The Leader of the Pac

Welcome, Red & Black Week readers!

via fabric.com

The Pac-Man fabric returns!  You may recall this was originally going to be Butterick 4790 (instead, I used a dot fabric and it became the disastrous Skittles dress).  I briefly considered making McCall's 6024 in this fabric, and even went so far as to cut out the pattern, which I promptly refolded and stuck back in the envelope.  The fabric has been sitting, folded and forlorn, in my stash, just waiting...   Watching...  Judging me...

So after more than a year of this, and with Red & Black Week approaching, I figured it was time to get this sewn and stopped being judged by a non-sentient object.  I started flipping through the pattern stash and came across McCall's 4444, a Laura Ashley halter sundress moondress.  A chose a combination of views B (for the contrast bands) and C (for the length).  View C actually calls for 3 and 3/4 yards of fabric, but I was hoping that since I was using the contrast instead of the main fabric for the bands that I would be able to squeeze the pattern into the smaller amount.  I managed to do it, but it took some creative laying of the pattern pieces and doing something I've never done before: I shortened the dress by an inch.  (Normally I need to lengthen the dress by at least 1.5 inches.)

This back is too low to wear
a regular convertible bra

I guess I am losing my touch because this dress (and the previous one) took me quite a while to make and I struggled with the bands a lot.  McCall's rates this pattern as easy,  yet it took me a week of evenings to finish this.  (By way of contrast, 5050, which is rated as average, I sewed in one weekend afternoon, which included an unexpected voyage to JoAnn's to purchase lace.)  The main body of the dress (essentially, the Pac-Man part) came together quickly.  There are no tricky parts to it, except perhaps the gathering in the bust and the zipper.  The instructions for the bands on the front are poor, so I think I ended up sewing them on inside-out.  You can't really tell except up close, but I know.

Perhaps it is because I am not used to sewing halter straps (my evening gown is the only time that comes immediately to mind), but the construction of these was really odd.  It wasn't really hard, but it was weird.  At least the instructions for this part were clear.  I did make the change of closing the halter with a heavy-duty locking hook-and-eye because I don't trust buttons (what the pattern called for) to the stress of holding a halter shut.  I didn't want to flash my cupcakes at an inopportune moment (or any moment, really).

Other than the changes I already mentioned, the alterations used the contrast fabric for the loop over the gathering, shorten the straps (typical for me), and add the Ms Pac-Man buttons.  (They were custom made for me by Brittany of microwavedtofu on Etsy.)  Because they are made of polymer clay, I didn't want them to go through the washing machine, so I attached them to snaps so I can remove them before laundering.  I still have one left, as well as some of the original fabric, so I will likely make a hair accessory out of it.

So after all the rigmarole I went through for this, I would recommend this one for an intermediate.  Or I am really losing my skillz and this is actually an easy pattern.

To make up for the lost inch, I think I might add some lace trim to the hem.

Not a Ghost of a Chance

The Sophistique Noir theme for April is vintage, so I wanted to share two of the vintage garments I own and one that I sewed.  I love the look of vintage garments, but given that modern RTW garments don't fit my odd shape, I don't own all that many.  The benefit of sewing your own vintage repo garments is that they'll actually fit.

This jumper (US English)/pinafore (British English) is Simplicity 3673 view A.  The pattern doesn't give an exact year, but it does say 1950s retro.  It does feature a good deal of darts, some gathering, a rear zipper, a back vent, and a little bow-belt thing (which I omitted).  It was a bit finicky, so I would say this is probably an intermediate-level pattern.

The fabric I got on eBay an eternity ago; probably four or five yards for $15.  I couldn't give an exact year I bought it, but I remember bidding on it using a Sidekick I or II.  It features tiny little embroidered ghosts on a plaid-ish, and I believe it is cotton.

This cowl-neck sweater was my mother's.  She wore it as part of her uniform when she was in boarding school in England, so it is probably from the mid-60s.  The fabric seems acrylic and in cold weather, I wear the jumper with the sweater, heavy tights, and boots.  I suppose it isn't really vintage-accurate to combine the 50s and 60s, but I don't care because I'm warm.  In spring and fall, I wear the jumper with regular tights, a long-sleeved shirt, and heels; a t-shirt and sandals completes the outfit when it's hot.

I am not sure what to call this other vintage garment.  Is it a sleeveless jacket?  It doesn't really seem like a top, so I guess sleeveless jacket is what we'll go with.  The sleeveless jacket is lace covered with beads and has a synthetic lining.  A separating zipper up the back serves as the closure.

This belonged to my grandmother.  It was no tags, so I don't know what it is made from or where it came from.  I am not all that versed in vintage clothing, but if I had to guess, I would say this came from the 70s.  The lack of tags, plus the fact that the lace is quite similar to the standard one from JoAnn's, makes me wonder if someone made this for her.  (She certainly did not make it for herself.  She knitted and crocheted, but hated sewing.  She started a club called I Hate Sewing which I did not join.)  Due to the time period that I think this came from, if someone made it for her, it would probably have been my great aunt (her sister).

I might also add that all the beads on this make it heavy as sin.

Earning Your Stripes

I mentioned last time that I had some purple striped fabric in my stash that would have been perfect for March's Sophistique Noir theme of purple.  Lack of time and motivation got in my way.  In between carting two sick cats repeatedly to the vet over the weekend, the motivation resurfaced.

The pattern here is Butterick 4609, which you may remember that I made previously in orange and black.  I usually cut a pattern in a size 10, but for some reason when I made this, I cut a 10 in the waist and a 12 in the bust and hips.  I do like my dress shirts a bit loose, so perhaps that's why?

These pictures make it abundantly clear that Azzurra and I are not the same shape.  She has a flat butt, whereas mine is quite round; she has a bit of a of a tummy, and I don't really.  So please excuse the bulging and tugging in the pictures; the blouse actually fits me quite well.

The fabric here is Trick or Treat from the Camelot Collection.  The pattern calls for 2 1/4 yds in a size 10/12, but fabric.com only sells in half-yard increments.  I had twenty inches of fabric left, so you could probably get away with just two.  I'm not sure what I'll do with it; make I can buy some coordinating fabric and make a skirt.

I had only half-remembered this fabric (I washed it and immediately stuck it in the stash pile), so I didn't reacall that there was was so much purply-pink in it.  I was a bit disappointed in that, but obviously not enough to stop me from making the blouse.

I didn't realize until I got to the cuffs that I was out of interfacing.  I dug through every nook and cranny in the sewing room and couldn't find any scraps big enough to use.  I finally resorted to using embroidery interfacing.  It is really quite stiff, but for French cuffs, I figured it wouldn't be such a big deal.  I actually liked how it turned out, so it wasn't such a horrible thing.

The cufflinks here were a gift from my husband for our anniversary several years ago.  They are garnet and were purchased from Pushin Daisies.  I don't care if they don't match!  They're garnet coffins!

Difficulty-wise, I remembered the pattern being pretty easy, and except for the cuffs, it is.  Not that they're hard, but there's a bunch of fiddly bits.  It just requires lots of pins and patience.

I'm Batty for You

The Sophistique Noir theme for March is purple.  I didn't have time to sew something new on such short notice (though I did have time to kick myself for not starting on the purple and black striped blouse a few days ago when I had some spare time).  I thought about using an old post (such as the evening gown or the multi-colored hearse blouse), but instead I dug this dress out of the summer clothes storage.  Please forgive the wrinkles.

The pattern is New Look 6774.  It's one of those "design your own look patterns", where you choose from several bodices, straps, and skirts to put together your own dress.  While I certainly like the flexibility that patterns like this offer, I think they are a bit misleading.  You can do that with most patterns, in fact.  The pieces here are I (the lapping bodice), J (the midriff, which was the only piece required of all the patterns), and K (the long skirt).  I keep saying it, but you think sooner or later I will realize that lapping bodices look ridiculous on my flat chest.  I hand-stitched the lapping such after the fact to stop the gapping. I also shortened the skirt (a first for me) to be mid-calf instead of ankle-length.

Another problem with these sorts of patterns is that each piece has its own yardage listed, so you have no choice but to add them all up and cross your fingers that it's correct.  Even though Simplicity and New Look have a reputation for being overly generous with their fabric allotments, this was just nuts.  I didn't buy any lining fabric and just used the leftover pieces after cutting out the dress, and I still have over a yard laying around in the stash.

Anyway, the fabric here is a sparkly purple bat fabric with little stars and crescent moons.  I think this is by Debbie Mumm, but I'm not sure.  I got it in the clearance section of JoAnn's for a song.  I have been meaning to make myself a matching sun hat with the leftover fabric, but I lack motivation and time.

Difficulty-wise, this has some jumping around because of the nature of this pattern.  It kind of reminded me of one of those "choose your own adventure" stories.  It might be a little much for an inexperienced sewist, but the steps themselves aren't too difficult.  There is some gathering and pleating, but I didn't find them to be onerous.  So I would recomend this for something who has a few garments under their belt, but is still a beginner.

 

Lace Shrug

I mentioned once before how I was unimpressed with Butterick's then-new releases, with one exception.  The pattern in question is Butterick 5797: a lace shrug and several variations on a Hot Topic-esque corset.  The fabulous Victorian Kitty of Sophistique Noir contacted me asked me to make the shrug for her.  (Most of my readers, if not all, are familiar with her blog.  And if you aren't, do yourself a favor and educate yourself.  You're welcome.)  I'm love to do custom work, so i said sure and the sewing commenced. She selected a fantastic Chantilly lace, but because we're in different, we decided it would be best if I made a muslin before I cut in the fancy fabric.  The fabric you see here in the embarrassingly ugly muslin was a chiffon left over from my Halloween costume last year (which I will be posting at some point prior to this year's, I hope), and pink satin that was from the princess dress I made for my niece's costume last year.  It's a good thing I made the muslin, because the sizing here was a little wonky.  Use caution for this pattern. After the sizing problems were sorted out, I proceeded to the actual shrug.  One thing to note here is that some lace has a pattern that runs parallel to the selvedge  and sometimes its perpendicular.  Double, triple, and quadruple check before you start cutting.  Also, use care when cutting lace because even if it doesn't have elastic, the open design leads itself to stretching.  Use weights if at all possible.  (Fabric weights are available in any number of stores, but I use paperweights, my cell phone, a glass of water, one of the kitties, etc.  Whatever is heavy will do just fine.) Another oddity about the pattern is that it called for the seams to be straight-stitched and then zig-zagged to finish them.  Generally, with sheer fabrics, one uses French seams.  We discussed it and concluded that was the better way to go.  I'm glad we did; I think the regular seams in the muslin look sloppy. The sewing of the garment, after the seam and layout irregularities, is pretty straightforward.  There are fewer pieces here than you would expect, which cuts sewing time down drastically.  The collar, which is satin (I had it in my stash; I am sure it is a great shock to all that I have black satin laying about in my stash), does not call for the internal seams to be finished.  I am always antsy about satin fraying, so I finish my seams most of the time.  The inside of the collar does need to be hand-sewn so that the stitches don't show through on the right side. The trim was also hand-sewn on.  It's a velvet ribbon wrapped in black braid.  I got it at my local JoAnn's and I can't seem to find a picture on their site.  Honestly, this was the most time-consuming part of the whole thing, though even that didn't take too long.  I knocked off most of the actual sewing in an afternoon. Level-wise, I would recommend this for a sewist who has tackled tricky fabrics like lace, satins, and sheers before.  Once you're comfortable with that, this isn't too complicated to sew, though it will take patience with hand-sewing.  I would say even a beginner could handle this, assuming they have the aforementioned skills with lace down. I am happy to do custom work, repairs, or alterations.  If you're interested, contact me at spookyseamstress AT gmail DOT com.

Someone Special II

Last time, my entry for the Sophistique Noir September theme of Someone Special featured the lion costume I made for my husband.  Victorian Kitty herself requested more pictures, and who am I to turn down such a request?

The husband wasn't home for this, so I used Azzurra for the model.  He wears a larger size than me (he's three inches taller and quite a bit broader), so though this costume is too big for Azzurra, you can still see how a female figure could get lost in it.  Conversely, if you were really busty or hippy, then that could also present a problem with the fit.

The tail is stuffed with poly-fill.  It was supposed to have an odd bit of fur on the end, which I didn't like.  Instead, I used the fabric from the tummy portion and made a couple layers of fringe with it.  Hubby liked to sneak up behind me and whack me with it. As I was attempting to take pictures, I accidentally set it swinging, which Lydia took as an invitation to start batting at it.  Sadly, I didn't get any good action shots of that.

Here we see one of the spats, a glove, and the headpiece.  The gloves were super simple - just two pieces sewn together and then hemmed.  The spats were a bit more complicated, as they involved elastic, but weren't too complicated.  The headpiece, as I mentioned before is just elastic encased in fleece.  The ears were actually a bit finicky to make because the pieces were so small.

Completely on a different subject, has anyone else in blogland been having issues with captcha on Blogger?

Someone Special

The Sophistique Noir theme for September (how is it possible that it is September already?!) is Someone Special.  Cliché as it is, I chose my hubby.  And with Halloween fast approaching, what better item to feature than a costume I made him a few years ago?

The husband has ridiculously curly hair.  At one point, he decided he wanted to grow it out.  For a long time, it just got bigger instead of longer.  As Halloween approached that year, I was trying to think up costumes for us.  I had already decided to be a privateer (and was leaning towards the same for him), when he came downstairs one morning with a serious case of bedhead.  The leonine nature of his coiffure lead to me announcing he was going to be a lion that year.  He just yawned and asked if there was any coffee, which I took as consent. The pattern in question here is Simplicity 2853 (which includes a gorilla, bear, and cat in addition to the lion; if you want to make a leonine, simian, ursine, or feline family, the children's version is 2855).  The costume is unisex, but is based on chest and hip measurements.  It isn't abundantly fitted, but I think a particularly hourglassy lady might have some trouble with the fit. I did not make the hood for the lion costume (since hubby had a mane already) and just made the ears.  I measured his head and cut a piece of elastic accordingly, which I covered with the same fabric as the costume.  The ears were hand-sewn onto that.  I imagine attaching the ears to barrettes or clips would also work well.  You could probably could use a plain old headband too. The suggested fabrics listed here are fur, long-haired fur, fleece, faux leather, sherpa, and suede.  I used basic polar fleece.  The party I hosted that year was entirely inside and he got hot pretty quickly.  If you're in a cooler clime than we are, this would probably work if you're going trick-or-treating or partying outside and don't want to wear a coat.  Otherwise, I would suggest a lighter fabric - while it won't look as good, it won't matter how nice the costume is if it's too hot to wear.  Flannel would probably work, but still might be too hot for some.

As for the sewing itself, I think I knocked the main body of this off in the evening and finished the gloves, spats, and ears the next night.  Though tackling heavier fabrics (especially fur, ugh) can be a challenge, I think an amateur could tackle this costume.  The really tricky part was aligning the front belly part (because it needed to be symmetrical).

I will be posting more past Halloween costumes this season, with the big reveal of this year's coming on Halloween itself.  Stick around for the pumpkiny goodness!

 

Watermelon Dress

Welcome to my final post for Sophisique Noir's Red & Black week.  Today's post is New Look 6900, view A.  The fabric here came from Fabric.com, of course.  I acquired it on my last fabric binge.  The name is Metro Market Watermelon Slices.  Okay, okay, so it's red and black and pink - pink is pastel red!  It counts!

Regular readers know of my love-hate relationship with pockets in dresses (tl;dr: I love having pockets, but hate that they bulge and look like crap).  This pattern's pockets are external, so I decided to take the plunge and include them for once.

You'll also notice a ruffle on the pocket.  The pattern did not call for this; I had a sudden urge to use up some of the pink fabric in my stash.  (It came from the much-mentioned Daisy-Head Mayzie costume.)



The facing details for both the pocket and the bodice (to the right) are attached in an atypical matter; you can see here that the right side of the facing is facing the wrong side of the bodice.  Because it is such an unusual method, I had to reread the instructions several times to ensure I was doing the right thing.  After these are sewn together, the facing is flipped over to the other side.

I learned my lesson from the coffee dress: do not straight stitch on elastic, even if the pattern calls for it!  You can see that I made a casing here and threaded the elastic through, catching it at the ends. 

I added a ruffle to the bottom too, using the same fabric.  Unlike yesterday, when I stole pieces from another pattern, here I just cut a piece that was twice as long as the edge of the skirt, gathered it, and sewed it on.

The dress is cute, but I fear it looks a bit like an apron, and would even more so if I hadn't extended the length by three inches.

I wanted to add another ruffle to the straps as well.  I cut and gathered the fabric, and was about to pin it on when I changed my mind.  I'm not sure why I 180ed.  Maybe I didn't want it to look too much like the cherry dress?  Anyone out there with any thoughts on adding ruffles to the straps?

Thanks for reading my R & B week posts.  Looking forward to seeing you again next year!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry Bomb

We're in the home stretch of Sophisitque Noir's Red & Black week, and I have a final blast from the past for you (today's) and a new outfit (tomorrow).  I apologize for the quality of pictures for today and tomorrow: the batteries in the camera were dying and I had to take them as quickly as possible.

The pattern here is McCall's 5094 in view F; if that sounds familiar to you, it might be because I used the straps from this in the Space Invaders dress.

I believe that I made this last spring, and I wanted to make it out of just one fabric (view D, basically).  However, when I went shopping for fabric, nothing really struck my fancy.  (Must have been before JoAnn's releases their Halloween fabrics for the year. :D)  This cherry and dot print I finally picked was cute, but I thought an entire dress would have been overwhelming. I couldn't resist its cute rockabilly/gothabilly charm though, so I went with view F.

Though a dress entirely out of that print would have been too much, I thought just the band and straps weren't enough, hence the ruffles in the polka dots.  They came from Simplicity 2325, an Alice in Wonderland costume that I adapted into Daisy-Head Mayzie for a friend of mine.








As for the pattern itself, it wasn't too bad at all.  I would recommend this for an advanced beginner.  The technical challenges were:

• inserting a zipper
• a lining
• a bit of gathering under the bust
• a lot of gathering if you go my route and add ruffles

I wish I could have taken pictures of the full outfit, but the husband wasn't at home and my self-photography skills are quite lacking.  The pictures don't show how fun this dress really is.  I get a lot of flattering comments whenever I wear it, which I inevitably follow with "...and it's fun for twirling!" and then promptly spin around in a few circles.  And then I get some weird looks (which, to be honest, is not a rare occurrence for me).




And for good measure (not the original, sorry):