Dani Pants

Edited to add more photos, below, including Dani Pants #2.



Dani went into heat last night. Ugh. I thought we had a little more time. We're going to let her go through this cycle and then get her spayed before the next one.

So, there I was last night at midnight making up "doggy sanitary pants" at the spur of the moment. I can honestly say I never thought I'd be sewing those! But necessity being the mother of invention and the pet stores being closed …

The first pair was basically a belt with elastic attached to go around legs and tail, designed and sewn in about an hour. Luckily I had human "supplies" I could use for the disposable part. That prototype worked pretty well and we could all sleep without worrying about a mess in the bed but Dani really needed a little more coverage between wee-wee and tail. ;-) This morning, I drafted full coverage panties after looking around on the internet for ideas, and then I started sewing.

The panties Dani is modeling in the pics is from that pattern.



They are, appropriately, lined with Scooby Doo flannel (and a pantyliner!) but I forgot to take a pic before putting them on her.



I thought I was done sewing underwear for a while, but Mother Nature had other ideas. I'll make one more pair tonight and then get back to my Burda top tomorrow. Do you know that the similar doggy pants I found during my morning research were going for $25-$35 each? Yes, it would be easier to go to the pet store and buy some but even at probably $10 each for mass-produced versions it still adds up to more than a couple of dollars. Versus shopping my stash and a few hours at the drafting table and machine? No brainer! ;-) Especially now that I have the custom-fitted pattern and construction perfected.

It's amazing what one can do with a sewing machine!

That's More Like It

I've finished tracing and cutting out the new pieces for my "up-graded" pattern, which is now a straight size 48 with no alterations (yet). I think I did pretty well. The seams line up correctly and the fit on Zillie is what I'd expect for a Burda size 48. The only glitch is the neckband but that's because I altered for my square shoulders as I was tracing. Adjusting the neckband to match will be easy.

As for alterations — I will have to do an FBA …




and add at the waist and hip …



and it looks like the shoulder-to-waist length is too long, which is disguised in the front because of Zillie's (and my) full bust.



But these are all my usual alterations, so I'm quite pleased with myself and the grading!

Tomorrow, I'll make those adjustments and make an ugly muslin.

Plan A & Plan B

Plan A: I traced the pattern. Then I cut it out without seam allowances to have a look at on Zillie and decide how to proceed. The good news is that I'm pretty sure I'll like this top on me if I can work through the alterations. The bad news is the alterations are going to be many. But I knew that going in.

As you can see below, the underbust band is under Zillie's bust. But …



… that's just an illusion! I have the whole garment pinned a couple of inches down from the true shoulder.



And there's still quite a bit of real estate in the nether regions left uncovered.



I stared at the pattern draped on Zillie many times today. Part of me wanted to start slicing & dicing to add length and width "by eye." The other part of me was thinking how messy and unexact this would be and how I want to preserve the original lines as much as possible.

Plan B: Returning to Square 1 and grading up the pattern in a more controlled manner.

I used the grading lines on the pattern sheet (the pattern in pink) to go up 3 sizes, from 42 to 48. More specifically, I measured many points on the pattern between the printed sizes and then increased by those amounts at corresponding points on the pattern sheet to create my new size. I did this on the pattern sheet itself because, hey, what's one more set of lines, right? If you click the photos to enlarge them, you should be able to see my black pen lines a little more clearly.





This grading process really didn't take that long. I sat at my cutting table with the TV on in the background and I was done in about an hour. Next, I'll trace again but this time following the lines of the "new" size and adding seam allowances so I can cut a muslin. I know I'll have to do regular pattern alterations, but first things first. Let's see how this up-graded pattern fits Zillie and how accurate my grading is.

Judy asked in the comments about the origin for the Duro name. Duro refers to the London-based designer Duro Olowu who reincarnated this style a couple of years ago and made it his own for the runway, with bold prints and colors. It's trickled down to the masses and it seems that all dresses (and tops) with this basic look are becoming known as Duro dresses (tops) even if they're not Duro originals.

Can I Make The Grade?

I love this top. I've seen a few versions reviewed on Pattern Review which make me love it even more. The problem is, it's sized 34-42 (Euro) which is definitely too small for me.

I'm going to spend some time today working with the pattern, hopefully to the point of sewing up an unwearable muslin to see what I can do to make it fit me and if I even like it on me at that point. Pretty soon, this banded/Duro-esque trend will be completely over and if I don't hop on the bandwagon soon, I may miss it completely. Remember, I don't live anywhere near NYC so trends are slower to pass here in Florida and I do still have time for this one. ;-)

If I can "make it work," I want to use this ebay fabric, with a solid brown for the bands:



And if *that* works out, I have a brown crosshatched stretch denim for a pair of capris to wear with it. But's that's getting waaaaaay ahead of myself because, if you haven't guessed by now, my "up next" list changes with the rise and fall of the sun and moon.

The skirt from the last couple of posts is still on the back burner. It's not abandoned but the project needs to percolate some more while I think about fabric choices and possibly altering it a little more to move the CB zipper to CF. Or maybe just using a more drapey knit and doing away with a zip altogether.

A New Day

(Or is it a different pair of undies??)

I tried the Burda WOF purple skirt on again this morning and I'm liking it better. It can't be the "Magic Wardrobe" because it never made it that far. I'm thinking that the real magic was a slippery-er pair of panties underneath while I tried it on. I know, I know — proper undergarments, which in this case will have to include silky panties or a slip (or both).

It's still too long, but only compared to my other summer skirts. It should be perfectly wearable after I hem it. I'm still deciding on whether I'll keep it or donate it, but I have made my pattern alterations for the next time while the info is still fresh in the gray matter.

We're off to the dogpark before the daily afternoon thunderstorms hit. The pooches are full of energy and really need a good "burn-off" session. Even Pepper has been, um, Peppy ;-) this morning. I hope there are a lot of playmates at the park today to wear them out. No, Chili won't be wearing his new No Fear shirt.