The Theater Dress - Burda Project 11/2012

Finalmente - its finally done! 

You would think it was difficult to make.  Not so. Making Burda's "theater dress" was easy. Getting it to fit my daughter who lives in another state was the difficult part.

It all started around the time I received my November issue of the Burda magazine. I'm new to the Burda universe. Though I have been a visitor to Burdastyle.com for some time now, this was only my third issue of the pattern magazine. In general, I love the international flavor of the website and magazine. I am truly intrigued to see what people around the world are sewing and amazed at how many young people are into the craft in a serious way. Since my personal goals revolve around perfecting my garment sewing skills, I love the fact that that seems to be Burda's forte as well.  

Just a day or two before receiving my November issue, I happened to be perusing a women's clothing catalog where I saw a darling dress that I thought would look lovely on my daughter. A relatively simple dress with 3/4 sleeves, a fitted silhouette done in a teal-ish green ponte knit that would be perfect for the office or could be dressed up for an evening out.

When I began paging through the Burda magazine that arrived the following day there it was. The same dress I had just seen in the catalog. Well, not exactly the same, but the lines and silhouette of the dress were essentially the same. Right then and there I decided to make Burda's "theater dress" for my daughter.  A simple task I thought. Something she could wear for the holidays, possibly for our Christmas eve party.  Boy, was I wrong! What I thought would take a few weeks turned into several months to complete.

Burda Magazine 11/2012 - Theater Dress

While I love and will continue to be part of the Burda universe I do find fault with Burda's focus on women so much younger than me. While I am the first to appreciate youthful silhouettes and modern day styles, I no longer have a 'youthful silhouette'.  So, unfortunately, many of the patterns offered in the magazine simply don't suit me.  On the other hand, many relate quite well to my daughter, who fits both Burda's age profile and has a figure well suited to many of their stylish garments.

It was the first time using one of the patterns from the magazine. It was also the first time using their sizing specs. What an eyeopener that was!  And, I thought multi-sized patterns were a challenge! It was also the first time making my daughter a dress from a distance where I couldn't easily fit her. 

I changed the style of the Burda dress ever so slightly. The long sleeves became 3/4 length, and the dress length was shortened considerably to suit my daughter's taste. I also added a vent to the back of the skirt and fully lined it. My fabric of choice was a teal-ish green colored, medium weight ponte knit, similar to the catalog dress.

  

The design of the dress was pretty simple so making the actual dress was pretty straightforward. Getting it to fit my daughter was altogether another story. A rather fitted dress style, getting the fit just right was pretty important.  So, I started with a muslin altering the pattern specs to fit my daughter's bust, waist and hip measurements. 

Since she lived several states away, I waited until she was visiting home for the Thanksgiving weekend for her first muslin fitting. Despite having cut the pattern to her measurements, the fit wasn't even close! Everything was 1-2 sizes too big and the back didn't fit at all. Back to the drawing board. Almost all of the bodice details had to be adjusted - front and back darts, armholes, neckline, and don't get me started on fitting the back. With so many adjustments I now had to wait until she returned home for the Christmas holiday to see how the revised muslin would fit.

Christmas arrived and we commenced once again refitting the muslin. Still too big! So more adjustments and additional alterations to the pattern. In the hustle and bustle of the holidays getting my daugther to even sit for a fitting was itself a challenge. When I finally got her to try the dress on again it was literally the day before she was to return home. She tried on the dress, and the back was still not right. OMG!!  There was no time to finish it before she jumped on her plane home, so once again, more adjustments and waiting. 

Fortunately, I was able to pin the last of the alterations in place before she left so I could complete the dress in her absence.  All in all it turned out beautifully. Off went the dress in the mail to my daughter with a prayer this final version would finally fit her.  And, indeed it did! Hurray! Double Hurray!

In the meantime, I made a duct tape dressform of her in hopes future projects won't be so problematic. I have a blouse in the works which will test the dressform sizing.  We'll see.

As for more Burda pattern projects, I'm a bit leery.  While I am fully aware of the fitting challenges garment sewing represents, its something I am determined to master. As such I have declared 2013 the year I master the art of fitting.  I'm just not sure it will be with a Burda magazine pattern. 

 

 

My Latest Handbag - A Drawsting Silhouette

Many years ago I was the handbag buyer for a major department store here in Detroit, called J.L.Hudson (its now Macy's). The job called for frequent buying trips to NYC, L.A., Italy and Asia in search of handbags and small leather goods for the chains 20+ stores. I bought fabulous bags for the chain representing a wide range of price points, from inexpensive bags to beautiful one retailing for hundreds of dollars. I loved that job as well as many of the bags I bought for the store. So much so, I maintained huge stashes of bags. In fact, I always kept several in my car so that I could match my bag to whatever outfit I was wearing before I entered my workplace as a way to both enjoy all the beautiful bags I owned and to promote them. 

Now I make them, in most cases, for less than $20 a bag. Granted, the ones I make aren't constructed from fine leathers or represent the style du jour. Nor, do they display the many designer nameplates I purchased for the store. Nonetheless, they are equally practical, functional and fun to make.

I continue to always take note of handbags people are carrying these days. And, I am always in search of a great handbag silhouette to replicate. Easier said than done, given many of today's overdone and sometimes ridiculous styles. At a recent family gathering, however, my sister was carrying a new bag she had purchased while on a vacation in Northern Michigan that managed to catch my attention. It was a darling drawstring style bag made of several pastel colors of leather, in a color-block fashion. The overall style was both clever and practical. Not too big, with straps that could fit comfortably over the shoulder and with plenty of pockets inside and outside to store cellphones, keys and other assorted personal items. 

This could definitely be made in fabric, I thought, and I had a stash of fabric that would suit the style. What I had consisted of some black nubby textured upholstery fabric along with a coordinating print and a great Japanese inspired cotton print for the lining. Great for making an all-season bag and sturdy enough to last a season or two. 

Since I didn't possess the bag I had to design it based on my memory of what it looked like and how it was constructed. 

I find upholstery fabric works quite well for handbags.  It provides good body, sound structure and durability to the bag. Nonetheless, I always add a good medium to heavy weight interfacing to them. The same is true for the lining. Adding a fusible interfacing makes the lining more durable, which is especially important for the pockets which take all the wear and tear. 

I'm pleased with the way the bag turned out. In fact, after the bag was made, I saw it again and was amazed at how closely I interpreted the bag's dimensions and style components. 

Samples Week

Project Runway Dress

As I often have to do these days, I spent the last few days making samples for the classes I teach at Joann's.  Since many of the classes featured last session will be repeated in March and April, I only had to sew 2 new samples - a simple apron and this dress.  
 

The class is designed to teach students how to sew with knits with or without a serger. Therefore, the dress is made in a fairly lightweight jersey knit. A knit just weighty enough so as not to curl at the edges which made it relatively easy to work with  -- a lesson I would like to pass on to the students.  I chose a solid color as opposed to a fun print to show off the many style details of the dress -- its front pleating, waist wrap treatment and pleated skirt. 

I don't have a serger so I employed the usual sewing techniques for sewing knits on a regular sewing machine. The jersey was hefty enough so I didn't need a walking foot to reduce pressure when stitching the seams. Simply loosening the tension a bit was sufficient. Selecting a small zigzag to stitch most seams provided enough stretch throughout the dress.  To finish the seams I used my lock cutter which has become my go-to tool when sewing with knits. For those unfamilar with this tool, it secures to the machine much like a walking foot does.  Its basic function is to finish a seam edge with a zigzag stitch while at the same time trimming the seam with its built-in cutter. 

Finished seam with Lock Cutter

 As is the case with most of the Joann classes, the pattern is from Simplicity #2145.  It's from their Project Runway collection which is component driven. You can mix and match sleeve and front and midriff treatment options to create the style you want to make. Sleeve options include a short sleeve, long sleeve and a three quarter sleeve. For the dress the neckline can feature a cowl treatment or pleated V-neck with either a wrap or drape midriff option. For the class I will be teaching, students will be making the dress with the short sleeves, the pleated neckline and the foldover wrap treatment. 

I made the dress in a size 8 which when finished looks more like a size 4 or 6 -- very small in the back and the pleated front rests very high. I used an invisible zipper in the back which gives the dress a very nice, clean finish. Overall, the dress turned out great.  It isn't a style I would ever wear, but for someone with a small, thin frame the dress is a winner.

I WON A BOOK!

To promote BurdaStyle's newly released book "Sewing Vintage Modern" the burdastyle.com website held a "Comment to Win" contest. Anyone could enter a comment on their blog site relating to the concept of the new book. Two entries won a copy of their new book and I was one of them.  Very exciting!

For those unfamiliar with the book it is essentially a collection of patterns. The patterns are designed to create modern interpretations of looks inspired from the 1920's to the 1980's. Examples include a lovely drop-waist flapper-inspired dress reminiscent of the 1920's, and sailor styled bell-bottom pants so very 1970's. 

I learned how to sew in the 60's so I am a bit partial to the looks of that era. Clothes Marlo Thomas wore on her TV comedy "That Girl" are what come to mind when I think of clothing from the 1960's. And, who can remember the Mondrian color block dresses,  or the beautiful clothes worn my Jackie Kennedy? Unfortunately, the patterns for that decade in the book are just so so. 

I'm not sure how many of the patterns I will make for myself, but there are several that would be lovely on my daughter. It's a very nice book and I am quite grateful to have won a copy. 

One Pattern, Many Looks

I entered a sewing contest for the first time ever! Its PatternReview.com's "The One Pattern, Many Looks" contest. This is my entry. I chose a Vogue pattern I've had my eye on for some time now. I first saw it last year when another sewing blogger posted it. Unfortunately, I can't remember who it was. When I then saw it featured on the cover of the January issue of Vogue Pattern magazine, it was final. That was the garment I was going to make for the contest. 

The pattern is Vogue 8854, a Very Easy Vogue casual top with shirt tales and a tall interesting flap collar. The pattern features three looks: one sleeveless option (the Vogue Pattern cover), one long sleeve version with a pocket in front, and one with a hood and longer shirt tale at the back. It's designed to be made in knits but it worked equally well in all the fabrics I selected.  

I chose to make my entry in three different fabrics - fleece, a medium weight knit and a faux dupioni-look woven.  The looks as you can see in the photo, included an outerwear-like fleece top made to the specifications of the pattern but without the ugly front pocket.  I made it a bit larger than the other two with the intention of wearing it over a T-shirt.

The second version was made in a soft, medium weight acrylic knit. I reversed the front flap to flip to the right instead of left, shortened the collar a bit and added exposed zippers (those were fun to do) to the front flap and sleeves for a more rugged, casual look. It's comfortable and looks great with black jeans and boots.

My third version is a bit more dressy and featured the most changes. I shortened the sleeves to bracelet length and added a ruffle. The shirt tales were converted to a straight conventional hem. For the neckline I shortened the collar and added a ruffle and 3 buttons. I'm quite pleased with the way it looks, a bit dressy, but still casual enough to wear anywhere. And, I love the way the neckline turned out, dramatic and feminine.

All three of the tops turned out well. I anticipate making more versions of this pattern, but I will definitely change the collar to lay a bit closer and tighter to my neck. 

Darts - A Reverse Approach

The subject is darts - one of the mostly commonly performed and easily done techniques for any experienced garment sewer. As we all know, darts play an important role in creating curves and shaping a garments silhouette. And, when executed well help create a professional look in clothing. In contrast, poorly executed darts can make a garment look "homemade." 

So, what's the big deal? Yes, for most sewers we don't give them much thought. Within a matter of minutes they're done. But, as I have learned teaching many new sewists, this simple technique can be a daunting one. Sewing darts for the first time can consume an inordinate amount of time to accomplish when conventional methods are employed.  But, it doesn't have to be that way.

I have painfully watched new sewers struggle sewing darts for the first time. Where they (and let's face it a lot of us, too) go wrong is sewing beyond the dart's end point or short ending the points that produce the dreaded pucker.  Or, simply not being able to follow the dart leg properly. A task most sewists can perform with relative ease and precision can take 3-4 times as long for the beginner. This simple sewing basic should be, for all practical purposes, a cinch to master. 

The objective of sewing the perfect dart is pretty straightforward.  Follow a properly marked, and pinned, dart leg to a precise end point without overshooting, backstitching or short ending it. 

I have a nice library of reference books, from basic sewing how-tos, to textbooks and those advocating couture techniques which I frequently consult to ensure I teach my students proper techniques.  All of them instruct sewers to sew darts starting from the wide end. Whether there is a technical reason for starting there I have yet to find one.  For a new sewer (or even some of us more experienced ones) when starting from the wide end the task of finishing the dart at the precise end point can be a challenge. All the more important when they sit right and left of one another. The last thing you want is to have one dart taller or shorter than the other. OOPS!

To remedy this I now instruct my new students to sew darts starting at the end point. Gosh, I wish I had thought of this sooner! By doing so darts all finish at the precise end point - hooray! And, if properly marked the dart leg is much easier to follow - another hooray! Most of my students can now complete a dart well on the first try.  

The trickiest part is positioning the needle to go into the dart point just a thread away from the fold line so as not to create a pucker. Furthermore, to ensure a secure dart stitch the first quarter inch or so with the stitch length reduced to a small 1.5 cm setting and then turn up the stitch length to a normal setting for the balance of the dart. 

I am amazed at how much faster my students can master this most basic of sewing tasks. More importantly of course, the darts are far better done than those performed using the traditional, prescribed methods. No more puckered end points. Left and right darts are balanced. And, fewer darts have to be ripped out and redone. Mission accomplished! I now have happy students who have easily mastered one of the most basic of techniques that they will perform many many times in their sewing journeys. 



So here is a complete tutorial for sewing basic darts in reverse fashion.

 1. Mark the dart completely. Using whatever marking method your fabric dictates, mark/draw the dart legs to the end point. Also make sure the end point is well defined. 

 2. Pin the dart. Starting at the wide end, match the dart leg lines precisely and pin together. Continue pinning to the end point.  Switch pins to position them perpendicular to the dart lines to facilitate machine stitching. 

 3. Stitch the dart starting at the end point.  Reduce the stitch length setting to a 1.0 to 1.5 cm length. Position the needle of the machine to enter the dart point just a 'thread' away from the fold line to prevent a pucker or bubble at the end point.  Once past the quarter inch point, increase the stitch length to a normal setting and continue to stitch the dart leg. Be sure to backstitch at the wide end to finish the dart. Tie off the dart point and press. 

New Year, New Challenges, New Sewing Tips 

Its hard to believe a new year has begun. With its debut comes a big list of things I want to accomplish, with this blog, my teaching and sewing in general. 

At the top of the list is my desire to focus on perfecting my skills in garment sewing. I would like to incorporate more couture techniques - quite trendy these days - into the construction of all my garments.  

Mastering fit is my ultimate goal. Now older and more curvy it seems every pattern I buy requires multiple fitting alterations. Many more than I care to do with every project. Though I typically begin each project with a musling draft, I find I have to prepare several before I achieve the right fit adding considerably more time to the entire garment construction process than should be necessary. 

To further complicate matters, I seldom find a commercial pattern I like completely. Either the silhouette is too fitting for my thicker in the middle figure or the sleeves are not right, or the neckline is not to my liking, etc. etc. etc. As a result 2013 will be the year I prepare a full set of slopers so that I can create my own patterns with all the design features I want. No easy task I suspect, but hopefully it will be well worth the effort in the end.

Other goals this year will be to put more time into this blog.  Last year was a particularly good year for teaching others to sew. I learned a lot about how people grasp sewing techniques, how the details matters and how significant learning the fundamentals is to the mastering the craft. Since sewing blogs are a good way for new sewers to learn techniques and build skills, I want this blog to be a place for new sewers to help in those regards. 

 

To start, here are a few very simple sewing tips that all new as well as experienced sewers can use. 

Sewing Tip #1:  Threading Helpers

With age the task of threading needles either on my sewing machine or for hand sewing has become increasingly more difficult.  When teaching new sewers this is one of the biggest time wasters and has become one of my biggest pet peeves. I have found that a small piece  of very white plastic or cardboard placed behind the needle makes the task lightning fast. 

A 1/2 inch by 2 inch piece is all you need. Its almost as if the white backing amplifies the size of the needle hole. While clearly it does not, the hole is amazingly more visible and so much easier, and faster to thread. Now I keep several pieces of these threading helpers in my pockets when I teach, at my sewing machine and in my sewing cache at my worktable. 

Sewing Tip #2:  Pin Stablizer

I make a practice of removing my pins as I sew on my machine to prevent needle/pin breakage and seam distortion. I keep a dish of pins next to my machine but find having to stop and then move the pins to the dish disrupts of the speed and rhythm of my sewing. I prefer to just slide them off without having to stop the machine. The problem is that the bed of my machine, like most sewing machines, has a slippery surface and a slight curve,  that when I slide the pins onto the bed, they tend to slide off the machine. 

To remedy this I secured a piece of shelf liner to the bed of my machine using double stick tape. I cut a piece to fit the space exactly. I used the kind of shelf liner designed to keep glasses from chipping, nothing too thick or lofty. This provides just enough cushion and holding power to prevent the pins from sliding all over the place. So now when I sew I can easily slide the pins off onto the bed of my machine where they stay until I am ready to move them to the waiting dish. 

Sewing doesn't have to be hard. Whenever you can make a task faster and easier, do it.