Bluebell

I first became aware of Simplicity 9025 when a costume designer made me my very own version for a role in Pirates of Penzance.  The lines of the bodice are lovely.  And it is always fun having costumes made especially for you.  However, sometimes things do not go exactly as expected.  The designer put me in . . . yellow!  The horror!!  In retrospect, it was a very pale yellow with flowers, so it could have been a whole lot worse.  Years later I was put in a polyester mustard yellow which was less than flattering to my skin tone . . . which was SO much worse!

Looking back at the pattern envelope, I cannot decided what this pattern was meant to be.  Is it a bridal gown?  The picture shows a woman holding a bouquet, so perhaps it is.  But the illustration is holding a fan, so perhaps this should have been in the costume category?

The pattern sure has come in handy, though!  Just last year, I used the sleeves to make this velvet dress much more wearable in winter weather.

And then there is my first attempt with this pattern, made of quilting cotton (which was my go-to fabric choice at the time).  As fun as it would be to swan about in a full length princess dress, I thought a shortened version would be much more suitable for daily wear.  Not completely convinced that I wanted to let go of the over-the-top girly style, I added some ribbon and lace.

I remember quite vividly that this dress was my first experience with a failed invisible zipper.  If I had been reading sewing blogs at the time, I would have realized this was not completely my fault.  And with a bit more experience, I never would have attempted this style and expect to zip myself into something this fitted with an invisible zipper – not without an extra set of hands!

Unsure exactly what to do, I made my first lapped zipper with a hand picked zipper.  So much better!

Do you have any failed zipper stories of your own?

Dress:  Made by me, Simplicity 9025

Shoes:  Chelsea Crew

Necklace:  Dabby Reid

Bag:  Harveys Seatbelt Bag

And the winner is . . .

By random number generator, the winner of the Shabby Apple Giveaway is Brittany Evans!  Brittany chose the Hully Gully Skirt which is one of my favorites, too.  How fabulous are polka dots?! 

Thank you to Shabby Apple for sponsoring the giveaway!  

Busy Fingers

This week has been crazy - I cannot believe the weekend is already here! 

But I have managed to squeeze in a bit of sewing.  I decided my next project would have to be something that did not require too much fussing, and an old bit of quilting cotton was the perfect fabric for the task.

For some reason I purchased two lengths of this blue print, which means I had enough for Butterick 5748.  It doesn’t get much more basic than three pattern pieces to make a dress!

Of course, I had to go and make things a bit more interesting and add a bit of piping to the waist seam.  There is a zipper and some hand stitching in my future . . .

And I still have not managed to balance blogging with sewing – which explains why things have been quiet around here for the last few days!

Dress Up Time

I have been meaning to make Butterick 6410 for years.  The copyright on the re-issue is 1999, and I imagine I purchased it soon thereafter.  Every time I have an event, I pull this pattern out and wonder when the heck I am going to try it out.  

A Symphony fundraiser last week was the perfect opportunity to get started.  I did not have a whole lot of time, but there are not very many pieces to deal with and the construction did not look terribly difficult.  After admiring the illustration, for instance, I assumed that the skirt would be cut on the bias – I was wrong.  Which means that this pattern did not require the massive amount of yardage I was expecting.  Whoo-hoo!

I purchased a bunch of rayon jacquard in different prints from fabric.com ages ago for an incredible deal.  Over the past couple of years it has come in handy.  This dress is one of my favorites (and I actually wore it to work today) and I recently made another in the second print/color.

There is quite a bit leftover in this red, so back in the drawer it will go until the perfect pattern comes to mind.

The pattern comes with its own jacket, which is always handy.  I actually made a version years ago - it matches nothing in my closet, so it was probably worn once or twice at the most and is keeping company with other abandoned articles of clothing.

Since I was going to be out at night, I thought it would be a good idea to make the jacket if a suitable fabric was easy to find.  What I came up with was a length of velvet.  And the jacquard pattern in the rayon almost matches the velvet perfectly!

The bolero in black velvet made me think of vintage Balenciaga and Schiaparelli, which in turn reminded me of the ball fringe that I came across last time I walked through JoAnn Fabrics.  No, my fringe is not made of silk, and not nearly as stunning, but I do love the look!

While the exact fiber content is long forgotten, this velvet must have a significant bit of rayon because a quick steam and the seam allowances flattened right out.

And there happened to be a bunch of fake flowers in my sewing room that match back perfectly – a quick snip with a pair of wire clippers, and I had the perfect accessory.

This is one of my favorite pictures because if you look very closely, you will notice a photo-bombing quail in the upper corner with his cute little topknot.  There are usually a ton of busy bees buzzing about, but since the flowers are missing from the hedge at the moment, they are on hiatus.  Instead, I have a friendly little bird looking over my shoulder.

But back to the pattern!  I love the two-tone look of the illustration, and think that I love this design enough to try another version at some point.  The skirt would look lovely in a deep burgundy silk velvet with a ivory silk bodice . . . or something like that!

Dress & Jacket:  Made by me, Butterick 6410

Earrings:  Judith Jack

Shoes:  Nine West

Clutch:  Banana Republic

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

Shabby Apple contacted me about hosting a giveaway, and I thought this was something you all might enjoy, so here we are!

Marigold Skirt

You are probably already familiar with Shabby Apple and their online boutique specializing in vintage inspired clothing.    

Cut the Cake

I love their fun photography, and quite a few of the items are very tempting.

At First Sight

Up for grabs today is a dress or skirt of your choice from the following list:

Andes Skirt * At first sight * At last * Admiral * Ballerina * Boogie Woogie * Cut the Cake * Dressage * Ever After * Grand National * Hackney * Heart of Me * Hully Gully Skirt * Jetty Skirt * Lime Ricki Skirt * Maid of Honor * Marigold Skirt * Moon River * My vow to you * Nantucket * Newcomb Skirt * Park Picnic Skirt * Save the Date * Ski Bop * Snapdragon * Tiber * Together Forever

Heart of Me

To enter, leave a comment on this post letting me know which item you would like to add to your closet.

My Vow to You

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will close on Friday, June 14, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. PDT.  And please make sure I have a way to contact you!

Good luck!

Simply Glorious!

Zac Posen is unbelievable!

His new 2014 Resort collections are here, and I am in love!

A few alterations to Gertie’s shelf bust dress pattern plus a bunch of tulle and I can make my very own froofy ball gown!  All I need is an event to wear it to!  

And this dress looks like a modern take on the sack-back dress.  Add a fluted hemline (do I see a kick pleat back there as well?) and you have perfection!

This one also has a lot going on in the back as well.  Perhaps the sack-back is making a comeback!

This one reminds me of a Mme Grès design.  How can something be so vintage and contemporary at the same time?!

This is what separates the genius from the pack!

Some of his silhouettes are definitely repeats from earlier collections – but the colors and incredible fabrics are just too cha-cha for words!  And when something is so very right, why not bring it back?!

Who are your favorite contemporary designers?  And please do not let my obvious favoritism keep you from voicing your opinions!

[Click on Image for Source]

Kindred Spirits

This post is long overdue . . .

A couple of weeks ago (yikes, has it been that long!), a few local bloggers met up at Britex Fabrics to bid farewell to Amy of Sew Well (she is also a member of the Mood Sewing Network), and to gab about sewing and blogging and other lovely things. 

I first met Amy at a BurdaStyle book launch in San Francisco back in 2011.  We were both new to blogging, and immediately bonded over common interests - which is what always happens when you put a bunch of sewing enthusiasts in a room together!    

These get-togethers always provide excellent company, and are also the perfect opportunity to pull a favorite dress out of the closet!

Here we all are at Britex , where we started the evening (thanks to our lovely hostess, Geana!). 

Top Row:  Amy of Sew Well, Veronique of Verte Adélie, Geana of Britex, Erin of Seamstress Erin and me!

Next Row:  Rebecca, Vanessa, Elisabeth of e-beth knits, and Shams of Communing With Fabric

Bottom Row:  Beth of Sunnygal Studio, Jilly of Jilly Be Joyful, Kelly of bennomusik and Jean of j.kaori sews

We then headed over to a wine bar around the corner where a table was waiting for us, and proceeded to play musical chairs for the rest of an evening filled with fabulous conversation.  Let's do it again soon!

Seattle is very lucky to have Amy, and we will miss her very much!  

Dress:  Made by me, Simplicity 3849

Sweater:  Made by me, Cabled Cardi

Shoes:  Miz Mooz

Earrings:  Vintage

Purse:  Harveys Seatbelt Bag