The Great British Sewing Bee!

I watched it! Thanks to Karen for letting me know it was on YouTube. I had just assumed it would be blocked because every other video I've tried to watch here has been unavailable in Germany.

(possible spoilers ahead!)

I must say, who won was completely not a surprise to me. Ann had the most experience and was very good at picking projects that were within her capabilities given the time she had.

I was astonished over and over at the difficulty of the patterns Lauren picked, and then even more astonished when she finished them! I only wish I were that good. Or half that good.

I also felt bad for Stuart. He has amazing design ideas, but doesn't yet have the skills to turn them into perfect reality. I hope he comes back in a year or two. I think he could win.

And lastly, I want to be on that show! Maybe I will move to Britain. Just kidding. Sort of.

Capsule Wardrobe, part two

Here is part one.

I put this wardrobe together with the help of my mother. We aimed for compact and flexible. A lot of the pieces can be dressed up or dressed down depending on what I wear them with, for example. Almost everything matches with everything else, and I tried to keep within the same color palette mostly. I picked a pink-purple-blue color palette because that's what I already own most of. For neutrals, I went with gray and black, because I had black ballet flats. Really the only exception to this color palette is my running sweatshirt, and OH WELL if my running clothes don't match!

Overall, this wardrobe has worked really well. I rarely run out of clothes (and when I do, it's my own fault for not having done laundry). One of the things I love about having a wardrobe this small is that when I have nothing to wear, I can tell. At home I would regularly pull open a drawer half full of clothes only to discover nothing that was clean matched with anything else. Here, chances are very high that if I have two pieces of clothing in my closet, they will match each other.

Another thing I love is that I am not struggling to make myself wear things that don't fit or don't look good. Not everything I have here fits perfectly, but I did try hard to bring only things I knew I would wear.

This brings up the age-old question: quantity vs. quality. I have to admit, I don't really have either here! I certainly don't have quantity, but honestly, my clothes are not very high quality either. Almost everything is either from a store like Ross or TJMaxx, or years old, or from Kohl's on sale. I didn't want to buy an entire new wardrobe, but I can really see why someone would go for quality over quantity. In fact, I decided even before planning this capsule wardrobe to be much more discerning in my clothing purchases. I would rather have one dress that fits well and is good quality than three dresses which fit badly and which I won't want to wear.

I don't have the money to go run out and buy a bunch of $100+ dresses, but I do think that as the clothes I have now wear out, I will try to replace them with higher-quality things, if only in the hopes they will fit better. Alternatively, one of these days once I get back from Germany I *will* learn to fit things properly!

This post is for my sister

...who is engaged! So of course now we're thinking about wedding dresses.

Teresa wants a wide flared skirt so it can twirl when she spins. She also is hoping for a dress that she can wear again after the wedding, if she shortens the skirt and dyes it. And lastly, she wants more coverage up top than most RTW dresses offer nowadays--either wide straps or sleeves.

Given how low I think the chances are of finding this, I'm thinking it sounds like something best to be sewn. So I'm turning to you for help. Does anyone know a pattern that fits all these characteristics? The easier the better, since Teresa would probably have to do a lot of the sewing herself.

Wedding dresses

No, don't get excited/horrified, I'm not engaged. But a very dear friend of mine is, and it got me thinging about wedding dresses. Specifically, about what I would want in a wedding dress, should that time come around. I started to browse the David's Bridal site for ideas. There were really two dresses that stood out to me.

This is the first. (Sorry, I'm too technologically incompetent to figure out how to get just the picture here.) I really like the shape of this gown, and it's super cheap. However, it would require extensive alteration, because strapless dresses are not flattering to me (or, IMO, anyone--but that's another can of worms) and I am not wearing one into a church, anyway. But the main details--very simple, and with princess seams, are definitely something to keep in mind.


This is the second. I like this dress because it is modest, while still being simple, and it has short sleeves. A lot of modest dresses have long sleeves, which, while not inherently wrong, is not something I'm looking for in a wedding dress. And again, this one is A-line.

In terms of where I would get a wedding dress, I see three major options: Buy a dress, make a dress, or get someone else to make a dress. Buying a dress would probably require extensive alterations which I'm not competent enough to do, so that would also involve finding a seamstress. I am not sure right now which alternative I would prefer. As I'm not engaged, I guess it doesn't really matter!

Next project!

Ok, so after the stress of my last project, I wanted a project that fit three criteria. I wanted it to be easy, I wanted it to have no deadline, and I wanted it to be for me.

So, I splurged a little. I bought myself three yards of Eric Carle printed fabric:

This fabric has made me so incredibly happy. I have been carrying it around the house with me. I have decided to use M5800 to make it, which is a pattern I have made before. The last version was awesome but didn't fit very well. So I got an old sheet, and made a muslin. Then I laid out my altered pattern pieces, and cut them out:

My major pattern changes were to take in the seams along the bust, and narrow the center front. I also took in the sides. The length seemed fine to me. Next up--construction!

Dress plans

Ok, so not having a computer has been going pretty well. But I haven't been doing that much sewing either! I've been doing a good bit in the costume shop. We're currently working on a quilt. The person who runs the costume shop actually asked me to up my hours, so that's flattering! I'm working eight hours a week now, instead of five.

This is something I would like to sew:
This is fabric that I own, pinned to my dressmaker's dummy. I like the combination of the stripes and the cowl. My sister thinks it's got way too much going on and I should pick a new fabric or get rid of the cowl. What does everyone else think?

Knit Dresses!

This post is all about knit dresses and knit fabrics! I love knit dresses, and I would like to make more of them. However, I currently own no knit dress patterns, and I have no good source for knit fabrics. I own two knit fabrics, which you can see pictures of here, but both of them are heavier weight and probably better suited for winter.

So, from all the sewists and seamstresses out there who have far more experience than I do, what are your favorite sources for knits? Particularly cheap knits? What are your favorite patterns? (I'm looking for both summer and winter patterns.) What are things that I should probably know, but I probably don't? Either post a comment, or, if you have a lot to say, I've tried to set up a linky.

Alteration!

About a week ago, I was shopping at Ross and I found a purple and black leopard print dress. So fun! However, it didn't fit at all:
You know the way when you're shopping, sometimes pieces of clothing call out to you? For me, these are usually things that don't fit. This dress called out to me. However, unlike all the fitted blazers and shoes and other things that are totally unalterable (at least by me), this dress had a seam up each side and no fastenings to mess with. Two quick seams later, here's what I have:

Funny story about this dress: I texted a friend to tell her about it. She texted back, "Really??" I texted back, "Yes, really--do you disapprove?" Her response? "No, I'm just surprised. It sounds like the kind of thing your aunt would buy you and you would never wear!" It's certainly true that my aunt's sense of style is a little more out there than mine in, but I guess she's rubbing off on me!

I'm alive, I swear!

This is why I was reluctant to start a blog. I had a feeling I would post regularly for a while and then slip off the blogging wagon. I will spare you apologies and rash promises of regular posts. I hope to sew more often during the summer, which is almost here (two classes, two papers, four finals, and then I'm freeee!), but I can't guarantee that.

Anyway, I did promise a post about the accessories I wore. Here's a picture (slightly blurry, sorry) of what the hairband, necklace, and earrings:
The hairband is an extra piece of the ribbon that the sash was made out of. I sewed a line of beads down the middle of it and my mother put elastic in the back. It's a very nice hairband, but it's really too wide for the amount of hair that I have. It didn't work terribly well. As a matter of fact what I wound up doing was getting my hair wet, and then my roommate blowdried it to give it a little more volume. The hairband then spent the evening sliding around and looked rather strange by the end of the night. Oh well. Live and learn.

The earrings and the necklace were made by my little sister. I did tell her that if she writes up a description of them I will post it here for her. So far she hasn't. (M, if you're reading this, it's not too late!) So I will do the best I can. The necklace is simply a bunch of smaller beads with large flat glass beads interspersed regularly throughout. The earrings are a tear-drop shape of smaller beads surrounding a large bead. The smaller beads are the same as the ones that I sewed on the hairband.

I haven't worn the hairband or the necklace since the inaugural ball (although I'm sure I will wear the necklace), but I wore the earrings (and the shoes) to Easter Mass and dinner.

Finished dress!

The dress is finished! Here is a photo of it:
Sorry for the total mess in the background. This photo was taken shortly before we left, so the debris that was created by six girls getting ready in one college dorm room was still scattered all around. However, this is the photo I have that shows off the dress the best.

I am so, so pleased with how this dress turned out. I think this may be my favorite thing I've ever sewn. I have so many lovely pictures that I could post. I will be putting up a couple more posts in the next week or so about my accessories, which are mostly handmade, so you will have to deal with more photos, but I will just leave you with a shot of me and my boyfriend for now:

Making progress

Well, I have only got about 7 steps left in this dress. Of course, the last step in any dress is always "Hem the darn thing," which usually takes me about as long as the rest of the work, but serious progress is definitely being made. I never did find piece 8, and there don't seem to be many people out there with this dress pattern, so I made up piece 8. I traced the shape of the side seams off piece 6, and then added many (many many) inches so that I could be sure that it wouldn't be too small. After all, I can always make it smaller. Last night I wrapped the skirt around myself. It easily goes around my waist and overlaps four inches--and this is with my sweater on. So it's certainly not too small!

In other news, I changed my mind about the color of the sash. I happened to be out shoe shopping with my mother, and she suggested we go look for a pair of shoes to wear, as she wasn't a fan of the shoes I'd chosen from what I already had. We went, among other places, to David's Bridal, and found a shoe from their clearance rack that I really liked. It's one of their dyeable shoes. I had originally planned to buy dye from the craft store and dye them myself, but when I discovered that David's Bridal only charges $4 for a dye job, I figured I would just let them do it. However, I wasn't a big fan of their pinks, so instead I decided on a light turquoise color called "Mermaid." We then went to the craft store and found a ribbon the same color to use as a sash, and also some beads, which my little sister has volunteered to make into a necklace for me.

I feel terribly spend-thrift for buying custom dyed shoes, but even with the dye job the shoes only cost about $30. That is a little more than I had planned to spend, but I think I'll be able to wear them again fairly easily.

Murphy's Law

So. Due to Christmas, my broken hand, and a general lack of motivation, I am only now ready to cut out the pieces for my dress. And, as Murphy's Law would predict, I can't find one of my pattern pieces. I think I may have left it in my dorm room, which is locked until the winter break is over. What I am missing is piece 8, the skirt back. If someone out there who has S2498 would kindly scan & email that one piece (smgjic [at] hotmail [dot] com), or describe it so I can re-draft it (it doesn't appear to be much different from 6), or something, it would be so much appreciated. I really don't want to have to go out and buy a new pattern--they're so expensive! ( I am making view D.)

Have I mentioned how glad I am I have a backup dress?

Alterations on S2498

Well, even if I'm not sewing the dress until Christmas break, I did do some alterations on my bodice muslin a few weekends ago. I have never understood how people who haven't other people to help them fit manage to fit anything. (On the other hand, I am so asymmetrical that a dressmaker's dummy just can't cut it. Perhaps if I were regularly shaped, or at least symmetrical, I could fit my own clothes.) Anyway, this was an interesting fitting, since the person who was helping me, my sister Teresa, doesn't really sew very much. So she had less practice at knowing how to fix various problems. It worked quite well, though. I made a good deal of alterations:

This picture is not the greatest, and I apologize for that. The first thing I (or rather, we) did was to shorten the shoulder straps of the bodice. (For the record, I'm going with the terms bodice and bodice overlay. Hopefully that isn't too confusing.) They were a good two or three inches too long--I'm not sure if that's a pattern error or what.

I also took in the shoulder seams. Because of the way my shoulders are shaped, the arm hole is the right size, but the neck is too big. So we tapered the shoulder seam on both sides. You can see the new line of the shoulder--it's right where the line of safety pins is:

The third alteration was to fix the fact that the front neck edge of the bodice gapped. Again, we tapered. I'll just move this piece when I cut it out for real, since it's cut on the fold:
The last two alterations I did I haven't got pictures of, although you can see one of them in the first picture. I took in the underarm seam on the right side of the bodice overlay. It makes me extremely nervous that I only had to take it in on one side, because I don't think I'm that asymmetrical. However, there will most certainly be another fitting over Christmas break, so I'm not terribly fussed. The other alteration I did was to add 5/8" to each side of the center back seam. It certainly seems counter intuitive to be taking width out of the front and adding width in the back, but since my shoulders are somewhat rounded, that really did have to happen. Of course, since that changes the width of the waist seam too, I will have to alter the skirt pieces a bit, but that shouldn't take more than about 30 seconds.

I'm hoping that I will stay close enough to the shape I am now that I won't really have to re-alter these pattern pieces come Christmastime. We shall see. Wish me luck!

Good news, bad news

Well. This is an unexpected turn of events. The presidential inauguration has been postponed, because the chancellor of Catholic University, Archbishop Wuerl, is being made a cardinal. I think this is great news, but it means that the inauguration, and hence the inaugural ball, won't be taking place until late January (not December, sorry!). This is, of course, a shame, because it means I no longer have any motivation to sew for the rest of this semester! On the other hand, it takes a lot of the pressure off. The next week is going to be extremely busy, with multiple important tests and papers, and it will be nice to not have to worry about sewing.

I did do the fitting of the dress last Saturday, and I have an upcoming post about the bodice alterations I made. We'll see if these alterations are still good enough come January, or if I'll have gained enough of the freshman 15 that I will have to start over with my alterations! I hope that doesn't happen, though.

This is probably a terrible idea

...but I've picked my next sewing project. And it's not one of the ones I already had on my list. It's something new. In very slightly more than a month, there is going to be a formal ball to celebrate the inauguration of the new CUA president. I want to sew myself my dress. I'm thinking to make Simplicity 2498. I would make the version shown in blue. I'm thinking, though, that I would like it in black taffeta, with some sort of pink accent. I'm wondering if there's any way to change that bow in the front to a bright pink sash. Or maybe just make the bow pink and wear a pink necklace? I'm really not sure--what do you all think? I'd love your opinions, and preferably as soon as possible, since I only have a month! Other pattern or color suggestions are welcome as well.

(Don't worry, I have every intention of having a back-up dress. I am realistic enough to know that I may well not have the time for this project.)

Old project

I don't think I have free time any more, but while I'm trying to figure it out, I'll post some old projects of mine. I do go through these sewing slumps, and I haven't figured out a way to motivate myself back into sewing--I just have to let nature take its course.

This dress I sewed myself last summer. The shoulders are slightly large, but it fits fairly well overall, and since it's not a terribly fitted style, it doesn't look too bad.


I apologize; this photo is terrible. However, it's ten thirty, and I have less than no desire to go and change for the purpose of taking an (equally awkward) photo in the mirror on the back of my closet door. I should have another picture of me in this dress somewhere, as I wear it fairly often. I'll try and see if I can dig one up.

What I find intriguing about this dress is that it is far and away the piece of clothing I own that gets me the most compliments. I've never thought of it as particularly attractive or particularly flattering, but everyone else on the planet seems to love it.

Where have all the sleeves gone?

I was messing around on Polyvore today, and I figured out why it is that I so very rarely buy dresses off the rack. Besides the fit issues, I mean. Most dresses haven't got sleeves anymore! When did that happen? I'm used to summer dresses being sleeveless, but it seems to me that now all the dresses are sleeveless, with a significant number being strapless.

Strapless is out of the question. As my grandmother said to my mother, and could just as well have said to me, "You can't wear a strapless dress! You have nothing to hold it up!" I have tried on strapless dresses before....not happening. Besides, I honestly don't really like the way most strapless dresses look. I find wide expanses of skin to be not at all attractive, no matter how nicely tended the skin may be.

Sleeveless...meh. I haven't got a huge moral issue with sleeveless dresses or anything like that. Nor do I dislike the genre of sleeveless as much as I dislike the genre of strapless. I have a couple of sleeveless dresses and shirts. I just greatly prefer that my clothing have sleeves, or at least something that will approximate the look of a sleeve.

I guess this is why I sew. In theory, I can make my dresses look like anything I want! Assuming that is, I can find a pattern that's close enough to the ideal to alter. Easier said than done. For example, I can't find sewing patterns that look like this or like this.

I guess I need to learn to draft. Hmm. I don't think drafting lessons and poor college student budget usually coincide, do they?

Retro wrap dress

So here's the deal. I'm pretty sure that I will have sporadic internet access for most of the summer. I am even more sure that sewing will be sporadic at best. After all, you can access the internet from most anywhere there's a computer, and sew from hardly anywhere, if you don't handsew. In order to not let this blog fall completely by the wayside, I will be posting about projects I've already completed.

Today's project is B4790. [Hey look, it's on sale!] I made this dress last summer, and I really love it. It was extremely easy to sew up.

If you don't like edging things with bias tape, I think I'd recommend against this dress, though. Pretty much every edge except the bottom hem is finished with bias tape. The other caveat I'd add is that though the dress has a nice full skirt, it's really not something you can be active in. I find the snaps have a tendency to pop open if I pick up a large package or a small child. Perhaps I should stick in a hook and eye or two in between the snaps.

New dress

Okay, this post is not about sewing. But it is about my new dress that I ordered a few weeks ago. I'm a sucker for shirtdresses, and this one was on sale *and* I had a coupon code. It came in the mail while we were on vacation, and I like it so much I thought I'd post about it. After all, fashion is tangentially related to sewing, right?


This is the photo from the Lands' End website, zoomed in a bit. Isn't this dress awesome? I wore it to church today. I thought it looked a bit sober with the black sash, so I replaced the sash with a white scarf with black Chinese characters on it. I must say, I think this makes a slightly better Spring/Fall dress than a summer dress. It's 67% cotton/28% polyester/5% spandex, which is a bit hot in black, especially walking along sunny roads to church. But hey, it worked.

This dress is a bit looser on me than on the model. It looks better on her than it does on me, but I knew this was likely to happen, and it still looks fine (I think so, anyway). I have such narrow shoulders that RTW clothes are always looser on me. And of course, my shoulders are different heights anyway.

My favorite thing about this dress is that it has pockets! I have very few dresses with pockets, but I'm a bit of a pocket addict.

May wrap-up

In May, I finished six sewing projects. The first one was A's prom dress. I'm still on the look out for photos of it in action, by the way. I feel a bit cheater-ish, counting this as one of May's projects, since I did the vast majority of the work in April, but I figure it all evens out in the end, especially since I have a project that was done 98% in May which I'll count as part of the June wrap-up.

The second project was pajamas for B. I drafted this pattern myself, and it turned out pretty well.

The third project was Simplicity 2690. Since I posted about this, I took the shoulder seams in a bit, which makes the shirt less floppy. Next time I think I'll just cut a 6 in the bust.

Fourth was New Look 6807. I am quite pleased with this shirt and will probably make it again at some point.

Fifth was pajamas for B's doll. Sigh. Let's say they eventually worked out and leave it at that.

Last but not least was my seersucker dress from New Look 6699. I like this dress a whole lot. I think I should have made the center front a little bit narrower, but it's okay. I may well wear this dress to my graduation party.

This wasn't a great month, but I did knock several projects off my to-do list. I'm pretty sure I added a good deal more, though. Oh well.