But I don't wanna be a bridesmaid!

Continuing with my stash-busting mission....

This is a magenta / fuchsia / deep dark pink (Robert Kaufman calls it "berry" - whatever) silk-cotton blend.  Because of the limited yardage (only 2 yards), I chose a simple sheath with minimal practically no details... Burda 02-2009-124A

 I was aiming for a simple yet bold work dress, but the result is more like the world's most boring bridesmaid dress that J. Crew tossed aside as FAIL:

I wore it to work as a top, tucked into my gray trumpet skirt, cinched with a black belt at the waist, and black heels.  Somebody at work said it shows a nice silhouette.  She also reports to me so it could have just been an obligatory compliment from her part.  I can't think of how else to wear the dress so that it doesn't scream bridesmaid.  Any ideas, readers? 

The pattern itself is very easy and very fast to sew.  It took me only a couple of weekends including tracing, pressing, sewing a muslin, fitting adjustments, and sewing the dress.  There's no lining, although I probably should have made one, since the silk-cotton fabric is rather thin.

PR review here.

By the way, buy this.

This greatest-hits compilation was in heavy rotation in my iPod since I bought it a couple of weeks ago.  Very, very good music!  And Jim Morrison!  This explains why they were a big deal back in the 60's.

Pattern for Burda top?

Hi all - thanks for your nice comments on my Burda chartreuse top; they definitely boosted my motivation to sew my next project.

A few of you asked for pattern or tutorial.  I don't think my unorganized self is capable of putting up a tutorial.  Alternatively, I wouldn't mind tracing & posting the multi-size pattern pieces on this blog.  My concern is Burda copyright cop come a-knocking at my door with design / copyright infringement issue, if I do so.

Does anybody know, if posting the patterns on the blog would constitute an infringement?

I'm not dead and here's a new one

Haven't put up anything new lately, because there hasn't been anything new made.  Last week though, I decided to do something with the growing stack of fabrics, so I resorted to this quick & easy project to see if it would get my motivation going again.  

Burda 08-2009-117, the Parisian Chic flouncy top:

Parisian chic indeed.  At least the model is.  Mine?  Well, take a lookie here:

Wrinkles are not Parisian Chic.  I'm really bad at pressing.  So, pardon me.

The pattern is a loose fitting one, so I went down a size (40 to 38) because my figure doesn't take loose fitting very well.

I used chartreuse - my new favorite color - Radiance silk-cotton blend that I splurged on a while back (You're welcome, Britex).   This fabric is really amazing.  It's lightweight (perfect for the warm weather), soft, silky, with a little bit of drape, and it's washable.  The right side of the fabric is shiny and the color richer, however I used the wrong side because I'm opposed to shiny things.

If you notice, the outer edges of the flounce are raw, because I didn't cut the seam allowance I did it on purpose.  If J.Crew can get away making (and selling at $80!) tops with unfinished edges, I can too!  No, really, I got confused by Burda's direction and thought, the hell with it, let's just cut the outer edge without the seam allowance and see what happens.  Luckily I think it turned out okay.

Here's me modeling it:

And again with a ribbon belt:

For some reason, the flounce follows the shape of elephant ear/trunk.  Not very Parisian chic.

Anyway, I wore this with white jeans to showcase the color.  I rarely wear green and do not own many green clothes, so as a result I always get punched on St. Paddy's day.  (Is it pinching or punching?  I always get punched).  Well, no more!  Now I have something visibly green!  Or chartreuse!  But it's green to some people!

This is a very easy project and I'm quite happy with the result.  In the process I actually started thinking about the next project (a summer dress), so this quick top turned out to be just what I needed to get back in the sewing mode.

So... what do you think?

(PR review here)

Burda skirt 11-2008-110

This is Burda 11-2008-110 skirt, an 8-gored flared-hem trumpet-y number.  

 

I used the wool suiting fabric from the stash and this nightmare of a lining, worked on it for three weekends, finished it last week, and wore it to work.  It's a very feminine skirt, a lot more than I'm used to.  All of a sudden all these curves just show up!  Wearing the skirt made me feel odd, giddy, and girly that my voice went up an octave or two.  My coworkers thought I was sick.  So I went home early and took some pictures.

 

 

 

The last picture I'm just showing off my shoes. 

Please don't be offended by the bad pressing job.  It's not my forte.  I don't  forte in everything I do no matter what people say.

(Edited:  Here's my review of the pattern on PR)

No Pink & Red

BurdaStyle is having the Pink & Red challenge.  I thought about entering when it was first announced, but the 20-day notice is too short for me, since I sew only on the weekends.  This is what I was going to make...

... which is inspired by this gorgeous Trina Turk Algonquin dress (looooove the design but not so much the price):

I will still make this dress in different colors (not too crazy about pink-and-red combo anyway), and most likely without the big lace. Any suggestions on color combo, anybody?  What should I put on that curvy style line... Top-stitch?  Bias strip?  Some kind of small lace? 

The Burda-inspired dress is done...

... and it looks like a sofa:

With me wearing it, it IS a sofa.

Hee... hee... Just kidding, I don't have body-image issues. I like the dress. I've worn worse things.

Anyway, a couple of technical highlights following.

Instead of sewing the v-neck in one continuous stitch, I did it shoulder-to-front on one side, then repeat on the other. No puckers or bunches like I used to get! Although, still have that pointy dart issue.

The fabric probably wasn't the best choice. It leaves needle holes, as you can see here (the white dots are the holes from the stitches):

I hemmed it with straight stitch because the fabric is not blind-stitch friendly. (Well, okay, fine... I didn't feel like blind stitching by hand and haven't figured out how to use the machine's blind stitch correctly.)

Okay... probably need to study now.

For the next project...

... I'm thinking another little cotton dress. How creative!

I've been eyeing this Burda dress (02-2008-124). The basic, simple design is right up my alley:

During a trip to LA weeks ago, I bought this fabric from Michael Levine that I think is destined for this dress. It's a heavier-weight cotton which makes it suitable for all season with the appropriate accessories.

A few adjustments to make:

• eliminate the under-the-bust seam, as it is not a flattering look on me.
• make it a v-neck both front and back (Burda has a scoop front and a v back)
• maybe make it sleeveless... or keep the capsleeves?
• might go with a slight a-line if there's enough fabric (only have 2+ yards)
  

And here's the sketch:

The time I spent making the basic sloper was definitely a worthy investment! Drafting and cutting the pattern pieces for this dress took only half an hour and I can be sure that it will fit. Burda's way of patterning would take at least twice as long for me, what with the multiple rounds of fitting and altering and all that fun stuff. I bowed to my sloper a few times after realizing how much time I'm saving. (Don't worry, JoanneM; I heed your advice and will still make a muslin.)

I recommend everybody to make their own sloper!

Oh, a side note... This fall is my last semester in graduate school (yay!) so I will be prioritizing school and finishing up the master's thesis (boo!). So, sewing will be intermittent in the next four months (boo again!). Come December, I will have my MsBA in Finance and get back to sewing (double yay - epic win! - even though this degree probably won't mean much nowadays).

I discovered fashion sketching...

... on my way back to square one of sewing well.

My brains get all jumbled when I think of all the projects I want to do. So I usually end up overwhelmed and not doing anything. Sketching helps me focus and gives me something to do during weeknights when TV sucks. It's actually pretty easy for right-brained folks like me, if you don't try to do it from scratch. I found this Design & Draw Fashion Sketches tutorial series by Lauren Bradley of expertvillage on YouTube.

The tutorial, combined with lessons and templates from the book Fashion Artist by Sandra Burke that I borrowed from the library, gave me the basic know-how to produce my first sketch:
Look! I drew fashion!

Well, this is the first dress that I plan to make for wearing in public. The design components:

• I usually start with a fitted shift dress, because it's a style that fits me well. I think.
• Add some details for interest, otherwise it's too plain, because I will be making it with cotton. Ruffles are hot right now, but I'm not ready for them. Gathers I always have a hard time to make. So, pleats it is.
• Let's attach the pleats to the hem, because it will probably / hopefully be the easiest.
• I like the sleeves on this Burda 06-2009-122 top. Obviously have to pleat them to match the hem.

Look! I sort of designed something!

Now that it's out there, I have to actually make it and finish it, no matter how it turns out - if it does at all!