Starting 2020 with a new dress

Happy 2020 to all sewing and fashion enthusiasts out there!

I started off the year with a thought of no longer struggling through sewing projects that don't want to be.

After many hours stitching, unpicking and working on a chiffon dress pieces that started to look different every time I picked it up, I just got so fed up and thought. Time to let go. I'm not doing this anymore. So many hours of wrestling with idea in my head, and it feels like I'm just peddling mud and not getting anywhere. 

So, then and there, I made the decision, that starting now, in January of 2020, I will not longer struggle and battle through a pattern or pieces of fabric that don't want to work. So, I put the top of the dress (that was causing my headache) aside, took the bottom skirt pieces and made a quick a-line skirt with a wide black elastic and that was that. 

The skirt (that was supposed to be a dress) came out beautifully, by the way.

And there was my first new years resolution and I plan to cut out a few more things that just don't work, even if I've invested countless amount of hours on it.

Below is a dress I made during the holiday break. It was a real easy-peasy pattern drafted from a Burdastyle 6/2019 edition, pattern #123 and the fabric I chose is a drapey dress fabric with a satin woven finish on the right side and matt finish on the wrong side. The fabric and pattern is perfect for the hot summers here as the large armhole openings makes it nice and airy. 
No need for long sleeves and I omitted making the slip dress as it was not needed for this dress. I might use it for future projects though....

Blue dress - front and back view

Below are the sketches of the front and back of the pattern to show the boatneck shape of the neckline and the drop shoulder seam lines.

Burdastyle 6/2019 #123

Update on the 2 blouses

The first is a short sleeve blouse (Burdastyle 10.2015) with pleats around the neck, in stunning spring colors.

Close up images below of the pleats around the neck, facings and the short raglan sleeves. I decided on rounding the bottom edge seams and then ended up leaving a little opening higher up on the side seam.

Woohoo, the blouse looks great and the raglan style fits amazing too. The pleats around the neck gives plenty of space for the bust and chest area and very flattering also. 

Another stunning addition to my work wardrobe and will go with any of my black, blue and white pants!

 

The 2nd blouse (from Burdastyle 6.2019) has long sleeves with a bunch of pleats and a wide eye-catching placket at the front of the blouse.

So here are close-ups of the slit openings at the cuffs, below.

It took me a little longer than I thought it would, only 'cause it requires a little test run and then lots of patience and slow going on the machine.

 

Here are the 2 sleeves side by side, ready to insert into the arm holes.

Next, I will attach the cuff bands and button holes with buttons, attach the sleeves to the bodice and finally the finishing of the remaining part of the neckline.



And another look at the placket, this time completed, on the inside and the outside. I didn't tuck in the seams as some of the tutorials suggested. The overlocking stitches on the edges won't peek out or be visible to anyone but me, and I'm totally fine with that.

 

I can't wait to wear my new blouses in the coming months. Spring is just around the corner and the long sleeve blouse is cool enough in the cotton/viscose fabric that I will get a lot of wear out of it and it's perfect addition to my work outfits!

My current projects - 2 blouses

So, I got a bit cutting happy and drafted 2 blouse patterns. Well, ideally you have to use up previously bought fabric before buying anything new right? And since there was a sale at my favorite fabric store, and I couldn't leave without getting at least 4 new pieces of fabric... well, that's where I got where I am, busy constructing 2 blouses simultaneously.

The first is a short sleeve blouse (Burdastyle 10.2015) with pleats around the neck. It had to be a spring/summer blouse because of the cool colors in the fabric. 

Burdastyle 10.2015

Front and Back folded, sleeves and facings

So far, I've sewn the pleats on the front top piece and attached the front to the back at the side seams.  
Next I will be hauling out the overlocker to tidy up and cover stitch the seams. After which comes the sleeves and then the neck facings, ironing on stiffening before attaching to the top. There is a small opening on the back neck, and that is easily incorporated with the neck facing pieces. Wow, this blouse is going pretty fast! 

I decided not to insert the funny flappy thingies on the sides of the blouse. I don't know what that is all about, but I cut the bottom of the blouse slightly wider and will do a standard fold-over seam.

The 2nd blouse (from Burdastyle 6.2019) has prominent long sleeves that has a zillion pleats to be sewn at the cuffs and a wide eye-catching placket at the front of the blouse. 

Burdastyle Blouse 06.2019

I noticed that there aren't any bust darts, so I hope the width of the blouse and the neck opening allows for enough movement.
Here are images of the work in progress on the sleeves. So far, I've transferred the markings for the pleats on to the fabric pieces and then pinned each pleat in preparation for stitching.

       

Sleeve Pattern with cuff darts

Next up is the neck opening with the placket pieces pinned and ready to be sewn. This is officially my first attempt at doing a placket so I had to do a bit of research for the steps. Luckily there are many how-to's to be found, so I think I've got the idea... 

Neck opening with placket, in progress

Anyway, up-wards and on-wards. I will update with more as I go along but I think these babies should be done by the weekend ( I hope). 

Formal wrap dress with knit fabric

With a last minute scramble, I have to find a suitable outfit for a wedding that is less than a week away. My preference is to make it of course, also because all the stunning dresses I've seen in stores are in different shades of brown. Igg. Unfortunately the browns and yellows in the winter colors don't work with my complexion very well.

I've decided on a lengthy wrap dress, in a woven knit fabric and went to a local fabric store in search of something suitable and found a stunning knit fabric (below), that I think will do the trick.

There are tiny gold flecks in the fabric and the colors are perfect! And I can pair the dress with a formal dark green coat on the night.



So, now for the dress pattern. I would like to do a longer wrap dress this time, with raglan sleeves and couldn't find such a pattern so I had to settle on a course of 'franken-pattern'.
Wrap Dress Burda 10/2011

Wrap dress Burda 4/2015

First, I traced the top pieces from the April 2015- model and then the skirt pieces of the Oct 2011-model, both in size 40. No need even to draft a new pattern, just cut out the pieces and sew together. I did do a quick check to make sure the skirt and top pieces match up at the waist widths.

Then on to the construction of the dress. I normally like to start with the overlocker to neaten all the edges. Next step is stitching of darts



At this point, the bust darts are completed on the front and back pieces, following with the shoulder seams. The facings are then stitched together at the should seams and attached to the neck line of the dress.



Here are the 2 sleeves lay out flat. By merging the 2 pattern pieces together I only had to stitch the curved shoulder dart.

           

And here is the dress, completed and pressed, hanging on the dress-form. It fits perfectly over the bust and neck and the waist closure is also very comfortable.



The dress is a bit long as I added a few cm's to the bottom seam and now the skirts ends up feeling heavy, so I might decide to shorted a bit at a later stage, but for now I like the longer length and will keep it this way.



And here is a photo of me wearing the dress to a party this past weekend. Actually, now that I've worn it again and had a good look at it in the daytime, I think I'm ok with the length as it is!
So, now I can work on some of my unfinished projects that are waiting for my attention... I did manage to make a few Barbie outfits this weekend. Those quick, spur of the moment projects are always the best!

Slinky Blue Wrap top

Here is one of the latest projects I finished and it's my version of the Wrap Blouse of Burdastyle 3/2018 edition, pattern #115.

Wrap Blouse 3/2019

https://www.burdastyle.com/pattern_store/patterns/wrap-blouse-032018

Yes, I know it's another wrap something. I just love wrap tops and dresses, what can I say. They are flattering and adjustable, so I can move the closures a little in or out as needed.

It's a beautifully blue floral print fabric and has a nice soft drape to it and a satiny finish. I think the band on the sleeve should be slightly tighter to give the sleeve it's poufy shape, but will leave it for now.
 


Above as seen on my new dress form. The dress form is the newest addition to my sewing buys. And this is the first project that I've fitted on it.

I've worn it a few times this summer, but here I actually have a photo where I was attending an afternoon ladies tea.  It’s not the best picture as the angle is a bit weird, but I wanted to show the stunning blue color and the luxurious shine. The fabric is super soft and slinky and it's lovely to wear in summer, feeling soft and cool on my skin.