Fashion Plate: Splash Bash

Hi People Still Reading My Blog (or linking through from Pinterest or Tumblr!)  I keep thinking about how it's been so long since I made a Fashion Plate or wrote a blog post and I need to get on it. The longer I went without writing something, the easier it became.  So I'm kinda bored at work today and it's Tuesday and I decided it was TIME!

Today's Fashion Plate is the "Splash Bash" swimsuit from ModCloth.  It's so stinking cute and of course features some lingerie lace at the bodice because this is one of Betsey Johnson's designs.  While Gertie's swimsuit pattern B6067 isn't a perfect match, it's pretty darn close.  Spandex World has a plethora of polka dotted fabrics perfect for swimwear.  I chose to feature this turquoise/white combo for this Fashion Plate.

I hope to be back with another Fashion Plate next Tuesday!

Fashion Plate: Flair for the Fantastic in Poppy

 

On the quest to make more separates Fashion Plates again, I looked through the skirts offerings at ModCloth.  It seems like they same patterns all the time in different fabrics.  No surprise, this skirt is one I featured a couple months ago.  This is ModCloth's Flair for the Fantastic in Poppy.  I still suggest using Simplicity 1369 for the silhouette and adding the waistband from Colette's Ginger skirt pattern.  The fabric used for this skirt is another one from Timeless Treasure:  Flora Poppy Stems.

Fashion Plate: Cinnamon Coffee Bralette Set

 

I'm digging all this ModCloth lingerie lately.  This is ModCloth's Cinnamon Bralette & Undies set.  I chose OhhhLulu's Ginger bralette (which you will have to add a touch of length to) and Lola brazilian undies.  I like this Anais lace on fabric.com.  The beige showed up in the photos the best, but there are other colors available.  I also like this crimson lace from fabric.com and this red lace from spandex world.

Happy Tuesday!

Fashion Plate: Perky in Polka Dots

 

I've had lingerie on the brain lately.  Making underwear is a thing on my bucket list.  It needs to happen.  I'm sure once I get the first pair under my belt (lol), it won't be a THING anymore.  I love and secretly covet all of ohhhlulu's patterns, which is why I chose the Grace hipster pattern for this week's fashion plate.  It's all about details, so you can tape the side pieces together and redraw the side seams.  You'll need one of the extra seam allowances from the side piece to give you enough fabric for the tucks. I went with this jewel jersey knit in red from fabric.com.  The lace detail on the leg bands is an afterthought detail.  You can see that it was sewn directly on top of the fabric before the crotch gusset was added.  Lingerie is amazing because you need basically no fabric.  You could probably make 2 pairs of underwear with 1/2 yard of fabric depending on your size.  An hour or so and a tiny bit of fabric and you can have your own version of ModCloth's Perky in Polka Dots undies!

Fashion Plate: Beauty and the Botanist

 

This week's Fashion Plate is ModCloth's Beauty and the Botanist skirt.  I chose Simplicity 1369 for the pattern.  The ModCloth skirt is basically a half circle skirt with a waistband and a zipper though and totally doable without a pattern.  It was hard for me to find 80s bed sheet fabric!  I went with this organic cotton by Cloud 9.

Fashion Plate: Twinkling at Twilight

 

I'm on my way to Vegas tomorrow!  I put this fashion plate together based on what I think I would wear on a fancy date (or something) in Las Vegas.  I love ModCloth's Twinkling at Twilight dress.  Mostly, I love the back cutout.  I think low backs look funny on me right now given all my weird tan lines from running, but that doesn't mean I can't dream!  The bodice shaping is weird on the ModCloth dress.  It doesn't use darts or princess seams at all.  Instead, the middle of the bodice has slight ruching for shaping.  I chose the Belledone pattern for this fashion plate.  I know it isn't a perfect match, but I'm playing off my favorite feature.  I found this gold brocade on Mood and I would totally make this dress in this fabric if money were no object.  Besides, "It's Vegas, Baby!" 

I'm looking forward to visiting Heddy's fabric while I have the rental car on Saturday.  I'm specifically going to look for swimwear and lingerie fabric.  I figure Heddy's outfits Vegas, so she'll have whatever I need in the stretchy fabrics department.  I don't think I mentioned my actual itinerary on the blog before?  I'm camping at the Grand Canyon on Thursday & Friday nights, hence the need for a rental car.  I'll be staying in Vegas Saturday through Tuesday-ish.  I'm still trying to determine what to fill my Vegas days with cost-benefit wise.  Everything seems so expensive.  :-/

Happy Tuesday and enjoy your week!

Fashion Plate: Flair for the Fantastic in Cameras

 

How perfect is this skirt for summer sight-seeing?  This is ModCloth's Flair for the Fantastic Skirt in Cameras.  The fabric is Michael Miller's Urbanista Cameras and I chose Simplicity 1369 for the gathered skirt.  The pattern has pockets!  Colette patterns Ginger has the perfect waistband for the ModCloth skirt, but the silhouette is wrong for the rest of the skirt.

Fashion Plate: Heart and Solar System

Here's another notched-sweetheart neckline dress for you.  Modcloth's Heart and Solar System dress is the inspiration this week.  I found this solar system fabric by Timeless Treasures that I think is a great match for the pattern.  New Look 6020, blah, add pockets, blah, you know. 

I just traced off the pattern for New Look 6020 and I will do my absolute best to photograph and document the changes for everyone.  I will definitely be adding pockets at the very least.  I will possibly fully line the dress and move the zipper to the back.  This is going to be a July project for sure.

Fashion Plate: Tentacle-y Speaking

I'm going to double-up this week because I'm using the same silhouette for these dresses.  This one is ModCloth's SOLD OUT! Tentacle-y Speaking dress.  Fabric.com has the Sea Octopus fabric used for this look in stock.  I am using New Look 6020 again (my favorite pattern never made) for the dress.  I will make this pattern SOON.  Very soon.  I've been trying to figure out what to make with a houndstooth fabric I have and I think this dress pattern is exactly what I need.

Fashion Plate: Never Had a Swan Like You

 

You can tell this silhouette is big this year.  ModCloth has many iterations of this dress, most of which I have or will post on the blog soon.  This week is the Never Had a Swan Like You dress.  I'm using New Look 6020.  Don't forget to add side seam pockets, which you will need to borrow from another pattern.  I'm always reaching for my pockets in my dresses.  I say the dresses without pockets have a design flaw.  I'm adding pockets to whatever I can.  Back on topic, the fabric for this dress is Michael Miller's Midnite Gems Swan Dive in Teal.  The fabric is also available with navy or magenta waves.

Fashion Plate: I Think I Can

 

This week's Fashion Plate is based on ModCloth's I Think I Can dress.  I love the cut of this dress!  I think it is very classy.  The pattern I chose is Vogue 1192.  Admittedly, this pattern is made for wovens, not knits.  The lines are exactly the same, down to the darts.  In order to make this dress as based on the inspiration, you can omit the zipper and add simple cap sleeves.  You may also need to go down a size on the pattern..  Knits are fit-as-you-go, so start by sewing critical seams--  the shoulders and sides to start--and adjusting the fit as needed.  I chose this navy double knit fabric for the dress.

Fashion Plate: Citrus Garden Top

 

This week's Fashion Plate is based on ModCloth's Citrus Garden Top.  I selected this item for two reasons:  first, I feature so many dresses and I want to make my Fashion Plates match  fashion realities.  People wear separates.  And second, I want to feature indie patterns where I can.  The pattern I selected for this top is Archer by Grainline Studios.  There are many past sewalongs where you can get help if you have problems with the pattern if you need it.  Pattern support is one of the great things about indie patterns.  The designer is right there for you.  The ModCloth fabric looks like 1/4" gingham to me.  I couldn't find a multi-colored fabric that was right, so I selected this tartan tangerine by Joel Dewberry instead.  It comes in poppy and aquamarine too. 

Fashion Plate: Streak of Success

ModCloth has several versions of the Streak of Success skirt from what I can tell on the website, each called something different.  This skirt looks like a great wardrobe-builder to me, with or without the ribbon detail.  I chose Simplicity 1369, View D for this look.  It has pockets!  The button detail on the back of the inspiration skirt is a vintage detail not often found on modern patterns.  In order to add that button closure, simply extend the waistband pattern pieces about 1.5".  This will give you enough for a regular seam allowance and a 5/8" button.  I ♥♥ FREAKING LOVE ♥♥ rayon/spandex blends, so I chose this navy rayon/lycra jersey for this look.  You could make the ribbon any color.  I tried to keep to the original and found this 3/8" yellow satin ribbon.  I think this skirt would look absolutely stunning with a red ribbon too.  

This skirt will cost you approximately $21 if you use my fabric and pattern suggestions.  The skirt takes about 2.5 yards of fabric ($12.50), maybe 3 yards of ribbon ($1 because I'm figuring you'll buy a spool at the store), and $8 for the pattern (which you'll probably get for $1 during a JoAnn's pattern sale).  

You can make a whole bunch of these skirts for very little money.  This is why I love sewing.  I can make this same look for 1/3 the price and my skirt will be sewn with more detail and made to last.  Can you tell I just started reading Overdressed:  The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion?

Fashion Plate: Soiree Stunner Dress

I'm a huge Colette patterns fan if you haven't noticed and when I saw ModCloth's Soiree Stunner Dress, I knew I had to feature it as one of my Fashion Plates.  The pattern I chose is Colette's Macaron dress.  With a few simple changes (unlined bodice, delete sleeves, add bias tape arm and neck holes, add 1.5" strip of lace on the bottom), you can make a gorgeous dress that will be even better than the inspiration one.  A lot of people said in the reviews that the fabric ModCloth used for this dress was rough and slubby.  To "fix" that small problem with the inspiration, I chose to feature a blue pima cotton sateen.  Cotton sateen is a great fabric to work with.  It sews, presses, and wears incredibly well.  With the more fiddly details like sewing on bias tape (which is probably my least favorite sewing activity right now), you don't want to have to deal with difficult fabric at the same time.  I liked this plain black polyester lace for the bodice detail because it has no stretch and will submit to your every will.  Muah-ha-ha!  If machine washability is a factor for you, you may choose to use this gentle cycle lace fabric or this currently out of stock (sorry!) machine wash and dry-friendly lace fabric.  Fabric.com restocks regularly, so check back if that's what you want.


Macaron is one of the Colette patterns that didn't "speak" to me before I saw this inspiration dress.  It's funny how that happens, isn't it?

Fashion Plate: Lavish Luncheon Dress

 

I'm so excited to share my latest Fashion Plate.  It's been a while! 

This week's inspiration is ModCloth's Lavish Luncheon Dress.  I love the colorblock.  I love the pleats. I love the polka dots.  I hope you do too.  My fabric selections for this look are Moda Bella broadcloth in 30's Betty Pink and Hello Tokyo Lattice in Ebony.  Making these fashion plates is going to be really bad for my cold sheep/cotton challenge.  I CAN make it until October.  I CAN make it until October.  Yes.  I can.  I hope.  I selected Butterick 5317 as the pattern for this look.  I don't love the neckline on this pattern.  I think I've mentioned how I feel about low fronts and low backs in the same pattern.  That creates problems for me keeping the shoulders of the bodice actually on my shoulders.  If I were to make this dress, I would probably borrow the top portion of the square bodice from New Look 6020.  I can handle that one.

For the colorblock portion, it looks like the bottom section is about 6" tall, followed by a 2" patterned break, followed by a 4" solid section.  I think the best way to recreate the look of the skirt portion is to make a new length of fabric if you will and then cut the skirt pieces out of that.  So determine how much you need for your hem, add 6" plus 1/2" for a seam allowance.  I normally use a 3/4" hem, so I would need my bottom section to be at least 7.25" long. (As long as the bottom is at least that long, you will be fine.  You should have extra for waste when you are lining up and cutting out your pattern piece.)  Then you need the black patterned section, which is 2" + .5" + .5" = 3" Then you need another solid piece that is 5" (4 + .5 + .5) and another solid section enough to get you to the top of the skirt pattern piece--it looks like at least 16" to me.  You will want to cut and sew selvedge to selvedge and be as neat and accurate with your cutting and sewing as possible.  The good thing about this dress is the colorblock part is the hard part.  Otherwise, this is a very simple pattern without any crazy details.  The pleats and the colorblock truly make this look.

I hope that was helpful and you enjoyed seeing this Fashion Plate!

Fashion Plate: Vivacious and Vibrant

 

Something totally new!  This is ModCloth's Vivacious and Vibrant dress.   I chose a beautiful turquoise rayon challis for the fabric.  I'm not terribly in love with the fixed white waistband of this ModCloth dress.  I think adding a simple ribbon belt would be much better. That way you can change the look as you want.  Brown belt and cowboy boots?  Perfect.  Red belt and patent pumps?  Done.  White waistband all the time?  Not so great.  I found New Look 6567 for this Fashion Plate.  What do you think?

Fashion Plate: As Days Go Binary

This cutout neckline dress must be the style of the spring.  ModCloth has loads of dresses in this same silhouette.  It makes it easy for me to make new Fashion Plates!  This is ModCloth's As Days Go Binary dress.  The fabric is Kaufman's Plug and Play Circuit Board in navy, though the same fabric is available in green if that's more your style.  I'm using New Look 6020 again.  Why change a good thing?  The ModCloth dress has pockets.  I find that side seam pockets are very easy to add to a pattern.  Perhaps I'll write up a tutorial for that in the near future.  It is super simple.

I'll be on the lookout for a totally different silhouette for next week.  :)

Fashion Plate: Shimmer Is Served dress

 

I love ModCloth's Shimmer is Served dress.  It's a drop-waist style (not hugely flattering on many figures), but the princess seams and flowy skirt translate well.  The drop-waist was hugely popular this time last century.  Maybe it's coming back in fashion?  I kinda hope not.  That said, I picked New Look 6020 for the pattern and this silver linen blend for the fabric.  The ModCloth version adds a 2-3" wide waistband and a center button placket at the natural waistline.  I think this dress would look even more fabulous in this tango red stretch cotton sateen from JoAnn's.  I made a skirt with that fabric last January.  That stretch sateen is one of my favorite fabrics.  It's so nice to sew with and it gives really great finished projects. 

Fashion Plate: Play by Numbers

 

This week's Fashion Plate is based on ModCloth's Play by Numbers dress.  If you are into Sudoku, this is the dress for you! The fabric is available at many etsy shops and at Hawthorne Threads.  I chose to use New Look 6020 for the pattern again.

Quickest Fashion Plate post ever!

Enjoy your Tuesday.

~elle

Fashion Plate: Aisle Be There

 

This is the perfect Valentine's Day dress.  You better get on it ladies!  The inspiration is ModCloth's Aisle Be There dress in rose.  I think I featured Gertie's pattern once before:  Butterick 5882.  I scooped up a copy of the pattern a few months ago when JoAnn's was having one of those pattern sales.  Such an amazing dress deserves to showcase an equally amazing fabric.  For this dress, I thought a cotton silk poplin would provide the appropriate sheen and drape.  You could also use something like a charmeuse, though I'm not so in love with the kind of drape that would provide.  I think you need a bit more structure and the charmeuse would be tough to sew.  

I love this dress.  I need to find some fancy dress parties to attend so I have reason to make dresses as fabulous as this one.