Rawrrrrr!

By now we all know that I'm not the best at regular blogging. Still, to my utmost surprise I made it to the list of Top 100 Dressmaking Blogs and Websites for Dressmakers, Tailors and Custom Sewers. There are so many amazing and bloggers listed there so go and have a look if you need some sewing inspiration. The super talented Leimomi, a fellow member part of WSBN (Wellington Sewing Bloggers Network) is listed there as well - well done us!

So to celebrate I decided to write a blog post! How very fitting, right? The subject is not too exciting though - my millionth version of Astoria top with altered neckline and short sleeves.  I also extended it by about 15 cm so I could wear it with jeans. I don't think I will ever stop sewing Astorias, it's one of these patterns that just keep giving!

The best part of this T-shirt is that it's covered in dinosaurs! The fabric can be found at good old Spotlight. Unfortunately the fabric quality leaves much to be desired. It will probably not last long but I am going to enjoy every minute of wearing it!

Also, since I don't post here too often you can follow me on Instagram and see all the sewing, cooking, travelling and other silly-billy things!

Dress of a million seams

And I'm not even joking about the number of seams! Just look at the technical drawing ;) Melissa dress is super lovely and has many interesting design features (just check out those little pockets!) I was one of the testers for this pattern last year and I've been meaning to give it another go.

I made a huge mistake with my fabric choice... Poly-rayon suiting looked alright and had nice drape but frayed like crazy! It has also absolutely no give and I was too afraid of clipping it around the curves. All the seams are finished with a combination of black and mint bias tape which added a huge amount of extra work but super tidy finish. My poly-rayon wasn't easy to press either, there was a very fine line between pressing and melting the fabric.

As for the dress itself - the back V insert is a great opportunity to use scraps of lace or "statement" fabrics. I used some black lace generously given to me by Sandra. As for the fit - I chose size 40 with D-cup and there was no need for FBA :D  The first time I made Melissa I didn't change anything and the waistline was way too low. This time I moved it up by 7 cm (I think) and it's a too high! The other change I made was getting rid of a top V pocket. I almost always have to adjust shoulder line and scoop out a bit of the top of the shoulder princess seam and that pocket would make the fitting quite hard. And there was just one more change - I made my dress sleeveless. I couldn't face dealing with more bias bound seams! The collar took three tries to get it right - including me sewing the collar inside out *facepalm* By that time I was a bit over and the dress ended in a naughty corner for a few weeks.

When I got over the collar, the rest went nice and easy. I used black buttons with gold metal ring and I like the way they look. Overall I like the dress but I'm not crazy about it. Lower waistline and different fabric would make a huge difference and I suspect I might give this pattern another try ;)

 

Halloween dress

I'm not really good at making costumes. I usually have the perfect idea months before so I always think I have sooooooo much time... Yeah, right. I can almost never finish costume in time!

This year I decided to do what I do best and make myself Halloween themed dress. I found this cute fabric at good old Spotlight and the price was reduced to $8 per meter. Such a score! The top part is pattern number 115 from Burda 4/2013. I used that pattern to make my first dress ever and you can see it here. The skirt is Simplicity 1880. The only changes I made was adding the back seam and moving the zip from the side to the back. The neckline is finished with bias tape (and i totally forgot to take photos of it!) and I used my rolled hem foot to finish the bottom.

Another thing I made is barely visible on the photo - a petticoat! I used fluorescent yellow nylon net and matching thread and an elastic from my stash. I never made petticoat before but it was piece of cake especially when using gathering foot. I left the hem untouched - I didn't want to waste time binding it as it's not something I will wear on regular basis. Nylon net is a bit scratchy so if I ever need another one I'll probably just buy a tulle petticoat ;)

I wore this outfit to drinks with WSBN girls and went to a Halloween party after that. Almost every girl in the room came to tell me that my dress was amazing and ask where I got it from. It was really satisfying telling them that I made it myself! It's such a pity this dress can only be worn around Halloween :(

PS. Sorry for the smudged photos - I haven't realized my lens was dirty!!!!

Here is a crappy photo of my petticoat - I found it hilarious that it was standing on its own!

Weekend Granville

Yup, another Granville. This time made in some sort of plaid cotton fabric that was very hard to cut. I only had 2 meters of it and that was not quite enough to do proper pattern matching and the collars are completely off. On the other hand I wanted to make more casual shirt and I think I achieved that look. For the first time I used pearl snaps instead of buttons and that was fun - hammer-sewing is very cool! There will be one more Granville in my future - I have the fabric ready and cut but I've been waiting for inspiration... Not that I stopped sewing but I worked on a big project recently and I need some simple sewing to balance it out;)

I still have some fitting issues - baggy back, slightly restricted movement in my arms and general impression that the shirt is too big. It is still wearable though. Also I realized that taking photos around noon on a sunny day is not the greatest idea... you can't see much! My bad, I will know for the next time!

Floral Simplicity

Simplicity 1880 is one of those "magic" patterns - I've seen it around on so many blogs (just check out this beautiful goldfish shirtdress by Gemma!) and there are none or very few complaints about it. It seems to fit people of all sizes and shapes. It seems to look pretty good on everyone too! So when there was a pattern sale on Pattern Postie I had to buy it! Spoiler alert: It was worth it!

There are two bodice variations - shirt dress or faux wrap bodice and three sleeve variations. In between the you can make several different dresses! There is nothing tricky in the construction of this dress and it was easy to put it all together. I cut size that corresponded with my measurements although deep down I knew I should have done full bust adjustment. I guess I was a bit lazy. Of course after trying my half-finished dress I had to add darts because there was lots of gaping in the armhole. When I make this dress again I will go down 1-2 sizes and just do a proper FBA. There is a tiny bit of gaping  along the wrap edges but not enough to make me worry about showing more than I want to. 

Surprisingly it still took me 4 weekends to finish it! But it has nothing to do with the dress but with my lack of time. With the bodice and skirt in place the only thing I had to do was to hem it and attach sleeves. I wasn't sure which sleeve variation I wanted so I asked for opinions on Instagram. People mostly voted for black cap sleeves. Next weekend my boyfriend had his birthday party and I only had 30 min to do sewing - just enough for hemming sleeves I thought... I messed up my rolled hem so I spent most of my half an hour unpicking stitches. Next chance I had to work on the dress I managed to hem my dress nicely and set one of the sleeves in with no problems. But the second sleeve was a naughty one. There was puckering everywhere! I tried all the tricks I knew and some I didn't but nothing worked. So I gave up. Finally last weekend I sewn the sleeve in and made a belt. I also took some photos even though the weather certainly wasn't suitable to be outside in this dress ;) 

The floral fabric is cotton sateen from Spotlight and it's one of the first fabrics I bought! It was clearance fabric and it didn't cost more that $5 a meter. I used black cotton sateen for back and front yokes - it was a leftover piece from a dress that sits in my one-day-I'll-finish-it pile. I think it worked well. 

Now I just need to wait for spring - it's just 2 months away! Or make some black warm cardigans so I can enjoy my dress right away ;)

PS. I forgot to mention that I used a piece of ribbon to make a label to add extra interest.

Flower-power

Guess what? I made another Granville! This time using beautiful navy poly-cotton covered in flowers and birds. The fabric was just too pretty to leave behind :)

Sorry for a bad photo!

Despite its beauty it was really annoying to cut pattern pieces. The pattern on the fabric appeared symmetric but it wasn't! My main goal here was to have the pattern balanced and I also wanted to avoid unfortunate flower placement. I think this was achieved.

I had some fitting issues twice before when I made that pattern. I assumed it would all be fixed with proper full bust adjustment. I was in fact so sure that I didn't even consider other options. Turns out I was wrong. 6 cm FBA fixed the gaping and I'm really happy about it. I also shaved about 1 cm on the back panels but there is still some bagging that bothers me. I should probably go back to size 12 as 14 feels a bit too loose.
The problem is that my arm movement is restricted. I think there is not enough ease in the sleeve head. Unfortunately I cut the fabric for two more shirts before I got to this conclusion...

Anyway, I like wearing this shirt. Sewing didn't cause any problems, the fabric pressed nicely and was easy to deal with. All the seams inside are flat-felled so the shirt looks nice inside too. Initially I wanted navy or transparent buttons but while going through my button stash I found some green ones. They matched so I went with them. I think they look great :)  As I mentioned before there will be two more Granvilles and after that I think I'll look for another pattern. My obsession with shirts is definitely not going away ;)

Burda jeans vol 2

When I made my polka dot jeans I knew I'd make that pattern again when I get my hands on some denim. Do you know that in Polish jeans means both a type of pants and type of fabric? Anyway, I got some dark blue denim at Spotlight some time ago and decided to sew pants in between my Granville shirts ;)

The main reason it took me couple of months to make this pattern again is the sizing and using fabrics with different properties. Since the polka dot fabric was really stretchy and my denim has minimal stretch I decided  to size up. They are still a bit tight but just give me a week or two - I've lost 6 kg since April so I think I will be able to wear them soon.

Unfortunately this denim is not the best quality. It is a bit thin and it can get damaged pretty easily! Unpicking stitches left marks on the fabric and I am not impressed about that. Once I realized that it's not what I wanted it to be I kind of lost my interest in making my jeans perfect. I just wanted to finish them! I have some issues with the trouser legs around my knees. There is some strange bagging and pulling probably because my full thighs and calves. I tried to google it but all the fitting advice for trousers refer to crotch area... The rest seems to be ok, at least for me.

My fly zip is much better than a previous one! Yay! Also the waistband has improved - I used proper waistband interfacing which helped a lot! It was impossible to use my buttonhole making foot so I improvised and used zig-zag stitch to make one myself. Not fully happy with the placement and the look of it but it's functional. Also this time I used proper "jeans" button. I finished the pocket edges with "Hug Snug" rayon tape - Kat gave me some to try it out. And while I didn't love it I think it gives me more options and I'll be getting some for myself sometime soon.

Now I just need to find some nice denim and do it all over again...

Is there an English name for this tiny pocket? In Poland it is sometimes referred as "kondomówka" which means condom pocket :P

 And here are some detail photos:

My belt loop placement is all weird but well - it's functional ;)

Hug Snug finish - not very even I admit. I need more practise!

Fun pocket piece

First proper shirt!

You don't even know how excited I am about this make! Do you have a "dream wardrobe" that consists of all the things that you would love to wear that you can't in real life for more or less valid reasons? For example, I love high necklines. Do I wear them? No, they make me look extremely top-heavy and they don't do any favours to me and my figure. Another "dream"piece of clothing were shirts. Not being a cup A or B I could never find a shirt that would fit me well. There would be gaping between the buttonholes, pulling lines everywhere or they would look like a sack with buttons on. I almost gave up hope...

...and then I started sewing. Sewing makes everything better! Up until now shirts scared me though - collars, collar stands, cuffs... I made a simple shirt once before and the collar got me completely lost and it looked ... well, not very good. This time I had proper instructions and it went so easily that I wondered if I missed out on some parts or steps!

Anyway, lets get to sewing notes. The pattern is Sewaholic Granville. Since it's designed for pear-shaped woman I had to do some alterations. I did my first proper FBA! The shirt is size 12 with 5 cm FBA done following this awesome tutorial. The only other change I made to the pattern before cutting it was shortening the sleeve. The fabric used is poplin in pretty aqua (?) colour. It was really cheap buy and I figured that if it works I'd wear it, if it doesn't that I'd only invest $5 and my time...

I think it worked well. Instructions were great - I usually sew with Burda where the collar instructions are likely to be "sew in the collar" ;) I got a bit lost with plackets but then I found this and 5 min later I was done. I love the burrito yoke method in the pattern! Almost all the seams are flat-felled. The sleeve and the armhole seams are just zig-zaged as I didn't know how to deal with them. My sewing machine had no problems with 7 buttonholes but it screwed up the eighth one! This always happens to me. Buttons are recycled from some old top and I absolutely love them.

Geez, I really should have iron the clothes before taking photos!!! Sorry for that!

Now I get why people say that shirt making is incredibly satisfying. All that topstitching <3 It was probably most technical piece of clothing I ever made and I learnt a lot. But shirt is not perfect. Collar top-stitching could be better. After a day of wearing it at work I also realized that my shirt is a bit small. There is a tiny bit of gaping, partially because of buttons position. I decided to size up for the next Granville that you will see pretty soon. And again...and again... I think I'm going to have a problem. At the moment I have 5 pieces of fabric that are destined to become Granville shirts!

I might be obsessed ;)