Tomato Red Dress Reveal

Now that the days are getting longer, I can fit in a photo session after work.  So here is my tomato red V1314 dress in the early evening sunshine.

Long shadows time of day.

I thought I would be finished with the dress on Saturday morning, but I really struggled with finishing the neck. I had to unpick the binding twice.  I'd love to tell you that the third time was the charm, but my final attempt still came out slightly gapey. It's not laying perfectly smooth and flat, which bugs me, but I couldn't cope with picking out more stitches and decided to move on.

I'm liking my hem lines a bit long these days for some reason. So, I lengthened the pattern by a few inches, which then turned out to be more than enough.

Rather than shortening the dress, I simply extended the gathering along the side seams, which stops at the hip in the pattern. That way more of the dress was ruched up, thus bringing the hem to where I wanted it.

The only other change I made was to taper in by about an inch on each side at the hem for a slightly pegged look. But I may go back and take the dress in just a bit at the midriff. There's some extra fabric there and the ruching isn't quite as, well, ruched as I'd like. 

Overall, I give this dress a B. Maybe a B+. It's not perfect because of the neckline, but I like it. This is my second time making V1314 (first as a tunic here), and I doubt that it will be my last. Really, it's easy to sew and fits me very well overall. 

Early Evening Rays

I think this version will see a lot of action despite my quibbles with the neck. It's a fun color and easy to wear.

Happy sewing everyone!

Color Play and Could It Be a TNT?

Besides sewing up my red knit dress over the weekend (post to follow), I also forged ahead on two pairs of summer pants.  I've been loving the colorful trouser trend but have not found any RTW versions that fit and flatter (seriously, not a shocker).  But with summer coming, I've decided to take matters into my own hands.

Last week, I trotted over to Gray Line Linen and came away with two pieces of very nice and reasonably priced linen - red and blue. I like to line or underline warm weather garments in batiste or similarly light weight cotton. Also, I abhor show through on linen pants. Since linen tends to have a somewhat open weave or translucent nature, I decided to play with the colors of my lining. Here's what I came up with.

Christmas red linen with lemony lining

For the red linen, I'm going to line with a bright sunshine yellow. I'm hoping that the yellow will bring out the orange tones in this very Christmas-y colored linen. 

 

Denim blue linen with kiwi green lining

My second piece of linen is the perfect classic denim shade of blue. Doesn't it look like denim in this shot? I had been thinking about getting a more turquoise colored linen, but didn't find a color I liked. So, instead, I'll line in this eye popping kiwi green.

Because summer is a short season, I don't really want to spend loads of time working on a new-to-me pattern. I've decided to go with Burda 6/2011-114, an easy pull on pant that I've sewn twice before.

Burda 6/2011-114

The pattern is a real winner for me.You remember my seersucker pants with cuffs from last summer and my fun flower border print pants with flared legs from the year before, don't you?  Both summers my sisters have had to threaten me with an intervention if I didn't wear things other than these Burda pants.

And once I've sewn four versions of one pattern, it really is enough to start calling it a TNT. True? I don't really have any other TNT patterns. I usually sew something once and then I'm on to the next challenge.

The only flaw with my first two versions of these pants is that I have to do an itty bitty wiggle dance to get them over my hips.This is what comes from having curvy hips paired with a proportionally small waist.  So, these linen versions will have the elastic waistband, but I'm also adding a fly front.

The red pants are cut and partially sewn, and the blue version is ready to be cut.  I'll leave you today with the happy fabric rainbow that is in my Craft Lounge.

Yay Summer Sewing!

Spring Fever Sewing

Last weekend was so gorgeous, and I was thrilled to be at home. I caught up on all of my hobbies -I went for a few runs, tried some new recipes and organized the Craft Lounge and my sewing. I was definitely feeling the freeing effects of Spring Fever.  And now, I've got a 4 day weekend and 5 sewing projects vying for attention.

That New Yorkers wear black is not a stereotype. Yet, every Spring I feel the urge to wear something bright and fun, but I never have anything that fits the bill. I've been intensely jealous of all the beautiful and whimsical Laurel's that have been sewn up in the last few weeks. Alas, shift dresses look terrible on my figure (not enough shape) and whimsy doesn't really have a place in my wardrobe.

Tomato knit fabric

Coincidentally, when I bought the satin fabrics for the dragon costume (and btw isn't that a funny phrase?), I picked up two yards of this bright red/orange knit on a whim. It's a fun tomato-y color and has a great waffle-like pattern. It's pretty stretchy. 

So, I've been thinking of making it into a sleeveless version of V1314, a Tracey Reese ruched knit dress, which I made into a tunic in a cheap and peppy metallic knit back in February. (You remember my snow day, right?)

V1314

At this point, fabric is cut and ready to be sewn.

I'm hoping to have this dress done by the time I head back to work on Tuesday.

What are you sewing this weekend?

Dragon: A Hippo that Dared to Dream

"Darling Hippo, If Phin really loves you, he will make you a little dragon costume cape with spikey spines down the back..."   

Well, Phin doesn't sew, but when reader Kimbersew made the above comment, the seed was planted. Phin's Hippo needed to realize his dream of becoming a dragon.

So we hatched a plan...

Pleeeeeeeeeasssse, Clio!

And we took some measurements.

Hippo belly

We made a pattern and cut cloth... 

Measure twice, cut once...

And very soon, a dragon was born.

Dragons are noble creatures

And this dragon had adventures...

Dragon the Hippo with the Tramples

...with swords, dragon eggs and loyal elephant companions...

Where are those other dragons?

...seeking out the other dragons of Westeros.

I must confess: I did actually have to buy the fabric for this project - inexpensive satin in purple and green. But it was worth it - this was a fun make. I'm such a sucker for costumes.

Look at those spikes!

I'm not sure which is my favorite feature of this project, the spikes or the button holes for the ears. This was the perfect fun little project to get back into the swing of things before tackling more challenging sewing last weekend. And it was just so dang silly, that I couldn't stop smiling and laughing as I sewed. I think that Phin may have had just as much fun with the camera.

Hippo Hero!!!

I had a really productive weekend and have a 4 day weekend coming up. So, stay tuned for lots more sewing updates. 

Madam Clio Saves the Peplum Fetish Top!

Folks, I think that we can call my faux leather peplum top a save.

I hope you agree that it is far more... um... wearable in public now. 

This is how I would style it for work related events - with a ponte pencil skirt, pumps, silver jewelry and my specs. Betcha didn't know I wear glasses. I do, but only for seeing things that are far far away (ie: for driving, in movie theaters and walking through airports...) Somehow I think they make this edgy outfit a bit more serious.

For Work

This is how I styled it for a birthday dinner with my sister - with skinny jeans, edgier jewelry, and a purple clutch.

For Fun

A Little Recap
So, this was originally - and still mostly is - Very Easy Vogue 8815, a peplum top in three variations. I made view A, a sleeveless version, out of faux stretch leather and ponte knit.  Originally this top had darts from the waist to the bust, but that didn't work out so well for me, especially in faux leather.

So, I changed the darts into armscye princess seams while I was home recuperating from a cold last week. Princess seams really do wonders for my figure - they're a curvy gal's BFF. In addition, they eliminated the "headlight problem" that the darts created.

New princess seams

I also changed the front side pieces to ponte instead of faux leather to tone down the top just a bit.

Ponte sides with faux leather front.

I'm glad I saved this top since I really love the back with it's exposed zipper instead of an invisible zip. And, overall, I think the fit is spot on.  I think I am going to have to use the pattern pieces for this top to help me fit other bodices.

 

Back zipper.

There's not much to say about sewing this top. Since neither the ponte or the faux leather are going to fray, I simply pressed all the seams to one side, trimmed and top stitched them with a double needle. I made binding from the faux leather to finish the armscyes and neckline. Rather than turning the neck binding to the inside, I left some as a trim.

With my changes, this top fits really well and has the look and feel that I wanted. I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it until the peplum and faux leather trends go bust.

Don't make me get out my crop...

So ends our peplum fetish adventure. Stay tuned because I had a very busy and productive weekend and have loads to tell this week!

Sock Reveal: Life Would Be Easier with a TARDIS of My Own

While I was on the road for work over the last 2+ months, I knit up a storm, including new socks for myself. Knitting really is a wonderfully transportable hobby, especially when it comes to small projects.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I think knitting these socks was really an exercise in wish fulfillment. Life would have been so much easier - and my sewing so much more productive! - if only I had my own TARDIS to traverse time and space.

TARDIS: Time and Relative Dimensions in Space

Unfortunately, I had to settle for socks. However, these are pretty cool socks, especially if you are of a somewhat geeky persuasion.(And if you don't agree that Tom Baker was the best Doctor, well, you can just keep that comment to yourself.)

Time and Relative Dimensions in Socks

They are based on this popular sock pattern. However, I did a few things differently. First, I knit from the toe up instead of the top down. This allowed me to use the cast on, foot and heel that I like best. The only complication was that I had to flip the pattern for the colorwork parts, working it in reverse so the letters came out the right way. It was pretty easy to do. The only part that couldn't be flipped was the ankle (ie: between the heel and colorwork), which at least IMHO looks fine knit upside down (would you even know?).

While knitting these socks, I realized that I'm not actually a slow knitter, as I previously thought. I just have a talent for picking complicated patterns that take precision and care. Not so with this quick and easy pattern. The only part that was challenging was the colorwork, which was a first for me. You see, if you don't knit the colorwork loosely, it won't stretch - a big problem for socks. I had to do and re-do all of the multi-colored parts a few times to get them right. Other than that, these socks were a breeze.

Since spring has really arrived here in the Northeast, I'm not sure how much action these socks will see until Autumn. But that's ok since I'm a little on the fence about the fit. I used Cascade Heritage yarn which is a superwash fingering weight merino and nylon blend. It was great to knit and feels wonderfully soft, but it seems to have lots of bounce and stretch. So, I'm not sure if these socks might end up being a bit big. We'll see. 

Next up in sock knitting is learning how to darn.

How sad is that?

Yes, I have worn a hole in my gorgeous cashmere lace and cable socks after just four months of (pretty intense) wear. Sigh. I had been hoping that rumors that cashmere socks are less sturdy than wool/nylon ones were not true. Seems that they are.  Anyone have any tips for darning socks??

Catching Up with Some Young and Talented Gals...

I'm just about over my cold and work travel is winding down. So, I've got lots of catch up blogging to do.

But wouldn't you know it, Blogger seems to be having a really bad hair day and is not allowing me to upload photos with it's usual ease.  BUT in the interim let's catch up with some other sewists...

Ready to Shine Fashion Show (from the Kingsway Mall FB Page)

Do you remember those awesome young sewistas working with reader Jodie K on a fashion show project for their school?  Check out this video featuring all the schools and contestants with their garments in progress.

Well, the Ready to Shine Fashion Show took place on April 25th, and shine they did, raising $26K for full day kindergarden for their local school district. Here's a short article in the local paper about the event. 

Look at the super fun skirt that Jodie K's team created! I'd totally wear it. (Sadly, this is the only picture that I could get to load. The others are linked from their online sources).

Very on-trend with the ruffle

Anyway, I know you join me in congratulating Jodie K's team on their work. I bet they all go on to lots more stylish sewing adventures.

And hopefully, I'll be able to show you more of my own adventures once Blogger rights itself.