Rockabilly circle skirt dress - pt2

I've been hard at work on my new dress today. I really wanted to get a move on and get it finished for our holiday trip which is coming up in a few days.

As discussed in the previous post, I felt the bodice cups needed padding and some support, so I looked through my stash to see if I had anything that could be used. I found a pair of foam shoulder pads I bougth ages ago. They were not very thick, so could easily be remodelled into bra cups.

I made a small dart in each pad, and stitched them shut. To reduce bulk, I trimmed out some of the fold on the inside, and whip stitched everything flat.

 The pads now mirrored the bust shape in the bodice and was ready to be attached.

First, I tacked the point of the bust dart, to the point of the pad, so the pad would not shift around inside the bra cup. I shaped the bodice smoothly over the pads, pinned them loosely in place and carefully catch stitched the pads to the inside of the cups, making sure not to catch the outside fabric.

I love catch stitching, it looks so couture!

I am really happy with how the bust improved by doing this. I also realized that I will not be able to wear a bra with this dress, because of the low cut back. So integrated cups are gold! The dress looks, and feel, so much better.

I also put in some boning in the side seams. I used plain plastic boning, 1 cm wide. I just stitched it to the seam allowance using a three-step zig-zig, and handtacked it down to the underlining. This simple step will hopefully stop the bodice from sagging and folding at the sides, keeping a smooth shape.

Lastly, I got the skirt back sorted to take up the excess at the waist. I basically just opened up the back seam, trimmed off about an inch on both edges, and sewed the back seam together again. I decided to continue my "couture detailing" with a hand picked zipper. I haven't done those before, but it looks wonderful! Almost impossible to spot :)

The much improved bust,
properly period, bullet silhouette!

All remaining now, is stitching the bodice lining to the waist, and hemming!

Rockabilly circle skirt dress - pt1

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a new sewing project going! One which really just partially involve a pattern, so it has been a bit daunting and exciting at the same time.

Ever since I made the striped beach outfit using the Mrs. Depew sun top pattern, I have had that top in my mind, because I always thought it would make an awesome dress bodice. Not long after the stripey sun top, I got hold of some fabric that was just screaming halterneck full skirt dress. But you know, winters came and dresses were not the priority (and to be honest, I was lacking skills), but I just couldn't forget about that dress.

Big bold florals!

Top pattern in question, Depew #1018.

So last week as I rummaged through the pattern stash, the sun top pattern emerged. Elvis hollered "It's now or never!!!" from the back of my mind, and I decided to just get on with it :)

The top obviously needed to be lenghtened a bit to reach my waist, but other than that I didn't do anything to it. I made a quick muslin with a zipper in the back to check the lenght, but I didn't attach a skirt to it. Nor did I bother with the bust trim. The top don't take much fabric and I had lots of the fashion fabric, so in the event of a small disaster I would be able to cut another.

The striped top is two layers of quilting cotton and is nice and sturdy. The dress fabric is very light, and it needed more structure, so I underlined it with cotton canvas. The bust trim is "party satin" (a midweigth fabric) and is backed with fusible interfacing. The bodice also has a layer of acetate lining next to the skin. I was debating on whether to put boning in, but I was so eagerly sewing, that it was kind of too late when the debating was over... Oh well. I can still get some boning done, at the back and sides. And you know what, I think I probably will. I also think the cups are too soft, and I really should put *something* into them, to "perk" them up a little (preferably boobs, but you know). Some foam would be swell, I just need to see what is available in the stash.

You can see the cup is slightly imploding. Miss Cardboard is obviously
lacking soft fleshy bits, but I feel the cups would benefit from some padding.

The upper edge of the cups caused me some struggles, as the interfaced trim bit across the bust is a double piece of satin with fusable. It is quite stiff and thick, and at the center front it got very bulky. I even had problems here with the cotton version. It's just so many layers that meet up in that seam. I graded and trimmed as much as I dared, and understitched the lining to the seam allowance and tacked it to the underlining layer all along the bust to keep it from flipping up. It's alright, but it took a lot of fiddling and pressing!

On to the skirt bit! I have never ever made a circle skirt of any kind, and was dreading the waist calculating. Since a great portion of the cut hole will be on the bias, it will stretch. Luckily, there is an online calculator for that, which I used. You basically plot in your waist size, and the calculator tells you the radius on your.. well, hole. My radius was apparently 12.5 cm.
My pattern piece ended up like so. I opted for a generous length as I had not yet settled on a specific skirt length. I made sure to include some for seam allowance on top, and also the hem. I think I want the skirt to at least cover my knees when standing.

My skirt is made up of three pieces, even though I could have cut two full half circles. The dress has a back zipper, so I figured I needed a back seam to set it in. I felt really brainy as I had it all figured out, with seam allowances for all three skirt pieces and everything! (Usually, those are the small details that just slip ones mind..) I underlined the skirt pieces too, but not with canvas, that would be too heavy. I had plenty of cotton batiste, which is light as kitten fluff, super smooth and just perfect for the job. It also made the colours pop on the white background.

With all six pieces cut for the skirt (minus the hole), I basted the doubles together, and sewed the three seams between the panels. I decided to just trust the calculator, and braved the scissors to the waist hole. Just as I finished the cut, it dawned on me that I hadn't deducted the seam allowance for the waist seam!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh no!

I was quick to sew a row of staystitching around the hole, because I was not having any more room in that waist, by letting it stretch even a tiny fraction! I have now basted the skirt to the dress, and I think I can do a little trick with the back seam in the skirt, to take care of that extra room in the waist.

When attaching the skirt, I also noticed that the side seams on the skirt and bodice don't line up. This didn't even cross my mind when planning the dress. I just assumed the side seam was at the side of the top, but it actually sits a bit to the front. And I made it worse when I lenghtened the bodice. So the skirt side seam now sits 1.5 inches to the back. I really don't mind too much, because the print is so busy. But if I were to make this dress again, I'd adjust the pattern pieces

I am actually glad it happened, because those are the things that you learn so much from :)

Ooopsie....! Fantastically non-matching seams :P

The dress is now hanging a day or two, to let the hem settle. Then I'll try to get it all sorted, with cup padding, maybe some boning, inserting a zipper, and then the hemming itself (good grief that's a long hem).

Wish me luck!

"New" addition to Pinhouse (and a new blouse)!

Hello, stitchers!

I have exciting news :) I have finally got hold of a dress form (of sorts)!
I've been wanting one for as long as I've been sewing, but never found one that I liked the price tag of.
Then suddenly, an old beat up gal from the late 50s showed up, and I couldn't just leave her out in the cold. Yes, she is stained and a bit crumpled, and in desperate need a new stand and some TLC, but I think she is just lovely and charming!

The only story I have on her is that she used to belong to a seamstress working professionally.
The date 28.11.1959 is written on the dress form stand, so she is a mature lady of nearly 60. I cannot find a size on her, but she is stamped 4 in the neck. She is quite curvy, with a 39" severely pointed bust and a 26" waist, and the shoulders of an Olympic swimmer! She is made from some strange kind of lightweight material. If cardboard and felt had a lovechild, this would be it!

She matches my bust size, but I will have to pad out her trim waist, sadly (or start wearing a corset myself). She is somewhat adjustable, she is assembled with some kind of metal rivets, and there are punched holes at regular intervals on the waist and hips for different size settings. I've never seen this type of dress form, and found it quite interesting.

So what better way of introducing her, than to give her her first modelling assignment? (I've decided she will be my bad-hair-day-stand-in. Oh man, is she going to be busy!)

This is my latest version of the Style #3410 pattern I  first made last summer. Although I loved the finished blouse, it was too short in the body, and the polyester fabric was VERY static and clingy and drove me nuts. I wanted to make a new one with the long sleeves option and with some adjustments to the body for a better fit. I cut the pattern before Christmas, hoping to wear it over the holidays, hence the color. Obviously, that didn't happen but instead ended up in a bag. I finished it just in time for Constitution day 17th of May. The fabric is flowy viscose. A pain to cut, ok-ish to sew, but a pure joy to wear. (I do apologise for the photos, red is not easy on my camera, apparently.)

I think the curved seam on both front and back is a nice detail.

I am really happy with this one, but I am wondering if it would be even better with fish eye darts in the front. It is a bit boxy, but then again it is meant to be tucked in. The style is soft and feminine with the gathered details, and I love the longer, slightly "bishopy" sleeves. They reach just below the elbows, perfect for me, cause I'm always rolling up my sleeves without even noticing.

The plan is to sew a skirt to go with it. Skirts are hard for me, but it needs to be done. Do you have a favorite style of skirt or a favorite pattern?

Butterick #5880 - the dress that changed it's mind.

Helluuuu!

A couple of posts ago I mentioned there was a dress to be blogged, and if you've been here before I think you might recognize it :)

Remember this one?

I started this dress in early June, but I cut a size too small and it ended up in a bag.
It really was a huge disappointment, as I had saved these precious three yards of fabric for a special dress, just waiting for that perfect pattern. I pondered a while on what to do with it once the disaster was a fact, and just moved on to other things.

Pretty details :)

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to pull it out and finish it. It was bound to be a pretty dress, so better to sell it, than to have it in two halves in a bag somewhere. Since the plan was to take someones money in exchange, I kind of put my soul in it. It is fully lined with french-seamed cotton voile, I added a waist stay, and did decorative stitches by hand along the neck- and armhole edges. Even tea-dyed the embroidery floss! I hemmed it with me-made bias tape, invisibly, by hand.

I really went to town...!

When it was done, I put it on a hanger and admired it. It was my best work to date. It was perfect.
Just for the hell of it, I decided to try to put it on. I had my underbust corset handy, but pulled the dress on without it. I knew I could get it on with the side zip open.

I slowly pulled up the zip. And it closed all the way! What the ....???

It fitted me, like a glove. Perfect fit! How on Gods green earth did that happen???
Obviously, the dress changed it's mind and decided to fit me, after all :)
(OR; all joking aside; I think yoga is what has happened. I have practiced every day for nearly three months, and I have probably toned up. Who would have thought?)

The only curse now, is that I tossed the (alterated) pattern pieces. Ah the irony!
And needless to say; the dress is no longer for sale ;)

A tale of a new friendship (and a massive amount of vintage bliss!)

Hello boys and girls!

I trust you are all having a lovely summer (or winter...), I know I am!
My three weeks of holiday is almost up, and it has been wonderful to just be. And not so much do! That is not to say I have been sitting on my patootie, oh no! There has been sunbathing (lying on my patootie), kayaking (ok, that's sitting), doing lots of yoga/human pretzel impersonations, some sewing and knitting. Basically, every and any thing my heart desired!

I have also made a new friend! A sewing friend!
This lovely woman is named Hilde, and I met her last spring on our annual sportscar gathering. She is a seamstress by profession, and works with our national treasure, the Bunad. She has her own sewing studio her husband made for her in their barn. It's better than I make it sound, I am so envious!
We have had some on and off contact, as we live a couple of hours apart and are, well, busy. We met again this spring at the same event, and she told me she had some stuff that she wondered if I could use. They were apparently some patterns, but I had to come visit her to get them. Done deal!

To make a long story short (and get to the good stuff) I went to see her last weekend, and OH MY!
I really dont know where to start.

Spot the third one from the left.
a complete holiday wardrobe!

To kick off, there's some Norwegian mailorder patterns from the 50s. The big green book is a gem! It is printed in 1964 and contains heaps of techniques and how-to's for the home seamstress. Also knitting, crocheting, how to make lace (!), needlework, everything. It is in Norwegian, and finally I can communicate the sewing lingo in my own language! It is hard, when you are self taught and have googled all you know in English... To my greatest joy, there is a tailoring section in there, and I sense my two piece suit is drawing near:)

Next, there is a huge lot of German patterns, that has been pulled from a subscription magazine. The subscriber was Norwegian, and collected these for what seems like some years. They range from about 1966-69, and contain lots of fun stuff! There must be over a hundred of them!

Cool sailor slacks.
This pattern had several variations.

The coolest item of all (if there is such a thing!) is this Silver Scissor booklet, complete with the special ruler/ tape measure. It is similar to the Lutterloh system, where you draft your pattern from small drawings of the pattern pieces using the ruler. Quite genious, and I look forward to have a go at this :) It seems the patterns were released in intervals, so you could collect them over time. I haven't counted these, but there must be about 50 or so.

Will you look at that purple set! And the top suit...swoon.

This should be fun!

I just adore adore the white ensemble....!

 There was also a small collection of various 1960s patterns, and a magazine containing some patterns as well.  

Fabulous dressing gown alert, top left corner!

I am just over the moon over these things! The total number of patterns is probably 200+, and worth a pretty penny if sold separately. Needless to say, I am not letting go of any of these, I feel so blessed to have recieved such a generous gift! She even gave me two pairs of chrocheted gloves, but they are getting a post of their own. Utterly gorgeous things! Here's to new friendships!

Thank you, Hilde :) You're a star.

New shirt and the closet-shrinking skirt!

Hey all!

So I finally got to photograph my petrol skirt I made a few weeks ago. We got a surprice snowfall the day before yesterday, which gracefully covered all the mud in our backyard. And that spells great lighting!

Since I finally found the shirt pattern of Win (Simplicity #2195), I wipped up another one last weekend, to wear with the skirt. I used the same fabric for this version as I did the first one. It's just some really cheap cotton canvas, which is great to work with and suits everyday clothing. The big plus for me is that it comes in so many lovely vibrant colors, and has no right and wrong side. Again, I picked one of "my recommended colors".

Sorry for the blurry photo.
I need a manned camera!

I love this new shirt, it turned out even better than the first, and now I don't have to dread making buttonholes anymore. Bertha is a champ with her automatic buttonhole function, and they come out perfect every time! Yay!

The skirt however, has fallen from grace. It seems to have shrunk in my closet. I could barely eek it on over the shirt! I haven't been running much the last few weeks, due to a ankle sprain that won't quite heal. It could be that I need a kick in the backside, so the darn skirt will fit again. I'm sure it will work out eventually.

On another note, I am in full swing with my Ceylon dress. The pattern is traced and cut, now on to the muslin! Oh, and EASTER BREAK IS HERE!!!!! Yeehaw!

Pink power! (Simplicity #2195)

Hey everybody!

I hope you are all doing well, and looking forward to easter break. I know I am!
I just love the longer days, the milder temps and not having to scrape ice off my car in the mornings.
SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!!

These last weeks since getting Bertha the sewing machine, I have been in a creative wirlwind of planning, and procrastinating. Funny enough, I do not seem to posess the imagination to use anything from my stash. A part of it are fabrics very precious to me, that I am saving for the perfect project (sound familiar?) but for the most part my entire stash seems to be made up of weird, overly-floral stuff in unflattering colors. I think what I am getting at, is that I think I have evolved. I am starting to find my likes and dislikes, but also put down some more thought in what I am making.

Lately I have been reading a bit about colors, and which of them suit different people.
Since I am to cheap to splurge my fabric funds on getting a color analysis, I have come to the conclusion that I have a cool complexion, classified as a winter type and should keep to cool color tones.

source

I find this stuff rather interesting, and decided to try out my new found knowledge.
So, I made a shirt!

I made version 2.
The pattern comes with embroidery-transfers
for monograms!

This is Simplicity #2195 from 1957. I gotta tell ya, I love this pattern! It has the easiest collar construction I have ever tried, and it just looks great. If anything, I would have liked it even more if the collar was bigger (but that's what the 70s are for!). A simple under-collar is first easily sewn to the bodice, and then the interfaced front facings and collar are stitched on in one swoop along the collar edge. I was so pleased with it, I nearly cried a bit. The rest of the shirt went together very smoothly, even setting in the sleeves went perfect on the first try, which never happens!

Neat and easy collar-construction,
with bias bound finish.

The shirt has front and back tucks. I like them on the back, but the front ones add some pouf that I am a bit unsure of. As demonstrated by the pattern cover art, this blouse is for tucking into skirts and pants, and then the front tucks will make more sense. Next time, I think I'll tinker with them and maybe make them into fisheye darts.

OMG. I look like I've had a case of wine.
Cool shirt though.

Perfect sleeves, loose  fitting
and comfortable.

The sleeves was also brilliant to make, no cuffs or other nonsense, just folded up and slipstitched on the inside. They are the perfect length I find, as I always keep pulling up my sleeves on sweaters and shirts, when cooking, sewing, knitting. No need here, as they're never in the way.

Top stitched yoke, and gathers at the back.

So, what do you think? Do you think this color suits me? It really is a very vibrant cool toned color, and I get instant energy from it. I intend to give my other colors a try, too:)