Color Blocked Dress

(I must be losing my wit...my post titles have been quit lame of late. I'll try to do better next time!!!)

BURDA 05-117B-2009

Here is another dress I've been holding out on (sorry!!!). It is from the adorable Dresses Dresses Dresses Issue from this past May. After having a VERY difficult time locating this issue in NYC just days after it hitting the shelves (I guess all the sewnista's have my old spots pegged!) I decided to subscribe to Burda. Quite frankly, I don't know what I was waiting for...

Anyhow, back to the dress. I got this fabric from Metro Textiles for a excellent price. It's 100% cotton and appears to be a run-off from a designer named "Quest". As soon as I walked in I ran to it..I LOVE color blocking and design was funky enough for my taste and subdued enough for me to wear it to the office which is a major WIN!! If you ever get your hands on a fabric like this let me offer these suggestions:

• Ensure you have balance. Especially with a pattern like I used. The bodice alone has 8 pieces so it looks better if you maintain the the flow of the colorway consistent with each piece. Using this approach required me to think about pattern piece several times before cutting and I did not cut on the fold for that reason. I also bought an extra yard of fabric to give me more options when cutting. You don't want a garment with a large grouping of one color on one side and several colors broken up on the other side leaving it looking "unbalanced". If the latter happens it could potentially take away from the design of the pattern once complete.
  
• Beware of your lady bits!!! Don't leave oddly placed lines, flowers, cut-outs etc. around your chest or lower regions. Here is a good example of why you wouldn't want that.
  

The only fitting adjustments I made were to grade the from a 36 to a 38 at the hip and to shorten the hem by 2.5 inches. I'm only 5'3" so it was still at a respectable office length :-)

Back

The design does get a bit lost in the fabric pattern. I just want to show how pretty it would be even with a solid color.

Lastly, Happy Labor Day!!!!

Magazine to Closet in 15 seconds flat

BWOF 02-2008-103B

At least that's how it felt. I nearly forgot I made this until I looked at my backlog of unpublished projects. I swear I wore it 17 times before the warm weather hit. I had major issues fitting the collar...perhaps I didn't cut the pattern properly. Either way no one could tell and it didn't stop me from wearing the bejeezus out of it. But isn't that just the way things happen sometimes....you fudge your way through a garment and love it to bits....so much so that all your close friends have probably seen you in it. But then you painstakingly sew a garment and it ends up collecting dust in the closet. C'est la vie!

I shall call her...Semi Me!

I've had the pleasure of bringing home my very own custom dressform!!! While I did own one of the adjustable plastic forms but they aren't ideal for draping. I wanted something sturdy and anatomically correct to draft my patterns from(posts on draping class to come). While I was at it, I went and got one custom to my size!! Andy of Andy's Model forms made it. After working for a major dressform company for 30 years he went off and started his own business and his work is absolutely phenomenal! Many NYC designers order his custom hand crafted work and with good reason....the man is good! I'm still in awe with how much the thing resembles my shape and is anatomically correct with only my providing a few measurements. He even offered me the opportunity to check the form before it was finished, a courtesy I appreciate since I'm a novice.

I also ordered the form with two special features: A derier and collapsible shoulders. The former was a must for me since..well..you know *blushes*. The latter was for the times you need to try something tight on the form without having to stretch it over the wide shoulder. They pop in and right out.

Here are the measurements I gave him:

• Bust
• Natural Waist
• Hip (fullest part)
• Front Waist Length (front base to natural waist)
• Back Waist Length (front base to natural waist)
• High Pin Shoulder (mid shoulder to bust apex)
• Neck (around base of the neck)
• Front Shoulder (front armpit to front armpit, dressforms don't have arms)
• High Hip (Where your hip bone is. B/w waist and full of the hip)

I recommend Andy's work and you should definitely give him a shot if you are looking to get a professional dressform, be it custom or standard sizing. I shopped around and this level of quality at his price is a extreme bargain. Tell him his buddy Cindy sent you, he'll hook you up ;-)

Haute Couture Techniques: The Review

For the record, I'm going ignore the large gap of time between posts...mainly because I've come to grips with the concept of "Tempus Fugit" a.k.a "Times Flies". And it seems the more flying it does the better it gets at it.... so while I try new methods of trying to catch-up, I hope you still pay me visit or follow me on Twitter :-)

During the Spring 2009 semester at F.I.T I took Haute Couture Techniques. I figured I could learn more hand-working techniques to add to my arsenal. The class was in a lecture format and we only worked on small fabric samples. As we learned the technique the instructor gave examples of how and why a couture atelier would incorporate them into garment construction.
While I did enjoy the class, especially the camaraderie with all of the students, I wouldn't say the class exposed any major show stopping secrets. If anything, it was the minor things that weren't even official parts of the course curriculum that made it worthwhile (like how to properly use a thimble, or how to thread a Merrow, etc). For those who regularly read and engage in the sewing blogosphere and read books like Claire Shaeffers Couture Sewing, this class would have been a cake walk. So without further adieu here are samples I made in class:

Hem (Inside the garment) and Edge (Outside the garment) Facings. Using 1/4" seam allowances (SA) I machine stay stitched the top edge and stitched the edge of the facing to the fabric. After turning facing and pressing the seams, the top edge was folded in to the stay stitched and blind slip stitched to the fabric.

Here is a view of back side of the blind slip stitch, if I used thread to match the fabric, it would appear invisible.

Lace Applique on Silk Organza. Here we used two different kinds of hand stitches to attach lace to organza. I used tiny blanket/afghan stitches and on the applique and edge lace and the overhand stitch.

French and Mock French seams on Organza. The french seam is stronger.....

...but the mock french seam has less bulk.

To be continued.......

Wedding Perfect

Mr Honnie was in his fraternity brother's wedding so I needed a dress that would be arm-candy worthy. Of course...Burda nailed it...again! My faith in them is increasing and unwavering. I sought out the December 2008 evening wear issue and picked the exclusive design #103. I cut the top as a size 36 then graded up a size at the waist to a 38 in the bottom. It fit PERFECTLY no alterations not complaints, nada, zip, zilch, nichts!! I used a cream silk crinkle chiffon for the bodice and a Chado Ralph Rucci plum double face wool crepe for the skirt. Both were from Mood.

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I had to you show you this picture. I was "long-arming" a photo of me and Honnie at the dinner table. I didn't understand why everyone on the other side of the table was giggling at us until I saw the photo......


I was hoping for a cute pic of the 2 of us but the jokester in him couldn't help himself. I can't complain, I actually like it :-)

Vegas Reversa-Makeover!

Somehow I lost it....my party skirt...I lost it! I still can't find it :-( I made it 2 hours before I had to be at a party a few months ago and it came out just perfect. Then all of sudden it disappeared. As luck would have it, I was counting on it for an outfit during my Vegas trip but didn't bother to check until the day before! I had no plans of buying a new outfit nor time to make a whole new one nor anything I was willing to hack-up into something new......Enter the Reversa-Makeover © (It really isn't copyrighted, I just think it looks cooler with it) Basically I needed to quickly remake an existing garment into something party appropriate BUT it needed to be a reversible makeover so I can return the garment to its original non-party state. So after 30 minutes of giving my closet several passes and a really hard stare, I finally decided on a plain black knit dress. I usually run errands in it, its comfy and I like it the way it is. Time was edging closer to my flight's departure so here is what I came up with.


Here is the before. Just a regular about mid-calf length black v-neck dress . (Ignore the muslin under it...and ignore the mess while your at it)


I cut these geometric acrylic felt thingys and edgestitched them on to either side. I know what you are thinking...yes I used felt on a party garment - but its cheap, and easy to remove. Since the dress is too long for a party I shortened it by making it a "bubble" skirt. I basted the bottom edge and created gathering on the hem to reduce the fullness in the A-line. Then raised the original hem by 6" on the inside and tacked it by hand every 2-3 inches around the inside to keep it in place. The basting stitch for the gathering and the hand tacking are all done purposely so that removing them later on wont damage the dress. Here is the after:

And the action shot!

I rather like the lapel appliques....I might leave them on and just release the bottom. Either way, thank you Reversa-Makeover for saving the day!!

Yes, it's HER!!!!!

I talk about her all the time...I love her. I love how much she inspires woman. I love how much she enjoys being a woman. And I love how much of herself she puts into everything she does. I see nothing wrong is saying she's my role model and I wanna be just like her when I grow up. Although our meeting was in passing, I hope to have several more encounters with her. I'd love to sit down and pick her brain because I do believe in the transfer of fabulousity via osmosis!

Cindy and Diane Von Furstenberg