fitting the sleeves on to what was left. Not a big deal, really, because I did have enough fabric, but matching the plaid was a challenge without yards left to use.And it looks like that green stripe is running forward of the centre of the sleeve, but it matches up perfectly with the forward shoulder adjustment, and hangs straight on DD1. The dress form doesn’t have a forward shoulder, so it looks off. I don’t handle ‘I-don’t-know-what-I’m-doing’ and out-of-my-depth sink-or-swim learning situations very well, and trying to decide how to match the plaid, with enough ease for the shoulders left me with a shorter sleeve that I really wanted and cost hours of draping, hemming, hawing and one or two mental sewing sessions at 3 a.m. This is the sort of crux I come to and wish I had more theory under my belt, or at least someone to teach me as I do it. However, trial, error, and a what little experience I have had to make it do. The plaid is matched all ’round the sleeve through upper and under pieces. DD1 and I had planned to add a bias cuff, so I wasn’t too worried about the inch or so of sleeve length I was missing by the time the plaid-matching decisions were made at the upper/under sleeves were cut. I wanted a deeper cuff, but I was literally working with scraps by this point, so they’re only about 6 inches wide. I lined them with the same lining used for the coat in order to keep bulk at a minimum. We also added a short peplum, cut on the bias, to break up the plaid and add a little of the McQueen silhouette into the garment. It just seemed to ‘finish’ the look. There are side seam pockets underneath the peplum.Well, the next (and last) post on this project will be with a live model. I’m hoping she’ll give us a twirl so you can see how lovely the skirt on this coat is.

Blackwatch Plaid Coat: Closure

March 20, 2015March 20, 2015 ~ Tia Dia ~ 15 Comments

I have been working furiously on making a blackwatch plaid coat in Harris tweed for DD1, as she does not own a dress coat, and needed one for a family wedding earlier in March. I made a toile of Marfy 1005 and a coat called Talea from Burdastyle’s website which I downloaded a couple of years ago. Neither one was quite to her taste, so we went back to the original Harris tweed coat I’d made for her a few years ago from Burda 9/2010 #101, and put together a frankenpattern for the blackwatch coat.

front and upper bodice Burda 9/2010 #101
sleeves from Marfy 1005
6 quarter-circle panels for the coat skirt
collar and stand from the Talea coat

I have completed the hidden button opening, complete with hand-worked buttonholes instead of the snap buttonholes I used last time. I just felt like practicing buttonholes this time ’round. Need I say that the fourth one is significantly better than the first!BTW, if you google “blackwatch McQueen coat” (runway version) you can see the inspiration behind this one. I am not a master cutter by any stretch of the imagination, and this project has both frustrated and challenged me. It has whet my appetite for more tailoring, and I truly wish I could just sit and learn somewhere on Saville Row, or at a tailor in my own city. Projects like this make me realize just how little I know and how much more I need to learn. It’s been a big project, and I loved every minute of working on it. More details soon!

Marvelous Marfy

January 14, 2014January 14, 2014 ~ Tia Dia ~ 26 Comments

Today was one of those days that begin in neutral and head downhill. FAST.

And then the doorbell rang.This is Marfy’s 2014/15 Autumn-Winter catalogue with – wait for it – 20 free patterns.

TWENTY FREE PATTERNS.

The patterns come in sizes (IT) 42 through 50. Oh, happy day. I smell a queue….

Camoflauge Marfy 1998

December 1, 2013December 3, 2013 ~ Tia Dia ~ 14 Comments

My DD3 is very pleased with her warm wool coat. The fabric and the pattern (Marfy 1998) were her choice from my stashes. When I asked her to model for me, this is what I got.

This is my first Marfy Finished Object, having only made a muslin of Marfy 1313 which never got past the muslin stage because I hated the fabric I’d chosen for it. But that’s another story. This was a success from the beginning. I shortened this coat to make it “petite”, and narrowed the shoulders by about one inch. I also cut the coat without any seam allowances except for the CF and neck edges. It’s a swing coat, and it really swings from the back shoulders. See? It hangs pretty much straight down from the shoulders.The front has an open neckline and a beautiful double collar. I love this collar. The top collar is shorter and can be pulled up straight for warmth around the back of the neck if desired. The bottom collar is wool crepe from my stash, both upper and under collars interfaced to match the drape of the felted wool jersey. Single welt pockets and princess seams complete the pattern, along with two-piece sleeves. This was a very simple, straight-forward make. I must say I’m impressed with Marfy. Every single marking matched up perfectly, even with my grading the size down considerably. And the details are just so divine. The buttonholes are bound, and the sleeve cuffs and front facings are wool crepe, too.I interfaced the front and side fronts and the hem of the garment. No underlining, just nice warm satiny kasha lining. DD3 wore it for the first time today and commented on how nice it was to have a warm coat to wear given the miserable drizzly weather we had. I’m glad she likes it. The CF neckline sits about bust level, although I shortened it slightly, so a scarf is required. Not very practical, but this will only be worn on occasions where a ski jacket isn’t appropriate.And there you have it. Despite the goofy pictures with the cuffs fully extended, it fits DD3 well and hopefully will continue to fit her through the shoulders for the next couple of years as she grows. I left a little extra in the seam allowances so I can let it out a bit if I need to. Oh, and the pattern review is here.

My Marfy stash

November 12, 2010December 1, 2013 ~ Tia Dia ~ 2 Comments

I thought I’d write a post about Marfy patterns in my stash in response to Becki, who asked me why I hadn’t posted anything about Marfy projects, since I have a page titled “Marfy” on my blog.

Well, I started a dress back at the end of August – Marfy 1313 – but then I got busy with DD1’s winter coat, thinking about blouses and mulling over the HepburnHepburn projects (sheath dress, crisp blouse and trench coat are on my list still waiting to be cut out). And then I’ve been mulling over the Burda “Party through the Decades 2010” competition (which may or may not happen, but that’s a topic for another day).

But I thought I’d share my Marfy stash, since it only numbers about 10 designs so far. You can tell me which you like and what you think I should tackle after (during?!) the construction of the Interrupted Dress. Here they are, in no particular order….

Anyways, the Interrupted Dress is now back at the forefront of my sewing mind. I’ll tackle that after I finish the blouse I’m working on. And the pencil skirt in Harris tweed…. the trench coat… DD2’s Christmas dress… the sheath dress….. LOL!