Tag Archives: Butterick 3134

Cassie’s Christmas ensemble

29/12/2014 6:04 am \ 44 Comments \

So, this year I asked Cassie what she would like for Christmas and she replied without hesitation, a long, white skirt.
Alrighty then!
I bought both fabrics at my local Spotlight; I considered buying Melbourne fabric like I did for the boys but reasoned that I could probably find nice enough white fabric at home.  So fortunate then that I did!  I was particularly thrilled with these finds.  The overlayer is a sheer cotton muslin and the lining/underlayer is a cotton voile; both light and airy and quite beautifully soft.  I really like how the layers of sheers and seams give a kind of “striped” effect to the outfit.
Honestly, Spotlight really can be such a hit or miss affair, so thank goodness for a hit.  A very palpable hit!  Random pop quiz; Can you name that quote…?
I used Butterick 3134; a very useful basic multi-gored skirt pattern and selected the six-gore option.  I cut it longer and flared out the lower edge a little more, for a nice swish.  I cut the lining/underlayer skirt using the spliced together pieces of Vogue 1247, lengthened, and put an invisible zip in the left side seam.  All French seams throughout, including that zip seam.  
Incidentally, I took a few pictures of doing the zip French seam in a sheer fabric, and can write a tut for anyone who is interested?  
I had enough fabric leftover to cut out a little blouse/top for her also, so she has a complete ensemble.  The little cropped blouse is a cut down version of NewLook 6483 with the sleeves lengthened.
Only the bodice of the top is lined and also French seams everywhere with only the armscye seams of the little top finished on the overlocker.  I’ve found that I’m really enjoying finishing my seams using more traditional methods lately and resorting to using the overlocker less and less.
Phew!  I have to confess I started making this outfit at the crack of dawn on Christmas Eve and finished it at about 6.30pm that evening.  It was a frantic race to the finish!  But it was worth it to see Cassie looking so lovely and summery and fresh and pretty in her outfit on Christmas Day.

Details:
Top; NewLook 6483 modified by cropping bodice and lengthening sleeves, white muslin and voile
Skirt; Butterick 3134, lengthened and lined with spliced-together Vogue 1247 lining, white muslin and voile
Sandals; 2 baia vista, from Zomp shoes

pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , , , ,

Further from yesterday

28/11/2010 3:58 am \ 4 Comments \

Thankyou so much for your thoughts yesterday … and many of your comments resonated quite clearly with me and my own thinking on this subject; I also read a little bit more on Natalie’s findings and summary of her yearlong challenge here.  The bit about recognising the work of experts in their field (ie. shoemakers) and not trying to metaphorically reinvent the wheel, spoke to me.  I also had been feeling, like a lot of post-modernists, that I should be doing more for myself and making as much as I could… relying less on store-bought.  This is rooted in good intentions, but has limitations.  I can’t see myself attempting to make my own shoes or sunglasses, for example.  Is this a cop-out?  Well, no, because although I like to set myself challenges and rise to them, I do understand the findings of the makeshift project that some components of a project can be just so much wasted time for an amateur and that unnecessary self-imposed hardship could be viewed as just plain silly.  And just to clarify: I don’t view Natalie’s challenge as at all silly, on the contrary; I have enormous admiration for her achievement…
On the subject of challenges, well I have already committed myself to not buy any new clothing for myself, and I feel quite comfortable with that one, and actually not particularly challenged by this rule at all.  Thus my need to search for a new challenge?
I also feel that making new garments for myself, like basics such as Tshirts… when I have perfectly good ones already sitting in my drawers, is counterproductive.  So perhaps I’m just not ready for this particular challenge.  The notion of not allowing myself to wear certain items of clothing in my possession just because they happen to have been bought in a store, is not practical, and really doesn’t prove anything to anyone.
But I will continue to make my own clothes, and as the old store-boughts get to the stage of being consigned to the rag-bag, maybe I will be ready to do this challenge for myself.

But not the shoes!!

Details:
Skirt; my own design, based upon a basic three (six?) gore pattern Butterick 3134, printed polyester chiffon
Top; Tbox
Hat; Country Road
Tongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs
Sunnies; RayBan

pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , , ,

Satisfyingly swishy skirt

26/05/2010 2:33 am \ 5 Comments \

Dug this skirt out again from the recesses of my wardrobe… I don’t know why I’m not wearing it as often as I once did.  I love it.  I made this last summer; not the summer we’ve just had but the one before that.  When I walk it twirls and swishes around my ankles in a most satisfying way, and always attracts compliments.  This morning on our dog walk (can you see Sienna’s furry butt behind a tree in this photo?) a lady crossed the street to say something nice to me about it… little incidents like that can give one a lift for hours, no?  I’m going to make an effort to give more compliments from now on.

Details:
Skirt; my own design variations, based on Butterick 3134, first posted here
Top; my own design, refashioned from my old 3/4 pants here
Booties; Django and Juliette, from Zomp

 

pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , , , ,

Rediscovering the full-length skirt

28/10/2009 4:04 am \ 1 Comment \
This skirt was made last summer when I felt in the mood for something long and swishy; inspired by a skirt I had seen in a parade at Ricarda.  I can’t remember who the designer was.  This polyester chiffon was on super special at Fabulous Fabrics and I bought the rest of the roll, about 3m.  This skirt used every last cm! My starting point was Butterick 3134, a great basic pattern to have as it contains a pattern for each of two, three and four gore A-line skirts.  I used the three gore version, without the waistband.  Customising proceeded as follows:  each piece was lengthened and tapered down the left side to a “shark-tooth”point.  To the bottom of each piece was added a huge gathered part-doughnut shaped piece of fabric, skewed with a thicker doughnut width to the high side, narrowing to a lesser width on the low side, to create the ruffled swirly hemline.  The gores were then pieced together.  A silver bemsilk lining was cut using my old standby Vogue 7303, and the edge of the skirt was finished with a fine handkerchief hem. 
 I wore this a lot; it felt so elegant and feminine to wear as it flutters and kicks out with each step.  I tried to show this in the picture by getting an action shot as you can’t capture the breezy beauty of it when its just hanging flat.
Although grey is never my first choice when it comes to choosing colours for my wardrobe, and I really bought this fabric because it was a bargain, it proved to be right on trend as Australia had a love affair with grey that lasted all last summer.  Grey, grey, grey, or alternatively charcoal, stone, cement or putty (these colour descriptions from a friend that works in a very trendy boutique!)  
Why does a country so saturated with sunlight choose the drabbest of colours to garb itself?
Other details:
Camisole and cardigan; Country Road
pinterestmail
Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , , ,
Switch to mobile version
↓