WIP: Lovebirds Dress

Here's another Colette Parfait.  I love this pattern so much.  I saw this Michael Miller Lovebirds fabric and I fell in love with it.  I bought 7 yards.  That is serious love and commitment.  This dress also represents a huge leap out of my comfort zone.  I never wear prints.

See how off the bodice and skirt are?  This happened on both versions I made and I think it is something in the pattern.  I'll have to hold add 1/4" to all the sides of the bodice pieces and to the back side pieces OR decrease the seam allowances to compensate here.  It was frustrating to deal with this.  I kept thinking I did something wrong.

Pockets or no pockets?  Definitely pockets!

Do these pattern variances ever happen to you?  This is the first pattern that hasn't perfectly lined up for me.  Leave me a comment and let me know how you handle this problem.  My solution was to move the zipper right against the cut edge and curve the zipper towards the seam allowance as I got to the skirt.

~elle

FO: Swiss Dot Colette Chantilly

I finished my Colette Chantilly dress.  I like the way this one turned out.  I took a few inches off the length of the last one I made and that was a big mistake.  I don't know why Colette Patterns are made so short.  I had to make a bunch of bodice drafts to get the fit right.  I don't think I have pictures of the stages I made, but I will try to come up with something to make a post of that because those bust adjustments are the whole reason I finally decided to make a blog.  Anyway, this is Version 2 (the one without the pockets).  It's made out of a very sheer Swiss Dot I picked up at Hancock Fabrics in Savannah last year.  I think the 2.5 yards I bought cost $15.  My quick math accounting brain says this dress cost me $30 to make including 1/2 the pattern cost and the white cotton batiste I used to fully line the dress.  Pictures!


This is pre-hemming with bonus crazy hair!  That is 9 feet of skirt.  I want you to know that.



I cut a huge chunk out of the bodice.  The gathers are what make the dress, but I just couldn't stand all the poofiness.  Extreme boob close-up!

That's it for now!  Hopefully I'll have a new WIP to show you on Wednesday.

~elle

WIP: Colette Chantilly

This is actually my second time making this pattern.  I cut out this white swiss dot fabric almost a YEAR ago and never started sewing it up.  How annoying?  I don't even remember what I was up to that made me put sewing aside.  I didn't make much of anything after I cut this pattern out.  Anyway...

This is the fabric.  These are actually skirt pieces--super sheer, right?

 I thought I would share some other quick sewing tricks I have.  You know to wind two bobbins before you start sewing, but if I'm using white or black, I keep the empty bobbin and a second spool of thread right there to be able to wind a new bobbin quickly.  Here's my old sewing machine too.  It's a Singer 401A that I inherited from my grandmother.  I call the machine Josie after my grandmother.

 The freezer paper is making an appearance again.  I trace all my tissue patterns on freezer paper instead of cutting the tissue.  I don't like using tracing wheels to mark my pattern pieces because the tracing wheel can puncture delicate fabrics such as the one I'm using for this Chantilly.  Instead, I cut one leg of the dart open on the pattern and mark it with my chalk pen that way.  You should be able to see my pink markings near my finger in this photo.

 I'm sure this isn't old news, but I'm sharing anyway.  It's easiest for me to pin my hems by folding the entire hem allowance--1/2" in this case--and steaming a crease into it.  I work section by section with my ruler and my iron this way.  Once I crease a section, I pull the pins back up and fold the frayed edge to the crease and repin.  This method works extremely well for me and I don't have to worry about measuring twice.  Shortcuts!  These photos actually show the Chantilly lining skirt.  Sometimes I hate having to make two identical dresses to get one finished object.  Annoying.  Ain't nobody got time for that!

I can't wait to post the finished dress!

~elle

FO: Colette Parfait

Long time, no post, huh?  I've been so busy the last several months.  There was a hockey game, a concert, a trip to South Florida, a few hikes, lots of cooking, and even a few finished dresses.  The first one I finished was the Colette Parfait I started back in November.  It took me long enough!  The thing that was holding me up was my buttonholer.  I have a really old sewing machine and it has a buttonholer attachment.  The way the fabric was going through the buttonhole process was causing the needles to catch the bobbin thread in the wrong position and bending my needles.  I ended up buying another buttonholer to finish the dress up.

I might have mentioned the modifications before, but here they are again.  I cut the 0 and left the length alone (CP are short I think, especially considering I'm 4'11").  I did a SBA and had to take 1.5" off the bodice pieces.  As a result, I had to redraft the facings to fit my new curves.  When I went to sew the bodice to the skirt, my pattern pieces were off about a half inch--the skirt was wider than the bodice.  I made this dress a second time (photos soon!) and had the same problem, so I don't think it was me.  To compensate, I am going to make a smaller seam allowance on the bodice pieces for my next version.  I could use a little extra room to take some pressure off the zipper anyway.  My buttons are all functional because I have giant shoulders and I wouldn't be able to get this on/off without them.  I'm beyond pleased with this dress and I will make this pattern again and again.  I'm trying to figure out how to add actual sleeves to make a wintery version. 

Here is some picspam:

Happy Monday and hopefully regular posting will resume.

~elle

elle Little Shop!

I decided to open an etsy shop!  This was a hard decision for me to make.  It's that marble that's been rolling around in my head for years.  I just decided now was the time--the exact moment I'm slammed at my regular work and don't have much free time for anything.

I am working on the prototypes, if you will, of what I will be selling in the shop.  So far I have two sizes of these zip-up ditty bags.  They really hold everything--makeup, camera, phone, a change of clothes (but not jeans, lol), wallet, etc.  I also have thoughts of making divided baskets, grocery bags, carry-all totes, clutches, and wallets.  

I need to turn all this fabric (and much more) into stuff!  Picspam to follow:

 

The pink one is the larger size.  I just stuffed it with 12 fat quarters to give you an idea of the amount of room.  It is also roomy enough for 100g of yarn, though zippers + yarn = danger zone.  I'll work on something for the yarns that won't threaten your wollmeise.

The smaller brown one only holds 50g of yarn comfortably, though this one seems much less threatening to the yarn.  The larger one might need to be made a bit taller so it can be more of a true knitting project bag.  What do you think?  If I made the handle bigger to fit around the wrist, it could be a more portable project bag.  One could just pull the project out and leave the zipper open slightly and walk and talk and knit.  Hmmm.  Thinking out loud.

What do you look for in a project bag/stuff sack/tote bag/wallet/wristlet?  Please let me know! 

My goal is to get 8 bags listed on etsy by my birthday--February 21. 

Have a great week!
~elle