Saturday, May 25, 2013

Two'fer

I began working on Simplicity 1650 a few Saturday's ago (a week before Mother's Day).

I decided that I would use a royal blue jersey that I had on hand (YAY stash busting!).

Mother's Day came, and my dress sat cut and neglected on my cutting table. And then life happened, and I was busy, so the dress began coming together at an especially slow pace.

I was a bit frustrated because I knew that this dress wasn't difficult, and really, using this jersey, I could probably knock it out in a few dedicated hours. But life...

At the last minute, I decided that I really didn't want a full dress, instead, wanted separates that I could make and either wear like a  dress, or wear on their own.

And let me tell you how happy I am with the results!

As a top:
I don't know how these images turned into an animated GIF, but I likey!

As a skirt: 
The top shown here is a dress. I wouldn't wear these two together, but I had my husband ready with the camera, and wanted to quickly snap a shot.

And then as a dress: 


The photos are from my camera phone, so you can't really see the details, but the skirt has a gold zipper on the back seam.

I didn't do a muslin for these items because I felt pretty confident in the fit. I probably should have because both the skirt and the top were a bit more roomy than I am use to. I think that this is because of two things. 1) I made this in jersey when the pattern called for a woven fabric, and 2) *Fingers Crossed* the working out I've been doing, is... Working! :)

If I were to make any changes to this pattern (which I will because I can see myself making the top portion over, and over, and over, I would elongate the peplum by a couple of inches. Already have it cut in a citron matte satin with no sleeves and the longer peplum to hide the belly bulge. 

In other news I'm in the process of moving, so I've been too busy to sew lately. :( 
It makes me sad, but I will be happy once the hubby and I move into our new apartment. 
AND during packing, I came across several uncompleted garments, that hopefully after the move, I'll get inspired to finish!

Monday, May 13, 2013

It's all in the details:UPDATED

Wow.
I feel like it's been SO LONG since I last wrote.
I guess that's what happens when you step away from the sewing machine, and the laptop and start getting involved in what's going on in the world outside.

My Q&D dress that I whipped up last week made an appearance at a benefit dinner. 

I missed sewing though.

I finished Simplicity 1801. And I'm in love with all of the little details I added in. It makes the garment that much more special to me.
I spent a bunch of time matching up the lines in the fabric when cutting and love the end results


Even made sure to match up the sleeve to the bodice front as good as I could. (Looking at this picture, I wish I would have put the piping at the top of the armhole seam.)



And I added little touches of self made piping at the bottom of the front and back yoke. 




I even added the same piping detail to the pockets. 


This dress is NOT my normal silhouette, but I absolutely adore it. 
From the bright, busy pattern, to the full (for me) skirt (I'm usually pencil girl all the way), and the piping details, this dress is a winner! 

I was hoping to get a better picture of me in the dress, but this is all I have for now.