My Vintage Red Polka Dot Dress

I finally took some photos of this beautiful dress I finished over a month ago! I had plans to take photos wearing this dress whilst on holiday in Portugal (1st week of May) using my grandmothers treadle sewing machine as a prop. But then I fell ill and couldn't do it! I then had real trouble combining a time I could go out and take photos with a time of hot weather. In the end I ended up taking indoor photos.

But on to the dress! The pattern is a the vintage Advance 5756, Size 9 Bust 28 seen below. Yes, that is right Bust 28. Now I need to say something very, very important!! If you have any Advance Patterns from the 50s that are a Size 9 Bust 28 please tell me!! I will buy them off you and will pay well. This is the first vintage or non vintage pattern I have made that fits me everywhere just right without any alteration to the pattern.

I have to clarify I am not a size 28 bust, I measure 32 at the bust so there is 10cm ease on this pattern. I would say 5cm would be enough, if not less for this style.

So the fitting was perfect (wrinkles below are due to arms position) and the sewing was pretty straightforward too. Instructions were scarce but there was nothing too challenging.

There's not much more to say about this dress really so I'll leave you with a couple more pictures, a repeat of my pledge for 1950s Advance Pattern in size 9 (i really want them) and a question: Have you found your perfect match on a sewing pattern size or company? Something that will fit straight out of the envelope?

Kimono Sleeve Replacement: Vote on your favourite

My dear readers, I have struggled hard to come to this decision, but I have made up my mind. I'm giving up working on the kimono sleeve dress whilst there's time. Part of me saw this as an admittance of failure but my rational side knows it's not quite that. The gussets are not the issue anymore as what I have managed to sew is not that bad. However the whole process made other aspects of this dress that I don't particularly love gain more strength. I fell in love with the pattern envelope but the dress instructions surprised me with a few details and designs that are not as nice, but at the time was ready to overlook:

• The pockets are fake. They are just a decorative touch. I know it could be easily changed.
• The back skirt falls quite oddly, possibly because of the V point. It's not bad at all but it's also not my favourite shape.
• The sleeves are just crazy drafted. I tried re-designing them with my pattern making knowledge but wasn't very successful. We did a lot of set in sleeve and raglan sleeve work on the course but no kimono sleeve. After seeing Gertie GORGEOUS kimono sleeves with gussets I really can't bear to do these.

Bottom line, I do not love it! And after all the gusset drama I am close to hating it. So instead of beating myself up I'm going to move on and use the sumptuous wool flannel to sew something else. (I have just cut the bodice pieces so have lots left.)

I have two patterns in mind and would like you to vote for the one you want me to sew. It will likely have to wait for Autumn now, as soon it'll be too warm for wool, but it will be made. And can I just say: they both have set in sleeves. Woohoo!!

Pattern 1: A similar design to original. View C, button down dress with princess line panels and long sleeves.

Pattern 2: A gorgeous Vogue Couturier. A touch more serious but still gorgeous. The only scary bit in this pattern are the welt pockets.

Ready, steady, cast your votes!

Gusset Love/Hate!

I do love gussets, or should I say the way gussets look with a nice and sleek kimono sleeve. They were widely used in the 50s and I have many sewing patterns from that time that use them. That is why I decided to go ahead and sew my kimono sleeve dress as it was with the gusset  (after some trouble fitting I seriously considered altering the bodice pattern to use a set in sleeve). The problem is I cannot sew them! I fully admit, the problem is skill, namely skill at sewing sharp points. I cannot tell you how many times I have fiddled with these gussets. Gertie posted a timely tutorial on how to sew a 2 piece gusset but even with such brilliant help I did not manage. I confess I cried many times in the process, out of frustration of not being able to do this. I am close to giving up!
After more tears this morning I decided to have one more go at it and achieved a half decent half gusset. My concern is the pivot point. I was unable to do it on the machine so hand sewn it. It feels sturdy but I'm not 100% happy with it. Should I persist but risk a somewhat dodgy job which I won't be happy with?

There's three options, as far as I'm concerned:

1. I keep on trying and in that case do you have any tips, tricks or solutions to sew a gusset/ sharp point?
2. I declare it UFO, attend some SOS sewing clinics to work on my gussets and have another go at it next Autumn?
3. Purely and simply ditch it and use the wool flannel with another gorgeous dress pattern (one with easier sleeve insertion). My love for this pattern has dwindled so it wouldn't completely break my heart)

Which option should I choose, my dear readers?

1940s New Years Day Dress

On Boxing Day I learned that my local town centre was putting up an New Years Day event called Vintage Stony. I do like a good vintage event and there aren't many where I am so I was keen to spend the first day of the year looking at pretty old cars. I convinced F and decided to make a dress to suit the occasion. A bit of a crazy plan, especially as I've had a cold for the last week but I managed. I chose Simplicity 4867 and although I bought it for the pretty scalloped dress i decided to do the other version as it would be easier.

The dress was fairly easy to construct. Saying that I had to undo the yoke about three times but that was all due to my poor attention spam. The first time I sewed it the wrong way up as I didn't read instructions sheet properly. Second time I thought I had sewed it wrong because the back bodice was just to big for the yoke piece. I unpicked it and cut new pieces and then read on the pattern piece that the back was to be half gathered. So, it wasn't wrong after all but I had already ripped it off.

Whilst I'm not aiming to be genuine 1940s I think this dress feels very 1940s. I used a cheap linen blend from my stash and used a brooch my future MIL gave me for Christmas to add a bit of dazzle. My gorgeous shoes are from Miss L Fire.
The event was full of gorgeous cars but understandably so full of people as well so photos are not that great. To add to that the light was poor and Fs camera decided to add grain and blur every detail.

The dress fits fine. It's not perfect but taking in consideration I didn't do a muslin I think it worked well. I think the fact the waist is gathered not darted also gives it a looser look. I cheated on the sleeves as they were intended to be set in but I couldn't cope with it so gathered them. And because I had 4 days to complete this (and I worked between Christmas and New Years) the inside is a bit horrendous.

I hope you all had a fantastic time celebrating the New Year and I wish you all a great, great 2012! I would also like to thank you all for being a part of my blog. It is truly appreciated and makes me very happy! I have some wild plans for 2012 but knowing myself I might change them so no resolutions for me.

Winter Wool Dress Muslin - Advice Wanted

Today must be muslin day (toile for my British friends) as the lovely Karen blogged about her coat muslin earlier on. I agree 100% with her on the fact that there is nothing flattering about a muslin. I look hideous! But I know muslins are important to ensure a good fit. How frustrating to spend time and money and end up with a badly fit garment. Just take my Winter wool dress, from the gorgeous pattern above. If I had cut my pricey, gorgeous wool flannel what would I do with it? I wouldn't wear it, for sure.

Anyway...I need help! I need your wonderful advice on how to fit this dress and any comments are very helpful.

The dress fits like a glove from the waist down. The length needs taking by about 10 inches but that's easy. I only pinned it roughly for the photos so ignore that.

Onto the dreaded photos. Straight up with arms down you can see some bagginess in the arms.

Hands on hips the bagginess in the arms becomes clear.

Side view shows some more bagginess in the front and somethings terrible wrong at the back.

Back view. Too much fabric.

So as usual for me, the bodice is way too big, even though the measurements in this vintage pattern are smaller than mine. ( I'm a bust 32 and pattern is for bust 30). The sleeves are kimono with gussets under the arms. Disappointingly (but understandable) my pattern making class was cancelled today due to illness as I believe we were going to do kimono sleeves.

My dear readers, any suggestions, recommendations? What do I take out, where and how. Thank you!!

Box of Delights

My Beignet is ready but I won't be able to snap good photos until the weekend so I'll leave you with a photo from a lovely box the postman brought me.

Photo taken with my phone and edited via Instagram

One Autumn, Four Garments

In a nutshell that's my plan for sewing this Autumn. I don't like having a sewing plan as I hate feeling restricted but a lot of stuff is happening between now and January. I'm doing a pattern making course in October and it will run for 10 Saturdays. Technical drawings and maths are not a natural flair of mine so some studying and practicing will be necessary. I have a secret project on the pipeline and on that I can't say much. Exciting stuff but still very undeveloped so don't worry, you're not missing much at this point. And knitting, yes! I want to actually finish a knitted garment this Autumn.
In order for me to do all these things and actually pursue my dreams instead of just dreaming them I need to be clear what to do and when. I am focusing on winter garments that I can wear in colder months.

1) Colette Pattern Beignet Skirt is already in the making. Fabric is cut and all I need to do now is sew. I am using a navy drill which will see much use in winter with some nice warm tights. I just hope I don't chicken up in the buttonhole phase.

2) Wool Flannel Vintage Dress. One of the bigger projects as I will be working with a fabric new to me which cost some money and I don't want to screw up. It also has lots of buttonholes. You have seen the pattern envelope but here it is again. It's so pretty!

3) Winter Coat: I was very indecisive about making a coat or not. I want to be sure I finish in time to use during the colder months. I was also divided between a vintage inspired coat and this one I found on a Brazilian pattern magazine called Manequim. Ended up going with this one as the other pattern works best with a waterproof fabric. This will be a big project too, as I will have a go at pad stitching and all other tailoring elements I avoided during Lady Grey.

4) Another go at knits with version C of Vogue 8685. I have a relatively cheap knit fabric I will use to do this.

I must also add that in the making but not on the list is The Perfect Fit Bombshell Dress from Craftsy online course. It is taught by the wonderful Gertie so I simply can't wait. Actually I might be able to wear in end of October if a awesome event is put together. Fingers crossed, it would be awesome!

So I have 4 months for all of these, do you think I can hack it?

A Week of Giveaways - Day 4

Todays giveaway will hopefully appeal to vintage fans.

A gorgeous 1940s pattern for pantie and vest. Two version, one plain and one with a lace insert. Size is a  37 bust. Which is exactly the reason I am parting with this gorgeousness. You might recall a few months back I shared I was going to attempt this pattern first on cotton poplin for a plain version and all going well a second version then on satin(ish) with lace insert. The fact the pattern is unprinted was a bit daunting but I pressed ahead and didn't let that deter me. However when I got my head round the pattern pieces I realised the size was way too big for me. And even though I really like this pattern I don't like it enough to try and resize it. There you go, up for grabs!

To enter this giveaway is simple:

1) You have to be a follower on my blog

2) Leave a comment on this post telling me your experience with unprinted patterns.

3) Very important, leave your email address. I had trouble in the past contacting people because not all profiles allow access to email.

The giveaway is open to my readers all over the world and deadline for entry is Sunday 26th June 2011, 6pm GMT time. Winner will be announced the following day.

Good Luck!!

Sabrina Dress in Action and Hungarian Fabric Shops

I woke up this morning with an urge to finish my RTW tailoring sew along jacket but have now given up. For some reason everything I do is not that good and I have lost count on the number of mistakes I've done. I'm also very clumsy, dropping everything to the floor, constantly stabbing myself with pins, etc.
Instead I though I would share with you a couple of photos of My Sabrina Dress in action and report on the Hungarian fabric shops I found.

I made the bolero using Butterick 3345 View A, without the ruffle. The taffeta was a dream to work with and my first time as well. I lined it with a baby blue habotai. It was straightforward to sew, with only sleeves being tricky (which they always are for me).

You might notice, the lovely green clutch bag I got on ebay (after madly falling in love) is not in the photos. Unfortunately the seller emailed me a week after I bought it to say she was going on holiday and not back until after the holiday period. I was not happy with the poor service and communication and got a refund. That meant I had to do something last minute. I am not proud of what I did, but for what it was it worked.

Obviously, part of my agenda in visiting Hungary was exploring fabric and haberdashery shops and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I bought a considerable amount of fabric ::blushes:: and will share it with you in a different post.
In Budapest I visited a street stretch full of shops, recommended by the lovely VickiC. The shops I visited (about 7) were full of fabric, in some cases so much that browsing was difficult. The prices were slightly lower than UK or about the same. The problem I had was not being able to read what the fabric label said and majority of shops assistants not knowing the English fabric terms. I kicked myself for not having done proper research, including find out names of fabric types in Hungarian.
In Győr, where the wedding was, there were more fabric shops with cheaper prices than Budapest. I visited about 4 and again, they didn't disappoint.
One of my favourites had a dubious entrance, as it looked like we were entering someone's house. It is also the only one I managed to take photos. I know, massive failure for my part, but when you surrounded by so much fabric loveliness, who can think of photos!

Love Fabric Vintage Shirt

Another project whipped up from my sewing list, with the fabric left from the Love Fabric Skirt! This was also my second project from an original vintage pattern, a lovely wrap shirt from Simplicity 4255! I have to say the instructions were a bit tricky to follow and I have improvised on some construction aspects.

The interior is not as neat as I would like but it is still acceptable. The facings don't seem to hold very well and I have to spend some time arranging them inside the shirt.

I quite like the end result and now just have to make some more high waisted skirts and trousers to go with this, as I think it goes super well with my Corduroy trousers.

My Sabrina Dress - It's finished!

And so I have inserted the zipper and hemmed the skirt and thus I have a finished Sabrina Dress:

The skirt length is not as I initially wanted but it looks ok. I will be wearing this at a friends wedding next May in Hungary and now looking to do matching accessories, including a bolero. I know pink would be a good complimentary colour but I don't like pink that much so settled for a dark green. I will share photos of the full outfit in action then. 

I know I said I would publish a post about waist and seam finishes but life got in the way and I didn't manage to get one ready. I also didn't manage a inside out shoot as this dress doesn't fit Shelly (my dressmakers dummy). Hope you're able to forgive me!

I'm really happy how it turned out and have to say working with a vintage pattern didn't seem to differ from a modern one. At least in this case! The front fits perfectly well and the back is not bad either. It gaps a tiny bit though.

I'll leave you with a twirl!

Pretty twirl was followed by falling flat in the floor. A photo of the fall was taken but I will not share it.

My Sabrina Dress #6 - Bodice construction

I have made lots of progress on My Sabrina Dress and spent much time and attention getting the bodice right. The front piece has soft pleats which were quite straightforward to sew. I just pinned them down and pressed the lower end to help when taking it to the machine.

 The back is darted and I used my favourite method to do them. Start at the raw edge and when close to tip reduce stitch length. Don't back sew to avoid puckering. When you reach the end raise the presser foot, move the fabric so the needle goes inside the dart and the back sew. You can see a proper explanation of these here. I learned this awesome method through Gertie's Blog For Better Sewing when sewing along the Crepe Wrap Dress.

 I decided to follow pattern instructions and use bias binding to finish facing raw edges. I went for a soft pink just because it doesn't show on the outside. I really do not like wearing a lot of pink. I started by opening the binding and pinning to the edges of the fabric...but...I didn't take in account cloth allowance so the binding didn't wrap around the seam nice and smoothly.

The end result is a bit shoddy, as you can see from photo below but I overlooked it as the front of the facing isn't as bad. (You'll see a inside shot when dress is finished).

When the time came to attach the binding to the armhole facing I took in consideration the cloth allowance and the results are much, much better. I do need to practice sewing bias binding. With my underbust corset the bias is also very poorly sewn.

And voila, the bodice is completed! The end is near and I suspect I will have a whole dress to show you by next weekend. Before that I'll post about waist seams and seam finishes!

My Sabrina Dress #5 - Cutting and Marking

That photo speaks for itself! The width of my fabric wasn't enough so I will end up with a 1950s above the knee length dress. Not ideal, I know! The other thing this meant was that it was quite difficult to match floral prints, like I had originally intended. Not the end of the world.

I cut all my fabric on the floor as I do not have a big enough table. To make up for accurate cuting I usually cut roughly around pattern pieces and end up with a pile like the one below.

 I can then take to my small work desk and accurately cut and mark.

My absolute favourite way of marking fabric is to use carbon paper and a tracing wheel. Here, however, I didn't do that as the fabric right size is on the outside.

 I usually snip all notches. As long as you do it well within your seam allowance there is no problem.

For the darts I used tailor's tacks. Great for marking fabric on both sides without risking permanent pen/ chalk marks. Saying that after I do the tacks and remove the paper pattern, I outline the dart on the wrong side of fabric. That ensures I'm sewing the dart properly.

That was basically all the marking to do on the pattern. I was happy when it was over as I could get on with the fun stuff: sewing it together!