Upcycle: A retro dress from a thrift store curtain - V8789

This dress was a curtain in a former life.  Now it is Vogue 8789.

Lately,  I've been reading blog posts about upcycling and refashioning.  These are creative people who take a horrible dresses and make something great.  A great example is Nout from Sandpaper Kisses.  She says she doesn't sew, but I don't think the evidence supports her claim.  This is her amazing dress transformation.

Picture from Sandpaperkissesblog.wordpress.com

She is completely adorable and this dress is so cute!  (Check out her blog) It made me want to run out and do the same thing.

So I went to the thrift store and tried to find something to remake.  I had a hard time. Don't get me wrong, I found lots of horrible clothes, but I must lack the ability to see the diamond in the rough.  I found myself in the curtain section and saw a panel with pretty stripes for only $3.99.  I bought it and made a dress. Which I am not sure even counts towards my refashion goal since essentially all I did was buy fabric and make clothes, which is exactly what I usually do and didn't require any great vision.  I'm baby stepping into this whole refashion thing.

I sewed view A of Vogue 8789 with one modification.

Gathered skirts never look good on me. Ever.  They just end up looking bulky and hide my waist.  Since my hips are wide and my booty expansive, that ends up being all you can see.  No bueno.

Instead, I used the Dirndl skirt pattern from Burda (the same one I used for the Bombshell dress) and I can't seem to find it on the Burda site any more or I would include a link.  However, it is a 3/4 skirt that is not gathered or pleated at all.

Using the limited amount of fabric (one curtain panel) and matching the stripes was a challenge.

 Here is the back of the dress.

For the belt, I covered a bit of elastic with fabric and used eyehooks for closures.  The dress is fully lined in a white cotton fabric because the curtain material is quite thin and made of polyester and the cotton is nice next to my skin.  The zipper is an invisible zipper with the lining hand-sewn onto it on the inside.

Final Details:
Dress Fabric: 3.99
Cotton Muslin Lining: 12.00
Zipper: $3.00
Elastic from another project -0-
Eyehooks from another project -0-
Total: About $19.00 USD

V8944: The Unintentional Logan's Run Dress

After a bit of a holiday break, I got back into the swing of sewing with an easy little pattern - V8944.  While I am more drawn to retro dresses, I still need to make things that are more practical for work.  Here is the result.  Which I was mostly pleased with because it is really, really comfortable and really roomy.  So, I wore it to work.

That is where the trouble started.  I walked in the office and my boss said that the dress looked like the uniform they wear in Logan's Run. Oh.  My.  He has a point, but that news is less than awesome. 

I probably should have chosen three colors like the pattern cover. One thing is clear - I can't imagine I will wear this dress again. 

But my boss' comment isn't actually the only issue with this dress.  I had to wear a cardigan with it because the back gapes at the neckline.  It is actually worse than the photo shows. I have never had a dress do that.  If I were going to fix it, I would have to put in shoulder darts to correct the issue, which would require me to take apart the fully self-lined bodice.  I am just not going to do it for what turned out to be a Logan's Run costume.

I'll put this in the "mishap" file.  It was nice to be sewing again, but for my next project I'll make a dress I have made before and I know fits really well.  I need a surefire win and this isn't it. On the up side, if I want to make a Halloween costume with a movie theme, I already have a perfect pattern.

Vogue 2960 and Fun with Photoshop

Here is Vogue 2960 in a floral polished cotton.  It is fully lined in a polyester/silky black lining.    Here I am in a Paris street frolicking in my retro dress and heels.

Here is the back of the dress where I am still in the same sunny street in Paris.  Sort of.  The photo was actually taken in what used to be our spare bedroom in front of a green screen.

I have been looking at all of the lovely pictures people from exotic places take of them in their dresses, so I thought I would try my hand at photoshop to put myself somewhere nicer.  I actually live in Phoenix (where it is currently 348 degrees F in the shade) in a house on a lot with no back yard to speak of and even if it were cool enough to take photos, the best I could do is our dead garden for a backdrop.  We don't start planting until the end of October when it cools off, which is no good for photos

Here is the pattern cover for Vogue 2960.

I made this dress before - it was two years ago when I first started sewing.  I remember spending weeks on it and in the end it didn't fit right, it didn't look good and the inside was an utter mess.  I was so frustrated by the bound button holes.

This time went much better! Here are the bound button holes.  They aren't perfect, but I am happy with them.

Here is the inside of the dress.  I still had some issues with getting the button holes straight (let alone the bound part), but this version is so much nicer.  I still think that the instructions for this dress are confusing.  No wonder this didn't turn out when I tried to sew it.  You really have to already know how to do these techniques to understand the instructions.

I was going to sew some horsehair in the hem, but the cotton is so stiff I just ended up folding the hem over twice.  I serged the bottom of the lining. It took about a day and a half to make.
Details:
6 yards of polished cotton from SAS: 24.00
5 yards of black lining from fabric.com: 5.00
Buttons from JoAnns: 3.00
Total: $32.00
Here is what it actually looked like when we took the photos for this dress.

...and one more photo of the dress in a place I have never been.

Vogue 1353 in Gingham

I have seen some good reviews for Vogue 1353 recently and thought I would give it a try.  I have had some so-so dress successes lately.  Which have resulted in a finished dress in my closet that I don't wear. Out of the last 4 dresses, 3 have been full-on MEH.  Here is the finished dress.  I like it and I have actually worn it to work.  Yay!  None of the last four have made it out of the house.

Even the back is nice. I put a purchased elastic belt with the dress and I think it really finishes it off nicely.

Here is the picture on the pattern, which brings me to my only real beef with this pattern.  Look at how thin this model is. Seriously.  Let your eyes wander to my photo.  Then to hers.  Then to mine.  Now to hers.  I want to take her home and feed her.  She looks like she would have to gain 20 pounds to be normal weight.  Why do we keep letting ourselves be told that this poor, malnourished thing is what we should be striving towards?

The Details:

• Fabric: cotton gingham on sale for about 4.00 a yard (3 yards).  Total cost was under $20.00.  The lining was super-cheap and something I had on-hand in a white poplin.
• Zipper: the pattern calls for an invisible zipper, but I put in a lapped zipper because I would have had to go to the store and deal with the OUTSIDE.  Not into it.  Voilà.  Lapped it is. There is a great free tutorial on it on Craftsy. Craftsy Mastering Zipper Techniques Class
• Facings: The pattern called for a facing on the hems of both the lining and the dress.  I didn't put them in.  I just turned the hem on the skirt twice and serged the lining edge.  I actually made it a lot shorter than the skirt... I didn't have much lining fabric and didn't want to buy any more.  
• Length: I made this just past my knees.  The pattern has it just above, but that length doesn't look good on me.

Here is the lapped zipper... and the matching (sort of) stripes.  With the pleats, it was impossible to match the stripes vertically, but I did my best horizontally.   It was the first time I tried to match stripes or plaids.

 

Vogue 2903 in Blue

Is there any polite way to tell someone sitting next to you in a meeting that they are truly driving you nuts with their gum chewing and popping?  I recently pondered it for 60 excruciating minutes in a row.  The only thing that came close was a joke like, "Wow, you are really chewing the hell out of that gum, aren't you?"  Yes, indeedy, THAT was the closest thing to polite I could think of.  Luckily, it didn't make it past my filter.   So, I made a dress.

This is Vogue 2903.  I made it before for a costume for a redneck-themed party and I really loved the fit.  It was in a stretch camoflage fabric.  This time I sewed it in a cotton blend.  I am not sure what the fiber content was.  It was $1.00 a yard, so the cost of the dress was about $5.00.  I was thrilled to find it.  It is a nice weight and I didn't have to line it.

 Here is the pattern picture.  I ended up making a sleeveless version.  I made some bias tape to wrap around the armholes instead of the sleeves.

 Last time I made it, I didn't put in the pleats - partly because I didn't have a lot of time to finish the dress, partly because the instructions for them confused me.  Here is a pleat.

 Here is the pleat from the back, all ironed in place.

 The trick was just to sew a line straight from the seam and then iron it.  I spent a long time trying to figure that out. In the end, I am not sure if I like the pleats in the dress.  I like the flowy look in the previous version I did.  This one doesn't have that same quality.

 The main issue with this dress was my sewing machine.  This is what the sewing machine was doing to the outside of the (very visible) stitching.  The tension looks off, but nothing I did to adjust it seemed to work predictably.

 And inside (on the underside of the stitching line when I was sewing) was even more of a mess.

I took out some stitching several times until the sewing machine acted right.  So, my question is: what issue is this?  I adjusted the stitch length, the tension... what issue is this?  Is it just time to get a better machine?  Has anyone else experienced this?

V2903 - Retro in Camouflage

I had an event to dress up for that had a Redneck/Camo theme and since I don't miss many opportunities to walk around with big hair and lots of makeup, I did it 50's style.   Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures taken when my hair was big and rockabilly, but I did get pictures of the dress, made from Vogue 2903.

This is the original pattern.

V2903 Pattern

I meant the dress to be a joke.  It is 50's.... and camouflage. But the thing is, I REALLY love this pattern. It is super figure flattering.  I don't have nearly as nice of a figure as it looks like in this dress.  Which everybody knows is the sign of a good dress.

One thing I changed was the pleats.  In the pattern, there are large pleats in the skirt section.  I started to make them with the knit and it was a complete fail.  I ended up skipping it entirely and the way the fabric falls, it almost looks like they are there, anyway.

I used a stretch knit for the fabric, so although the pattern has a zipper down the back, I skipped it.  It easily fits over my shoulders without having to fuss with a zipper installation.

I also got to make a size that didn't include and much ease.  I love that about knits.  A close fit AND the ability to breathe.

On the bottom of the skirt, I just used a serger and didn't hem it.  I figured hemming was too much for a redneck theme.  And it is handy since it is my least favorite part of making the dress.  Does anyone like hemming?  It always seems like a tedious detail after you have done all of the fun work.

Hems - the redneck way

Bottom line: I am going to make this again in a different fabric.  Maybe even another knit.  I'd like a dress I can wear in public without being stared at so much (for all the wrong reasons).  

Halloween Costume: Star Wars Sabe Decoy - Part 1

Sabe Battle Decoy, Episode One

This year for Halloween, I am making my own Star Wars costume.  I am going with the battle costume worn by Sabe, the decoy in Episode One. 

I am making the red dress first, then doing the overcoat/vest after.  It looks like it is attached at the sleeves, so I will do that, but otherwise leave it unattached for the rest of the dress, relying in the belt to hold it together.

FABRIC

For the fabric, I went to a discount upholstery store and got 5 yards for of red polyester fabric that looks somewhere between raw silk (it is not) and some kind of shimmer.  I got one yard of the same fabric in black for the v-neck.





 PATTERN

I tried to look for a kimono pattern, but didn't end up finding much. I ended up doing a combination of two different patterns.  I started with the bodice from Vogue 8789 (view A) and modified it slightly.  It isn't a kimono style, but it has a v-neck in the pattern and that was close enough for me since it meant that I don't have to buy a pattern since this one is in my stash.  I made the following modifications:

• The back of the bodice on the pattern had the v-neck on the back, as well, but I rounded that out so there is no v-neck in back.
• I made a bias out of the black fabric and finished the  v-neck on the front and back
• I took out the back darts, since I wanted a less fitted look at the waist

Burda 12/2011 V-neck Blouse

I used skirt from Burda Style 12/2011 V-neck Blouse #106.  The pattern includes a modification to make the shirt into a dress and has the pleat in front that I am looking for.  I didn't use the top of the blouse because I didn't want to deal with the band around the lower bodice.  I knew I would have to lengthen the bodice and get rid of the band, so it was easier just to use the Vogue.

Plus, two more issues.... I didn't like the pleats on the front (and it has many more on the back) and the instructions were terrible. I just didn't want to put in that much work on a pattern I was going to cover up with a black v-neck.

I like that it has puffy sleeves that should work nicely if I don't add the cuff.

 Here is the dress so far without the sleeves.  I am happy with the pleat in the skirt and I think the v-neck is close enough for me.

Sabe Costume Part 1  Dress
Sabe Costume Part 2  Vest
Sabe Costume Part 3 Headdress
Sabe Costume Part 4 Headdress
Sabe Costume Part 5 All Together Now

Vogue 1158: A Grey Disaster

What a disaster!  I truly dislike how this dress turned out.  This is V1158 from Vogue. It looks so nice on the pattern cover, but I did not have the same lovely results.

There are a few things wrong with this dress:

1.  The armholes are so large.  I would be really worried about potential side breast escape. This is especially bad because the back is so low that your choices of bras is really limited. 
2. The pleats in the bodice make little breast pouches that are entirely unflattering.  The girls look like little crab apples in there.  It is actually worse in person than this photo.  And the photo is bad.
3. With the fabric I picked out, it looks like a prison uniform. 

On further inspection, I think the model on the pattern cover is obviously smiling stiffly because if she moves in any direction, her breasts may fall out of the over-sized armholes or the center since the photo does not show the little cleavage barrier that is included with the pattern.

This is a little crooked

Things I admit to:

• I picked out the wrong fabric.  This is a stretch cotton, but this dress is clearly for a thinner more floaty fabric.  While I am admitting things, it even says so on the back of the pattern.  The bodice would probably be more flattering if the fabric were different. (but those armholes would be just as big, so that would still be an issue.
• I sewed the little piece in the front on crooked.   Since documenting dressmaking and not just posting dirty pictures of myself was the goal, I wanted to get this sewed on for the pictures.  I did it too quickly and it is crooked.

Unfinished zipper and left armhole.

• I didn't finish the left armhole or put in the left bias tape around the armhole. I didn't believe it would improve the dress, so I stopped sewing.

• I made the bias tape twice as wide as the pattern called for.  It may have changed the look a little towards the "correctional facility uniform" end of the spectrum.  When I sewed it the width the pattern called for, it looked way narrower than the picture on the cover, so I made it wider. 

Added length to the skirt with tissue paper extension.

• I changed the length on the dress and added 5 inches.  I know, I know, you shouldn't add more than 3.75 inches to any skirt because it will distort and be generally wonky. I thought I was more clever and knew better.  I knew it was going to get wider at the bottom, but since I am used to sewing full circle skirts with the 50's dresses, the extra wideness wasn't really a concern.  
• I didn't finish the belt.  Phwaw.  

Some cool things about this mess:

• French seams.  This pattern called for French seams and I learned how to do them. These are really easy and look great.  I still think I will use my serger for some dresses, but for a slippery fabric (like this dress is supposed to be made of), this is a great and easy technique.

• Bias binding.  The pattern had bias tape on the bodice edges and I really like it.  I am putting it on a little backwards in this photo, since you should sew it to the right side of the fabric, then bend it round to the back, but even with doing it backwards, it STILL looked great. I love this stuff!
  

Conclusion: I really do like the skirt of this dress.  I like how the stripes are cut on the bias and meet in the middle back and middle front in V shapes.  I am going to find a bodice from a different dress and  attach the skirt, hemmed just below the knee, which will minimize my over-lengthening.  I'll save this dress - stay tuned!