Wanderlost

Sewing Projects :: It's beginning to feel a bit like summer!

Well, it was the day before I wrote this, but today it is 30 degrees colder and raining.  I'll hold on to the memories though.  And summer means tropical prints!  I LOVE tropical prints.  I've been hoarding them though, holding out for the perfect projects.  I should just sew them all up so I can buy more!  I have 3 in the queue, complete with patterns. 

    I've had this dress finished for a while, but I wanted to make a bolero to go with it, so I held off on pictures.  The bolero is a mashup of 3 patterns, 1: the bolero that comes with the pattern - kept for the matching darts (though, I made so many changes to the original pattern that they probably don't match up anyway)  2: A 30's pattern, for the shawl collar (working on the dress of that pattern right now!) 3: The Gertie separates pattern (Butterick 6254), for the kimono sleeves.  I don't suggest mashing up 3 patterns like that and trying to line things up, lol.  I feel like there was definitely an easier way!  Drafting my own for instance.  I always say that though, I just hate drafting my own patterns.

 

The pattern is Advance 2486 - A sundress from 1948.  Very basic, but I didn't have a lot of fabric, so it worked perfectly.  I got the fabric at an awesome craft resale/thrift store (what a great concept!) back in Texas.  I really need to go back when I visit my sister, I hope it's still open!

This was a good pattern to see the differences in body shape over the decades.  I've never had to change darts as drastically as I did on this one!  I still don't really understand why it seemed so off.  Ended up well in the end though. And I have a great fitting basic pattern now!  There really isn't anything to say, it's pretty basic.  I need more tropical print dresses so I don't wear this one out though!  Great cotton dress for summer.

 

Hair flower is also made by me.  A bit of fun I've been having.  The main flower is attached to wire so it can be positioned perfectly!  Love it

The only problem I have with this outfit is that I'd really have to decide whether to wear the bolero or not because if it's on, you can't see my adorable parrot pin! But if I put it on the jacket and then take the jacket off, you can't see it then either!  Ugh.  Life is so hard ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Nikki

Sewing Projects :: Dress Like Your Grandmother Challenge :: Finished!

Best way to actually get pictures of something I make is to finish it last minute for a challenge.  The challenge ended today and I finished the dress late last night! 

You can see the original post about this challenge >>Here<<

Original dress was from a picture from the late 40's, based mine off a pattern from a German magazine from 1943.  Navy mid-weight rayon crepe

<<The dress is darker than the pictures show

 

Progress Shots ::

 

Muslin Stage	Pocket Embroidery	Welt pocket #1

 

It seemed to take ages from conceptualizing to finishing this project!  In the end, the sewing portion was quite quick.  Once I had the pattern figured out and placed on the fabric I decided that I was too close for comfort and ordered more fabric.  Took 3 weeks for it to come! FashionFabricClub - disappointed! And then I was talking to someone with an embroidery machine about the stitching around the pockets for a few weeks.  In the end, mostly because of time and stress about someone else doing it (and I only had 3 days left), I did it myself with free-hand embroidery, first time!  Then I put in the welt pockets (functional!), putting in welt pockets is so much more stressful than buttonholes!  Cutting the middle of a piece of fabric after all the free-hand work, yikes.  Whatever. In the end, it all worked out!  I'm super pleased with how it turned out and it will be a super wearable dress next fall!

A better idea of the colour and a close up of the pockets

I don't know why exactly, I was just going off a picture, but I felt so close to my grandmother while working on this project.  I wish she could see it, I know she would love it!