Butterick 4812 Summer Dress is Done!

This was the simple to sew summer dress that did not want to be created.

The fabric I choose for Butterick 4812 was a black linen/blend purchased a year ago from the clearance rack at Joann's. The fabric had small flowers scattered throughout that were only tacked down at the center of the flower. After prewashing the flower petals curled up, so I had to decide if I wanted to: 1) iron flowers after every wearing and laundering, 2) tack down all flower petals to the fabric, or 3) remove all flowers.



Guess which option one I choose?



Because I had already done an FBA to the pattern, as well as cut out all five pattern pieces and fused interfacing onto the facing pieces, after work I was able to sit right down at my machine and begin to sew.

Wow, this is gonna be so easy I'm not gonna bother with the directions.

First things first, sew the side and waist darts in the front then waist darts in the back.

Oops! Realized that the midriff gathering was created by a casing and drawstring that are secured in place by the front waist darts. Remove the darts and add the casing.

Oops! Forgot to sew the buttonholes on the front of the dress for the drawstrings to go through. Remove casing and choose a fancy buttonhole from the buttonhole options on my machine.

Oops! Forgot to change the size of the buttonhole and the one I sewed was about two times larger than needed. Do you know how hard it is to remove a buttonhole sewn with black thread on black fabric? If you don't, I hope you never have to find out. Remove buttonhole and sew a new buttonhole.

Oops! I can't believe I just did it again! Yep, forgot to change the size of the buttonhole a second time! Aaaargh. Get out friendly seam ripper and rip it out - again. Go fix dinner and take a break.

After dinner two buttonholes in the size needed were added - no problem.

Sewed and turned the two drawstrings - no problem.

Inserted an invisible zipper - no problem.

Sewed the side seams - no problem.

Serge finish the side seams - no problem.

Oops! The back shoulder seam got caught under the serger blade about one inch down with no way to fix the big cut.

Just when everything was going so well! Okay, okay, don't quit. Then you'll have to admit to the blog world that you gave up. See how incredibly encouraging you all are to me?

Think, think, think...what can I do? There really wasn't any solution except to cut the back and front shoulder seams off one inch. It actually worked out in my favor as the dress fits better this way.

The rest of the dress was sewn together with no further mishaps - then again, the only thing left to do was hem it.

Hemmed the dress - on the machine of course - tried it on and decided I'm quite pleased with the quick summer dress that didn't want to be created.

Surprisingly, it has a bit of a retro look to it. Even DH commented on the "retro fashion" (and I thought he didn't listen to me when I walked fashion!)

Even with all the oopsies the sewing time was under two hours.

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Summer Sewing - Quick Dresses for Hot Summer Days

I don't know about you, but there wasn't much sewing being done in my household this past weekend.

Saturday stuff
Saturday morning was a parade, followed by a visit to the garden center for some hostas and bark, followed by church and then a movie at home with my DH. (The movie was Marie Antoinette, which I rented so I could see the costumes - didn't care for the movie much.)

Clowning
Sunday was a clowning day. My dad and I volunteered at an American Legion picnic. He did magic tricks and balloon animals and I did face painting - actually it ended up to be cheek art rather than full faces. There were many more children attending than we anticipated (based on last year's attendance) and we ended up disappointing a few at the end when we had to stop. That is the hardest thing about doing balloon animals and face painting at a venue like that. You can never be 100 percent certain how many little ones will be there and we absolutely *hate* having to say no. But we've also learned if we don't stop at a specific time we will be there hours longer than scheduled.

Lala - You asked in the comments if I had a good face painting book to recommend. I'll post some links and face painting books that I have found helpful in the next day or so as I have those resources packed away for a face painting class I'll be teaching.

Sewing
After returning home from the picnic, removing makeup, packing away clown supplies (and taking a little refresher nap!) I snuck into the sewing room with the intent of beginning work on the muslin for McCall's 5466

However, I changed my mind after hearing the weather forecast for this week(more hot and humid weather) and decided I needed a couple of quick summer dresses that can be worn for both work and for running errands.

I quickly cut out a sleeveless summer dress from a black linen/blend using Butterick 4812 . I had visions of getting it cut and sewn Sunday evening, but my frantic Sunday night get everything ready for the work week got in the way.

The other dress I cut out was from Simplicity's 3797 using this vibrant orange/pink/yellow stretch cotton print purchased recently from FabricMart. I had sewn a muslin of the top previously, which I did not like, but I think it will look better as a dress.

Plus with this fabric I have the added bonus of increased visibility if I go walking outside after dark. Which is what I should be doing right now instead of typing away on the computer. Pin It

New Winner for the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway

Life as Mama graciously asked if I could draw another winner for this bloggy giveaway. Turns out she had already won from another blog and she wanted "to spread around the bloggity goodness!" Wasn't that sweet of her?

So, using another randomly generated number, the new winner is Laura. As a mom of seven, hopefully she'll find some crafting time to enjoy the purse kit. Congrats Laura! Enjoy! Pin It

Reading Divas on the move again!

With a number of teens willing to participate I was demoted to stage mother. Here I am telling those beautiful young ladies to ham it up all they want to! Of course I didn't realize we were being photographed - that's what happens when you give your DH a camera with a zoom lens.

C'mon Divas! Do the parade wave! See? Like this!

Here's the two retro reading divas - doing the 60s and the 70s proud.

Very limited sewing will take place in my house this weekend. While I don't have any more parades for a week or so, I do have a picnic I'll be clowning and/or face painting at tomorrow. Pin It

The Winner of the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway is "Life as a Mama"!

Congratulations Life as a Mama! You won the No Sew Purse Kit that I offered as part of the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway!

Her entry was number 31, and that was the number that was generated randomly using Random.org.

I had so much fun visiting the many blogs that were participating in the giveaway and have found a few new favorites to read.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to enter this giveaway. Over the next week or so, I'll be visiting new blogs to say hi and see what you're up to! Pin It

Flashback Friday - 1980

Looks like the sewing blog world has decided this is the week to reminisce about past sewing projects - kind of like a Flashback Friday rolled into one week. There's been photos as well as a few stories of well loved sewing projects that are no longer worn but are still kept tucked away somewhere.

Me? I typically purge my closet twice a year - once when I pull out my fall/winter wardrobe and again when I pull out my spring/summer wardrobe - so, while I have photos and patterns of sewing projects, I don't have too many of the actual garments.

But I have this one!
Vogue 7454 circa 1979.

I sewed the dress as a model garment for Joann Fabrics - back in the day when Joann Fabrics was located in shopping malls and carried high end fabrics. C'mom, let's be honest here...I *know* some of you remember that!

I worked there after graduating from a"Fashion Sales and Merchandising" technical program I attended fresh out of high school. Working in a retail environment was about all that training was good for. Sheesh, what a waste of time, but I did get to model in a fashion show and you never know when that skill might come in handy.

Anyway, back to Joann's and the dress. The store had a mannequin at the entrance to the store and corporate would determine what pattern the model garment was to be sewn from (as well as the fabric.) I ended up with many of the model garments because they were usually quite trendy and no one else wanted them. Me? I was thrilled! Hey, I was a poor single mama and these outfits were mine - all mine - free of charge! All I had to do was sew them.

This black dress had a sheer upper bodice and sleeves.



The bodice back had a large keyhole bias bound opening that closed with a loop and button.



This was the first time I had attempted a french seam. I don't know why I only did a french seam on the shoulder. The armhole as well as the rest of the seams were sewn in a double stitched narrow seam.



All of the bias binding was turned under on the inside and sewn in place by hand. I guess I had more patience in my younger years.

I never bothered to try the dress on until after I it was completed. Ah, the good old days, when you could sew a garment right out of the pattern envelope with no alterations...

The problem with not trying it on was that I discovered, when I was ready to wear it, that the lower sleeves were too tight! I opened the sleeve seam from the elbow to the wrist and finished it with a narrow hem.

After it spent its time on the store mannequin it was mine to do with as I pleased. I did wear it out on dinner dates a few times and I know I wore it to a New Year's Eve party at The Oz Discotheque - THE place to be. I'm not sure why I even kept this dress as I will never ever fit into it again.

Blogger Trips Down Memory Lane
In case you didn't have a chance to read the other sewing trips down memory lane, here are the other bloggers that

Marji shared a story about sewing a burgundy wool flannel and made the tunic, pants and skirt, fully lined, from a Vogue pattern, when she was 13 or 14. Wow! I was afraid of Vogue patterns at that age - and probably lining and wool flannel also.

Carolyn brought out a fantastic ribbon jacket that she created in the 90's. It's beautiful!

Lisa shared a couple of her vintage sewing projects, including a great Gunne Sax skirt from the early 80's.

Summerset, who makes some of the most incredibly beautiful gowns I've ever seen, shared her prom dress (and she can still fit into it 18 years later!)

And it was good to know that I'm not the only purger out there. Beth purges like I do, but she wrote about a couple of special projects she kept.

I'll be continuing with my trips down sewing lane with more Flashback Friday memories next week. Y'all come back now! Pin It

The Pattern Alterations on McCall's 5466 Continues

Thanks for the comments on my previous post on doing an FBA on the bodice for this dress pattern. They were extremely helpful (um, maybe not yours Stacey...LOL)

Dawn posted some thoughts that I'd like to respond to.

• Why did I think the waist dart was too large? I thought it was too wide because the bust tip ended up with a very pronounced point.
• What if you rotate some to the side? I was afraid it would ruin the design of the dress.
• What if you make an armsyce princess dart? Never thought about this, and I've never done this. I'll need to practice this one to see how it works.
  
• The middle photo looked like there was more length above the bust and perhaps it would be better to have the extra length below. Good point - I hadn't noticed that or thought about that. I'm going to play with that adjusted pattern piece and see what happens when I move the extra length.
  
• You referenced page 158 of Fast Fit for Real People and suggested doing the alteration inside or or outside of the dart rather than through the dart. Okay, this scares me! Because I've never done an FBA that has not been right in the dart! Which means I need to try it to get over my fear right? After all, it's just a paper pattern.

Sew-4-Fun said she would do the standard Palmer/Pletsch FBA adding a side dart. That sealed the deal. When two sewers with much more experience than I suggest adding a side dart I guess it's okay to add a side dart! So that's the pattern adjustment I worked on tonight, and the one that is most familiar to me.

Referencing Fast Fit for Real People I cut the pattern along the lines I had drawn, pulled the pieces apart, and added one inch. This resulted in a slightly wider waist dart and a side dart. I did have to lower the bust point so the waist dart is also shorter than the original. I left the pleats at the neckline alone.

Rather than tape the cut and spread pattern piece I retraced it with the FBA added. That way if for some reason this doesn't work, or doesn't fit, I can go back to the slashed pattern piece and try again.
And the ladies at the JoAnn's cutting table wondered why anyone would want a full bolt of true-grid.
Next step? Sew a muslin of the bodice to check the FBA as well as the width of the neckline. Based on the tissue fit, this neckline might be too wide for me. Pin It

Trying to figure out theFBA for McCall's 5466

McCall's 5466 is the next dress I want to add to my wardrobe. Even though this is a new pattern from their fall collection, in the part of the country I live in I need to sew it now so I can get a few months of wear out of it before the cold winds blow in.

I'm having a bit of difficulty with the FBA. My first attempt (middle altered pattern piece) I enlarged the waist dart and rotated some of it into the neckline pleats. This added too much "poof" at the neckline.

Next I tried just enlarging the waist dart but that resulted in one dart that is too large.

I'm wondering if I'm going about this the right way? I'm going to pull out my copy of Fast Fit for Real People and see if I can find any guidance. Or maybe I just need to sew a muslin for the bodice and determine the alterations that way.

Has anyone else begun this pattern and if so did you need to do an FBA? Pin It

Dog Days Bloggy Giveway - No Sew Purse Kit

Whew! I'm taking a break from my precious sewing time to participate in the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway. It's been fun to discover new blogs and see the wide variety of items that people are giving away. (But I must admit I'm eager to get back to my sewing machine so I can share my next project with you.)

I've stumbled across some interesting blogs and I'll share some of my favorites after the contest ends. After spending a fair amount of time entering a few of the contests I decided I want to play too!

So here's my giveaway - a cute little no sew purse kit.

The kit consists of the pre-sewn bag made from black twill and measuring 9-1/2" x 10" x 3" (there is no beaded trim included in the package), purse handles, and some trim and iron-on sparkles to glam it up. And there really is no sewing involved as the handle buttons on to the bag.

For your chance to win, just leave me a comment on this post no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 27 and I’ll randomly pick a winner Saturday morning. (Can't do it Friday night cuz it's date night with DH! Now don't get too excited because it's not a dinner and dancing date so I won't be wearing one of my new dresses.)

You do not have to be a blogger to enter the drawing, but I do need to have your email so I can contact you if you win. (If you leave it in the comments spell it out like this: sewingbysharon at gmail dot com.)

Good luck! Pin It

The "Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway" Has Begun

Wow! Check out the big blog giveaway being hosted by Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer! All week long the post about the giveaways will be the top post on her blog. If you click on the Dog Days of Summer image above I have it linked so you'll go directly to the correct post.

On this post you will find over 300 links to blogs that are participating!

Each one is giving something away at their blog. I've only begun to browse through all of the links but there is a huge variety being given away. I've seen a blogger template design, candles, handmade greeting cards, memory purse, kid's stuff and even chocolate!

If you want to join in and give something away on your blog there are instructions included on how to do that, but you only have until this Wednesday, July 25, to add your link.

Now scoot! Get on over there and start signing up for some great giveaways and maybe find some new favorite blogs in the process.

Good luck! Oh, and if you happen to win one of the free blog makeovers - just send it my way :-) Pin It

Yet another skirt sewn from McCall's 5330

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I'm on a roll with McCall's 5330 skirt pattern. Four skirts have been added to my wardrobe using this pattern - and all four of them were sewn using remnants.

Using remnants is possible with this simple slim skirt as each view takes less than one yard of 60" wide fabric for sizes up to 18 (which is the largest size for this pattern.)

This latest skirt is view B, the one I had decided not to waste my time on as I was sure it wouldn't look good on me. I decided if I could find a suitable piece of fabric in my remnant stash I would give this one a try also.

The skirt has a waist yoke, three inverted pleats in the front, darts in the back, a small walking slit in the center back seam, and a skirt shape that is full through the hip narrowing at the hemline.

Surprise! I love the shape! I honestly did not thing I would and was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on. However, I'm not certain what to pair it with which is why you're seeing the skirt on G.G. instead of on me. With this shape I'm not sure what to put on top. Should it be worn with a jacket? Or just a tee? A blouse? I really don't know...any suggestions?

The fabric I choose is somewhat soft and drapey and I'm sure that helped with the overall appearance of the skirt. A heavier fabric would cause the skirt to hang away from the body and look stiff.

I made two changes to the pattern - I added lining and I decreased the width by 1/2 inch at the hipline so my skirt does not curve quite as much as the pattern was designed to.

Yet another simple to sew skirt requiring only a few hours. Perhaps I should consider sewing some skirts from this pattern in a color other than black... Pin It

Flashback Friday - 1982

Apparently I'm not the only one who thought this design by Sandra Betzina was a bit, well, costumey. Over at Patternreview there is a multi-page thread discussing the fall Vogue pattern collection, including this pattern.
There's also an entire multi-page thread about whether or not women of "a certain age" could/should wear jumpers. (Thanks for pointing that one out to me Marji!) Today, after an enjoyable lunch conversation about fall fashion trends (with an extremely fashionable co-worker), I decided I will definitely be passing on the jumper trend.

But back to that Sandra Betzina pointy hem dress...my immediate thought was "oh, cute elf costume"

And I know what I'm talking about.

Back in 1982, as the newest member of my company's employee club, I was informed that all newbies are initiated by donning a costume for the company's annual children's Christmas party - and we didn't get to choose the costume.

Guess which costume they put me into?
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Library Reading Diva on the Move

So what did *you* do last night?

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New Fall 2007 Vogue Patterns

Ah yes, mid-July. The sun is shining, the temps hit the low 90s, the humidity is high, and there is no rain in the immediate forecast.

So why would I be so enthused about the new fall patterns from Vogue? Especially since I am still in the midst of finishing my summer wardrobe?

Silly question! Because they are new patterns and I can't help myself.

My copy of Vogue Patterns magazine arrived two weeks ago and I've been checking the website ever since to see all of the new designs.

Remember when you had to actually go to a fabric store to see if there was a new pattern catalog? Don't you love being able to browse online and check out line drawings and yardages without having to visit the fabric store?

When I'm ready to purchase patterns I arrive at the store with my pattern numbers in hand, pull them from the drawers, check out - done! Minutes instead of hours.

Anyway, onto the good stuff. Some of my favorites in this new offering. What are your favorites?
(Photos from Vogue patterns website.)

Vogue 8429

Love the collar on this one, but I have yet to finish (okay, start) the red wool coat from the Vogue pattern I purchased last year.

Vogue 8431
Love the back detailing on this one, but with the cold winters we have here this jacket could only be worn in the early fall months.

Vogue 8438
Another interesting collar.

Vogue 2989
Love the jacket, as I'm a sucker for peplums, like the faux wrap top and dress as well as the side front detailing on the simple skirt.

Vogue 8410
Jumpers, not so sure about the jumpers. With all of the layering that has been so popular the past few years as well as the empire waist/babydoll dress trend it was only a matter of time before jumpers became fashionable again. If, and I do mean if, I decide on a jumper I like the deep round neckline combined with the curved empire waistline.

Vogue 8414
You need to see the line drawing for this one. The jacket has a pleated back and the dress has a yoke with gathers just above the bustline as well as waistline dart shaping.

Vogue 8417

Very interesting seams on this dress. But I'm not sure I'm an accomplished enough sewer to figure out the FBA on this one.

Vogue 8422
Front wrap knit tops. One me? Possibly the black one.

Vogue 2980
LOVE it. This is my fave.

Vogue 2983
Again, interesting collar. I might even try the skirt - check the line drawing as the skirt has princess seams in the back.

Vogue 2984

Another winner IMO. Again, you need to check out the line drawing to see the jacket and skirt details.

Vogue 2987
Another great jacket that you can't tell from the photo on the front of the envelope.

Vogue 2988

I can't wear the funnel neckline on this jacket, but I like the princess seam line on the top and jacket as well as the twirl factor of the skirt. (Because you know how much I like twirly skirts!)

and last, but not least, Vogue 2977.
Just in time for the Christmas season.
You know, in case you need an elf costume.

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Three's a charm - McCall's 5330 Skirt Review

Ah, McCall's 5330, how do I love thee? I don't have many TNT (tried and true) patterns as I'm easily seduced into purchasing and buying new patterns by the pretty pictures on the covers of the envelopes.

However, this skirt pattern is an exception. Not only does it have three skirt designs in one pattern envelope, but it is basic enough to allow for creativity.

The first skirt sewn from this pattern was the button front out of a gray embroidered border linen remnant;


The second skirt sewn was the straight pencil skirt sewn from an embroidered (with sequins) black linen remnant;



The third was sewn from a black stretch woven pinstripe - you guessed it - remnant.

Each skirt cost under $10 to sew including skirt fabric, lining, and notions.

My original thought on this pinstripe was to use it lengthwise on the main body of the skirt and crosswise on the bottom of the skirt. What I hadn't taken into consideration was that I wouldn't be able to put the stripe for the bottom band on a fold (because I used a remnant - less than one yard of 60" wide fabric).

So I matched the striped and sewed the seam at the center front. Nah, don't like it. While the stripes are well matched, it bothered me that there was a seam there. So I ripped the bottom band off and found a black fabric remnant, recut, and resewed.
But it needed something else. Something to define the difference between the skirt and the band so I dug through my trims to see what I could find.

Animal print ribbon? Nah.

Lacy white trim? Nah.

Floral faux leather trim with faux rhinestone center? Nah.

Black satin ribbon with white plastic beads along each edge? Yes, that works!

But how to sew it on? I'm *not* gonna do it by hand. In fact, if I have do have to hand sew any trim this skirt is going to end up with *no* trim.

Oh wait a minute! I forgot that when I bought the Pfaff 2056 I bought a couple of specialty sewing feet also. Yea! Now I have a chance to try one out. Boy, did that work nicely. The beaded part of the ribbon was couched using a zig-zag stitch on the machine with a special beading foot.

Here it is. Another skirt from McCall's 5330 sewn using a remnant from the remnant bin at Joann's.

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