Vogue 8094 in Chocolate!

May 18, 2013May 18, 2013 ~ Tia Dia ~ 6 Comments

This is my third pair of capris currently in circulation from Vogue 8094, and I promise I’ll make up something new and exciting from a different pattern for my next post! But I love chocolate brown – it’s the black in my wardrobe – and I wanted a pair of capris in this staple colour for my summer days! There is nothing new that I have to say about these except that I put a crease in the legs for something different (not being super creative like some of you, I couldn’t come up with dyeing, embroidery or applique that would have suited my rather conservative tastes) and left the zip at the CB. I think I’ve almost got the fit nailed on these, too, compared to the previous two pairs, which I shall alter to mimic the fit on these. This is the mandatory front mug shot. I still have to figure out how to get rid of the extra fabric across the front of the crotch. I must say it’s more horridly noticeable while standing stock straight for fitting purposes than it appears to be in the rest of my “living” pictures. *sigh*

And the back mug shot. This pair’s fit is much improved from my previous pair. Not perfect, but we’re getting there. I cannot believe how much adjustment to the crotch is necessary on these casual pants. I have never had to do this much tweaking and adjusting and crying and leaving-them-alone with dress pants.It’s been a learning process, like all of my sewing, and I’m was rather encouraged this morning after scooping out MORE of the backside. I’ll be scooping more on the green ones I made yesterday, too. And the original rust-coloured ones.

New Capris!

May 16, 2013May 20, 2013 ~ Tia Dia ~ 8 Comments

I really need capris and summer trousers. I’m not a shorts person at all. I haven’t actually worn a pair since my DD3 was born 9 years ago, and prior to that I’ve only ever owned about three pairs. But I like capris, and the only pair I currently own is my trusty rust-coloured pair from OOP Vogue 8094. And since I trashed a couple of skirts this spring because the hems were sagging and the other was bagging, I need new bottoms. This pattern is fairly straight forward, but my alterations don’t make it so straightforward. However, since this is my 3rd go at this pattern, I think I’ve tweaked it into submission.

I decided to put in a side zip this time. I chose a lapped insertion because it’s strong, and I hate invisible zips that die. The fabric is a lighter poly-cotton twill, and I intend to wear these capris until they fall apart or I get sick of them or (God forbid) I grow or shrink out of them. To keep the zipper from inching down, I added a button tab on the inside. The facing is interfaced cotton from my stash.

And now for the obligatory mug shots. I’m sure Mrs. Mole will say I need to drop the crotch even more than I have, but that will wait for the next pair. I honestly scramble to make these up this morning so I had something to wear besides PJ’s or sweat pants.

This is before adjusting the crotch.

And this is afterwards. I can see that I probably could lower it yet another 5/8″, and will for the next pair, or when I take these off at the end of the day! ha-ha!

The only little bit of interestingness I added to these were little tabs at the outside cuffs. They serve absolutely no purpose but as a place for my brass buttons. Yay for a new pair of capris!

Me-Made-May is here!

May 2, 2013 ~ Tia Dia ~ 3 Comments

I’m late! I’m late for a very special date!

And I’m going in with a whimper with this RTW top and me-made capris which are oldies, but goodies and have lots more life in them.

I, Tia Dia of MezzoCouture, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’13. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made for each day for the duration of May 2013. I’m not swearing off repeats. My me-made collection has grown significantly over the last two years, but I’m still missing some key pieces, and others are just more comfortable for schlepping around the house and yard… repeatedly!

I won’t be posting daily about what I’m wearing, but I’ve made a page (see above). Are you joining in the fun? It’s going to be great seeing the Flickr page growing at an exponential rate. I wonder how I’ll find the time to scroll through…

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.

An ugly place

May 11, 2012March 16, 2014 ~ Tia Dia ~ 5 Comments

In Me-Made-May ’12, mini-challenges are presented for each Friday, and today’s challenge is ugly places. I would encourage those of you who haven’t taken a peek yet, to look through the MMM12 Flickr Group to see just how amazing all the outfits are that people have sewn. I was scrolling through all the pics yesterday and was struck at how normal all the me-made clothing looks. It was wonderful to see, and to think that I may meet anyone walking down the street and they could be wearing something me-made and no one would know because nothing screams, “HOMEMADE!!!”

And just for a lark, I thought I’d share my ugly place photo today with you.

This is my cantina, which is supposed to be a cold room, but because it resides in the space between earth and sky underneath my veranda, it’s freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer. It’s also my DH’s storage area for all the random things that he may need in the next 60 years of his DIY home ownership saga. Ah, the joys of being married to someone in the construction industry! In good news, the lovely rust capris are me-made.

Summer has finally begun

June 30, 2011May 25, 2012 ~ Tia Dia ~ 1 Comment

Yes, it’s official. Today is the first day of summer holidays for my DDs. And it’s a wrap on Me Made June. I must say I’m not sorry to see the end of trying to decide what me-mades I’m wearing today, and then taking (postable)pictures. At some point I may post an overview, but let me catch up on outfits first.

MMJ Day 29 – Outfit: RTW top and me made capris from Vogue 8094, worn several times this month! Stuart Weitzmann clogs, picked up for a song (almost literally), and extremely comfortable.

MMJ Day 30 – Outfit: Susannah dress, blogged here

Until the next post….

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

Pattern Review: Vogue 8094

June 20, 2011 ~ Tia Dia ~ 4 Comments

Pattern Description: OOP Vogue pattern – from the envelope: Misses/Petite shirt, bra, skirt, shorts and pants. This is for the pants – or, as I call them, capris – only.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes – 100%.

Were the instructions easy to follow? This pattern is rated “easy”, and I did not follow the instructions. I put the waistbands onto the front and back pieces, inserted the CB zip and then stitched them together at the sides.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I wanted a simple pair of capris, and this pattern was in my stash. I had made it up about 4 years ago, and they were super fast and easy to stich up.

Fabric Used: Old Navy twill from Fabricland

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I added 1 inch in length through the crotch at the CB, tapering the extra length to nothing at the side seams. I also cut the waistband facings in a contrasting fabric, trimmed the facing seam allowance away and bound the edges instead of turning them under and slipstitching them into place. Both the facing and binding fabrics came from my stash.