Tag Archives: Cassie

a townhouse dress

08/01/2016 11:19 am \ 33 Comments \

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This new dress is the latest step in my current project to add some architectural whimsy to Cassie’s work wardrobe …. and it was barely off the machine when she wanted to wear it to work straight away, like the next day, meaning today!   I took these pictures before she popped off this morning, looking exactly like this…

I consider that the hugest compliment  🙂

DSC_2700That townhouse print though; it did cause me a wee bit of angst…   how on earth to make it into something that was going to look cute and fun and funky and stylish?  You know with some prints the subject material is absolutely perfect for a person, but the print itself is kinda messy and busy and so has the potential to be disastrous?  It’s one of those prima donna prints, I felt it would look overpowering in a dress with a sleeve, also I knew it would not play nicely with many other colours/prints; likewise any design details like draping or … well anything at all, was OUT.  At first I thought about making a very simple plain sleeveless shift, but still worried that it would look a little naf.

When the idea of a white raglan sleeve occurred to me was an instant kapowww! that this could work out quite cute after all.  The white raglan sleeve lends it that little bit of a fun and sporty vibe and just takes the right amount of edge off the messy print. The sleeve fabric came from an old puffed hem dress *shudder*  which Cassie tossed out.  I’ve kept it because it has a mass of lovely soft ivory jersey fabric in it.

DSC_2724Once the raglan lightbulb had popped up it was all super easy from there… I used my own raglan sleeve Tshirtpattern, that I’d worked out years ago from laying down and drawing around an old Tshirt … in a time when patterns for raglan sleeve Tshirt were non-existent!   Yes, it’s hard to believe now there are tonnes of patterns available everywhere, but for a long time and until quite recently some design features were very difficult to get hold of.  We had to hunt for them, and be creative and innovative and sometimes very devious in order to get what we wanted.  The elusive Raglan Sleeve tee was one such rare beastie.  I think it was often assumed that patterns for basics were something you either had already, or could work it out yourself with no pattern by cutting up an old one.

IMG_8643Collar band, simple folded band done using this method; sleeve and lower edges overlocked, turned up once and stitched on the machine with a twin needle.  All seams stitched and overlocked inside to finish.

Details:

Dress; elongated raglan sleeve tee, body custom fitted to Cassie.  No pattern, townhouse print fabric from Fabulous Fabrics, ivory jersey harvested from an old dress
Shoes; MelissaDSC_2713

 

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village dress, for Cassie

03/01/2016 9:46 pm \ 47 Comments \

DSC_2731It’s taken a while but I’ve finally taken pictures of Cassie wearing the dress I made for her for Christmas!IMG_7763

The fabric is a crepe printed with Cinqueterre-like, or Amalfi-coast-like villages, and we both loved it upon first sight.  I knew at once it would be perfect for her, and make a fun little dress for her to wear to work.  See, she works in an office, but it is a creative field, and apparently most of her female colleagues dress quite fun and funky, more arty than corporate.  And previously she had mentioned in a slightly wistful tone that she was the most conservative dresser in her office.
My Christmas pressie radar immediately perked up.

O reaaaaaally!!!

Fortunately for her, she has a mother who will pick up on even the vaguest of  vague-hints, well, when they’re sewing related that is, not so much other stuff that is.. um, less sewing-related ahem.   Anyway, I’m launching the fun-and-funky-wardrobe goal right here and now.   I sneakily snuck back to Fabulous Fabrics on my own and deviously bought some of the village print… mwahahaha.

DSC_2703btw, it’s faaaaaaar harder to hide Christmas sewing from Cassie than it is the boys! who pay precisely zero attention to whatever I’m mucking about with in the laundry… Cassie is a high probability to go snooping around the stash to periodically pet the fabrics and select stuff for herself.  I had to be SUPER devious to get this made without her twigging as to what was going on… and she was completely surprised!  Yay!!!

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For a pattern, I chose Burdastyle magazine 02/2015, number 107, a little loose, raglan-sleeved, gathered into the neckline, tunic style of dress.  It has inseam side pockets and an elasticised waist that sits up on the hips, allowing extra length above to loosely blouse out over it.  The dress looks adorable when worn by a person, but unfortunately I think it comes across as kind of dumpy on a dummy and, dare I say it, positively heinous on the hanger… prime reason why I decided to wait until she could model it for me herself!  In the meantime it has been a great success; having been washed and worn enthusiastically to work several times already.  There is no greater compliment…!

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The print was aligned crosswise and I laid down the pieces that way too, to have the houses “upright” in the dress.  I found 2m of 150cm wide fabric to be sufficient.  My fabric is quite see-through, so I lined it with ivory poly-crepe, the same fabric I used for my ivory Ruby slip… and I made the necktie in ivory as well.  Actually I first made the necktie in the village-y print but it looked way too busy and a little overpowering so I made another one in ivory and it looks about a thousand times better.  I suggested getting black fabric and making it in black instead but she likes the ivory.

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I have some thoughts on the pattern construction too… skip this bit if you’re not making the pattern since it’s not going to make any sense otherwise…

DSC_2630Although it looks short on the model in the magazine, it didn’t look that short when made up so I removed about 9cm off the bottom to get the same look.   Sleeves are about 2cm shorter.

The way they’re written; the instructions are a touch confusing  since for much of it you’re bouncing back and forth between different construction notes, for style 105 and 106, and to complicate things the neckband of style 105 is very different from that of 107, since it has a collar whereas 107 is collar-less!  and there’s zero mention of the collar-less version in the instructions…  so you sort of have to work it out alone.  I attached the folded neckband to the neckline in one pass, gathered it up inside the seam allowance a little, then overlocked the raw edges along the gathering inside.  This helps pull the neckline in a little tighter, and the necktie does the rest of the work in gathering up that wide neckline.

With the pockets, the instructions have you stitch up the side seams, THEN insert the pockets… well I always do it the other way around, so it was kind of a whaaat? moment for me.  Anyway, gave it a whirl.  It works fine, of course… just thought I’d mention it because it was different…  🙂

I made a size 36, Cassie’s usual size, but in the course of making it I tried it on a  few times, just to check various bits and pieces, and found it worked perfectly well on me too, a size 38. Something to keep in mind if you’re a larger size but only have enough fabric for a smaller size!

Anyway whatever; she loves it, I love it on her I think she looks adorable in it, so the final verdict; a great success!

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Details:

Dress; Burdastyle magazine 02/2015-107 also available here, crepe
Sandals; Sportscraft, mine! I’ve had these for about 10 years or so

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do you Art?

02/10/2015 12:47 pm \ 27 Comments \

Imagine that said in an vehhy posh accent along the lines of “are you being served modom?”…  
Little anecdote; many years ago I took part in a group craft project, and another lady in the group had clear and firm ideas about what we were to produce, and how.  At our first meeting she approached one lady and as a first spoken utterance to her, enquired “do you appliqué?”  

Hehe, that’s neither here nor there obviously, but it’s stuck with me for years and years and still gives me a laugh.  
Man I need to get out more…
Anyway…
skirt!

We bought this novelty print cotton drill from Spotlight a few years ago, and Cassie was supposed to make the skirt herself, but you know.. time goes on, you get busy, life takes over, whatevs, and it eventually falls to your mother who is sick to blinking death of looking at this blasted fabric hanging around, gathering dust and generally taking up precious stash space that could be given over to her own fabrics … gathering dust ahem…
Anyway! time for some interventive action.
I used no pattern but just made it up to fit what she wanted.  She wanted high-waisted, close-fitting at the waist and this length, and for the paintbrushes to be situated exactly so high and for not a single skerrick of print to be hidden or broken up in any darts or shaping.  I cut two rectangles with no shaping, to maintain the print, put in an invisible zip at centre back, and pinned tapered box pleats to fit her waist, each one going straight at first then tapering narrower for the last third to accommodate her hips.  There are four such pleats both front and back.

Pretty easy, once I got going on it!  I added a shaped, interfaced facing, and hand-hemmed.
Done!
The one difficulty; inserting the zip centre back was a teeny bit angsty, because I discovered that the paintbrushes are printed just slightly slanty and off-grain… OF COURSE THEY ARE.

I chose that shortest pencil on the fold to be the “sacrificial” pencil through which to cut the centre back seam, and sewed the seam with as narrow seam allowances as practically possible and as close to the pencil/brush on either side as I could get.  It passes right on each one, touching the very tippy top of the one at left and scraping the very bottom of the one at right.  Phew!

Answer? Yaaas dahhling, we do most certainly Art.

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Cassie’s dark moss-green ball gown

19/09/2015 7:20 am \ 39 Comments \

I thought it might be a good idea to take a few pictures of Cassie wearing one of her own self-made ball gowns, since she has pretty much abandoned her own sewing blog years ago… I’m sure she’ll appreciate that I took a few pictures for her one day in the future!  I’m a wee bit sad that I have absolutely zero pictures of my own creations from when I was younger.

Cassie made this ball gown for herself three years ago,  and wore it for the second time last night when she attended the Australian Chinese Youth Association gala with a group of girlfriends.  These pictures are like a re-enactment, taken the morning after the night before! if you like!
Its first outing was to an Amanda Young Foundation ball, and it was at that time teamed with bright blood-red lipstick and fangs.  Yup, fangs… she was a vampire!  She cut the fangs from fake pinkie nails and stuck them to her teeth with nail glue.  Apparently she had to pull the fangs off before she could have dinner though…  aah, the trials and tribulations of being a vampire.

The top and skirt are deep moss green silk dupion with the bodice back in black lace.  In lieu of a zip at centre back, she made a multi-button band, with 21 closely spaced shank buttons.  To make this, she stitched a folded band of black silk satin for the button side, and hand-stitched button loops using black embroidery floss to the lace on the other side.  All materials from Fabulous Fabrics.

She used a favourite top pattern, Burda 8609 and melded it with the skirt pieces from NewLook 6401.  This is a really gorgeous gown pattern, that she has used once before actually for another different ball gown…. probably I should get her to put that one on for a few pictures too!

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the difficulty of black lace…

27/07/2015 8:51 am \ 28 Comments \

… is in getting it to show up in a picture.  My new skirt looks completely boringly plain in these pictures, which just proves it; the camera does lie!  Actually it has a rather beautiful lace appliquéd tulle overlay.  I guess I just fail at photography.

The appliquéd tulle came from the remnants table at Fabulous Fabrics and is so lovely that I was helpless to resist it when I saw it there.  Then again, I rarely do.  My relationship with the remnants table is somewhat akin to that of a vulture to a carcass, ahem.
Anyway, there’s not much else to say about the skirt except that it is fulfilling a desire for a black lace skirt that I have had for a loooooong time! so it’s kind of funny to me that it’s taken me this long to realise that desire.  I think I’m generally more of a whimsical seamster than a methodical or practical one, although I try very hard to be the latter.
It’s actually a very comfortable skirt.  The appliqued tulle is underlined with a black rayon crepe, a quite heavy and substantial fabric; both fabrics are quite crease-resistant too which also makes it almost… practical? dare I claim that for a lace thing!  🙂  and I lined the skirt with black polyacetate lining fabric.  All fabrics are from Fabulous Fabrics.

I used Vogue 8363, one of my favourite skirt patterns.  I say; “one of the favourites” meaning like top five material, easily.  I’ve just counted and I’ve made eight skirts from it!  not too shabby if I say so myself, not too shabby.  This pattern is a terrific one; with lots of variations and different views.  This skirt is a version that isn’t any one particular view, but I used the pattern pieces that gave me those lovely and very deep, front slanted pockets, an un-pleated one piece front and a back with CB zip.

I aligned the lace motifs to match each other up around the skirt and at the CB seam as best as I could, and used up all of my remnant bar a couple of scraps.  Yay!
I cut the lining using spliced together Vogue 1247, cut longer so it sits just 2.5cm shorter than the skirt.

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 8363 lined, black lace and black rayon crepe, my review of this pattern here
Shirt; Burda 7767 modified, of dk olive linen, details here and my review of this pattern here

Also I have been doing a tiny amount of unselfish sewing… I made a caramel-coloured merino wool top for Cassie, using fabric we bought in Melbourne’s the Fabric Store during our last girly trip away.  I used a pattern that I have custom-fit to Cassie; based upon my own custom-fit Tshirt pattern; itself originally based upon a Burdastyle Tshirt top, the details of my “custom-fitting saga” here.  I thought I had lost my own pattern, which was a pretty heartbreaking state of affairs, but I recently found it again.  I had just stuffed it into the wrong pattern envelope, seems so obvious now but still I could have wept for joy when I discovered it.   I’d been thinking hmmm, really should get onto properly fitting that Tshirt pattern again, but it just seemed insurmountably difficult so I’d kept putting it off.  Plus it’s winter, and too cold for all that, too.
Anyway, I found it!

The Tshirt does look a whole tonne better on an actual person with arms, however its intended person had to suddenly hurry away for an important social engagement and I was too impatient to wait for her to return to perform modelling duties.  It has long sleeves, a scooped neckline finished with a folded band as described in my tutorial here, and with sleeve and hems finished with my twin needle.  There was an awkwardly small piece of merino left over which was too small for anything on its own but too big and too nice a fabric to throw away.  So I cut the ends square and straight and now it is a scarf.
I might borrow the scarf occasionally  😉

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Cassie’s terracotta dress

28/02/2015 9:31 am \ 62 Comments \

I made this belated birthday present for Cassie; we recently went on a girly shopping expedition together for her birthday present and spent hours browsing, looking at pretty things, chatting, having hot chocolate and enjoying ourselves! we had lots of fun but she couldn’t decide on anything that she liked.  Finally I suggested, hesitantly, would she like to go to Fabulous Fabrics to get some fabric of her choice and I could make her a dress of her choosing? and she delighted me by immediately agreeing.  She’s so sweet  🙂  I say “hesitantly”, because while I love to sew things for my family I absolutely do not want to force the products of my sewing on them.  And I often worry that my love of sewing is influencing them to ask for me to make something for them, just to make me happy; if you know what I mean.
Anyway, happily she says she loves the new dress, and plans to wear to work at her office with her black ballet flats as well as sometimes on the weekend with sandals.  The pinky-brick/terracotta viscose from Fabulous Fabrics is a fabric Cassie has loved for “ages” and she chose the dress style based upon one we had seen in Morrison, with some minor design alterations to make it what she wanted in her birthday dress.

The result is quite plain, with its main feature being a wide front tuck emanating from the neckline and disappearing into the body of the dress.  I started out with my standby, plain sheath dress pattern Burda 8511, and rotated out all darts, cut it with an 8cm tuck allowance in the front panel, i.e. an extra 16cm width at the neckline tapering off to nothing by the hemline.  I scooped out and widened the neckline, added inseam side pockets, rouleau belt loops and a long self-fabric sash.  

The side and pocket seams are French seamed, with a hand stitched, narrow hem.

I’m extremely happy with how chic Cassie looks in the new dress  🙂

Details:
Dress; own design, using Burda 8511 as a starting point, terracotta viscose
Shoes; from Hobbs shoe boutique

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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

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Cassie in burnt orange

26/12/2013 7:00 am \ 31 Comments \

I made a little tank dress with a matching top for Cassie… I’m hoping these will be very useful and versatile items in both her working and her weekend wardrobe.  The two pieces can be worn together as a smart/casual ensemble; also either the tank dress OR the loose top can be worn with a pencil skirt and cardigan to work; the tank dress can be worn alone or as a tunic with with jeans as a casual weekend option, or as a petticoat underneath a sheer dress; and the top can be worn with shorts or whatever.  And imho the colour is absolutely glorious with her strawberry blond hair!!

I bought the rich orange cotton-poly mesh from Tessuti’s in Melbourne during our weekend away together, and both pieces are self-drafted.  The tank dress is a pretty simple silhouette; but sewing it together was like an exercise in spatial thinking.  The fabric is completely sheer so I made it double-layered, both layers are completely sewn together before the whole dress was finally pulled right side through a gap in the lower hemline, which was hand slip-stitched closed as the very last thing.  Meaning, all the seams are enclosed between the two dress layers.  I was so pleased when it worked out successfully!  The fabric was lightweight enough that the whole thing could be bunched up and pulled through a 10cm gap quite easily.  The outer layer is 6cm longer than the inner layer, so the joining seam sits on the inside of the dress, 3cm from the lower fold.

below right; the finished dress was pulled right side out through the short gap in the hemline joining seam at lower right, now hand slip-stitched closed,

The top is also self-drafted, and loosely based upon the shape of the pieces in a very simple top that I’ve had for years, designed by a Melbourne company, tutte which seems to be no longer around.  Basically, the front and back panels are straight rectangles, and the side panels and sleeves are cut as one piece each, on the fold at the top of the sleeve/shoulder: like capital T’s with the downstroke as the sleeve.  

I cut the neckline as a gracefully curved scoop, extending and joining the front and back panels at the shoulder, and added double thickness “flaps” at the lower edge of the front and back that enclose the raw edges.  I hand-stitched the side panel lower edges and and sleeve hems in a narrow rolled edge, and finished the neckline with a long strip, stitched on the right side, turned under and hand-stitched around the inside.

Details:
Top and dress; self-drafted, in slightly stretchy cotton-poly mesh.  I think it could be this stuff…

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