Archive for the ‘Dresses’ Category
Rock Around The Clock Dress!
Posted on: May 25, 2008
- In: Dresses | Patterns | Sewing
- 5 Comments
I finished my Butterick 4790, 1950’s wrap dress today. I think it looks a bit rockabilly! What do you reckon?
P5252220.JPG, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.
P5252218.JPG, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.
P5252227.JPG, originally uploaded by mooimadeit.
It’s a great pattern for beginners because there are no zips or anything, but it does require quite a bit of fabric, and a good space to cut out the pattern because the skirt is so big and cut on the bias!
Stitching Strategies
Posted on: May 15, 2008
- In: Dresses | Patterns | Sewing
- 5 Comments
Oh, I haven’t done a sewing post for a wee little while! So here’s a quick one.
ALEXIS
I am *so* close to finishing the Alexis skirt. I’ll post photos of it as soon as I have hemmed it! In the meantime here’s a nice creation of one that someone posted up on Burdastyle yesterday.
ANDA PLANS
In the meantime I’m dying for a warm dress I can layer a long sleeve top and some tights with. It’s getting rather chilly here in Melbourne at the moment! This Anda pattern is the type that I wouldn’t think much of just from looking at the pattern design. But all the amazing creations up on Burda Style are really flattering and inspiring so I am going to give it a shot in a black and white check. So imagine this dress:
In this fabric:
And maybe make an obi style belt to wear it with in – what do you think… lilac? I thought a splash of colour could be good.
1950’s WRAP SKIRT (BUTTERICK B4790)
Similarly I plan to use this fabric:
To make this dress (all in the same material)
What do you think? – I am toying with the idea of using some red satin bias binding around the edges like you see on the dress on the pattern packet on the right, or do you think I should just go with plain white?
I was originally going to do the black and white contrast example until it occurred to me that after washing it the first time, it could just turn the white bodice into a washed out grey and that wouldn’t be a good look!
Dress #3
Posted on: May 6, 2008
- In: Dresses | Patterns | Sewing | Travel
- 2 Comments
Time for a sewing post!
Dress #3: Tropical Summer Dress (Simplicity pattern 3742 ‘easy to sew’)
This is a summer dress I made that’s only had a couple of wears. As the pattern says – it’s easy to sew! Also had some patterns for a top in a similar style that I might do next summer. The fabric is quite thin cotton and I had some problems trying to get the thread tension right when sewing it. In the end the only way I could stop it from all scrunching up into a horrible mess was to make the stitch length really small – which meant NO UNPICKING! Quite a challenge seeing it was like my third item I ever sewed and the second one where I followed a commercial pattern all on my own.
It’s quite thin and breezy, cool and comfortable so I’ll be taking this to Europe with me, where I hope to stock up on some good belts! I really need some.
Speaking of which I will be off to London, Paris, Lisbon (with stop overs in Seoul and Madrid as well) for 3 weeks June – July so if you have any tips of places I HAVE to visit there please do drop me a line. Places to see, eat and shop!
I look forward to taking lots of photos for the blog of beautiful things people have made, grown and cooked while I am there.
Vintage Refashion #2
Posted on: April 29, 2008
- In: Dresses | Sewing | Vintage Refashion
- 1 Comment
Here’s a vintage dress I picked up at a sale at Circa on Gertrude Street, Fitzroy a few months ago, that I altered.
This used to have some little sleeves on it. They were cute but the cut was a little shapeless on me so I decided to update it by taking the sleeves off and finishing them off with some bias binding sewn on the inside.
Here’s how it looks now. Isn’t the pattern just divine? And I love the box pleat and the cute little buttons!
Never try and pose with animals…
They don’t like it…
And they will scratch you!
Dress #2
Posted on: April 23, 2008
- In: Dresses | Sewing
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Dress #2 – Blue & Green Vintage Refashion – Simplicity 3778
This is the second dress I made.
It was from an ‘easy-to-sew’ rated commercial pattern Simplicity 3778. The first dress I made at the Thread Den class was rated for ‘average’ skilled sewers and at the time I never would have thought I would have been capable of completing it. I am very glad I did because i have learnt these ‘easy’ commercial patterns tend to be pretty shapeless – hence easy to sew!
This was a bit of an experiment on my behalf – I cut up a size 22 vintage shirt dress I picked up because I liked the fabric. I unpicked the seams and used it for the middle panel. It’s a bit of a tent really I suppose. Definitely needs the big belt to cinch it all in and give it a bit more shape. Probably isn’t the most flattering design in the world to put such a busy pattern as the middle panel but oh well. Not bad for my first solo dress effort I think.
Before this dress I had been a bit too scared to actually cut up the oversized vintage pieces I had been collecting in a pile over the years. Not sure why! Just didn’t want to waste the fabric I suppose. But I got the courage after going to one of Thread Den’s ‘Refashion Your Vintage’ or ‘Alter Your Ego’ nights as they now call them. You could bring along a bunch of clothes you wanted to alter yourself and they’d help you do it. It was a good little social sewing night and lots of fun, so I recommend going. Now I can’t help taking in most of my op shop finds.
MOO I MADE IT! 