Mad Men Challenge

Julia Bobbin has kindly hosted round 2 of her infamous Mad Men Dress Challenge! I don't even think I had a blog last year when she hosted it the first one, so I was super excited when she announced a round 2 and I could play along!

Just look at these dresses from last year, I adore each and every one of them.

http://www.juliabobbin.com/2012/04/mad-men-dress-challenge-big-reveal.html

So the inspiration dress is one of Megan's that she wore a couple of times in season 4.  Simple, yet effective! Of course I had to go with a dress with an interesting collar/neckline because that just seems to float my boat, not to mention a contrasting trim! A match made in heaven.

So I went all out, unnecessarily, and got some cheap and nasty polyester to keep in with the 60s theme.  I kind of regret making it up in polyester, it's just so SHINY! Ha, but I will still wear it, probably just not to work.  Also, the fit was really large around the bust in the pattern I used, so the stretch weave was very forgiving in altering the dress. 

I used a vintage pattern - Butterick 2799 which I'd never sewn up before.  I love the version with the sleeves and am keen to make that version up at some stage, sooner rather than later now it's getting cooler and I've got some large floral vintage barkcloth that would work nicely.  It's made up with a v shaped seam from the side of the bust down to the waist, which would also look quite cool with piped seams.

Anyway, here is the finished product, in all it's glittery polyester glory.  I played makeups especially for the occasion.

I love the fabric I used to make the bias binding and collar, it's from a range called Country Garden from Spotlight for $4 clams a metre.  I just sewed up 2 separate pieces and sewed them up either side of the zip and sewed along the bottom to the shoulder seam.  Megan's collar is a lot wider than mine, but I'm happy with how mine turned out.

Invisible collar isn't completely invisible, and I could have gotten a closer fit at the high bust but it shall do for now.

Now for a bit of housekeeping, Bloglovin said I need to claim my blog by putting this code into a post or something something.  I'm confused by all these google reader changes, I never used it anyway, so long as blogger dashboard remains untouched I think I'm good.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3960634/?claim=utvsspsv6av">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Birthday Outfit

It's my birthday and I made a new outfit, happy birthday to me!

I used New Look 6808 for the top, I thought I should keep it simple given the loud print.  I absolutely love the fabric for this top, so bright and pretty, not usually my colours but the instant fabric crush was too strong not to make something for myself.  I've posted this photo on this blog before, but here's another closeup because it's just so darn pretty.

I used cotton sateen for the skirt, it's so lovely and heavy and holds the gathers so well.

I've had a lot of sewing time recently so also managed to whip up a top for my nephew's 1st birthday on Monday, it's kind of awesome even if I do say so myself...

Simplicity 1609!!!!

I have been on the lookout for the perfect A-Line dress pattern that I could spruce up with different collars, bows etc, and Simplicity have gone ahead and released the exact pattern with bow AND amazing scalloped collar options included!

I am SO excited I can hardly contain myself, so I thought the best place to get excited was on my sewing blog, of course! I think you're going to see a lot of this pattern made up very soon on this here blog! Starting with the mad men challenge...

In other sewing news, I'm working on a black sateen cotton high waisted gathered skirt with thick waistband, basing the skirt on Gertie's dirndle skirt tutorial here, should be finished sometime this week. Turns out creating perfect gathers can cause quite the headache, but I'm nearly there. I'm currently all about skirts at the moment, totally boring to make but my wardrobe is in dire need of skirts, both for play and work, so another gathered skirt in brown and another Colette Ginger in denim are on the cards.

I'll update with my new skirt later in the week, cotton sateen is totally my new favourite fabric.

Polka Dot Frock Fest

Hey hey, I finally finished my New Look 6000 which, as previously mentioned in my blog, I sewed up as part of the Polka Dot Frock Fest that Winnie from Scruffy Badger Time is running.  The aim of the game is to make any version of the pattern up incorporating polka dots somehow.

I really wanted to make it up in brown with cream spots to keep in with the retro style of the dress, but alas I could not find such fabric anywhere.  Then I found some in the quilting section at Lincraft (shh!) and it worked a treat. It seems a lot softer than the usual wrinkle prone quilting fabric so I think it will be fine this time. 

I took so many photos of this dress and this is the best of the bunch.  Ridiculous.  Standing in a corner in the dark surrounded by large objects, that's how you take a good photo, isn't it?! Although Luke's Fender Supersonic is quite a sexy amp.

I cut all my hair off about a month ago, the do goes nicely with this outfit!

This was the first dress I've made that hasn't been A-line, my hips are fairly out of proportion to the rest of my body so it was a real struggle to fit this one to my body.  I'm pretty sure my right arm muscle is twice the size from the the constant zipping up and down of this dress, ha.

Here's a close up of the fabric as it's not so clear from the photos.

I do believe that button was made especially for this dress.

I pretty much sewed up the whole dress on the weekend, not without dramas, one of the sleeves kept bunching up, I unpicked it and redid that sleeve THREE TIMES! I also broke 2 needles in the process and redid the zip twice! I got there in the end.

Getting better at those inzisible zips, even if I have to do have to revisit the Colette tutorial every.single.time.  It looks a bit wonky in this photo but it is actually completely straight and I just need to pull the dress down.

I found the pattern really well written and easy to follow, I LOVE that collar, it's why I brought the pattern in the first place.  I would like to make the dress again but change the design of the skirt to make it flare out into A-line, but I am really pleased with this dress, it's wearable as a work dress or a party dress, heels or flats. Yay, thanks Winnie for spurring me on to get it done and dusted!

I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the group's finished products. 

Vogue 9668

I finally finished this dress last week.  It's more of a wearable muslin made out of very cheap polycotton, I just loved the shade of green, it's very hard to find forrest green fabric I've noticed! Emerald green is everywhere though, I hear it's the colour of the sesason.

So this is the finished product

I got Luke to take photos quickly before work this morning in a mad rush, I think it's time to invest in a tripod, I'm never happy with the photos on this blog, my house is so dark so I'm always rushing to get them done in a small window of time.  I wasn't going to wear it to work but then I decided, why not, it's office appropriate and I've had a lot of nice comments already.

This is hands down the best invisible zipper I've ever attempted, it doesn't look so great in the photo, it's because I still have to slipstitch the lining on the inside and it's not laying flat against the dress, but I'm totally happy with it. I need to really take the time to finish my clothes properly before wearing them, I'm already half way through another item of clothing and I wonder if I'll ever actually finish my slip stitching.  I'm terrible at it, that's the problem and I hate the fact that so many items of clothing require this process.

I didn't change anything on the pattern except the arms, the pattern asked to SLIP STITCH the cap of the sleeves into place, which I would probably fail miserably at and would come apart way too easily.  Ain't nobody got time for that, so I just did bagged the sleeve using a technique I picked up from a separate Vogue pattern in the past.  I think I will always to sleeves this way.

I also didn't line the skirt as I didn't think it was necessary.  This pattern is interesting as it calls for you to interface most pieces so it's quite stiff, which I think gives it the lovely structured lines which I love about it.  I made the decision to try and add some more "cake" pieces to my wardrobe, as it's all about frosting with me it seems ha.  But now I find this dress a little too cakey and I'm on the hunt for the perfect, bright neckless to complement it.  I've been on a fabric splurge as my lovely bosses gave me 300 clams worth of Lincraft vouchers for Christmas! Best present ever, so I've been hitting the big January sale and I'm getting a lot of suiting/wool/cotton sateen, all in plain cakey colours to try and build more of a versatile wardrobe.

One more photo of the dress in full to give a clearer image of the colour. So photogenic.  Not.

I originally planned to make this in an olive green but I don't think I'll bother now.  That's the problems with making muslins, I never want to see a pattern again for at least 6 months after I finish making something.  Oh well I'm still happy with this one.

Yesterday I started another pussy bow blouse, using Simplicity 2501, I'll hopefully finish that this week, and then I'm going to start on New Look 6000 as I decided to participate in this -

You can read about it here -
http://scruffybadgertime.co.uk/2013/01/february-challenge-polka-dot-frock-fest/

I brought this pattern last week to use up some of the wool in my stash for a work dress, and then I saw this in my feed so I thought why not join in.  I'm a bit nervous as I've never made a fitted sheath before, I always make full skirts to accommodate my child bearing hips and upon taking my measurments on this pattern, it tells me I'm 8 in the bust and 14 in the waist, waaaaa?! So I better attempt a muslin before starting to get the fit right.  I would like it in a chocolate brown with cream spots, I just have to find said fabric somewhere now and I can get started.

Liebster Award

I have recently been  nominated not once but twice for this award, which made my heart swell!! So thank you to the very talented girls, Abby of Bluegingerdoll (who just started an Etsy store you can check it out here http://www.etsy.com/shop/Bluegingerdoll and fellow Brisbane gal Erin of I Heart Fabric!

So the idea of this award is to answer 11 questions presented to you by the award giver, and then nominate another 5 blogs to pass the award to with another set of 11 questions.  It's aimed at blogs that have less than 200 followers to share the blog love around.

So, first of all, here are the answers to Abby's 11 questions!

1. Who is your vintage inspiration?

I love the whole 50s and 60s fashion in general, the makeup, the hair, the dresses, especially 50s fitted dresses with the big skirts and the colourful mod dresses of the 60s

2. What is your favourite vintage era?

Eek, I spoke to soon, see above, also I love the flowy fashions of the 70s, brown and orange flower power in particular!

3. Have you embraced the vintage lifestyle in full?

Not at all, I just really love the older style fashion everybody dressed so much nicer and put so much effort in.  Also, the amount of effort home-sewn seamstresses used to put into their garments has to be admired, these ladies would be shocked to the core to see my half hearted efforts in finishing a dress once the the finish line is in sight!

4. Other than the vintage clothes, what would be the one thing you  would pick, if you could bring it back into modern day use?

Better music! It’s hard to find modern day albums that can even compare to some of the class albums of the 60s and 70s!

5. What would you ask your favourite vintage movie star, if you had the chance of having a conversation?

To give me every dress in her wardrobe

6. Do you use vintage recipes in your everyday cooking?

Not so much, but I don’t use recipes so much in general. 

7. Who is your modern day vintage inspiration?

I probably have to mention Gretchen Hirsh, Gertie’s Blog for Better Sewing was a total inspiration for me when I started sewing she is amazing.

8. What has been your most exciting vintage sewing project/ or vintage find?

I’ve only started working recently with vintage patterns, I had a mega ebay win of beautiful patterns from the 60s and 70s recently which are sitting on my sewing desk waiting patiently for me to do them some justice!

9. What is the one vintage item you would love to own?

I would love to collect some more beautiful fabric to sew with, it's so hard to find without paying a small fortune, and furniture, a nice old chesterfield or some art deco lamps.

10. What vintage car would you love to drive?

I don’t know too much about cars in general, maybe an old mustang convertable, something that requires me to wear a scarf in my hair and big sunglasses!

11. What is your favourite vintage sewing pattern ( 

 picture!)

I can't find a photo of the actual pattern, but look at what this woman did with McCalls 4361, it's absolutely gorgeous.  http://wesewretro.com/2012/01/the-von-trapp-wiggle-dress/

And here are my answers to Erin's!

1.  When did you start sewing and what introduced you to sewing?
I started when I first moved back from living in the UK for 2 years in 2007 when I was using all my money for travelling and partying and having no money for nice clothes, and decided I needed a new hobby when I returned to Australia! So I took about 3 classes and then brought my trust user friendly Brother NS30.

2.  What other crafts do you do?
Sewing is my main craft, I'm not a great cook and a terrible artist, but since learning to sew I'm definitely experimenting with more DIY.

3.   What do you look for in a sewing blog?
I usually check what items people have made to see if we have similar taste in patterns or fabrics, I've found a lot of new blogs through We Sew Retro lately.

4.   Who is your inspiration?

It’s hard to say one person that inspires me, I get inspired for sewing adventures by a lot of fellow bloggers and various websites, I love a lot of the retro style dresses on Modcloth, vintage patterns, pinterest has become an excellent source for inspiration. 

5.  Do you have a bizarre talent?
Some might say I'm a good problem solver, if there is a case that needs cracking I'm your girl!

6. What's your favourite thing to sew or create for yourself or others?
I love sewing dresses the most, because everyone loves a pretty frock, even more so when you make it yourself! I'm a bit of a selfish sewer and tend to make things for myself.  My partner Luke has had a pair of workpants waiting to be taken up hanging on the back of my sewing chair for about 2 months now. Time is precious in the sewing world!

7.What have you always wanted to sew but haven't yet, and why?
I want to get stuck into sewing more vintage patterns, but I think I need some more experience on adapting a pattern to fit my body in this day and age, without restrictive undergarments, pointy bras etc.

8.  Do you have an phobias?

I’m not a huge fan of spiders, especially the massive face hugging huntsmans we get here in Australia, but I wouldn’t say any phobias as such.

9. What's something you like to treat yourself with?
Fabric!

10. What was one of your favourite things growing up?
Music was definitley a big part of my life growing up, discovering new bands and genres of music, I played guitar in primary school, making up dances with my sister, going to concerts. I still go to a lot of gigs now, my partner Luke and I usually see a gig every couple of weeks.

Where would you most want to travel in the world and why?
I'd really like to go back to Spain with a bit of money and take a nice long holiday exploring the whole country, I only ventured to Barcelona a few years ago and absolutely loved it.

Thanks again for nominating me gals and sorry it took so long! I'm quite the procrastinator.  Now the 5 bloggers I nominate to pass the award to are:

Diary of A Dot Mad Girl
Bernie and I
Ruffles Gazebo
Sewelle
Make It Til You Fake It

And my 11 questions for these girls are below -

1.     How long have you been sewing for and how did you learn?

2.     What is your sewing process, do you choose the pattern or fabric first?

3.     How would you describe your style?

4.     What is your favourite self-made item? Share a link!

5.     Have you ever drafted your own pattern?

6.     How do you find the time to fit sewing into a busy lifestyle?

7.     What are your favourite clothing stores?

8.     What has been your most challenging project?

9.     Do many of your friends sew?

10.  If you had to choose one, what would be your favourite band?

      11. Where do you buy most of your fabric from?

Sorry for the text heavy post! I just finished another dress so I'll post that separately.  In the meantime, here's a photo of some beautiful vintage barkcloth I was lucky enough to get for a steal a few weeks ago, both long enough to make pretty dresses with and then some.  An absolute score.

Update

I haven't been on here for ages! Life in general has been crazy busy.  My friend Megan and I have started a market stall called Bunny Up. 

We had our first stall at the Chandler Markets here in Brisbane on Sunday, we didn't do so well, we sold a few things but it wasn't really the right kind of market for the stuff we're selling (flying swallows in vintage paper, blackboards, handbags, cushions etc).

Here is a photo of our stall - I thought it looked so pretty.  Megan takes care of the wood craft and I sort out the sewing stuff.  (Check that amazing pink curtain fabric Megan sourced from her local op shop which I managed to squeeze out some bags and a cushion!)

So we're giving it another go this weekend at the Ruffled Bazaar Twilight Christmas Market.

If you're in Brisbane come along and support your local small businesses, yeah yeah!

Now, back to sewing.  Last time I wrote an update I'd just received all of those amazing vintage patterns, I am so close to finishing a top that was supposed to be a dress - Butterick 4259 below

There was all sorts of problems with the muslin I attempted for this, first of all, the jersey type fabric I started with was see through and old and the sizing was all sorts of wacky, (that jewel neckline is crazy tight)! So it became a top in a different fabic, which is way too big for me, all I have to do is take it in and insert some button holes into the back and hem it, but with all of the market prep going on it's just sitting on my dressmaker dummy looking sad, as you can see.

I'm looking forward to some time off over christmas so I can get stuck back into some self-indulgent sewing for myself, it's really heating up now and I definitely need a pretty new dress!

xx

Ebay Excitement!!

I just have to share with you 2 amazing purchases that arrived for me yesterday after a recent Ebay binge.

First of all, this amazing 50s cocktail dress, behold -

It looks even better in real life too! The colour looks a little washed in these photos, the lemony shell fabric is lovely and bright and not shiny or tacky as might be perceived by this photo.  The fit is spot on too! It was meant to be.

Then I won these bad boys which arrived the same day -

I've never worked with vintage patterns before, and I was a bit worried about the sizing.  I've heard the correct size should be taken at the high bust rather than the full bust? I sure hope that's correct because that's what I based this purchase on! I think I'll have to bite the bullet and buy some fitting muslin for these as I've heard the fitting can be pretty wack with vintage patterns. 

So thank you Ebay once again for coming through with the goods.  Hip hip, hooray.

Now, I need to top up my fabric stash, as I also brought this incredibly ugly looking out of print Vogue pattern last week.  Looks can be deceiving, because I've seen some of the most beautiful dresses made up of view A on sewing.patternreview.com

It all started when I got more than a bit obsessed with this dress when I spied it on Modcloth..

So, once I've found the perfect olive green fabric I shall make it up with the above Vogue pattern, and I'll have the dress of my dreams, without paying $167 plus shipping.

Simplicity 2501

Hello blog, I've been fairly absent of late, I've been to a hens party, a wedding and been struck down with pharyngitis, but now I'm on the mend!

I managed of course to get a bit of sewing in, I've been wanting to sew up a pussy bow blouse, but I can't really find a good pattern.  I really love this Burda pattern with the massive bow, but I'm a little intimidated (read - lazy) by the thought of having to print every PDF sheet of paper off and construct the pattern and then cut it out.

So Simplicity 2501 wasn't really a pussy bow as such, but had a version with gathered sleeves and a tie, which I just extended so it was long enough to form a bow, and it worked out really well.

This fabric was really see through so I had to underline the whole thing in a thin white cotton which was a bit of a pain, but it really made the fabric pop having the bright white backing behind it as it looked a lot cheaper and flimsier beforehand. 

Here's the finished product -

I have so, so many pussy bow blouses (at least 5) but I love them so, and none that I've actually made so I'm over the moon tat this worked so well.  My first attempt at button holes too - it was so easy on my trusty little machine.  And that FABRIC, it's so beautiful, I'm in love. 

So I didn't really alter anything on this pattern other than the tie, I think next time I'd make the tie a bit wider and definitely make the whole top a bit longer, but this was easy peasy to sew up and took no time at all.

I do love having a garment that I've made that I can add to my office wardrobe too - here's what it looks like on - enjoying lunch with my pal Erin in the Brisbane sunshine.

So - it must be time to make a dress next after all these tops!  I owe some of my mates birthday dresses from last year, ha, so I should probably get started on one of those.

I'll just take this opportunity to show you this amazing 30s style fabric that's sitting pretty in my stash, I only got 2 metres of it (idiot), so I'm thinking of making a simple fitted shift dress.  The loud print deserves a simple design, so I'm on the hunt for a dress requiring a small amount of fabric, Spotlight are really putting out some amazing vintage inspired fabrics and I hear they've just put on ANOTHER vintage style line, exciting!!



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Eleven Dollar Top

This is the second $4.00 refashioned top from Big W. So it's not as cheap as the seven dollar top, but I had to buy the daisy trim to match!

I stole this idea from the talented So Zo here, as I already had the collar in my stash, it's another version of the 6808, the pattern that just keeps on giving!

So here is the result

I cut the original neckline down a little too far and it stretched out very quickly and easily and it didn't leave me with any option but to just sew the whole collar separately, turn it right side out, slip stitch closed and top stitch the whole collar directly onto the raw neckline.  So it now sits quite low, and the top stitching is really messy as the raw neckline kept trying to shrink away when I was sewing, but I think the busy dotty fabric draws attention away, luckily!

I love that daisy trim I want to put it on everything! So what Lincraft lacks in interesting fabrics; they make up for in their trims section, they have the most beautiful trims and I got this one for only $3 a metre, bargain!

This is what it looks like on -

Put a bird on it? I say, put a collar on it.