Vogue 8997 dress, two versions

Time for more blogging on things I sewed in this past year. Back in August I taught an online class called "The Fitted Dress".  As I was making video content for this class I realized that a simple dress can have a lot more content than I had ever thought about. Creating even and crisp necklines, lining a sleeveless garment, invisible zippers, smooth princess seams etc. So this pattern gave me a lot of opportunity to show various techniques I use on lined dresses.  Plus I have had this pattern for ages and always wanted to sew it. Don't be surprised if I make another version next summer, I think in a dark denim with topstitching to highlight the seaming it would look really interesting and be a summer wardrobe winner.

This version was sewn up using a piece of fabric from my stash, I think it is a remnant from a long ago project that I made for a friend, so it is a textured poly trying to be a silk dupioni. An interesting color and it would make a nice party dress if I had an event to go to now, which I don't :). Actually I almost wore it to Frocktails this summer but opted for something else. Partly because I was tired of looking at it after filming several hours of video for the class!

I think the neckline front and back is very pretty, the full skirt version is very wide. I had a big piece of blue cotton gauze so I made that version first just to check it out.  Only the bodice is lined in a black cotton voile which gives a clean finish on the neck and armholes. 

Here's a look at both dresses on the dress form. I cut them out using the same bodice pieces, however I think on the red one I raised the neckline about 1/2" just to be able to show that technique of re-drawing the v-neck in my class. 

Over the past 4 years I've taught 15 different online classes, some of which we have run multiple times (jeans, button-front shirt, blazer techniques) and I thought I would show you a couple of screen grabs from the classes.

This one I am starting to show how I do the clean finish lining on the armholes of a sleeveless dress.

And in the following one I am closing up the shoulder seam to get that completely lined bodice.

One thing I have learned by doing online classes is how to use iMovie and edit video which is actually fun.

Here's a look at the neckline front and back. It can be tricky to get an invisible zipper sewn just right in a v-neckline and I was really happy with this one!

I took these pictures in June (blue version) and August (red version) and you can really see how things go in the garden around here, by August it is starting to get very dry and crispy with the blooms fading. I just put in some winter annuals yesterday but this time of year is all about trimming and cleaning up in anticipation of spring! Is it here yet?? 

Next up on the blog will be my ponte blazer with zipper pockets that I took on my trip to Italy. 

Happy Sewing,

Beth

And a garden photo combined with a twirl of the blue dress. I miss summer 🌞. 

Birthday season - Burda 08/2022 #115 summer version

Each year since I started the blog I have typically made a new dress for my birthday which comes just around Labor Day (our end of summer holiday here in the US). During the pandemic I kept with that habit, although I have not worn those dresses as much as I ordinarily would. I finished this dress a few weeks ago and decided to call it my birthday dress for this year, mostly because I really like it. Expect to see this pattern used again as it's very simple to sew, works in a lot of different fabrics and seasons, and it's fun to wear!

The fun things about this dress is the flounce at the bottom. I'm very partial to dresses with this feature, or skirts like this one. 

I'm not sure these days how blog posts look on a phone or tablet, as I compose them on my laptop, but have started to use Chrome as it works better with Blogger. But the photos may not appear in full if you are reading on a phone, so I'm adding images in different sizes.

Here's a look at the skirt with the flounce, which is sometimes called a circular ruffle (as opposed to a gathered ruffle). This one is not very flouncy - just enough for the proportions. 

Speaking of proportions, I did a few adjustments for fit and style on this pattern.

Here's a look at image and drawing from the magazine.

So the obvious difference is sleeveless, I saw the line drawing and decided it would be an ideal dress for summer, minus the sleeves. Recently I really like bodice shaping that is accomplished by pleats so that caught my eye. 

For fit I changed the proportion of the skirt quite a bit. After making a few things that are longer than knee length, I've realized that I just don't like to wear them. I think they make me look shorter and just don't suit me. Also they take too much fabric! So for this dress I cut out a Burda size 38 at the neck and shoulders, graded out a bit to land at about Burda 42 at the hip. I also raised the armholes about 1/2" and think it could have had another 1/4" raise but it's still wearable. The biggest change was shortening the skirt, I took a big horizontal tuck, maybe about 3 inches at the low hip, so shortening the upper portion of the skirt. This left the bottom edge where it met the flounce unchanged and easy to sew. I also made the flounce about 2 inches shorter. This was mostly due to not wanting a below knee dress and also to use the fabric I had which was I got at a fabric swap. It was 45" wide and I think there was barely 2 yards. In fact I had to piece the flounce but you can't see that. 

It has a center back seam with a small opening at the back and is finished with a bias binding. I also used a bias binding on the armholes.

The placement of the waist casing was a bit lower than I wanted. If you look a the image above the waist drawstring looks a bit low to me. I marked it as the pattern indicated but tried it on before I sewed on the casing which is inside the dress, and decided to raise it 1.25". I think if I sew this again (likely) I will do the same and wait to see how whatever fabric I choose works out before deciding on the placement of that waist drawstring. 

Here's a closeup look at the center front waist. I put a small piece of fusible interfacing over the center point, then made two machine buttonholes at either side of the center front. That allows a casing on the inside and the ties to pull through to the outside and be tied at center. 

And my little secret for very comfortable and easy to wear drawstrings is to use mostly elastic and then the self-fabric ties sewn to that. The ties extend about 6 inches inside on either side when it is tied so it doesn't show. 

You can tell I really like this dress - the silhouette is one of my favorites. And this fabric is both weird and lovely. The colors are also my favorites, and it's an odd combo of floral, polka dot and plaid. I wish I had it in another colorway but I do think it's vintage, you can just tell by the feel sometimes plus the 45" width, that it's probably 20 years old, was in someone's stash and now I've let it out into the world. 

And because taking photos for the blog or IG makes you feel a bit goofy, plus my photographer said try a different pose.

So that's the latest but probably not last dress of this summer. Which here is going on and on. Tourist Tip for anyone coming to San Francisco: September is the nicest month. Less fog, more sunshine. Although with the heat waves hitting the rest of the US and Europe, I read that the SF tourist organizations are considering promoting the city with "come cool down in SF". However if you do be prepared, as we have every weather option in a 30 mile radius. OK I exaggerate but we are bracing for a heat spell this weekend with several days of over 107℉. That's where I live, in SF they are expecting around 80℉. So something for everyone and a bit too much for me!  You can find me floating in the pool this weekend, being lazy, reading my library books (hurray for libraries!) and just doing as little as possible. 

Next week I have a Pants class on Thursday in Danville and I have listed all my upcoming in-person and online classes here on a new page I added to this blog. 

I hope everyone has a relaxing, safe and healthy long Labor Day weekend. 

Happy Sewing, 

Beth

Today's garden photo, this morning glory on the back fence finally put out a few blooms and they are worth the wait for that color. 

Myosotis Dress Summer Version in cotton poplin

Whew - here it is, our August heatwave. About 105º F now as I write this at 5pm. We've been a bit fortunate, considering our drought and fire danger that we haven't had many blazing heat waves this summer but it does always seem to occur just as school starts again. (Don't get me started on that topic, I know the school schedule is quite different than when I was in elementary school but it was nice back them to have all of August to enjoy summer). 

A few years ago I taught a dress class at Hello Stitch and so used this pattern, at that time I made an example plus a version for myself. I alway thought about revisiting this pattern as I wear my original version a lot - like a lot! It's such an easy dress to wear, ideal for a warm day. I got this pink fabric at a sewing guild sale (more on that later). Here's a link to that first version. 

If you are familiar with this pattern you can see it has quite a few differences. That's the beauty of making your own clothes - you can change any detail you like.

I was so happy with the changes that I made on my first version that I repeated them exactly here. The changes are these:

• Omitted the collar
• Lowered the neckline
• Skipped the sleeves and finished armholes with bias binding
• Pleated the skirt instead of gathers
• added a small waist tie in the back

I thought about adding a small ruffle at the hem, around 3 or 4 inches but decided it didn't go with the pleated skirt and also this dress might be just a little too saccharine with a ruffle added to that bright pink. 

I really love this fabric and it has been in my stash now about two years so I'm glad to finally be wearing it. 

A few sewing details. I am slightly obsessive about keeping my interfacing scraps and neckline facings are a great way to use them up. So I found this piece in my interfacing bin and it was sufficient to use for the back neck facing. Interfacing doesn't need to go all the way to the edge of a facing, I find if it just crosses over the stitching line then it's doing the job. You end up trimming most of those seam allowances away anyway after the facing is attached. Actually looking more closely, it's actually two scraps. On the right is a smaller piece which fit in that area. So use the interfacing scraps instead of throwing them away!

To change the neckline I just drew on a new neck opening. I should have made notes from the previous version but that one I did kind of free form and liked the result, but never went back and marked my pattern pieces. So I compared that blue version to the original pattern pieces and saw that I opened up the neckline by stitching it about 1.5 inches from the original edge. Marked below with a Frixon pen.

Back view. 

So that's the latest in comfortable cotton summer dresses for a very hot spell here in N. California. Which we are pretty much used to but it does wear you out after a few days. I do feel bad for everyone in places like London or other cities which are not used to the heat, and have no air conditioning. Which I rarely use but it's nice to have! 

Up next, I have all kinds of scribbles in my notebook for a long overdue Random Threads post. I usually make a dress specifically for my birthday which is nearing but I don't think I will this year - after the cutback in socializing due to the pandemic I have plenty of dresses that haven't received much wear. Maybe I will change course and make a birthday jacket.

Speaking of jackets, I went to Britex with my friend Heather recently so you can expect to see some beautiful and luxurious fabrics turned into a coat and a jacket in the coming months. I will be teaching my online blazer class via Hello Stitch starting in October, here's the link to register.

At the top of this blog I have added a page entitled Sewing Class Schedule, which I will keep updated with links to all classes I am teaching here in the bay area and online. 

My garden remodel project is almost finished, the front just needs a few touches and I'm waiting for some plants I ordered from Annie's Annuals. Which is an amazing plant nursery in Richmond CA that has a great selection including a focus on California natives, cottage garden favorites and beautiful succulents. It's a bit like fabric shopping - so hard to decide and limit myself to just a few. 

Happy Summer Sewing,

Beth

Today's garden photo, in addition to the one above, it's a penstemon called "Bev Jensen" and the flowers are hot pink like my dress. I really like this hardy little plant and I've taken all kinds of cuttings which propagate easily. My kind of plant!

With Ruffles: Part 1 Fitting - BurdaStyle 05/2022 # 102

So much for my resolution to blog more this year, but now that summer is here and I have some free time I hope to get back to it. I've been busy teaching classes at a couple of local quilt shops that wanted to expand into garment classes. But my big project has been necessitated by the climate - we are in our third year of extreme drought, and prior to that in the last ten years we have only had a couple with plenty of rain. It looks like this is state of things now and all our water districts in N. California are urging people to change their landscaping to use less water. I was happy to do it and lessen my water bill, plus all the irrigation fixtures were at the point of needing replacement. Here's a little look at the work in progress. 

Working with the existing footprint I have changed out the lawn for a drought tolerant groundcover, and then put in a bunch of low water use plants in the back. The front is still a work in progress but that will be more hardscape, with succulents and salvias.  This picture was taken at the end of May so as of today the hydrangeas are fully covered in blooms and it looks so nice. 

Back to sewing - along with many other subscribers had noticed the number of repeat patterns in the recent Burda magazines. It doesn't bother me as I generally find at least one (sometimes up to 5) patterns per issue to sew and I don't have a big backlog of magazines. I expect that with the pandemic their output is reduced and I am just happy that the magazine keeps arriving every month. 

When I saw the preview of the May issue I was interested in the dress on the cover so that was what I traced right away.

I had the perfect fabric in my stash, a rayon woven that I ordered last summer? from Fabric Mart. Here's a sneak peek of the finished dress. This is part one of this dress and I will follow up with finished photos.

As I was making it I really debated on whether or not to add the ruffles but without it that would just be a very basic shirtdress. And the one on the cover of the magazine is so cute!

Here's the technical drawing for this dress. It has a slightly cut in shoulder (my fav) but also a low armhole (not my fave). The skirt is both pleated and then gathered, which works nicely in a very lightweight fabric like woven rayon but wouldn't be suitable for anything thicker. 

Time to talk about fit. I know it might actually take more time, be more work but I like to adjust the pattern and perhaps add a bit extra, and then take away when I sew the side seams or attach the skirt. 

Here are the front and back bodice pieces, which I have traced at size 38, my usual Burda starting size. That is similar to a size 12 in Vogue/McCalls/Simplicity.

Noted on the image are the adjustments that I did to the original size 38 pattern pieces. 

- lengthen at Center back 1/2"

- add length center front 2"  note I make the addition of length match up at the side seams

- lower dart 1/2"

- raise underarm about 1.5"

- added to the shoulder seam length about 1/2" outer edge so not quite so narrow.

- add on side seams, about 1" at top and closer to 2" at waist. This will be too much but I like to fit on my body.

Once I had cut out and sewed up the placket/ruffle on the front bodice, and then sewed the shoulder seams, attached the collar, it was ready to fit on me. Actually I do use a dress form which I have "sculpted" that matches my measurements fairly closely for the initial pinning. If you click over to this post for my red coat and scroll down you will see the coat pattern piece pinned to the dress from, which is wearing a color blocked dress I made ages ago. That dress has a great fit, a defined waist and thus is ideal for keeping on the dress form to use as a comparison. 

Once I had tried it on and done a little basting of seams I came up with a fit that I liked. It's difficult to show those adjustments but I think this photo below illustrates it. The pink dotted line is about where I ended up sewing the dress bodice. 

So I kept the armholes raised. Moved the armhole edge a bit closer to pattern original at top of shoulder. Used only about 1/4" of the added back length, and only 1" of the added center front length, tapering to match the back at the side seam. Used the original side seam at the underarm, and gradually added about 2" on either side at the waist. 

What that tells me is that I was overly generous with my additions - but I like to have room to fit and keep the amount of ease that looks right for the style and fabric. 

Here's the illustration from the magazine, I shortened the skirt by about 4 inches. This was a good pattern to choose as it's the pattern shaded in pink - super easy to trace. 

Lastly I thought it needed a real belt. I had a good chat with Laura Mae at the last Bay Area Sewists meetup (our first in person in two years, a pattern swap) and we talked about how hard it is to find some sewing supplies that used to be basics. In this case I was rummaging in my stash for 1.25" wide belt backing, and didn't have any of that width. I have some narrow and wider, but I think 1.25" wide looks just right on dress so I guess I used up what I had. It doesn't seem to be available here in the bay area. I have a couple of old belt making kits so I guess I will hoard them and use with discretion. Perhaps it's available in NY? I should post a photo of what I mean, will do that in part 2 of this dress.

Which meant I needed to get creative, so I found this belt in my closet which was a knock-off someone gave me ages ago, and it was just right for covering with the fabric. I made some eyelet buttonholes for the holes and then hand sewed the fabric over the existing belt.

I will say that the inside is not the most beautiful workmanship but it holds together and the price was right!

Up next some pictures of the finished dress and a start of another summer dress. 

Meanwhile I will continue on the never-ending garden project. Actually it has to finish this month as I applied for a rebate from the water district so there is a due date. You have to show your completed work. Sounds like school!

Happy Summer Sewing and I hope everyone has a relaxing and safe holiday weekend. 

Beth

today's garden photo, this Spanish lavender which appeared in 2 places in my yard. A complete mystery as I did have a scraggly purple flowered one which is long gone. Sometimes volunteer plants are the good kind :) 

A different kind of wrap dress: Patrones 423 #10

Almost every month I buy the digital issue of Patrones pattern magazine. While I don't make all that many things I like to look at it almost like a fashion magazine, plus it's on my iPad so always at hand if I want to browse. I still haven't quite figured out their sizing and details for my fit. Their number sizes are shifted slightly from Burda, but with my metric conversions I determined that the Patrones size 40 is pretty much the same as Burda 38, at least in the bodice so that's what I start with. Although I think last winter I made a coat that wasn't quite roomy enough. Like I said - still working out the fit on these patterns. If you want to see my first project with Patrones here's that post from last summer. 

Here's a dress I just made from their recent Issue 423, "Vestidos Faciles" which is "easy dresses" and I can say I complicated it a bit as I didn't quite understand what I was making based on their photos. But it came out well in the end.  

By the way I took all these photos in the morning which I usually don't do but we were having a triple digit heatwave and I wanted to get outside before it was too hot. So the colors are a bit all over the place. 

Here's a much better look at this dress on the dress form. As usual with any pattern I did some changes as I went along, and ended up with very long ties, but since it is a lightweight fabric I think it looks ok tied as a bow. The fabric is from FashionFabricsClub.com. Once in a while I order from them and I've been quite happy with the silks and rayons so that's mostly what I look at on their site. 

Here's the page from the Patrones pattern App with their version and the diagrams. I like the red version but since I wanted to try this dress and had this lightweight woven rayon in my stash it was a good match for the pattern. 

And now I will confess that I saw that photo of the back and ties held open and didn't really think through on how it would work when worn. In fact I got it all finished and then wrapped it around and it made a big bunch in the center back. After playing around with it for a while I figured the only way it would work would be to go through an opening just like a regular wrap dress, DUH! and then I read the Spanish instructions with a bit of translate help and realized that yes - you need to leave an opening in one side.  

So that's how it works, the one side passes through the side opening just like any other wrap dress, just that is one wraps in the back. I don't think I've made a dress of this style in a long time or I just wasn't really paying attention. The back V-neckline could have used some interfacing so that it held the shape a little better I think, as it is a bit wobbly. 

Since I really didn't pay attention to the instructions I constructed the whole back, including the tie ends, and then attached the skirt portion with zipper completed to the back bodice. I also constructed the whole front, including skirt, and then sewed the shoulder seams and the neck lining seams. Turned it inside, pressed and under stitched, and then I can fit the side seams as needed once I try it on. This is the order I do most all dresses. 

I turned it inside out on the dress forms so you can see the lining. I used a cotton voile for the bodice as it is the most comfortable for summer dresses, but for the skirt I had a bit piece of rayon bemberg so that  is the skirt lining. I really thought about making a separate half slip instead of attached lining as them I could wear it with other dresses and I still might take the lining off and do that. Maybe next summer!

There is something about the V-neckline on this dress that I'm not so happy with. I followed the pattern as designed and the V came out very straight, like a triangle, and I prefer a V-neckline to be ever so slightly curved. But probably only I noticed it. And now you, as I have pointed it out :)

For the skirt I also did a bit of cheating, as I had looked at the Patrones skirt pattern pieces and realized they were almost exactly the same as the skirt pieces on a Burda dress I made previously, so I used those.

Here's a quick look at the pattern PDF from Patrones, they are just 9 pages with the pattern pieces overlaid on those, but SO much easier to trace than a magazine as it is just one pattern.

If you want to see the whole Patrones PDF I put a short video here. 

Another sewing detail on the lining is that I don't use the pattern pieces to make a lining for the skirt portion, I just approximate the width, length, and angle of the seaming and then cut out a front on the fold and a back with a seam, and then add to the bodice by folding in pleats as I pin it on prior to sewing. It saves fabric and is quite quick to sew.

So that's the latest on my almost end of summer sewing. It's getting dark earlier and I think I'm ready to make a jacket or two.  

At Hello Stitch Studio we have in-person classes scheduled starting in September !! So exciting. And as Stacey, one of the owners predicted, they are filling up fast. In fact the first two classes I'm doing which are aimed at beginners are sold out. Whew! I think a lot of people got a little taste of sewing during their lockdown time and are ready to branch out into making their own clothes. Other classes coming up are a Fit Lab, Garment Copying, and then later in the fall a Quilted Jacket class. Plus I am doing a 6-week online Jacket Making class starting in October. Some people have found that the live online classes really work well for their life and schedule (not to mention location as we have people from all over the country).  If you want to get updated on any of these classes I suggest you get on the email list for Hello Stitch and then you will get the class updates. 

I'm not so sure about the color or the polka dots of this fabric, but it is a cheerful dress and I will probably wear it next summer. This year I just got to wear some of the things I made last summer!

Perhaps the bigger win of the pandemic is that I have been cutting my hair - for better or worse for the last 18 months. And I can't see all that much difference from when I went to the salon, so I don't know what that says about my style. Anyway I think I will continue for the time being. More $$ for fabric, right? 

Happy End of Summer Sewing,
Beth

Today's garden photo, a hydrangea that has lived in a pot for more than 3 years and is still putting out these luscious pink blooms. I'm hesitant to move or repot as it is doing so well.