A Colorful and Cheerful Easter

That Mod Girl Marlo Thomas looking chic in a red peacoat and her flip hairdo.

Marlo during the early and mid 1970's was creatively fun and free in a wide collar and zig zags . Zig zag trims seemed to go beyond decorating Easter eggsI I wonder how many odd stares she would receive if she strolled in this outfit today.

Flashback to 1977, the year there was an outbreak of Saturday Night Fever.  1977, however, was not all butterfly collars, platform shoes, bell-bottoms, and slinky disco dresses a la Studio 54.  I found this rare jewel from ebay and liked the sleeveless dress with a folded, cowl collar.   The description on the back of the envelop was  a "high waisted, back zippered dress has cowl collar, ties included in front darts. A, B has bib and sleeves gathered into buttoned cuffs."

I sewed view "C", the sleeveless version. This is the first project that I sewed for 2012.  Entering PR's vintage contest will hopefully return my sewing mojo.

Sizing:

Although a size 12, bust 34 is printed on my pattern envelope, all the pattern pieces were for a size 10, bust 34.

Heather and I enjoying the Sunday sunshine after Easter mass. 

 

Indoor pic

Instructions

They were clearly written and supplemented with helpful diagrams.

Fabric

Cotton rayon jersey from EOS.

Favorite Features
*Cowl neck style created from a "collar piece" that encircles the entire neckline. Just in the past year, I have noticed a vast selection of dresses with varying degrees of "cowl".

Ulla Popken dress for $59.99 at Amazon.com

 

Bar III Striped Dress from Macys.com for $59.99

Jones New York dress from Macys.com for $129.99

 

*The unique construction of the tie belt: Each tie is originally basted to the front at the location of a front dart. During the construction of each front dart, the "raw edge" of the tie end is "sandwiched" between the layers of the dart, and thus becomes "hidden" from view. The belt makes it possible to either wear the tie loop at the front or the back.

*Sleeve and dress length variations.

*The only thing I disliked was what seemed to be an inordinately large "collar" piece that is cut on the bias. On a cotton jersey that I was using, the collar "bunched" and draped. On a woven, I could easily imagine a rigid scarf type of a neckline, where the collar is turned to the inside along the lengthwise "half fold", until the edge meets the inner neck seam (where the collar was sewn to the notched edge of the collar, right sides together).

Pattern Alterations/Modifications
*Eliminated the back seam for zipper attachment.

*While cutting the back bodice, I pivoted the pattern piece about 10 mm, swinging the center back downwards to reduce the "extra fabric" just below the back of neck and at my upper back. After trial and error, I have had lots of success on several tops with this adjustment.

I found this helpful blog post, referenced by a number of fellow bloggers, detailing and differentiating adjustments for swayback,  adjustments for petites, and specific types of adjustments that get mistaken for being those for swayback.  The method I am referring to can be seen after scrolling the viewing window downward and looks similar to the "pivot" one that I am familiar with.
 

Sherry's "Pattern, Scissors, Cloth" blog
Many thanks to Sherry, the owner of this blog, for her post.

*I skipped my typical petite adjustment at the waist (3/4"-1") due to the "high-waisted" style of the dress. The bodice-skirt seam landed at the waist instead of just below my bustline (or an empire waist style), which I anticipated would have happened after a petite adjustment.

*Due to using a knit, I omitted the back zipper and sleeve facings. I turned in the raw edge of each armscye and topstitched a 5/8" hem.  If I used a woven, I would have lined the entire dress which would dodge the need to face the sleeve edges for a sleeveless dress.  The attached collar piece for the cowl neckline would have to be taken into consideration when lining the dress. 

*I sewed a center back seam, for the collar/cowl piece. I additionally took in the central seam to compensate for my "back pivot adjustment" that shortened the width of the neckline.

*I removed approximately 8" from the lower edge to shorten the dress to a smidgen below my kneecap.


Future Use/Recommendations
I plan to use this pattern again after finding the ideal fabric with it ("soft" fabrics such as challis, crepe de chine, etc). If you could find it, I recommend it. The "carefree" patterns in general seemed to produce stylish and enjoyable outfits with minimal challenges in construction. Although the pattern's recommended fabrics included challis, surah, synthetic crepe, and matte jersey, I did not encounter much problems with cotton rayon jersey.

This is the third pattern from the "Marlo's Corner" series and so far, I have had lots of luck in terms of style compatibility and fit. 

Wearing a crochet cardigan with bell sleeves.

Happy Easter and have a lovely spring!

Rolling in the Drape

Ideeli .com has those daily one-day sales strictly available to those who sign up as members (free). I find that many specials are about one-third of the retail price. I have not yet purchased from this website due to its no return policy on their sales.

After I clicked on a photo for the link via an e-mail and entered my member login information to allow me to view the items on sales, I could not help but notice the several attractive wrap dresses displayed. Yes, I admit that I adore wrap dresses, especially ones that flatter any figure.

Evan Picone "crossover waist" dress in jersey.

 Dresses that come to mind are:

McCall's 5974

and Vogue 1027, DKNY,  to name a few...

Another vision in red, I like the look of this "side knot" dress by Jones New York.

Vogue 1257, another DKNY wrap dress, also has a gathered side.

An Anne Klein, cocoa-colored side draped dress secured with a buckle.  I think a size "4" was the remaining size at the time I checked into the website.

Here is one of the newest Vogue patterns, a DKNY mock wrap dress that I purchased recently. There's something about it that emits to me an early 1990's vibe.  I wore dresses with similar styling during that time. This model even has an early 90's Andie McDowell 'do.

Fashion/sewing flashback:
My Vogue 8379 DVF-inspired wrap dress from nearly 4 years ago.  I still have it!
My dance/disco inspired review

On a musical "wrap-up", after winning 6 Grammy's, what's next for Adele Adkins?  One thing's for sure, I like that she brings back music reminiscent of Dusty S, Etta J, and more.

Music, videos, photos, more.
http://wn.com/Adele

Floral Choral

 Made in November 2011:

A Simplicity pattern:  Girls' coordinates: a short jacket, pants, and a sleeveless tunic or dress with a neckband, empire waist and attached tie belt. Sizes: girls' 8-16.   I made the tunic. I sewed a "10" for Heather.

Fabric Used:
A silk satin from a local little fabric store.  Once Heather saw the bolt of this vibrant fabric, she grabbed it! Sewing with this type of silk is not as easy as sewing with cottons. It is slippery to sew with and it unravels more easily.

Instructions
The diagrams were self-explanatory. The gathering lines are located at the front and back of the neckline and at the front empire waistline. The notches at the lower edge of the neckband and at the edges of the front and back neckline helped with the adjustment and placement of the gathered edges with respect to the neckband.


Favorite Features
*Heather likes the trendy style of the tunic/dress.

* I liked that the tunic/dress was easy to sew, especially that it does not require a zipper or buttons.

* A style that easily lends to use of contrasting or coordinating fabrics

* The armscye needs to be raised due to some gaping.


Pattern alterations /modifications
*Extended the lower hem 1" below the designated cutting line of the top/tunic.

* Instead of using "ready-made" or pre-packaged binding, I cut bias strips from the same fabric with 1" width and length about an inch shorter than the length of the armscye to be finished located below the neckband.

Upcoming

I plan to sew another one for Heather in a cotton


Just in front of the UCSD bookstore (University of California, San Diego at La Jolla, California), yesterday afternoon.

 

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Have a lovely day!

Lady Ga-Gathered

I made Heather's top and dress from an "It's So Easy" Simplicity pattern last summer. The dress fits Heather better now.

Girls' tops and pants in girls' size 7-14. I sewed a "7" and a "10" for the length.

I sewed view "B", the top with the elasticized lower edge. My daughter and I call this a "bubble" top.

Just for fun, a slight modification of a bit of the lyrics from  "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody of  "Born this Way" called "Perform This Way":  "...Save your allowance, buy a bubble dress, and someday you will SEW (go) far...


Fabric Used: 
Second version: Maggy London cotton knit.
First version:
For the bodice and shoulder straps: cotton knit that remained from a previous project.

For the skirt portion: poly lycra from fabric.com
Although I used a size smaller at the bodice and skirt than my daughter's usual size (8), I recommend using a woven as suggested on the back of the envelope. 

Elasticized hem tucked under for "bubble" effect.

Instructions: They were satisfactory with helpful diagrams. Although this is an "it's so easy" pattern, it is easy to make errors with certain steps (i.e. forgetting to gather the ends of the shoulder straps, placement of the self-facing on the front upper bodice and sewing it to the back bodice before turning it inside out).

"Pinned This Way"

Pinning front facing to bodice

Pinning the front to the back with front facing to create the side seams

Pinning the front facing over the front seam, before handstitching

Favorite Features
*I like the option to use contrasting fabrics for the bodice and skirt portions.

*I like the look of the gathers at the shoulders, the upper edges of the front and back skirt portions,  and lower hem (via an elasticized casing), but not necessarily making them.

* Elasticized back, so no zippers, yeah!

Not-so-favorite Features:
**The bodice, more noticeably at the back, is rather low and can be easily remedied by shortening the shoulder straps before placing them on the front and back bodice.

*The construction of the shoulder straps which are gathered at the front back edges and at the shoulders (a nice feature to minimize the straps from slipping), The edges are finished with a topstitched hem. I prefer to self-face each strap to avoid a topstitched hem from "peeping out" and to "hide" loose threads coming from the gatthers.


Alterations/Modifications:
*To hold the gathering at the shoulder strap between the dotted lines. I took the loose threads and tied the ends together in a little knot and snipped off the excess.

* Cut an additional 2 pieces for the facings of the shoulder straps. After gathering the facing and strap along the dotted line, I sewed the facing and the shoulder strap, right sides together, along the two lengthwise seams and turned the whole thing inside out at one of the openings.

Elasticized casing at the hem, revealed

*To be able to easily gather the upper edge of the front and back skirts, I adjusted the thread tension to a "0.5" since I was using a poly lycra. The front bodice piece is attached to the front skirt and the back bodice piece to the back skirt, aligned at the corresponding notches.

*I inadvertently forgot to gather the front and back edges. Heather pointed this out to me when she tried it on.

I plan to sew this top again (in a size 10) using a woven as recommended instead of a knit. I definitely recommend this pattern if you want to sew something comfortable and stylish (especially in a fabric of her choice) for a young lady that you know.

Holiday Wishes

We wish you a joyous, tranquil, and blessed Christmas/holiday season

and also one that is festive and bright,

 

"...And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although it's been said many times, many ways,
Merry christmas
Merry christmas
Merry christmas to you"


From our sew-spicious minds to you, Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings to you!

Clover and Over

Here's my first "Amazing Fit" pattern by Simplicity that I recently sewed with.  The pattern comes with sleeve and collar variations.The front pieces also come in  A, B, C and D cups sizes.

I used a "10" at the shoulder seams, a "12" at the armscyes and sleeves, and a "14" elsewhere.

I used a printed cotton by Kaffe Fassett that I purchased from a local fabric store that recently went out of business.  The owner decided to retire and wanted more time to spend time with family and of course, to sew.

My other purchases on that day, which coincided with PR's 10th anniversary.  I received a 60% discount on the entire transaction!

My Simplicity 2151 blouse

Pattern Instructions 

The procedures and diagrams to construct the blouse are clear. The directions for achieving an "amazing fit" are in a "fit as you sew" format which is helpful for a beginning sewist or any sewist who wants to be involved in a fitting process. There are "opportunities" to check for the fit at the front, back, and sides and make adjustments as necessary from the basted seams (1" allowance). The sleeves also needed to be adjusted accordingly. However, there are no "tips" to alter a pattern piece, based on your fitting adjustments.


Favorite/Not-so favorite Features of Pattern
I like the "wing" collar, epaulets, princess seams at the front, and the pleated and buttoned sleeve cuffs. 

A "wing" collar shirt by Lafayette 148 New York for $228 at bluefly.com

A "Foxcroft" shirt at travelsmith.com, $74

 

I did not obtain an "Amazing Fit" immediately based on my typical adjustments to the pattern. In fact, I encountered a "dismay-zing" fit: extra ease at the waist, hips, and the back, necessitating more adjustments than my usual with shirts and blouses. I probably could have gone down a size to avoid spending additional time taking in the back darts and side seams.

Pattern alterations
* My standard 1" petite adjustment at the waistline

* Trimmed an excess of 1/4"-3/8" from the sleeve caps after easing and setting in the sleeves.

* I slightly lowered the first buttonhole from the original marking on the buttonhole guide and used five instead of six buttons.

*Omitted the side vents.


Recommendations
I probably would, now that I am familiar with this pattern. I recommend this shirt for its classic styling and despite the fitting to achieve the "amazing fit", it really is a straightforward shirt to sew. 

Conclusion:
It is a nice basic for any wardrobe.

Don't Sleeve Me This Way

I made a second top from pattern #138B from the September 2011 issue of Burda Style, with a few modifications.

 

The sleeves are actually "poufier" than illustrated.

But not as voluminous as this Yves Saint Laurent cotton top.  Would you believe this off-shoulder top is $1,390 at SaksFifthAvenue.com? This is such a simple style!

My second version of the Burda Style sewing pattern. The fabric I used was an Amy Butler cotton from the "Lotus" collection.

I used an Amy Butler cotton from the "Lotus" collection.

My first version that I call my "Tool Time" top, printed with school supplies such as protractors, scissors, drafting compasses, and more. Original post for this blouse

Modifications from first version
(1) replace the button/buttonhole front (front facings) with a center seam

(2) create a keyhole opening/slit above the center seam, with the lower edge 3 1/2" below the edge of the neckline. I folded a narrow hem to the inside of the top and topstitched close to the edge.

(3) increase the shoulder width by adding 1 1/4" to the front shoulder tapering to an additional 3/8" at the armscye. I also added 1 1/4" to the back shoulder width from the neckline and re-drew the neckline (raising it slightly) to accommodate the additional width.

(4) use a drawstring for the entire neckline casing (per Burda's original directions) instead of an elastic with fabric ties at the ends

(5) decrease the width of the sleeves by a maximum of 1/2" at each side (and still the sleeves are "poufy")

I'll probably make another top sometime soon in a drapier fabric such as chiffon. 

An Alexander McQueen semi-sheer bohemian top with long sleeves gathered at the wrists. Saksfifthavenue.com, $1,440.

Even though the colors of this blouse do not complement my skin tone as well as deeper colors, I am satisfied with the overall style.