Fabric and Vintage Style Ready - Check

Sometimes find a bargain and other times you find a real bargain.  I'm sure you've guessed by now that this is what happened to me and you'd be exactly right. 

Well the vintage style is almost always ready but this time the fabric was ready for a long time before I decided what to do with it.

The fabric in question is a black yellow and white madras check lightweight taffeta purchased from one of my fave fabric bargain shops, somewhere on Kalamiotou, Athens.  It was a last minute purchase and and on at the princely sum of 2 euros per metre - so I took 3 metres.

It sat for many months in the stash until I realised I needed a new dress for The Pinup Picnic in the Park,  a wonderfully English summer occasion organised by the The British Belles last June. 

As I'd been going full steam ahead on my self drafted strapless bodice I decided to use the taffeta in the same style with a full skirt for a vintage halter neck swing dress.  

It's a good job this fabric came in at a bargain, not because I fouled up, but cos it was a mare to sew, with a high  frayage factor. Add to this the tissue weight lightness and it wasn't the easiest of makes.  

Being the sewing soldier that I am, I trundled on and it was a good job I'd had experience with my pattern which meant there were no nasty surprises.

I think the end result looks pretty passable, even if I didn't line up those little checky guys!

So off I went on a flaming hot day in June up to Marble Arch where I met up with a gaggle of vintage goodness including the delightful Miss Amy May of Miss Amy May  pinup fashion and style expert. Lots of me mades there. We had such a wonderful picnic.

I met some fabulously wonderful vintage loving ladies and we were so lucky with the sunshine, I'm it was the hottest day of the year and most of us ended up trying to find some shade.

As you can see, everyone got in the party  mood. 

I'm not sure how many times I'll get to wear this dress, however, at 6 euros, I'm not counting the cost per wear.  It was just nice to do another version of my self draft in a different fabric.  

So, what to take from my post .......

You can take one pattern and make it in many different fabrics and you'll truly get a different garment every time.  So..... Give it a go.... Self draft or ready made pattern, one way or another you'll get some success. 

Details

Fabric:  3 metres of 150cm wide taffeta at 2 euros per metre from Athens. 

1/2 metre lining

Zipper 

Get going.... 

Happy sewing 

Linda xx

  

Flutter By in Yellow

Sometimes you just find the perfect fabric.  Then you realise it's not gong to be that easy to work with. What's a seamstress to do?

Well this fabric find was from my local and l loved it so much that, after buying it in yellow, I went back for more and bought a length in fuschia.  It even got its own feature in Issue 18 of Love Sewing magazine.

So, nuts and bolts - the pattern I used.......

After some not insignificant amount of time spent thumbing through my vast pile of Burdas and Patrones I settled on Burda January 2014 pattern 108. 

The light to medium weight of this manmade fabric, coupled with the drapeyness, called for something that would show off its qualities. 

The most interesting aspect of this pattern is the shape of the pieces whereby the back folded around towards the front to form a batwing sleeve. I'd never worked with this pattern shape before and it was fine whilst I could play around with the fabric on the floor - the challenge was when I picked it up to sew the folds together.  Think draped origami and you get the picture.

After a not inconsiderable amount of folding, unfolding and re-folding I managed to get the pieces in alignment.  I actually did this inside out, i.e. right side to right side, as the fabric has a "high frayage" factor so I wanted to french seam them - indeed, I love a sewing challenge.

The main body of the top complete, it was time to attach the hem band and, joy of joys, no hemming of this seriously slippery fabric as the band is folded in half - more origami - and then slip stitched to the main body.

All in all, not an over long make, and and I felt well worth it to have something a little more unusual in my wardrobe.  It also turned out to be a useful travel wardrobe addition - not only because of the non crease fabric but also because it's so light and airy to wear typically in a hot climate, as evidenced below during a fabric shopping spree in Italy. 

Now to find a further suitable pattern for the pink variation of this cloth that I bought.

I love to style this garment in an oriental fashion, hence  the hair chopsticks, and it's also versatile enough to dress up or down, feeling equally at  home with a pencil skirt or jeans.

You can also read a write up of this pattern in issue 19 of Love Sewing Magazine as it was one of my Pattern Picks.

If you fancy something a little different, give it a go.  The pattern is available for download from the Burda website.

Difficulty rating - you need some sewing experience and patience to figure the folding. 

1 metre of 150cm width fabric, the drapier the better.

Happy sewing.

Linda x

Greece is the Word

Another country, another fabric haul.   A slightly different blog post this time to give you a flavour of Greece and the beautiful island of Karpathos.

After a long summer full of hard work a September break was just the ticket for a tired dressmaker and I was really looking forward to dipping my toes in the sun warmed Aegean Sea and chomping some fabulous Greek food.

Lefkos Beach - clear and shallow waters - perfect for families

Our destination was Karpathos, reached via little flight from Athens (or a 9 hour ferry journey if you have a the time).  Karpathos, unlike it's bigger neighbours, Rhodes and Crete, is very untouristed and is perfect for relaxation.  The mountainous scenery is very dramatic and the beaches or even populated areas contain very little if at all, in the way of bars and music.  Activities centre around beach lazing and taverna eating yummy Greek food.

Achata Beach - pebbly with crystal water

Accommodation and car hire is priced moderately and we made the most of exploring a different beach each day. The one above had one small taverna - enough for lunch, and beautiful clear deep water for swimming.

Appella beach just had to be my favourite and is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean - something I can vouch for.  The road to reach this secluded paradise beach was hairy, requiring concentration for the hairpin bends and sheer cliff drops but was more than well worth it.

Glaros beach is breezy and has nice waves and a taverna with rooms of the same name where you can feast on the best Greek food.  I managed to wear my old me made strapless dress this day.

 

This shop in the main town, Pigadia, was a cute find and I did a bit of shopping at 10.00 pm on the day I was there.  It's a knitter's dream.

Popi's Studios in Arkasa where we stayed had an interesting car park entrance and great studio accommodation at a very reasonable price.

So, after our days of relaxation it was time to hit Athens for a spot of retail therapy.

Obviously, yours truly headed to the fabric quarter which can be found just off the main shopping street (Ermou) in a little road called Kalamioutou.

There's easily about 15 shops there with varying fabrics and something for every pocket.  It was kind of difficult to control myself but I managed quite well, only netting about 9 pieces of cloth in varying sizes for about 85 euros.

Said cloth

The yellow check taffeta was an astonishing 2 euros per metre so I bought 3 metres for a vintage style dress.  In the top right hand corner is some gorgeous Japanese style stretch cotton and my other favourite is bottom right, a heavy cream shaded wool with gold slub - perfect for a winter skirt.  The most expensive was the copper brocade at 18 euros per metre so this concoction will have to be thought about wisely before cutting ensues.  Mr P even gained 2.3 metres of striped brown wool for some 1940s trousers.

Yes, Athens definitely has a slice of fabric heaven.

So many rolls!  fortunately for Mr P there are lots of lovely little bars and, when you do get hungry, restaurants nearby so fabric shopping to your heart's delight if you're with your non-sewing other half, if definitely a possibility!

 

Karpathos resident

This shop in Ermou Street had a mind blowing amount of buttons.

Well methinks now I have a respectable amount of fabric to see me through winter sewing days, but have already booked next year's flight so that I can stock up on fabrics and have more Greek Island relaxation.  Who knows what material goodies will be on offer next year.

A final 2014 memory of Greece to keep me going through the winter months.

Happy sewing

Linda x

Butterick Retro Dress - 6582

Before I review my most current finished project I have a couple of things to mention.

First off I'm surprised to find I've been nominated for the Versatile Blogger award by Kychristine. How lovely, - I still can't think my blog is that interesting  to other sewists out there, but thank you very much Kychristine.  Of course I'll try to re-nominate other bloggers but squeezing this into my busy schedule may take a little time.  In the meantime pop over and take a look at Kychristine's blog - she has some fun stuff there and of course, you can see all the other nominated bloggers.

Secondly, I've put myself up for the Vintage Sewing Pattern Challenge as organised by A Stitching Odyssey, where the challenge is to make five vintage (or vintage style) garments before end of the year. Luckily my first vintage style dress was in the making when I found this blog post so I had a head start on myself.



I think it was seeing all the other vintage makes by talented dressmakers that spurred me to on try a bit of vintage myself.  That and the Mad Men Challenge by Julia Bobbin.  I'm definitely a sucker for a bit of a wiggle dress and a pair of kitten heels and already had a dress shape in mind when I went for a forage at Walthamstow Market back in May. 



What I found was some duck egg soft cotton satin that, on the roll, definitely had a look of wallpaper. At only £2 a yard it was a steal and I only needed 2 yards for what I had in mind.

 View A was the dress of choice this time

It had been ages since I used a commercial pattern.  I'm so used to my trusty Burda and Patrones and the way they work with my greaseproof paper trace-outs.  I thought the pattern pieces would fly away, they felt so delicate.  Hence cutting out took a little long than usual and with the front of the dress being asymmetric more room and concentration was needed too.

Construction was of intermediate difficulty with the challenging part being sewing the left bodice front as 4 layers.  Understitching was used to keep the neckline tidy and the facings were attached as per a sleeveless lining and then handstitched at the shoulder opening.

Not being one for making toiles -(something else I must get to grips with!) I stitched it straight from the pattern pieces and ended up taking in the dress at the side seams and darts and, my, did it take a fair bit of tweaking,  mostly at the darts.  It came up a bit large in the back and Mr P had to get handy with the pins to fix the darts and take in the zip at the back.

Once all the amendments were done a try on saw a good fit but then, horrors!  I decided to photograph my dress mid make and realised that the upper left front was cut from a piece of discoloured fabric. Ouch!

How did I not notice that?  

I realised a lot unpicking would be required to remove the offending bodice piece and, at that point, lost my mojo to complete the dress and it lay, unloved, consigned to the sewing cupboard, as an unfinished item. 

Three weeks later, and being spurred on by a dinner date, I decided to tackle the mishap and, once the dreary unpicking was done, had a new bodice in in double-quick time.

The remainder of the sewing went without incident and to finish I added bows, as per the pattern, on the shoulder 

I'm wasn't totally convinced about the shoulder bows as they seem a bit rigid, but they were press-studded on and I've now removed them and will make a lingerie guard type addition, but one that I can remove and press stud the bows to so I can wear it without if desired. I may also make new bows so they don't look quite so "boardy.  Also if I made this dress again the other thing I'd do is put a lining in, especially with such a soft fabric as I think that addition would give it a better hang.

The dress on it's dinner date 

All in all, I was pleased with my first attempt at vintage and will probably be using my Butterick 6582 at some point again, though probably with a full skirt next time

If you'd like to check out the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge there's a Pinterest Board here so you can keep up with the vintage makes.

If you're near Brighton the Scicilian restaurant visited by me and the dress is Mediterraneo Deli - very intimate with all home cooked food and tons of ambience.

Finally:

Ease factor:  Intermediate. 5 out of 10.  Some experience needed here.
Cost:  Bargain 2 yards at £2 per yard from Walthanstowe Market, but obviously seconds so if you buy from the man outside Sainsbury's, it's good value but check the print to make sure you have enough good fabric.

Have you sewed any vintage?  I'd love to know.

Happy sewing.

Linda x

A Little Sewing Skirt and Mini Giveaway

After finishing the second "Lyndsey" dress and almost finishing my 50s inspired wiggle dress this last weekend I ended up staring hard at my fabric box and thumbing through pattern books waiting for the right inspiration to strike.

Eventually I got a tap on the shoulder as opposed to a thunderbolt and decided to make one of my "on the list" from recently purchased Patrones - a wrapover skirt with pockets and tie front as seen here, number 16.

I chose some fabric purchased from Fabricland in Brighton, originally for a dress but deciding it would look good as a skirt as I have some khaki separates that would go extremely well with it.  That and I just couldn't resist the cute print!

Making up was easy peasy, sew pockets in, add gathers, sew side seams and then add on the waistband which I cut on the bias to give a slightly different angle to the way the fabric looked.  I still needed a little more of a challenge than simply sewing on the waistband and so, after a further rummage, picked out some cobalt blue satin to make some piping and pick up the colours in the fabric pattern.  This simple addition adds to the garment and defines the waistband from the rest of the skirt.

Oops, must remove that tailor's chalk mark

A large vintage button and a couple ties finished off the skirt and, to save my blushes, I quickly squeaked out a lace underskirt - a simple tube with one french seam at the back, an elasticated waist and a scalloped edge.

To save topstitching showing (and also having to sew around a curve) I decided to finish the hem with a 4 cm self facing which I traced off the main pattern as a separate pattern piece.



Thank goodness for the lace underskirt - bit breezy on Blackheath Common

Completed on Thursday night, Friday saw me showing off my new make for lunch at Blackheath in London. Hmmm, lunch in London seems to be becoming a bit of a post sewing habit.

So, now to the giveaway which is the skirt pattern and a remnant of the fabric used.

The double part of the remant (i.e. 150cm wide) is 60 cm in length with the total length being about a metre.  It's a standard poly cotton mix, enough for a small strappy top or maybe if, like me, you like to mix up fabrics, you can use this with another fabric.  See my Hello Flower dress here for ideas.  The skirt pattern is european size 40 and this is what you will get, although as it's a wrapover, this can easily be adapted.  Also the instructions are in Spanish so I don't usually use them.  If you read Spanish that's fine but if not,  it's not tricky to put together if you have some experience.

If you'd like to win (either the pattern, the fabric or both) just drop me a comment at the end of this post and the winner will be chosen at random on Friday 18 May. Please remember to include a link so that I can contact you.

P.S.  Edition of Patrones not included - I haven't finished making stuff from it yet!!!

Now the basics:-
Ease factor:  Straightforward, nothing to confuse here (I really must challenge myself!)
Cost:  Approx £3.60 per metre and I used about 2 metres with some leftover as you can see.

OK, another post wrapped up........

Happy sewing

Linda x

Patrones Extra Number 38 - an Overview

Ola!  I used to buy Patrones on a regular basis, even taking out a subscription from their Barcelona headquarters for my monthly fix - emails were fun!

Then, around 2009, in my opinion, the content got a bit iffy and they changed the pattern instruction layout so I didn't bother to renew my subscription and thought I'd just purchase on an ad hoc basis. Tho not available on the high street (except in Spain of course) there are a couple of places on the web where you can get Patrones if you Google around.  Now, joy of joys, Patrones seems to have got its act together again  and on my recent trip to the land of tapas I managed to find no 38, made over to it's old style and containing within its pages the most beautiful patterns.

Feminine delicate frills adorn the first section.  I have to admit to being a real frill fan and am currently working on a floaty georgette top full of frills to be unveiled soon, but more of that later. So this skirt is really cute and looks like an anytime addition to a sunny day wardrobe.  First thoughts are "what's in my fabric stash I can use for this baby?"

Moving swiftly on,  a big grin ensued when I turned the page and found this beaut with nice button detail and, as I'm an 80s kind of girl and I love boat necklines too, this has to be a future make.

Swoon!  This skirt is effortlessly chic and, although I don't have those pins, (actually I have a few hundred pins),  I love the pockets and tie and I thought a little modification in the form of a lace underlining/skirt may save my un- model like legs from overexposure. 

Apologies for the blurriness - maybe it was the excitement at seeing that this gorgeous dress could be mine if I can find the right fabric that set my hands a-tremble.  Just loving the drape on this style.

Finally for this overview,  a quirky little suit with cute back detail that just calls out for some winter type fabric, maybe a nice boucle or something with a close weave so that the seams can take all that sitting/standing/movement.

All this for the princely sum of 4.95 euros - you lucky Spanish seamstresses!

 

Happy sewing

 

Linda x