Quilt, Sew, Sew Sue

More on Vogue 8138

2009-11-09T19:08:00.009+10:00

Photo shoot time...Vogue 8138 - or at least as many bits of it as I have made (and will show)...

The dress as shown on Diana last time, now modelled by moi. I lined it (not part of Vogue's instructions) It works well lined as I think it shows up less of the little lumps & bumps. A dead simple make.. apart from the lining the only difference to the pattern was to machine sew the hem - why would you had hand stitch it on a little simple knit dress? Love this fabric...

When I visited Kerryn's Fabric World I bought this orange fabric with a self stripe in it... and this week-end made another one.
This is my favorite of the patterns in this wardrobe. I saw a pile of these styles of dresses up at the shops today, mind you shorter and more fitting meant for a younger gal than me, but... well you do the best you can...

The wrap top, the only changes made to this - sleeves shortened and length of jacket shortened (by about 2"). I also refused to hem this - the instructions are to hem all four sides, mitering the corners... wot - could I not think of a better way to spend my week-end ... herding cats perhaps? So I trimmed the hem allowances with a rotary cutter (to ensure they were neat and straight) and then I used fray stopper on the seams left exposed. This wrap top is, as reviewed by others, OK not great - it does sort-of fall off shoulders but is OK for how simple it is. I think there is better patterns available for this kind of cardi-wrap.

Here it is modelled in a few different re-incarnations...

I also made the pants... did I photograph them... yes!... am I showing the photos here N0!

I made them too short (don't cut and modify patterns when you have a head cold)
the fabric doesn't work - I used the same brown jersey as the wrap - not good - too shiny as pants!
the legs are fairly narrow and I don't think it suits me

so no photos here...

However I did make some knickers from the left-overs of the orange dress using Jalie 2564. They are a bit rough for a first try, but I love them and plan to do this with more scraps. I was motivated by Melissa's post on using scraps for knickers and I also stole Dawn's idea on not using leg elastic. I used foe on the waist. I would have liked to use lace elastic but didn't have any so used what I had.

These are very comfy and I will be experimenting more with this idea.

A couple of questions...

2009-11-04T20:13:00.006+10:00

I have had a few questions/comments lately that I thought I would like to respond to...

Alison said...

I love your fabrics. Would adore to go to the Sunshine coast for fabric shopping!

I've been meaning to ask...what colour is Lulubelle? She *is* a Burmese, right? I have a chocolate one (Melb cup day is the anniversary of when she arrived at our home!) but really really would love a dark brown girl too.

Lulubelle is a brown Burmese. My last cat was my lovely Chocolate Burmese "Coco". She was a beautiful cat and lived until over 20 but passed away last year. It has taken me a while to feel ready to have another cat and I really wanted a Burmese but didn't want another Chocolate one. If you are ever looking for a cat, this is the Breeder - Jovelles.

Rachel said...

That is a gorgeous dress. I like the idea of sewing 30 minutes per day. Do you include cutting out a pattern as part of the 30 minutes?

Rachel, I don't think there is any rules as such and other sewing bloggers use this method, but I have decided so long as it is hands-on it is counted. For example this morning, I re-threaded and cleaned my machines ready for the next project so I count that. However daydreaming, reading magazines or computer time I don't count as 'sewing' time. Even though I haven't done much of this 30 minutes per day, I think it is useful to cut out prior and then devote the week-days of 30 minutes to construction - more satisfying.

Lisa @ The Hem Line said...OMG . . . she is adorable! Is that you holding her? . . . I love the scarf!

Yes it is me holding her - bad head that day that is why it was cut out (bad hair, sinus, not much make-up - not good). The scarf is the perfect scarf for a sewist - no knitting. It is long lengths of different yarns sandwiched in solvy and then sewn in a grid. The solvy is then dissolved away - viola - scarf with no knitting. However as a non knitter I would not have enough different yarn scraps but got this in a kit. It is a great scarf and I have used it for a few years now, and still love it. In fact I have a friend who mentions every time she sees it that she wants a 'pup' when it has one.. lol!

I also had a comment - I think on Pattern Review about sewing knits - knits are not difficult to sew as they are very forgiving (at least fitting-wise). I use a walking foot, a needle suitable for stretch fabrics (ball point or stretch) and generally do not finish edges. Sometimes I sew the seams in a narrow zigzag, check fit, seams, etc. when I am happy I then overlock the seam together. Tidy but safer than going for it with the overlocker the first time.

Fabric & more fabric...

2009-11-02T19:16:00.007+10:00

This weekend on Saturday I made up Vogue 8138 and wore the dress on Sunday on a trip up the coast. The reason for the trip is that my MIL is unwell and we were going to visit her in hospital - a 3 hour drive.

To break the trip up we stopped for a swim at Mooloolaba (not me however as it was overcast and cool-ish and I am still shaking off my cold) and lunch at a yummy Italian restaurant, then as my treat we found Kerryn's Fabric World, which I haven't visited before but heard many good things. Aussie stitchers would probably be very familiar with Kerryn as she appears regularly in the Stitches magazine, doing colour make-overs. The shop is well-stocked with a wide range of fabrics but unfortunately we arrived 5 minutes before it shut, as we hadn't checked it's opening hours.

However in that 5 minutes I was able to buy two pieces of fabric. First up I bought a piece of jersey to make a second V8138 dress in a rusty orange colour. As I was preparing to pay for this I turned around and saw the very fabric I had been thinking about the night before!

I had been re-reading Vol17 No 9 of the Stitches magazine the night before. In this issue they feature a modification of McCalls 5512 View A using a cute ruffled knit in black. I had decided if I could find that same fabric in brown that I would love to make the dress... guess what I spied!.... so I had to get that as well!

Here is a photo of the two fabrics - the orange isn't true to colour in this shot.

In this shot, however, with Lulubelle's help, you can see the colour better...

I will provide more detail of the plan for the ruffle dress later....

Vogue 8138 - Dress

2009-10-31T17:56:00.005+10:00

Well, my 30 minutes a day goal went by the by as I had that head cold to contend with this week so my sewing started again today. I started on Vogue 8138,dress first up. Here it is on Diana, the fashion shoot will come later when I have some more pieces made.

I lined this dress in a skin tone jersey as the main fabric is a mesh-y type knit. The only issue I had with making the dress is that the side seams of the mesh-y outer fabric are pulling up at the side seams. The lining fabric had no such issues, so I don't know why that is. I cannot be bothered to unpick it but have pressed it since this photo and think it will settle down. Should I have stretched the fabric slightly as I sewed it? Any suggestions welcome....

This is the simplest dress to make and lining it was not difficult. I sewed the dress and the lining at the shoulder and side seams, then sewed the two together, right sides together, at the neck edge. Turned then topstitiched the neck edge. I then trimmed the lining at the arm openings the width of the seam allowance and turned the outer fabric over twice and stitched it, catching in the lining. I did pin, then hand baste before I sewed it to ensure it would all be caught in and felt it was worth the extra effort.

I think the instructions tell you to hand sew the hem, but honestly on a simple T-shirt dress like this - why would you bother? I turned up the outer fabric and machine hemmed it and then simply trimmed off the lining to the right length, leaving a raw edge. It ain't going nowhere... Very happy with the outcome and I think I may make some more as this is a good simple dress to pack for my beach holiday as well as for putting on in the evenings after returning from work.

Here is Lulubelle again, continuing the domination of the household... she is sleeping on the dog's pillow (where he sleeps every night!) I don't think he has noticed her there yet!

Happy Halloween! This is not a big thing in Australia, but as it is the night that my husband & I first started going out together it is a date I always remember!

Finally the touch of cloth, scissors and some machine time...

2009-10-25T18:23:00.009+10:00

I have had a lovely week-end apart from a lousy head cold. I tidied up my sewing stuff and got to it...
I have gone totally off track with my basics theme... nhahhh! I have a skirt pattern and fabric chosen but it is hard to get excited about so I have let my sewing mind wander to other things... Summer holiday at the beach.
We have booked a week's break at the beach so I thought it would be timely to make some summery, beachy stuff. I have a lovely soft olive green crinkle cotton bought at Gorgeous Fabrics so decided it should be used for a cool floaty top. I have this McCall's pattern 5931 bought previously. I started cutting the tissue and as I was doing that realised that for a size 14 - bust size 36" that the finished size is 38 1/2"...hunh?? ... that would swim around the bust and the picture doesn't look like it is swimming so I cut the size 12 (finished size 36 1/2").
I did decide to muslin the fit of the top. I only cut the under pieces of the top and found it pretty good but slightly tight looking on the bust and across the back. The bust darts were in the wrong place as well. I have added back 1/2" to the front bodice and to the back and decided to use the darts marked for size 16-18 as they look more in the correct position. It is not a real problem as it is only the under piece and they won't be seen. I have also taken 3" off the length of the top. The cutting layout however looked challenging so I left that for another day after this head cold eases.

Would I have been better off cutting a size up and fitting it down or did I do this the right way? I suppose the proof will be in the pudding.

I have wondered about this for a while. I am full bust 36" and high bust 35" so have used a size 14 in the big 4 patterns. However I always find that they are too big, generally in the underarm area I have to take it in heaps and then trim if inserting a sleeve. I don't have a large difference in high bust to full bust but under bust there is a difference (which I think explains why I have to take it in so much in the side seams under the arms), so I am going to take a different tack and try size 12 and then fit and add if needed.

I then started on Vogue 8138...
I have cut the dress out of the following fabric bought in March this year...
And I cut out the pant and the jacket from a dark brown Cavelli jersey that was gifted to me. I am hopeful that these pieces will make easy holiday gear (as well as after work gear). I did shorten the pattern pieces but apart from that cut size 12 again. I am working on the theory that these Big 4 patterns are on the large side (as noted by the bust size of the McCall's top). These pieces were easy to cut so I have bagged them up ready to try and sew the 30 minutes a week challenge. These should be good for that and rewarding for not spending much time per day sewing. I am hoping to teach myself to sew through the week so it won't be so long between spending some time at my machine.
I hope everyone else had a successful sewing week-end!

Bits and bobs...

2009-10-24T16:01:00.006+10:00

I haven't got any sewing done, as life has been very busy, but I will try and catch you up with some of the stuff going on. Of course, even though I am not sewing, I still have managed to increase the meters of fabric in my house. These are my latest buys...

The first two are the most divine, melt-in-your-mouth silks for tops and the third is a raw silk I plan to make into a lovely simple sheath dress. These fabrics were on sale (does that make it better?) and were bought on a day when Caity & I went to meet Lynn down in Brisbane. Lynn showed us this great little shop. Lynn is visiting from the States and this is the second time we have met up. She is a fantastic lady with a passion for sewing (and travelling).

This is Caity, Lynn and I in front of the fabrics.

This is the shop we visited. For those who can make it into Brisbane, you can find this shop upstairs in the Brisbane Arcade, behind the tea house.
All the fabrics are bought from Europe and are used to make the most beautiful couture clothing, including Chanel-style jackets with beautiful trims. You can find the clothes in a boutique on the ground floor. The rest of the fabric is then sold in this store. (Note - Australian Sewing Guild members can now get a discount in the store!) All the fabrics are high quality and range from silks to boucles, wools, etc.

This is the front of the store. I love this old arcade as it has the most beautiful shop fronts (as well as shops - if you are visiting, check out the milliners also located upstairs.)

We had a fabulous day that day but also managed to catch up with Lynn this week at the Stitches & Craft Show in Brisbane on Thursday. We travelled down on a little bus with other local members of the Australian Sewing Guild. So some more shopping and these are some trims I bought for my Chanel jacket (if it ever comes to fruition).

The petersham I actually bought on-line from America but the other trims were from the show. I also bought a piece of chain for the hem. No more excuses to make this jacket except the weather is now so warm I have no interest so I am leaving this for next year when the weather starts to cool. At least I think I have everything I need for it now!

My husband & I also celebrated our 21st Wedding Anniversary. Here we are before attending a local race day last Saturday. We had a great time with some friends I have made through our local gym. The next night we went to Brisbane (again!) and saw Elvis Costello in concert. Had a great week-end all up.

Now a gratuitous photo of Lulubelle, who is starting to take over our household...

Kreativ Blogger

2009-10-11T16:30:00.010+10:00

I have received this award from Lisa at The Hem Line and Josie of JosieLoves2Sew. Thanks guys! It is lovely to be part of this on-line sewing/blogging community.

As part of this I need to tell you seven things you may not know about me and then nominate seven other blogs I love to follow. What might you not know about me?

I am a through and through Queensland girl having lived in this State all my life. I was born in Mt Isa, a mining town on the way to 'Outback'. I have also lived in Brisbane and now Toowoomba.
When I was a girl I loved to dance and studied Ballet until I was about 16. I was never very good at it but I loved it.
I used to be a really keen gardener before sewing took over my life.
I hope to finally get my own sewing studio soon as we have recently had an Architect look at our house with a view to renovation.
I have been a mystery shopper.
I have a Bachelor of Science.
I love all things old / vintage - but I hate getting old and am fighting it all the way!

Whew! that was hard... now harder still seven blogs out of all the blogs I love to read...

I have had a lovely week-end but no sewing. I attended a Sewing Guild day out at Dalby (about an hour west of here) to do a colour workshop - very interesting day and heaps of laughs... yes, red does make my face red....

...and today we picked up Lulubelle, who has spent most of the day pretending to be an ornament in our bookshelf in the lounge. I hope she settles in soon.

BWOF 03-2009-105C Pleated skirt

2009-09-28T17:08:00.014+10:00

Finished skirt bwof 03-2009-105C.
This isn't the most flattering photo above - I threw the outfit on to get my photos done. I think I should wash and press this skirt and it will live up to its potential more. I also need to suck in the gut that hangs over the top - at least you can see the yoke created by the pleats does help hold everything in!
Below is the back...

And the skirt on Diana...

Details - side with zip - my edges don't exactly line up - they didn't look this wonky when I sewed it... never mind!

Front waistband with top-stitching - you need to do the top stitching to hold the facing down - there is a lot of layers with the box pleats so it wouldn't stay put without the top stitching.

Pocket detail - the workshop with pictures in the magazine is a great help in the construction of this pocket... (don't put it in upside down like I did the first time!)

My only change - I added a tab inside the skirt over the zip. I have done this before and really like it - it holds the zip firm and there is no scratchiness associated with hook and eyes or the top of the zip.

Inside the skirt showing the zip and tab closed...

More inside detail...
I really love the fit of this skirt and consider it the first in my quest to do some basics ... 'Back to Basics'. I hope it will coordinate with a few tops already in my wardrobe.

Review is here for those interested.

Non-sewing news - this is Lulubelle soon to be the newest member of our family.

For Caity

2009-09-25T20:30:00.006+10:00

A confession - not sewing but shopping. I bought this dress a few months ago. I spied it first on this site - Couture Allure and fell in love - then noticed it was my size - fate!

However it did seem a bit extravagant so I tried to ignore the call. Then my DH came home and told me we were sponsoring a table at a Race Day so - Woo hoo! - that was all the excuse I needed (and with some encouragement from DH and Caity) I bought it - which seemed a great extravagance at the time. Since then I have looked at the price of RTW dress-ups and found I did quite well. Especially considering I think this has 'value' - vintage 60's, hand beaded and custom made (not for me but someone of a very similar size!)

So here you are Caity - the photo!! We had a great day - all the better for having a fab dress to wear!

Trim for my Chanel Jacket and planning

2009-09-19T13:57:00.005+10:00

I was in Brisbane for work on Thursday (learning how to do internal auditing for the Quality Assurance system - aye carumba!), so you can probably understand the need for a bit of retail therapy on the way home. I found this trim at Sckaf's for my Chanel jacket. It is photographed here with my fabric. What do you think? I need to decide as I have to call them if I want them to post some up to me (I only took a sample).

I had pictured a jacket with Petersham ribbon used as the trim but can only find Grosgrain (even on the web). The Grosgrain will not curve around the neck edge and so is useless to me for this purpose. Anyhoos I need to decide if that is the one I want so I can give them a call next week.

While that is slowly moving along I am planning to start work on my collection of basics - should think of a name for it...hmmm.. Anyway I thought this fabric and Burda wof 03-2009-105 would be my first in the collection.
Off to start tracing...

A few thoughts on my sewing direction..

2009-09-15T07:50:00.009+10:00

I haven't had much direction with my sewing lately but I have decided I need to think about where I am headed with it!

I had considered joining in the Pattern Review wardrobe contest but I was not ready to start at the beginning of September and I truly do not have the time to do the reviews at the moment, so decided against it. However everything I have been reading about creating a workable wardrobe and on watching which items I pull out of the wardrobe regularly, I have decided I need to concentrate on basics for a while. I need more coordinating items in solid basic colours. I would also like a few more dresses for the days you just throw something on.

I have committed to making another Chanel jacket and think it will work in well with this idea as it is a good coordinating colour, however it is going to be a background work in progress as there is so much hand sewing involved. Also as we are entering Spring/Summer I will not be requiring it for a while. I plan to draft the jacket next week when I have a day meeting with my ASG group. We are having a 'helping each other with fitting' day so if I get far enough with it I can tissue fit it that day. I also need to start looking for braid/trim to go on it.

I have one sewing project that has got stuck unfinished (which I hate as I usually try and finish each item before starting another). It is a blue chambray shirt I was playing with pin tucking on. However it is long sleeved and I am wondering now if I should make it sleeveless or change the sleeve to short to motivate myself to finish it as I do not need a long sleeve shirt right now. ... or do I just leave it to finish next autumn? More thought required on that one....

Anyway I seemed to have stalled a bit with my sewing but hope to get inspired soon. Perhaps I need to go and clean up my sewing stuff and that might help? I am waiting for an order to arrive from Gorgeous Fabrics which I bought on the last sale so I am sure that will re-motivate me.

Motivation stalled ... time to step back and consider where I am going... hmmm...

Anyway how can anyone stay glum when it is Spring here and the flowers are in the garden...

Wisteria dress - V8379 Wrap dress Version 2.0

2009-09-12T18:38:00.007+10:00

I have not gone off simple sewing yet and have made my second version of Vogue 8379. The first one was in this post. This is not a difficult dress but it does take time!
This time I used a lovely dusky purple Cavalli jersey bought from Gardams in Brisbane. I never took to the dotty fabric and felt like some throw back to an 80's Osti dress crossed with an air-hostess. However by making it and wearing to a few times I discovered everyone was right ... dOH! the bodice does need lengthening. I felt I had to tug at the waistband all the time to pull it down (it sat right at the base of my ribs).
So for this version I lengthened the bodice by 1" and shortened the skirt by 2". (I felt the last version was one inch too long.) BTW - why do they have lengthen/shorten line on the bodice front & back, but not on the facing! Don't forget to lengthen the front facing if you lengthen the top!

** funny pulling on the back of the dress in this photo - I will have a look next time I wear it see if it always does this. It may be to do with the fact my back is broad right at my arm height but then narrows under the bust. I discovered this trying to adjust my dressmaker's dummy Diana. Is that to do with weight training?

The dotty one is due to be donated. I have worn it a couple of times and as it only cost $6 in fabric it has covered itself. It also helped me work out how to fine tune this dress so all is good.
I think I forgot to mention that I also made sure the pleats on the top under the bust went the right way this time .. why are pleats so hard to understand on instructions... pleat what way??!!

And the beat goes on...

2009-09-06T16:37:00.002+10:00

Another top this week-end. This time a tried and true - Jalie 2794 - the sweetheart top. If you have read my blog long enough, you will know I love these patterns!

I used the piece of fabric I bought off the remnant table at Tessuti's on my recent Melbourne trip. It was half price $12.50 for 1.25m and, boy, what a fabulous quality fabric! I am not exactly sure what is in it but it is great to work with and if it doesn't wash and wear well I'll eat my hat!

You can see it modelled here on Diana with one of the skirts I made last year for the endless combinations competition.. it goes on... dah, de, dah, de dah!

When I look back at the photo I took of this skirt when it was made, the hem looks straight enough. Being a bias skirt made of rayon, it continued to drop until it got to the stage it was so wonky I was embarrassed to wear it. I was tossing up whether I would fix it or ditch it, but Diana was such a great assistant - standing still patiently while I marked the hem that I chose to re-hem it. However not ever again - it is a long hem to sew!

Two new black tee's - Vogue8558 & New Look 6735

2009-09-05T20:27:00.011+10:00

Simple patterns - done in knit fabrics have been calling me. As they are:

easy - simple - not difficult - quick - everything the opposite of a Chanel jacket
they will use up some of the fabric stash quickly
I need new tops!!!!

First off the blocks - a black cotton interlock bought from Spotlight (*warning* ...chain store... *warning*)

Not expensive but comfortable and good to try out some untried patterns. First up New Look 6735 - 3/4 sleeve Tee...

*nnnuuuhhh* - not sure - this was a best pattern on Pattern Review (I am sure) but the top came out too big for me. I think I can get away with using it, but the neckline - too big, shoulders slightly falling off shoulder points and the excess at the hips...

Next up Vogue 8558...

excuse the headless photos (shocking faces - best not to show them!)

It seems to be riding up at the front centre - I may need to re-hem it,otherwise I quite like it! It is fairly loose - I made a Vogue size 14 and took off some of the length and scooped out the underarm hole but apart from that as per the pattern. I quite like this and think I will make it again. Next on to some lubley, lubley Jalies - that I know will fit and look good!

Photos - Burda wof 08-2009-117

2009-08-30T18:58:00.009+10:00

I had a request to see photos of this one on so you can see how it fits. It was photographed this weekend when we went away and this is straight out of the bag (not pressed) so please excuse any wrinkles. Here is the top belted & un-belted.

I quite like this top but haven't done a test-wear yet. I took it this week-end but didn't end up needing it (but got the photos while I could). While I was at the shops I saw some versions of this - the cutest one was more of a singlet style and when I looked closer, the front and ruffle were basically attached to a cotton t-shirt. Sot the back was plain T-shirt and the front was lined with the T-shirt. The ruffle and outer front were silk like mine but it would be interesting to see how the cotton t-shirt wears (especially as it had a $90 price tag!) .

I had a question about Diana in the comments of my last post.

Chantal said...: I notice you have a Diana dress form. I'd like to buy a dress form, and these seem to be the only ones available in my area. How do you like it? Is it easy to get the right shape for your body? Is it sturdy? do the clothes fit on your dress form the same way they fit on you...Would you recommend it? Thanks, I've just found your blog, and was really impressed with the Channel jacket!, I used to find these jacket look good on other people, but not really interesting for me and my body shape, but after seeing yours and the one from your teacher and friend, I think might make one for myself! Thanks! Chantal

Chantal - I haven't had Diana very long yet, but so far I am really happy with it and have no regrets in buying it. I use it all the time. I think it is very close to my sizing as this model has quite a few adjustments. I choose this brand as the dials are easier to adjust than the thumb wheel type dials on other models. Also I was told that you can get replacement parts and they are not expensive if you break a bit. (You cannot get replacement bits for some others). I still try items on myself, of course, but if I feel I need to change something I can pin it while it is on Diana. On this top I used it to get the hem straight on both the lining and outer fabric - this would have been very difficult without the model. Yes - I would recommend it! (But like I said I haven't used it a lot as yet).

As well as some snoop shopping this week-end I also did some real shopping and snagged a few new pairs of shoes. I had to show uyou these wicked ones I bought to wear to the races...

Burda wof 08-2009-117

2009-08-24T07:37:00.006+10:00

I needed a simple project before I return to Chanel jackets (in fact I plan to do a few... simple projects, that is!). So I chose Burda wof 08-2009-117. I saw tops in this style everywhere in Melbourne when I was there recently.
It meant I got to play with my new double pencil to trace the pattern.

It wasn't as easy to use as I hoped but still pretty good and probably the way I will use (until something else comes along). I like drawing the seam allowances at the same time. If I don't I always forget and trace the pieces forgetting to allow enough space for the allowances...

I chose a pretty seafoam green silk Georgette for the top. BWOF use Gorgette for their version, but I don't understand how it doesn't look see through in the bwof picture, because this sure would have been! So I also bought some lining fabric in a slightly deeper shade of green. It is a preshrunk good quality rayon.

Below is the line drawing (sorry about the blurriness) so you can see it is a very simple straight cut top.

And here is my nearly finished version on Diana. It is definitely loose (why am I always surprised!) However I don't think it looks this full in the bwof photo! Maybe it is the fact I lined it ...would that make it seem more full?

Anyway I left it overnight to try and decide if I should try and narrow it - but as it is lined I don't fancy trying it! After a night's sleep I think I will just hem it and move on! I am adopting something I read on Dawn's blog -

'Better finished than perfect'.

BTW, I was going to post this last night, but my computer has been playing up (the screen keeps going spak!) to add insult to injury when I went to post this just now, the battery fell out of the laptop and hit my foot (Owww! Is my laptop telling me it hates me?)

Chanel Jackets x 3

2009-08-21T07:36:00.002+10:00

As mentioned in my previous post, the first outing for the jacket was to see the movie Coco Avant Chanel. The three of us from the class went so it gave us a deadline to finish our jackets. I was still sewing trim on in the morning and Felicity had to send her hubby off to buy more on the morning as she ran out!

So, without any more ado, introducing Chanel Class #1-2009:

In the red jacket , Felicity our instructor who was making two jackets while we were making one!
Then me (of course).
In the blue/tan jacket is Jane who I really enjoyed meeting in this class.
The three of us had a ball in this class with plenty of laughter!

I believe Felicity's jacket is made with Vogue 8529 and Jane and I both used Vogue 7975. We loved the fact that we used the same pattern but came out with very individual jackets.

I had the following questions in the comments of my last post:

katherine h has left a new comment on your post "Chanel Post #4 ...finished...sort of!":

Sue, that jacket is truly gorgeous. The colour is beautiful and you have done an impressive job of the trims. How was the movie?

We all enjoyed the movie. I thought it gave a good insight into Coco's life. There is enough fashion to keep sewist's happy, even though some of it may not have been quite accurate for the time it was placed. Audrey Tatou was fabulous!

Cindy has left a new comment on your post "Chanel Post #4 ...finished...sort of!":

It looks wonderful! Love the light green color and trim. Did you sew the fringe between the shell and lining or is it sewn on top of the shell? I want to use fringe on my Chanel and it baffles me a bit!

I sewed the fringe in between the lining and the shell. However if you look at Jane's jacket, the fringe is cut on the bias and then sewn onto the shell on the outside. It really depends on the look you are after.

Well, even though I plan to do more on the jacket, I need a break from it and have bought some fabric to make Burda wof 08-2009-117. Hopefully a nice simple top that can be whipped up quickly!

Chanel Post #4 ...finished...sort of!

2009-08-19T20:18:00.006+10:00

I have been madly trying to finish my Chanel jacket for its very special first outing! The girls from my Chanel jacket class went to the movie 'Coco Avant Chanel' and we wore our jackets for the very first time! Piccie of the group of us to come,when it is edited and approved...

Here at the end of the day are photos of my jacket, the front...

the back - excuse the creases...

To show the detail, it is modelled here on Diana - first up the inside of the jacket - I think I should wear it this way all the time considering the amount of work in it!

A close-up of the trim at the neckline and front edges...

A close-up of the inside chain hemline detail...

I am reasonably happy with this jacket... but (isn't there always..) the sleeve heads aren't quite right. I have a few clues on how to remedy this so will give them a try and report back. Also I think it needs a closure as it swings open too far, so I plan to add some hook and eyes. So not quite finished but proven wearable - especially to a lovely ladies lunch day!

Shop, shop, shopping in Melbourne

2009-08-11T17:59:00.007+10:00

Not much more has happened on the Chanel jacket front as last week was busy and this week I am in Melbourne for a short holiday.

Since I was in Melbourne, I decided to check out two city fabric stores -Tessuti's and Cleg's.

This is the fabric I bought at Tessuti's. Not real exciting I suppose in colour, etc but great basics in beautiful quality fabrics. The first is a silk (like a silk Georgette? - lightweight with a crinkle). It is a print and colour I just had to have to make a tunic-style top for this Spring. The next is a beautiful khaki-brown jersey from the remnant bin and then another jersey (a viscose jersey, I think) in a colour called 'aubergine' but like a really dark brown. Destined to be a frock. The last one in 'winter white' is a wool jersey which I haven't been able to obtain locally. I am interested to see how this one goes.

Next to Clegs - silk again! This time a lining and suit-weight silk to make my second Chanel jacket. I was lucky enough that the suiting was on sale (50% off).

Other than fabric shopping, we have been to see the Dali exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria and A Day in Pompeii at the Melbourne Museum. Then apart from more shopping we have basically been eating and drinking our way through the restaurants in Lygon St and around town. Great food everywhere!
Tomorrow we pick up a hire car and are heading to have two days in the Dandenongs at a cute cottage b&b.

Other exciting news ... I have become involved in a new neighbourhood group in the Australian Sewing Guild. I attended an Industry Day on Saturday and we will have our first meeting next month. I am looking forward to meeting with a bunch of other sewing-obsessed ladies!

More sewing hopefully next week, when I will be raring to see my machine again!

Chanel Post #3

2009-08-03T17:40:00.004+10:00

I had my third lesson last Saturday. We discussed a lot on the day but did not sew so much..lol!

One of the things discussed was an alternate way to sew the seams for the lining. In my previous post, you can see I butted the seams together and hand stitched them. This time I tried a flat felled version. One side of the lining is sewn (by machine) to the opposite seam allowance. Then the other side of the lining is folded over and hand stitched over the top of this. I hope that makes sense... this is a photo of the seam after one side has been stitched down and then the other side is pressed and pinned ready to hand stitch.

This is the result - a much tidier seam than I managed with the other method....

Pity these seams are inside the sleeves and will never be seen! My next job was to insert the sleeves - what with trying to keep linings out of the way, etc it wasn't great fun! One went in beautifully - the other hung strange. It was sort-of alright but you could see it wasn't sitting like the first one. So, after emailing Felicity, I checked all measurements to discover one sleeve wasn't matching the other (the seam was different by about 0.5 cm at the top of the sleeve) so removed it , basted it - still not right. Then I noticed (another pointer from Felicity) that the sleeve was a bit twisted compared to the other one. The ribbon stripes were not the same on both, so took it out again and straightened it. It still isn't as good as the first one but is much improved and I think I have passed my limit for patience so I a happy to declare it good enough!

This is the jacket now with shoulder pads pinned in place.

Next up is to work out exactly where the shoulder pads should sit, then attach them and finish the lining around the sleeves.

I have been enjoying this process so much that I have joined the sew-along Go Chanel or Go Home. I will be sewing a second jacket in September when the sew-along starts. This suits me well as I should have time to finish this jacket, have my planned week's holiday, draft the pattern I want to use and muslin it (hopefully) before September. This post outlines my plans. Should be fun!

Chanel Post #2

2009-07-26T19:23:00.010+10:00

Madly sewing this week-end - this jacket is very time consuming... I went looking for information on how to make Chanel jackets - out of my books I found this book had some great information on pages 182 to 185. It is very similar to how we are constructing our jackets in this class.

I am using fringing as part of the embellishment of this jacket. The selvedge does not have a great fringe, but the other way can be fringed and comes up lovely. Basically - cut a straight edge, fray the fabric to the desired depth, then zigzag the edge to stop it fraying any further. Cut the strip off...

Closeup of the zig-zagged fringe...

This is my faux welt pocket with trim that I have attached to the jacket (hand sewn - my finger tips are really sore - I should have used a thimble!)

I was planning two pockets on each side but was not happy with the embellishment of the 2nd pocket so decided to go with just the one.

Next was to sew the seams and keep the lining out of the way....

The seam is pressed open and then the lining is trimmed and hand sewn closed...

Tip to help with this - quilt up to the seam allowance x 2. You need to keep the seam allowance clear plus enough space to open the jacket seam before closing the lining seam. Leave long threads on your quilting and adjust as you go. I ended up taking the jacket in a bit on the sides so you need to be able to adjust the quilting. (hope that makes sense) .

This is the jacket so far, does not look like much yet but there is still plenty more to come...

Just a note for anyone who has been following my other blog - 'Fit and forty *mumble*' I have made this blog private for the moment as I am having trouble finding time or energy to post to it. Maybe I will get back to one day... not today...

Chanel Post #1

2009-07-23T20:54:00.006+10:00

I have attended two classes for my Chanel Jacket class and had a hoot of a time! Don't you just love hanging with people who understand your need to sew....

I think I have shown a similar photo before but this is the fabric I am using. It doesn't photo true to its colour - it is quite spring/lime green in real life and has lots of threads woven in of many different colours - cream, brown, pink, yellow, etc - you cannot pick it up in the photo.

Here are the back pieces lined in white silk and hand-quilted to the main fabric pieces. We have chosen to hand quilt in this class as we are all using fabrics that are loosely woven and suit hand quilting best.
We had lesson two today and spent the time working out what pockets where, what trim and how? Heaps of fun. Lucky the class is located behind a brilliant little quilting shop that carries heaps of great trims. These jackets are going to be Chanel all the way in terms of trim...

And my parting shot is to show you my new best friend... Diana - my size, stands still to try sewing on but not much of a conversationalist...

Diana is wearing my jacket to hide her modesty... and it fits ... amazing!

(Trivial note -- two staples of my life in the photo - gym bag and my slippers!)

One last post about the HP shirt

2009-07-19T13:45:00.005+10:00

You probably thought I had finished showing you the Hot Patterns shirt....wrong.. your comments have encouraged me to show you more...lol!

I thank everyone who left comments either here or on my review (or the Great White Shirt sewalong board on Pattern Review). it was lovely to have your feedback... got to love this on-line sewing community.

As it did generate quite a few comments, I thought I might show you some close-up shots - particularly for those who are interested in trying this shirt themselves. I couldn't get these photos with my little point & shoot camera as the fabric is so difficult to photograph, but this week-end I enlisted the help of my camera-club hubby.

First detail - this is the cut-in shoulder and inverted box pleat in the sleeve top. Hopefully you can also see that I have flat-felled the armhole seam.

This is a photo of the placket and cuff finished. The pattern advocates a bias band to finish the placket area - however as I had recently learnt how to do this on a course, I chose to do a 'proper' placket. I have folded back the cuff and just put one button to hold it under the fold. I have a RTW shirt that has a cuff like this. It is supposed to be a french cuff but I don't think that would work with this style of placket.

This is the front button band. I didn't put any buttons above where I would button this shirt (mainly because I didn't have enough!) I don't think it matters too much on this shirt. What do you think? Notice the gathers are not at the bust line but under it.

Here is a close-up of the button to try and show you the colours.

And lastly, the back yoke with pleat and back seaming detail.

OK, I promise to get onto other things next time. I have started another shirt Burda wof 04-2009-105 in a chambray. I am attempting pin-tucking on that one to jazz it up a bit... not sure how that is going to go. I am having trouble marking and visualising the pintuck details so I have dived in and ordered a Diana dressmaker's dummy so that I can put the shirt on that while I work it out. So that shirt may stall for a bit until that arrives.

I also did my first lesson to make a Chanel -style jacket - had heaps of fun!. So I should get off this computer now to do my 'homework' for that class!

Fit to be Tied Shirt - Photos

2009-07-11T15:52:00.006+10:00

Finally finished. Hot Patterns Classic Nouveau Fit to be Tied Shirt. Construction pointers can be found in this post. It has taken me a long time to finish this top as I only get a few hours on the week-end and it took me quite a while - lots of unpicking! So anyway without, more ado.. the photos....

...casual with pants...

.and with my bwof skirt...

Well I wasn't sure I would like it but when I saw it 'dressed up' I do like it. The shirt is a strong colour and has distinctive design lines so I think that was why I was a bit worried while I was making it. BTW, I hadn't really pressed it well before this photo session as I decided to try it on and then thought I may as well photograph it straight away. That probably shows how happy I am with it.

I love the buttons on this shirt. Caity helped me choose them and they are the colour of the darker shades in the cotton. However I cannot get a photo of them close-up so I cannot show them to you in detail.

This shirt is not for beginners but is well drafted and has really interesting design features. I would recommend a muslin first as it would be difficult to tissue fit. Anyway I am hooked on shirts now and want to start another way straight away - a BWOF pattern and some chambray fabric with shell buttons.

Review here ...

Burda wof 01-2009-112 Skirt ... Finished & photos

2009-07-06T18:19:00.008+10:00

As a follow-up to this post, I finally have photos...

Most of the reason I haven't worn it sooner is that I have been searching high & low for a red belt and it took me a long time to find one! My shoes are a deeper shade of red to the belt (even though they don't look red in these photos). I was also at a bit of a loss as to what top to wear with this skirt as it really needs to be tucked in and I was surprised this top worked. I also want to try it with a shirt (white with brown pinstripe).

Edited to add a link to the review.

I have fnally sewn the collar on the HP shirt - buttons, buttonholes & hem to do...phwew!