Burda 05/2012 #141: Digital Print

September 13, 2013September 10, 2013 ~ Tia Dia ~ 13 Comments

This dress was an experiment in sizing. I am right in the middle of Burda regular and plus sizing, and I was interested in how a plus pattern for wovens would stack up against a regular size. I chose this dress from the May 2012 issue. I really liked the line drawing, and draping and V-necks are two of my favourite design elements. My fabric is a digital printed cotton voile, and I’m happy that everything for this dress was from stash!I cut the size indicated by my full bust measurement. I wanted to see how this compared to cutting my upper chest measurement and doing an FBA. I shortened the waist by 2 inches, which is a standard short-waist adjustment for me, and cut the fronts with 2 inch seam allowances.

Verdict: the smaller size with the FBA would have been a better fit across the chest and through the armscyes. As it was, I needed to ease in 2 inches along the length of each neckline to get the neckline to lie snug and avoid wardrobe malfunction, and it was a good thing I cut a 2″ seam allowance through the armscyes. I needed that much to get enough coverage and avoid gaping armholes.

The one odd thing about this pattern was the right front. In order to get the fit and drape through the waist and hips (surprise on the hips) I had to trim 1 1/2″ off the entire right side seam. Not the left, just the right. A drafting issue? Anyways, I wore the dress today, and it was super comfortable and cool. The back fits well after tweaking the fit through the waist, and I really like the silhouette of the a-line skirt. The dress is fully lined, but I drafted facings to give the edges a nicer finish. Well, two summer dresses down and one to go! I’m almost at the end of my late summer projects.

The Classic White Shirt

May 27, 2012May 28, 2012 ~ Tia Dia ~ 10 Comments

Sleeveless version, that is.

This is the first sleeveless white shirt in my closet. Ever. I’ve never wanted one before. And I don’t particularly like them. But they’re growing on me when I see other people wearing them. So here’s mine! I used Vogue 8094 again. I’m certainly getting my money’s worth out of this pattern. I’ve made the capris, used the capri pattern to alter a previously me-made pair that I disliked, and now I’ve made the shirt. I have to say I did make the 3/4 sleeved version years ago out of Liberty Queensbury, and would love to have another Queensbury shirt, but I can’t find the fabric anymore. On my first version I hadn’t learned yet how to do an FBA, and I really needed one.

For this version, I used an ivory cotton/linen blend, I think. It’s a bit heavy and 100% linen it certainly ain’t. I’ve never seen so much lint in the dryer filter after pre-washing and drying linen. I could have sufficiently stuffed a baby pillow with it. It was ridiculous. And I underlined it. Even though it’s a mid-weight fabric, you could still see skin versus pants through it. I used cotton voile, and, flimsy and sheer though that fabric be, it does add that extra coverage layer. And just to test it, I wore a dark brown bra for these photos. Pretty good, eh? I love the collar on this shirt. I think the fabric makes it roll perfectly. I had intended this to be a quick project. HA!! Classic white shirt does NOT equal fast and easy. I didn’t do a muslin – just did the baste and fit as you go method. The front fit beautifully after doing my usual FBA. The side darts are pretty deep – not quite deep enough from the photo below – and I was concerned about how they’d shape. Sometimes I like to split up a very deep dart into two or more smaller ones. I think next time this pattern gets made I’ll do the smaller darts because it’ll make the shape more pleasing. Don’t get me wrong! I’m quite pleased with this shirt, but as you all know, we sewists can get really really picky over anything that doesn’t fit perfectly. And I think I’ve developed slightly sloping shoulders over the years. Jeepers. I wasn’t expecting my shoulders to drop as I age. This is slightly more evident in the mandatory back view of the shirt. The front and back darts are very long in this pattern. Necessary, I guess, to obtain the fit that drew me to this pattern in the first place. And I’m not crazy about the five buttons. The last one just seems like one too many, so I’ll probably wear it unbuttoned. I’m short-waisted enough that it won’t make any difference.

Rachel Comey Skirt: Vogue 1247

May 24, 2012May 24, 2012 ~ Tia Dia ~ 15 Comments

Well, I’ve jumped on the Rachel Comey bandwagon with this skirt, mostly because the interesting pockets were very similar to those throughout the SS Chanel couture show. I made the skirt out of the same brown linen of my latest pair of trousers and underlined it with cotton voile. I’m liking the underlining with the linen instead of lining it. It hangs and wears so much better than just a with a slippery lining underneath it. The voile did add a little bit of heft to the linen, which I was concerned would possibly make it hotter to wear in heat and humidity, but after wearing it today, I can say it made no difference to the comfort factor. I was actually more confident wearing this underlined skirt because I felt that it was holding it’s shape and staying as crisp as underlined linen can.

The pattern sews up very quickly, although all the bound seams take a while to do. It does look nice on the inside, though! Here are the front pockets. I really don’t think I’ll be standing around with my hands in them, though.They’re placed so that if I did have one hand in it’s respective pocket, it may look a little odd.

Here’s the back zip. I was a bit concerned about the bulkiness of the bound voile/linen yoke seams, but the invisible zip went in just fine. And I really like the waistband. It’s probably 1 1/2 inches wide, which I think is perfect. It sits at my natural waist, so the yoke seams sit exactly at my hip, which I also wondered at, since accentuating my hips is not something I really like to do. But it’s not noticeable, and doesn’t add any bulk. And I’m very in love with this linen. It’s just divine.Even the hemline was bound with bias. The binding was very time consuming, but the end result made it all worth it. I love finishing details like this in a garment.

And I lengthened the skirt by a full 8 inches to get this length. I’m a little shy of wearing 15 inch long skirts.

Conclusion? It’s a cute little skirt, but I think I love it so much because of my fabric choice and all the finishing that went into the construction. It’s A-line, but I may prefer straight or pencil skirts on me. The bonus of the A-line is that I can carry on with my daily business with ease of movement.

I’m in love: Vogue 2578

May 12, 2012May 11, 2012 ~ Tia Dia ~ 13 Comments

I’ve made up these pants three times over the years. The first was a pair of brown linen; the second pair were in a wool/viscose tweed and this is the most recent version.

I do not have the first two pairs. I seem to avoid muslins in favour of making up, wearing and tossing, but that’s another blog post altogether.

I know I don’t look like I’m squealing like a little happy piggy in this photo, but I am internally grinning like a Cheshire cat about these trousers. This pair is a keeper. I wore these trousers a couple of days ago, and was very disappointed. Actually, the proper word would be disheartened. After wearing them all morning, they had stretched out and hung horribly in every possible way they could even if I did underline them. But I am so in love with this linen that I just couldn’t part with them. So I studied all the photos I took on Wednesday for the MMM12 challenge and made my adjustments. (You can see the only picture I saved of them from that original wearing here). I took in the waist a couple of inches and tapered the excess down to my hip level (about 9 inches below my waist) at the side seams. I still could adjust the front crotch curve and length, but in true mezzo style, I’ll do that adjustment on the next pair.And can I just say that I really love my new linen pants? I am so thrilled that I have finally made this pattern fit properly that I want to make up another 16 pairs! After much thought about lining vs. underlining, I decided I’d underline these ones. I’ve never underlined a pair of pants. I must confess I have always been afraid of the underlining shrinking or pulling away or making them hang weirdly after wear and tear, but I decided I’d give it a go with this pair. Actually, this discussion thread and this thread really swayed me in favour of the underlining this time.I used a pre-shrunk cotton voile and underlined only to the knee. I overlocked all the seams and bound the bottom of the waistband. I have to say I really am pleased with this entire project. I may never line linen pants again. The voile (not an underlining first choice – organza is always touted as being the premier underlining fabric) really makes a difference about how these pants hang and feel. Lesson learned! 🙂And can I just say how I love this pattern? It has all the thinking done for me in the instructions for a fly zipper with an underlay. Every time I’ve made them, the zipper turns out perfectly, and all I have to do is follow the pattern instructions. I love to sew, but sometimes I hate the problem-solving that goes into project. It’s nice to have a good set of pattern pieces and proper instructions for a wonderful result all pre-packaged and ready for you! This pattern also has separate pieces for lining the pants, complete with instructions on how to line the fly shield. Gotta love Vogue designer patterns! You learn so much!