Tag Archives: wgsewing17

The Vogue DKNY V1235 Dress

A year ago my daughter announced that her best friend was going to marry and she was going to be the master of ceremony.  This occasion asked for a new and special dress, of course. As I love to sew for my loved-ones I was happy to sew one for her. Even though I knew a year in advance, the dress was ready half an hour before she had to leave for the ceremony. More, I had to sew in my sewing attic, on the hottest day of May so far. But I finished the DKNY V1235 and I love it!

Vogue DKNY V1235

The Vogue DKNY V1235 Dress pattern

I found this pattern in the bargain box of my local fabric shop around New Year. I knew immediately that this would be the perfect pattern for my daughter’s master of ceremony’s dress. It ticked all the boxes: a fitted bodice, a v-neck, a loose-fitting skirt, a sexy vibe and suitable for knits.
This is my second Vogue DKNY pattern. Last year I sewed the V1349 and I had some fitting issues. So this time I carefully compared all the measurements. It is very handy that on the Vogue patterns the finished garment measures are indicated on the pattern pieces on the bust, waist and hip points. Based on these and the body measures of my daughter I decided to cut out a straight 24.

Vogue DKNY V1235

The fabric

This lovely fabric is ‘Black Floral Vines on Dusty Jade Border Cotton Jersey Blend Knit’” from Girl Charlee UK. My daughter picked it herself last November. Unfortunately, this fabric is sold out now. I wished I had bought more then because I wanted to use it for my Moneta dress but my daughter wouldn’t let me. At the end, she was right to keep it for this dress.
For the first time I worked with a border pattern and I had this asymmetrical placement in my head before cutting the fabric. I am happy with how it worked out. More importantly, my daughter adores it as well.

The instructions say that this pattern is only suitable for two-way stretch knits and this border fabric has only a one-way stretch—from border to border. So this was ok for the bodice but not for the skirt. Thus I made a muslin of the skirt in a woven fabric and it fitted perfect. I did not have to make any alterations.

Vogue DKNY V1235

The sewing process

The accompanying instructions for the DKNY V1235 pattern are clear and illustrated with drawings. Although everything seemed logical I did not follow all the steps.

  • I did not use elastic to gather the shoulder straps but just gathered them with two lines of stitching.
  • I sewed the shoulder straps between the back bodice and the facing instead of sewing them on the back.
  • A zipper was not needed! The bodice has enough stretch to put the dress on and off without one.
Vogue DKNY V1235
My first FBA

Because of the fitting issues I had with the previous Vogue pattern I first made a muslin in a comparable stretch fabric. As assumed, the front pieces did not cover the whole boobs. Which meant my first Full Bust Adjustment was in order.
A quick search on Google gave me a very good explanation and tutorial from the Curvy Sewing Collective. Only my pattern piece had no darts. Then I found the tutorial from Jennifer Lauren on how to do a full bust adjustment for fitted knit patterns. The combination of these two guides and my pattern drafting lessons gave me the confidence to draw my first FBA.
I sewed a second—now wearable—muslin and it came out perfect.

Vogue DKNY V1235

Is this a quick sew?

No, the DKNY V1235 is not a quick sew. The tucks and the gathers in the bodice front and the creases in the front skirt take their time.  I basted all the marks to sew them neatly. It also took time because I needed two muslins and an FBA to get the fit right.

Vogue DKNY V1235
Basted marks of the tucks.
Conclusion

Sewing this DKNY V1235 dress was challenging and fun. It gave me a satisfying feeling that I could bring it to a good end. More, that my daughter was happy and proud to wear the dress to the wedding of her best friend. Will I sew another? Yes! I still have to finish that second wearable muslin. It is a mustard yellow knit and my daughter is looking forward to it. The question is: will she have to wait another year for it?

Vogue DKNY V1235
In front of the d’Ursel Castle where the wedding took place.

The story of the Rosa Shirt Dress – Tilly and the Buttons

I finally finished my Rosa Shirt Dress from Tilly and the Buttons. Pfft, that was a long-term project. I started it the beginning of December 2016. In fact, I thought my first blog post would be about it. More, I wrote it already in my head: “My first shirt dress, my first Tilly and the Buttons pattern and my first blog post”. Little I did know…Rosa shirt dress - Tilly and the Buttons

The chorus line fabric

The fabric is a 100% viscose I bought in Paris, at Sacrés Coupons, last September 2016. I immediately fell in love with the design. It reminded me of the girls in the chorus lines of films from Busby Berkeley, which I adore.

a chorus line

Rosa shirt dress - Tilly and the Buttons

Beautiful this fabric may be, it is a real burden to work with. Viscose fabric can’t lay still on your table. So I had to cut out every piece on a single layer. To match the fabric lines I used the fabric piece to cut out its twin. It took forever!! (Having to cut on the garden table in our holiday house didn’t help either.)

The Rosa Shirt Dress Pattern
This is the first pattern I sewed from Tilly and the Buttons and it was a very satisfying experience. I bought the paper version of the pattern. It came in a nice envelope with pattern and instruction booklet. I chose the dress because of the flattering semi-fitted shape caused by the curved princess seams.
Based on my measures I cut out a straight 7. Being a #sewingtall girl I lengthened the bodice with 3,5cm and the hem with 5 cm. Here I did something stupid. To lengthen the pattern I used leftovers from the pattern paper but I didn’t notice I used my, already cut, collar pattern piece. Luckily Tilly sent me the pdf pattern to replace the lost collar. What a great service!
Next time I will lengthen it more as it came out on the short side.

Rosa shirt dress - Tilly and the Buttons

The sewing process

The instructions in the booklet are detailed and illustrated with clear photos. So it was not difficult except I didn’t get my tension right for the topstitching. (Another struggle in this project). I put some golden piping on the front yoke. Then I got a case of sewing block and didn’t work on it for four months.

Rosa shirt dress - Tilly and the Buttons

Because of the Sew together a shirt dress for Summer challenge the sewing community is currently buzzing with all kind of info about sewing a shirt dress. That gave me desire to finish my Rosa. With a stretch needle, a walking foot, new thread and a deep breath it worked out. Also very helpful were the tips and tricks about buttonholes and collars, posted by the #sewtoghetherforsummer team.
As I am not fond of rolled-up sleeves with tabs I finished them with a small elastic.

Is this a quick sew?

No, the Rosa Shirt dress isn’t a quick sew. Not only because of my struggles but also because there is a lot of stitching to do: the princess seams, the yokes, the piping, the topstitching. Plus, the construction of the collar and buttonholes takes time. It is not that difficult though when you follow the instructions.

Rosa shirt dress - Tilly and the Buttons

Rosa shirt dress - Tilly and the Buttons

Conclusion

Sewing the Rosa Shirt dress was quite a chore—due to the briskness of the fabric—but I am glad I sewed it. I’m wearing it for two days now and it’s been an absolute pleasure. More, I love that it is a shirt dress. Will I sew another? A shirt dress, yes.  Will it be a Rosa? I don’t know yet because first I would like to tackle the Carolyn Pajamas dress.

Rosa shirt dress - Tilly and the Buttons
Rosa or Calamity Jane?

The Virginia leggings from Megan Nielsen – SewMyStyle#3

The third piece of the Project Sew MyStyle are the Virginia leggings from Megan Nielsen. Although wearing leggings is way out of my comfort zone I accepted the challenge. Now, I am glad I did because they feel so comfortable and the fit is on the spot.

 

Is this a quick sew?

The goal of the SewMyStyle project is to sew together one garment every month and post your sewing on the last Sunday of that month. Strange enough I was still expecting there to be another Sunday in March. So I thought I had all the time left and was planning on sewing my leggings next week. It was the post of Alex on Instagram that warned me that in fact, I had to sew it this Sunday. Luckily I had my fabric and I could finish it in exactly two hours—from printing the pattern till putting it on.

The Virginia leggings pattern

This is the first pattern from Megan Nielsen that I sewed and it was a very pleasing experience. The 17-pages PDF-pattern has clear marks for the gluing. There are only two patterns pieces: the legging and the waistband.
Based on my measures I cut out a straight XL and I did not lengthen the legs, although I am 181 cm. I checked it with my Hudson pants and saw they were long enough. I love the scrunched look at the ankles.
I opted for the natural waist version and raised the waist with another 10 cm. In hindsight, 8 cm would be enough but they are sitting comfortable.

The Sewing Process

The Virginia leggings come together easily. The instructions are clear and you only have to sew three seams and the waistband. I sewed all the seams on my serger and used my beloved fagot stitch on my sewing machine for the hems.
I believe an important condition for the success of this project is the fabric choice. It is absolutely necessary to use fabric with at least a 40% stretch. This cotton-viscose jersey with a good stretch was a lucky find at my local fabric shop. It was the only colour they had.

Conclusion

Virginia leggings Megan NielsenI would have never thought it but I ‘heart’ these leggings. They are comfortable and feel like a second skin. I even wore them to school today. On top of that, without the SewMyStyle project,  I wouldn’t have sewed them. So again a big win.
Will I sew more Virginia leggings? I guess so. Definitely for my daughter because she loves them too.

Virginia leggings
That’s how I look after a day of teaching.

The Daphne Day Dress from Sew This Pattern

In the beginning of February, ‘Sew This Pattern‘ asked for pattern testers. Last year I made their Velo Culottes and I loved them, so I was eager to be a tester for the Daphne Day Dress. On top of that, they asked for an intermediate sewer and I like a bit of a challenge too. So I immediately volunteered and was glad when Annie selected me.

Daphne Day Dress

The Daphne Day Dress pattern

I received a pdf pattern and a booklet with instructions. Due to the clear marks on the paper, the gluing of the pattern went easy.
The main pattern contains seven pattern pieces. The bodice has a separate midriff piece so that the front bodice can have gathers and the back bodice an open back. On top of that, the skirt has pockets and pleats—two of my favourite features.
I traced the (Australian) 18 based on my measurements. As asked, I didn’t make any alterations to the pattern. Being a #sewingtall girl I only lengthened the skirt with 6 cm.

My vintage fabric

I had this vintage cotton fabric—a gift from my sister-in-law—in my collection that I thought was perfect to give the dress a real vintage look. Only, this fabric had a strange width of 76,5 cm so I had to cut the front skirt in two pieces. This resulted in some serious pattern matching.

Daphne Day Dress

The sewing process

Thanks to the very detailed instruction booklet the sewing went smooth. It is a plus that every step is illustrated with a photo.
I finished the edges of the facings with self-made bias binding.

Daphne Day Dress

 

What I like about testing a pattern is that you have to decode the way of thinking of an experienced designer-sewer, and get to test-run the instructions they have written. I struggled a bit at the part where you put the back midriff, the back midriff facing and the back bodice together. I managed in the end but suggested some extra marks could be helpful here. That is what pattern testing is for, isn’t it?

Daphne Day Dress

Conclusion

Because of the challenges I liked sewing the Daphne Day Dress. I’m glad I used this vintage fabric for it because it is perfect for this design. It accentuates the vintage feel.
Now, I’m dreaming of a long warm Summer to wear this dress.

Daphne Day Dress

The striped Nanöo top

I was so in awe of The Nanöo top—made by Debora—in my latest eye-catchers that I decided to sew one myself. Furthermore, I had some very soft green striped jersey in my collection that was perfect for this project. So, why wait?

The Nanöo Top

Nanöo is a rather new Spanish indie sewing company with two patterns so far. They distribute the pattern both in paper and in PDF-format. The ordering and downloading of it goes very smooth.

The Nanöo Top pattern

The pattern has a clear design and exists  out of three pieces. You only have to glue eight pieces of paper together but here I miss some connection marks. On top of that, the only measures indicated in the instructions are those of the finished garments, which are not specified. I assumed the largest are the hips. Based on these measurements I cut out the tallest size and did not make any alterations to it.

When you sew striped fabric the most difficult part is matching the seams. Especially when you use knit fabric. Taking extra care of the cutting is very helpful.

The Nanöo Top

How to cut the front and backpiece in a single layer

* place and pin the pattern piece
* be sure you mark the center or your front or back on the fabric
* cut out, be careful not to cut beyond your marks

Cutting The Nanöo Top
* flip the pattern, align on the marks you made on the fabric

Cutting The Nanöo Top
* cut out the second halve of the front piece
* put the cut piece on the fabric, right sides together and cut the second piece

Cutting The Nanöo Top

Now your patterns pieces lay already in place for sewing your shoulder seams.

Cutting The Nanöo Top

The striped fabric

The fabric is a soft cotton jersey  from Girl Charlee that I bought in November 2015! Sewing with knits can be a little tricky but this fabric is cooperative. The seams keep flat and the stretch is perfect for the neckband.

Due to the cutting of the pattern pieces single layered and stitching with a walking foot the seams came out perfectly matched!

Perfectly matching seams

The sewing proces

Sewing together the Nanöo top is rather easy. It only has only straight seams and a neck binding. Still, I did it all by instinct as the sewing instructions that come with the pattern are rather brief.

The Nanöo Top

Conclusion

I am very pleased with my Nanöo top. Especially with how the stripes come out. For the next one, I will lengthen the sleeves to make them three-quarter.

My first striped top is spot on!

The Nanöo Top

 

My Moneta

M-m-m-my Moneta

At this moment the Moneta party* is in full swing and it really fantastic to see all the beautiful Moneta dresses everybody is showing.

* The Moneta party is an Instagram party hosted by The Triple Stitchers and you can only go to the party dressed in your self-made Moneta dress. Here you can read more about it.

Moneta Dress-Colette Patterns

Me too, I engaged myself to sew a Moneta. I already had the pattern from Colette Patterns a few years but I never managed to get started on sewing one. So this party was a great spur into action!

Going through my fabric collection I thought that this Orange Red Faux Snakeskin spandex knit from Girl Charlee would be suitable and it was.

Moneta Dress Colette Patterns

I’m over the moon that I picked it. It has a good stretch and is easy to sew. More, it has a funky design that reminded me constantly of Nicolas Cage in ‘Wild at heart’!

I don’t want to elaborate much on the pattern because so many others did that before me. Here are some thoughts about sewing the Moneta dress.

  • I went for version 2 with the 3/4 sleeves.
  • Being a #sewingtall girl I lengthened the bodice with 6cm and the skirt with 4 cm.
  • I also graded the bodice from L at the bust to XL at the waist.  In the future, I would give even more ease at the waist because it is kind of small.
  • It was an easy sew and the instructions from Colette patterns are very clear.
  • For the gathering, I used clear elastic and it went rather easy—I have some experience with this technique due to the fact I sewed some Wren dresses.
    Also Abigail—one of The Triple Stitchers—wrote a very helpful tutorial about it.
Conclusion

I am extremely happy with my Moneta dress. The pattern has a very neat design and if you experiment with the fabric you can really get a stunning result. Check it out on Instagram! Will I sew more Moneta’s? I’m positive I will.

Moneta Dress Colette Patterns

What I sewed in January – What I want to sew in February

Wow, I blinked a couple of times and January has passed. Even February is already flying away. Still, I wanted to share what I sewed in January and look ahead for my sewing plans for February.

January sewing

The sewing theme for this month seems to be gifts: for my husband, my family and my godson. You will find a roundup below.

  • Men’s Hudson Pant from True Bias

    Men's Hudson Pant
    Men’s Hudson Pant for my man
  • Finally, I sewed my beloved pants for my husband. It was already my fifth one so I had no trouble with the sewing. I made it in a real soft light-weight jersey I found at the Neuköllner Stoff in Berlin. I used some leftovers from my Wren dress for the pockets. The fit is spot on but my husband is not really in favour of smaller legs and the ankle cuffs, so he made his demands for the next one! But he sleeps in it.
  • The Seamwork Paxson

    Seamwork Paxson

  • The Seamwork Paxson was on my #2016MakeNine list.  Last December, I cut one out for my son but accidently sewed the back with the wrong side of the fabric to the good side of the fabric. That’s why it is still a WIP today. Luckily, I could use the same size of the pattern for my husband, so that was a win.
    Because the plan was to use this sweater together with the Hudson pant from above, I cut it in the same jersey. The sewing went easy—like all Seamwork patterns. Alas, the arms and the bodice were too short. Luckily it fits me. So now I have a new sweater and my husband has half a pyjama.
  • Pyjamas for my godson

    He got them as a new year’s present but I only managed to finish the pants. So he received a PIP—Present in Progress. I made them in this funky skeleton cotton that I also found at the Neuköllner Stoff in Berlin.

  • 7 Hudson Pants

    To celebrate New Year I made matching Hudson pants for my family and myself. How I did that I will tell in a future blog post.

    Sewing 7Hudson Pants
    Hudson Pant sewing line
  • Toaster Sweater#2

    January was also the first month of the SewMyStyle project. I finished the Toaster Sweater with ease last Thursday of January and I love it. You can read all about here.

  • Did I finish any WIP’s? No! Did I create new WIP’s? Yes, the pyjamas for my godson. So now the score is 6 WIP’s.

February Planning

What are my sewing plans for this very short month? And it seems the theme is secrecy.

  • First, of course, the 2017 Secret Valentine Exchange.
    I’ve selected my fabric and at the moment I’m totally absorbed in the making of my gift.
  • Second, I’m going to test a pattern for a dress. It’s the Daphne Day Dress from Sew This Pattern.
  • Third, the second project of Sew My Style: the Saunio Cardigan of  Named Clothing. This pattern is a little out of my comfort zone but Jessica—one of the SewMyStyle leaders—made already a very inspiring make.
  • Fourth, making a muslin of my first self-drafted pattern of a straight skirt—assignment for my pattern drafting class.
  • Fifth, the Moneta Party! I’m going to sew my first Moneta.
  • And last, I really would like to finish at least one of my WIP’s.

What are your sewing plans for February?

The Toaster Sweater#2 from Sew House Seven – SewMyStyle#1

 

I can’t believe it is nearly the end of January. Mostly because that means the first piece of the Project SewMyStyle has to be finished.
I already wrote about the Project SewMyStye in my previous post. The goal is to create a wardrobe capsule and to sew twelve garments in twelve months, together.
The January pattern is the Toaster Sweater#2 from Sew House Seven

Toaster Sweater#2
Everything is going to be alright – Toaster Sweater #2
Is this a quick sew?

I have a lot of jersey/tricot in my stash but none of it was sturdy enough for this pattern so I went to buy appropriate fabric. At 6 p.m. I bought the fabric at Soie Unique and at 11 p.m.  the sweater was finished—and I cooked a risotto in between. So yes, this is an incredibly quick sew.
Fabric
I went for a black double layered jersey with a lot of structure because I truly need some solids in my wardrobe. The fabric has a good stretch and is very easy to work with.

Toaster Sweater in the Blue Balloon room by Martin Creed.
The Toaster Sweater#2 pattern

Based on my bust measures I cut out a straight XL but in hindsight, I should have taken the L because my measures were closer to that size and it turned out a little too big.  I also added 5 cm to the length, not only because I am a #tallgirl but also because—although I like the cropped version a lot—I think for my figure a little bit of length is better.
The pattern is straight forward and beautiful in its simple lines. I really like the neckline with the included facing. It is also very helpful that the stretch direction is added on the pattern pieces.

Toaster Sweater #2
Look at that neckline!
The sewing process

The instructions in the booklet were very clear so I followed them step by step. A few days ago I read the sew along on the Sew House Seven website and remembered to mark the vent dots at the side seams and the neckline. This was very useful. I sewed the whole thing on my sewing machine, using a walking foot and the stretch stitch.
The only thing I had some problems with was putting in the sleeves. Although it was a flat insertion I really had to ease the sleeve caps and I hadn’t read this in any of the reviews. And here I think the pattern is too wide. Next time I will downsize the sleeve caps and the armscye.

Toastersweater version 2
I think the size is a little too big for me—especcialy around the shoulders and the arms.

With a little marking, the sewing of the side seams went very easy. I used my beloved fagot stitch to hem the seams.

Walking foot and marking the vent seams
Walking foot and marking the vent seams

The vent corners

Conclusion

I really like this sweater. The feel is very warm and cozy but the for the next one I probably go down one size. Also, I wouldn’t have sewed this sweater if not for Project SewMyStyle, so in that way, the year is off to a great start!

PS Most pictures were taken at the Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar.

Skyspace, James Turrel in Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar
Skyspace, James Turrel in Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar