Stashbusting linen project (pt.1)

When I dug out my Salme #113 playsuit pattern, I also found that I had bought another Salme pattern.
A rather nice top with a peplum and key hole cutouts front and back. I remember reading somewhere that peplums are flattering to the slightly uncurvy figure (of which I have plenty), and I suspect that's why I bought it in the first place.

I've made kind of a silent pledge to use patterns, and when possible, fabrics that are already in my stash. Just to keep costs down, and also keep the hoard down (and make room for new fabric, of course). I am happy to report that nothing new was purchased for this project, and it all started with the top.

I initially meant for this to be just a muslin of the Salme peplum top. I found two pieces of light blue linen in my stash that I bought out of a remnant bin. The weave is quite loose, and the fabric is a medium weight, but very soft. I really liked the colour, so if all turned out well, I could see myself wearing it. In some happy twist of events, I also found a piece of silvery grey acetate lining, and a plan started forming in my mind.

The top sewed up great. The instructions were very good, much better than for the playsuit luckily. But it was hard to check the top for fit during construction.  You need to sew the lining to the bodice early in the process, and you won't be able to really try it on until the zipper is in. And for that to happen, you need to attach the peplum piece too, as the zipper is in the side seam, and halfway down the peplum.
The top was a good fit over the shoulders and bust, but baggy below the bust. So, I had to take it apart again to make adjustments. The main issues were the bust darts (and the bodice length). I had fabric pooling on each side under the bust. I noticed that the dart needed to be taken in in the lower half only, so the excess would be taken up in the dart. It did wonders for the bagginess. I also took in a little bit more in the back darts, to tighten it up a bit.

This is the top before adjusting (sorry, bad phone pics)
On the front sides you can see that extra fabric pooling from the bust, and actually folding at the side seam.
In the back, the bodice is too long, causing wrinkles.

The fabric caused a bit of a problem, because it "grows" when handled and ironed too much. I made some wide legged trousers out of the same quality, and that has now got "knee-bags" in it. And a saggy butt. The top really needs lining, but during all the adjusting and unpicking, it had no support and it was hard not to stretch it. It would have benefited to be underlined, but I didn't want it to be too heavy. It was alright, as long as it was handled with care. (Top tip (and note to self!); when dealing with fabric that wants to warp and stretch, it helps to press, not iron.)

I noticed that with a peplum it is very important that the waist seam sits exactly at the natural waist, or the bodice will bunch up if it is too long. I attached my peplum twice before I found the sweet spot, and I also learnt that I'm rather short waisted! Fitting clothing is quite enlightening, and I think it is very interesting to see the huge differences small adjustments make.

Now, there is one thing I didn't like about the pattern, the peplum piece is not lined. This peplum is basically a very short full circle skirt, and we all know what it's like to hem a full circle. If the pieces were lined, you would have a clean finish on the (whole) inside, plus have the hemming sorted in one swoop. I didn't have enough lining fabric anyway, but If I make this top again the peplum will be lined.

I hemmed the peplum with bias binding,
and did the same for the skirt.

The cutout in the bodice is supposed to be closed by a stitch in the corner.
But I like it open, because you can flip down the tips, and have a collar of sorts.
We'll see what I end up doing

A little press and some minor finishing left!

When the top was all done, I still had a decent  piece of linen left. Was it enough for a skirt? Why, yes it was! The thought of a whole linen outfit was tantalising!

The pattern is part of  McCalls #7608 from the 1960s, a suit with a blouse. I decided to use the straight skirt, as it matched my waist size, so hopefully not too much redrafting. It also features a kick pleat in the back. (I also MUST make the jacket from this pattern, it looks great!)

Sadly, there was not enough of the silvery lining left, but I knew the skirt absolutely had to have support, so I went with underlining. You basically cut your skirt pieces in fashion fabric and another lining fabric, baste the edges together and treat them as one piece for the rest of the construction. The seam allowances need to be finished with this technique, and I went for binding them with bias strips of leftover acetate lining. The underlining is very fine cotton batiste, densely woven and ultra light.

When I stitched it up and tried it on it was very frumpy. Comfortable, yes, but oh so frumpy! I shaved off about one inch on both hips, and lightly pegged the skirt, so that it tapers in towards the hem. In all, I narrowed it 8" on the total width, so quite a lot!

There's only some handstitching to do on the skirt hem, and top lining. I also need to attach a hook and eye closure for the skirt and finish the zipper end. But other than that, I am just waiting for the sun to shine, so I can get pictures for the "big reveal"!

All I want for Christmas is a...... plaid dress?

Ho ho ho, everyone!
Yes, it's drawing near now, isn't it?

When it finally dawned on me just how few weeks there are left until the holidays, I put my Victorian stuff aside for a bit. You have to make priorities, right?

You see, for the last couple of years, I've had grand plans of a plaid Christmas dress of some sort. But every year has been the same; so many plans, so VERY little time! Since becoming unemployed, that is not the case this year, and I will  finally (hopefully) have a me-made dress for Christmas! Yay :)
I opted for a dress not too dressy, just classic lines and a bit of grown-up appeal.

When choosing the pattern, I wanted one that had something new. I have never made anything with plaids before, so you would think that should be enough novelty for one project... But noooo.
Princess seamed dress for the win!

This is Maudella #5204, in a 35"bust.
I cannot find a year on it, but it's probably mid-sixties.

I think princess seams was why I initially bought this pattern in the first place, because the cover art design is not something that awakens my desire, if you catch my drift. Man, those ladies have properly sloping shoulders!! Luckily, the pattern inside was not made for nearly as extreme anatomical features, and my first muslin fit me beautifully with no alterations other than adding a smidge in centre front and back panel. I didn't take any photos before I took apart the pieces, to use as pattern for my fashion fabric.

Now, on to the cutting. I tried to be a brain-monster and get it all right, but you know how when you really concentrate on something, another detail that is usually a no-brainer goes wrong? Right.
So I managed to match the horisontal lines, but as I discovered when assembling the six main pieces, the two front sides, and the two back side pieces did not quite mirror each other. It is not anything glaringly obvious, but it is kind of annoying. I have extra fabric left, but I am still debating whether I'll make the jacket to match. I'll take some measurements of the faulty side piece, and if I can use it for the jacket, I might re-do. Otherwise, it is just a big waste of fabric for such a cosmetic flaw. So I am trying to live with it for now :)

Doh-moment!

I am sorry for this rubbish phone-photos, but you get the general idea. This is the back half of the dress on my ironing board, and as you can see, those two sides are not "on target". The front is better,

My plaid is a lovely wool blend fabric, that is nice and light. I will obviously need to line it because of the itch-factor, but I think I'll be fine on that one. My plan is to just make up a second dress in lining fabric and drop it inside. How hard can it be, right?

It's panning out to be a fun project with lots of new things to learn, and hopefully I'll have a finished dress to show you shortly! In the meanwhile, I wish you lots of success on your Christmas preparations ;)

Toodles!

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.

The Birthday dress, a pattern mash-up

Hello everybody!

This Sunday marks the end of my summer holidays of 2014. A grey and gloomy day, after weeks of sun and heat. Actually, it feels quite nice, and the air is fresh after the showers.

Since August is the Big Birthday month here at Pinhouse, what is more appropriate than dresses?
My own birthday is the 5th, a tuesday and I'll be at work all evening, so no dress wearing that day.
So let's celebrate it today with this new creation of mine :)

This is a pattern mash up of Simplicity #5780, which I used for my Floral frock, and the bottom half of Simplicity #3422.

I am sooo gonna make that #3422 (view 2) one day!
Gorgeous!

I made this dress mostly to try out some techniques new to me. This is my first lined dress bodice, my first time pleating a skirt, and first time making a dirndl skirt. I was unsure if I would like the silhouette, but I think I can honestly say "Me luuurvs it!!" The fabric is some sort of cotton blend satin thingy, a remnant bin find, so I figured I could afford to mess it up. Only I didn't!

A narrow red belt would be rockin'!

The #5780 bodice was cut with no alterations this time. I was so surprised last time that it came out big, despite being a size smaller than I am, so I took a gamble. I faced it this time around, and lined it too. The armscyes could be a bit deeper, I see some bunching/pulling in the back. But it is not uncomfortable at all, just not the perfect fit.

Little bit of pulling, but I can live with that :)
The pattern matching went out the window aswell.
Also ok :)

The skirt didn't really need a pattern as it's just a big rectangle (actually three...) that is gathered at the waist. I had to piece together some fabric to make this skirt happen, as the remnant fabric came in two pieces of nearly 1.5 yards each. I think it came out great, you can hardly see the seams. I opted for pleats around the waist, instead of gathers, as I think it looks tidier. It took some doing and redoing to get it right, but it was well worth the practise:)

Pouf-less pouch!

I made a flat section in front, to not add any poof to my stomach, and next time I do this I will have more pleats at the sides/on the hips, because I can see this is a perfect way to give me some shape (having a narrow hip and a flat bum). This is what is so great with making ones own clothes, instead of letting "bodily shortcomings" get you down, you can add design elements that helps you create the shape you want, and make you feel good in your own skin.

So, who else has a birthday at Pinhouse, you ask? Well, the blog it self!! Yes, my humble corner of the web is soon to be one year old! I can hardly believe it! I must say I had my doubts as to whether I would keep it up, but it has been so rewarding and fun, not to mention you lovely people who bother with coming over to see what I've been up to. I appreciate every single one of your pageviews and comments, they make my day! And I also love to visit your small corners too, and be inspired! Keep it up!

In the event of the Blogaversary, I will host a little give-away to say thank you! So stay tuned for that :)

The Floral Frock (Simplicity #5780)

I finally got to photograph this dress I mentioned a few posts ago. So without further ado... Here it is; The 60s Floral Frock!

The 'I need to wee' pose.
Oh well.

This is a pattern from 1964 for a simple sleeveless, unlined dress with gathers at the waist and in the back. It has a back zipper closure. Meet Simplicity #5780!

source

The pattern is a size 16, for a 36" bust, 28" waist. As I am neither of those two measurements, and have a high bust measurement of 37" and a 30" waist, I redrafted the bodice, adding some wiggle-room by slash'n'spread. I also added 1.5" in lenght. I had a piece of brushed cotton sateen in my stash, just barely enough to eek out a dress, so no more for extra pieces should there be cock-ups! I made an effort to get the print to match in the back, and it went quite well. There was not enough for matching in the skirt pieces, but I am not very bothered by that.

Rather happy with that print matching on the bodice :)

The dress sewed up quickly. As I have no dress form, I had to sew the whole thing together (including the zipper) before trying it on for fit, and I was really surprised to find it was too big overall.
I unpicked everything, and made adjustments. I actually took away more than I added to begin with, so I guess ease is different in 60s patterns compared to the 40s ones. I did even measure the pattern pieces for a rough guide, but something has obviously happened underway. Maybe I am not as big as I think? Huh?!

The dress ended up not super fitted, but I really don't mind that much. It is better to have some breathing (and eating)room, than to look like a stuffed sausage, anyway!
The biggest problem with trying to grade down the bodice, was to preserve my stellar print matching! It would have been easy taking some out at center back, but now I had to shave off the armscyes and side seams instead. I don't think the fit around the arms is perfect, I could have taken more away. But I tried to calculate the bit that would go away with the binding of the edges, but obviously it was not enough.

The pattern instructed to make a self belt,
but as I didn't have a belt kit
it is currently sans belt.

The pattern said to use facings for the armholes, but after all that snipping and trimming , the precut facing pieces didn't fit anymore, so I bias bound them instead. I found a great tutorial that taught me how to insert bias binding to an armhole without getting a bulky seam where the ends meet. This was news to me, and worked wonderfully! If you don't already know this trick, I highly recommend it. Yay for new skills!

So, new dress AND a new trick in my sewing bag! That's a double win :)