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. 🙂

Baby Blue and Navy Blue

June 25, 2013July 11, 2013 ~ Tia Dia ~ 20 Comments

It’s done and on its way to Alberta. I couldn’t be more pleased with this outfit – simple, chic and I’m so happy with the way it came together. The ice-blue sheath is Vogue 2396. Here it is without the lace shirt.I pre-washed the linen when it was purchased about 12 months ago (longer, maybe?). I had originally intended to simply underline it with silk organza, but it was a little on the show-all-possible-undergarment-lines semi-opaque, so I also lined with bemberg. I added a small kick pleat at the CB, since my DF isn’t a fan of hemline slits. This is such a lovely simple design that it will be wearable for many occasions. I faced the armholes and neckline with a self-drafted facing instead of taking the lining to the edges as per Vogue’s instructions. I think this finishes up the edges in a much nicer way, and the support afforded by the self-fabric keeps everything in shape properly during wear. Isn’t that icy blue such a pretty summery colour?And now the nitty gritty of the lace top. I folded the lace in half, matching the scalloped selvedges, laid the front of the dress pattern over top to get an idea of the neckline shape, took a massively deep breath, and slashed from the centre front out to the shoulders. I’m sorry I don’t have pics of this process, but it was pretty simple, and I’m hoping I’ll write well enough for you to follow along. Then I put the lace “top” on over the dress as it was on Ms. Vintage, adjusted the shoulders so that the hem hung horizontally, pinned it to the shoulders of the dress, and carefully trimmed away the excess to match the dress’s neckline. Then I tried using my silk ribbon to bind the neck edge. I’ve not pictures of that either, and for good reason. It was an atrocious ugly mess. Of course, I can hear some of you more experienced sewistas muttering, because silk ribbon is not bias, and therefore will not shape smoothly. Yup. Stitch and learn.

So I tripped down to the fashion district last Friday and matched the lace with silk chiffon (since French navy silk organza is NOT to be had anywhere in this town and I’ve not tried dyeing anything and didn’t want this to be the start of a foray into that art form). I cut long 1″ wide pieces of bias and made a couple of yards of narrow bias binding. Not the most fun job in the world with chiffon, but it worked.Then I carefully trimmed away all but 1/8″ of the uglified silk ribbon neck edging and stitched the chiffon binding around the neckline by hand. I didn’t trust my machine. Once the neckline was all finished, I put it on Ms. Vintage again and started draping the side seams. I ended up trimming 2″ off the front and backs at the sides, tapering to a short sleeved kimono shape. Then I bound each long edge, back hem to front hem, and fell-stitched 8 inches of the edges together from the hem up to create the shape of the shirt.The bias binding is not uniform in width, but it’s complementary to the variation of widths in the design of the lace. I think so, anyways. It’s a pull-over style, and I’m hoping it will get worn with a myriad of other outfits. When my DF picked up the dress she was wearing a backless spaghetti strap black maxi dress. She tried on the lace shirt and it looked amazing with the dress she was already wearing. And here’s a final shot of the back. This was a fun project. I love working with linen and these sorts of garments are what make my sewing heart leap with giddy joy. Next up: boring snoring cake for DD1 and another go at the Vogue 1039 skinnies pattern. *yawn*

Lace

June 21, 2013June 21, 2013 ~ Tia Dia ~ 7 Comments

A dear friend is moving back to the prairies, and her son is getting married this July so I’m making her mother-of-the-groom dress. I’ve made an ice blue linen sheath dress from Vogue 2396 and this exquisite and unusual lace remnant is going to be an over-shirt. Over-blouse? The idea was to have something separate from the dress that she could wear with other ensembles when she felt like wearing lace. She’s not a lace person, but this doesn’t really look like your stereotypical lace, does it? Only one problem: I don’t have access to silk or knit tulle, so I’ll be winging the finishing with silk ribbon. Isn’t this one of the most unusual laces you’ve seen? We were shopping about a year ago and walking into one of my fave places – Leo’s Textiles – and the owner, Suzy, who knows me by first name (isn’t that a sign?) showed it to me and we snatched it up, not know what we’d use it for at the time.

Wish me luck, or give me advice about finishing the edges of this very open lace… 🙂

Me Made June: A week in review

June 24, 2011April 3, 2015 ~ Tia Dia ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a busy week with no time for writing a blog post, so here’s my week in review.

I fell off the me-made bandwagon on June 18. It was hot and we celebrated my niece’s 8th birthday outdoors, so I threw a RTW tank and skirt on. No pics, sorry!

MMJ 19 – Sunday – Happy Father’s Day!

Outfit: Nine West top; Vogue 8295 silk linen skirt; BCBG shoes

Activities: Dance recital for my girls, and a picnic with daddy for Father’s Day. No, I did not play Frisbee and traipse through a woodland path down to the Humber River in my stilettos!

Thoughts: This is one of my favourite skirts. I’ve made it twice – once in this chocolate silk linen and Harris Tweed. It’s a lovely cut and very swishy!

MMJ 20 – Monday – Happy 8th Birthday, DD3!

Outfit: RTW tank top with capris from OOP Vogue 8094; Joseph Siebel shoes

Activities: Making DD3’s birthday dinner (she requested a roast ham!) and generally working through a list of of household responsibilities (nicer word than, say, chores)

Thoughts: This is the second time I’ve made up these capris, and although they don’t have a waistband, I find them comfortable and flattering. You can read my original post about this pattern for all my thoughts and tweakings.

MMJ 21 – Tuesday – Garden Day

Outfit: Tee: RTW; skirt: Vogue 1093 repeated; sunhat: San Diego Hats; shoes: Joseph Siebel

Activities: weeding my garden and household administrative paperwork

Thoughts: No interesting thoughts. This skirt is a stretch-cotton that goes with everything. It’s a very casual fabric, and if it hadn’t been MMJ, quite frankly, I would have thrown on a pair of RTW capris instead! HA!

MMJ 22 – Wednesday – Play date with a friend

Outfit: Shirt & capris from Vogue 2396. Both are repeats this me-made month.

Activities: Meeting with a dear friend that I haven’t seen for a long time to window shop and catch up… You can never be too old for a play date!

Thoughts: I lengthened these capris to the design length from my very short version that I wasn’t so crazy about after wearing for a day. There was enough yardage to add the missing length, so I added a horizontal seam about 2” (5 cm) above the knee and pressed a crease down the pants as per the pattern. I’m liking them way better this way. They’re a little long in the front, so wearing the shirt tucked in à la 50’s doesn’t look so hot. The shirt is one of my favourites, though. I’d like more shirts – they’re just so much dressier than a tee.

MMJ 23 – Thursday – DD2 graduates from primary school today

Outfit: Vogue 1220, reviewed here

Activities: Running kids to their annual check-ups and then celebrating dear Sarah’s grade 5 graduation.

Thoughts: I’m so proud of my daughter, Sarah! She’s just plugged along, daily doing what needs to be done, working hard to acquire the knowledge and skills that other children just pick up so easily. She is a chatty, charming and friendly girl, and we are so darn proud of how she’s growing into a lovely young lady. Not to make it all roses, though. There are daily challenges, which seem to be getting more persistent as she gets closer to those dratted teenage years. So we’ll just keep praying, looking at the silver lining and striving to keep her engaged in a supportive community.

MMJ 24 – Friday

Outfit: Hmmm…. it’s pouring today…. and I’ve already worn these capris this week… But what did I tell you? If it wasn’t MMJ, I’d not be wearing so many dresses on a daily “schlepping” around basis. And it’s a testament to just how much laundry I do in a week around here…

RTW tee and Vogue 8094 capris

Activities: meeting with DH’s accountant and bookkeeper to introduce them to each other. I used to do his company’s administrative work (which, although I am very good at it and very organized, I may say) I loathe with every cell of my being. Numbers are not my forte, and neither is being married to DH’s company 24/7! So…. in celebration of this final act of divorce, I’m spending the afternoon down at MacFab, which is new to my sewing world. I’m sure most of you living in the GTA (greater Toronto area) already know about this place, but I’ve never been there, and am very much looking forward to prowling around. I called early last week inquiring for spiral steel boning, which I need to repair a bustier, and so am off to buy 25 yards of it for my stash. Yep. Twenty-five yards. That’s the length they sell it in. On a roll…. cheap, too, apparently. I’ll let you know!

Oh! And today’s MMJ picture theme was with an animal. Well, my little mini poodle, Nuggett, is my animal for the day. I had thought of taking a pic with the DH….. Winking smile

I hate trashing projects…

June 17, 2011June 17, 2011 ~ Tia Dia ~ 2 Comments

Yesterday, while sewing, cooking and cutting new garments, my green dress split – SPLIT!!!!! – down the centre front. Remember I thought it had shrunk after my last (fall’s) wearing/washing? I was right. There was the lining in all of it’s lovely fitting ease, trying to skim around underneath the shell, and to no avail. I had forgotten that I’d pieced the centre front of the dress – neckline to hem! – and under the strain of sitting, standing, bending over a cutting table, getting in and out of a car, well, the lovely fragile fabric just split along the piecing seamline. I won’t shock you with pictures of the destruction. Sad smile

So here’s my RTW outfit for the latter part of Me Made June Day 16. I could have pulled out something me-made, but honestly, I just felt like wearing capris instead of a dress. You might think the dresses are the way I usually do my glamourous SAHM role on a daily basis, but not so! Most of my me-made garments are dresses, or winter separates. I’ve really not done that much in terms of summer tops and bottoms. If it wasn’t MMJ, where the goal is to wear self-stitched garments, I’d be wearing more RTW capris and tees as I haven’t any me-made capris. I’m working on that! Yesterday I cut out two pairs with the goal of having one pair done so that I could wear them for MMJ. Et voila!

Me Made June Day 17 – Outfit: Vogue 2396 capris (shortened); RTW tee. As today’s is Friday, all of us in the Flickr pool are taking pics with a loved one. Here’s mine, strolling after dinner. His shirt is me-made from a few years ago.

Activities: SAHM mom stuff with a dinner party tonight

Thoughts: I’ve been rather surprised with this OOP pattern. I’ve made up the dress, which I’m really not crazy about despite the fringe; the shirt, which I really like; and these capris which have yet to be worn for the day prior to making a “like” decision. I’m really happy that they’re more of a 50’s style with the waistband at my natural waist instead of the below-waist modern cuts of garments. Maybe if I was shaped like celery I’d like lower waists, but I much prefer having definition through my waistline.

I made these up in a a poly/cotton twill from Old Navy, if you can believe it. Who knew Fabricland stocks Old Navy twill? My pattern is actually one size too small, so I graded up, added about 4 inches of width to the bottom hem and shortened them by 4 inches. And I’m on a binding kick waistbands. It just adds that extra dimension to the garment – who cares if it’s only me or whoever’s folding the laundry that gets to see it? It makes the construction process more creative and enjoyable. Besides, it’s a great way to use up all the cutting remnants in my “I’ll-keep-this-to-make-doll-clothes” box.

Pattern Review: Vogue 2396

May 4, 2011May 4, 2011 ~ Tia Dia ~ 10 Comments

I made a shirt. It’s been a long time since I put together a shirt with the sleeve plackets and the cuffs and the buttonholes, so this was a nice project.

Pattern: Vogue 2396, which is OOP

Fabric: Ivory stretch cotton. This fabric is lovely to sew and wear!

Notes: I really like this shirt. I have to confess I don’t have shirts in my closet. I don’t know why, but I’m just not a shirt person. I have one sleeveless version that sewed up last summer. I didn’t wear it very much, but every time I did, I wondered why I didn’t wear it more. It was cool, comfortable and I felt good wearing it. Wearing this shirt to take pics made me wonder again, why aren’t there more shirts in my closet?

I love this pattern because of the wrap front. I just really like that look on my shape – I think it’s flattering. And maybe that’s why I don’t have a lot of shirts: I can never find any traditional RTW shirts that fit properly.

The ties on this shirt are loooooooong. In the pattern photo the shirt is tucked in à la Audrey Hepburn, but I just can’t pull that look off, not being shaped like a piece of celery and all, so I’ll be wearing it outside. But I can wrap the ties fully twice around my waist and then still have plenty to tie the bow. If I make this pattern up again, I’ll definitely shorten the ties.

There’s a lot of wearing ease in this pattern. I did not need to do an FBA, although I did do a tissue fit on myself just to see if one was required. I would need to do one if the fabric didn’t have the stretch, but it was refreshing to just cut out the darn pattern without altering it.

What about you? Do you have a lot of shirts in your closet? Do you like to wear shirts?

Muslin required

February 14, 2011May 4, 2011 ~ Tia Dia ~ 1 Comment

Thank you all for commiserating with me over this jacket! I must say, it’s the most expensive muslin I’ve ever made! But there’s lessons to be learned here:

Always do a muslin, even if that means a simple tissue fitting!
Never neglect the required FBA, even on a jacket!
Don’t leave projects languishing for 6 years in the UFO pile. Cut them and sew them up toute de suite!

Well, all is not lost. As I said to my husband the other night, using cashmere as a muslin is still cheaper than attending a class, and I did learn something! Isn’t that the point? Always learning and improving our sewing skills. Oodles of fitting problems here!

Notes for next time (noted on the pattern!):

FBA required
Sway back adjustment
Add 2” to overall jacket length

I must say I was bummed a bit on Friday about this jacket, but on Saturday I thought, “Let’s move on!”

So I went on a cutting binge after putting the kids to bed.

Vogue 2396’s shirt in ivory stretch cotton (I think spring is just around the corner!) I did not do an FBA, but I did do a tissue fit. The bust measurement on the pattern was very generous: 47” for a size 16, which is what I normally cut to get the fit through the shoulders.

I decided I didn’t need an FBA for this shirt. My main concern would be gaping at the CF, but there is a lot of overlap drafted into this shirt front.

Vogue 8287 shirt in a bronze crinkle taffeta. Yup, I did my FBA. I made this shirt without an FBA about 5 years ago, and am re-making it with the FBA. Need I say more? Smile