sewable

Just for Info

2009-11-20T13:30:00.006+01:00

I just bought another pair - the shop was on my way. It is more of a everyday pair. The leather is soo soft. It was really cheap. Like 80% off and around 30 eu! I should never go to this shop again...

Funny Backstage Fact: Matthieu was looking at the blog to check my new shoes. His words:
" Oh god, I hate them (the blue ones). And I hate the new background of your photos. It is sooo 80s. Oh Geri! This animal print dress, so awful!". There you go...
I must say I laughed so much. You may see how strong our friendship is - even a major taste clash cannot becloud it. He even walk the street down with me every now and then...

Actually his more tactful way to say stuff like this is :"Oh. This are definitely Geri shoes."

Go buy the shoes!

2009-11-19T14:07:00.006+01:00

So there is a small info for everybody who is so lucky to live in Berlin!

I just passed by a shoe shop (Next to the bookshop on the corner of Schönhauser Allee and Shivelbeiner Straße - it is almost directly at the U2 Schönhauser Allee subway station) that had a total sale and I spent quite a lot of time there. They have pretty italian shoes marked down 80% and I seriously considered 2 pairs but kept it to one. I am still suffering though.

They had some boots even marked down to 30 euro so it is a diverse choice. I just have no need for boots right now.

Just for info originally they costed 270 euro and I got them for 58.

And again

2009-11-17T13:25:00.006+01:00

I think this one is the last tunic based dress for now. I have mixed feeling about it. I still haven't put buttons on it and haven't worn it yet.

The fabric is a beautiful 40% silk 60% cotton voile. I really loved it and it makes me a bit unhappy I don't like the final result. The problem is that I tried to do the dress very carefully but did 2 major mistakes due to my absentmindness...

I put the left sleeve on the right and the other way round... It ended in the front sleeve curve being sewn into the back bodice curve. I noticed it when it was too late and now the sleeves are bending weirdly sometimes...

And the skirt of the dress is a bit to bell shaped. But I don't know which way it will look OK. All in all I feel it is somehow too old for me and I have no idea how to fix it. Maybe I should make it short as a blouse or make the skirt tighter. But somehow I don't imagine it working...

Black Pants and almost last Tunic

2009-11-15T12:26:00.008+01:00

I know it is a bit weird the mass production of this tunics I made. There are few parameters coming together that triggered it.
First I think it is a really nice pattern - basic, comfy but tre chic.
Second I am constantly out on tracing paper and just use the already retraced patterns.
Third I am too lazy to retrace new patterns.
And there is even a Forth - I am getting better and quickert each time I sew it again!
The fabric is a cotton plaid that I got from the alfatex online shop.

The fabric is the same as the previous pants - 100% fine wool suiting in black. I got for 1.5 euro per meter as a 3 meter remnant piece in Alfatex. All in the pants cost me 5 euro and the fabric is a better quality as the most you get on ready made clothes. But off course it is a bit of a different account if you count my 6-7 work hours that totally went on this project.

The pants are a very nice shaped pattern with a slim fit. Means you always look good in this kind of cut. I will definetely sew them again. I couldn't find a link to the model on burdafashion. But it is Mod. Nr. 130 von Burda 05/ 2009.

Its a beautiful issue and I am still planing to do this emerald grean jacket:

And all the dresses are just perfect.

Black Baggy Pants

2009-11-13T19:12:00.008+01:00

The same pattern as the gray baggy pants. The orignal is the 112 von Burda 06/2009. While doing this pair I made some changes. I made the legs long and narrow. At the same time I added one more pleat at the waist to make them even more baggier. The result needs some getting used to. But the positive thing is that you can always grow into this pants...
The fabric is a very fine black 100 % wool suiting. I got a rest 3 meter piece of it and made 2 pants. The other one is coming soon ;).

Tunic 3?

2009-11-12T21:57:00.005+01:00

I think this is the third tunic? Or the second? I don't remember exactly. Fact is I used again the the Burdafashion pattern:

It is 120 from the 02/2009 issue. The changes I made by all tunic are putting elastic on the sides at the waist. The other thing is bottom is finished with a placket.

The fabric is a nice paisley patterned silk I got from Ebay some time ago. I actually didn't like it at he beginning cause I thought it looks a bit old. That was the reason I wanted to give to my mother. But she got a bit annoyed I want to pass things I see as old to her...
At the end I ended loving the final result. Silk is soo nice to wear!

Snake Dress

2009-11-10T23:43:00.007+01:00

So snake print indeed. But I must say it is a mutant print - imagine it on an animal with both snake and leopard ancestors. And the photo you see it on is black and white. So.
I bought the fabric on Ebay. It was sold to me as a silk, but it is more of a cotton mix if you ask me. Anyway it feels like a natural fibre and it falls nicely.
I made the pattern myself roughly based on the Burda tunic pattern I made like a 2 million times (I still have to post 2 more of this). It is meant as a muslin for a nice dark blue crepe de chine silk I own.
Inspiration was a Gucci dress I saw in a window on the Friedrichstrasse in Berlin.

And than a photo of a small comfy project. This overall can be worn just as pants too. Next time the photo.

Nude Dress

2009-11-10T23:06:00.006+01:00

Oh je. I have sewn so much, but I haven't posted in ages again. The real problem actually is my camera. I get always soo depressed with it. I need a new one soon.

So after I complained about it again I can post some clothes. First a jersey dress I made in 3-4 hours. Very easy, made out of my basic knit sloper. I will try to make a tutorial soon.

Funny Backstage Fact: I am totally horrified by snakes. It is a real phobia. But I really hate to have it, so I am trying to beat it all the time. The result is a snake print obsession. This leggings were love at first sight and a chance for a free therapy. Indeed the first time I wore them I couldn't look at my legs. Now it is all ok, so maybe I will try the terrarium next.

Baggy Pants

2009-09-07T17:03:00.008+02:00

I love this pants. They are made from an elastic wool gabardine I got on ebay some time ago. At the beginning I was unsure if the pattern will work with the fabric. I even hesitated to use it. Oh how wrong I was!
The fabric is perfect for the pattern.
And the pattern comes from Burda. Since my subscription I started using mostly Burda patterns. My laziness is forcing me into tracing one pattern and reusing it by minor tweaks. I am definetely making this pants in 1000 colours and fabrics. I already made a brown jeans one and a black wool is on the way.
The only change I made was narrowing the legs at the ankle height. In this way I made the pants became a bit more carrot formed and not straight as in the original.
Check Tanys version here.

As you can see on the details - I topstitched everything with rectangulars. I just thought it will look nice.

Tunic 1.0

2009-09-05T13:58:00.008+02:00

I made this pattern 3 times by now. It is a pretty easy straight foward pattern, the only difficulty being the collar and the placket. The original pattern is comming from burda ( I will track it down and post it with the next blouse.)

I varied the length and the sleeves each time. The only major change I did is putting elastic pieces at waist height since the pattern was a bit too boxy for my taste.

The fabric is a cotton with black latex print. Very cool, but called a shower curtain by Matthieu there. I must say that I've already sewn up all the fabrics from that post. Not bad.

I look sooo sad on that photo. Funny.

Sorry for the bad photos - I should soon replace my camera.

Back from Holidays

2009-09-03T11:08:00.007+02:00

Hi Everybody!

I am just back from Holidays in Bulgaria. We went on a big mountain trip - muscle ache and sunburn all inclusive. Here are some fotos (different days):

Waterfall:

First Lake on around 2000 meters:

Second lake above the waterfall.

Full house at the hut on the lake. It was an important holiday of some nature guys.

The peaks in the back:

Nearer, looking back down:

On the peaks around 2600 meters. It was quite scary:

Going down:

Still going down:

Down:

And some backstage facts:

My phone was still working above the 2000...

With Matthieu and Patrick.

Dowdy Details

2009-08-07T20:23:00.003+02:00

So here we go with some dress detail. I always find them helpful to image how the garment works.
So I must say that this was an experiment and a lot of the stuff happened by going along. I took the blouse pattern and cut it in the assumed height. Also I made the front in one piece with a placket. At this point I must say, this was a bit stupid. I could have just taken an already one piece blouse pattern like in later garments. So learn from my laziness and do that.

The collar is just a straight stripe attached to the neckline.

The skirt is basically a straight rectangle and the waist ist define by pleating.

The waste got too wide, but I couldn't make it tighter. It would have been impossible to put it on that way. So i solved it by sewing elastic at the sides.

The front was still to wide so I made two darts in the same line as the pleating.

The sleeves are finished simply with fantastic elastic again...

How dowdy you can get?

2009-08-06T17:24:00.004+02:00

I made this I think back in April. I remember February and March were the pure hell in the office ending in me making 40 hours overtime. So really no sewing involved...
And than April came with some nice spring weather and there was this flower Burda issue, so I bought the fabric at alfatex online (since I cannot go to the store that regularly any more) and made this dress.
I must say it is actually a dowdy dress made with a crazy, a bit retro fabric - in reality it is more saturated. I really like it...

I made the pattern myself based I believe on this blouse pattern. I got lazy about tracing new patterns...

Slowly Warming Up

2009-08-05T19:07:00.001+02:00

Hi Guys,

I know I've been missing on the blog for the last half an year. I was having tons of work at the office (I counted it - I made 10 projects in 8 months!) and in the same time my camera stopped working. But I still managed to get some stuff sewn. So due to the beginning of vacation and swap of jobs I will start slowly posting the things I made in the last months!

So till later!

Flower Blouse

2009-01-29T10:20:00.001+01:00

The Pattern:

All good things come at least three times... Yeah I am too lazy to trace new patterns - so reused the same pattern as for the Wallpaper Dress und Psycho wave blouse... The good thing about reusing patterns is that you get better and better in sewing them. You kind of learn from your mistakes... Mostly. I did a better collar indeed, but the extremely curved hem got wonky. What I changed is that I omitted the waist elastic and used pleats instead. The pattern had also too wide shoulders for me.

The Fabric:

Here is the post about it, when I purchased it.

The Blouse:

I have a feeling it got a bit of a Dynasty or Dallas style to it. And I somehow love it... I like the contuinity of the print that cannot be distorted through the pattern.

Funny Backstage Fact:

I somehow look stoned it this pictures - there is an easy explaination about it. I put the camera on the TV. And on the the TV was running a crime serie and I was watching it while I was making the photos. That is maybe a good visual about the effect of watching on humans...

The Details

2009-01-25T22:12:00.006+01:00

I made the images before I put in the labels... I love them! I have so much fun putting them in.

The Porcelain Blouse:

Double placket.

Pleated and rounded collar. Otherwise the same as the pattern.

The side elastic on the outside.

The fabric... I love the outlines the most. It is such a silky, shiny cotton too...

The Flower Blouse:

These are more of a preview.

The pleats instead of the elastic.

The back. Ivory topstitching.

Cuffs.

Collar, front joke and shoulders.

Rounded hem.

PS. Thank you all for the award - I will check it out as soon as I have some spare time - it could be the weekend though...

Porcelain Blouse

2009-01-25T21:23:00.004+01:00

The Pattern:

All good things are done at least twice... Is the same pattern as the Owl Blouse.

The Changes:

The only change I did is a but different collar ( I will post details soon) and the wider belt.

The Fabric:

Again an old favourite being sewn at last. Here you can see it - the black one follows in the next post. I must say they are almost an year old!!!

The Blouse:

The owl blouse

2009-01-18T19:39:00.007+01:00

The pattern:

The pattern is from BWOF 6/2008. The blouse is explained in a step by step technical drawings tutorial in the magazine itself.
A pretty unusual blouse pattern - the sleeves are actually a extension of the yoke. It has a double placket - my first time making one and it was surprisingly easy. The good thing about those is that you don't have to bother about finding the right buttons, since one doesn't see them. I like the solution, since I sometimes have blouses that I think will look better without buttons.
I made two changes - a shorter belt and I gathered the sides using pieces of elastic after I sewed them instead of gathering and sewing together.
The Fabric:

It is a 100% swiss cotton. Remember when I bought it?

The Time Investment:
I needed like 30 min tracing, 30 min cutting the fabric. Then it was around 6 hours sewing on two separate days. Very straight foward project.

The Blouse:

Details:

I used different technique to attach the collar stand to the bodice. It paid off looking a lot cleaner than the one I used till now - the one that BWOF is picturing in their step by step tutorial too.
You can look up the new technique there -Part 1 and Part2 on the Behind The Seams blog.

Wearing the coat

2009-01-18T18:48:00.007+01:00

So I didn't found anybody to make the photos on the outside this weekend - to be honest I didn't search...
So I made them inside.

Open Collar:

Hood:

High closed Collar:

Back:

Here are the problems starting and I see them in the photos more than in the real life. First the darts are making a bit weird silhouette in some positions.

Than the real thing - I displaced the darts a bit to get white/white rows together. And I thought it is not that obvious as it actually is. Now I am in a dilemma - do I redo the dart and have a white/white and black/black double rows or I live it like this...

The lining:

A single peek at the ugly lining. The sleeves are made out of a thinner fabric to reduce bulk.

The fabric:

I bought the fabric on ebay. I paid 12 euro for 2,5 meter without the postal cost. The ebay shop adress - it is on german, but they surely ship internation if it pays off for you. The fabrics they offer are changing the whole time.

At last a coat!

2009-01-16T22:02:00.005+01:00

My coat is done at last! And thanks god it is still winter - It would have been mighty stupid to get it done in spring, since I opted for a very thick padded lining.
Winters in Berlin are quite cold, you know. We had an extraordinary cold weather last week. It have been like -22 C in the night and -12 C office lunchtime temperature. So like in a kindergarten in office everybody is being sick for weeks and it being the infectious nest it is , I got sick this week too. So the whole story to explain why the lining is a bit ugly - I sewed it in anyway, but my concentration skills were running low.
So I guess I wont be showing a lot of detail on it.
The pattern for the coat is from the BWOF 10/2008 :

I liked the rounded shoulder panel a lot. But I had to do some major changes . The pattern is a bit boxy for me, the worst being the sleeves. They are too wide and make you look as if you are wearing your grandpa's old coat. Which is OK if you refashion it. Which I did.
So I took a lot in at the shoulder panel and at the sleeves. I added some darts at the waist for more fitted look and I didn't have that much time to bother with the pockets so I made the in the side seam. It wouldn't have worked with the darts any other way.
I also made the coat longer for a larger cold protection area. A detachable hood came with the same purpose.

So first some flat lying photos. I will try to make some outside images of me wearing it on the weekend to get some foggy atmosphere.

Woven Labels

2009-01-11T19:06:00.004+01:00

I am so happy - I managed to order some labels for my self-made clothing!
It is quite fun to have them. I wrote "ceregana!" there cause this is mostly my user name at all possible applications and I just couldn't think of anything else. It was a bit like when you are being asked to say something in your mother tongue and you cannot bring out a word...
Off course later I noticed that my blog is actually called sewable...

The labels have a glue film, so you can just iron them on. I ordered them there. It was extremely easy - just fill in the text and there you go.

Update: Sorry, I know the website is in german...
It is just easier and cheaper for me to order in Germany- check this one http://www.namensbaender.de/ they have english too. But I just googled woven labels - stoff etiketten - and found it. I am sure that will be possible in almost every country.

Square skirt the actual piece

2009-01-10T16:11:00.005+01:00

So here it comes the skirt I actually sewed using the pattern I explained in the previous post. It is a comfy no-thought skirt that I wear all the time. I need to sew more of this daily wearable skirts, but I made it with a bit of twist this time just to get some variation. Don't have to run around with a clones of my clothes, only in a different colour.

Here again the corner hem if I you didn't get it from mine somehow not that precise explanation...

I think I will dedicate this month on a very easy quick pieces, since I don't have a lot of time and concentration skills right now anyway. Next project will be a easy elastic waist pant, that still looks chic enough. Than some cardigans.
Talking about cardigans I must say here that Burdastyle announced that they are not going to have free patterns anymore and start selling them all, even older ones. I stopped downloading their stuff long time ago - just cause I have my Burda subscription and they have same or similar patterns, cheaper and quicker for me (all the printing is boring and I don't have a printer at home right now). I understand their need to make cash, but I think they solved it in a rather rude way, changing policy without a notice in a day and than explaining it was always the plan. If it was always the plan, they should have said so beforehand. It would have been something different then.
Saying that I am not quite sure that if I draft a full pattern in the future, I will publish it there. Maybe I should find a way to do it on the blog, since I had problems with the fact that through publishing it on Burdastyle page, they gain the exclusive rights on the pattern. They always have been very nice, but I am left with the feeling there is some transparency missing.

Square skirt pattern

2009-01-10T16:03:00.005+01:00

I am turning into weekend sewer/ blogger. This first week of the year was a very busy one - I had to finish a concept presentation for Friday and worked some extra hours. I tried to sew a bit on Tuesday or more to cut out the coat lining. It ended in me cutting 3 pieces wrong. On Wednesday I just used my 2 hours before sleeping to work on a panty pattern/muslin. It turned out to be a quick and relaxing project emptying pleasently my head just the right way (Almost equal to nice cold bottle of beer. But only almost!). I will work on this pattern and make a how-to on the blog. It is easier than I thought and I am excited about this.
I thought that I haven't posted a pattern tutorial in a long time, so I made an easy one on a skirt I did during the holidays. Hope you enjoy it!
As always click on the images to get them larger.

I will post the skirt itself next!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T18:03:00.004+01:00

... and Merry Christmas very very late... I wish you all a very healthy and lucky 2009!

I haven't posted for while, having a lot to do at work and coming home too tired to post. Even too tired to sew a lot. I still started on a warm winter coat!
But first I got myself a new sewing machine for Christmas - it is a great improvement to my old, with all its small problems connected machine. I bought it by Amazon and they had a major price reduction.

I love it, cause it makes everything a lot easier - it even has a start/stop button allowing to sew some long straight and boring or just decorative stitches without the pedal. It has 91 stiches and 5 one step buttonholes. I always hated doing the 4-step ones, and my older machine made them awful.

On the sewing front I've done one blouse with the new machine. It is not perfect but OKish for the first try:

And the coat just needs lining:

Kind of wallpaperish...

2008-11-24T18:59:00.004+01:00

I just know that when Matthieu sees this dress, he will say it looks like a wallpaper... And then diplomacy will win once again and he will add that we just have different taste...
I even had some fun imagining that conversation.
I know the print is a bit weird, but I somehow love it. The navy and red combination is great and the graphic flowers are nicely abstract. The fabric is a blend - 32% silk and 68% cotton. Very soft and it has a bit of a silk sheen.
The same pattern as the psycho wave blouse, just lengthen it a bit.
I did better work on the collar this time (I cut it after I've sewn the bodice. As most of the time expected with me I had to lengthen the collar pieces, since the neckline has gotten longer...).

I used flat felled seams again, topstitching with a red thread.

I can only recommend this pattern - it is easy and quick. I made the dress in like 3 days/3 hours sessions. It is still comfortable and not too tight, but in the same time give the impression of a well fitted garment.

The next photo is funny - I stand so stiff with an empty stance and the dress has a slight retro feel, the result being a bit messy Stepford wife...

I have a new strategy. When I am watching a movie I just use the time to trace and cut out patterns. Then I store them for better times...

Psycho wave

2008-11-22T20:28:00.004+01:00

The finished blouse on me. I think I put the elastic a bit higher that the waist and also made it a bit tight. But actually it doesn't matter that much. It is an easy and quick pattern, the only difficult part being the collar. But if you are collar profis I guess it is a piece of cake.
My new bug is making the buttonholes few weeks later...

And it looks nice.

Psycho wave details

2008-11-20T19:37:00.009+01:00

First the solution of my dumbness:

I had to cut the felted seam out ( the fabric wouldn't bear all the tearing and unstitching) and then I had to cut some length on the other side too. So the pattern is a bit different because of that, but I doesn't seem to have a great effect on it anyway.

The pattern is the Burda 09/2008 Nr. 126 B. All in all I will say it is an easy going pretty quick pattern. I found it refreshing after the whole dress puzzle with a lot of pieces and plaid matching to make something quicker. It is also flattering and easy to fit wit the elastic. It will make a great shirt dress too.

I used flat felled seams (thanks Dalila!) everywhere and it is really a very clean inside:

And outside:

Certainly they are not perfect - there are a few wonky spots, but I am still happy with them.

What I really messed up is the button placket - in the original Burda pattern it is a complicated thing that is somehow folded backwards. To be honest I wasn't that much into it and thought it is unnecessary work so I didn't even tried to get it...
So what it happened at the end I made the placket just as I always do, but forget to check with the collar width. Consequence - the neckline opening was longer. OK. Next solution - put a small piece of fabric at the extra length and improvise with the collar ending ( Anyway I am always screwing up collars with stand when it comes to attach them to the bodice. Any good online tutorial on that?). OK. Next consequence:

Ugly...

Not sure how they are sewing the cuff in the original modell. I just opted for my standard procedure ( scroll down with the dot com dress and you'll find the tutorial) - iron a bias tape and sew it on. Then I just sewn on the cuffs. Easy.

Inside:

Outside:

The elastic is done the same way as with the Coat Elisabeth project. Self fabric stripes are being stitched on and then the elastic is fixed at both ends.

Inside:

Outside:

The hem was easy this time - thanks god it is a straight one. I just rolled it and ironed it flat. Next thing I did different as usual is that I fixed it from the inside. Same with the placket. Mostly I hate the fact that on the right side I looks fine but on the inside the seam is to much in or out... Stitching from the inside helps...

The blouse on the outside. I will post next time some images wearing it.

Zig Zag Plaid

2008-11-19T20:53:00.006+01:00

I bought this plaid last time in Kassel. It is not my favourite colours, but it is growing on me more and more...
I had 2 meters of fabric and I wanted to make a shirt dress. Having more then enough fabric I thought I should play more with the plaid than I usually do. So I decided to fit the pattern diagonally.
Emamanuance asked me how I fit the plaid pattern - I will make a small tutorial on my way doing it. Patience is significant part of it...
It will probably take some time, since I should find some fabric to do that.

The small pleats at the neckline are fabric tubes that are pleated, ironed flat and fixed with one stitch each, which hidden underneath the next pleat. The neckline itself is being faced and interfaced...

I used the JJ shirt pattern of burdastyle as a starting block for the bodice and took the original sleeves. To lengthen them I cut a rectangular fabric piece and made a tube. The end of the tube is finished with elastic. The upper end is cut a bit curved - since the original JJ sleeve is curved too. That was it.

The skirt I just drafted in a very easy manner using my measurments...

I finished the hem using a self fabric bias tape. I hate curved hems - mostly I am messing them up, so I took a different direction this time.

Answer update: Hey Melissa, yeah the sleeves are nice but beware how much you take in at the side pleat... I make them a bit to narrow there and when I lift my hands too much the seam is cutting in my arm... I think maybe putting an elastic there will be more suitable.

How dumb can one be?

2008-11-18T00:20:00.003+01:00

... and this are felted seams...

Sneak A Peek

2008-11-13T15:00:00.004+01:00

I started a new dress shirt some time ago but then put it aside due to my birthday and being sick for some time. But the most is done. I even made the hem before I finished the sleeves - this feels kind of liberating since I am always finishing the hem weeks after I wore the garments... It is a hem curse or something.
So a small sneak peek at what it is all about:

I think I need few more days evening sewing.

Funny Backstage Fact: I got used (means more then 2 times) to sew about an hour while The Simpsons is running... Believe it or not I never watched The Simpsons before, since I normally don't watch TV and now I love them...

Older

2008-11-06T13:33:00.002+01:00

So today I am officially 28. It is not that bad as I thought. 26 was worst, 27 was ok, 28 is ok too, but maybe 29 will be bad too as mine last 20s... But right now is more of exciting to get older.

Exciting

2008-11-04T19:49:00.004+01:00

Guys, it is election day in the US and I am extremely excited. It is a nice time for change and there is a real hope that something will change and a SMART young person with future will be in charge again! It will be nice to feel OK about American politics again after 8 years of horror...
Although with Palin there was the dose of dumb this time too...
Anyway I am not sure if I will be sleeping the night through.

A dress and some beginnings

2008-11-04T12:08:00.009+01:00

I just couldn't wrap my head up around all the ideas I used to have about my 80s dress. I never proceeded making it because it just didn't feel as the right thing for the fabric. After I made the blouse I just thought that the pattern works great with it and I cut it as a dress. I like the 60s vibe about it (80s dress with a 60s vibe. All right.).
It all sounds cool and I just cut the usual measurements (or I think I did so, I must admit I was a bit inattentive and just drafted the skirt free hand and not from the original pattern). So it is a bit tight around the hips which is not cool at all... I think the truth is I put some weight on and this is quite logical, since it is cold outside and the fridge is my best friend and my sunlight in this weather.

See. Or don't see? I mean the TV Tower is lost in the fog and mostly it is even worst. You don't get it that you are in Berlin. It could be anywhere, where fog is...

But back to the dress. I love it actually. I should stop eating so much and I will love it even more... I laid the fabric very carefully and matched the sleeves to the bodice as best as I could. Sounds complicated, but it is not. I just cut the sleeves next to the armhole openings on the flat pattern.

The neck opening is larger so I don't need the cut in the back.
I used the back side of the fabric showing this time. The colours are more intense then the satin side and in this way it is different to the blouse I already have.
Front:

Back:

I installed an invisible zipper on the side. I am getting a pro in it. I think the most crucial thing is to iron the zipper before you sew it in. I saw this in a tutorial on a blog somewhere, forgot the link though... Sorry.

I was a bit tired of sewing at the end, but wanted to finish it. So the logical consequence is that I have to redo the hem... I hate when I start bungling and mostly try just to stop before.

Another project started when I was watching a Swedish Crime series (my favourite) on TV Sunday night. I am mostly bored doing one thing at a time...

All in all I should start some winter sewing...

Painted blouse construction

2008-10-27T23:03:00.003+01:00

The construction tutorial on the painted blouse.

On french seams check this tutorial.

Painted blouse

2008-10-26T23:52:00.004+01:00

The pattern is the same as by the previous blouse. I will probably use it to make the dress with the same pattern and fabric too...
The fabric is silk/cotton blend the facings and partial lining is made from very thin ponge silk.
Next post is about the construction.

Neck detail:

Inside front:

Inside back:

Front:

Back:

Collar Snake Skin

2008-10-26T23:29:00.003+01:00

The tutorial of the snake skin collar!

Snake Skin finished

2008-10-22T22:31:00.005+02:00

The Snake Skin blouse is finished. The pattern is BWOF 2008/09 Nr. 107. I traced size 36. I cut the back piece whole although it is two separate pieces in the pattern and made a slit at the back. I will explain the technique I used on the other blouse made with the same pattern .

The collar doesn't photograph well so I made some extra detailed images of it:

The fabric is as you may remember a silk Crepe de Chine. I didn't use any interfacing on the ruffle, because I was afraid it may get too stiff. In the next post I will explain how I drafted the collar.

Update 2.0 being updated!

2008-10-18T23:51:00.006+02:00

The blouses are done at the end, I will post on them with details later. I still have to sew some more stuff for the tomorrow deadline of the Tessuti blog award...

The snake blouse doesn't photograph so well - you just don't see the details. But I attached the collar and the sleeves and tomorrow I will probably finish it. It is getting there!

Back view of the collar.

I cut today the same pattern for this:

I love this fabric soo much...

Small update...

2008-10-16T22:27:00.004+02:00

I am sewing an hour per day, really slowly and carefully ( since I love that fabric) and this is how far I am now:

The original basic pattern is the Nr. 107 from BWOF 09/2008. This is what it looks like:

So far, so good...

A Fabric Post...

2008-10-13T19:06:00.009+02:00

A fabric post is always related to a perpetual popping of new projects in my head. And here and there is a moment of not knowing what to do with a fabric...
I am constantly wanting to make new things and mostly it is just not realistic in our 24 hours 7 days pro week world.
I was on a two weeks work related (a lot of work...) stay in Kassel. Believe it or not this small town has one of the coolest fabric stores around as I've mentioned before - Alfatex. They even had some Burda Magazine garments on display there for a few days, so I was able to look at how they are sewn up. Nice.
It was good I was too busy to go there more than twice in the time... But I still managed to spent money I didn't want to spent on some fabrics as a well-behaved addict.

First my main addiction - silk!
A snakes print Crepe de Chine - for a blouse I have exactly pictured in my mind.

Weird thing is I am not that wild about animal prints and in the same time I have a snake phobia. I don't really have a thing against snakes, I just tend to get panic attacks when I see them. Nothing to do about it - I always push myself into the terrarium in the zoo in a healing attempt, but haven't been successful yet...
So in a some unpredictable psychological twist I fell in love with this fabric and got almost obsessed with it...

A silver silk I grabbed in the last moment while paying for the fabric above...
I noticed afterwards that it has 7% elastan and stretches in one directions. That is just killing me - not because it is a bad thing. It just calls for a tight pattern. But tight and shiny...
I am envisioning a loose shirt and I have a bad feeling the whole time not being up to its elastic potential...

A orange dotted Crepe de Chine silk I got for no money of ebay. I am going to use it for the Tessuti awards challenge so I am not going to tell you what it will be in its next reincarnation.

I actually wanted to buy some plaid and then again plaid, but was left with money for only one... It is a shirt tunic waiting to happen.

Another silver thing. Not sure I like the metallic stuff at all. It was kind as spontaneous getting this as the silver silk... It is a cotton silver jeans fabric. Will be making jeans out of it...

I am in need of comfy pants and this fabric was really cheap on sale - it is a cotton with 10% elastan - very stretchy and very thick, with a soft inside. It may be a bit stiff to sew but I will make some jeans out of it again. Love the colour - a cold greyish blue.

A cotton batist I got as a present for a friends birthday. It is more petrol.

Winter is coming, coat sewing too... My lovely wool plaid for a great winter coat - I have bought the fabric last year on ebay.

I almost finish the idea of the coat and should be starting on the pattern soon. I am planning it as a really slow pace project doing every step really carefully.

The collar and sleeves tutorial

2008-10-03T16:09:00.008+02:00

Sorry for not posting for a while but I am doing some not computer related work lately - very rare phenomenon when it comes to me - so I just couldn't squeeze any sewing time or even blogging in.
A small photo tutorial how I made the final part of the collar and how I finish the sleeves. At this place I must say, that the sleeve pattern is the original JJ sleeve. I just got too lazy to make a slit and all this stuff and opted for elastic.

The collar extension to the ruffle is a basic Peter Pan collar.

I didn't make any pictures of ruffle/collar attachment. Basically you just sew them right side to right side to each other and than turn them right side out. Sounds easy but is a bit of pain in the ass. It is better to do it before you fix the ruffle. I made the mistake to do it afterwards cause I decided on the collar look afterwards...

cheers and good luck.

Plaid Frilly done

2008-09-23T14:48:00.003+02:00

I finished the plaid frilly blouse. I am not quite sure if I made the right decision on the collar... Is a bit too much Peter Pan, but maybe I will get used to it. I will show the details on the sleeves and the collar pattern in the next post...

Ruffling

2008-09-17T13:52:00.006+02:00

First the info how to do this I took from the great Vintage Sewing page in particular this image:

I did some testing and my ruffle pattern looks a bit different (click on the images to enlarge them):

Then how this ruffle is being attached:

In the next post I will show the collar improvisation. All in all it developed while doing it so there is some problem solving involved the whole way through.

Price and a new project

2008-09-13T16:24:00.009+02:00

On the sewing front:

My summer obsession was jersey, guess my autumn obsession is becoming plaid and reinterpreting it. And I like this new trend of over feminine details, but I like it with an edge.

I think I am going to buy some more plaid when I go back to Kassel... They had some brilliant stuff there I didn't buy back than...

Then the price - Thanks Lucia! - given me by Cafe Couture.

P.S. I am awful, I must confess I changed the colours of the price diamond, cause I couldn't fit them in my recent blog colour scheme...

The rules:

1. Select 6 bloggers to whom you would like to give this award- prize (definetly not easy to choose - only 6) 6 select bloggers to whom you would like to give this award-prize (definitely not easy to choose - only 6)

2. Put the award - prize on your blog and indicate who gave it to you by identifying her/his blog; Put the award - prize on your blog and indicate who gave it to you by identifying her / his blog;

3. Paste these rules on your blog; Paste these rules on your blog;

4. Write 6 of your most important values and 6 negative points you condemn, Write 6 of your most important values and 6 negative points condemn you,

5. Inform the 6 recipients by leaving a comment on their blog. Inform the 6 recipients by leaving a comment on their blog.

Ok I am choosing people I love peeking by and I learn a lot about sewing from, since it is a sewing blog...

Oona - I am overly entertained by her cool blog.

Melissa - I still cannot believe she is living on a boot! And I love her pattern choices.

Tany - almost no need of explaination - I just go to her archives the whole time to learn the right techniques.

Paco - same here, he is giving everybody a great inside in professional techniques.

Colette - I love seeing all the different garments she posts about.

Moo - a new to my list I like her blog a lot.

Off course I love reading all your blogs, but I had to make such a small selection...

One last swing...

2008-09-12T12:54:00.005+02:00

... for the descending summer. This is the swing dress I made last week. I think it will be the last for some time now...
This time I crossed the straps in the back and I gathered the front bodice. Both were very easy operations. The front gathering:

1. Sew a small fabric tube.
2. Measure the middle of the front bust piece and knot the fabric tube around it.
3. Stitch them together from the inside.

Also the skirt is less circular this time.

The straps in the front:

The straps in the back are made long long, crossed and then stitched on the outer side of the bodice. The extra length makes for a small bow.

Another finished project YEAH!

2008-09-10T14:27:00.004+02:00

Yet another finished project and I actually quite like it. I know I was talking about making some dresses, but I am in a need of blouses right now, so I will do a few, before I start on the dresses...
My plaid bow blouse is done and I really love the colours on the plaid, although I normally dislike brown...

On the matching of the plaid my strategy was the following:

1. Cut one piece out and lay it on the plaid so you can match the next piece on it.
2. Stitch the pieces together by hand, matching carefully the plaid.
3. Machine stitch them...

Not difficult at all but somewhat time consuming.
For the pattern I used the JJ as mentioned in the previous post. The bow is just a rectangular piece sewed on.

The sleeves are made of the rest lenght I cut off...
I made the end seam and then pleated them and topstitched the pleats. The next step was to just lay them on the blouse and fit them to the arm cycle. Then I cut the leftover fabric. Surprisingly this strategy worked out...

A good thing about plaid is, that is really easy to measure it visually - you easily cut out straight stripes and notice asymetry.
The front placket is a separate piece, I liked the idea of a small disruption in the plaid pattern. It is stitched face to face to the front piece, turned out and then flattened in order to get topstitched in place using "stich in the ditch" technique. When one takes time to iron it carefully in place it gets a lot easier afterward...

Plaid Bow

2008-09-08T18:50:00.003+02:00

For this blouse I used the basic JJ pattern that I have adjusted to my measurements and use since as a blouse block. I spent some time on matching the plaid - it is my first time working with plaid. I must say I thought it will be more difficult, nothing to be afraid there...

I cut the blouse long and than noticed that I don't have enough fabric for the sleeves. What I did it is cut it shorter and I intend to use the rests for the sleeves... Hope it will work out.

What is left to do is hem it and make the sleeves.

Saturday I did a 3rd swing dress and will post it soon!

HomeDeco and a Muslin

2008-08-30T21:03:00.008+02:00

I have a list of projects on my mind that is ongoing and never ending. And sometimes I just think I should take it slowly one by one and stop adding new projects before I finish the old ones...
So instead of working on the Autumn Strokes pattern (I will do that next week) I was working on the 80s dress pattern.
And I made a muslin.
I have bought the cotton I used exactly with the idea of that muslin. It can be wearable but I won't be unhappy if it doesn't work out... I mean I actually don't like that print a lot. There is something about it.
The whole thing made a real muslin evolution process. First I went for a Dolman sleeve:

Somehow it looked a bit dowdy to me. And it was pulling in weird places. So I cut the sleeves off:

Hm maybe a bit better, but somehow not... So the last thing I did was that:

Kind of like it. But I think the skirt is a bit too full - is a half circle. I will make it longer and less full for the original. I added darts at the bust. Maybe there is too much puff around the waist. I still don't feel it is right.

On the other front I've sewn the curtains. The cotton knit stretched a bit and they got all wonky but I still like them. I used a poly chiffon with a great print I've bought to make the Azalea dress but I couldn't imagine to wear that plastic polyester...

And last for Oona and to finish off her "What we drank week" I had a yeast beer from a weird bottle yesterday.

Cheers!

The Silk

2008-08-26T14:00:00.004+02:00

I got my "Autumn Strokes" Silk Crepe de Chine from Tessuti today. (The postman rang me out of bed in the morning and he had a good laugh at me standing totally disoriented in my PJs at the door. I managed to sign the recipe on the first try which is not an easy thing right after waking up.) Again many thanks to Colette! She even added a pretty cotton trim I may use on the obi belt. So great!
So here the presents (click them large!):

And my wearable muslin fabric - a slinky jersey:

The cotton tape:

Butterfly blouse ideas

2008-08-25T15:39:00.007+02:00

So remember my alien beloved Crepe de Chine? I saw this designer duo there. And look at their web page there. I am in love with the designs and the presentation. Particular in this pieces... I will wear them all, so pretty!

So I made some sketches of the blouse I will like to have and this are the two end ones. It depends how much fabric I will need in order to choose which one I will be making. But I will definitely make them both I think... Already some ideas swimming in my head...

What do you think? Will it work out with the fabric?

Second swing

2008-08-24T17:20:00.009+02:00

I did finish the second swing dress. Very quick! I did photos while sewing to show you my sewing sequence but I made a mistake to save them on the camera chip. So it will take till next week to upload them, when I get the cable...
A tip how to apply your measurements on a stretch fabric (click to enlarge and save it large with right mouse button):

The difference with this one is that I made fully self lined bodice and waist is higher:

I did two mistakes - first one I cut one of the four skirt pieces wrong... Second I wanted to sew the matched pieces in the front, but somehow messed it up. This one I will fix - I will undo the waist seam and flip it.

At the end I do love this dress. It a better sewn version of the last one.
Funny backstage fact: For fun at the end - a weird Humpty Dumpty dance inbetween two photos...

Current Projects

2008-08-21T16:53:00.011+02:00

First is my attempt at some curtains. I must say somehow till now I always had some unorthodox curtain ideas... My last curtains were made of milky white latex. This time I got some organic cotton knit from ebay. I paid 6 eu for 20 meters so its fine.

Surprisingly it is a tube... When I cut it open it is enough but I have to buy some cotton tape to keep it from getting a tube again.

Maybe there will be some left for a blouse.
Next project is a coveted second Swing Dress. I find the other one so comfy and flattering I just have to make another this summer. And I left all my pattern blocks at Kassel... So I need something I can just measure up first. This is the fabric, it has definitely something retro-curtainisch, a viscose jersey:

And at the end - a new love of mine. I got this 1.50x1.00 meter 100% silk really cheap from ebay You can get some great silks there sometimes. Did you noticed the phenomenon, that most of the beautiful silks have awful old fashioned prints and is difficult to find a "cool" silk?
It said silk satin, but I will say it is more Crepe de Chine, no satin shine here. I just felt in love with the colours. The best thing still is the weirdness of the flowers - my science fiction, futuristic soul just adore their freakishness. They remind me of a cartoons of alien planets, I was watching as a kid.

The problem is I don't know what to sew out of it. A blouse definitely, but somehow it has to be special. The only idea I have is the usual shirtlike thing. But I don't really want that. Please, please give me some ideas and inspiration!
Funny backstage fact: Do you have an obsession with repeating numbers too?

Well I Never!

2008-08-18T18:23:00.002+02:00

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

I am not bad, ah? Looked it up by Gorgeous Things...

Flower Muslin Thing Details

2008-08-18T13:08:00.009+02:00

I remembered that I had promised to show details and better pics of the Flower Muslin Thing blouse. I made the pattern myself, it is meant to become a nice lurex/linen dress (got inspired by this one, but mine is not silver), the bodice of which I've already cut (not sewn though). This was the idea of the dress:

although I am thinking of a more voluminous skirt, more puffy. As you can see I changed the bodice seams more into the direction of a princess seam, it involved a lot of wild dangerous cutting... But it is more fitted this way ( I know I discovered the warm water and the wheel again with this statement...). There were two sleeves options I was thinking of.
I don't know when I will finish it though. It is in Kassel and summer is slowly over...

For the blouse I just lenghten the bodice of the dress (it should end at the waist in the original) and what I did too is made all the seams felted, so I get the more stiffer, corset look. Some details:

The blouse itself:

I see from the photos that it is a bit hanging in the back. I should check that on the pattern. That proves again that pictures are important.

Funny backstage fact: If I appear stoned to you in these pictures, it is due to the only-one-coffee-yet phenomenon.

I won! I won! I won!

2008-08-16T16:08:00.009+02:00

I am a bit ecstatic right now! I am able to be drawn for a win... Never happened before.
I got this beautiful "Autumn Strokes" 100% Silk Crepe de Chine from Tessuti:

Colette was so kind to make a big giveaway and I proposed a nice wrap dress with a kimono style. Now since I get the fabric as a present I think I will give the pattern back to Colette as a present too and maybe she will publish it on the Tessuti blog. Kind of closing the circle. First sketch- it somehow looks more like a Caucasian thing mixed with a kimono now:

Congrats to all other winners! Christina I am eager to see what you do with your fabric!

UCO undefinied craft object...

2008-08-15T13:51:00.006+02:00

My first quick sew in Berlin - it comes from a need. But it is more fun and a better surprise to leave you wondering first!

Weird, no?

Is it a bunny/house mutation?

Why does this house has ears!!!!

Hm is a 3rd grade craft project? I can always say I got it from my niece...

New house = New keys!

P. S. a stupid professional joke - it looks like a Coop Himmelblau project on the Nicolaus House...

Berlin!

2008-08-14T16:29:00.003+02:00

Just a short notice - I am living in Berlin now! I've been here many times, but this time it is definitely different. It is weird but true - I am a bit freaked out and overexcited.
First to share - a view from my window (can anyone guess where I live?) :

The fabric I took along (most of my stuff is still in Kassel). Some of it you sure recognise:

And to be honest I just left the black BWOFy in Kassel. Will get it next time...

Bye Bye Kassel fabrics

2008-08-12T16:26:00.008+02:00

Hm leaving Kassel has some disadvantages... One is leaving Alfatex. I am so spoilt with this store. They have a permanent sales department too and I feel bad if I pay more than 1,99 eu/m for a fabric. Silks and cottons and knits and wools...
I guess I will always put my visits back so I can shop for some fabrics.
So here are the last Kassel bought samples (as always you can enlarge them to see all the glory):

A lost-chickens-in-a-conifer-forest fabric. A 100% cotton voile. Very soft and very yellow. Didn't know I like yellow, but somehow I am starting to appreciate it.
Look at the next one for a minute.

Feeling dizzy, ah? Did I said I start to appreciate yellow? This one is baptised psycho wave by me. It is a 100% cotton batiste.

Have a recent obsession with plaid. Love, love this one!

Next are some fabric I didn't remember I had and found in the wrong place after packing.

Got this one from a best friend when I was moving in this place - like 4 years ago. She thought it may fit to my furniture. I didn't even had sewing machine at this point, haven't sewn since my teens...

It is a stiff cotton. I kind of love it now. I have enough for a top I think (forget the furniture).
The next I bought 2 years ago and just didn't know what to do with it. Still don't. Maybe some family presents at the end...

The green is much stronger and more yellowisch. The red is more into orange than pink. It is 100% linen. The colours are extremely neon like. You won't be unseen even in a 1 km distance. Even if this has its advantages (heavy traffic and so) it kept on scaring me off...

UFOs in the skies of diamonds...

2008-08-11T17:54:00.007+02:00

Every sewer stumbled upon the phenomenon of a UFO ( guess unfinished object? undefined obstacle? undoubtedly obsolete?) once or twice in their sewing practice...
Since I am moving to Berlin but a lot of my stuff is following later I thought it will be a good strategy to take some UFOs with me. So without most of my fabrics and maybe sometimes needing a relaxing (although this is an illusion with an UFO project) undertaking I will be pushed to finished them...
So the first one is the black BWOFy...

I started seriously hating on the piping - It makes it difficult to adjust minor mistakes in the fit. I can live with that. What is genuinely making me crazy is the fact, that it is doing what it wants at the curved seams, getting wonkier in all the wrong directions! Example:

It does look like this on too! I have no idea how to fix it. Any suggestions?
And yes, I did cut it perpendicular as you normally do with curved seams...
I am just so desperate with this one, cause I really love the idea if the jacket, the fabric, the piping. I will love to have this jacket...

Second UFO is not such a tragic story. Just haven't got the time to finish it. Always another project with a priority. Fabric is a silk/ cotton voile...

... with pretty black graphical flowers. And some lines.
I cut the pieces in march or so...
It is kind of a tunic...
I put the pieces together with pins...

I think this UFO may be my first take.

The Silver Tunic

2008-08-07T21:13:00.008+02:00

First I must confess that I went back to the store and both some more of this fabric. At 1.99 euro per meter it is a bargain and I loved working with it. I already have an idea for the dress...
I finished the tunic and I am not quite sure... It is definitely comfy and a good choice when there is a lot of food involved. I mean it has the pregnant look anyway...
First the inside:

The sleeves slit:

I actually decided to leave the pleat open. But made some side views for you. Mostly it is okay from the side, but since the fabric is a bit stiff, it happens that sometimes the bulge at the belly area doesn't look quite flattering (doesn't happen with the silk version). The images - closed pleat front, closed pleat side, open pleat side in a weird moment of probably wrong movement.

Anyway I actually like the dress and most of the time it behaves OKish. The other thing that is maybe pattern related is that the curve at the front panel folds weirdly when you do certain movements. I guess it is a no-wrong-movements dress...

Pussy Bow First Attempt

2008-08-07T20:20:00.006+02:00

I made this blouse in the time I wasn't posting. So now I took some time to photograph it for you.
As a base I used the JJ pattern - I already have it fitted to my measurements and use it a basic shirt block. Very handy. I just left the sleeves out and added a long stripe for the pussy bow collar. I wanted to make it puffier but I ran out of fabric...
So next time bigger, better, fitter bow! I hope.
The fabric you may remember is one of my resent purchases. It is a bit transparent cotton batiste, so I made it double layered. I like the effect of the dots coming through a bit displaced - It has a three dimensional quality sometimes.
It is double faced - I sew the front and back together and turn it right side out through the neck opening.

Actually I would have liked it a bit longer too, but again there was not enough fabric - it just all went into the doublesideness of the thing.

A funny backstage fact: The pant I've sewn like 7 years ago (notice the rivets, something you do with with 20. Although I still kind of like them...). It was a time when I was larger and now they were mostly too wide to wear. I found them while packing for Berlin and I am wearing them around the house now. They are still wide but somehow not as wide I remember them. Guess I've put some weight on...

A second in a row

2008-07-31T15:34:00.006+02:00

I want to embrace the world...

Not really, it is more showing the dress without additional wrinkles... Are you finding the 1 difference between the two photographs, because my question is regarding exactly that!

I found the burda pattern, I used for the silk tunic too, still easy and nice. But I felt I didn't made quite the best out of it. So yesterday I bought 1,50 meters silverisch denim looking linen/ cotton blend for 3 eu! And around 00:30 I started cutting the pieces... The trickiest part is the curved seam at the front so I started with that and till 01:45 am I had the front piece done and the back with the invisible zipper too... I did much better job this time. I am not really afraid of invisible zippers anymore. Tschaka!!!

The only change done is taking a lot in in the waist area, I didn't really liked the silhouette otherwise.
Today I spent another one and a half hour doing the facings and the sleeves. Still left - the pockets and the hem burden (off course...). And hand stitching the inside facing.

The Questions: Two of them. At what height do you think I should leave the box pleat in the front - should I leave it as in the original open (second image) or close it a bit lower (first image)?
Second question is about the length - this or shorter?

Easy Breezy 30 minutes skirt

2008-07-31T14:55:00.003+02:00

A very quickly done easy skirt. It was a very spontaneous project and it was measured, cut and done very very quickly. Still have to hem it (my enthusiasm always expires with the hemming, somehow hems are a burden), but the fabric is a stretch cotton. So the edge is clean.
The pattern instructions require some stretchy fabric, if you decide to use a non stretch material you will have to add a zipper.

Please ignore the disagreeable look on my face. It is not that the skirt is squeezing or I am hating my camera. I put the camera on the window sill and the sun is shining in my eyes...

Back

2008-07-29T15:07:00.009+02:00

So I am back on the sewing front. Kind of... More back on the blogging front - I was quite busy this days and in one week I am moving to Berlin! Which is quite exiting, but quite stressful in the same time.
Remember my promise to sew first the fabrics I have and then buy new ones. I took the silk I didn't quite know what to do with and made a tunic dress.
The pattern:

I wanted to make the full length cause I liked it, but I cut one piece too short, so I had to make it shorter. To be honest too somehow longer it made me look quite pregnant - I had to take a bit at the waist to milder that. I think I did something wrong with the folds in the front.
The dress is completely self lined - my first lined dress! Wasn't that bad.
I also hate invisible zippers, they always end up quite visible with me... But this time it worked out quite well and wasn't that bad either. Ufff...
The only place where it ended up a bit ugly was the hand sewn front facing from the inside. I am considering redoing it but maybe I will be too lazy.
All in all is a great pattern and a comfy dress. I will make another one. It took me like half a day doing it with the lining, which is quick too.

p.s. I look a bit oily cause I just showered...

Drawing Alison

2008-07-16T18:48:00.006+02:00

A lot of you have noticed the Alison swimsuit Burdastyle published. Cidell is even making one.
Burdastyle made a small competition on making the technical drawing for the suit and since I always have a lot of fun in making graphics I participate. My drawing (image is lot larger):

On the sewing front I will post very soon.

Update: I put in a line for the neck closure or seam - it has to have a seam there, doesn't it? Thanks Natron for the cue!
And Cidell thanks again for making the suit - I could peek at your blog and get the construction better.
Hm Oona, same with me with the technical drawings, I always have to look at them first before I really like a garment.

A short notice

2008-07-12T11:54:00.003+02:00

Guys, I am stressed out in Berlin right now. Deadline is 15.07 and sleep is getting more and more a luxury item... So sorry for not posting for a while...
I actually have some new stuff sewn up but I have to photograph it these days.
Then I will post it.
I want to thank Oona for her fabulous something award - I love reading and commenting your blog! I will play along soon. She has her week of happy. I also agreed to do the Jonny sewalong with her in order to clone the 80s dot bride look around the world - don't know how I should manage this one. Time is a luxury too. We are on a world ruling mission anyway, but don't call us on the weekend. Preferably don't call us at all if it is concerning dealing with problems...
For fun please do.
So to give you something entertaining I am posting an image without explaining at all what it is and what it has to do with my work.

A Flower Muslin Thing

2008-07-01T15:08:00.005+02:00

My camera batteries are running low and I just forget to charge them the whole time. Silly me. So when I charge them I will make some better photos of the top. It was a medium quick sew - I will say it took like 3-4 hours with cutting, sewing and topstitching.
The pattern is still in works and is meant to become a dress. I won't tell you what fabric I have for the dress and what the skirt part will look like to keep the surprise. And in the same time I still have some project unfinished that I talked about like the bwofy ( it is 30 degree outside and I just can't finish the wool jacket... not that motivated there...). So this time I will talk after I finish.

To the problems - I feel that the sleeves should be maybe a bit shorter. I like the neckline but there is a real problem with it. It is gaping and I get this with every square neckline I make. I am not sure how to fix this problem. Any tips there?

P.S. Oona that is my Jonny fabric - silk chiffon with black flower dots. Not the same as yours but same concept. I want to make the lining green or blue so I don't look like a flower bride...

Rhomb Top ( not Rambo...)

2008-06-23T19:49:00.004+02:00

Ok. I will do a how to on this one. Just have to spare some time to do it.
This is basically the same pattern as the Pillow Dress, only square pieces viscose jersey. I thought I should make a quick top and continuing on killing my jersey stash, which is a good thing. Afterwards I can buy more... (Hear mad laughter here.)
On a viscose note I must say I like it a lot. And I somehow don't feel bad that is a synthetically made fibre since it is originally organic (cellulose). And it feels good...
I had this jersey for some time now (2-3 months) but wasn't sure what it can become. After the Pillow Dress I just had the idea with the top and made it in about one and a half hour. Quick sew.

Normally my face doesn't shine that much, but I forgot that I just creamed it... And I must say that the rhombus on the back are not intentionally put this way. It actually happened through the positioning of the rhombus in the front and my width. I saw it and I thought "OK don't put it in the front." but first when I saw the photographs I understood that it is kind of funny in the back too... Sometimes I am slow...

Pillow Dress

2008-06-22T16:05:00.014+02:00

Remember when I promised I will stop buying fabrics.
And remember that after that I got the urge to buy some blue viscose jersey and ended up ripping the store again...
This is what I had in mind back then:

It is again the easiest possible jersey dress made only from square pieces... Lazy me...
But the truth is it is done in 2 hours and comfy to wear. Summer is a good thing.
I got inspired by Spiderlily's skirt creation. Looking at hers I still like it more than mine. Mine looks somehow droopy and too much gather at the waist - maybe I will try to change it if I figure out what I did wrong. I mean if I cut it circular I wouldn't get the folded bubble edge, or?
I have a bit mixed feelings about this dress right now - It looks a bit younger and girlier than I am used to. In the same time it is the model I imagined.
Would you like to see a how to on this one?

P.S. On another note, maybe for all of you European readers, Germany is playing against Turkey on the Wednesday semifinal. This one is not ending well with no respect who wins... God stand us by!

The image is showing the street ( a normal street, not a pedestrian one...) after Germany got 3rd at the world tournament...
Another incredible EM fact - I never knew that the "Seven Nation Army" from the White Stripes is a popular soccer chant (they play it before most of the games now). I guess there is always something new to learn...

Swinging the dress

2008-06-19T13:49:00.007+02:00

I started using my stash. Or more the fabrics I was buying all the time...
The jersey dress itself:

The pattern tutorial:

Important is to consider in the measurement that the jersey is stretching. You should cut it in a way that you apply your measures to a stretched jersey, otherwise it will get too wide. The skirt is made of 4 pieces because of the fabric - I wanted to make the stripes slightly tilted. The pattern is of a basic circular skirt, it can be done with 2 pieces or even just 1 piece.

All in all very easy and comfy dress - I think I will make a black one if I find the right jersey for it!

80s dress considerations

2008-06-14T14:14:00.003+02:00

I am still thinking which will be the best pattern for the 80s dress (y0u can see the older variation under the link). I was thinking first dress with a square neckline ( I love square necklines...) but than I really want to show off the fabric - so something basic without too many darts that will be discontinuing the print. So this is my last consideration. What do you think?

Again the fabric so you know, what I mean.

And again some fabric sharing...

2008-06-07T18:04:00.009+02:00

First does anyone of you have the same problem with the blog as I do? Every time I try to open it in firefox it is telling me that the address is not right but still opens the site. Any idea how to kill this message?

So back to the post... I bought some fabric again, I know that just a few days ago I promised myself not to do it any more, but they had 20% off the whole week! And they have some very cheap remnants...
First a happy strike! Remember I wanted to do my 80s dress but was afraid the whole time I wouldn't have enough fabric - there way a miracle or something similar and I found a 2 meter remnant piece! Now I can play a bit more with the pattern. And it cost me 6 eu. It is a a silk cotton blend with a subtle sheen.
Photos are enlargeable once again.

Then two fabric at 1.99 (without the 20%!). They are 40% silk and 60% cotton and I think something like a voile. The first one is for my mum, cause I think it is totally something she will like.

Second is something I totally like. It will be reborn in a shirt dress, maybe with a 60s vibe.

In my mind a good old fashioned plaid is getting hip again. It needs only an unusual shirt pattern. It is 100% cotton and I got it for the same price as the above. I think even ruffles can work with this one.

And this is a 100% silk I got some weeks ago for 3 eu per meter. Not sure if I like it that much. It was just cheap and silk in the same time and I couldn't resist. It will make a good dress maybe. Any suggestions?

I must stop buying fabrics...

Update: Yes! It was the clock widget! I killed it so everything is OK!

A meme and a piping

2008-06-07T17:06:00.009+02:00

Christina tagged me with a meme and this time I decided just to be a good sport and play it. I have to answer 6 questions.

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Lets see ... I was 17 then so I must have been doing my final exams at school. And my sister was expecting my niece. That was exciting.

5 things on my to do list
Oh god! I don't have a to do list. They tend to scare the shit out of me...
But I think today it will be a pleasant evening - beer and friends.

Snacks I enjoy
OK. I think I love salami and little sausages - my favourite snack. Against common sense I enjoy fruit and vegetables in raw state a lot...

Things I will do if I were billionaire
Never think again...
Get someone to take care of my paperwork - I hate bureaucracy and hate taking care of it.

Places I have lived
Sofia, Bulgaria
Kassel, Germany
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Kassel, Germany
Berlin, Germany (soon)

Jobs I have had
Shortly working for an architecture magazine.
Drawing schemes for Italian taxes.
Serving and making sundaes in a family (not my family, but then kind of) Italian ice cream bar.
Intern in an architecture office.
Teaching assistant at the university.

6 people I want to know more about
I will just choose the people I think that will have most fun with it:

Oona - now you have a reason to post again.
Marmota - enjoy!
Maya - another reason to stay at home is to answer memes.
Ana Carina,
Lucia,
Vicki
I will love to know more about you all.

And since this is a sewing blog I will just show you BWOFy's piping:

I was lucky. I was thinking of black leather and had the idea (sometimes thinking pays off) to just look at the notion sections. And they had this perfect already finished black leather piping. It is quite what I wanted and it cost 0.80 cent per meter which is quite reasonable.
Here how it looks sewn in. It is a bit stiff so the seams are being held in form by it. Means no mistakes. But otherwise it is quite easy to work with.

I know you all were so nice to give me some funky ideas and I liked them a lot. But this was all about taming the beast in me and making something neutral but chic (not too quirky again)...

Glory! Glory! Alleluia!

2008-06-04T15:29:00.005+02:00

The first Geri pattern was made! I couldn't imagine it is THAT exiting! Helene did it. And the Schelling (you can see the other photos there) is just perfect!
She did the rounded collar that I intended to do at the beginning but let go. I like it actually a lot - she did it a lot smaller than mine and that really helped. She changed the shoulder area at the back too. Works perfect to me!

Further Confessions of a Fabric Junkie

2008-05-30T21:37:00.009+02:00

As you may have noticed on several occasions my name is Geri and I am a fabric addict. I just have to be in the same part of town as the fabric store and soon after I am finding myself with some yardage home and a blank period in my head...
Two days ago I promised myself I have to sew first all the stuff I have and today I woke up in a dear need of a blue viscose jersey...
So here are the weeks finds:
First - remember the colourful tetris flower fabric I made a T-shirt of? Found same in black and white. But it is not a knit - it is a stretch cotton this time! I think it could be a cute dress...

Still flower themed there is this cute knit which will be a top in a later reincarnation.

Another very soft viscose jersey meant for a T-shirt, but I think I have enough for a dress.

Pretty dotted cotton batiste - maybe similar blouse (maybe with a pussy bow instead of the ruffles) :

And here is the place to mention my personal manbitch (Matthieu). I was buying my blue viscose jersey when I just saw this fabric today. It was a real love - I loved the graphical flowers, loved the black yellow combination and the best thing about the fabric to me is the fact that the black is a lack print. I found that is really cool - like the cool in "coolness".
Then Matthieu came home after work and said to me (I didn't even asked him!) - "Oh what an awful fabric! Looks like a shower curtain!". Well I never!

I still love it though.

Sweatshops all over the world!

2008-05-28T18:23:00.009+02:00

So I came around to make the tutorial about how to make the Sweatshop T-shirt. You can download a basic tee pattern for free here, but beware that the arm cycle may be too large as Christina mentioned (I never used this one, just drafted a tee pattern from a shirt I had).
p.s. Click to enlarge.

Done long ago

2008-05-27T12:52:00.007+02:00

I never posted this wool skirt, but I did it like in February. I think today is the second time I wear it and outside is really a hot day. Speak about timing and logic...
Originally I wanted to use this pattern but I saw it is quite simple (basically a quarter circle, a cake piece, cropped with another circle in the middle). So I didn't even bother drafting or cutting a pattern but just cut the fabric. It got fuller as the original and I didn't really thought of bias cut. That was stupid but I actually like the result. Love the colours.

My camera battery was dying so I didn't manage to do better photos, but they somehow are funny. Make you feel the time pressure of the camera being away any time soon...

I put some in-seam pockets too, so I don't have to carry my hands all alone. The dress I am wearing over it is this one. Done it some time ago.

Hmm, seeing the photos make me think that wearing a voluptuous skirt under a dress makes you look a bit like a marshmallow.
I already decided on the bwofys piping but more in the next post!

Black BWOFy

2008-05-23T16:34:00.012+02:00

So this weekend I am starting a new project. It is getting kind of summery here but I still want to make a light wool jacket... Weird I know, but I think it can be very useful on chilly evenings so I am up to it!
The original version is this one.

It has been perfectly made and extremely helpfully explained by Tany. And there are some other great version1 and version2. Showing all these I must confess I am going to change the model - I tried to accept it, but this lampshade sleeve just didn't grow on me. And I am a bit dull in being afraid to get cold with shorter sleeves...
This is what I am making:

A bit boring indeed but the versatility is appealing to me. Or I need something more demure in my wardrobe for the moments I go for the unnoticeable yet chic casual way.
The fabric I am going to use is labelled a wool linen addressing the way it is woven. It's black:

It is soft and quite thin so I might not be too warm on the other side. Don't know what lining I will use. Lets live and see.

Update: Just got the idea to maybe funk it up with some piping. Don't know what colour or material though. Any suggestions?

Yet another update: 75% of the votes till now go for pink. Guys, sorry but I am not the pink kind of girl (yes, I know, I like it in graphics) but I actually own only one pinkish T-shirt and it is more fuchsia... And I wear a lot of black. So I am thinking maybe grey or even silver piping. Or even gold (I treasure gold for its kitschy potential). Maybe black lack piping but this can get cheesy...

An encounter

2008-05-21T11:36:00.012+02:00

I didn't sew this one, but it was so funny and cool - I had to share. It was a close encounter of the third kind! You can click the images larger.

Just warming up:

A bit of being inapproachable teasing:

Spinning around for the camera:

Staying professional even if a wind blow from behind is being some hindrance:

Posing with a perky look in the lens:

Some friendships for life were made:

Actually he was a good sport doing the job for around twenty minutes getting me a bit weary...

Cape Dracula Final 5.6 ...

2008-05-18T02:23:00.010+02:00

So I finally came around to finish this pattern. Pattern finishing is connected with some drawing and indication adding which makes it time consuming. And I have a bit of enough of my own pattern publishing for some time. It is a lot of fun but I am lazy.

Will relax by making some BWOF next or easy patterns that I don't draft in computer - I have a newborn appreciation for that!

You can download the pattern here. It is 38 BWOF size but it is quite easy to adapt since it has to fit only at the shoulders and you define the waist with the belt. You can just add your measurements there.

Some explanations to the pattern - all the additional pieces as lining, interfacing and facings are drawn in.

The lining:
(you can enlarge the images, the lines are drawn in the pdf)

The interfacing:
(forgot to put the back facing - it is interfaced too)

The facings:

The connections:

I have a thing for fancy diagrams...

P.S for Stephanie - the amount of fabric is around 1,5 meter.

Disco Dress

2008-05-17T13:15:00.009+02:00

I visited some fabric stores at home but actually I couldn't really find something to catch my eye. And the alfatex store I have in Kassel is actually cheaper. Off course I bought the satin wool for my mum and I both this cotton knit only to be told it is German... So I went all the way to Sofia to buy a German fabric.
The fabric is black with a multicolour boucle touch. Kind of 80s disco hype tamed down.

I sewn a dress using the model 123 from Burda 2/2008. I loved the great version Christina did - off course I cannot beat her owl fabric, which is just awesome. I did the blouse version for my sister but forgot to photograph it. It's pretty much the same but with larger collar and waist bands.

The bottom part is just two A line pieces without any darts the top width being my waist measurement.

All in all I will say it is very easy and comfy summer dress. Something that is quick to sew and quick to wear.

And to keep things fair here a photo with the dress and my other nephew and niece. Not easy to get the three of us looking at the camera... And actually I am just wearing the dress over my other cloths checking the fit...

Presents

2008-05-14T23:23:00.007+02:00

The first present I made was a skirt for my mother. The fabric is a fine wool that has a glossy satin side. It's dark gray. I made the pattern myself using a burda pattern as starting point.

I am not very good on zippers and on the zipper the stripes aren't matching. Guess I was happy to have it OKish in and afterwards it was too much to rip and align it.

On a different matter - Colette tagged me. As far as I get it I must take the next book and look at page 123 and write the fifth sentence. Sitting here with my computer the next book is one belonging to my nephew. It is in french (since he is a little Canadian from Montreal) called "Jouons avec Leon". I don't speak a word french. It has 8 pages split in two horizontally allowing some combination. I guess I will just take the last page:

"Leon...
... s'ennuie!"

Honestly I have no idea what that means.

The proud owner himself:

I invite EVERYBODY from my blogroll to feel tagged and carry this one on if they want to have the fun!

Kind of Back...

2008-05-14T00:54:00.008+02:00

I know I was swallowed by a black hole for some time, but now I am kind of being spit out. The black hole was my family and my holiday is almost over. I have a lot of working waiting for me back in Germany, so there will be a lot of blogging too...
In this post I am showing the final leg-of-mutton dress. As you can see in the photos my staying home involved a miraculous lot of eating... Was great!

I put some plastic boning in but I had no caps - it is poking a lot when I sit down. I may as well remove it if it gets to unnerving or add caps. I basted the sleeves at the upper end a bit - they were too sloppy.
As you see I made the square neckline. I wore the other unfinished version around the house for few hours and the truth was that the fabric is too thick and too stiff. I was getting choked by my dress. So I cut it. So I won.

So some photos from Sofia - made on a rainy day, one of my first here.

A museum and the old palace. Small one, but Bulgaria is very small country - not that small as area but as population - imagine last time they counted 8 million. I mean that is something like double Berlin... Sofia is around 1,8 million.

Looking from the palace in the back you see the Vitosha mountain - it is around 2000 meters and I was skiing there since I was 6 years old! Sofia is slowly climbing this mountain...

So more in the next post!

Berlin The Last

2008-04-23T11:39:00.008+02:00

So I am leaving Berlin for three weeks off to Sofia.
We made the final photos for the officially Transylvania approved (Laura, thanks!) Cape Dracula. Spring is starting here and we were

sitting in the sun at Engelsbecken. It is a large basin in Kreuzberg - a multicultural neighbourhood. So sun and so on, we wanted to take the pictures and Matthieu was trying to direct me so I am not standing as wooden as a tree around. At the same time the camera was running very low so the display was shutting down - he couldn't really see what he was photographing. It was throughout fun and the pictures are more dorky than informative...

The lining is a blue dotted knit. I wanted something soft and warmer against the skin. I didn't really put it very well in - I was already sick at this point and I couldn't concentrate so well but wanted to finish it. I actually like it more without the buttons - it looks chic, but I already did the buttonholes so couldn't go for snaps.

Then the last photos of Berlin. First the Schönhauser Allee and the metro.

A walk at the channel.

Waiting for a burger to happen to us at a night Kreuzberg.

And ending the post with some dorkiness again. The funny thing too is that the pub was called Bierhimmel (translated beer sky).

In the next post I will put the cape pattern!

Berlin The Second

2008-04-19T16:54:00.008+02:00

On my last day in Kassel I bought 2 fabrics. I am not quite sure what I will do with them, but the thing is they are somehow not typical for me. I was somewhat sick and feverish and I was stressed with all the packing. So I am quite eager to see what I will make of these, cause they are kind of a lunatic buy.
The first one is quite cute Swiss cotton. I like the colours and the print - reminds me of three eyed owls with five fingers...

The second one is something I never buy - a print corduroy. I just don't like printed corduroys. But I got seduced by the grey red combination and the print. I know I will never make pants out of this fabric - I hope I will never do... I still have mixed feelings - sometimes my personal repulsion against printed corduroy (I like it on others though) breaks the surface and in the next moment I am lulled by the print and colours again. It will be an interesting project...
You should enlarge the images to see the print.

So today Berlin images are of the Karl Marx Allee - a huge street with huge buildings (very cool and hip apartments nowadays) previously in east Berlin. In the back you can see the TV tower on Alexander Platz (square). Is indeed only 10 minutes walk from here. Or biking - everybody owns a bike in Berlin.

And I promised to put Matthieus book shelf in this post - he just built it himself! The images from above are taken from his place in Berlin.

First Post Berlin

2008-04-17T20:58:00.005+02:00

The first post from Berlin.
I will start with the instructions to the cape. I started with sewing the shoulder seams together and then pressed them open carefully. This whole cape included a meticulous pressing with all my weight on the iron. Something like sport.

Click to enlarge.

Next step will be the collar sewing but for this more next.
Today Berlin images are Hamburger Bahnhof - if you translate it directly it means Hamburg's train station and indeed it was one before - the trains for Hamburg were starting there. Now it is Berlin's contemporary art museum. Berlin doesn't have the so often called modern art museum (MoMas of all art) - really contemporary city museum is this one. It is quite huge and similar to the Centre Pompidou in Paris - they have too much art for the space and there are changing exhibitions non stop. It is one of the first things I do when I go to Berlin to check what they are showing and the best part is that Thursday's afternoon is free entry!

You can indeed see a train station just from the doors of the museum. Is the new central station.

Berlin, Berlin, wir fahren nach Berlin!

2008-04-14T21:03:00.006+02:00

Tomorrow I am off to Berlin! I will stay there for a week and then fly to Sofia for 3 weeks to visit my family. So I thought I will shoot the final images of the cape and the leg-of-a-mutton dress (I know I still haven't told you what decision I took on the neck line!) there. Could be fun, cause I guess a lot of you were never there - it is one of the coolest cities in Europe!
I will see which projects I can start there. Guess some stuff for my niece and nephews will definitely happen.
So in the mean time - a dress I made some time ago but was again a bit lazy to hem it - it was winter outside anyway. The pattern I used is the Celestina dress from burdastyle, but changed the sleeves and made it out of a two side jersey fabric - the silver belt is the back side. I omitted the zipper and the bow at the back. I think I made the neck line larger too. Maybe a bit too large.

Somehow I managed to wash it wrong this week - so it shrunk (shrinking jersey is weird indeed...). I guess you can call it a tunic now... But I must say that the waist was too high in the pattern already.

Sorry for the blurry photos - when I was using the flash the "tunic" turned transparent. Guess no red carpet with this one ;).
Yet another funny backstage fact: I was reading the comments on my coat Elisabet h on the burdastyle site and somebody commented - talking in third person of me (I guess she didn't realise it is not an official pattern) : "She looks like a videogame character!" . I had to laugh so hard. This has some background - when I was at school and had similar hairdo my classmates were telling me I look like one of this Japanese mangas... So to all my friends, who know how much time I spent with my laptop and my programs and programming - I am getting more and more digital and the borders are getting blurry...

And again and again this cape...

2008-04-13T19:18:00.005+02:00

The cape is almost done - I need to do the lining and some details but it is not that long.
First an image of the fusing - note that on a later stage I fused the whole back. I had to do it because it needed to be stiffer next to the sleeves. The silver stuff are organza stripes I used to reinforce the seams. I think you can do without, but I imagined the seams needed some stiffness too. I also used the organza to reinforce the puff sleeve - the large bat wings are pulling it a bit down.

Further on putting the pieces together in the next post.
Another change I did. Remember I cut the shoulders a bit narrow. It happened I couldn't live with it - I just wanted to fix things as far as I can so I added a piece at the shoulder. I actually like it as a detail. Happy ending...

So now to the collar. I took Paco's advice and I saw now a bit the one of Ana Carina's (is the same collar as the CE but without the pleats) - I made just a simple stand collar that can be folded down if I want it.

The cape without the belt and with the folded collar.

Funny backstage fact: As Matthieu saw this he said that it is too short and the sides are open and all at all it is not really practical. Hehe.

A Small Dracula Update

2008-04-11T18:31:00.005+02:00

I've sewn the most of it together by now. I will show some details on the sewing with the next post.
Off course there are some issues here and there.

First the front - I had to add darts to give it a more shaped look. The flat front was working only for the softer muslin fabric (so I learnt not to take a fabric with a too different stiffness for the muslin with no respect how ugly it is). I left the end of the darts open and created some pleats that way. I like them. What I did as a general mistake is that I took a bit too much away from the shoulder - so they look a bit too narrow. But I can live with this. What I don't like is the collar. It is definitely too wide and I am not sure if the rounding is good for the overall look. I will add a stand but I am not sure if a pointed collar wouldn't work better. What do you think?

Here you can see better that a narrower and a bit higher collar works better with the puff sleeve. The collar in the previous image is just hiding the detail.

The back: The darts still need some fitting - it still a bit wide. I didn't fuse the whole back as I did with the front. I think I am going to fuse the back to add some stiffness to it.

So all together there is no major drama till now. Only the narrow shoulders maybe.

The Cape Story 2

2008-04-08T13:51:00.007+02:00

So a small update on the cape.

The pattern after going through the shredder:

The shredder was me. As you see I took some width from the back. Then at the shoulder and off course the facings. The sleeve extensions ( my Dracula prosthesis - hm, I may call this cape Dracula) suffered most. I wanted it to drape more so it was made more circular. The small puff sleeve is not pictured - it was not changed at all! Matthieu doesn't like puff sleeves at all - I think he finds them too girly. Sometimes I try to picture myself how would I dress if I he would choose my cloths. No more leo print ballerinas and gold shoes, no more 80s reference and then all shades of brown... Oh, it scares me a bit! But on the other hand it could be fierce...

So the fashion fabric is cut. Remember it is navy wool with 10% alpaca and it is hairy. I love the hairs - they sparkle in the sun!

Ignore the seams in the photo - there aren't any. It is all pinned together. Next is some fusing time... I wish we had some Garment Fusing Service here too...

Award

2008-04-08T01:43:00.004+02:00

Paco awarded me with the excellent blog award- very exciting! Thank you so much, Paco, for all your support and advice since I started my blog. You've been the kindness itself!
I am supposed to give it to 10 other blogs, but I am quite new to blogging anyway and I can't decide so easily. I want to give it to all the blogs on my blogroll (check them out they are great blogs) and dedicate it to all the other sewing blogs I look at! You all keep me inspired and this is not a small thing and easy task, believe me.

Update: Thanks Ana Carina! I hope you will find your kitty!

The Cape Story

2008-04-06T15:30:00.009+02:00

So I thought I will take you along on the long way making my second self drafted pattern! It is actually an easy one. I must say in advance that I have drafted my sleeve, front bodice and back bodice slopers as basis anyway. But for this one you can take a jacket pattern as a start.

So this is what the first drafted pattern looks like. Front and back parts are similar to a jacket bodice only smaller in the width (they don't have to wrap the body all way around). There is the small puff sleeve and then the large sleeve of the cape connecting to the sides of the bodice. The collar is a rounded half-roll. May make a stand collar though? The rest are the facings.

So here is the pattern printed and laid on the fashion fabric so I can see if I have enough. I have plenty, thanks god (it wasn't really that a bargain fabric as I am always proud of - I think I paid 15 eu for it. Hmm still not bad!) ! I may make it a bit longer, or make a wide belt, or make an attachable hood. I think I like the belt idea most - I could make slits at the waist between bodice and sleeve so that one can pull the belt through.
You can see first changes on the pattern - the sleeve was not wide enough so I can move my arms...

Next step was to make a muslin out of a fabric I dearly hated. I got it in a package from ebay with the yellow dotted silk.
Funny backstage fact: I first though that the colours were awfully pale. I thought that for months! When I was cutting it I understood I was always looking at the wrong side of the fabric. It is like one of this IQ tests... So the colours on the right side are indeed OK, but it still looks like a tablecloth to me...
So currently I am checking the muslin. First thing - the pattern is too wide. The length at the shoulders is too much and I must work on the sleeve so it behaves the way I want it to!

You can enlarge the photos.
So I still have some work to do on this one. When the muslin works the way I want it I will mark the changes on the paper pattern and later I will redraft the pattern in my computer, so I can upload it again. It is quite a lot of fun uploading patterns - and I draft them for myself anyway...
I think this one is really easy to enlarge, since it has to fit mostly at the shoulder area.

I want to finish it till next weekend if I can.

I notice I didn't posted a photo of the grey-green jeans I made the tutorial of. Here is one. The are quite comfortable, but not as stretchy as the black one I made some time ago. The corduroy had 4% elastan. Same was written on the black fabric but they still behave differently. Mystery.
What I changed with this one, but maybe not so clear on the photograph is that they are longer and wider at the foot - like little foot trumpets. I like that. I can pull them over the shoes.

Buy for now!

The pattern!

2008-04-03T23:32:00.008+02:00

Coat Elisabeth Pattern

I drafted and uploaded the pattern at the end. Had to do a small battle with the print-at-home pdf. Till now I am winning but maybe it won't download or something and get its final revenge that way...
You must have a burdastyle account to download it, but the account is free anyway. They have a lot of other nice free patterns so that is great opportunity to join!
It is in my size - 36/38 in BWOF - I never graded something but here are some grading tutorials:

sleeves
bodice
lenghten
pants

Hm. There are no pants parts in this pattern, but I thought I may link it anyway. I think the principle is always the same.
A note to be made - the fit at the shoulder is so that you cannot wear a thick pullover underneath if you cut it in your measurements.
If you want to read all the posts on the coat - a sew along and instructions so to say - click the Coat Elisabeth tag on the right side.
In between I haven't done any sewing, cause I invested my sewing leisure time into the pattern preparation. But I managed to purchase some fabric and make a real bargain - even the selling lady was impressed. And that says something...
First a not-that-a-bargain-but-anyway-great fabric - it is a 100% wool linen. Never heard of this one before. It is called this way because of the weave art - the same as in linen. The fabric is very silky and smooth. It was on sale for 3.90 eu (19 eu before) and I will make high waisted wide legged pants out of it.

The real bargain was a luxurious men suit fabrics once in dark grey and once in anthracite for 1.99 the meter. It is 100% wool and drapes beautifully. I had to buy the whole pieces - they were remnants. I think I got like 3.20 of each. They will definitely become spring pants and maybe a jacket.

I love buying great fabrics on bargain.

I bought a ponge silk too (no idea what ponge silk is) but it looks like this and I will use it to underline the yellow dress.

Bye for now!

Leg of a Mutton Dress Start

2008-03-30T20:41:00.003+02:00

Since I got frustrated with my silk issues (thanks all for the tips!) I wasn't sewing for more then a week. This weekend I thought I can take on my instant-gratification-easy-quick project. It is not finished yet.
So first the infos:
pattern: drafted after this how to. Thanks JJ!
time to draft the pattern: I think like 40 min - that is even a bit overdone.
cutting the pieces: like 20 min.
time to sew the pieces together: overall like 2 hours - I did it like three 30 min sessions.
cost: 2 euro for the knit on ebay. Thread I already had - the colour is almost the same as the ballerina dress. I love this colour. I have some boning which I will be maybe putting in - like 1.20 euro. I will use it according to this article to prevent the dress from riding up.

The cut pieces:

The dress so far - no hems and no boning.

The big question. I am not sure about the neckline. It feels to me that it is maybe to much to have a high neckline on a long dress with extra long sleeves. So square or high neckline?