Halter neck dress based on Simplicity 1876 by Leanne Marshall

It’s a lovely sun-kissed day and we took the chance to discover Dromana Beach and Arthurs Seat .

I spent time on Friday night to finish off this Halter Neck Dress so that I could show it off today. And here is it: my little dress and the beach.

I am a fan of Project Runway and Leanne Marshall. I have been planning on this Simplicity 1876 pattern for a while. The fabric I used is polyester satin and bemsilk lining.

I have always been intimidated by wearing strapless dresses, thinking it would fall off anytime. Now I learn if the dress is a good fit and properly made, it can be as comfortable as a normal dress. So fitting is paramount for this pattern. I did a test muslin for the fitted bodice, lots of fitting and re-drafting the pattern. 

I also have a quick tip on baste stitching the bodice pieces – stitch them in a continuous stitch. It saves your time cutting the thread and pulling threads to feed the new piece.

It’s my first time to sew boning. After a bit of research, I found it’s quite straight forward. Instead of inserting the boning into the casing, I sewed it in between the layers because it was too wide for the casing. I used sew-in interfacing instead of fusible.

Thanks to divabuddha’sreview, I used four side pleats on each side instead of gathering. I also lined the skirt and the vent. Lining the vent is a challenge and since it was the last step I had already lost patience. I admit the hem and the vent are not perfect. 

The jellyfish is a surprise discover for us today and we seemed to have fun with it.

Floral satin retro blouse: Simplicity 1590

This is an overdue review on Simplicity pattern 1590 view A. I finished it a week ago. This is my second attempt on this pattern after the view B. The result is amazing.

View A has a scoop neckline. I used floral satin this time and it gives a very different look compared to my last version (view B). It is shiny on the right side and a cotton flannel on the wrong side. 

Here are some construction tips and pointers:

1.       I cut size 8 above the waistline and size 10 below. My fabric is 150cm width. It turns out I only need 1 metre fabric instead of 1.20 m as per the pattern envelope. Here is my pattern layout:

2.       Also shown is the above photo, I shortened the back of the peplum just like my last version.

3.       Use a French seam on the two front side seams which join the peplum and the front. Firstly, with WRONG side together, stitch a ¼ " seam allowance at where the peplum joins the blouse. Trim seam allowance and press seam open. To sew the darts, with RIGHT sides together, stitch another ¼” seam from the edge to the dot, then stitch on the dart lines. It encloses the raw edges inside the darts and makes it so much neater.  

4.       Choose the right buttons. I am lucky enough to find a bag of buttons in a op shop for $4. A few of them match well with my fabric.

Feel free to leave a comment :)

Coming up is my review on Leanne Marshall’s Halter Neck Dress! Thanks for stopping by. 

The Sun is finally out!

Simplicity 1590: 40s Retro top w/t peplum with pink stripes

This pattern is a love at first sight for me. After reading some reviews on the PatternReview website, I decided to put my Simplicity 1876 project on hold and work to this top. (Oh Yes, Leanne Marshall’s halter neck dress is my next ambition! I will definitely share it when done.) I specifically bought the pink stripe poplin from a store instead of using my stashed fabric. And the result is amazing. I have also made the view A with floral black satin and it’s different but it still looks just as good. It will be my next post. I have so many tips to share after doing this pattern twice.

I usually sew test muslin for sizing. But this time, I tried to just measure and proof the pattern with my body measurement.

I found a better way for the pattern layout that only 1.35 m fabric (115cm width) is needed instead of 1.70m. Here is my pattern layout. Please note it’s without nap and for size 10 or below.

I shortened the back of the peplum by around half an inch, because I don’t have long legs.

It’s my first time to sew buttons and buttonholes. After learning the functions on my Bernina 440, the process was effortless and quick! It’s all automatic. It even memorises the buttonhole length so all the holes are the same length.

It’s also my first time to sew a collar. I made good use of the tailor’s board I made to press the seam open.

Looking forward to the summer time when I can wear it more! 

Pleated dress based on Vogue Pattern 1353 (V1353)

I can’t believe it! It’s been three months since my last post. Yes. I have been very busy… work… winter…

It’s getting warmer in Melbourne, which gives me one more reason to finish this dress.  I have been taking this project to my sewing classes for two months!  If it took me any longer, I would lose my motivation to ever finish it. So in a sunny day today, I finally did the zip and the hem. And here it is:

The fitting experience is the worst with this pattern. I tried to make the shoulder straps closer together for narrower shoulders but I just don’t know how with this pattern. Too many elements need to be considered: the pleated neckline, princess seams, armholes and a matching lining (it’s separate pattern piece)… Eventually I just gave up.

As a result, the shoulder straps are too wide for me. When I push my shoulders forward, there is a big gap on my neckline. I guess I should just try not to push my shoulders forward then.

I did the hem facing as per the instruction. It’s a bit more work but it turns out to be great. This is one technique I learnt from this pattern which I can use on other garments in the future. It makes the dress feel more professional inside. It feels more comfortable because it’s lined even below the end of the skirt lining.

Overall it’s a good pattern. I love the pleats and the shape of the dress. I love how professional all the Vogue patterns try to make the garments look. If I am lucky enough to find the fabric with the right print and pattern, I will make another one. 

Floral Pencil Skirt

I finally finished this skirt. It's been a few weeks since I started this project but I have not been sewing too much.

This is a fitted pencil skirt. You can find this pattern at BurdaStyle. It's very basic and simple with one front panel and two back panels. I added a waistband and used a invisible zip extended to the waistband.

I am very happy with the fabric. It's a heavy weight knit (96% polyester and 4% spandex) with a floral print on one side. I used only 80cm long fabric (150cm width) from Spotlight.

The fitting took me some time. I made a toile first to adjust the side seams and darts to make a perfect fitted skirt pattern. I decided to drop the length above my knees because my legs are not thin or long.

As for the process, I used the Flat Felled Seams for the side seams, and it give a clean inside finish and sturdy seam.

Aside from how well it fits, the skirt is very comfortable to wear because of the stretchy material.

Craft / Sewing Caddy (sewing bag)

Every sewist should have a sewing caddy (sewing bag) for tools and notions. I made one today based on the instructions from Sew It All February 2013 Issue. 

The caddy has inside and outside pocket. I made it from blackout curtain fabric I got for $2 per meter. It turns to be quite sturdy. It measures 5 inch (14 cm) wide and 11 inch (28 cm) long for the base and 7.5 inch (19cm) tall. 

This is the first hand carrying bag I made. It’s simple but not quite straight forward. It has lots of stitching, mainly because of the top stitching. I used my vintage Bernina 740 Favorit. It is a semi industrial machine so it runs through the heavy weight fabric effortlessly. 

Here is the sewing caddy. 

And here is my Bernina 740 Favorit. I adopted it from an old lady who owned it since 1960's. It costs a small fortune to get it fixed. But this semi industrial machine is perfect for heavy weight fabric. It just run five or six thick layer effortlessly. 

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Bernina foot # 12 Bulky Overlock foot

Although it's called "Bulky Overlock" I don't how to use it to "overlock".  I bought it because I want to use it for piping. It came really handy when I was sewing the Simplicity 2848 dress.

There are two horizontal piping on the front and the back. I made the piping firstly with the narrow zipper foot. Then I pin it between the yoke and the main fabric.

Slide it under foot # 12, and start sewing. The bulky part with the piping should sit under the groove and the needle position should be align to the marking on the foot.

The seam is impeccable.

Classy checked dress - perfect for work

I know, this dress is old fashioned. I've had this Simplicity 2848 pattern sitting in my drawer for a long time and I finally had enough courage to make it. I was first attracted by the cover image of the red dress worn by the model. Such a little cute dress. It's a classic and perfect for work. 

The fabric I used is Grey with Black Check Wool Blend Flannel. I used an orange piping to match the thin orange stripe on the fabric. It turned out to be great.

The instruction only tells you to line the yoke. I fully lined the dress to make it a good shape and comfortable. Here is the photo of the lining inside. I have my dummy Ruby to try it on. :)

This project involved techniques to sew piping. I have taken a lot of photos to show you. 

For the piping between the yoke and the main front, see this post as I was reviewing the Bernina foot no. 12.

The piping around the neckline is one continuous piece. I sewed the piping with the zipper foot and then attached it to the main fabric.

Then with right sides together, I sewed the neckline of the lining, piping and the main fabric. I also understitched the lining.

Here are more photos of the lining.

I learnt more about lining and piping in this project. The piping adds a subtle contrast to the pattern and colours of the fabric. 

Butterick 5603 dress

This is another popular pattern by Butterick. I bought the blue flower print fabric cheap from a warehouse a while ago. It's supposed for quilting. 100% cotton. I am happy with the fabric and the pattern overall. Here are the pic.

The skirt is easy to make. The only challenge is the neck bank, specially the v-neck at the back. It took me long time to figure out how to sew. I took some on the v-point.

I think I need to do more research on how to sew v-neck band. I am thinking it may be a good idea to attache a collar. But I have not make a collar ever, so I think I should do some projects with collar first.

The armhole is a  bit too small for me, even though I cut size 10.

I learnt how to sew lining on this project. Lining is so good. It makes the garment more comfortable to wear and looks more professional. It takes a bit of effort on the slip stitching the lower edge. But it's worth it.