Bombs Away!

Last winter I compiled what I thought would be an achieveable wish-list - there were a total of three projects, only one of which was actually completed. Due to school commitments, I knew I wouldn't have much time to complete more than one project this winter, so decided to make the Vogue jacket from the 2012 wish-list.

Vogue 7146

I've loved this 1950s bomber jacket for years but have never had the courage to start it. So many bound buttonholes to line up, not to mention the welted pockets and slashed sleeve openings - it was a little advanced for me at the time. These days, bound buttonholes are pretty much the norm and I've perfected the slashed sleeve so it was time to crack on.

 

 

 

This is actually one of my first serious projects using 100% wool fabric. More often than not, I sew with cheap, blended fabrics for the simple reason that I rarely bother to make a muslin. I figure, if it ends up a disaster my financial loss is minimal. But what a difference good quality fabric makes! The wool was so smooth to sew - my machine barely made a sound - and it held the ironed in creases beautifully. If only I could afford to sew with good fabric all the time. Sigh.
 

 

 

As you can see, I've rocked the slashed sleeve opening - turns out all I needed was a really sharp pair of scissors. Previously, I'd been too afraid to cut the slash right down to the stitching line and could never get the ends to sit right. Now that I'm cutting it right down to the wire - seriously, there only needs to be a couple of threads of fabric left - the facing folds in neatly and are then topstitched into place.

The welted pockets and bound buttonholes use basically the same technique, but with a Y shaped cut at each end of the slashes. The Y shape folds in to create a nice, neat edge for the buttonholes.

Sadly, the bottonholes aren't as pretty on the inside, but at least you get to see a small splash of the teal green fabric I choose for the lining. Oooh, pretty.

I can't tell you how much I love this jacket! It had quite a few outings this winter and with plans for a few more pants/skirt options, it's likely to be popular next winter too.

- Tamara

Girl in Da Hood

After all the fiddly sewing on my wedding dress, my next project needed to be something a little less taxing. I've been in need of some new additions to my winter wardrobe and I thought this pattern would be just the thing to ease me back into sewing.

Vogue 8423

Vogue 8423 is ridiculously simple; it has two pieces in total - front & back - and can be made using one metre of 150cm wide fabric. Happy coincidence, I'd just picked up exactly that amount of random, $3 p/m fabric at Spotlight. 

 

Long-time readers will know I don't tend to bother with a muslin, I'm more of a 'crack-on' type of gal. I'm pretty confident with my measurements and I know from experience that I always need to remove 1" from the bodice length - no need to waste precious sewing time on mock ups!

 

Thanks to my trusty overlocker, this project was done in roughly three hours. In fact, I was so pleased with the result, I wore it the very next day.

 

I did try to add extra to the sleeve length for warmth, but when you've only a metre of fabric to work with, you just have to make do.

 

 

 

 

Despite my fabric being fuzzy on the inside, I couldn't help but line the hood with jersey - much more hair-friendly if you wear the hood for any length of time.

 

 

 

 

 Although, it's not likely I'll be zipping up the hood when out & about...

 

 

 

I have wings!!

 

Perfect, should I ever plan on going into stealth-mode!

 

Sadly, my hood disaster isn't an easy fix. It's cut in one with the bodice and I'd have to pull the zipper out, among other things. The only thing I can think is that I needed to take an inch out of the length of the neck/hood.

 

 

 

 No matter, I still love it!

 

 - Tamara



Coat of so Much Comfort

And, here is my lovely new coat dress! I must say, lining up all those button holes nearly killed me but it was well worth the effort. I didn't end up using the vintage buttons I found at Buttonfest - they were too large - but I managed to find some suitable ones in Lincraft.

 

 

Those of you with a sharp eye will notice there appears to be a button missing, I forgot to do it up! Unfortunately I didn't notice 'till we were done and there was no way I was going to take the photos again, so just pretend they're all there.

 

The welted pockets are not all that functional. They're placed a little high to put your hands in for any length of time but they will come in handy for carrying little things.

 

 

 

The tab collar is just one of the many things I love about this dress. To begin with it was a little too bulky for the button to fasten properly - it needed to hold down six layers of fabric! I ended up using a large press stud to keep the neck closed, sewed the button on the outside and the tabs now sit perfectly. Too easy!!

 

Oooh, just look how the back skirt swishes!

 

 

 

 My 50s coat dress is so comfortable; it's likely to become the 'go to' outfit for outings on cooler days. And, being spring in Melbourne, I may just end up getting to wear it a few more times before the warm weather sets in. Fingers crossed!

 

- Tamara

Making it Work

Several weeks ago now, I was browsing Ebay late one night when I came across a pattern for a button front coat dress. While I have my Bernie Dexter flasher coat  pattern, this one required much less fabric - roughly three metres, which I had in my stash.

 

 Sold!

Simplicity 4427

It took just over a week to ship from the US and believe it or not, I cut it out the very same day! I can't explain why, the pattern itself is not that spectacular and now the weather is getting warmer, the opportunities to wear a fully lined coat dress are diminishing.

 

My chosen fabric was a medium weight, wool-blend I scored for a song at Spotlight several years ago. It was originally intended for more of my 40s caplets, but I got tired of making them after sewing three and put the leftover fabric back in the stash.

As you can see, there was a lot left over.

 

This fabric has been great to work with, although it does fray quite a bit which means a whole lot of overlocking. I've read it's not necessary to finish inside seams if you're going to line a garment but the lining for this dress isn't attached at the bottom and I had visions of bits falling off everywhere I went.



The back pleat in the skirt was a little tricky but the only real issue I had making this dress was working out how to put the lining in. You see, there's a nifty design feature in back which helps the skirt sit out, a support strap of sorts, unfortunately it's joined in the centre back. How to get the lining to sit underneath it....?

Time to get out the unpicker! 

After a bit of puzzling, I decided to leave a slit on either side of the lining and pass the main dress pieces through.

 

I then refastened the main pieces and hand stitched the lining in place.

Problem solved!

 

 

Long-time readers will know just how much I hate button holes - there are ten down the front of this dress and they were supposed to be bound! No freakin' way was that going to happen, regular button holes would have to do. I was so particular about the spacing that I managed to bugger it up and had to resew all the button holes below the waistline. Thankfully, my fabric is very forgiving and they're barely noticeable, unless you're looking for them.

Marcel was tired of button holes too.

 

Stay tuned tomorrow for the finished project, but until then here's a sneak peak...

 

- Tamara

Shape-Shifter

As I mentioned on Monday, I've completed a few sewing projects in the last couple of weeks and today I want to talk about the multi-era skirt. It was something which was supposed to be quick and simple but turned into a bit of a saga.

A couple of weeks ago, while fossicking in Spotlight for some black tracksuit material, I came across a lost and lonely piece of black stretch drill. It was roughly 90cm (150w) and being a random piece of fabric, they sold it to me as a remnant - only $4.50! Little black skirt here we come...

Simplicity 3188

Somewhat foolishly, I chose the skirt from this 1930s suit pattern I have in my collection. I think it was because I've some fabric in my stash to make the jacket and a black skirt would complete the outfit. 

So keen was I to get  started, I didn't notice my stretch drill wasn't on the suggested fabrics list. You can see where this is going, can't you? The suggested fabrics are wool crepe, velvet, etc, basically all floppy materials; the stretch drill has the drape of a piece of cardboard. Needless to say my skirt looked ridiculous! It stuck out like a giant A-frame and was nowhere near the nice, general purpose skirt I had pictured. It was time for a re-think...

New York 923

Once unpicked, I would still have enough fabric to re-cut my 30s disaster into the something more suited to the fabric. By all appearances, this late 40s Louise Scott Creation would do the job nicely. The only major change I would need to make is the addition of a back seam - the 30s skirt has two panels in back and this one should be cut on the fold. No problem, easy peasy!

That said, there was something else I was going to have to work around...

 

Take a look at the shape of the skirt pieces; there is no way those sloped side seams will create a tapered skirt when sewn together! No way in the world. If you think about it, it will create the opposite effect - yet another stiff A-frame! Having encountered this problem before, I pulled out my trusty Route 66 pencil skirt and basically traced the shape of the tapering onto the inside of my skirt using chalk. Once again, not very accurate but boy does it ever work.

 

You can see from the photo that I didn't quite taper it the as much as the Route 66 skirt, I needed to allow room for the lining. In the end, I think cut a good three inches off the side seam at the hem. That would be those stupid pointy end pieces of the original pattern.

So, several patterns and a dash of freestyle sewing later, I've managed to turn this incredibly trying project into the multi-purpose skirt I set out to make. Phew!

 

BTW - How cute is my t-shirt? I picked it up at Target a couple of weeks ago for $10 and remodelled it to suit. Originally, it had a deep scoop neckline, way too low for me, and the adorable little bow was attached to a useless pocket. I carefully unpicked the pocket and removed the bow for later use. The shoulder seams were then unpicked and roughly half an inch was taken out of the front to create a higher neckline. Woohoo! Another dodgy experiment pays off!

The addition of this skirt to my wardrobe also means I finally have something to wear with my Freddies of Pinewood top. Yay!!

- Tamara

Fighting the Fit

After sewing with slippery double georgette to make my Purple Reign blouse, I really wanted to take a break and sew something easy. The plan was to get a bit of instant gratification by whipping up a top in an afternoon. It's funny how things don't always go to plan...

Advance 6836

I chose the top from this 1950s blouse and skirt set but went for the short sleeve version with the turtle-neck collar. The pattern is my size - on top anyway - so I just went on my merry way and cut it out. I've had fitting issues with Advance patterns before, I really should have known better, but it's never, ever been this bad.

The pattern calls for a full length zip in the back which makes one assume the top should be fitted, but it's far from it. At first, I thought perhaps a larger size pattern had been put in the envelope, but the bust darts sit in the right place so can't be it. I think it's just poorly designed; there's no way this pattern will fit a 32" bust without some alterations.

It needed half an inch taken out of every seam - except the back there is no front seam to adjust - and nearly 3" under the arms! So much for 'Sew-Easy'.

I've now sewn the alterations and the fit is much better but the armholes are still too big. I know it's supposed to have 'drop' shoulders but the sleeve detail was getting lost under my arms. That detail was the main reason I liked this top in the first place! Argh!! Time for more alterations, and this time I'm usin' the scissors.



I was so fed up with this project, I didn't care if I ruined it by cutting too much out of the arms, it's not like I could make it any worse. As you can see from the pic, my cutting frenzy was successful and it now looks much more like the envelope illustration. I'm also much happier with the fit.

The only thing left to do is the sleeves. I've cross-referenced the original pattern piece with my altered version and it looks like they're going to be a challenge. The shape has changed quite a bit and I'm not sure I'm prepared to draft my own. It was supposed to be a quick, fun project and has ended up taking far more time than I wanted to spend. I think it's time to put this one aside for now.

In closing, I'm wondering if any of my readers who sew have the same problem. Modern or vintage, is there a particular brand of pattern you have trouble getting to fit? Please feel free to share your frustrations.

- Tamara

SNAP!!

I'm so excited! 

Take a look at my latest pattern purchase...

Simplicity 3761

Does it look familiar at all?

Henrietta Dress Coat by Bernie Dexter.

I've been wanting a coat dress for years, but Bernie Dexter's version is well out of my budget so I'm going to make my own. Sadly, Mdblm has already dubed it 'The Flasher Coat' - guess I should be pleased he's taking an interest.

-Tamara

Simply Stylish

Now that the cooler weather has finally arrived, I've been feeling much more inspired to work on my winter wardrobe. First up, a 1950s skirt...

Butterick 6188

"Sleek-as-a-pin tailored skirt with side button-closing and an interesting side-pleated detail. You'll find this the perfect foil for your smartest tailored and soft blouses. The back hangs smoothly without pleats."

I had some beautiful wine coloured crepe in my stash which had been ear-marked for a skirt of some sort; it would be perfect for this project.

What do you think?

This skirt was fairly simple to put together - all straight lines! - but it took me a bit to work up to the pleats and buttons. The previous owner of the pattern had used a tracing wheel to transfer the markings and had pretty much shredded the entire left front pattern piece. It was in a bad way and I was concerned about making it worse. Fortunately, once I worked up the courage to use the pattern - yes, I use my actual vintage patterns, I'm too lazy to make a copy - it was smooth sailing.

I did consider using some flashy buttons for the hip closure but the covered buttons will give me more freedom to pair it with different coloured tops. Plus, I prefer that the side-pleat detail have all the glory. It's so simple, but so very stylish!

On another note, you may not have noticed but I've gone a different hair colour. I've been varying shades of red for at least 15 years and I had gotten tired of the latest one fading. It was time for a change, so I found a brown which I liked - golden mahogany brown - and went for it.

I had a quiet heart attack when I took off the towel, it looked drastically different and really dark, but I'm really pleased with how it's washing in. It's actually quite close to my natural colour, just a little warmer. I think I might keep it for a while.

- Tamara

Out of the Ordinary

A couple of weeks ago, while looking for some inspiration for my next sewing project, I came upon a fantastic idea posted by Lladybird on the We Sew Retro site. She had made a lovely 1950s top using fabric from a full length silk skirt she had found in a thrift store. I'm always looking for interesting fabric so I set out for the op. shop with this in mind. It was slim pickin' I'm afraid, but as I was about to leave I spied this fairly ordinary looking top (dress?).

It's made of a lovely, soft spun rayon and only cost me $1.50! There's a seam below the bust and I figured once I unpicked it there'd be enough fabric in the bottom half to make a top of some sort.  I didn't really have anything specific in mind and this 1950s 'one yard' blouse from my pattern collection looked promising.

Simplicity 3169

I originally chose Style 1 with the faux button front and peter pan collar but found I didn't quite have enough fabric so a little improvisation was in order. I have several pieces of rayon in my stash - it's lovely to sew and difficult to find so I stock up when I can - and found a black & white piece which would be perfect for the shoulder yokes. I had hoped to use the plain black for the collar but found it got a little lost against the rest of the top.

The top has two zipper openings - one at the back neck and one in th side seam - and is fitted at the waist with darts. As promised, it was simple to make and only took me a day or two to complete. I'm really pleased with the result but I now needed to make something to wear with it.

I think it was Shannon of Hungry Zombie Couture who said: Never make an orphan, make an outfit! It's something that is always in the back of my mind when I sew but who has the time? At the moment, me. My first thought was a black skirt but I felt the outfit would end up being too dark, so I went with more of the black & white rayon and whipped up a 1940s skirt to match the accents in the top.

Du Barry 5510

This six gore skirt was really simple too and the majority of it was finished in one evening. I also added belt loops and remembered to attach them as I was sewing on the waistband so they look really neat and tidy. Smart move.

Now, on to the finished product!

I love that these two pieces worn together look a bit like a dress and the skirt has such a lovely 'flick' to it, I might need to make another one. I also really like the way the covered buttons lighten up the front that little bit and make the collar more defined. 

As you can see from the pics, we are still having some lovely sunny days so I'm hoping I'll get at least one more chance to wear this outfit before winter settles in.

What sewing projects have you guys been working on?

-Tamara