I finally got some pictures of my Christmas dress, along with a project that's been waiting for some finishing for... 2 years? And my current nearly-done dress.
They aren't the world's best pics (and rayon wrinkles like a jerk when your closet isn't quite long enough for dresses), but here we are.:)
The project that took two years to get to hemming:
And my nearly-finished dress (that I'm calling the Piecemeal Princess due to the amount of piecing that went into it):
This is what's left of the fabric:
I maybe have enough to bind the armscyes. It'll be sleeveless, but I have a red sweater I can wear over it. With that much flannel, I probably want sleeveless.
Operation Christmas dress is going really well. A big Bronx cheer to all the people having nervous breakdowns on their blogs about sewing with rayon.
It's been less of an asshole than handkerchief linen.
For the bodice, I used the method on the left: taking apart the muslin and cutting everything in one layer (yes, I remembered to reverse the sleeve). The skirt pieces got cut on the fold, and that wasn't nearly as shifty as the linen I used for a skirt a couple of summers ago. And yes, I am using 3 cans of pumpkin as pattern weights.
There's more in the pantry. We like pumpkin stuff.
Assembly is 95% complete. I'll set the sleeves tomorrow when I have better light and I'll get some pics then. I'm quite pleased with the neckline, especially, since I got the facing in flat. There are a couple of wobbly stitching areas, but I may just leave them be. I'm not sure anyone will notice other than me and I don't think they bother me enough to get out the seam ripper. :)
Seriously, if you can put the neckline facing in flat, do it! It's so much less fiddly than trying to maneuver a completed garment through the machine.
Successfully drafted, stitched, and set a whole entire PAIR of sleeves today!
(I do, however, need some motherfucking notches on those motherfucking sleeves. I do NOT recommend setting sleeves with only a seam and your intuition to guide you. It worked, but it could have been a lot less stressful.)
Tomorrow, I'll cut the test rayon I got and see how everything works in that as opposed to the absolute scrungliest natural muslin I've ever had the misfortune to stitch.
Seriously, never, ever purchase natural muslin from Fabrics Wholesale Direct. It's particularly wretched stuff and it came so filthy I had to wash it three times before I wanted to touch it.
For reference, this is the inspiration pattern for my dress:
The black one, just with short sleeves and no collar, combined with my old faithful (mostly for the waistline/skirt):
For pretty much the first time since I started sewing, I'm going into the new year with no unfinished projects. Everything I cut out to sew this year has been finished.
Both are from the Haslam System of Dresscutting, but I 0% recommend the pj top. It took a lot of finessing (and finally just cutting on a square neckline) to get it to the finish line.
I broke my own rule on only shopping where I can get swatches. :) I placed an order with Itokri after seeing them recommended in a few different places. They had plain cottons in the colors I really wanted and at the fabric weight I really wanted for late Spring, Summer, and early Fall.
So far, it's been an incredibly smooth process. Shipping is a bit expensive, but I also ordered...a lot of fabric for an incredibly reasonable per meter price (the amount I ordered is a little embarrassing because I don't usually splurge like that, but my current warm weather wardrobe is incredibly sad). I liked that Itokri's About Us info included their stance that the price of the item is the price of the item and they aren't charging people in other countries more (I can imagine it's also a bit of a pain in the ass to have your system set up for that). They don't do shipping discounts (it's based on weight), but that's more than fair. They also sell by the meter, so you get a bit more fabric than in a yard.
I'm going to have to wait a bit for things to come in (probably 2 weeks?), but I ordered fabric for warmer weather garments so it isn't crucial I have it Right Now.
I used the PayPal invoice option because their direct pay system is having some issues with some types of credit cards at the moment. I placed my order, let them know my paypal acct, and had my invoice by the next day. They've been really great at communicating what to expect for every step.
One thing to remember - ordering fabric from overseas is subject to US Customs rules. In general, if you're importing for personal use and it's below $800, then you won't have to pay any extra duties. Always check the US Customs page, though, for any updated information. They have a Contact Us section too, so if you aren't sure, you can always ask someone. The current circus sucks mightily, but your average civil servant is quite honestly ridiculously happy to help with your questions.
(which should have been started in about February, but I am not always good at forward planning and also I've been trying to decide if I even like some styles on my own body and who wants to sew with lightweight cotton and handkerchief linen when it's snowing out?)
If the past week's heat wave has taught me one thing, it's that I neglect my summer wardrobe scandalously. I'm in desperate need of a couple more slips and really, very much need to get on with those summer-weight dresses.
Slips:
The top two are from Jill Salen's Vintage Lingerie (which I personally think should be called Vintage Girdles Plus Maybe 5 Other Lingerie Patterns but I'm a little salty about that). The bottom is from my favorite source, the Haslam System of Dresscutting.
I'm not entirely sure about those side/hip level flares, so that one will at least be a muslin.
Dresses:
I'm mostly going for a dress-based wardrobe at this point. Being able to put one thing on in the morning and look put together is an amazing thing.
I really like the neckline and hipline on this one but I'm not sold on a cut-on sleeve. Love that neckline, though.
What I really want to do is use the dress on the right:
As a foundation pattern. I like the basic shape of it, and it's easy enough to keep the bodice one piece. I can change out the neckline and sleeves as wanted without too much trouble, too. I need to test the pattern I drafted...last year? Oof. Anyway, we'll see how the fit is looking and get working. :)
The wonderful thing about a foundation dress is that you can take inspiration from a lot of different sources:
And you can use separate sleeve and collar patterns to change the look:
A cape collar or flutter sleeves always look so summery to me.
I'm also taking some inspiration from a pattern released by Mrs. Depew a little while ago. I'd completely forgotten about it, but it's one of those fantasticly basic 1920s dresses. I really like the higher hip and the flared skirt. It's essentially another type of foundation dress:
I also want to make another one of these:
In the micro stripe I got from Itokri. The black version is super comfortable for the summer. I'd like to raise the neckline slightly and bring the straps in a touch, though. I also think raising the hipline a little might help. I like a dropped waist, but that's maybe a little too dropped.
Other than dresses, my current WIP is a navy micro twill shirt based on the One Hour Dress pattern. I apparently thought I was auditioning for the part of the boxcar in a Boxcar Children adaptation, so I had to do some serious taking in. It's very much a work in progress.
The rest of the twill will turn into a camisole top for a pajama set. I have an adorable green and blue small check to make a pair of shorts from that should go perfectly. I'm also altering the failed combinations into a camisole and shorts for pjs as well.
