Burda 7057 Dirndl/Halloween/Sound of Music Madness!

FALL FALL FALL FALL FALL!!!

Can you tell I'm a wee bit excited for the season?  There's just so much to enjoy about it!  In addition to all the pumpkin flavored everythings and the excuse to wear every sweater I own simultaneously, sewing's favorite holiday is just around the corner - Halloween!

When else do I get to make completely impractical clothing I'll only wear once?  Well, I actually do that on a regular basis, but now I can acknowledge it and have fun with it!!  And this year I decided to take a little inspiration from one of my favorite musicals, The Sound of Music.

Having short blonde hair, I naturally thought I should dress up as Maria Von Trapp.  But on closer examination, I realized that my favorite singing nun's movie portrayal had a less than glamorous wardrobe.  I wasn't exactly keen on making exact reproductions of such costumes as this:

Iconic? Yes. Glamorous? No.

I know it may seem a little silly, but I decided if I was going to sew a whole costume it should at least be a bit more... well, more!  But there are some costumes I love, such as the ones Maria made out of the drapes for the children.

I always wondered why Maria didn't make one for herself... they're just so cute!

I was also inspired by the made-for-tv movie version of The Sound of Music and the dirndl-style dresses Carrie Underwood wore as Maria.  The original will forever be my favorite, but dang were her costumes cute!

So, I decided to create the hypothetical situation in which Maria did create her own "curtain dress" but in the style of a dirndl because... well, because I can!  

I chose Burda 7057 to create my Maria/dirndl/curtain:

Specifically, view B,D,F

I then went on a hunt online to find some accurate-ish drapery fabric, but to no avail.  I found some cottons that were almost passable but they didn't have large enough patterns for my taste.  In the end I decided to choose a completely different fabric that was drapery weight.  This was my final choice, purchased from Hancock Fabrics:

I was extremely please with the quality of the fabric, plus it's got a lovely sheen!

My mother purchase the white cotton I used, so I am not altogether sure where it is from (JoAnn's perhaps?)  but I greatly enjoy how soft and flowing it is.  I did end up lining the undershirt bodice due to its sheer nature, but that was easy enough to accomplish.

This is my final product:

The Front of the Dress

Detailing of the front bodice

 I used some brown ribbon I had lying around for the laces. I may change it later, but they serve well for now.

Burda 7057 Front Detail

 I chose not to use stabilizer on the bodice as the fabric was already quite stiff; if you were to use a lighter-weight fabric I would definitely use it, though!

Just in case you forgot what the front looked like...

 I omitted the detailing around the collar of the dirndl because I thought my fabric was too heavy to make it.  That, and I'm lazy, haha.

Back of the dress; note that the neckline of the dirndl is lower than that of the blouse in the back.

 If you're new to dirndls, you might want to know that the under-shirt is usually only half a shirt, meaning that it comes down just below the bust and not to the waist.

Detail of the back

Since I was using a symmetrical damask, I spent a bit of time making sure that the panels of the front and back mirrored each other (As in, the right panels all mirrored the left panels).  If you do use a one way designed fabric, make sure to note that you will be cutting half of it upside-down if you follow the suggested pattern layout.

I'm also not exactly sure where the hooks I used were purchased from, but I know someone on Etsy sells them.  They were a bit hard to find at my normal fabric stores, so I'll be sure to figure out where I got them!

*FITTING*
For me, fitting this pattern was really easy.  I cut it out the size I measured out to (10 in Burda) and didn't have to alter anything!  I have found that Burda fits me really well, so I normally have very few fitting issues and this pattern was not exception.  The only thing I might say is that I could have maybe made it wider in the shoulders, but my shoulders are pretty broad and the puffiness of the sleeves makes up for the space I would need anyways.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed making this pattern.  It looks and fits wonderfully and wasn't too difficult to put together!  It took me approximately 2 complete days of work to piece it all together (which translates to 2 whole seasons of Downton Abbey, or approximately 15 hours)  and it took me about 2-3 hours to cut out (I cut out slowly!).  In total, the whole process was about 18 hours long.  Keeping that in mind, I would recommend this pattern for an intermediate sewer as it is a bit of a time commitment and there is some fiddley hand-sewing.

If you're interested in seeing a more faithful interpretation of Sound of Music costumes, I would highly recommend Edelweiss Patterns!  She made an absolutely lovely version of Liesl's curtain dress that also served as inspiration for my creation.

I cannot wait to wear my dress on Halloween and I hope you have an impractically fun (and sewing) filled fall!

But first, ME in the dress!

Until next time!

-The Gretchen

Burda 7056 - Lilly Pulitzer Inspired

Ever heard of Lilly Pulitzer?  Haha, well, I'm sure it has run across many people's radar, especially when Target started carrying its limited edition Lilly Pulitzer line that sold out within hours.  Needless to say, the brand's bright and cheery aesthetic are quite popular!

I don't know if I could pull of such a sun-shiney look everyday, but I was inspired by the summery feel it embodies.  So, instead of pinching my pennies to save up for one of the iconic frocks, I decided to make my own!  

I was inspired specifically by vintage Lilly Pulitzer:

From Pink Clouds blog

Modern Lilly Pulitzer maxi dresses:

From Neiman Marcus

From the Lilly Pulitzer website

And exposed zippers!

I love the subtle hint of gold!  This is the Lilly Pulitzer Penelope Shift Dress (no longer available online).

I already owned Burda 7056, and I loved thought the maxi dress in view C would work perfectly:

I actually love all the views in this pattern, it was hard to just pick one!

So I got to work, and this is what I came up with:

The front

The dress turned out less form-fitting than I thought it would be, giving a very column-like shape.  But I have to say, the simplicity of it grew on me!  I appreciate how the simple design balances out the colorful, busy pattern of the fabric.

The back zipper

There are a couple ways to put in an exposed zipper, but I chose Keightly Studio's tutorial.  Their version exposes only a bit of the sides (rather than laying the zipper completely on the outside) and includes top-stitching.

I truly wish I could put an exposed zipper on everything I make, but they can be quite pricey!  I bought this zipper from Hancock Fabrics and it is normally sold for $20, although I purchase it with a coupon :-P

And for funsies, more of my zipper (I'm so in love with it!):

Close up of the top of the zipper.

Close up of the bottom of the zipper

 This pattern was extraordinarily easy to sew and I would highly recommend it to any sewist, beginning or otherwise.  Truly, the hardest part was installing the exposed zipper and I elected to do that myself!

I chose to do the dress in a lovely cotton by Tina Givens (unfortunately not sold online! But you can occassionally find her fabric listed on Fabric.com and Etsy).  The cotton was easy to work with but has ended up driving me a little crazy with wrinkling (especially after sitting in the dress)!  If I made it again, I would use a more wrinkle-resistant material and with perhaps a little less structure.

As a fitting note, I ended up taking in the sides near my hips, making that area 1 to 2 sizes smaller than was originally cut out.  The dress was a bit too tent-like for my taste at first, but I believe part of that was how it was designed.  Either way, altering it is easy as the seams are quite simple!

Well, that's all I have!  If you have any questions, input, or comments, let me know!

Until next time,

-The Gretchen

Simplicity 1250 Finished at last!

It. Is. Finished.

Well, actually, it's been finished... but I've also been lazy.

My planning post is here and my constructing post is here, both from waay back when, but there's no time in the internet, right?

And, as a reminder, here is the original pattern (which you can also find online here):

Simplicity 1250 Pattern

But putting procrastination in the past, I present to you, my 2014 CHRISTMAS DRESS!!! YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

The front w/jacket, not too shabby, eh?

Dress w/jacket detail

Dress w/jacket back

Ta-Da!  The front of the dress.

As you can see the peplum is attached to the dress itself, not the jacket.

The Back!

I did wear a petticoat under this dress (but not too floofy!).  I fioud it looked a bit more complete with it and balanced out my top half better.

Dress Bust Detail

The bust is pleated... yeah, that's all you really need to know.

Jacket Front

SO MANY BUTTONS.  I actually did not finish the buttons in time for the Christmas service I was singing at, so I ended up wearing the jacket without any.  I don't think anyone noticed, haha.  But I did go back since I had already bought all of them, and put every stinkin' shiny gold button on.  I love it, but it was a lot of labor (a labor of love?).

Jacket Back

Jacket Detailing

And for funsies, here is my inspiration and my finished product:

McQueen lookin' mean...

...versus fifties flirty fluff!

Mine is pretty tame, haha, but I'm also pretty proud of it!

Anyways, on to the nitty gritty (or what I can remember of it).  I covered most of this in my fitting/cutting out post, but there was at least one thing I wanted to add.  Match up the plaid on the sides.  Do it.  Not what I did (I forgot?).  I was very naughty.  Do as I say, not as I do, right?

As an overall review of the pattern, I really do love how it turned out.  However, I recollect that it was quite a bit of work and kind of fussy (BUTTONS, button loops, bias facings, boning, plaid - although the plaid mayy have been my fault...).  I cannot say I recommend the pattern for a beginning sewer, but maybe an average/mid skilled sewer who won't mind a little extra fiddley-ness.  And someone with a bit of time; it's definitely no walk-away dress!

Well, that's all I can think to say about it, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Until next time,

-The Gretchen

Fall Vogue 2015 Top Picks

Ah! Fall is in the air!

Wait! In July, you say?

Well, according to Vogue Patterns autumn is just around the corner!

In case you didn't know, Vogue just came out with their new line of fall patterns.  There are a couple things I may never make, but I thought I'd give my two cents on the highlights of the group.

Firstly, new vintage!  Yay!! I adore vintage patterns and Vogue's newest releases will most likely be finding their way into my collection.

Here is Vogue pattern V9127:

Vogue Pattern V9127

It seems to be 1940's (ish?) and it might not be my all time favorite vintage silhouette, but look at that detailing:

How?  Just, how?

I'd just buy the pattern to figure out how one recreates that arrow-like stitching.  And is that a pocket on the lapel?  And how does that belt-thing work?  It's a pattern chock-full of mysteries!

An even better question, what the heck would I use a pocket there for?

My only beef with it is it doesn't seem to fix the model in the back.  Take a look for yourself:

Something seems a bit off...

Maybe it's just me, but if I were to make this pattern, I'd like it to be more closely fitted and less wrinkly in the back.  I think it would give it a cleaner look and allow for the eye to have complete focus on the beautiful tailoring.

  

It also has a short-sleeved option (minus the belt of mystery):

But I like the other vintage dress even more, Vogue pattern V9126:

Vogue Pattern V9126

 I'm not sure if it's the pattern itself or the styling of the pattern that I'm in love with.  Very glamorous, and the model is incredibly (and maybe intentionally) similar to Dita Von Teese!

Up Close - look at her perfect make up!

Leopard Print Love!!

Imagine going to a cocktail party dressed like that!  You'd surely be the talk of the town (and for all the right reasons!).  

Although it does remind me an awful lot of this Simplicity pattern 1777:

But shhhh, we'll just keep that between us and Vogue...

Other than the vintage patterns, I have to say that the only other pattern I had a hankering for was Vogue pattern V1460:

Vogue Pattern V1460

I love how simple it is, but I do have one concern.  Is it just me, or does it seem to strangely emphasize the belly?

I'm sure that model is as thin as can be, but the dress makes it look like she's got something in the oven!  It makes me a bit wary of the pattern, so I'm a bit hesitant to buy it...

Anyways, those are my top three picks for Vogue's 2015 Fall Collection!  Are there any favorites you have?

Until next time,

-The Gretchen

Simplicity 1425 Completed

And just like that, it's finished!  Aside from my goofs, it took very little time and the result is lovely.  Take a look:

I think it's pretty spiffy!

As you may have noticed, I added a bit of overstitching to edges of the cotton.  I had to make a decision between hiding the stitching (which didn't work well with small polka dots) or emphasizing it.  I chose the latter and was so happy with the result, I added some more.  It also helps to keep some of my seams in place; a double win!

Even though this pattern was relatively simple, I still learned a lot.  Firstly, do not use a really hot iron on chiffon.  Or at least the chiffon I used (from JoAnn Fabrics).  It will melt and melted clothing is not cute!  In my defense, I had the iron set on high for the cotton part of the blouse and didn't even think about what havoc it would wreck on the chiffon part.  Fortunately, the little hole it created isn't noticeable (other than to me).  Unfortunately, it is in such a spot that I determined it really isn't worth the effort to completely replace that section.

I also learned, simultaneously in fact, that chiffon is not the easiest material to work with.  It looks lovely, but the fraying (even with zig-zagging and pinking the edges) was quite a challenge.  As was cutting out.  And sewing together.  It was all challenging for me!  I do not think I'll be using chiffon again for anything that is supposed to be tailored or semi-tailored (like a collar) until I've gotten better acquainted with the material, But I'll still use it for draping and gathering.

If I were to make this blouse again, I might use an organza or something else with a bit more body for the collar.  I would also line it, as I mentioned here in my beginning post. My fabric is slightly see-through and the added security would be nice.

Well, until next time.

-The Gretchen

Butterick B5603 Begun and Completed!

I'm back to good ole' Butterick!  I chose to make up B5603 for this year's Easter dress.  This is the pattern:

I did the middle view, view B on the pattern.

I completed it in record time (for me)! Only TWO days!!! And, if I may say so myself, the results are lovely:

The Front of the Dress

The Back of the Dress

My parents gifted me with some beautiful raw silk for my birthday and I could not wait to see how it looked in the fabric.  It's a beautiful green-blue; my favorite!  I made a muslin ahead of time and decided to make the bust a size 8 (for bust measurement 32 in.), my waist a size 10 (for waist measurement 25.5 in.) and the length of the torso a size 10 (I extended the shoulder seam to the size 10).  I also took off 3 in. from the bottom and did a skinny hem (I had less fabric than I thought, so I had to cut off the end of each skirt pattern piece by 3 in.).

All in all a wonderful pattern with clear directions and quick construction.  I would highly recommend it to any sewer, both beginning and advanced.  It looks complex, but really isn't!  A perfect balance for those who are a bit overly ambitious in their sewing ventures, like myself.

Until next time,

-The Gretchen