SRSLY <3

SRSLY… I love this dress!!! This is my first version of Cambie by Sewaholic Patterns. I just know I’m going to make a metric shit ton more. This pattern is my dream dress. Tasia is a diva queen of thread and I’ve gotta give her major props for designing this sweet little number. I didn’t buy this when the pattern first came out because it’s a little spendy, but I found it for 50% off at Modern Domestic, and I pounced on it.

This dress swishes like magic when I walk. I can’t help but twirl and preen while wearing it. I’m a vain little thing in this dress. Gush, gush, gush

I made this using some stashed cotton sateen, it’s really thin and airy too (could it be a lawn/ voile and a sateen… is that a thing?) I dunno. I bought the cotton a little over a year ago and I love the graphic print on it.  It’s lined with rayon bemberg. Man that shit’s expensive… I need to find a cheaper source. I added almost $30 to the price of this dress just on the lining. Yeah, I’m not one you thrifty stitchers that can brag about your gorgeous ball gowns made out of thrifted sheets and love for only $3.99.

I made my  muslin in a size 6 and it looked good, but had zero ease. I cut this dress out in a size 8 and increased the seam allowance to get the fit where I wanted it. Tasia shows you lots of tips and tricks to make the insides as beautiful as the outside. I even took the time to hand sew the hem using a slip stitch., since I already loved this dress so much.

The only thing I don’t like is my zipper installation. I used a vintage metal invisible zipper, and the teeth were too large to use my invisible zipper foot. I had to use my regular zipper foot, and I wasn’t able to get as close to the teeth as I wanted to. A quick question for you: How do you keep the lining on a full skirt from getting caught in the zipper? I have to be careful to avoid chewing up the lining. Anybody else have this happen to them?

I think on my next version I’m going to drop the neckline down a little bit, but that’s not a criticism. I love this dress to pieces. I’ve demanded my mister take me out on a proper fancy date this weekend so I can wear this. I’m thinking dinner and Jurassic Park in 3D. A quick tangent: Did you know it’s the 20th anniversary of Jurassic Park? Yowzers, that makes me feel old.

xx, Cynthia

Come on Spring!!!

Hey ya’ll!!! Did you miss me? I had to take a little bloggy break because I wasn’t feeling it, but now I’m back in the saddle. I had a case of writers block, and then I felt gross in some outfit photos. So I took a little break to gain some perspective. I’ve kept up sewing these past 2-ish months and I might get around to posting what I’ve made (but I probably won’t). If you follow me on Instagram (cynbular) you can see what I’ve sewn.

Since I last checked in, I’ve moved into a bigger apartment by the river (these photos are taken on our private dock?!?!?!). I’m so bourgeois now. Unfortunately, our rent is higher and I have much less money (AKA none) in the budget for sewing related expenses. Confession: I “donated” plasma to buy some fabric a while back. Desperate times people! I guess that makes me a sewing addict. I also reached 200 followers, which is rad. Hi, everybody!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let me get to the good shit. I’m desperate for Spring to start and I think that’s obvious by this not quite weather appropriate outfit. Brrr… it was chilly when I took these photos today.

The skirt is Simplicity 1690, one of the newer Leanne Marshall designs. I played with the directions of the stripes to have a little fun with the ruffle. This went together well and I’ve also made the blouse pattern for my mom. This pattern is fine by me. The only snafu I had was from not reading the directions. I ended up making this a little too tight so I fixed that by adding this little button and tab on the waistband to give me a little more room. I’m undecided on my fabric choice though. It’s a nice cotton sateen, that I was hoping would read as nautical. Looking at these photos it reads as more of a prison/ jailbird stripe.

The t-shirt is made using the Maria Denmark Birgitte basic tee pattern. This is the size small. This pattern is a great basic pattern to make yourself some cake with.

It was hard to get this color to photograph well. It’s a *super* bright neon yellow cotton jersey. I think I’m going to go back and finish the sleeves and hems with bands because I had a hard time getting the tension with my twin needle right, and it looks tunneled.

I also made the flower in my hair. Gosh, I love my hot glue gun. I just muslined the bodice for Cambie, and it looked awesome, so I think that will be next. I also muslined Retro Butterick 5209, hoping it could be my Sew for Victory dress. That was bad news. There was so much side boob I looked like Miley Cyrus. That was been knocked out of the sewing queue.

xx, Cynthia

Foxy: Simplicity 2154

I’ve been working on the blouse from vintage repro Simplicity 2154 for the past week. This little blouse has been on my must make list for quite a while. Since it is Jungle January, I decided to pull out the only piece of “animal print” in my stash. This counts right? It has animals on it

I generally stay away from quilting cotton, but I couldn’t resist this cute fox print when I saw it. It’s Japanese, which seems to be the homeland of all things cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This top is pretty basic and I was able to squeeze it out of only one yard of fabric. The only instructions I deviated from was that I didn’t interface the bow. I didn’t see the point after I cut it on the bias. These two photos are the only ones I was able to take without my sweater on because it was so COLD. See my inability to smile… haha I hate being cold.

The only new technique that went into making this top was I made a fabric covered button for the first time. Unfortunately, I don’t have a closeup photo of it. I centered one of the little fox faces over the center of the button.

I’m looking forward to trying this pattern out with a fabric with more drape. I’d like to see this hanging a little bit closer to my body in my next version.

xx, Cynthia

SXSW

I picked up 2 yards of this southwestern print rayon in the remnant annex at Mill End. The selvedge says that it’s from 1996. I think it’s totes rad. I used the waistband that I drafted for my circle skirt, I added another inch and it’s much more comfortable.

I made a simple dirndl with a very full skirt.  I used the entire 2 yards, so this is about 90″ wide minus the seam allowance. This skirt actually sat as a UFO for about 3 weeks because it was so hard to gather.

Originally I tried to make pleats, but there was just way to much volume. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I wanted all of the pleats to be perfectly symmetrical. That was not going to happen so I set it aside. Then I tried to gather this huge amount of fabric. Basting stitches weren’t sufficient. Even gathering with dental floss didn’t work. It kept getting stuck on the slippery rayon and breaking. I was about to throw this in the corner and move on, when I accidentally stumbled on a new way (to me) to gather fabric.

The tension on my machine was a little wonky, and I started to mess with it. I turned the tension all the way up and it started to gather this fabric tightly all on its own. Holla!!!!! Just another tool in my arsenal, I love learning new things.

The zipper is sort of lapped. I decided to make it lapped as an after thought, so it doesn’t quite cover the top of the zipper pull.  I also added side seam pockets. Easy peasy after I figured the gathering out. Smell ya later.

xx, Cynthia

Autumn Wardrobe a la Gertie

These are the first two pieces from my fall sewing plan. I love this outfit. My last make was a dud (btw, I’ve already taken it in and it fits much better), so it feels especially good to make a winner. I drafted this circle skirt following the instructions in Gertie’s new book (if you haven’t gotten a copy yet GET ONE FOOL!!!!). The top is the Portrait Blouse from the same book

I have tons of this brown corduroy and may make another that’s slightly longer. I made this 16 inches long and it feels a little scandalous. I’ll aim for a 18-19″ hem on the black skirt I have planned. I commute by bicycle, so I normally have shorts under my dresses and skirts. That’s the only reason I avoided a wardrobe malfunction today.

See… it’s a circle. Neat-o

I wore this outfit Monday night to go dancing for my little sister’s birthday. I got *so* many compliments. Squeee, I felt very proud of myself. Also, dancing in a circle skirt is crazy fun. I’ve never worn one before and the twirl factor was most excellent.

Obligatory twirl shot

I inserted my first lapped zipper (thanks again Gertie) and hand-picked the side on the overlap. I used a pants hook and bar at the lap of the waistband. Speaking of that, it looks a little bit sloppy up top because the waistband is a skosh short. I’ll add an inch to my next one. I finished this with an easy rolled hem and that’s about it for the skirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The top is the portrait blouse. I was very short on fabric and barely eeked this out. I used the remainder of the cotton gauze left over from Macaron. This blouse is perfect for a light breezy fabric. It looks nice on its own and can sit comfortably under a cardi. Perfection!  My measurements fall in between two sizes so I made up a new size . Let’s call this a size 5.

I didn’t have enough fabric to make facings with so I used 1/4″ bias binding at the neck. The sleeves and hem are serged, pressed and stitched. Nothing too fancy.  The only adjustment I had to make was to lengthen the front tuck/darts by 1.5 inches. When I wore this Monday night I kept tugging at it because the fullness was too low, now it’s fitted right up until my bust starts.

Check out my beasts in the background

Gertie mentions that this blouse is short and I have to agree. I don’t think I could pair this with something that doesn’t sit at my natural waist.  If I make this again, I’d like to add around 5 inches. I’d also like to omit the zipper in future versions and see if I can make this work with slits at the side seams instead.

This outfit is a winner, and I’m looking forward to the rest of my fall wadrobe.

xx, Cynthia

Truffle Shuffle

Guys, I’m gonna need a bigger closet soon!

I’ve got fall sewing on the brain, but I decided I need to make *at least* one last summer dress, before the weather turns. I’m glad I did because Truffle from the Colette Sewing Handbook is so cute!!! I always feel like a lady when I wear one of their designs. I’m going to a masquerade themed event in October and I think this thrifted turquoise fabric would go nicely with a mask made of peacock feathers.

I looked through my patterns and decided that the stiffness in this fabric would pair nicely with the ruffle. I was a little concerned because the pattern calls for 3 yards of fabric and I only had 2. I laid out the pieces and they looked like they all fit so I started cutting. They didn’t all fit. I wasn’t able to quite fit the ruffle on grain, so instead I cut it on the crosswise grain. I hope this won’t cause any problems in the future, but I don’t think it will. The ruffle still sits at the waist on the bias. This might help you conserve some fabric if you make Truffle.

I told my photographer husband I thought this photo would come out vaguely pornographic, unfortunately it’s the only photo of the back

I didn’t make a fitting muslin beforehand since I have had such luck with Colette in the past. This dress does fit a little bit looser than other designs of theirs, so keep that in mind. It’s perfect with this stiff fabric, but I imagine it would look a little frumpy in a fabric with less body.

I opted to not line this. I have a hard time slipstitching my linings in place without distorting the fit of the bodice. I also think a lining is unnecessary in a summer dress. I serged the inside edges to keep them from fraying. I used bias tape to face the neckline and arm holes. I used another one of my hoarder metal invisible zips, and finished with a rolled hem.

This dress came together quite fast. I would recommend this pattern to a beginner. It features a classic shape, with a fun twist. I finished my sister’s birthday shorts so expect a post as soon as I can get some photos.

This is my natural expression when my face is relaxed

xx, Cynthia

Sweet-Twee Macaron

I know this isn’t Earth shattering news, but I absolutely adore Colette Patterns.Sarai designs such pretty, flattering, feminine designs. I always feel like a lady when I wear one of my Colette’s. I even got a compliment from a stranger as soon as I left the house today. That always feels good This is Macaron, and I unfortunately let it languish in the pattern stash far too long. I decided to pull it out so that I could participate in this months Sew Collette, hosted by Erin, Rochelle, and Sarah.

I found both of these fabrics thrifting, so this pretty dress cost me only about $15 to make. Gotta love that! The blue floral is a very light and somewhat sheer cotton gauze, and the brighter blue is some sort of drapey linen blend. I have a bunch left of both fabrics, so you might see some more of them.

As far as making this , I finished this in a day. That’s not to imply that it was easy or came together quickly. I just got super focused and had a dressmaking marathon. I think I spent about 8-9 hours total on this (thank you Radio Lab and This American Life podcasts)! I found this dress to be quite challenging and every bit the intermediate rating that it has.

I had originally planned for some sheer silk chiffon for the upper bodice and magenta rayon twill for the body, but I’m glad I haven’t cut into those fabrics yet. I’m not sure if my skills are up to snuff to make a challenging dress out of challenging fabric.

I don’t know if other people have noticed this, but I had a few typos on my pattern. Most notably one of the midriff pieces, was missing the cutting line for the size 4 . I guestimated, but there was little bit of fudging the skirt to match the waistband. Other than that every thing went together well, if not quickly. It’s pretty tricky attaching the sweetheart, to the upper bodice. That alone took me an hour.

I love the shape of the sleeves on this dress. It’s a very subtle but pretty detail. It mimics the overall curviness of the rest of this dress. I’m pretty sure I’ll be adding these sleeves to other patterns in the future. This dress is so flattering and easy to wear. I really like this! The guts of this are serged and not super interesting. I also finished this with a super-crazy-long metal invisible zipper. I didn’t want to frack my scissors up cutting it down so the zipper goes all the way to the hem.

I’ve had it in my head for months to make a fall version of this dress with a cream colored cotton lace and mustard yellow wool. Since I haven’t found either of those fabrics, don’t expect to see that version anytime soon. I’m really itching to make it though, so hopefully I can find that fabric come October or November.

xx, Cynthia

P.S. I just saw that I’ve reached 100 followers (I’m at 103 actually) which is very exciting to me. I’m very thankful to have ya’ll to gush about our mutual hobby with. I’ve got a giveaway to say thank you planned. I just have to decide what I’m going to put together. It’ll be a nice goody-bag of supplies, patterns and fabric. Expect a post on that this weekend.

 

 

50′s Shorts and a New Tattoo

This is part one of, hopefully, two posts detailing vintageButterick 8197   (available at the Blue Gardenia if you’d like your own copy). I picked up this pattern for $2 and squeeled, I was so excited about the bra top and high waisted shorts. This screams Annette Funicello or Doris Day at the beach to me. The shorts were easy and fast to make. The bra top is a little more tricky. While not difficult to sew, I’m having a hard time getting the cups to fit right. I need to do a SBA to remove some excess pointiness, and honestly I’m starting to lose interest.

I used some green and cream seersucker I found at Joann’s. I fully lined these shorts with some lime green rayon bemberg. I did this for modesty reasons, not because the instructions called for it. These look so pretty on the inside, just like RTW. I inserted an invisible zipper and closed the tab with some pearl snaps. I still haven’t figured out how to use the buttonholer on my new/ old machine.

I love the fit and style of these shorts! I feel like a vintage pin-up in them Hopefully, I’ll get the top made before summer is over. I’ve got the Macaron sew-along on the brain, and also need to sew up a birthday prezzie for my little sis.

Now, I’m sure you’ve noticed a new decoration on my collarbone. On Monday I went to Oddball Studios and had three spools of thread and a sewing needle tattooed. They’re my favorite colors and adorable. I’d like to get a tomato pin cushion and thimble on the other side if I can work up the nerve.

Yikes, I still can’t believe I actually did it. I’m quite smitten with the results and have become a vain creeper. All I want to do is look at it in the mirror.

XOXO,

Cynthia

Hawaiian Punch: Simplicity 1873

Hey guys!!! Like my new glasses? They came in the mail today and I feel like a cool girl in them. Just in time too, now that we’re in the heart of the allergy season I can’t really wear my contacts as much, so it was time to update. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way let’s talk about this dress. I’m in mayjuhh like with it.

I’ve been thinking about what makes something “me” and makes me want to pull it out of the closet over and over again. My favorite me-make by far is my Bow Dress. The reason why it works IMO is because it’s a basic fit-and-flare shape (my favorite silhouette) paired with a fun print that I love. I bought 3 yards of this “Tales of the South Pacific” cotton batiste from Gorgeous Fabrics for super cheap ($5.80 a yard) and I still have almost a full yard left over.

This pattern was very easy to make. I made view C, but omitted the button tabs. It’s a simple 2 dart scoop neck bodice paired with a very *full* skirt. Before I started making the pleats, I had about 8 feet of skirt to shrink down to 29 inches. I really like the instructions Simplicity gives you for the construction. For instance, they have you attach the bodice and lining using this technique, I first learned from the Slapdash Sewist. It seems to be that Simplicity is figuring out that home sewists don’t want to hand sew unless absolutely necessary.

This dress was well drafted and came together quickly once I got started. I made a size 10 to eliminate ease, but had to use the dart placement for the size 12 to accomodate my girls. Speaking of my girls, did ya’ll notice the unfortunate print placement on my bust? Michael Kors would eat me alive, a circle over each bewb. Oops… I lined the bodice with some unbleached cotton muslin, and also underlined the skirt with muslin since this fabric was quite sheer. I finished the hem with a machine blind hem and inserted an invisible zipper

A Nautical Ceylon

Happy Fleet Week to you, AKA the cutest week of the year. I really wanted to make a little 40′s-esque sailor suit for all of the navy ships that are downtown right now. I had plans to wear this dress downtown and take some photos with a sailor (or 10), but life gets in the way sometimes. Instead these photos were taken walking home from my friend Sofia’s garden party (visit her blog if you’re interested in permaculture/urban farming). My bike makes an appearance, her name is Mamie and she’s a real fancy gal.

I finally made Ceylon!!!! Yippeeeeee!!!! This pattern was one that I’ve always held off on, waiting until I was “better” at sewing. It’s been a whole year since I completed my first garment. A simple skirt made out of quilting cotton with a bias tape hem. Check out my shit eating grin, I was so proud that I made something that could be worn. I’ve come a long way baby!

I made a straight size 4 and the only alterations I did were to raise the armscye 3/8″ and I lowered the sleeve head by that same amount. I also slashed and spread the sleeve to add 1 1/2″  to the width. I used some mystery poly-lycra blend fabric from the thrift store. I also used white piping to make the interesting design lines pop. The piping does match in the front, but it was difficult to press this fabric due to the synthetic fiber content. I really wanted to add some brass buttons with anchors, and I was able to find them when I made a special trip to the Button Emporium. It was pretty great being able to find what I wanted, because it can be difficult when you have something super specific in mind. I feel very fortunate to have discovered this hobby living in the city I do now, because of all the resources available.

I love the flare of the skirt and the curved yoke. This dress came out exactly as I envisioned, however I don’t know how often I’m actually going to wear this. It’s a little too “Easter dress” as is. It feels like something is missing, I’m not sure I can put my finger on it. I really love the shape and style of this dress though. I can picture myself making more versions in the future with soft floral cotton and fabric covered buttons. If you’ve been eyeing lovely Ceylon but too afraid to try you should go for it. It’s a lovely pattern and I’m glad that I finally took the plunge.

I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last post. I had to take a hiatus from my life to do my “civic duty” and serve on a jury. Out if all of the cases I could have gotten I’m pretty sure mine was the most riveting/ fascinating case on the docket. We awarded a woman 900K after she was infected with genital herpes. The story made national news and you can read about it here.

I’ve done a bit of fabric retail therapy recently so you should expect some pretty summer dresses in fun prints soon. Until then…