More Upholstery Fabric

My obsession with upholstery fabric continues.  I have loved my past results, and I will continue to use the heavy duty textiles for my garments.  Whether or not they are considered "appropriate" for wear is irrelevant to me because I think they are fabulous!

My first major decision for this project was which side of the fabric to use.  The cream background is the actual "right" side, but I really liked the blue.  In the end, I went with it.

I had already decided what I wanted to do with the fabric when I was given an entire roll of the stuff. I had plenty of yardage to work with, so limited fabric was not an issue.  That never happens!

I have wanted to make something similar to these Ralph & Russo dresses since I first came across the images.

For some reason the tapestry fabric immediately made me flash on these garments, and therefore I could not get the idea of making something similar with this fabric out of my mind.

The Vogue 8701 bodice was an obvious choice.  I already know it fits well, and I figured I could alter the neckline to give it a bit more of an off the shoulder look.  I made a couple of muslins to get everything just right, and then it was on to the capelet.

My first try was pretty good.

Next, I needed a skirt.  Because the fabric is incredibly heavy and thick, I thought a circle skirt would be too much.  I recently made Simplicity 8458 and thought that the silhouette would work nicely.  Turns out, the side seams were in the perfect spot to match the bodice side seams.  I just love when things come together like that with no alterations needed!

And then it was time to cut into the good stuff.  The width of the fabric determined my skirt length since I did not want to piece the front skirt.

Once those large pattern pieces were cut, I did my best to match the motifs to the corresponding bodice pieces.

It all turned out pretty well (probably because I had a ton of fabric left to cut another if I needed it, so of course, I didn't).

I wasn't as concerned about matching the sleeves to the bodice, since they would be covered by the capelet, but I did make sure to mirror the pieces so they matched on either side.

So far, so good.

Then I pinned the muslin capelet back on the dress.  I decided that I like a bit of a split in the back, but had to decide just how open to make it so it did not look like a drafting mistake.

I also felt like the shoulders needed a little extra room to make the capelet lay nicely.

So I sliced into the paper pattern and gave myself a little extra wiggle room at the shoulder.

The edge of the capelet was bound with Hug Snug seam binding and left un-hemmed until I hemmed the skirt and could mess around with finished proportions.

So far, the capelet looks great.

I did not line the skirt, but the bodice definitely needed a lining.

The biggest reason was that I wanted to add some boning channels to help keep the bodice from collapsing.  The upholstery fabric was probably up to the challenge without the added infrastructure, but I didn't want to take any chances.

The zipper was an easy choice.  There was no chance that an invisible zipper could handle this fabric,  especially the waist seam bulk, so I used a standard zipper with a lapped application.  I cheated and machine stitched the underlap.  I kind of wish I pick stitched it like I did with the overlap, but since it isn't visible I am going to forgive myself.  I was also on a bit of a deadline, so the machine stitches saved me some time.

Because of the thickness of the textile, turn of cloth made the overlapped zipper seam allowance a little narrow for my taste (and this stuff likes to fray).  In an act of desperation, I added a length of seam binding to the edge to give myself more wiggle room.  It worked beautifully!  I can't believe I haven't thought of this before, but I am sure the technique will come in handy in the future.

I always balance my darts by pressing the lining dart in the opposite direction to the bodice one.  This time around, my cotton certainly did not fully balance the upholstery fabric, and I thought about adding a piece of fabric, but in the end, it was not necessary.  I think the texture of the fabric was enough to keep things smooth.

And I am going to leave this here for now.  There are a few finishing details to come, but from here on out, the most challenging part was hauling this heavy thing around the sewing room!

Lilacs without the Lace

A few months back, I finally got around to doing something with this lilac fabric by making a matching top and skirt.

There wasn't much yardage to be had, as it was previously used for a dress many, many years ago.  But it all worked out in the end, with a minor bit of piecing on the back bodice!

Turns out, a Rita Top paired with a knee length little skirt is a great idea.  And the skirt, in particular, has had a lot of wear this summer.

It's always a good sign when I keep pulling something out of the closet so soon after having finished sewing it together!

Sometimes those quick projects are the perfect sewing palette cleanser.

I did, of course, finish the insides with seam binding, and faced the skirt hem to give it a bit more oomph.  You can take the girl away from the underlining and hand basting, but you can't pry the Hug Snug from her hands.

And I am quite proud of the fact that my resolution to add more separates to the closet is still going strong.  Which is not to say that there will be no more dresses in my future . . . you can count on the fact that there will be!!

Blouse:  Made by me, "The Rita Blouse"
Skirt:  Made by me, Butterick 6558
Shoes:  Miss L Fire "Bel-Aire"
Earrings:  Vintage

Winter McCalls

If I had to choose my least favorite of the Big4 pattern companies, it would be McCalls.  I consistently love Vogue, Butterick keep releasing those wonderful vintage reproduction patterns, and Simplicity has been having a lot of good design moments as of late.  But this time around, I like quite a few of the new designs from McCalls.  Go figure.  Just what I need, more new patterns to entice me!  The pattern hoarding situation is getting a bit out of control around here.

Of course, it is no surprise that I am drawn to the one new vintage reproduction from The Archive Collection.  On the whole, I haven't been as excited about this category as the Vintage Vogues, but there is some good stuff happening here.  Look past the weird rhinestone necklace . . .

And please avert your eyes from this styling madness.  Not sure what is happening here, but we have 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s stuff added, and it took me a moment to sort out which decade is actually being represented.  I hate the poly organza used for the cropped jacket, but I do love those sleeves!  My Cherries Jubilee dress has a version of this lantern sleeve, and it is somewhat unexpected in todays boring sleeve world, so hooray for that!

I also love this formal gown.  The princess seams and Dior darts are great paired with that off the shoulder silhouette.  Do I need another formal dress pattern . . . no, but having a bit of inspiration is never a bad thing.

And while the panne velvet is not my favorite, I do love a good capelet!  Something is off with the neckline and caplet proportions, but there are possibilities here.

If I look past the fabric sample, I also see possibilities with this top.  I think the tie bodice with the longer sleeves is adorable.  My issues with these tops is always what to wear on the bottom.  They look great with a pair of jeans, but I don't own any.  I could always tuck it into a high waisted skirt, but that changes the look.  Maybe I could make a dress out of it?

I am also very drawn to this shawl collared robe.  There is definitely a bit of 1940s vibe happening here.  Of course, I don't need a robe . . .

A great shirtdress is always nice, and kudos for the effort to try something "new."  But the asymmetry just doesn't quite work for me.  I think it would end up looking like the garment was twisted while worn, instead of purposefully off kilter.  And the ruching sort of makes the skirt look too tight, even on the technical drawing - on my hips, that would go terribly wrong.

And for a bit of fantasy, here is another pattern that I do not need, but would definitely love to swan about in the completed dress.  But I have a drawer full of costume patterns that are probably close to twenty years old, and most of them have never been used.  I do love that neckline, though!

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Label Love

A couple of years ago, the nice people at The Dutch Label Shop contacted me about trying their personalized labels.  Time went by, and I got distracted with one thing and another, but when they contacted me again, I decided having some pretty labels to add to my one of a kind clothing might be fun.  [The fact that I had the opportunity to examine a lot of wonderful vintage clothing up close and personal in the last year and see so many amazing vintage labels may have pushed me over the edge!]

The site offers a wide variety of fonts, colors, and symbols to customize your very own label.  Of course, I had to complicate matters and design my own.  PicMonkey was surprisingly helpful in this regard.  

When I couldn't decide on one style or color, I just went for it and ordered three variations on a theme.

I love how they turned out!  And I still can't choose a favorite . . . I will have to see them in action to make that decision!

[Disclosure: The Dutch Label Shop provided me with a coupon code which was used to purchase these labels, but the opinions posted here are my own.]

Pale Pink Orchids

Sometimes a plan takes some time to come together.

When I designed this fabric, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I love the skirt from Vogue 4203 and wanted to pair it with Vogue 8701 to see how they would work together - I suspected things would go swimmingly!

So I carefully cut out my precious self-designed fabric.

When I ordered my yardage, I mis-remembered how much fabric the skirt requires.

My mistake meant that I had enough fabric left to make a matching jacket for my dress.  Love it!

I have been meaning to make another version of Vogue 9082 for years, and this was the perfect opportunity.

I thought the outfit deserved something extra, so I made a fascinator out of a length of petersham ribbon and some Russian veiling that I had stashed away.

I really love how this outfit turned out!

And I don't promise that I am done with this skirt pattern, either.  The only question is, which bodice to try next!

Dress:  Made by me, Vogue 4203 / Vogue 8701
Jacket:  Made by me, Vogue 9082
Belt:  Made by me
Fascinator:  Made by me
Earrings:  Vintage
Shoes:  Remix "Babydoll"

[Disclosure:  My Fabric Designs provided me with a coupon code which was used to purchase this fabric, but the opinions posted here are my own.]

New Simplicity Patterns for Winter

On a whim, I clicked through to the Simplicity website last night, and there were new patterns!  I am not as excited about these as the last batch, but there are some vintage reproduction goodies.  This hat pattern, for instance, is pretty fabulous!  Sure, I would have rather seen hats from the 1930s or 1940s because I find the silhouettes a bit more interesting, but this pattern is really pretty special.  I just love that pointed hat silhouette!!

And once again, we have more apron pattern options.  These things must be super popular, because they keep producing them.  Don't get me wrong, this one is cute, but do we need another simple apron pattern in the collection?  I will be curious to see the appliqué pieces, which isn't something I recall being included with aprons . . . so maybe this is something new.

And here is another one.  This has the added oven mitt, which is super handy (I may actually want to make myself one of those!).  There is also a head scarf and selection of bags included.  I don't really understand the accessory combo here, but there is a lot included, so I suppose that's a good thing.  And now I really want a hand made oven mitt . . .

Here is another vintage reproduction from the 1950s.  The "simple to make" does not excite me, but this is a cute little nightgown.  I would rather have a dress or skirt, but at least Simplicity continues to share more vintage designs.

There is a skirt that I am interested in, just in the contemporary section of the catalog.  At first glance, I passed right over this one, but the shaped waistband with the center front buttons is very cute.

The lesson here is to always look at the technical drawings.  There is some good stuff here!  I am not really an asymmetrical skirt opening kind of girl, but there are a lot of nice options to be had in one pattern.

And to end with something cute, here is an adorable stuffed animal pattern.  I will never get around to making one of these, but they sure are cute!

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2018 Holiday Vogue Patterns

Vogue released their new Winter/Holiday Collection this week, and as you can probably guess, I am most excited about the new Vintage Vogue design!

I love the line drawings on this one; the back, especially, is gorgeous.  This will definitely be added to my collection.  My only hesitation would be fabric choice.  I think this needs a solid color in order to fully appreciate the style lines, but I have a really difficult time finding solid colored fabrics that I like.  But I am up for the challenge!

I am also drawn to this Paco Peralta outfit.  It probably has a lot to do with the fabulous textured fabric, but this one has some definite possibilities.  I would almost want to extend the top into a dress.  Maybe?  Sounds like more work than I will probably want to do, but I love the look.

And do I need another shirt dress?  No, absolutely not.  But Vogue 9345 has so many different options.  The oversized sleeves are a bit much, in my opinion, but can you ever really have too many classic garments in the closet?  And this one has Dior darts, which I am fairly certain is different than my other shirtdress patterns.  The straight skirted version is also très chic with the pleats. Yep, I guess I need this one too!

I own a tiered ruffle skirt somewhat similar to the full length version of Vogue 9349 and I love it!  Which reminds me that I haven't worn it in a while, and I must remedy that situation.  My skirt has has an elastic waistband which I always ended up covering with a sweater, while this one is a wrap skirt.  I don't especially like yoked waistbands on my body, but I think I may have to try this pattern out.

This dress is part of Vogue 9351, one of the Vogue Wardrobe patterns, which includes a jacket, pants, a jumpsuit, and the dress. So, lots of bang for your buck.  I am drawn to the raglan sleeve, but I think the style lines may end up being a bit too "modern" for me.  This is one I am going to have to think about.  But I love how many different looks and neckline options are included here . . . very creative and that extra effort is very much appreciated.

This looked like any other halter neck dress at first glance . . .

But Vogue 9343 has a covered back and cut in shoulders.  So what I first thought looked rather boring turned out to be a wonderful surprise.  I certainly don't need another excuse to make a formal dress . . . but wouldn't this look amazing in a jewel toned velvet!

And I had to include this Badgley Mischka gown.  From the front, it looks like perfection . . . and then they cheapen the whole thing with oversized grommets?!?  I am sure this will be a popular pattern, but it looks like the designers felt the need to do something "different" and this is the best they could come up with.  I, for one, am not impressed.  I found this version of what appears to be the same dress, minus the gross grommets, with an added sheer sleeve.  I like that one better.  There is a boned bodice foundation included, so at least the construction methods are going to be good.  And I suppose I could also forego the back detail for a classic look . . .

So, not the most exciting pattern collection I have ever seen, but there is some good stuff to be found.  Do you have any new favorites?


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