Latest project - Orange dress for a wedding

I had a wedding to go to and I simply wasn't in the mood to canvas the city for a dress that would fit my 'now' mature figure. Not to mention something that covers my arms, is not too short or revealing, and isn't too expensive. I usually wear pants to these types of affairs, but given the popularity of dresses these days, I decided to reveal my legs for a change. A little spray tan should make them fit for the task. Plus, its a summer wedding, so a dress just seemed an appropriate choice. 

It took me weeks to decide on a style. None of the commercial patterns seemed just right.  I liked one style with just the right sleeve, another where the body style was interesting, you get the picture, but no one pattern would do.

It wasn't until I watched Katie Couric on a TV special about the British Queen's upcoming Diamond Jubilee that I saw the dress I wanted to make. It was a fairly simple, shift style dress with raglan style sleeves, a slight gather at the front and 3/4 loose fitting sleeves. Nothing particularly elaborate, but quite lovely. It seemed like something I could dress up for evening, and was in the color of the season - tangerine tango (at least that's what it looked like on TV).

This style seemed just right up my alley, fulfilling all the criteria I required and it could be dressed up with some glitzy accessories for the evening wedding. Of course, no pattern on earth exactly replicated the dress Katie was wearing. This McCalls pattern #6460 was the closest I could find, but even figure B wasn't anywhere near Katie's dress. The raglan sleeves on hers cut much deeper into the body of the dress replacing the bust darts. The neckline featured some, though not a lot of gathering. And, the sleeves were attached to the bodice more dolman style under the sleeve and constructed in two parts to create a nice curve over the shoulders. 

Clearly, I was going to have to make a lot of changes to the pattern.  Without having to completely redesign the pattern I made the following modifications:

- At the neckline front, instead of gathers, I added six tucks.  

- I left the raglan sleeves as the pattern directs, but split them into two parts to produce a much nicer curve over my shoulders. I shortened them to a 3/4 length and widen them a bit both to better fit my arms and to achieve a slightly looser look.

- As for the body portion of the dress I widened the hips a bit, reshaped the side seams, eliminated both back and front darts (the tucks produced enough fullness to accommodate my breasts), I lengthened the dress, added a kick pleat in the back and used an invisible zipper for the back closure.
- I also lined the dress to give it nice finish. 

There was no way I was going gamble with the beautiful tangerine orange fabric I bought. There were simply too many alterations that I had to be sure were going to work for me, so my first step was to make a muslin of the dress.

My first muslin was a bust. I made it way too big, and I didn't like the tucks I created in the front, so I went back to the drawing board. The second one was just right in terms of size and length overall. Hips, just right, sleeves just right, tucks realigned and simplified, I was ready to cut the real thing.

I'm pleased with the way it turned out. It looked lovely for the wedding and I received many compliments for selecting such a nice summer color. To dress it up for evening wear I chose bronze crystal jewelry, bronze sandals and a french twist hairstyle.

The fit in the back was perfect and the front flowed nicely. I was pleased I removed the darts both in front and back as I didn't want those seams to detract from the solid lines of the dress. As a final flourish I added a jewelry detail (an earring really) in the center of the tucking that matched perfectly.

Next on the docket is a very simple top to wear to my birthday dinner next week with my sisters and cousins. Just one yard of fabric and mastering a rolled hem is in order.

Hello & Welcome

This is the debut of my sewing blog. A place to share my sewing escapades with the sewing community. My goal is to inspire, teach and engage in all this wonderful craft of sewing as to offer.

Though I have been sewing since I was a little girl, I am just recently back in the swing of sewing on a regular basis. Up until now, I have been a career girl, so much of my sewing was relegated to just alterations, Halloween costumes for my daughter or odds and ends for the house. Now retired, I sew all the time in my newly created sewing studio. I also teach sewing both privately and around town to anyone who's interested. I am amazed at how I love doing it and sharing what I know with new sewists.

So, to inaugurate my first posting I would like to share with you a few recent projects I have made. The first and most important project is the completion of my new sewing studio. It's a dedicated space in my basement that my husband and I remodeled (fixed up is probably more accurate) that is very efficient and unbelievably comfortable. Everything in the space is new - cutting table, sewing chair, dress forms, freshly painted walls, new carpet, lighting and decor. I made a curtain to separate the sewing space from the rest of the room. The pincushion and scissor covers featured here are also new. Just some fun projects that are both useful, pretty and personalize the space

One project I just completed is this stylish blouse from Burda pattern #8806. I don't know about you, but finding patterns that I both like and are suitable for my figure has become a rather daunting task these days. I liked the styles featured on the front cover of this pattern, but knew I would have to make several adjustments and style modifications to fit my figure challenges. 

My pattern searches usually start with an image I have picked up from either a magazine or catalog, or from someone (or something) I have seen on TV or the internet, that I just have to make. With that image firmly fixed in my mind, I am amazed how seldom I can locate a commercial pattern that resembles that image. As a result, I either purchase patterns (or use one I already have) to fit the basic silhouette and then adjust it with the design features I want; or, as in the case of this blouse, I liked the pattern style, but adjusted it to fit my more mature, rounder figure.

Most of the garments I make these day require both pattern alterations and style modifications. So making a muslin draft first has become a standard practice. It's just too risky to do otherwise given the cost of good fabric.

And boy was I glad I made that muslin for this project!  The pattern size I cut was too tight around my hips and sleeves, and the front darts needed to be repositioned. I also lengthened the body of the blouse, eliminated the back darts, and raised the neckline a bit.  While this certainly adds both time and some cost to any project, I find the finished garment can be constructed in half the time it took to make the muslin, and is significantly better constructed overall. 

I'm quite please with the way it turned out. The fabric is a linen like material that frays quite a lot so I used french seams at the sides and shoulders. The ruffle was a bit tricky. I used a rolled hem presser foot to help achieve a finished looking ruffle. And, instead of the prescribed metal hooks and eyes, I fashioned a narrow placket behind the ruffle using buttons and buttonholes to join the front sections.