Almost there

I worked on the finishing parts of the Burda dress. It is coming along very nice...except when I was ready to press up the hem of the dress....I tripped the breaker in the sewing room. Not good. It was dark. I was home alone. It scared me! I think it was because I had the electric space heater on, the TV, the sewing machine and the vacuum ironing board. I think the ironing board and the heater were pulling too much power. Anyway, I turned everything off, flicked the breaker back on and then turned the light and TV back on in the room. Then I turned the lights back off and stopped for the evening. I'll finish up tomorrow, since it is MLK day and I don't have to go to work. I think the dress will be perfect!

Happy New Year!

I was finally able to get into the sewing room today. I was off work for 11 days and only was able to sew today. I managed to get the banner made for my Sorority (Iota Epsilon chapter of Beta Sigma Phi) so that we can have our ritual on Thursday night.

I also worked on the Burda magazine dress. I have all of it sewed and ready for the handwork to stitch the lining to the zipper, then the sleeves go in and then the hem. I'll post pictures as soon as it is finished which should be this weekend.

I think I'm going to work on a lap quilt next so I won't have to "fit" anything. I need something to do that is just straight stitching.

McCall's 5890

I didn't start the Burda magazine dress yet, but it is all cut out and ready. Instead I sewed McCall's 5890.


I made it from a really nice knit that I bought on a whim at Hancock Fabric's a few weeks ago when I went in there for white satin for a banner project.

I made view D for the dress and view B of the jacket. Previous reviews on PR of this jacket commented that the finish for the hem along the shawl collar were odd because you could see the back side at the bottom of the front edge. So I used a tricot edge, at least that is what my serger book called it. I used a black wholly nylon in the lower looper and regular black thread in both needles and the upper looper. Here is what the edge looks like from the inside of the front edge and this is what it looks like on the outside of the front edge.

I wore this the other day and it is so very comfortable. Here is the whole ensemble as I wore it

Here is just the dress.

I had to do some alterations on the dress because the fullness of the skirt was a little too matronly for my taste. From the picture on the pattern envelope, it doesn't look that full. I cut the size 18 and it fit perfect at the shoulders and bust, but after it was sewn, I ended up tapering about an inch at each side seam at the waist and ending up with about 4 inches at the bottom. Each princess seam was tapered from 1/2" at the waist to about 2 inches at the bottom, to give the dress a more straight skirt look, but with a little flip. I really like the way it turned out.
I can even wear it with a black blazer for a bit of a different look.

The next project WILL be the Burda dress!

PMB blouse is a wadder

Ok, the PMB blouse is junk, trash, garbage! The last blouse I made with the old measurements was a princess seam blouse for the build a better blouse class and it still fits OK, but this new blouse I cut out and had looking so nice, until I tried it on....the darts hit me about 2 inches BELOW the apex! Darn it. So it is garbage.
I took the cashmere/silk fabric to the dry cleaner for shrinkage and have ordered the lining fabric.
I made the muslin on Sunday and it fit PERFECT,
yes PERFECT right from the pattern with NO adjustments at all...I am amazed and can't wait to get started on the fashion fabric. Yeah, Bruda World of Fashion magazine!!!

#2 Stitch and Flip Jacket

I finished the 2nd Stitch and Flip Jacket on Sunday afternoon.

It turned out really nice and it looks great with the knit Talbot's knockoff top that I made. I even have enough fabric for a straight skirt which goes on the list of projects to do.
Next on the list is a PMB blouse that is layed out and ready for me to cut out. Then the muslin needs to be made for the Burda dress. Those are the only 2 projects that I'm going to even THINK about doing for the near future.

I AM special!!

I am the....are your ready for this?? I am the "Featured Member" on Pattern Review today!!! Woo Hoo!!! Take a look on www.patternreview.com ad see me as the "featured member"...only today (Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009)...after that is is gone!!
Thanks Susan for letting me know.

Back in the sewing room!

I went back in the sewing room today. I washed an aqua pima cotton shirting fabric for a blouse and I printed off the pattern for the blouse from the PMB software. I also traced the pattern from the Burda World of Fashion magazine from October 2009 for the dress that I will make with the cashmere/silk fabric. Hope to get back in there tomorrow evening!