Drape Drape 3 WIP

This is a quick post to show you what I am working on at the mo.
I have a busy couple of weeks coming up, so it may be some time before I get to a) finish it and b) photograph it.

It is my first go at one of the styles from Drape Drape 3, which I was very fortunate to receive courtesy of Fashion Incubator and Laurence King.

I couldn't find any reviews or other reference to it in blogland, and while the instructions are in English, and the drawings are very clear, I have needed to 'fill in the blanks' a bit!

And I am out of my comfort zone sewing jersey, so it will be interesting to see what it looks like on.

This is the photo from the book.

And this is the tech sketch and instructions.

This is mine on the dummy.

Let me just tighten this bit a bit............

Do you think your bum will look big in this Mum?

At this point I think it will be a bit tighter than I expected (I have made the largest size) and probably a bit longer than expected but we shall see!

What's on your sewing table at the moment?

Burda 6/2011 Style 104

I did try really really hard to come up with a better title than that, but after 2 ½ weeks of school holidays, my brain is full of Justine Clarke song lyrics and pretty much nothing else!

This shirt has been on my wish list for ages and it has been finished for about 3 weeks, but I just didn’t get a spare minute for a photo op until today (that is, the photography assistant couldn't be bribed, er persuaded until today!).

And while I tend to moan and whinge about all the extra work involved in tracing and adding seam allowances, Burda’s consistency with fit and excellent drafting makes me want to toss out all of my envelope patterns!

So, more about the shirt.

Burda describe this as an ‘overshirt’ but it’s not. The fit is quite slim, with only a small amount of ease which did surprise me, as the pic on the model seems quite roomy, but she is wearing it unbuttoned and is probably a size too big for her.

I wanted this to be a good transeasonal garment, of which I don’t have a lot of, so wearing it over singlets and long sleeve spencers, as well as on its own, was important to me, and I can only just do that.

But I have to say that the fit on me is superb. I didn’t have to do any alterations save for the length, and just look how that neckline sits on my shoulders!

I think that I will get a lot of wear out of this shirt and will definitely make more.

Pattern

Burdastyle June 2011

Style number 104
Size: 38

Fabric and notions

Cotton chambray with vintage buttons

Construction notes

I eliminated the centre back seam and cut the back on the fold instead.

Shortened the length by 4.5cm and curved the hem (like a traditional menswear shirt) instead of sewing the side seam splits.

I fused the cuffs and bagged them out before sewing them to the sleeve, creating a split at the underarm seam. I think that Burda used this technique on the dress version of this style. Note, that the cuffs are quite slim fitting, without the split I probably wouldn’t be able to layer a long sleeve top underneath.

I used white thread to topstitch, which I really like, except for the buttonholes, where the close satin stitch just ends up being too white. It doesn’t bother me enough to do anything about it though!

Maybe I should have called this blog the Lazy Seamstress!

Hello Bloglovin

Like just about everyone else on Planet Blog I am setting up camp over at Bloglovin before Google turns off Reader’s lights in July.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Come on over and join me, and if I happen to fall off your followers list, it will probably because I missed clicking something somewhere, but hopefully all should transfer smoothly.
Oh, and I do have a few sewing projects on the boil at the mo, just too frazzled by end of term madness to take photos at this point!

Phew! It's done!

The Gridlock entry that is. I ended up using Vogue 1217 (OOP now I think) for the dress.
This is my inspiration board.

I was going for a 'Mia Farrow on vacation on the French Riveria circa 1965" look.
Which, considering that a) I look nothing like Mia Farrow, and b) the chances of me getting anywhere close to the French Riveria in the next 15 years is practically nil, was perhaps a tad fanciful.

Still, I am happy with my dress. Here it is.



Yoo hoo Mia, wait for me!

 I used the 'wrong' side of the fabric for the dress, a chambray from the stash for the sleeves (which I cut on the bias as the fabric was quite stiff), both sides of the fabric for the frilly bit, and the fluffy selvedge to trim the neck and hem.


Neck detail

 I didn't have to muck around much with the pattern, save for taking in the hip about 3cm and adding 3.5 inches to the hem.

I will get around to doing a proper pattern review in the next few days. First I have to figure out where I left the kids and clean the house!

Oh, and entries can be seen here.

Today is my lucky day

I found out today that I was the winner of the Drape Drape 3 giveaway over at Fashion Incubator. Yay!

I never win anything, and when I do buy raffle tickets I always put them in someone else’s name, like my mum or my kids, to improve my chances!


So I am really really thrilled. I was thinking of what to make for this winter (after the Tessuti and Patternreview contests of course) and some of the styles in this book are really lovely.

Are you a ‘lucky’ person? Have you ever won anything by luck (rather than effort, that’s a whole different thing!)?

Here goes nothing!

Last night I cut into my fabric, without making a toile, of a pattern I have never sewn before, and which has received mixed reviews.

It is a basic shift style dress though, that essentially hangs from the shoulder without fitting the body, so I shouldn’t get into too much trouble.

And with no closures, pockets or fusing to do I should have something respectable by the end of the week.

And the best part is that I have enough fabric left for a pair of pants that I am thinking might be a goer for Patternreview’s Pantone Colour Contest.

Because I just don’t know what I would do with myself without a deadline hanging over my head!

Sick kids and sewing competitions don't mix

Oh boy, this week has been a doozy! We have had high temps, doctor visits, wobbly teeth, dentist visits, last minute dashes to the chemist to stock up on medicine, no sleep, and now I have come down with whatever the girls have been battling with.

Hence, no sewing to speak of!

I was thinking that this Rebecca Taylor Vogue pattern might be the right choice for the Gridlock fabric, but those pleats on the front and back shoulder could make me look more Gridiron than Gridlock!

So I think I will save this pattern for another time.

Tick, tick, tick...............