Yay! Back to sewing!

And it's a dress! Well, sort of. Or is it a jumper?

This pattern has been seducing me since I first laid eyes on it.  First, I thought the proportions could work well for a petite, shorter person. And you know how I love to mix patterns. BTW, Kenneth King has an interesting article on Pattern Mixing in the latest Threads. 

I will be doing View C which has a solid back, not the strappy back. The strappy back is just too too, at least for me.  I want this to be something I can wear to work with a black tee or such and some black boots. 

A few words about this pattern: Two weeks ago my husband and I drove for seven hours to the Cape to attend a wedding and see our big family. For two of those hours I read and reread this pattern. It looks complicated but if it is broken down and planned out it is quite easy. There are no zippers, buttons, topstitching , etc. It is all pretty straight sewing. But it IS challenging. The challenges are getting the right mix of fabrics in the right combination and fitting. Once that is settled is is all straight sewing.

Whew, those dots are making me dizzy! I have four fabrics, a solid black rayon ponte with a nice drape, a deep cherry red piece of patterned slinky whose color I adore, a knit rayon polka dot and a sheer black point d'esprit mesh knit.  

They are all very drapey but similar in weight and stretch so it should work. The black mesh will be underlined with a layer of the polka dot. Next came planning out what pieces got which fabric. I've always been good at holding color and design in my head so I didn't bother with sketching but I would recommend it if you are thinking of this pattern. Many of the sewists on PR that reviewed this pattern found the sketching very helpful to keep track of what went where. There are 14 pattern pieces! I have a notebook that I used to keep track of my choices.  Next came the fitting.

Again, Pattern Review was very helpful with fitting advice and I highly recommend you visit the reviews if you plan to make this garment. Cocosloft and Star G  have great versions and there are several others as well. Just search Vogue 9108. You will see many people have taken out some of the incredible fullness in this design. First, all that knit will be quite heavy and will pull on the simple bodice, not nice. Next, the amount of volume is HUGE. One sewist took out 58 inches from the hem width ! I wanted a compromise between the two options so took out a total of 24 inches from the skirt width. Keep in mind these are odd fitting pieces so this fit part is pretty challenging. I decided to go with a size Medium with the theory that I could take out any more if needed. It is hard to tell what is needed when it is just in cut form. I tissue fitted the muslin on my form but that wasn't much help. I am so not a tissue fitter!  I can easily adjust the seams if needed so I will stay with the larger than usual size.

If you look at the models on the pattern cover, the bodice appears snug and I am guessing  is pinned in the back for the photo. But if you look at the completed garments on PR, the bodices seam much fuller with a deeper armhole and wide bodice. Some made alterations to use this as a sleeveless dress by raising the whole dress through the straps. By using the larger size I can decide if I want to have a loose or snug bodice. Not sure yet!

One thing to be aware of, which the photo above shows, is that the pockets are rather "kangaroo" and do not fit the garment flatly.  They "hang". They are deliberately wider then the piece they are attached to. This made altering a little tough. In the end I got it done. I took one inch out of the skirt all around  near the bodice and may shorten the the other bands as well. Not sure yet. So 24 inches removed from the width from various pieces and so far one inch from the length. I am not taking out more due to the shoulder strap issue which will become more obvious as to why later on.

The pattern calls for no interfacing but  Step 1 tells you to interface the " pockets, Pocket edges on side front and upper edge with fusible tricot interfacing." Luckily I had some in black on hand So be aware you may need interfacing which is not spec'd on the back of the envelope.  I would at the least interface all the pocket edges no matter the fabric.

So much about the fit will be dealt with as the pieces go together. Hopefully that will work out.

Before I started cutting out I made a pile of each fabric and then put the pieces to be cut out in that fabric on top. I would have gone crazy otherwise.

Next was time to mark. But first I hand basted the black mesh to the polka dot bodice front. For the rest of the marking I thread marked with different colors for circles, squares, etc. I wrote the legend down on the pattern in case I forget.

Once everything was altered, cut out and marked, I made new piles. Once you are ready to sew this pattern is it quite simple. You put the front together, then the back, then add the sides and done. So I made piles for front, back and sides of all the pieces needed. Whew, I think I am finally ready to put this under the needle! That probably won't happen till next weekend but I really feel the worst is behind me. Fingers crossed.

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I hope all who celebrate had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day filled with bounty and surrounded by friends and family. We were blessed to share in the spirit of the day with our oldest daughter and her family over a long weekend. The kids made igloos out of the twenty inches of snow that fell earlier and had a great time. Friday evening we went to the new micro brewery that has opened in our little village. One of our blessings is incredible water and made this the perfect spot for a brewery. It is a gorgeous property and lots of fun to visit and share a beer. Here are DD and I sharing a sampler. 

Vogue 8630, an underlined sheath with portrait collar

The dress is done. The hat arrived on time and was the perfect color. The wedding was so lovely. It does the heart good to see all the hope of the world in the eyes of a beautiful young couple choosing to spend forever together no matter what life sends their way. The venue was gorgeous with a large outdoor porch and gardens that made catching up with family a delight, not always the case when the amplifiers are going full blast with the dance music. And I did dance! Now to the dress details but thanks to Dd Audrey who took the photos in her lovely yard. I told her I needed to have a picture of the back and this is what she gave me:

Forget Mom, show the sewing! She has learned well! Above you can see the handpicked zip with the tiny tortoise shell beads and a fabric belt I made for the dress as well. Let's get down to the real nitty gritty.




Pattern:  This is a Very Easy Vogue pattern, V8630. I have always loved VEV patterns. They have minimal pieces and can usually be made in quick time, that is if you leave out all the extras this dress ended up with.  A couple of things I really like about the pattern were the curves in the lower back bodice and the upper back of the skirt, perfect for those with some swayback issues. I did not adjust this dress for my sway back at all and it hugged my SB curves just right.  I did find the bodice a bit short all around and lengthened it a half inch and will lengthen it a bit more if I make it again. Another great thing about this pattern is that it comes in various cup sizes. I used a C cup but the missing length was all around,not just the front. The pattern calls for a lining. I underlined it instead.

Fabric: This is a 100%  rayon designer fabric and I wish I could remember who the designer was. It was on the tube when I bought it a few years back at Fabric Fix, right before they closed. The fashion fabric has a linen type weave and it's a perfect dress weight, not too light. I fully expected it to fray like mad but it never did. The lining is 100% cotton but much nicer than muslin and heavier than batiste but not as heavy as a Kona cotton. I used cotton because I knew the wedding would be outside for a good part and it could possibly be a very hot day. It was! I used a poly silk charmeuse for the Hong Kong seams and bindings.

As mentioned in the beginning of this project. I interlined the skirt with large hole nylon net from Joanns, the kind of stuff you make those scrubbers with. It did a wonderful job of keeping the wrinkles out of the skirt and I would definitely use it again. Since all the seams are enclosed, scratchiness was never an issue. It was cut out of the hem and vent area. You wouldn't know the netting was in there if I hadn't told you. It worked! The collar is 100% heavy white linen and faced with white cotton as well. Interfacing is in the collar and I used a woven interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply.  When this project was started I majorly stressed over matching the print which I soon discovered wasn't going to happen. I think my "sort of" matching looks fine, don't you? The goal was to keep the bulleye effect away. 

Construction:  I read through the pattern a few times before I started but really didn't follow it at all. The first issue was the underlining. The cotton and the FF  were stitched together as one. All seams were bound, including the hem edge and vent. No facings! Holes were bound with bias strips of charmeuse. 

The zipper a hand picked beaded zipper. This was done by first sewing the seam shut with a machine basting stitch. An adhesive measuring tape was then placed a quarter inch away from the seamline on the right side. This allowed me to accurately place the beads exactly every 3/8ths of an inch on both sides. I used a back stitch and the zipper is as sturdy as any if not more so. Once completed I removed the basting. The zip on this dress stops about three inches from the top of the dress and the end is hidden under the  collar. 

The edges of the zipper seam have the Hong Kong finish as well. I also covered the inside of the zip with a folded strip of bias charmeuse. I love this touch. I feel like a princess whose tender skin should never touch anything mechanical! I can dream, can't I?  The three unfolded edges are catchstitched to the underlining. 

The neckline and armholes were bound with bias, understitched and catchstitched to the lining. 

I added the vent to the construction. The pattern has a "slit" at the center back seam and the skirt definitely needs some accommodation for movement. Personally, I think slits at the back rear don't do a very good job, pull apart, and just look cheap and like someone  didn't try, my personal opinion. So added a vent to the skirt. the edges wre bound. The outside of the vent was secured with a tiny zigzag. I saw that touch on a garment and really liked it.

I also added a self fabric belt to the dress. My hat was the major accessory so a contrasting or thicker belt would have competed too much. I had to "make do" to make my belt but it came out really well. I will try to do a tute on it soon. I used drapery header to make it, fashon fabric and an antique buckle, all pretty low key.

You can't see it but with the dress I wore alligator pumps in dark brown. I packed a pair of coppery sandles in my bag and put them on for the serious dancing! I told you I danced!  There is no black in this fabric. It goes from snow white to the deepest chocolate brown. My hat is the same color dark brown. I picked it out at a store in Disney, Chapel Hats. They accommodated me with the info I needed and I ordered it on line when I got home. Unlike my Macy's bed set, this hat arrived in perfect shape. I will definitely use Chapel Hats again. DD bought one of their hats as well.

The wedding is over. I am craving another round of "event" sewing but for now will settle in on some projects that I have been dieing to get going. First off will be a tunic out of the rust dyed fabric. It is near done already and I can't wait to show you.............Bunny

Vogue 8630

I have a wedding to attend in August, not a super formal affair, more a nice summer wedding. I've chosen my fabric and pattern and sure hope to get this dress done by then. It is a really simple design. My fabric is a heavier weight rayon with a very "linen-y" look. It is crisp with the darkest browns and whitest whites and lots of brown in between. I think I got it at Fabric Fix some time ago.

I will order the silk organza today to underline it and the lining as well. While waiting for that to arrive, a muslin will be made. Vogue 8630 is a classic waisted sleeveless sheath with a large portrait collar. I intend to make the collar out of a white pique. My long neck and narrow shoulders make portrait collars a style that flatters. I like how the collar overrides the shoulders a bit too. Portrait collars bring the attention up to the face and away from other areas.  I have been doing lots of weight exercise for my arms, really lots, and it finally shows so I am feeling confident about wearing a sleeveless dress, something that has bugged me in the past.

I am also thinking some sort of adornment where the collar meets off center, maybe a big brooch, or a flower or something, not sure yet. There's the belt to think about too.

The big issue with this dress is TIME. I have to finish Danny's project first and then will get started. The muslin should go quickly and I might even get a go on that this morning. I think it will be pretty when done, fingers crossed.

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My bee balms are spectacular this year. They were specifically planted to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, which they do! I managed to catch a pic of one of our little hummers last night. Took quite a few clicks to get one where he was still enough to photograph.