Vogue 1250: Alterations, Muslin & First Impressions (and Giveaway)

So here's my muslin for Vogue 1250. Yeah, it's black so the details aren't as clear but I did lighten the photos so hopefully you can see more than just a black blob.

The jury is out. I think I look rectangular-ish from the front and I'm not. Except my hands are on my hips which kind of hides the curving out there. I also will not make this again in a solid until my tummy is flatter. Prints hide all sorts of evils. ;-) But I will keep this black version and revisit it again after saying goodbye to 20 more lbs. or so. Also, I didn't hem the bottom or the sleeves since this was a muslin, yet I did serge all the interior seams. Go figure.

I did NOT make this straight out of the envelope. Anything but. The alterations were not hard though it was a little cumbersome at times wrestling full dress lengths of tissue. I took pics along the way for the little tutorial below.

If you need to add more width to the lower half of this pattern, before doing anything trace the hip dart onto a scrap paper/tissue and set it aside for later.

Next (and I don't have a real photo of this step so I doctored another), slash the pattern through the hip dart as shown by the red line below. This cut will be perpendicular to the shorten/lengthen lines printed on the pattern. Set aside the back "skirt" piece. If you do not need to made any width adjustments to the lower half, skip this step and leave your pattern intact. Because I needed both booty width additions and an FBA, some of my pics will show front and back separated.

This is the front section, and what you'll be working with for your FBA. I cut the top from the bottom along the shorten/lengthen lines because (1) It's easier to work with a smaller piece and (2) I will need to shorten above the waist anyway. You can keep the front section in one long piece if you prefer and just make the vertical slash for the FBA all the way to the hem.

Next, hold this newly created ""bodice section" (or the whole length if you didn't cut it apart) up to yourself in front of the mirror and mark your bustpoint and then position the sideseam at your side and note how much more width you need so that the pattern Center Front meets your center front. This will be the width you "spread" the tissue during your FBA.

Draw your FBA slash lines as shown in red below, making sure to draw one slash through the shoulder pleat since you will eventually be rotating the bust dart to there.

Slash the pattern, leaving "hinges" at the shoulder and at the tip of the new side dart, as shown below. Secure each section with weights of some sort so they don't move.

Snip the "hinge" at the shoulder so there is no more hinge and rotate the section with the red arrow below so that the side dart closes. This opens the shoulder pleat, which is just what you want.

Fill in the slashes/spreads with tissue, as below.

Reattach the front bottom skirt section to the front bodice section. Because I needed to shorten above the waist, I did it now and just re-attached the 2 sections 1/2" shorter. Fill in the "gap" shown in red below with tissue, all the way to the hem. (If you did not separate the upper and lower sections, your slash in the middle of the pattern will have gone all the way to the hem and you should have filled it in already when you were filling in after your FBA.)

If you do not need to add width to the bottom area, you're done and your pattern will look like this, below.

However, if you DO need extra hip/booty width, you will have slashed your pattern as shown at the beginning. Realign the pieces and slide some tissue underneath so that it extends above the hip dart and a few inches on each side of the vertical slash.(I had previously added 3" in length to the bottom of my pattern, in case you've noticed and are wondering. You can do this at the end of your alterations or when you're cutting.)

This pattern has 1-1/2" of ease at the hips. Figure out how much additional width you need (remember, if you did the FBA above, you already have added onto the front of the pattern piece). Divide that number in half. Then divide that result in half. Add that second result onto the Center Back seam of the skirt area. In the photo above, it's at the very left of this pattern piece, but unfortunately, I forgot to mark this photo.This is a subtlety shaped seam, so shape your addition to match.

Now it's time to use the tracing of the hip dart you set aside earlier. Spread the tissue where you slashed through the hip dart the rest of your required width addition and slide the hip dart tracing into place so that the dart point is in the center of your spread. True the lines at the back waist and at the front sideseam.

Trim away the excess tissue, as show below. (In this pic, you should be able to see where I added tissue at the CB of the skirt section, at the very left.) This section is now done. If you want to add hem length, you can do it now.

Because I shortened the front above the waist and added width to the hips, I needed to make corresponding adjustments to the upper back piece. Below, you can see the tuck I made on the shorten/lengthen line.

Next, I slashed from the shoulder to the bottom, leaving a hinge at the shoulder, and spread the tissue so that the width at the bottom equaled the total amount added to the width of the back half of the skirt section. (Don't calculate any vertical FBA spread from the front here, since the bottom front was already adjusted earlier.) True the curved back waist seamline at the bottom.

And you're done! Below shows all of my alterations marked in red.

Click to Enlarge

And now for the Giveway …

This is a repeat from a few months ago because that winner never contacted me. Sorry, but if you snooze, you lose. ;-) It's Kwik Sew 3764, never opened because I ended up with a duplicate back when I was making my fleece "biker" jacket.



Which I have never worn, BTW, because it never got cold again after I made it. It's going to be too big now. Maybe I should put THAT up for a Giveaway??

Anyway, leave a comment below if you want to be entered into the random drawing for the Kwik Sew pattern.

Fine print: For all the Giveaways this week, each entrant can only win once and in the case of duplicates, I'll contact you for your choice and then draw again randomly on what's left. Clear? And if you do enter, please check back next week to see who won because if I don't hear from you within a few days after announcing winners, I'll draw/decide again. I will close comments on this Giveaway on Friday, July 22 2011 and announce the winner on Saturday, July 23, 2011. Again, anyone anywhere can enter this or any Giveaway this week.

Kool-Aid Time (and another Giveaway)

At last count, there were 25 reviews on PR for this pattern (Vogue 1250). I feel like I'm already late to the party. But when this dress looks universally great on all the figures of the ladies who've made it, I'd be foolish not to try it too and if I like it, I'll just say that I was fashionably late. But I do have some misgivings. Namely, that my tummy is going to be highlighted, and not in a good way. I may be losing weight, but the tummy is definitely still hanging in there (and I do mean hanging!). You will note that I still haven't been showing side-view pics of myself. I do have my limits. ;-) So, on today's sewing agenda is a "muslin" of this pattern in a knit I won't care if I end up tossing. There's only 2 pattern pieces, so that should go quickly.

Speaking of unloved knits … I think I'm going to be returning 3-4 pieces from my latest Fabric.com haul. Either the print scale was too small or too big, or the color just isn't thrilling me, or whatever. One is a border print which I loved, in theory. In reality, it's just not me. I think it feels too dressed up or something I can't quite put my finger on. But when I looked at it on Zillie last night, I immediately thought of Carolyn, which is funny now because at the very same time it seems she was posting about border prints on her blog.

And speaking of my tummy, I got out the measuring tape yesterday. (Cue Dragnet theme music.)

I still haven't stepped on a scale, but I had a pretty good idea of what I used to measure, as most stitchers do. I've lost 6 inches in my hips, 2-1/2 around the waist, and 1-1/2 in my biceps. But zero, nilch, zip around the girls. Many women seem to gain/lose weight in the bust first, but not me. Unless I'm pregnant, and that is a scary thought in many, MANY ways. ;-) Looks like me and the girls will be keeping company for some time to come.

Still speaking of my tummy, I also broke down and ordered a workout DVD this morning. I hate (HATE!) workout routines, but I need to do something about my lack of firm ab muscles. We'll see how that goes. I think I can handle 20 minutes a day without hating it too much, especially after I start seeing results. Results in the thighs would be welcome too.

To answer some recent comments — I'm not following a particular named diet. But how I've changed my eating habits is closer to the Atkins Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) step than most anything else. I've dramatically reduced carbs (to about 40-60g/day) and eliminated processed and low-fat foods. This means I've also increased proteins, natural, healthy fats, and produce (fiber). It's called "shopping the perimeter" in the grocery store and avoiding the aisles of processed, packaged foods. I'm never hungry and I don't miss the junk and sweets at all, which is still sometimes hard for me — the sweetsaholic — to believe. I can't even remember the last time I had (or wanted) chocolate. Really!

Now, for today's Giveaway …

Up for grabs today is Amy Butler's Style Stitches, 12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags!

I bought this book for myself a few months ago, and really enjoyed looking through and reading it. It's beautifully photographed, and the information and instructions for the bags in the book seem to be good, although I can't swear to that since I haven't actually made any of these bags. And that's the thing — I probably never will make these particular bags. It's not that they aren't pretty and I do love Amy Butler's aesthetic, but just to look at. AB is not really me. At the same time I bought this book, I bought another bag-making book and I'll be keeping that one for reference when the bag mood strikes. This one, however, should go on to another home where it will be loved and used. All the patterns are intact and still sealed into the envelope at the back.

If you promise to love and use this book, leave a comment on this post with your promise and you'll be entered into a random drawing. Fine print: For all the Giveaways this week, each entrant can only win once and in the case of duplicates, I'll contact you for your choice and then draw again randomly on what's left. Clear? And if you do enter, please check back next week to see who won because if I don't hear from you within a few days after announcing winners, I'll draw/decide again. I will close comments on this Giveaway on Thursday, July 21 2011 and announce the winner on Friday, July 22 2011. Again, anyone anywhere can enter this or any Giveaway this week.

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Parting Thought: Yesterday, Diane commented: "Long time reader, first time commenting . . . Does that make me greedy and bad? I hope not. You are such an accomplished seamstress, maybe I'm a little intimidated about commenting." (Please forgive me, Diane, for singling you out.)

First, no, you're not greedy or bad and neither is anyone else who is commenting for the first time on these Giveaways. Me and Carolyn  — Comment 'Hos. (Hi Carolyn!) How I get them matters not. I'm just happy when my readers do comment for whatever reason. And it's nice to meet you, Diane. :-)

What struck me, though, is that you're intimated by me/my sewing and that other readers may be too. Puh-lease! LOL! I'm the most lazy, laid-back sewer you'll meet. Yes, I can exhibit OCD about aspects of *my* projects, but only for me and usually only when something's gone wrong and I'm not ready to give up. Usually, I'm going for the fastest way to do something, which is one reason I'm not a hand-stitcher. I know there are many ways to do things, many levels of project satisfaction, and that this sewing thing we all love is really for fun more than anything. So, please don't ever be intimidated. Ask questions if you want to and I'll try to answer them. I can't promise but not because I'm intimidating — it's the lazy thing I mentioned. Or just plain scatterbrainedness. ;-)

Out With the Old, In With the New (Giveway)

I got through the pile on my sewing table in yesterday's post, except for these black capris. I'm still thinking about refashioning (I sound so trendy when I say that, don't I?) into a skirt but I'm just not sure how much I'll actually wear a black jeans skirt so I'm procrastinating. Oh, speaking of colors — I've had a few comments recently about me wearing blue (and thank you for the compliments!). I just wanted to set the record straight that it's not that I think I don't look good in blues, it's just that blue is not one of my go-to colors. I tend to gravitate toward other colors first.

OK, where was I? Oh yes, dealing with the pile. So, I cut off the buttons from the items I pointed out yesterday and then tossed them. Sigh. It was kind of hard to do that and then see other messy kitchen garbage on top of my stuff in the trashcan. But I'm over it now. Mostly.

After freeing the buttons, I refashioned (hah!) this dress, into …

… this top. But instead of trying it out before I hemmed it, I just went ahead and hemmed it. I've since decided that I really need to take in the sideseams. A LOT. This dress/top had a lot of ease and I want to get rid of that now.

For today, I'm wearing it with my new chain belt and my new dark denim capris. And my great orange sandals, which I really wish I had bought 2 pairs of now because I'm going to miss them so much whenever they wear out.

I think I'm going to go back to Walmart after dinner (I swear, some weeks I live there) and buy 2 more pairs of these capris in smaller sizes before they're sold out. One to wear after more weight loss and one to cut up as a pattern because they fit me so well and even with losing more weight, I'm still going to be this general shape.

As to "In With the New," my Fabric.com order arrived today and I might be just a little bit overwhelmed. I think I need to get on the fabric wagon because I already have more projects in my head than I'll be able to finish anytime soon while still looking for a job. (No, haven't heard anything about anything yet. Sigh.)

On to today's Giveaway … A bunch of old sewing crap vintage sewing notions and a vintage Kwik Sew slip pattern, size S-M-L-XL which has been rough-cut but all sizes are intact.

Click to Enlarge and See the Details

What can you do with a bunch of old wooden spools, you ask? Toss them in a jar and call them Sewing Room Decoration, like I did. You're on your own for the hand-sewing needles. ;-)

If you want to win the vintage items above (not my decorations!), leave a comment on this post and I'll draw a random number. Fine print: For all the Giveaways this week, each entrant can only win once and in the case of duplicates, I'll contact you for your choice and then draw again randomly on what's left. Clear? And if you do enter, please check back next week to see who won because if I don't hear from you within a few days after announcing winners, I'll draw/decide again. I will close comments on this Giveaway on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 and announce the winner on Thursday, July 21 2011. Again, anyone anywhere can enter this or any Giveaway this week.

Parting Shot: Since you liked the last animation so much, here's another showing the canine traffic jam when I try to take tripod pics. It's a little busy around here, isn't it? (Photo quality is bad to try to keep the file size as small as possible.)

This and That and a Giveaway

This post is going to be an unconnected stream of consciousness, just some things on my mind and on my sewing table. If you make it through to the end, congratulations! You'll be "rewarded" with a chance to win today's giveaway. What? I didn't mention that I'll be doing a giveaway every day for a week? Oops. But just so you know, it's not going to be all new books. I'll probably throw in a pattern or two and maybe an oddball thing. You'll just have to keep checking each day to find out. ;-)

What I wore yesterday, for grocery shopping. Was I overdressed for Walmart? Hah. I think it's the long, dangly earrings that make me feel fancier because it's really just a simple knit dress. I wish I hadn't cut off my feet cuz my green flip-flops looked killer with this. Another side benefit of losing weight? Shoes that used to be too tight now fit again. Yay! The dress is RTW, size 14. Yeah, I know knits stretch, but still, a 14! Wooo! Who said size doesn't matter? ;-) I do need to sew the crossover shut. My Hollywood Tape quick fix wasn't quite cutting it. I also need to buy some new bras or take in the bands of my current ones in the interim. The girls are not getting the same support they did when my bra bands were tighter.

New denim capris from Walmart, 4 sizes smaller than the black ones underneath I wore all last summer. Time for another Woo! I think the black ones will become another skirt.The new capris are a tiny bit snug but they are stretch denim so they'll be perfect in a couple of hours. I don't think I'll be making any pants again until I'm closer to my goal size, which I haven't yet decided on — I'll see how this process goes. I'm tempted to buy these in the next size or two down, since they fit so well and are cheap (in all sense of the word).

My pile on the sewing room table. The dress from above, to sew the crossover closed. Below that, capris from a few years ago that fit now. I'm either going to make them shorter, make them a skirt, or just take off the hardware and then toss them. Under the capris is my red/white/blue denim dress (if you remember, it's the one with the big red buttons down the front, if you don't it's here). I've worn it once and washed it about 10 times. The denim never softened up enough and it hung like a circus tent on me. I'm going to take off the buttons and toss it.

Below the denim dress is my embroidered linen Hot Patterns Princess Blouse. When I made it, it was a perfect, close fit and I wore it regularly. Now it just hangs on me and looks silly. I'll be taking the buttons off this one and then tossing it too. Below the HP blouse, the dress I wore to Alex's high school graduation — the one I originally bought my cool orange sandals for. I'm going to cut this off to a top. I'll get more wear from it that way since as a dress it's too baggy now and makes me look pregnant. Below that, the Butterick Connie Crawford blouse (the one with separate cup pieces). Too big, so I'll be removing buttons and tossing that one too. I've decided I'm not going to keep most of my "fat clothes." They take up space and will be too easy to slip back into instead of reducing what I eat if I gain a few pounds down the road. I will keep some just for kicks and comparison, like I've kept my "skinny jeans" all these years.

Next, SDBev asked to see more detail on this top, the RTW cowl with the black panel.

Here's what the inside front looks like. It's just another front layer sewn (serged) into the raglan seams.

And from the side:

And, finally, the Giveaway. You made it! ;-)

Sixth & Spring Books sent Custom Couture as an unexpected bonus with the Fabric Guide I reviewed yesterday. Custom Couture is not really aimed at me, since I abhor hand-sewing and I don't really embellish any RTW. But this look and these types of projects are definitely popular with the younger set (Gawd, I sound like a teetering old grannie when I say that!) and I see many similar looks on lots of sewing and refashioning blogs. But just because this isn't what I do shouldn't detract from the book. It's pretty, well-photographed, has lots of eye candy and inspiration, and good instructions to recreate each look. It just deserves a better home than I would give it. I do appreciate Sixth & Spring sending it to me though, and I am happy to share.

Here are few random photos of some of the projects. There are others just as nice or even better but I just flipped pages and clicked on whatever I opened to since I couldn't decide.

To enter the Giveaway, leave a comment below telling me why you'd like this book. This will NOT be a random drawing; I'll pick the answer I like best. Fine print: For all the Giveaways this week, each entrant can only win once and in the case of duplicates, I'll contact you for your choice and then draw again randomly on what's left. Clear? And if you do enter, please check back next week to see who won because if I don't hear from you within a few days after announcing winners, I'll draw/decide again. I will close comments on this Giveaway on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 and announce the winner on Wednesday, July 20, 2011. Again, anyone anywhere can enter this or any Giveawy this week.

Parting Shot: Who doesn't like a good nap?

Review: Simplicity Fabric Guide (and Giveaway)

Sixth & Spring Books recently sent me Simplicity Fabric Guide: The Ultimate Fiber Resource for review.*

Per Amazon.com:

"From SIMPLICITY, one of the most famous names in sewing, comes a comprehensive guide to all things fabric and fiber related. Lavishly illustrated throughout with color and archival photographs of fabrics and fabric-related items, this is the essential tome for textile fans everywhere. It covers fabric basics, natural and man-made fibers, fabric types, specialty finishes, trademark fabrics, more!"

And I definitely agreement with that description. This spiral-bound hardcover reference guide is beautifully laid out and photographed and contains lots of fabric and sewing information, which makes it a pleasure to look at as well as interesting to read.

It starts off with A Brief History of Simplicity and moves into a Brief History of Fabric and then  onto Fabric Basics, such as how fabric is woven and/or loomed and the various types of weaves and knits.

Next, Fibers are covered, both natural and manufactured, and includes a burn chart so you can put your new knowledge to test on those mystery fabrics in your stash.

From there, you'll move into the Fabrics section with over 100 large, clear photos of various fabrics coupled with text descriptions, uses and sewing tips.

Next up is a section on Linings, Interfacings & Stabilizers which provides an overview of the different types and reference charts of what to use when.

The Working With Fabric chapter describes the characteristics of various fabrics versus the style garment to be made, plus grain, yardarge, pattern layout, preshrinking, nap & more. Sewing tools and notions are thoroughly covered, including a needle chart and a detailed description of more pins thank I think I knew existed.

Color Choices is a primer in color theory and Fabric Care covers cleaning, pressing and pressing tools, fabric storage, and stain removal.

Thread is up next with a brief overview of thread construction and detailed descriptions of thread types. Matching thread to fabric and matching thread to needle is covered in both descriptive and chart form.

At the end of the book there is a small glossary, measurement charts and/or instructions for quilts and bed coverings, window treatments, and tablecloths. There's a section on taking body measurements for garment sewing along with a Simplicity pattern size chart.

Finally, there is a section for adding your own fabric swatches and notes, and tear-out guides for fabric width conversion, estimating yardage, and a quick button size guide.

As I read through this book, I liked how the information was presented both in long form for leisurely reading and in condensed chart form for when you're about to start a project and are hot on the trail for the Just the Facts, Ma'am. In other words, it's very thoughtfully laid out and reader-friendly. Even the smaller print in some areas is easy for this 40+something to read without her reading glasses.

I give this book high marks and recommend it to any beginner-to-intermediate stitcher wanting a good, solid fabric reference. I know the more advanced stitchers will already have one (or ten) books on fabrics and this guide is not really aimed at you, but it's still a nice read and I thoroughly enjoyed the "extra" information in the beginning and ending chapters. I think you will too, and it would make a great gift for a new stitcher you might like to encourage.

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Now for the Giveaway — Please leave a comment on this post if you would like to be entered into the drawing for a copy of this book. Following me won't increase your odds of winning, but I do like to see that number go up. I'm just sayin'. ;-)

The Giveaway will be open for one week. I will close comments on Monday, July 18, 2011 and the winner will be decided by the Random Number Generator thingie and posted on Tuesday, July 19, 2011. This Giveway is open to anyone, anywhere as long as you leave a comment below during the next week.

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*Note that while I was not paid for this review in any way by Sixth & Spring books, if you click the link above to Amazon, I am an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small (minuscule!) percentage of each sale generated by the click-through.