Tag sewing clothes

New dress: V9264 – a Christmas dress and designer knock-off

bellecitadel 15 Comments

 

20171210_115320This dress came about for several reasons. Initially I happened to spot a wonderful Marc Jacobs dress in Nordstrom. I occasionally pop up to the designer floor to check out the sewing on some of the garments and get a little inspiration. I’ve never been a designer clothes wearer, but I thought the design on this $995 dress (below left) was really sharp and interesting, and the velvet was of beautiful quality. I wouldn’t have really noticed it in a picture, but in real life the dress just sort of glowed. Of course, it was also hitting those three big A/W fashion trends of red, velvet and shoulders/sleeves, which would normally put me off in all honesty, but it just so happens that I rather like red anyway, so… YES! Continue reading “New dress: V9264 – a Christmas dress and designer knock-off” →

New outfit: Simplicity 1072 pencil skirt and sweater

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Hello from the Californian desert! I’m on holiday with the family and visiting my father-in-law, who lives out in snake and scorpion territory. Very exciting! It was hard to get great light for these pics with all the holiday goings-on, but I managed to snap a few. And I’ve got to tell you it is so nice when you make something that you really like and know you are going to wear non-stop. I can usually find something to like in most of my makes, even if it’s just the learning process for some of them, but there’s nothing like using a pattern and thinking – aha! – that is my perfect t-shirt/skirt/shorts/crotchless bodysuit/whatever.

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New trousers: Butterick B6178 OR it too culotte of time, but I finished them…

bellecitadel 5 Comments

Yes, believe it or not, I have finally finished a pair of trousers this year. Woohoo! I actually finished them pretty much on schedule in September, but for a silvery hook and eye, which I could not. be. arsed. to sew on. But I finally have! And I’m pleased to say this was a very simple and satisfying sew, albeit not necessarily my most flattering sew. I can see why the Butterick B6178 pattern is so popular.

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I also now know why the editors on Project Runway are always saying how black is such a terrible colour to shoot. I’ve highlighted the black linen I used for the culottes a little and now they just look very wrinkly! Ah well. It’s a medium-weight linen and was very nice to sew with I must say. Continue reading “New trousers: Butterick B6178 OR it too culotte of time, but I finished them…” →

New garment: A strapless column dress for Kara

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My friend Kara bought this striped Cape May fabric one day, while I was persuing Joann Fabrics for some notion or other. She really loved it and asked if I would help her sew a dress. I said “Of course” and then tried really hard to find a pattern that was what she was after: a simple strapless column dress. This is what we ended up with (below) and I am really happy with the result, but it took me a bit of thinking to get there. I’m pleased for two reasons: firstly, because it’s the first project I’ve completed that really had an element of self-design/ground-up work in it as I’ll explain, but secondly because she really liked it and also because her boobs didn’t fall out when she wore it to a friend’s wedding reception. These things all make me happy.

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New shirt: Colette Negroni shirt for men

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My husband is resolutely a t-shirt kind of man. Which is something of a shame, as he looks splendid in a shirt, particularly a short-sleeved one. Therefore, I was more than delighted when he mentioned offhandedly that he was considering wearing a shirt to work now and again and might need to find some new ones. I immediately thought about the shirt patterns I had and decided to give the Negroni a go. It’s my first man’s collared shirt and I’m really pleased with how it turned out!

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New dress: A Peter Pan-collared Moneta

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And so onto my third Moneta. I made one myself here and then one for my sister as a present, so have probably covered the relevant construction details before. I didn’t make any significant changes with regards to how I constructed this dress, so will just note the changes and, of course, the collar below.

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I made this dress for the #monetaparty on Instagram back in February, but fell prey to a nasty bug right before the deadline and so didn’t finish. That kind of annoyed me, so the dress sat languishing unhemmed in my cupboard for a good while, until a #sewphotohop prompt encouraged me to rescue it from the mothballs and finish the darn thing off. Continue reading “New dress: A Peter Pan-collared Moneta” →

Autumn/winter 2017 sewing plans

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I haven’t made too many seasonal plans so far in my sewing career. In spring and summer I let myself float along on a sea of floral rayons and jewel-toned cottons as I flit around, picking from here and there. But for autumn and winter, it seems like more thought is necessary. Some of the garments (although not all) require a larger investment of time, and the materials can be more pricey. In addition, I still have plenty left on my #makenine to fulfil (see below) and a few #sewmystyle efforts left for the year. Most of all, I really want to make a dent in my stash, so I’m going to try hard to use fabrics I already own for the rest of the year. It really shouldn’t be too hard. 😀

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New dress: M6884 – an autumn wrap

bellecitadel 9 Comments

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A long-sleeved wrap dress seems like a perfect autumn garment to me, but in this case the fabric informed the choice of both dress and exact pattern. I bought exactly 2 yards of this beautiful Verson Puoti Enchanting Life jersey knit from Jumping June Textiles. These euro knits are not cheap and people seem to buy small amounts to make kids clothes, mostly. When I saw this particular design though, I knew I wanted to make something adult-size. The colours are so saturated and the design has a 70s feel for me (appropriately). I just finished reading a DVF biography (first half interesting, second half not so much) and was perhaps channeling her vibe into my decisions. The fabric has a weight of 200gsm, which is perfect for a wrap, giving a little structure. Continue reading “New dress: M6884 – an autumn wrap” →

#sewcialists August tribute challenge: Style Arc Kylie top

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I decided to join in with this sewcialists challenge at the very last minute. I wasn’t sure if I’d have time and I was, somewhat ironically, lacking in inspiration until I remembered my little folders on Bloglovin. The theme of this first challenge was to make something inspired by, or in tribute to, a fellow blogger and I was quite keen to join in as I am definitely a “sewcial” sewist.  I have a bunch of “collections” on Bloglovin, called Things to Sew, Sewing Tips, Inspiration and so on – I’m sure you might have something similar.

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New top: Colette Aster in rayon

bellecitadel 10 Comments

Hello! It’s been a while. After my furious burst of sewing a few weeks ago, the pace has dropped off as I’ve been knee-deep in wallpapering, painting and furniture rearranging territory (as you may have seen on Instagram with my lemur wallcovering. I love it.). Anyway, I have been doing some sewing; just not much photo-taking or writing. So I’ll get to it and dive right in with this latest make and my first proper button-up blouse.

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