Current Sewing

A blouse pattern from the 1940s which is one of the first patterns I bought.

Making the short sleeve with the attached collar.

Due to reading comprehension failures, I ended up making 5 muslins of this blouse with the first 4 each getting respectfully bigger and bigger.  During this process I was befuddled as to why my usual FBA was not working.

Finally, it was pointed out to me my reading mistake that the facing was also a placket for the buttons/button holes.  Super duh moment.  Then I had to go back down to my second muslin which is the one that should have always been correct as I forgot to make a FBA in my first muslin (over anxious to dive right in).

Yummy silk

Loving this blouse.

Look at the glass buttons I plan to use.  Are they not sweet??










More soon....promise

All I Need is a Hat

The 1930’s dress is done.  YAY!! For a relatively painless make.  That hand basting saved a lot of trouble.  Though I do think the collar area might be reworked; I am not happy with how it lays.  I can say I am pleased with how it turned out!  It is exactly what I envisioned.

It looks ok on the dress form but it really looks better on.  I thought the skirt would not be nearly as full as it turned out to be because the skirt is quite full.

Some details.  The hem is hand rolled as are the sleeves.  The v neck collar thing was hard to put on.  It took me longer to get that thing (not sure what to call it) on the dress than it took to make up the dress.  I do like the button accents on the pintucks and the sleeves…ah the sleeves are perfect and much better than the cape sleeves. 

Check out the buttons!!
Love that detail

Back view

What would I do differently?  The v neck thing I think needs be sewn starting at the v each direction.  I may try that because the left side is rippling.  Otherwise, the only thing I can think of is making the FBA just a tad bigger.  The bodice fits but I like a little looser more modern fit.  Amazingly, that is it!

Side

Now, I need to get some pictures of me in the dress.

Fluttering By

First take a look at the teeny tiny vintage buttons that I am going to use.  

Pretty and vintatge

I bought these years ago but had no idea they would be so very small.

Blurry but check out the button next
to a dime.  See ....super small!!!

 Because I am not doing the cape, the pintucks will be on display.  I am going to punctuate the pintucks by using these buttons.

Also because I am not using the cape sleeves, I need to draft new sleeves.  I want flutter sleeves which are still correct for this era.  How to draft the sleeve?  First, I grabbed a dress I own with those types of sleeves and traced it off.  It looked odd.  Next, I started going through the pattern collection looking for a pattern with that type of sleeve.  Luckily I was able to find one.  Traced it off and what do you know it looked odd.   

Weird sleeve pattern

But it also matched what I traced off my dress so I took a deep breath and went for it!!

Dress of Doom Revisited

Demure and ladylike with
only a bit of squinty eyes
happening

I have been sewing non-stop for the past couple of weeks.  By non-stop, I mean getting up early just to get some sewing in before going to work.  Ugh, I was getting 3-4 hours of sleep max.  With all that sewing, there was just no time to write about the sewing.

I will share what I was up to in a few days.

For now, I want to revisit the Dress of Doom: here, here, here and here.  As you may recall, I made up the Dress of Doom a year ago for the conference.  I did not get the chance to wear it.  So, when I came home it was put in the closet with no further thoughts.  Packing this year, I thought I should bring the DOD with me again as an alternative outfit.

I did end up putting it on because I wanted a picture of me in the dress, which I thought I would share with you.  I ended up wearing it for about 4 hours.  It went over quite well and I received a lot of lovely comments.  I also noticed that the buttons are sewn on in a wonderfully wavy line.  I really need to take those off and make them straight.

Have I Angered the Sewing Gods?

These buttons went
missing because I
put them in a safe place

 Things have been going swimmingly.  My last dress together simply and with no problems.  This dress was going down the same road.  I was a happy camper just naively enjoying the creative process we call sewing.

It was too good to last.  The past few days have been rife with small sewing annoyances.  Pattern pieces going missing when you just laid them down.  The buttons which cost more than the fabric, missing as well.  Every time I try to put in a buttonhole, the thread breaks.  Seriously, am I going to have to make my buttonholes by hand?  Say it isn’t so!!  I measured the hook and eye tape, pin in the eye tape and the hook tape goes missing.  I spent hours looking for the measured hook tape with no success.

I know I have been enjoying my sewing too much lately.  The sewing gods had to keep me in line.  I must appease them before the really wreak havoc on a sewing project.

Where I am now.

Skirt and bodice joined.  All bias binding finishing is completed.  Side closing is finished.  The buttonholes, finally, are done.  I have to sew on the buttons and hem the skirt.  This is taking much tooo long! 

Band-y-ing About

I made a milliner’s band to attach across the front.

What is a milliner’s band I can hear you ask.  Well, until a few months ago I had no clue.  All it is is bias binding folded and then slipstitched together closed.  I thought it would be perfect for the band across the bodice.

 

Here is the underside, not as pretty as I would like. 

The top just looks like any bias binding you would buy in a store.  I like to make my own bias binding because I know how.  For a long time, I found bias binding frustrating and overwhelming…that is until a good friend taught me how to do it.  Now, I like to make my own.  If you are interested in a tutorial on bias binding, check out the Dreamstress’s site.

 

Here is the button I have picked out with a little help from a JoAnn’s 50% off coupon.

This is for you Monique:  the pattern I am using is Polynesian Pattern 203 from what looks like the late 60’s early 70’s.  Check it out here

I loved it when I saw it and had to have it!  Though I had a tough time with the pattern and do not know if I can recommend it in any way but it is fabulous!

Choices

So the bias binding has been sewn in around the neck and I still have not done by homework for the class.  There seriously is not enough time in the day.

But now choices need to be made.  Button choices that is.  A button is to go at the neck and on both sleeves.  Here are the options:

Any thoughts?

To digress…..I hope the US pull off a win tomorrow at the World Cup so we can progress.  I know our team can do it if they put their minds to it.  They beat Spain last year, they can beat Algeria tomorrow.  Regardless, we need goals!!!!!!

1918 Dress Wrap Up

So many things have been going on in RL but most of all, I finished the 1918 dress and to be honest I feel a little let down. I finished 2 projects in one week….the 1931 dress and the 1918 dress. My motivation is gone out the door and I am not sure why. Has this happened to anyone else?


I wanted to get pictures of me in the 1918 dress over the weekend. Alas, it was not to be.

So…..I am not yet sharing the completed dress…..well maybe a peek at an almost complete stage.

Some info: I couldn’t decide how to attach the “waist” to the skirt. My 1917 dressmaking book came in handy and gave me a couple of ideas. I went with a double waistband knowing that I would be covering the waist band with a sash. I also discovered that the skirt was a tad too long. So I hacked off a couple of inches from the top of the skirt….couldnt take it from the bottom! I then used these pieces as the waistband. It worked out fine. I am glad I did not go with the casing for elastic: I really do not like elastic waistbands.

A snafu arose when it came time to do the button holes. I have never made button holes on my machine before and to say I was underwhelmed by the results would not be exaggerating. The automatic buttonhole foot made ½ of a great button hole. One side was fine, the other was spotty, no real thread coverage if that makes sense.

So….what to do? I tried the machine in a variety of ways but could not find my manual buttonhole foot…so that was out. I tried a corded buttonhole with the automatic foot….not great. I could do the buttonholes by hand, but after approximately 28 hours of hand sewing on this dress….not going to happen!

Finally, I gave in and used the automatic foot. To fill in the blank spaces, I did a hand satin stitch on the side with the holes. It was quick, down and dirty but will fine results. All in all, it took less than an hour with the handsewing. The buttons then went on with no problem. The top 2 buttons are fakes though…I didn’t want to make a button hole through the trim so I used a snap beneath the button. I like it!

The sash uses snaps to keep it closed. Again, really simple to construct.

Eye Strain

I am going crossed-eyed with this hand sewing and my brain feels taxed.

So I give you buttons....some of the buttons I got from the haul of vintage sewing supplies from my friend's grandmother's basement (the same basement which coughed up all the dressforms).

Carved stone flower buttons.....unusual

A box o buttons

A big brown glass button that just does not photograph

Some delicate white and gold flower buttons