Hi There,
It's been awhile since my last post, but that's not to say that I haven't been busy. I have had quit the time the last 2 years. Some of what I've been up to, I've shared and others, I'm not so ready to be for coming with.
So, I think I will start with the fact that I have been sewing a lot in the last 2 years and mending myself a little along the way. If you ever catch fabric fever you begin to love making your own garments. You learn to love the feel of fabric, the look of it, and the thrill of seeing new patterns as well as old ones.
I have been spending a little time over at Craftsy taking a few online classes here and there. I kind of thought that there was always something that I could learn. Some of the classes were totally awesome while I felt that others were a total waste of money. One of the good ones that I took and worked very hard on was the Suzy Furrer series. At first, I didn't think much about it and I just played the videos, but then I got serious and actually started following what she was teaching. Needless to say,,, I was actually able to make a bodice sloper for myself and it fit. To me, that was a great accomplishment. This class is definitely one that I suggest if you want to hone in on your personal sizing and fit.
Another class that took me by surprise was the Susan Khalje class for couture dress making. Which brings me to today's post. I have been practicing some of the techniques in this class with a few items that I have made while I've been MIA. I loved how thorough both instructors were with there classes and there is no chance of messing things up unless you're just not paying attention, but then again,,, you're paying for the class so why not follow along.
Today I used New Look 6526
This pattern made a striking impression on me for the Couture Dress Making class. I completely loved everything about this pattern, but the skirt was the biggest eye catcher for me. I thought of a vintage style Summer dress at first glance. I think that vintage flare is what drew me to this pattern. Any ways,,, I just happened to have a beautiful piece of Sateen that I have had for a long time that I had gotten for Hancock Fabrics years ago. We all know what happened to that company, but we stash hoarders still have fabric coming out the bins from them. It may be enough to hold us until they get their act together. Until then,,, it's order online or hit the local Joann's.
About the pattern, I saw vintage and that was what I went with. The dress itself was quite an adventurous sew. The skirt was everything to me and I am not going to be able to express it with word. Big skirt is all I could think about and vintage style was on the top of my list.
Here's a looksee.
Here's the bodice. I loved the V and the wide midriff. At this point a straight skirt could have been applied or a pair of wide legged pants with pockets, but I kept it simple because the vintage years were calling me.
Finished dress.
The skirt is everything.
Overlapping pleat.
OOOOh,,, POCKETS!!!!
Back pleats.
The back.
Now, I know you're thinking about how I made this into a vintage dress. Simple, a bolero to match. I noticed that most vintage patterns have some type of jacket or coat to go with it. So, I made up a bolero pattern real quick ( you'll find out why in the review) and here's that look.
The bolero
The Review
Pattern Description: Misses dress with sleeve, bodice, and skirt options.
Pattern Sizing: 8- 18
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were very on point and I actually went directly by them this time.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved the skirt. That skirt was my muse.
Fabric Used: Sateen.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I am 5'3 , so any time I see long skirts or dresses, I have to modify the length and possibly the waist and bodice to fit me. The only thing I did with this pattern was the skirt. I didn't cut it as short as the version for View C and I didn't cut it as long as View D. I measure my normal 22" from my waist and then I added another 3" for a hem. Once I got the front established, my mind was wanting the high-low look so then I added 5" to the back.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, I would make this dress again and go with a satin and lace look for a formal event or just plain cotton for a less formal situation. I would recommend this pattern for a weekend project because my total time was about 6 hours.
Conclusion: This is a nice dress once everything is all said and done. I have only 1 notable problem. It is a very fabric hungry and wasteful pattern. As I said earlier, I will explain how the bolero came into play. I had 3 1/2 yds of fabric. I only needed 3 yds by my calculations and I knew View D was not what I was going for after I had modified my pattern. I imagine if I had gone for the longer skirt I would have needed about 4 plus yards. The pattern is cut crosswise (against the grain), which means you fold the raw edges together and the the selvage will be on the outside. This cut my nice long looking fabric down a notch. The only thing I could think of was the fact that I was loosing a whole yard to crosswise cutting. I was upset at the thought that not even a skirt wouldn't make it out of that odd cutting, so what do I do? Make a bolero with short sleeves or no sleeves. Once I got that pattern made up and cut out I felt so much better that there was not going to be so much fabric waste. Even though this was a problem to me, I still like this pattern. I think the dress itself is HOT. So it is well worth the effort and fabric.
I really enjoyed our catch up time today and as always I look forward to our next project.
Lots Of Love
Dellia
It's been awhile since my last post, but that's not to say that I haven't been busy. I have had quit the time the last 2 years. Some of what I've been up to, I've shared and others, I'm not so ready to be for coming with.
So, I think I will start with the fact that I have been sewing a lot in the last 2 years and mending myself a little along the way. If you ever catch fabric fever you begin to love making your own garments. You learn to love the feel of fabric, the look of it, and the thrill of seeing new patterns as well as old ones.
I have been spending a little time over at Craftsy taking a few online classes here and there. I kind of thought that there was always something that I could learn. Some of the classes were totally awesome while I felt that others were a total waste of money. One of the good ones that I took and worked very hard on was the Suzy Furrer series. At first, I didn't think much about it and I just played the videos, but then I got serious and actually started following what she was teaching. Needless to say,,, I was actually able to make a bodice sloper for myself and it fit. To me, that was a great accomplishment. This class is definitely one that I suggest if you want to hone in on your personal sizing and fit.
Another class that took me by surprise was the Susan Khalje class for couture dress making. Which brings me to today's post. I have been practicing some of the techniques in this class with a few items that I have made while I've been MIA. I loved how thorough both instructors were with there classes and there is no chance of messing things up unless you're just not paying attention, but then again,,, you're paying for the class so why not follow along.
This pattern made a striking impression on me for the Couture Dress Making class. I completely loved everything about this pattern, but the skirt was the biggest eye catcher for me. I thought of a vintage style Summer dress at first glance. I think that vintage flare is what drew me to this pattern. Any ways,,, I just happened to have a beautiful piece of Sateen that I have had for a long time that I had gotten for Hancock Fabrics years ago. We all know what happened to that company, but we stash hoarders still have fabric coming out the bins from them. It may be enough to hold us until they get their act together. Until then,,, it's order online or hit the local Joann's.
About the pattern, I saw vintage and that was what I went with. The dress itself was quite an adventurous sew. The skirt was everything to me and I am not going to be able to express it with word. Big skirt is all I could think about and vintage style was on the top of my list.
Here's a looksee.
Now, I know you're thinking about how I made this into a vintage dress. Simple, a bolero to match. I noticed that most vintage patterns have some type of jacket or coat to go with it. So, I made up a bolero pattern real quick ( you'll find out why in the review) and here's that look.
The Review
Pattern Description: Misses dress with sleeve, bodice, and skirt options.
Pattern Sizing: 8- 18
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were very on point and I actually went directly by them this time.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved the skirt. That skirt was my muse.
Fabric Used: Sateen.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I am 5'3 , so any time I see long skirts or dresses, I have to modify the length and possibly the waist and bodice to fit me. The only thing I did with this pattern was the skirt. I didn't cut it as short as the version for View C and I didn't cut it as long as View D. I measure my normal 22" from my waist and then I added another 3" for a hem. Once I got the front established, my mind was wanting the high-low look so then I added 5" to the back.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, I would make this dress again and go with a satin and lace look for a formal event or just plain cotton for a less formal situation. I would recommend this pattern for a weekend project because my total time was about 6 hours.
Conclusion: This is a nice dress once everything is all said and done. I have only 1 notable problem. It is a very fabric hungry and wasteful pattern. As I said earlier, I will explain how the bolero came into play. I had 3 1/2 yds of fabric. I only needed 3 yds by my calculations and I knew View D was not what I was going for after I had modified my pattern. I imagine if I had gone for the longer skirt I would have needed about 4 plus yards. The pattern is cut crosswise (against the grain), which means you fold the raw edges together and the the selvage will be on the outside. This cut my nice long looking fabric down a notch. The only thing I could think of was the fact that I was loosing a whole yard to crosswise cutting. I was upset at the thought that not even a skirt wouldn't make it out of that odd cutting, so what do I do? Make a bolero with short sleeves or no sleeves. Once I got that pattern made up and cut out I felt so much better that there was not going to be so much fabric waste. Even though this was a problem to me, I still like this pattern. I think the dress itself is HOT. So it is well worth the effort and fabric.
I really enjoyed our catch up time today and as always I look forward to our next project.
Lots Of Love
Dellia
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