Assorted Notions

Burda maternity tunic

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Burda Mag 8-2007-122

This is my most recent maternity garment that I've made, and it'll be my last. I still have several other tops and dresses to share with you here, but they are all in the laundry! Soon.

I remember falling in love with the style of this maternity pattern was first published in 2007, and promised myself that when I was pregnant, I'd definitely make this top. However, now that I've carrying a mini-watermelon of my own, I noticed something I never noticed before - the "maternity" model is not pregnant! Perhaps this shouldn't come as a suprise, considering Burda uses not-so-plus size models for their plus size clothes, and they'll use the same woman to model their regular and petite garments. But what really annoys me is that they could have made her appear more than 3 months pregnant by throwing a pregnancy pillow on her, easily found in an maternity store dressing room. Without that, it makes it hard to imagine how this would look on someone with a real belly.

34 weeks

Since my last Burda maternity pattern in my regular Burda size was an oversize disaster, I decided to make this top one size smaller, a size 36. Maybe not the best idea, since as you can see, the fit of my top is not nearly as drapey as on the "pregnant" model...

I'm not sure what the model is wearing for bust support under her top, but the v-neck is so low, you really do need to wear a top underneath to cover your bra. I love me a deep v-neck and I'm not typically bothered by Burda's affinity for cleavage, but in real life, the only way to swing look this is to layer with a cami.

The purple fabric I used is a Vera Wang jersey, the same fabric I used for a cut-out shoulder Burda dress last summer. The only alteration I did was to finish the back neck with a bias strip instead of a facing.

Like the Burda mag maternity t-shirt, the bust is slightly too big; if I were to make this top again, I'd pinch out about an inch of length from the upper from bust pieces, and add several inches of width to the lower front.

Only 6 more weeks to go! So far I am still feeling pretty good, just moving around a bit slower than normal, which is actually a nice change of pace...

Sew Expo report

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:05:00 +0000

Vogue Fabrics at Sew Expo

I spent all day Saturday at Sew Expo. Even though it's only 45 minutes from Seattle, it was my first time attending. I didn't take any classes, rather, I spent much of the day wandering through the vendors in the showplex. I'll be honest with you, the vendors are very much dominated by quilting and embroidery companies. The garment sewing is there, it just felt very few and far between. That was secondary though, because the main reason I went was to meet up with sewing friends!

Here we are at lunch, left to right, Cheryl, Deepika, Annika, Jacqui, and me.

Naturally, we all inspected each other's clothes to see who made what. Here's Jacqui in the fabulous new Lady Grey jacket by Colette Patterns, and Deepika in her awesome Jalie jeans and Burda magazine top 10-2005-114 (I used the same collar piece on the dress that I was wearing that day!).

Of course we had to try on Jacqui's Lady Grey...

I am so buying this pattern. And (in a few months) I'm making those Jalie jeans.

Nancy's Sewing Basket (my fave local fabric store) was there and had this dress on display, it's Vogue 1152, the new Rebecca Taylor pattern, done in a vintage-print cotton lawn. Just gorgeous.

In the afternoon, I met Alden from BurdaStyle! Left to right are Beth (member of the Seattle BurdaStyle Sewing Club), me, Alden, and Cheryl (also member of the Seattle BurdaStyle Sewing Club).

Alden was wearing the Shakira RESTYLE that she recently modeled for the website. She was fun to talk to, and what an awesome job she has.

I didn't buy too much stuff, I mostly stuck to my plan, which was to purchase some Kai pinking shears. I was also on the hunt for some trench coat buttons, but there wasn't anything appropriate at Expo. I also bought a half yard of Japanese print cotton for making potholders, and from Professional Sewing Supplies (a local business - no website but they do mail order and sell to other businesses) a nice big piece of wax and some white bias woven fusible tape (I have some in black and I use it all the time in my shoulder seams on knits).

I was exhausted at the end of the day but it was so worth it!

Sew Expo 2010

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:12:00 +0000

On Saturday I am heading to Sew Expo for the first time ever! It's the largest annual sewing show in the country, right in my own backyard. I'm not taking any classes, just going to soak up the atmosphere and see what it's all about. I'm looking forward to meeting some of my Seattle BurdaStyle Club peeps and Pattern Review friends there. I'll take lots of pics with a full report to come soon.

What I've been up to

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:30:00 +0000

Wow, I didn't mean to go dark for nearly 2 weeks like I did! (Since 24 has started up again, there's a lot of CTU-speak here at home...).

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Thanks everyone for your fabric suggestions for the Burda 7526 maternity pants! It seems like a firm knit is the most popular suggestion, although there was high praise for bengaline, a fabric that is technically a woven but with lots of stretch and is commonly seen in RTW maternity pants. I've found it online but I'm not sure if I've seen it locally (Seattleites, let me know if it's out there). I think I'll test out the pattern with a knit first, and then seek out the bengaline if I like the fit.

In the meantime, I've finished a Patrones blouse and 2 more Jalie knit tops (2804 again). Still need to take some pictures of those. A knit dress is next in queue.

I've given myself until the end of this month to finish up any maternity sewing. I'm due mid-April, so that'll give me about 6 weeks (hopefully!) to focus on baby sewing, or maybe just relaxing :)

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they're weighing me down...

There's a whole room re-org happening here at my house to make way for baby, so the other day I went through nearly every book, magazine, and pattern in my sewing area to pare it all down. I feel like I hardly made a dent, but I am happy to report that I'm freeing myself of about 100 envelope sewing patterns. Most of them (sadly) unused. (It makes me really appreciate how compact a Burda magazine collection is!) My BurdaStyle Sewing Club peeps are getting first dibs on them, I'll use FreeCycle to get rid of anything left over.

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In the midst of all the purging, though, I have added a few great things to my sewing area.

First, these Kai professional series scissors, a gift from Birgitte, are fantabulous!! Seriously, I have a pair of regular (non-professional) Kai scissors and I didn't think there could be a better pair of scissors out there. Well there are. Even my husband commented on what nice quality they are. Thanks again, Birgitte!!

And my local sewing pal Amy gifted me these Ottobre back issues. Talk about insanely adorable kids clothes. I can't wait to dive into these come March when the baby sewing marathon begins. Thanks Amy!

Maternity pants

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:07:00 +0000

June asked if I'm planning on making any maternity pants. Well... here's my pants situation:

1. I bought 2 pairs of stretch woven pants early in pregnancy in the juniors section at Marshalls for about $12 each. One pair is very low-waisted and is still wearable, the other pair I tried inserting a Dritz maternity panel, but they turned out horrendous so I ditched those.

2. I bought 2 pairs of maternity jeans, one from the Gap and one from the Dutch maternity chain Noppies (purchased when I was in Munich last month). (My workplace is pretty casual and "nicer" jeans are okay.)

3. I bought the maternity pants pattern from Burda's newly released envelope patterns - Burda Style 7526. I just can't figure out what fabric to use! The recommended fabric is "only very elastic fabrics with 2-way stretch". Does that mean you should use a woven or a knit? If a knit is recommended, doesn't it usually say that explicitly? If they want you to use a woven, what kind of woven would have enough stretch? The style includes adjustable buttonhole elastic in the waistband so you can cinch or let out the waistband as needed. I like the bootcut, but I'm not quite sure where to start fabric-wise. What do you think?

Jalie empire crossover top - Take 2

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:25:00 +0000

28 weeks

Alrighty, I made another Jalie 2804 top on Sunday. (Recall my recent test version.) This one is a light chartreuse-y yellow rayon/lycra that I got at Stonemountain & Daughter in November. This is no test garment, it's the real thing!

The modifications:

(1) Traced one size larger, size T

(2) Made View A which has the gathered lower front bodice, I think this flatters the growing belly.

(3) Omitted the modesty panel

(4) Altered the front lower bodice for a "full tummy" using this Rostitchery tutorial. I added about 1 inch to each side seam (for an additional 2" around, total) and lengthened the center front by 1.5". As you can see, the side seams are still pulling forward and it'll only get worse as I grow larger, so next time I'll swing out the side seam more.

I'm very happy with this version!

Also, I want to thank Katherine for sharing some additional maternity alteration webpages, both from patternschool.com. Scroll halfway down this page where a pregnancy alteration to a tankini is shown (similar to the Rostitchery alteration), and this page gets into the nitty gritty theory behind the changing pregnancy figure. It's fascinating!

Study in empire crossover tops

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:29:00 +0000

Browsing through my BWOF back issues, I found this knit empire waist tee maternity pattern, 08-2005-123, that looked like the perfect piece to help get me through the next 3 months. Seeing this style, though, reminded of a Jalie pattern that I've had in my stash, yet to make.

Jalie 2804 just won a place in Pattern Review's top 10 patterns of 2009, and while it's not marketed specifically as a maternity top, it's said to be appropriate for that purpose too, and ever since I first saw these pics of Emilie during her pregnancy (check out pg 3 for top 2804 in a white sleeveless version), I mentally filed it away as a promising pregnancy pattern.

Since the two patterns are fairly similar, one designed as maternity wear, one winning accolades from seamstresses all over the internet, I decided to make both as a "compare and contrast" study, with the thought that I could take my favorite pieces/features of each top and morph them into one uber-fabulous pattern.

Fabric
100% cotton knit from Denver Fabrics. For the "real thing", I would certainly use a knit with lycra for better recovery, but the 100% cotton worked for the test garments.

Size
Jalie 2804 - I cut an S based on my pre-pregnancy measurements. This is my first Jalie pattern so I figured I'd just start there.

BWOF 8-2005-123 - I cut a 38 since that's my regular BWOF size.

Both patterns were sewn entirely as directed per the pattern instructions and with no alterations. Anyway, take a look, I think the pictures speak for themselves...

Are you totally cringing at that BWOF top? I still am and it's been almost a week! It's AWFUL! The bust is waaaaay too big. Yes, the girls grow, but not that much. I would never fill in the top. And the loose bust makes the tight belly section look almost comical. I hate the way the top hangs down below the belly, as in the side view. Talk about schlumpadinka...

Here's the Burda mag model photo. It's a little more fitted and actually looks decent. Nothing like mine! Maybe if I went down 2+ sizes?

Jalie, on the other hand, is golden in my book right now! I need to go up a size or two because, frankly, this top makes me feel slightly like a sausage in casing, but that I can deal with, especially once some lycra is added to the mix. Yup, new Jalie fan over here *waves hands*. Good thing too because I just bought their new cardigan, leggings, and the criss-cross top! The criss-cross top seems to have mixed reviews, but it's said to be good for nursing, and the pregnant model on the envelope looks good in hers so I'll see if I can make it work for me.

Needless to say, I won't be morphing these two patterns into one. I'm just going to work straight from the Jalie. I found this great blog post by Morzel that shows how to turn 2804 into a nursing top, so that's my eventual plan.

If it doesn't fit, make it in a knit

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:09:00 +0000

I realize I haven't done a good job of sharing my baby bump with you so far. But rest assured, it's there and growing day by day, well beyond the "is she or isn't she?" stage, thank goodness. It's definitely to the point that most of my regular clothes don't fit and my new requirement for tops and dresses is that they must be either knits and/or have an empire waist. Let the maternity sewing officially begin!

Burda magazine 2-2009-110

I have been coveting this BWOF pattern every since I saw Birgitte's fun silk charmeuse version. Even though it's not a maternity pattern, it has the necessary characteristics - an empire waist and a flowy, roomy area below the bust.

I flat-measured the waist on the pattern and found it would have plenty of room and then some, so I went ahead and cut the top in a purple silk/cotton woven shirting (I've mentioned before this is one of my favorite fabrics ever, it's available here at Fabric.com and I've seen it at various indie fabric stores; I used it to make this purple dress and this green dress). I cut my regular, trustworthy, Burda size 38 and set to work. Here's the outcome:

I knew my bust had grown, I had to buy new bras after all, but it never dawned on me that I'd be playing for Team FBA now! Sigh... I did wear the top once, to my BurdaStyle sewing club get-together last weekend. The poor little buttons are just straining to keep the top closed; if I just button the bottom two and wear a cami underneath, it's still obvious, so I think that'll be the last time I can wear it until I have my post-pregnancy, post-nursing bust back.

Back view - love the shape

27 weeks

My only modification to this pattern was to gather the sleeve hems onto a narrow sleeve band, instead of finishing the sleeve hems with elastic in a casing, which I think tends to looks Becky Home Ec-y (that doesn't mean you won't ever see me use that finish, though!).

Still, I couldn't get the style out of my head, I really like it and I find the style to be flattering as maternity-wear. Lightbulb moment - make it in a knit! The bodice is close enough to fitting, a knit would easily accommodate the negative ease situation, and no FBA necessary!

I rifled through the stash and found some chocolate rayon/lycra jersey (same stuff I used to make Simplicity 2850). My modifications:

1) I cut the upper front bodice on the fold instead of in 2 pieces, and scooped out the neckline a bit. Not having to stitch up tiny bias button loops and a bias band finish for the neck were major timesavers!

2) I lined the bodice with black tissue knit, mainly to give it an easy neckline finish.

3) I borrowed an idea from Jazz Couture's gorgeous LMB tunics to finish the sleeve hem with a self-fabric drawstring in a casing. My drawstrings don't look quite as delicate as hers, next time I would sew them a bit more narrow.

4) Because of the stretchiness of the knit, I was able to omit the invisible zipper in the side seam.

I am so happy with the knit version of this pattern, and the best part is with all of my modifications, it's a pretty quick little garment to sew up. I have plans to make another, in a dress length, and I think I'll change up the front pleat for a little variety.

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Next up, a comparison of a BWOF and a Jalie - both empire crossover knit tops, but two oh so different outcomes...

Trench coat love

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:32:00 +0000

Thanks to a fellow Pattern Review member, I was able to find the ever elusive Patrones magazine during my trip to Germany last month. This is Issue 284, the fall Extra issue.

Since my back issues of Patrones Extra have included maternity patterns, I was disappointed that this issue had none. (Apparently maternity patterns are increasingly unpopular - in 2009, Burda magazine also ditched their once-a-year, throw a bone to the pregnant ladies, handful of maternity patterns they typically published in their August issue. Not to mention that the maternity patterns from the Big 4 are all leftovers from the 1990s or out of print. I actually have a whole maternity pattern rant post in draft mode that I'm sitting on...).

Anyway, as Melissa shared with us, Patrones has dropped the designer names from their patterns, but the clothes and the photoshoots are as fashiony as they always were. Issue 284 has a collection of not-your-typical trench coats (including the coat on the cover) that I think really stand out.

Here, a big ruffle adds pizazz to an otherwise straightforward & simple coat.

I lied, this one is a pretty typical trench coat, but desirable nonetheless.

This one's all drapey and doesn't seem to have any closures (unless there's a hidden snap at the waist), hence the need for a RTW belt. Looks like a great layering piece.

This one's my fave. It has a hood! I loooove hoods on jackets and coats - when you live in a city that has as many impromptu gentle rain showers as Seattle, having a hood is golden. I examined the line drawing and the pattern pieces for this one and I so don't know what's going on... This one could be a future Big Project, but don't hold your breath.

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I do have a new BWOF top done, just need to take some pics, so that'll be making an appearance here soon. I've also been tracing Patrones and Burda patterns like crazy. Let's see if I can crank any of those out during the upcoming 3-day weekend.

First project of the year - The Tessuti Top

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:03:00 +0000

Thanks for all of the ideas on how to salvage Butterick 5418 (the would-be New Years Eve dress). The suggestions included:

1) additional hand-stitching/tacking to hold the pleats in place on the lining
2) cutting the bodice lining smaller (~1.5 cm) and ease to fit the bodice, so that the front will be pulled to the inside (much in the way an undercollar is cut smaller than an outer collar)
3) inserting a weight in the bodice lining hem to give it some oomph against the heavy pleats
4) inserting boning to support the bodice lining

I am going to hang on to the muslin and I'll fiddle with the dress. If I find a solution, I'll be sure to let you know!

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First project of 2010! And honestly, I'm not trying to hide my pregnancy, but this top does a very good job of it...

A local sewing friend made Tessuti's "Our Fave Top", and after trying hers on, I was convinced I needed my own too. The pattern is available as a free download on the Sew Tessuti blog. It's super easy and fast to make up. I started mine sometime after 5pm and wore it out that same evening. I used a grey viscose/lycra that I bought in November at Stonemountain and Daughter. My special touches:

1) I stablized the shoulder seams with Japanese bias-cut woven interfacing to prevent them from stretching out

2) I fused the hem in place with Steam-a-Seam 2, then stitched it in place with the decorative and stretchy lightning stitch. Fusing the hem closed before stitching made the job much easier, especially considering this top has a lot of hem!

I need a good necklace to go with this top, so in lieu I wore a small across-the-shoulder purse. And with such a voluminous top, a fitted bottom is a must. Yup, I'm wearing the controversial garment known as jeggings. Let me tell you, when you are pregnant and you want to wear skinny pants, jeggings are your best friend. Anything with 5% lycra is your best friend.

Thanks to Tessuti Fabrics for the awesome pattern!

2009 garments in review

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:19:00 +0000

I don't feel like I was very productive this year, and frankly I was surprised to see that I made 23 garments in 2009, it felt like less. I'd love to say I will sew more in 2010, but with a baby on the way, I think that would be setting myself up for failure. Unless burp cloths count.

The winners
Several garments qualified as winners for me in 2009:

I got compliments every time I wore BWOF 7-2009-104, the shirred waist shirtdress. The 1950's silhouette is not normally my thing, but this dress has a special place in my heart, and wardrobe.

I think I wore this scalloped edge summer jacket, BWOF 6-2008-102, every other day last summer. The only downside is that it doesn't have pockets.

Despite the fact this it was published over 4 years ago, BWOF 10-2005-114 is still popular today, and it's no wonder, given that it's so easy and the cowl neck is fashiony and flattering. This was my second go at this top, I made it in an acrylic sweater knit which pilled to death after several washings and it's now residing in a landfill. I'd like to make this again, in a natural fiber...

I fought first trimester fatigue to make this jacket, BWOF 9-2009-127 in Carolina Herrera wool coating, and it was worth every minute because I feel like it came straight from a Neiman Marcus catalog.

I reached for this top, BurdaStyle Ellinor tunic download 8516, and a pair of heels whenever I wanted to dress up for dinner or a gathering with friends. Wish I had 5 more like it.

The loser

I used a stretch linen to make BWOF 7-2008-107, and the neckline was so stretched out, there was always a bra strap or two showing when I wore this. Took it to Goodwill a while back, hopefully it worked better for someone else.

Happy new year and here's to a productive year of sewing in 2010!

More New Years Eve outfit plans gone awry

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:26:00 +0000

Maybe I'm just not meant to sew myself a New Years Eve outfit. Long time readers may recall the New Years Eve Butterick dress muslin disaster of 2007. In 2008, I was stymied by a sprained wrist. And today, I present to you the New Years Eve dress muslin letdown of 2009, again, a Butterick pattern...

Butterick 5418 is a Maggy London design, a knit dress with interesting pleating at both the front and back neckline.

Images courtesy Nordstrom.com - (left) Maggy London drape jersey dress, (right) Maggy London drape jersey dress - plus size

I found pics of the RTW dress on Nordstrom's website, you can see the front pleat detail best on the solid blue dress.

I chose this pattern because of its obvious easy accomodation for a large belly. But pregnant or not, this pattern would have turned out to be a dud either way, I'm afraid.

I envisioned making this dress in the olive green silk jersey that I bought last month at Stonemountain and Daughter in Berkeley. With some gold jewelry, it could be dressed up for evening, or with chunky wood jewelry, it would be a fun summer dress. For my muslin, I used a dark olive rayon/lycra jersey. (I always buy rayon/lycra jersey but then I can never manage to keep it wrinkle-free! Am I missing some secret? I'm forbidding myself from purchasing any more).

This pattern has an easy rating, but note that the pleats are very time consuming, even though I just matched the pleat-lines haphazardly for the muslin, the work felt neverending.

One thing I like about this dress is the bodice lining (Butterick calls it a "foundation"). It ends just below the bust, and has elastic casing to hold it snug against the body.

The first issue I have is with the center front neckline. The seamline where the vertical pleats are stitched to the lining has major bulk. It's true that I didn't do much trimming of seam allowances on this muslin (nor did the pattern instructions advise me to do so), and while that may have helped a bit, I don't see how the bulk could be eliminated. The understitching on the lining (which I did in ivory thread) is visible because the heavy CF pleating pulls down and exposes the stitches.

Same thing is happening at the back neckline, the lining can't stand up to the weight of the pleats, and again the understitching is exposed.

Also, there is some puddling happening above my rear end, which I think is caused by my large belly and hips and could be easily resolved by letting the seams out. I cut a size 10 to fit my shoulders and bust, everything below the bust needs to be a bit bigger!

I would love to see the RTW dress in person to see if it has the same issue with the bodice lining being exposed. I'm not certain how to resolve it and therefore I won't continue with this project. Pressing the seam doesn't seem to help. Too bad really, I followed the pattern instructions closely, I imagine others will have this same issue too.

Oh well, nothing like last minute dress shopping..!

Jenna's holiday duet dress

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

I was catching up on TV this week, including the December 10, 2009 episode of 30 Rock (Secret Santa), and don't you think Jenna's dress here looks just like Cynthia Steffe - Vogue 1151?

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:26:00 +0000

Pattern: Simple Embroidered Stockings from the Purl Bee blog. Obviously I omitted the most time consuming part from the Purl Bee pattern, the hand embroidered initials!

Fabric: Quilting cotton from Joann. I was in there buying a Dritz maternity band (I'm planning to convert a pair of RTW pants) and the holly print seemed a perfect gender-neutral and modern print for the stockings.

I actually made three stockings, the third one in ivory for the new family member we'll have next Christmas, but somehow it's already temporarily packed away in the basement with all of our empty Christmas decoration boxes.

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Merry Christmas!

Germany is the place to be in December

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:08:00 +0000

Well! Tim and I were scheduled to return home to Seattle on Sunday, but our connecting flight to Philadelphia was canceled because of all the snow, and the airline told us we'd have to wait another 3 nights before they could fly us home. Here I was, so pleased that we had fit all of our activities, visits, shopping, etc into just under a week - I had it timed perfectly. I was completely unprepared for this, not to mention that we'd both miss more work, need to rebook our hotel, have to extend our already busy catsitter, etc. To top it off, Tim's suitcase didn't make it back with us on the return trip (yet - hopefully). Such is life. But really, if you're going to be stuck someplace in December (and you are the type that celebrates Christmas), let it be someplace in Germany, as they really know how to do Christmas right! Some trip highlights:

Christmas markets are seemingly around every corner in Munich. Much is for sale:

handmade wooden Christmas smokers, pyramids, and ornaments...

candy and chocolate...

and Gluhwein, a spiced hot red wine, essential for keeping warm on a chilly winter evening. There is an alcohol-free version too (Kinderpunsch), but it just isn't the same...

We also visited the town where my mom grew up - Kirchberg an der Murr (near Stuttgart). Her brother and a few other relatives live there, it was nice for Tim to meet my the German side of my family and have a peek into that part of my background.

This is my cousin Nina and I at the Christkindlmarkt in Ludwigsburg, a neighboring city. It was about -10C (14F) that morning.

If you like meat, you will love Germany; there are butchers everywhere.

We saw this guy in a Munich subway station one night - he was wearing a loden green green Bavarian cape and had an owl on his arm. He was fielding questions from all the fascinated people who gathered round and some people even pet the owl. You don't see that every day.

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If you emailed me during the past week, please be patient while I catch up :) I will respond to you in the next couple days.

A bad marriage of fabric and pattern

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:38:00 +0000

Thanks everyone for the well wishes for my pregnancy! As I said before, it's so nice to be able to share it here on the blog now. sewingsue, thanks for the maternity fashion blog recommendation - I've already combed through a lot of it and I'm following it in my blog reader now. Sew4Fun, I admire your ability to sense these things; I am always late in figuring these things out about others!

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Simplicity 2754

This was supposed to be my Thanksgiving Day dress. It never quite made it to the point of being wearable. This issue was my fabric choice. The pattern recommends wovens or a matte jersey, the model photos clearly show fabrics with really nice drape, but I had this vision in my head that it would look fabulous made up in my Vera Wang wool jersey, and I forged ahead, despite how heavy it is. The VW wool jersey is the kind of knit that would even work well for a semi-structured garment...

I got to this point in the construction and tried the dress on. Frankly I think the photo above looks just fine. But the issue is that the fabric is so heavy, the skirt really pulls the bodice down and after a couple of minutes of moving your arms about, doing ordinary daily activities, you get something....

...like this, in which the horizontal seam is pulled down and the bust darts just look hideous. *shudder* I made a 12, thinking I'd need the room to grow, but maybe a smaller size would have been better? Who knows. I left it alone for about a week, wondering how I might be able to salvage it, and in the end, I decided a drastic measure was called for, and I ended up....

...with this! It's my TNT t-shirt pattern. I turned it into a basic, crewneck sweater.

The dress sleeves were 2-piece with a seam along the outside of the arm, so in order to reuse the sleeves, I had to keep that long outside seam, which I think makes for a neat design feature. I added "cuffs" to the sleeves to get them to a nice length just past my wrists.

Same thing goes for the back - the dress back had a center back seam (into which I think you were supposed to insert a zipper), so now my crewneck sweater has a CB seam too.

I had a couple of questions on how I use the fusible knit hem tape that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. It's very simple really but easier to explain with pictures than words. First I fuse the interfacing to the very bottom of my hem on the wrong side of the fabric.

The hem tape is 1.25" wide, and I press the hem up just 1" wide, so that the interfacing is in the fold of the hem; this provides extra stability and helps the garment hem wear better/longer.

Now stitch the hem with your preferred method. Here I just used two rows of parallel stretch stitch on my sewing machine.

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I'm out the rest of the week for a quick trip to Germany! I'll be in Munich and near Stuttgart. Plenty of pics to come. Have a great week!

You could say this is my most important project to date

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:40:00 +0000

Baby's first booties, courtesy of Grandma

Now that I've had a chance to tell all the important peeps in my life, I'm happy (and relieved) to finally be able to share with all of you that Tim and I are expecting a new little person in our lives next year! I'm due in April and we're having a girl :)

I was tired the first couple of months but I feel fantastic right now. Just trying to stay in shape, eat well, and absorb all the ins and outs of caring for a baby. And of course, I've been checking out all the maternity sewing patterns (or lack thereof - ahem - I'm looking at you, Burda magazine!). Fortunately we're all aware that there are plenty of non-maternity options that easily accommodate a growing belly, so it's really not so bad, more on that soon.

Easy baby blanket

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:26:00 +0000

I have a friend who is due with her first baby is just a few days and I recently made her this baby blanket - it's my favorite quick baby gift to make. The pattern is from Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts, it's the "super quick + easy baby quilt" on page 42. Super easy it is - it's just batting (I usually use the craft size Warm & Natural Cotton batting) sandwiched between 2 quilting cottons. You use a machine embroidery or zig zag stitch to quilt it together in a grid pattern to prevent the batting from shifting. The most time-consuming part is tying off all the threads. I highly recommend this pattern, and the book is full of other great gift ideas.

Black Friday fabric shopping

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:30:00 +0000

As I alluded to in my previous post, I spent my Black Friday visiting fabric stores. I met up with my sewing girlfriends Cindy (who visited me a couple of months ago) and Leslie for a day of fun.

First stop, Britex in San Francisco. Britex offered their email subscribers a coupon for 30% off remnants on Black Friday. We got there right after they opened at 10 am and headed straight for the 4th floor. Even though we spent more than an hour there, we didn't buy much, each of us leaving with just one cut of fabric I think. I'm sure it won't surprise you to know that Leslie has a cut of Burberry plaid wool in her shopping bag there...

Next stop, Stonemountain and Daughter in Berkeley. Both photos the cutter took for us were slightly blurry, her arm must have still been quivering from cutting all of our fabric. I think we were there for 2 hours. We were armed with Black Friday coupons for 20% off regular priced fabrics, plus there was great stuff in the 50% off sale section upstairs.

As you can see, I stuck to basic solids that should stand the test of time (if not in the closet then in the stash). Only the cotton chambray is from Britex, the rest is from Stonemountain.

Purple is one of my favorite colors, but I have hardly any purple clothes, so I made it a point to include some in my shopping cart. The silk/cotton woven is the same type of fabric I used to make BWOF 6-2008-120 (this is even the same color) and BWOF 7-2009-104 . It is truly the most divine fabric to work with.

Stonemountain had an amazing selection of silk jerseys, a few solids and close to 20 different prints, all priced at $20/yard ($16/yard with coupon!). I was very tempted by several of the prints - you know how you carry a bolt around the store with you while you "think about it". Ultimately I stuck with a solid, neutral olive color. At 60" wide, it was a steal.

I was also thrilled to find the "Home Sewing is Easy" print by Alexander Henry. It's based on a vintage sewing booklet (a copy of which I'm lucky to own), and I didn't even know the reproduction fabric existed until Sew Tessuti shared it with us. My plan is to use it as a ironing board cover. But now I'm thinking I first want to upgrade from my 14.5" wide ironing board to something wider (18"+). Any suggestions?

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One more thing - in my previous post, I mentioned that I had found one of the Threads DVDs, Threads Industry Insider Techniques, at my public library. It is well worth watching, I highly recommend it. I can't wait to try out the pattern alteration to create a bulk-free collar. Also, Louise Cutting demonstrates the proper way to use a point turner, which was a real eye-opener for me! I always assumed you were supposed to just shove that little thing in the corner of your newly-turned-out collars (as is shown on the package in the link); Cutting's method is much more sophisticated and less likely to poke straight through and damage your fabric.

There actually is some sewing happening over here...

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:08:00 +0000

Not much, but some!

Simplicity 2850

Nothing too exciting, frankly, but can you ever have enough comfy knit tops? I bought this pattern because I really like the gathered neckband. It turned out to be very fiddly and time-consuming! I made View C, and the only change I made was to skip the elastic in the sleeve cuffs and finished it with a narrow sleeve band instead. The fabric is rayon lycra jersey from Fabric.com that I bought in June.

I do have to rave about a notion that I used for the first time - SewKeysE by Emma Seabrooke fine fusible knit interfacing. I bought this at Fabric Depot during PR Weekend Portland in May. It's basically fusible tricot that's cut 1.25" wide, used to stabilize knit hems. It fused onto my fabric easily and beautifully. I'm hooked! So much nicer than cutting interfacing strips yourself. I have a roll in black and a roll in white.

In a few hours, I'm boarding a plane to the SF Bay area to celebrate Thanksgiving with the in-laws. I'm bringing this along for the ride:

Threads Industry Insider Techniques

I love the Seattle Public Library! This is the only Threads DVD I found there, I hope they get in more soon.

On Friday, I have an exciting day planned that involves sewing friends and fabric stores...

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Bright Star

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:51:00 +0000

I made plans to go to a movie with a friend this past weekend. She suggested we see Bright Star, which I hadn't heard of before, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Directed by Jane Campion, Bright Star is the story of the poet John Keats and the girl he fell in love with, Fanny Brawne. What may be of particular interest to readers of this blog is that Fanny sews many of her own clothes and, especially at the start of the movie, there are plenty of close-up action shots of delicate hand-stitching. At their first meeting, Keats learns of her interest in fashion and asks Brawne what she thinks of his clothes; she tells him he would look better in a blue velvet jacket and I thought for sure this meant she would surreptitiously sew one up for him during the course of the movie, but no such luck for him! Anyway, she does many great pieces for herself, including what she claims is the first "triple mushroom collar" in her part of the countryside, seen in both photos here.

Photos from IMDB

If you're up for a period piece with eye candy costumes, a love story, and a tear jerker all rolled into one, this is the film for you!

Queen of the Nile

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:49:00 +0000

I spent most of my Halloween Saturday sewing my costume for a party that evening! I decided on Cleopatra several weeks ago, but in typical style waited until the last minute to sew it up.

A Google image search for Cleopatra will show you that most RTW costumes have these common features: a sleeveless white gown, a wide collar, a belt with an embellished flap hanging down at CF, armbands, and a sheer cape.

I used BWOF 3-2005-114 as a starting point for the dress, tracing just the bodice without the sleeves. I added a waist seam and drew pieces for a long split front skirt.

For supplies, my first stop was the thrift store where I found what would be the main fabrics - a king sized bedsheet ($3) for the dress, and a super wide poly dupioni pinch-pleat drape in a peachy color ($4) for the accessories.

I hit up Joann for cheap gold trims and the sheer cape fabric, which turned out to the most expensive part of the outfit at $10. I used a zipper, velcro, and elastic from my stash.

The collar and the wristbands close with velcro.

I put elastic in the armbands to help keep them tight and in place on my upper arms.

The sheer cape, edges left raw, was stitched to the CB neck and the armbands.

There are all kinds of issues with this dress that you would only allow on a Halloween costume:
- the invisible zip is a contrasting hot pink as it's all I had on hand - but is of course covered by the collar and wig
- all seams are unfinished
- the curved skirt hem is super wavy

My friend who is a professional makeup artist did my face, which is always a major treat. I'm wearing the Didi lashes by Make Up For Ever.

Tim went as a race car driver and I had a hand in his costume too - I sewed all those patches on!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Carolina Herrera fabric meets Burda jacket

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:31:00 +0000

Burda magazine 9-2009-127

I finished this jacket during my recent sewing retreat, except for the last few buttons which I was just too tired to do then. This past weekend I added those, stitched in my label, and voila, it's done.

Fabric
As described before, the fabric is wool and organza by Carolina Herrera. The pattern calls for 1 and 5/8 yards of 60" fabric, but I purchased 2 yards so I could match the plaid at the seams, and I needed every inch of that 2 yards to successfully do that! The lining is Bemberg rayon. The interfacing is Pro-Weft fusible from Sew Exciting.

Notes on construction/alterations
I considered lengthening the sleeves on this jacket but in the end decided against it. I actually don't own any 3/4 sleeve jackets yet so I figured I'd see what they're all about.

This jacket pattern does not include pockets, and I forgot to add them. Just something to consider for others who want to make this up.

I bagged the lining, using the instructions in Cecelia Podolak's Easy Guide to Sewing Jackets, like I usually do. I don't know what I would do without that book!

I briefly considered bound buttonholes but since my machine buttonhole sample turned out so nice, I went with those instead.

Conclusion
I think this would be great in a solid color with a matching skirt to wear as a skirt suit, as suggested in the magazine. The shawl collar didn't turn out as large as I was expecting, perhaps it's because of how my thick fabric affects the turn of the cloth. If I were to make this again (which I would most certainly consider), I might redraft the shawl collar to be a bit wider.

I don't think this is a jacket that I'll wear often, the fabric is a little too delicate for that, but with the right outfit and in the right weather conditions, it'll be just the thing.

Seattle BurdaStyle Club sewing retreat

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:01:00 +0000

Instead of our usual monthly meeting at Stitches, yesterday the Seattle BurdaStyle Club held an all day sewing retreat. One of our members kindly volunteered her mom's home for the event, and eight of us got together for nearly 12 hours of sewing, in addition to plenty of chatting, and snacking too.

It was raining like crazy on Saturday so it was the perfect day to stay inside and sew. Coats and jackets were the most popular item - Vineta started an incredible blue wool coat from Vogue, Amy nearly finished a fall coat from McCalls, and Cheryl traced, altered and cut Burda 10-2009-109, which really piqued my interest! Diana and Cheri both worked on woven shirts, and Stephanie mastered the blind hem on her new machine. Plus we had a special 8-year old guest who sewed up her first garment ever, a pair of leggings from Ottobre. They turned out fantastic, that young thing has a bright sewing future ahead of her.

I eased into the day with a pair of easy yoga pants, a BWOF pattern I've made before, and then I finished the jacket with the Carolina Herrera fabric I mentioned in my last post. Pics and reviews to come as soon as I get them photographed.

All in all it was a fabulous day and we all want to do it again, soon!

I am infatuated with this fabric

assortednotions@gmail.com (Christina) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:32:00 +0000

I'm still around, just haven't been doing much sewing... until this past weekend that is. I spent some quality time working on the jacket I started cutting during Cindy's visit last month.

First, a closer look at the fabric. I bought it at my local fabric shop during their annual sale; even at 30% off it was pricey, but I deserve it, right? It's Carolina Herrera, and after some sleuthing on Style.com, I discovered she used it in her Fall 2008 RTW line.

Runway pics from Style.com

It's a plaid wool, what makes it unique is that the right side is really worn and slubby, plus it has black organza stitched on in a diamond pattern.

Wrong side above, right side below

It's kind of hard to see in the photos; the darker diamonds are the areas where the black organza is.

The pattern I chose is Burda magazine 9-2009-127, a shawl collar double breasted jacket.

I used Sew Exciting pro-weft fusible in areas that needed stabilizing.

Burda tells you to fuse only the armholes on the back pieces, but I went ahead and fused more (in addition to all the hemlines). I also decided to thread trace and I'm soooo glad I did. I found that a couple of the pieces had stretched out a bit, probably when I was fusing them. I was mostly able to steam them back into shape.

On Saturday I sewed up the lining (Bemberg rayon), even before I started the jacket shell, just like Ann told us to. Ever since I read that tip, I've always sewn my lining first, and I'll never go back. Today was a furlough day for me so I got the jacket shell done. Now all that's left is to put those together and stitch some buttonholes...