Ruffles!

Hi friends! I'm just popping in to share a few quick snaps I took of the Laurel dress I sewed for my friend at work.  You may recall the wearable muslin I made first, in a cute striped fabric.

wearable muslin

For the final version, I added in-seam pockets and the ruffles for the sleeves. I think it turned out totally adorable and the fun, zig-zag fabric really gets to shine. I used some purple-blue rayon bemberg lining for the pockets, in an attempt to reduce bulkiness, since the fabric is a quilting cotton.

I also made my favorite thing, bias binding, to finish the neckline and hem. When cutting the dress out, there was a limited amount of fabric, so that I just got all the pieces to fit, but couldn't really arrange things to help the zig-zag stripes match up at the seams. You can see that on my pocket close-up shot. But let's focus on the adorable sleeves. Now I'm determined to make another Laurel for me (at some point) with this sleeve style. I just think it's too cute not to have one for myself.

Orange is the new black...

Right? Fabric.com calls this color "carrot" but I say it's more like convict. Or maybe traffic cone. I'd hoped for something a bit more on the "burnt orange" end of things, but the fabric turned out very vibrant and brighter than I'd expected. Fall does seem like an appropriate season for bright, rich colors, though, so I think I'll just run with it.

This is my second ever Peony. It's not perfect, but it's already been worn more than my first version has, to be completely honest.

I cut a size smaller than my first Peony and did not underline the fabric, either. I really like the weight and feel of the orange linen blend I used. I think I could wear this dress from spring through fall without issue. For this version, I replaced the facing pattern pieces with matching bias tape that I just happened to find at JoAnn's, where I also got the perfectly matching zipper.

I even used matching piping at the waistline. From JoAnn's too? Kind of.  I grabbed a half package of red piping I'd had laying around, likely purchased at JoAnn's, and just straight up covered it in orange bias strips I'd cut from my fashion fabric... and it worked!

I did run into a little bit of a snag or two with the zipper and the piping all meeting up at the center back of the dress. It's not the prettiest finish, but maybe next time I'll get it right. On top of that, I could have sworn I was inserting the zipper as a centered lapped zip, but it's definitely uneven and off center with the opening. Oh well, again! It's still perfectly functional. 

I had a fun time working on this Peony. I'd originally planned to line it, but opted not to as I just wasn't feeling it when the time came to actually do it.  I'd also envisioned myself pairing it with a cozy cardigan or sweater in colder weeks, but the sometimes-gaping boat neckline just totally bunches whenever anything is layered over it. Le sigh.  I do like the '60s vibe of this dress and am still planning to make another version at some point.

October

This month I've been a little bit all over the place. Tom is traveling for work which has thrown off my weekly routine slightly. I've found myself splitting my focus between what feels like a million things.

• For one, new vintage. I recently got a cute '50s navy suit jacket on Etsy that just needs the gold-painted dark glass buttons re-attached. Of course the simplest mending is what takes the longest to make yourself complete. 

• I went to my first official rummage sale this weekend. It's actually the same sale Sam from Fluffyland just posted about. As you can see from her photos (I always forget to take photos), it was huge and, for me, a bit overwhelming. I'd hoped there would be more sewing supplies, but apart from fabric, it was slim pickings for vintage lovers in that department. The fabric table(s), however, were covered in piles of cute cuts of fabric, all neatly labeled and bundled up. But, I manged to resist adding to my already-huge stash. At the end of the morning, I walked away with a cute, wool Sacks Fifth Avenue 2-piece dress from the "vintage" rack in the clothing room, and an '80s spotted red bow blouse.  

• I also had some good luck thrifting this weekend, bringing home some vintage sleep/lounge wear and snuggley cashmere sweaters.

• I've still been stalling, paralyzed with indecision (and distracted by other projects!) on just what cuffs to add to my green Pilgrim Peony.

• Duke is pretty into my new shoes, which I recently wore with my latest project. I've managed to sew up another Peony dress in the Orange linen blend I'd mentioned, but am still working on getting some good photos. 

• I told you all I was moving on from my Laurel obsession, but it just so happens that a friend at work saw my navy & white speckled version and then went and found the cutest fabric so I can make one for her. Apparently the fixation is contagious. :)  I stitched together the wearable muslin for her in an evening, using some very cute pink/orange/purple striped fabric of hers. After she wore it around the house a couple of times, she told me what needed adjusting and I've made alterations to the pattern pieces. It's such a simple dress that I think it will be ok to just take it in where she's told me, and cross my fingers that everything else fits in the final version.  The final dress will be in the white/blue/green/purple zig-zag/herringbone print (above) and we're adding in-seam pockets, mid-length sleeves with the RUFFLE option. I'm so excited to have the finished product -- those sleeves are just going to be adorable. I'll make sure to get at least some photos to share once it's ready.

• In addition to my recent pattern acquisitions from Deer & Doe, I've also just ordered the Emery dress pattern by Christine Haynes. The vintage details were too cute to pass up and Shanni's review really made me want to try it. 

• I found out this month that one of my best friends is going to be having a baby girl in late February. I started looking at Oliver + S patterns (adorable), but am hoping to find some other options, too. Baby clothes seem so fun and quick to sew. Any recommendations?

That's all for me. What have you all been up to this month? 

Is anyone sewing their Halloween costume? 

The Pilgrim Peony

You may recall I have a polka dotted Peony with striped & piped cuffs that I made when I first started this blog. That was my first ever version of this pattern and, with more experience under my belt now, I realize I should have cut a smaller size, among other things. I had been so excited about how I was going to sew it and what fabrics to use that I'd kind of ignored the less-than-ideal fit of the finished dress.  Well, I mentioned it, but at no point did I stop the project to try to really fix it. Unfortunately, the thing never gets worn now. Anyway -- it's time for a new round of Peonies.

At first, I had been a little over-it when it came to the Peony pattern, thinking that maybe it just wasn't for me. And it had sleeves, which I've only recently become comfortable sewing. Then, I saw this adorable version over at Sewbon. It hit me that, duh, this is a versatile dress that would really look cute and let a beautiful fabric shine. If I used a solid color of a nice bright linen or something, I might really like it!

Since fall is here, I want everything to be orange, red, or gold, haha, so I snapped up some of this pretty, Orange linen blend at Fabric.com, with plans to make it into a NICE, satisfactorily-fitting, Peony. Is this going to be a good color on me? Don't know, but I was definitely drawn to it.

Carrot colored linen blend, from Fabric.com

However, none of the above noted Peonies are what this post is actually meant to share! Instead of cutting right into my new bright fabric, or making an annoying bodice muslin out of plain, unwearable fabric, I opted for a wearable muslin, of sorts. I used a kelly green double-knit polyester heap of fabric that had been lurking in my stash. I can't quite remember how I came across it, but probably some early, misguided online fabric shopping from my earlier days of sewing. I added a while collar and thus created my latest Peony; The Pilgrim Peony.  (I know you're not supposed to use fabric that's this drastically different from your anticipated final fashion fabric when you make a muslin, but whatever!)

Please excuse the iPhone photos, I'll have better ones once the dress is totally done. That's right, I've left off the finishing touches on the sleeves, so this is still technically a WIP. I've also done a few other weird things -- since this fabric is thick polyester and is not prone to fraying, I didn't finish a single raw edge or seam! I was also able to leave out the center back zipper since the double-knit fabric is a bit stretchy. AND, to make my futuristic/Jetsons'/pilgrim/'60s collar, I literally just used the facing pieces that came with the pattern. Is that weird? It makes the corners at the shoulder seam pointed, rather than curved and I kind of like it. The inside of the neckline is finished with matching bias binding. Oh, and I also omitted the gathers at the front of the skirt and just added a pleat on each side. I didn't think this fabric would lend itself well to little gathers.

The only thing I have left to do now is come up with an idea for finishing the sleeves. I could just hem them at this slightly-shorter-than-the-pattern-calls-for length. Or, I could add a little pointy, white cuff to match the collar. Or, maybe just a white band/cuff that's plain, not pointed? I really can't decide. Any recommendations?

so excited

...for what arrived in the mail today, straight from Paris!

 

 Ohh, the possibilities... 

 

 

 

 

Short skirt and long jacket... Long skirt, short jacket? All of the above? 

 

Finished Project: Floral Pendrell

This week I completed another blouse inspired by one of Anna of Paunnet's projects. It's the Pendrell from Sewaholic Patterns, view B, with the seam ruffles left off. I'd always felt a little iffy about all the ruffles and flounces on the Pendrell pattern and as soon as I saw Anna's version, I was like Ohh, that's what you're supposed to do. What a great idea. Just because a pattern comes with certain pieces, doesn't mean you have to use them!

In sewing up this second Pendrell of mine, I went down half a size and cut like 3 inches off the hem. This blouse is frickin' long (which is definitely better than too short).  I also trimmed a little over a 1/4 of an inch around the neckline, before finishing with the bias facing. I'd thought this would solve the slight problem I had with my previous Pendrell, which was that I really had to tug it on over my head, and always messed up my hair. For some reason, on this latest version, it's almost like I added 1/4 inch to the neckline because it's almost impossible to get on! Very mysterious.

The fabric I used is a thrifted cut of polyester chiffon-y thin slipperyness. I'm sure some lady bought it in the '80s or '90s to make kitchen curtains or something. The main thing that drew me to it was the little navy dots scattered through the print and the mustard/orange colored flowers amongst the blue floral. I'd initially thought I would need to line the blouse, due to the sheerness of the fabric, but it's actually not so bad, as long as I just wear a nude colored bra.

I like the little cap sleeve ruffles, but I'm just still not 100% sure if I'm a ruffly blouse type of person, or not. My shoulders might be too broad for this look. Anyhow, I'm glad I tried this blouse. I think I'll get some good use out of it tucked into skirts, and since the fabric is so lightweight, it's easy to layer even the frilly sleeves underneath a cardigan.

I was also really inspired by Anna's pinafore that she paired her Pendrell with and used the Chardon skirt for. After seeing it on her, I clicked over to Deer & Doe and finally bought the pattern I'd drooled over since it first came out (so cute!), as well as the adorable Pavot jacket. I couldn't help myself. They haven't arrived in the mail yet, but I'm eagerly anticipating holding these lovely patterns in my hot little hands. Yay - MINE!