Sequin Fun

Two silk scarves = One cool blouse

This blouse was my sample for making the new one. My mom bought it for me at Christmas. The front is chiffon and the back is solid yellow jersey, like the bindings. It is really simple and cute. While it is simple and loose, the drape of the fabric gives it some shape. 

I bought these two very large silk scarves at an estate sale a few weeks ago. I put them on the table in my sewing room and after looking at them for a while, I decided the colors complimented each other very nicely.

The one on the left has a sea green background with jousting knights on horseback. The one on the right has Japanese-style  garden scenes with highlights in the same light green. I think they were each one dollar.

Basically, I traced my sample blouse adding seam allowances and making it slightly longer. I tried finishing the edges with some light green rayon seam binding, but it just did not work and look horrible. In the end, I cut it all off and made fabric bands to finish the edges. Yes, I did take that idea from the Renfrew top. It worked and looks better.

 The bands on the neck and sleeves are from the blue scarf and the bottom band is from the green one. It is reversible and I can wear either side as the "front."

 The back as the front. I prefer the blue side as the front, but I don't know why.

 Anyways, I am really pleased with myself. I finally made a casual, yet pretty, top that I can wear with jeans. It will be perfect for the spring and summer because it is so lightweight. The silk is so smooth and has that almost fuzzy soft feeling. I will attempt to refrain from running my hands all over my shirt... but only in public! Hahaha.

A vintage fabric Man-Apron

After making the curtains (in the background), I still had about a yard and half of fabric left. I told Andrew "I think I'll make my mom an apron out of this fabric!" He says "But you know how much I love this fabric" wahh wahh wahhh French food, he's french, blah blah. Guess who gets the apron in the end? So sorry mom, blame Andrew!

I have no unisex apron patterns, so I simply cut around this apron we got for free several years ago. Cheaply made, but the right shape.

I went to Jo-Ann and bought some bias tape in the closest green. I am usually not a fan of store bias tape, as it makes clothes look really "home sewn" in the worst way, but it's great for a project like this!

I had a limited amount of fabric to work with, so I cut out the apron and did the binding. Then I cut off a 2 inch strip for the neck loop. This left a 10 inch strip left to make the triple pocket. I bound the top of the pocket and folded under and sewed the other sides. 

There are three pockets seperated by rows of stitching. We just watched the episode of Southpark where Butters is going to win the state tap competition dancing to "I've got something in my front pocket for you" when his shoe comes off and there is a tragedy. Click here to watch it, Southpark is so funny, yet horrible. 

It's a very giant apron, but it ended up fitting him perfectly and he was very, very excited and happy. 

Pattern: traced from existing apron

Fabric: Vintage, left over from the dining room curtains

Notions: green thread and bias binding

Cost: about $6

Time: I busted this one out in about 2 hours!

Toodles!

Flouncy White Dress- First Pix in Chicago!

Just to recap, this was my pattern inspiration. An Azzaro cotton dress that cost $2,741. Lol. I "drafted" my own pattern for this one, sort of. I used the bodice of the pattern I am going to make my grey interview dress out of, to test for fit. That turned out to be wise, since I really need to shorten the bodice at least an inch. The sleeves I drafted on paper to be five lump scallops. The skirt is just a drindl, a big rectangle gathered at the waist and the ruffle is the same. 

 On to construction:
It was easy to make. I originally did the side-boob darts, but this fabric was a pain. It really likes to stretch out on the diagonal. So I ended up with some wildly pointing uneven lines. I took them out and left it loose. Instead of waist darts, I made small gathers like the inspiration dress. It's not very obvious, but it makes the bodice looser. The back has waist darts. Pictures were taken walking the dog to the river, which sis a few blocks away.

 All layers of this dress are doubled up because the fabric was so sheer. I thought it would be pretty lightweight, but it is rather heavy. The bodice and back were done first and turned right side out because the fabric also frays terribly. I then made the sleeves (again, doubled) and just top-stitched them down. They are floppy and cute.

 The waistband is about an inch wide and drops a little below my natural waist line. Fortunately not to the "dropped waist" point that I hate so much (and Lisette- I know I am not the only one!)

 The skirt was easy to make. It is double layer rectangle that I gathered at the waist to the appropriate size. I then added the bottom ruffle to it. The ruffle was easy because it is just folded in half and attached, so there was no need to hem! Yay!

 Below you can see the Molly's Ew for this project. I put in the metal zipper in a very half-assed, on-the-machine-with-no-basting fashion, and you reap what you sew. (Edit- I went back to spell sow correctly, but I made a pun! By accident! It stays.) So I have an incongruous, semi-exposed zipper on a girly dress. Meh, at least it's a side zipper. Maybe the lump of hair on the back of my head will distract you!

While slightly warm for today's 93 degree weather, I am sure it will get a lot of use. The ruffle bounces while I walk and it looks very nice. Overall, pretty nice and I'm glad to be finished with it.

Is anyone else obsessed with the weather on their phone? I have New Orleans (77 rain), Chicago (93), Salem, Or  (parents- 67 rain) and Ulsan, South Korea (brother- 75 nighttime). I find it really interesting to compare the weather in my four places of interest. I would add Paris, but the weather there remind me very much of Oregon- gray and rainy.

Anyways, I made a curtain for the bedroom, so soon I will have some of the house to show you. I am also reading a play in French to try to improve my French, since I have been applying to French and History job openings. More on that later!

Derek Lam Knock-off in red linen

This dress was my inspiration and I cut it out of Lucky Magazine. It is Derek Lam + ebay, though I don't know who that is. The partial heading next to it says "designer outfits with money left over in your purse!" But the dress, made of denim, costs.....

wait for it.....

195 bucks!!! Oh my lord! So I went to Jo-Ann to look at denim, and then I realized that was stupid. Denim is heavy and hot. The air in New Orleans is heavy and hot. That is not a smart combo. So I looked around and bought some red linen instead. It's a nice blue-red, not an orange-red. 

This really was an adventure of the dress, as Stephanie calls it. We went to take picture with some flowers, but then I looked at them and the straps were too long, so I re-tied them. Then the light on the balcony was dark, and then we went to NOMA, the art museum. It's kind of a mixed bag. I need to not slouch like a sloth all the time. 

It has self-lined tie for the front and back, the front have one dart each. It has a waist band and an 8 gore skirt. Hemmed on the machine, handpicked zipper. 

 Pretending to study ceramics.

 Out in the sculpture garden, by a giant spider!

 Andrew made me do this!

 The sides also meet in a point, but don't go down as far.

Molly's Ews:

The skirt started as a 4 gore, but was snug and sausagey instead of full. I went back and bought another 3/4 of a yard and then made eight pieces that tapered to a narrower top.

Overall:

This was a piece of cake to make. It's slightly boob-tacular, so I wouldn't wear it everywhere. However, it is  a nice summery, cool dress and it looks very much like what I tried to copy. Success!

Military Style Dress FINISHED! w/pics

I finally finished this monster! I started this in January, inspired by this picture here. It was a coat, but I wanted to make a winter dress. I bought some olive green peach skin from Vogue Fabrics online.

I drafted my own pattern, which took some time. Due to the fabric's vague and wild stretch, I also had to do a lot of refitting as I constructed it.

We took pictures at Metairie Cemetery, which I drive by every day on my way to work, but we had never gone. It is full of very elaborate French/New Orleans style above ground tombs, which are always interesting. As someone who likes history, I like looking at the dates and names, too. Tomorrow we are going to bike around it and take more pictures. I cut this short due to the 90 degree weather!

It looks a little more brown in the sun than it really is.
The bodice and back are fitted with princess seams- two on each side on the front, one on each side on the back.The skirt has darts in the back and pleats in the front. It is double breasted with ten buttons and the bands are chocolate brown velvet ribbon. I did a double row of stitching on the machine for the hem on the skirt and sleeves. I used brown thread for contrast, since I knew it would be noticeable. So now it looks intentional.
The skirt has a nice, soft shape that balances out the top, I think. This is my favorite tomb: Lacosst born 1854 in Haut Gasconne, France; died 1913 New Orleans.
The back is pretty sleek.
My military compatriots for my photos.
The band breaks up the back and gives it a little detail. Actually, I added it because the skirt stretched as I sewed it to the bodice, making all of the pleats out of line with the seams on the bodice. That made me furious because I had spent a lot of time lining them up just so.

Overall, I am pleased with it. Unfortunately, I finished it just in time for the hot weather, so it won't see any use until the fall!

Military Dress Progress

This was my inspiration. It is a coat, but I wanted a dress.

Sorry for the terrible lighting. It's always dark when I want to take a picture of something. The general shape is good. Since the fabric is not wool, the skirt drapes a bit differently. I plan on adding the velvet ribbon and buttons in the same way on the front. The skirt has a lot of crossover, so I might just use a snap at the waist to hold it up.
My dummy and I are slightly different in shape, so trust me that it looks better on.
Again, better on a person.
I am pleased with the back. I made adjustments on the center seam above the shoulder blades and in the small of the back. It fits really well.
So I need ribbon and buttons for the detail, it needs button holes, and some hemming of the sleeves and skirt and a snap.

This has taken sooooo long and I am ready for a quick and easy pattern! Drafting it took some time, of course, and sewing it, but my biggest drawback is the thought of having to think and puzzle out problems. School has been very tiring lately and I think I like having easy and relaxing projects when school is in.

TGI(almost)F!!!!

Revised Goal 6: Complete!

Well, originally I was going to make an awesome dress for New Year's Eve. However, Andrew has decided to ruin it for me, and is going to New York to visit his family and do some job interviews until January 9th! Cruel! His logic: "Well, I was going to be stuck here alone for 2 days while you are in Oregon." Hmph, leaving me here with the dog for 12 days is obviously better! So now I have no use for a cool dress, since I'll be sitting at home with the dog, drinking alone. Boo hoo, ha ha ha ha. Ok, enough whining.

So, I revised my goal into making Andrew and myself fleece pants for lounging around the house. I have a pair of ugly, grey, fleece pants that I have had since high school (going on 8-9 years maybe). When it gets cold, and I'm still being stingy and refusing to heat the house, I wear them every day when I get home from work. Which clearly is gross, since I then wash them once a week maybe. Thus, instead of wasting precious hours of my life trying to find a similar pair for a reasonable price at the horrible mall, I decided to make some.

I took my fleece pants and traced them, and made a rough approximation. They fit fine, since the waist is elastic.

Back, with the print, which is monkeys holding flowers and cupcakes.

Andrew's have some random print of bears and bear tracks. They did turn out kinda big and poofy, but he said he wanted them looser than his other ones. They are long enough for his spider legs, at least. Also, he refused to show his face because he doesn't want to be on the internet. Too bad I've definitely posted his picture before.

Anyways, he's happy with his (part of) Xmas present, I like mine, and now I have more wonderful fleece pants!

Total cost: $20 for the fleece, which was 50% off, and the elastic.

Time spent: 2 hours maximum, for cutting and sewing both pairs.

Yay!

Random skirt of my own design

I slapped this together after work today. It took maybe 45 min-1 hr. The fabric is leftover from my blouse I just made, although I bought the suggested yardage. It's a yoke I took from a Butterick(?) pattern and a gathered dirndl skirt.

The zipper is tragic, but I only tucked in my shirt for pictures. Normally it will be invisible.
Good for spinning!
Fin

Modern Fashion- circa 2008

This dress was my inspiration. I cut it out of a magazine in the spring or summer or 2008. I know this was from a Nordstrom ad, but I never cut out the "where you can buy it" info, since I will never be spending hundreds of dollars on a jersey dress. I particularly liked the neckline.



Since the ad was in grey, it was easy to see all the detail, like where I needed to make darts. I drafted my own pattern out of muslin, and then tried it on 100 times while sewing to get the fit right. I made it out of medium weight jersey from Jo-Ann in a mint green color.

Don't look at the filthy room, please.

Of course I had to screw some things up- obviously, since it was my first time drafting a pattern. The points could have used a stiffer interfacing, since they try to droop sometimes; also, the white zipper.

For future reference, if Jo-Ann doesn't have a zipper that matches, that does not mean buy a hideous white one. I wish I had bought a big metal one, like for a jacket. Then it would look industrial and intentional, rather than home-made.

Also, my old machine does not do zig-zag or stretch stitch, so the hem is falling out as I continue to snap threads.

Overall, I was very proud of myself, and I think it is very flattering.