I'm going to need a new filing cabinet soon

Joann's has had a few great pattern sales recently. Simplicity patterns were $.99 a few weeks ago, then McCall's were $1.99, Vogue at $3.99 and finally Butterick patterns for $.99 this weekend. Good grief! I started getting Burda WOF last March, as a lovely birthday present from my boyfriend's parents, so I had kind of gone off the big 4 for a while. I didn't buy any patterns for months, I think. Then my sister got pregnant, Burda was distinctly low on maternity patterns, and I started looking at the catalogs again. So glad I did. I love Burda patterns, but sometimes the idea of spending an evening tracing instead of sewing is tiring. Anyway, I went on a pattern buying spree and picked up quite a few that I'm super excited to sew.

First up is Butterick 5323. I'm not crazy about versions A and B. That type of bodice just looks baggy on me--too low cut and droopy, I'm afraid, although it looks great on that model. Also, I'm not such a huge fan of balloon skirts. Honestly, the pattern drawing makes that poor girl look like she's wearing a curtain. Ugh. But how adorable is version C?! Every girl needs a dress like that one, I think--simple, flattering, and the shirred waist means that it will be comfortable to wear even while sitting. Always a plus in evening wear! I don't know if I'll make a huge fabric flower to go with it. I think I'd prefer a brooch. I don't own a brooch, so this dress will be a good excuse to get one. I'm really into cranberry red these days, so I'll probably make it in that exact color, too. Hopefully it won't look too brides-maidy.



Butterick 5324. I actually found this one accidentally while digging through the pattern drawer at Joann's. I almost always randomly select about four patterns in a drawer and check them out. You never know--sometimes you come across fun stuff! Or, you come across yet another tote bag pattern. But still, it paid off with this pattern! Not at all my style, to be totally honest, and I'm not crazy about the straps. But check out that bodice! I ran across this style bodice about a year ago and learned that it is called a "crumb-catcher." So. Awesome. I like a dress that can be both utilitarian and lovely. If I make it, I probably won't use golden yellow. Maybe chocolate brown? Or is that too boring? Also, I'll probably leave off the straps entirely or spruce them up a bit. They look pretty dumb to me, as they are.


Butterick 5331. I'm not sure when I'll get around to making Version D. At the moment it is way too cold to wear this type of short-sleeve jacket, so this will probably be a spring project. Still, super cute. I love the princess seams and the little cap sleeve. I'm gonna go out on a limb, though, and say that those are totally fake pockets. Bummer.




McCall's 5929. I'm generally not into ruffles--they look cute, don't get me wrong--but I really like this shirt. I even like the plaid. It looks like this girl took an old Xmas dress her mom made her (you know the kind--the floor length one, with the black velvet bodice that your grandmother hopes you'll still wear when you're sixteen) and made it into a totally chic shirt. I'll probably make version A, since I like 3/4 sleeves. I have some cream dotted swiss around--bet it would be perfect for this one.


McCall's 5884. This one looks like it has a lot of ease in it, so I'm a bit worried about the fit. But the sleeves on version B are so adorable, I couldn't resist. And I'm really intrigued by the idea of doing a lace overlay, but it would have to be the right kind of lace, or it could turn dowdy fast. I don't want to look like I'm wearing a doily. I'm completely smitten with those sleeves, though! According to Nancywin's review, there is an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve, to keep the shape. I've never made that kind sleeve before. It's so nerdy, but I'm super curious how it is done.



Vogue 1086. This pattern is from a while back, but I'm just getting around to it. It's not something I would have picked out a few months ago, but I think it will end up being pretty and comfortable. It might be especially nice to make a version for my sister, as a post-pregnancy dress. She'll want some things that are flattering to her figure, but that will help transition her back to her old clothes, too. Those gathers along the waist should be perfect. The only thing that bothers me about this dress is that it is unlined. That makes no sense to me. This is a $30.00 pattern! I can add a lining pretty easily, but I much prefer it when the pattern includes one already. Especially for a dress like this, I think. Sigh. Well, maybe this will be a good excuse to make a slip.

Balloons!

On a family walk a few weeks ago, we were pleasantly suprised by the sight of two hot air balloons taking off from the field where we usually go. Such a pretty sight in the morning! If we ever do go for a ride in one of these, I think we'll leave Tessa behind. Once, when we took her on a canoe ride through a lily poad field, she simply walked off the side of the canoe. She obviously expected the lily pads to be solid ground. I'd hate for her to try the same thing with clouds . . .

Project Runway Season 6 Finale

I finally got around to watching the Season 6 Finale. It was predictable. This was the first season I'd watched. I loved it, but felt it was pretty obvious beginning a several weeks ago that Irina was going to win. I get the impression that the judges, on the whole, don't like "pretty." They like edgy and hard. I also got the impression that Nina Garcia wasn't thrilled that Irina won. Can't say I was either--she didn't come across as being a very likable person on the show.

Eh. I've heard from other people that previous seasons were much better. Too bad for me I can't find them online, but that's what netflix is for, right?

Thursday Tutorial

This tutorial for an adorable little pouch by three bears showed up a few years ago. I don't remember how I found it--perhaps through Sew Mama Sew?

Anyway, it is cute stuff and would make a great present for little hands. Perfect for a tiny Xmas gift or two. Not to mention, it can help get rid of some scraps!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For When I Win Something Really Important.

JoAnn's had a sale on Vogue patterns this weekend and I almost bought Vogue 1075.




At only $3.99, I probably just should have gotten it so that I could pull it out occasionally and stare longingly at the beadwork before working on yet another t-shirt. I don't even know why I like this dress so much--I mean, even if I did make it, I would almost certainly never wear it. You have to be tall to wear this dress. Tall and have smokey eyes. When I try smokey eyes it tends to look like I've gotten into a fight with my compact. And besides which, I can't think of a single event where I would go that I would need a long gorgeous dress with a train in the back and a slit up the front. I mean, this is not a wedding dress. This is a red carpet dress and there are very, very few of those in academia.

And besides which, this is not a dress I have any interest in making. The beadwork alone makes me cringe. I just know I would get bored stiff after sewing on bead three, with only eleventy million to go. Also, as gorgeous as that train is, the fact that it is off to one side would drive me crazy. I'd be constantly feeling as though I were off balance.

But still. I think the next time there is a pattern sale, I'll get this. Maybe someday I'll have a daughter or son who needs a glamor gown and who likes to sew beads. It will be utterly perfect.

Sewing by the Book

From Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte (1847)

Leah stood up in the window-seat, rubbing the panes of glass dimmed with smoke. I was about to address her, for I wished to know what account had been given of the affair: but, on advancing, I saw a second person in the chamber--a woman sitting on a chair by the bedside, and sewing rings to new curtains. That woman was no other than Grace Poole.

There she sat, staid and taciturn-looking, as usual, in her brown stuff gown, her check apron, white handkerchief, and cap. She was intent on her work, in which her whole thoughts seemed absorbed: on her hard forehead, and in her commonplace features, was nothing either of the paleness or desperation one would have expected to see marking the countenance of a woman who had attempted murder, and whose intended victim had followed her last night to her lair, and (as I believed), charged her with the crime she wished to perpetrate. I was amazed--confounded. She looked up, while I still gazed at her: no start, no increase or failure of colour betrayed emotion, consciousness of guilt, or fear of detection. She said "Good morning, Miss," in her usual phlegmatic and brief manner; and taking up another ring and more tape, went on with her sewing.

Cowling

I love cowl necks. They are like the jowly cousin to the prudish turtleneck. I hope my sister likes cowl neck shirts as much as I do, because she's getting another one!

This is version A of Butterick 5388. For some reason, I tend not to use a lot of Butterick patterns. I'm not sure why. I think the styles tend to be looser rather than fitted, and loose clothes on me make me look like I'm playing dress-up. I just don't have the frame to pull it off. But this shirt is really cute and comfy and I thought it might work well as a maternity shirt for my sister. As it turned out, the pattern required not a single alteration to turn it into a maternity shirt. The ease on this thing is at least 5-6 inches. I took the shirt in a little bit under the arms along the side seams and evened up the hem, but that was it. It looks rather terrible on my dress dummy, I'm afraid, since the rayon is very sheer (hello pregnancy bump!), but with a cami underneath and a little sweater or jacket, this should be a really cute shirt to wear. My sister is entering the last month now, and I expect that in a week or two she won't want to be wearing too many fitted clothes. ;) Something light, airy, and comfortable should be perfect.

Cute little pleat detail on the back.

Hawk Attack Drill!

During the last month we've been heading out to a nearby field once or twice a week for a family walk. We let Tessa off-leash to run around for an hour or so and she absolutely loves it. So far, no snakes, which is good. She found one about a year ago in a field, actually--I turned around to see her sniffing a gopher snake experimentally, delicately poking at it with one paw. I hope she never tries that with a rattler!

Anyway, she's so good off-leash that the only thing we really worry about are hawk attacks. At 16 pounds, she's not much bigger than good sized rabbit and while I think a hawk would have a hard time carrying her off, I don't want one even to try! So J! has been running hawk attack drills on Tessa:

The slow spiral inwards.

The attack!

Eh. T-dog goes back to sniffing a clot of dirt.

Herringbone Coutil

I've been lurking around BurdaStyle a lot recently, because I'm totally enamored of free patterns. I also like cheap patterns, and BurdaStyle has both. I especially like this military style jacket, Hikaru. I first saw this one at the end of the summer and made a mental note to get some herringbone fabric, which I promptly forgot about. I've been doing so much maternity sewing for a while now that jackets and warm weather clothes like this one have been on the back burner, but I returned to the pattern last night and have fallen in love all over again. Even though it is now too cold here in CA to enjoy this one, I'm still going to make it. It will be perfect for Phoenix "winter" weather, when I go home in a few weeks for Xmas.

Check out this version of the jacket by ParaNoire--lovely, right? The level of detail is fabulous--the little button on the inside of collar, for instance, is perfect. And I really like that she got rid of all the buttons running up the front seams and turned this into military chic, rather than Salvation Army. Finally, check out what she listed as the fabric: Herringbone Coutil.

I never heard of it before. Turns out coutil is generally used in corsets--it has a super tight weave that has hardly any stretch. I'm totally in awe to see a fabric that typically has a very singular purpose be used in a radically different way. And to have the result to be so lovely, just seems to be a bonus.

Unfortunately, from what I can tell, herringbone coutil is about $30 a yard, so I probably won't be making my own coutil jacket anytime soon. Maybe as a graduation present to myself. But still, this kind of thing makes me want to buy a fabric dictionary and start studying.

Thursday Tutorial

A few years ago I used to knit. And before that, I used to crochet. But then I started spending too much time reading BoingBoing and Failblog and now I don't do either. Also, it hurts my wrists.

Anyway, back when I used to do both of those things, I needed for a nice place to keep all my needles and hooks. So I made kimono rolls! So fun! Plus, you can make them out of fat quarters or scraps.

I used this wonderful tutorial and these two rolls were probably the first two things I sewed. Easy, fun, and useful. Plus, they make lovely gifts.

All rolled up!

And spread out.

Looking back at these,

I wish I had bought more of that yellow fabric.
So cute.

Burda Back Issue Wish List: September 2007

Next in the ongoing saga of Burda back issues that I will someday own comes September 2007. As far as women's clothes go, this issue is pretty boring. This blouse is nice, for instance, but I've seen similar patterns from Simplicity and McCall's.


This skirt is also really cute, but again--nothing so special that I'd buy the issue for it.
I actually really like this jacket and would seriously consider the issue for this pattern alone. I'm not entirely sure, though, that this is a look I could pull off. It seems to require some serious smokey eyes and someplace other than the library to wear it to. I can't really picture myself grand dame-ing it up to the circulation desk in this.

Also, I'd need to carry a fan around
to get my hair to flare out properly
while wearing this jacket.

Still, those zippers! And that collar!

Tempting, tempting.

Nope, it wasn't until I hit the children's clothes section that I got sold on this issue.


Holy crap, I'm done for. I don't even know any little girls and I want to make this. I was pretty ambivalent about the sex of my sister's baby until I saw this issue. She had better have a girl, that's all I'm saying, because even if she has a boy chances are that he'll get that jacket.


Those skirts!! I would have loved a skirt like that when I was 8. And there has to be a way to incorporate a pocket or two. I sometimes get bored by the multitude of pencil skirts in Burda, but I have to say they never fail when it comes to children's clothes. Beautiful.

Sewing by the Book

From These Happy Golden Years, Laura Ingalls Wilder (published 1943)

As soon as possible, Pa came hurrying back. He lifted the blanket away, and there stood a shining new sewing machine.
"Oh Charles!" Ma gasped.
"Yes, Caroline, it is yours!" Pa said proudly. "There'll be a lot of extra sewing, with Mary coming home and Laura going away, and I thought you'd need some help."
"But how could you?" Ma asked, touching the shiny black iron of the machine's legs.
"I had to sell the cow anyway, Caroline; there wouldn't be room in the stable next winter unless I did," Pa explained. "Now if you will help me unload this thing, we will take its cover off and see how it looks."
A long time ago, Laura remembered, a tone in Ma's voice when she spoke of a sewing machine had made Laura think that she wanted one. Pa had remembered that.
He took the endgate out of the wagon, and he and Ma and Laura lifted the sewing machine carefully down and carried it into the sitting room, while Carrie and Grace hovered around excitedly. Then Pa lifted the box-cover of the machine and they stood in silent admiration.
"It is beautiful," Ma said at last, "and what a help it will be. I can hardly wait to use it." But this was late Saturday afternoon. The sewing machine must stand still over Sunday.

Next week Ma studied the instruction book and learned to run the machine, and the next Saturday she and Laura began to work on the lawn dress. The lawn was so crisp and fresh, the colors so dainty, that Laura was afraid to cut it lest she make a mistake, but Ma had made so many dresses that she did not hesitate. She took Laura's measurements; then, with her dressmaker's chart, she made the pattern for the waist, and fearlessly cut the lawn.
They made the waist tight-fitting, with two clusters of tucks down the back, and two in front. Down the center of the front, between the tucks, tiny, white pearl buttons buttoned the waist. The collar was a straight, upstanding fold of the lawn; the sleeves were long, gathered at the shoulders and close-fitting to the wrist, finished with a hem the width of the tucks.
The skirt was gathered very full all round into a narrow waistband, which buttoned over the bottom of the waist to secure them from slipping apart. All down the full skirt, tucks went around and around it, spaced evenly a little way apart, and beneath the bottom tuck was a full-gathered ruffle four inches wide that just touched Laura's shoe tips.
This dress was finished when Almanzo brought Laura home the last Friday in May.
"Oh, it is pretty, Ma!" Laura said when she saw it. "All those tucks are so even, and stitched so beautifully."
"I declare," said Ma, "I don't know how we ever got along without that sewing machine. It does the work so easily; tucking is no trouble at all. And such beautiful stitching. The best of seamstresses could not possibly equal it by hand."

This moment takes place in May of 1885, when Laura is 18 years old.

Pleated Maternity Top--Variation on Burda 6-2009-102

This is my second go-around with this top. The first time it was a horrible failure--a complete waste of some lovely pale pink cotton knit. What a shame. There were all kinds of problems, beginning with the flimsy knit and ending with rumpled seam lines. It was awful.

Burda 6-2009-102

But I really like this pattern. What can I say? I like the banded waist. I really like the pleats. I never see pleated knits in stores, so this wouldn't be something I could buy easily. I like the semi-raglan sleeves. I like the V-neck.

I hated, however, the neck facing. I hated the knit lining. I hated that the shirt used a neck facing and a lining (what?). I hated that the pleats kept collapsing.

So, for the second time around I made some significant changes. I eliminated the front neck facing entirely and instead used the front lining as a facing. Basically I sewed the darts in the lining and then sewed the lining to the front along V-neck, wrong sides facing. I flipped the lining in and treated the lining and pleated front as one piece from there on out.

This caused a little bit of trouble later on when it came to the back neck facing. I forgot about the back neckline, so I had to fiddle a little to make it work. Still, it came out looking nicely, although a teeny bit bulkier at the top shoulder seam than it might otherwise be. It worked with my fabric, but if you use a bulkier knit you might need to be careful there.

What else? Well, I made this into a maternity top for my sister, so I expanded the front belly piece to make room for her bump. That was simple--just some gathers and it worked like a charm. I also had to narrow the band, since otherwise it would have hit too low on her belly. I initially left out the band, thinking it might get in the way and be uncomfortable for her, but the shirt looked really silly without it. Narrowing the band seemed to work. I used clear elastic on all the lateral seams to hold things in place (especially with the gathers). And this time around, I was so so happy to see that all the pleats held. Who knows what will happen when she actually washes the shirt, but that's a problem for later, right? Amazingly, the shirt still looks pretty good even without my tie-on pregnancy bump, so this may be a shirt she'll be able to wear while nursing, as well. We'll see.

Tessa

J! got an iPhone Touch a few weeks ago. The first picture he put on it wasn't of me. It was this one:

Who could blame him?
Those ears . . .

The Underpaid, Undervalued Laborer Shirt?

In my mind I keep calling Simplicity 2614 "The Secretary Shirt." I'm not sure why, since the term "secretary" seems so old fashioned. I know tons of great administrative staff, without whom offices would flounder in misery, but I don't know any secretaries. But such a sweet little shirt seems to deserve a cuter name than "The Administrative Staff Shirt."

Anyway, Simplicity 2614 is one of the new Threads patterns that has A, B, C, D cups, so FBAs aren't as necessary! How lovely! This is a pretty, simple shirt with three sleeve variations (sleeveless, short sleeve, and three-quarter length), and two of the pieces of the shirt are cut on the bias so there isn't any need for zippers, buttons, or other closures. So nice! Between that and the varying cup sizes, this really is one of those patterns you can make in a few hours and wear out the next day.

I used a dotted swiss with very thin silver threads in it. I kept seeing it every time I went to Joann's and finally broke down and got it. Such a pretty green color. Probably more suitable for spring than for fall, but honestly everyone needs some spring green in November. Or is that just me . . .

Aww, the silver threads don't show up! Well, they're there.

The back--this piece is cut on the bias.

And the side.
I like the cut of the hem on this shirt.
I guess you could tuck it in, but I like to leave it out.

Silver!

I think I'll probably try to make a maternity version of this shirt for my sister. I was thinking I could expand and gather the front piece at the empire waist to allow for her belly and use clear elastic at that seam for a little extra give. Hopefully that will be enough, especially since that piece is cut on the bias and the curved hem is already maternity friendly. We'll see. I'm a little worried she won't be able to pull it over her belly. This probably would have been a better shirt option about four weeks ago, instead of right now--a month from her delivery! I keep thinking "better late than never!" but that really doesn't apply to maternity clothing.

Maternity Shirt Design Off

J! and I had an impromptu Maternity Shirt Design Off last night. My entry:

A crossover V-neck, with ruching along the right side seam to allow for greater expansion as M's tummy fills out.

His entry:

Leeloo's 5th Element outfit for preggos?

I win!


Anyway, this maternity shirt is slightly modified from Version C/D of New Look 6470, which I also used for my knock-off of Shirin's Project Runway maternity dress (albeit, with quite a few more modifications). This is a really perfect pattern to alter for maternity, since the side ruching allows for plenty of expansion, but the rest of the top is tight fitting enough that it (hopefully) won't make M look like a giant blueberry. Not that she wouldn't make a beautiful blueberry, of course. I left off the tie, but instead turned it into a band at the bottom of the shirt. That will keep the bottom more form-fitting and hopefully give M a bit more support along her lower belly. The only bit I'm worried about is that a.) this shirt is sleeveless (which my sister dislikes a bit) and b.) that the bottom crossover piece won't have as much stretch as the top, ruched piece. I'm not sure there's a good fix for that, unfortunately, since ruching both sides will lead to some unsightly wrinkling. Still, this is a super stretchy knit, so I think she should be okay. I hope she likes this type of top, because it is really easy to make (and alter) and even better she can wear it as a nursing top. I tried it on without out my tie-on pregnancy bump, and it still looked good since the ruching causes the excess fabric to fall quite nicely. And the cross-over V-neck will make it easy to nurse in, I think.

Burda, you win again [fist shake]!

A few months back I was browsing through the archives for the Burda magazine and stumbled across this gorgeous sheath dress and jacket from the March 2006 issue.

Lovely, no? The fabric has such a lustrous sheen that I kind of can't imagine making this dress in anything but pearl white. It's the design of the dress and jacket, though, that totally grabs me. The cut is so different. I love how the piping comes down the front and turns into the ties that close the dress. The cuffs curve up just a little bit, for a really elegant touch. And the three-quarter sleeves are perfect for a fancy dress---with this length you could wear the jacket in any season (and by that I mean any California season. Sorry crazy people who live in snowy places). The technical drawing for the front of the dress and jacket shows the "bib" more clearly--the back of the dress and coat use a similar construction:

I was completely smitten and started stalking eBay for the March 2006 issue. Imagine my joy when I found a listing, albeit one paired with January 2001. Ouch. Still, the price of 2 Burda magazines for a single pattern was worth it.

Then, last week, I searched for "burda" on etsy and darned if a pattern for that same exact sheath dress didn't come up! An envelope pattern! With readable instructions! And it's evidently available all over the place! Well, shooty. So I bought it. Still, now I'm wondering, is there a catalogue that will tell me which patterns from the magazines become Burda envelope patterns? Because that would be sooooo helpful. Also, it would save me from having to buy more of these:

I'm curious just how versatile this blouse really is . . .
call me crazy, but it seems like there aren't that many
occasions that call for a pastel color-blocked overshirt.

Green Polka Dots!

I went on my annual fabric spree this summer at Osgood's Fabrics in Springfield, MA. What a wonderful place. Here's a shot of just one of the aisles:


And there are lots and lots of aisles, just like this one, with bolts of fabric that are all probably from the 70s. Polyester Paradise. And this is after they cleaned up the place when they moved locations a few years ago.

Anyway, while poking around I found a bolt of a polyester dress material--white with grass green polka dots! Heaven! And the best part was that the polka dots aren't regular, but slightly askew. I got three yards, but honestly I should have gotten five because I love polka dots and I love green. We had to go to a wedding reception in the middle of our trip, so the polka dots got used for Simplicity 2640.

It's a cute dress pattern and it goes together really easily. The back is also quite nice--a little low cut, but you can still wear a bra with it. I like the pleat detailing, but I will say, that the dress fits a bit oddly.To begin with, I had to take it in considerably in the back because otherwise it made me look quite pregnant when viewed from the side. It may partially have been my fabric choice, but I think the main problem is that the pleats in the back hit quite high. Say, about 2 or 3 inches below the bra. That seems really weird to me, because of course you don't want the pleats flaring out that high on your back. I wish I had noticed this before I cut the fabric, because I'd definitely have fixed it so that the back bodice would extend down further and thus position the pleats closer to my lower back. This would make the pleats open the fabric up over the hips, where most of us need the extra width, as opposed to over my natural waist, where I need less width. I like the dress style enough that it would be worth redrafting a new back. The pleats are quite lovely and they fancy up what is otherwise a very simple pattern.

I was trying to figure out why Simplicity would have drafted the pleats at a point where they aren't particularly necessary, and I think it may be because Versions B and C of the dress have open-backs. I wasn't crazy about that, so I just used the back from Version A, but the bodice from Version C. I'm realizing now that this may be why the pleats hit so far up the back--if they were lower, this would be a pretty revealing open-backed dress. Particularly for the 16 year old prom girl on the envelope cover. She obviously made the open-backed version against her mother's wishes and now is having to stand with her back against a wall all night just so it doesn't show in any of the pictures.

Green shoulder straps!
Sadly, the center front seam is pretty visible when wearing polka dots.
Bummer.

And a cute green sweater!

Sorry, the back pleats aren't very visible in this picture.
Instead it just looks kind of rumpled. Oops.

Anyway, it is a pretty dress and comfortable to wear. Plus, green polka dots. Really, I need to go more places in green polka dots, I think.

Optic Blossom Shirt

Sadly, I made this shirt so long ago that I don't even really remember which pattern I used. I'm pretty sure that at least part of it is the back and bottom of New Look 6669.

I'm pretty sure I also used the sleeves, come to think of it. But the crossover bodice is from Butterick 4444 and not from the New Look pattern. I like the Butterick crossover better because it is pleated, rather than gathered. I also really like that I didn't have to insert a side or back zipper for this shirt--it just pulls over. The quilting cotton is a bit stiff, but the pattern is so lovely I couldn't resist. The only part I dislike is that I accidentally cut the bodice so that the repeat is visible. Oh well. Still a nice shirt.