Silk pencil skirt

I bought this silk fabric online at bargain price with the idea of using it as lining. When it arrived, it turned out to be so beautiful, so I wanted to sew skirt with it. At first I wanted to sew pleated skirt, but that fabric doesn't holds pleats well. So I decided to make pencil skirt instead.

I took pattern from Burda 08/2007, the one I used before. There was nothing difficult about construction, but fabric was tricky to handle. That is why I spent on it more time, than I usually do on basic skirt, and it's the only garment finished in April.

Firstly, when I basted the skirt and tried it on, it clinged to my bare legs, because of static. It was impossible to check the fit. I washed the fabric in fabric softener and it solved the problem.

Then I had no idea how to hem the skirt. I searched over internet, and suggested method for hemming silk is so called baby-hem. I was afraid it wouldn't work on skirt with back vent. I tried to use seam-a-steam, and I almost ruined the garment. I need to cut off few centimetres. Eventually I turned the hem under and stitched.

Me Made May 2014

I, Malgorzata of http://attagirl-pl.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear at least 1 handmade garment three days a week for the duration of May 2014

More info on Zoe's blog

Skirt for spring

I recently learned the concept of "capsule wardrobe". Basically, it's an idea of creating the collection of essential items of clothing that will not go out of fashion and then update with seasonal pieces. Those basis items should be interchengable in order to maximise the number of outfits.

I started my capsule wardrobe with a skirt. I bought the lightweight wool during my trip to Warszaw in January, and thought it would make great skirt for transitional season. The pattern is good old Simplicity 2451.

I was making the skirt for the third time, so all alterations had been done previously. I lenghten back darts. I also lined the skirt using the same pattern as for fashion fabric.

The skirt is comfortable to wear and very versatile. It can be worn in casual outfits, or dressed up for office.

Back view

Kay Unger dress aka birthday dress.

I started this dress in November, intending to wear it on Christmas. Then I wanted it to finish before New Years Eve, and then before the theatre performance in February. In the meantime I managed to finish few knit projects. I finally finished it just before my birthday, so it became birthday dress.

The pattern is Vogue 1183, Kay Unger dress. It's my second designer pattern, the first one was famous Vogue 1250 (DKNY). The line drawings are misleading, because the bodice is much shorter, it hits under the bust.

I made a lot of changes for that pattern. I shortem midriff, lengthen the bodice front, and did swayback adjustment for the back. I also lengthen the skirt. I changed the shape of front darts, they looked weird as drafted. Instead of slit I made a vent.

The pattern is rated easy, but for me it wasn't. I had fitting issues, even though I made a muslin (it's something I rarely do). Few times I needed to rip the topstiching.

I 

I used wool crepe in bright red colour. I lined the dress with silk lining. If I was to sew it again, I would underline with silk organza to control wrinkling (provided I could buy silk organza somewhere).

 

I'm happy that I finally finished this dress. I'm glad with result , the dress looks elegant, and silk lining gives the feeling of luxury.

Wrap dress

Wrap dress czyli sukienka kopertowa. Ten fason nie jest chyba teraz popularny, a szkoda, bo sukienki kopertowe uszyte z dzianiny są wygodne w noszeniu.

Wybrałam wykrój Butterick 5454, dość popularny w świecie anglosaskim, ma kilkanaście recenzji na stronie Pattern Review. Dużą zaletą wykroju jest to, że wymaga tylko 1,8m dzianiny, zwykle zużycie materiału na kopertówki to około 2,5m. Ja zużyłam 2m, ze względu na duży wzór, który chciałam dopasować.

Sukienka szyła się lekko, łatwo i przyjemnie. Do wykroju wprowadziłam kilka poprawek, m.in. skróciłam górę sukienki o 1,5cm, wydłużyłam dół o 3 cm i zwęziłam pasek.

Dzianina to wiskoza z dodatkiem lycry, kupiona on-line w Bławatku (powinnam mieć u nich jakąś zniżkę za reklamę).

 

Here is my pattern review for Butterick 5454 wrap dress.

Pattern Description: Close fitting dress, has wrap fronts, front tucks, front and back pleats, self ties

Pattern Sizing:8-14. I cut 12 and was OK for me.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?There were OK. The only issue I had that I couldn't figure out how to attach ties, so I did it my way.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the front tucks, even though in my printed fabric they are not very noticeable. Bodice front lies flat and is not gaping. I don't like the ties because the add bulk in waist area.

Fabric Used:Rayon lycra knit

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I shortened the bodice by 1.5cm (but please bear in mind that I'm short waisted and usually need to shorten by 2.5cm). I lenghten the skirt by 3 cm (for me it was too short as drafted). I used binding for front/back necline. I topstiched hem with twinneedle.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I'm not sure if I would sew it again, because I have many other patterns to sew. But I recommend it to others because it easy pattern.

Conclusion: It was my first wrap dress, and I'm note sure if the style works for me. Maybe I need to wear it few times and get used to it.

Urodzinowa sukienka

Sukienkę uszyłam jeszcze w styczniu, na urodziny mojej siostrzenicy. Skorzystałam z wykroju New Look 6957.

W swoich zapasach znalazłam tkaninę w groszki, najprawdopodobniej elanobawełnę, którą kiedyś kupiłam bez specjalnego pomysłu na wykorzystanie. Ale właśnie nadszedł jej czas. Ponieważ materiał jest dość przezroczysty, wszyłam podszewkę z cienkiego batystu bawełnianego.

This is the dress I sew in January, as birthday dress for my niece. I used New Look 6957.

The fabric is cotton blend from my stash. I bought it some time ago, with no specific project in my mind.  Now it came in handy. The fabric is sheer, so I lined the dress with cotton voile.

Ciepły sweter

Dziś pierwsza rzecz, którą w tym roku uszyłam dla siebie. Jest to kolejny projekt z wykorzystaniem wykroju McCall's  6612, tym razem w postaci ciepłego sweterka z dużym golfem. Szyłam go w zasadzie tak samo, jak sukienkę w panterkę. Jedyne zmiany, jakie wprowadziłam tym razem, to podniesienie linii podkroju szyi o 2,5 cm i zwężenie golfu po 4 cm z każdej strony. Myślę, że golf lepiej się układa przy mniejszym dekolcie.
Dzianinę kupiłam w sklepie stacjonarnym w Białymstoku. Jest to mieszanka akrylu i poliamidu z małym dodatkiem wełny.

This is the first finished garment I sew for myself this year. It's another version of McCall's 6612, which seems to be my TNT knit pattern. I sew it the same way as leopard print dress. I made some minor changes, like raising neckline by 2.5 cm, and narrowed the cowl  by 4 cm from each side. I think the cowl looks better now.

The fabric I bought in store i Białystok. It's acrylic-poliamid-wool blend.