Project Runway recap: spoiler alert!

Sometimes I'm mad at the designers, sometimes at the show. This week, I'm mad at the show. They KNOW that everyone sucks at menswear (and why?? don't people practice before they go on this show??) and they still give them one day for this challenge. I think the producers thought they were giving everyone a break by only requiring three looks from 4 people, but it didn't work out that way. These clothes were bad, bad, bad.

Proving once again that I know nothing about anything, I initially thought the losing team would work well together, at least aesthetically. But once the challenge was revealed, and the women ran over Richard, I was sad. He had a right to be annoyed that they initially were so dismissive of him, but then later needed his help for everything (although, he'd never made a man's shirt?? I guess he doesn't design for himself??).

Both teams played it way too safe. I think everyone was so scared of menswear that they had no courage to try anything interesting (with the exception of Michelle). So what if Richard's ideas were "too Vegas," isn't that where strippers work? I wouldn't know, I've never been. My husband went last year on a business trip, I'll ask him ; )

At first I liked Layana, but I'm really starting to sour on her. She's so mean to everyone, but somehow people like Stanley want to help her when they're on different teams. She's racking up some bad karma and I can't help but think it will catch up to her.

Runway and the judging was only entertaining because of how much everyone was laughing. That was honestly one of the worst runway shows ever, even with manly men to spice it up. Nina crying from laughing so hard was certainly something I never thought I'd see. Did you hear that Heidi is a new judge for America's Got Talent? I think we saw some of that mean, disparaging Heidi that we'll see on that show. I would hate to be judged by her, for anything!! She's scary.

I'm sorry to see Amanda go, but I think she realized her time was up. It's nice to see the contestants leave so graciously this year.

Happy St. Patrick's Day this weekend, if you're into that sort of thing. My household will be busy watching the Big Ten Tournament (for you non-sports people, that's basketball haha). Happy weekend!

Sewing Project: The Madison Dress

Posting a little early today because AB has her first dentist appointment. Wish us luck!

On my to-do list for February was to draft a pattern for an A-line, sleeveless dress for AB. She had a few RTW versions that I wanted to copy. A while back, I blogged about The Ashley Dress from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. It just so happens that this shop carries a pattern exactly like what I wanted for AB, and in February it went on sale for 50% off ("like" her on Facebook and you'll be alerted to Thrifty Thursday sales!). I figured that a $4 pattern was certainly worth it (especially since it's multi-sized!) and I could spare myself the trial and error of drafting my own pattern.

The Madison Dress

This pattern is crazy fast to make. The size pictured is 18 month, and it takes very little fabric. It can be made with wovens or knits, though in both of my versions I used a woven for the neckband (to provide stability for the buttons and buttonholes) and a knit for the bodice. Continuing with my current trend, I made a wearable muslin first (the blue dress on the left) before cutting into anything special.

The flaws you see in this photo are real, they aren't just a trick of the camera! There are two snaps on the shoulders (one on each side) and on this version, they're terribly off-centered. I think a combination of mistakes led to this issue. First, there is no button placement on the pattern. I can understand why, because the limitless options for buttons/snaps are part of the charm of this design. However, I amended my pattern and used a hole punch to place a mark where I think the button should go. That way it will be consistent.

The second problem is that there aren't any markings for where the bodice should be inserted into the neckband. The instructions have you gather it and then slide it between the neckband layers. I amended my pattern to have a mark under the arm for how much of the bodice should slide into the neckband. Still, it needs to be double-checked on the fly, because you have to make sure your underarm seams hang at the same level.

The fabric choices for this wearable muslin are kind of silly. I have a bunch of the dotted fabric left over from making an infinity dress last summer. Both fabrics for the neckband are flannel pieces leftover from making cloth wipes. I just wanted to use what I had to test the pattern, so I could move on to...

...this happy version! I. love. this. dress. I hope the pictures do it justice, because it is just the sweetest darn thing. When I saw this jersey over at Girl Charlee, I had to have some for AB clothes. It's so retro and cute. Aaaaaand they don't have it anymore, so I must not have been the only one who fell in love.

I had been searching for the perfect quilting cotton for the neckband, and couldn't pick anything out. I didn't want it to be too plain (just yellow or just orange) but matching up patterns is a skill I'm not totally comfortable with yet. And then I found the most perfect fabric, hiding right in my stash.

This is from a fat quarter that I bought at Jo-Ann's a million years ago, before I even had a sewing machine. I purchased it to cover a cork board. I ended up scrapping the project because the cork was too thin to pin into (whomp whomp). But, I had enough left over to make the neckband, and it looks darling. The yellows are almost identical, the patterns are similar but not matchy-matchy (both incorporate circle shapes and leaves/vines) and the secondary color on the neckband is a neutral so it doesn't compete. Score!

Marking the buttonhole placement turned out to be a great idea. I love the detailing on this button, and I was soooo happy my machine gave me no trouble with the buttonholes (two thin layers of cotton seem to be its preference!). I did not use interfacing, but I think you easily could if you wanted more stability for some reason.

The instructions have you bind the armholes, but I was feeling antsy and just decided to use a ribbon facing. It's not spectacular (no stretch in the ribbon) but I'm happy enough with it. Sometimes you just have to do something different, y'know??

I used my twin needle to do the hem. I was debating it because I didn't feel like winding another bobbin and changing needles, but I'm glad I did. It looks much more professional.

Even though it's not nearly warm enough to wear the dress alone, I love this style because it can easily be layered. AB wore it this week over a long-sleeved onesie and with tights, and it looked great.

Now if only she understood "stand still and let me take a good picture". Oh well. I guess we'll keep working on "hello" and "bye bye" instead : )

What I'm Reading: Downtown DIY Sewing

I'm not so much reading this book as I am flipping through it and smacking myself in the face. A few weeks before Christmas, something wonderful happened. A Half Price Books opened up in town. And not just any Half Price Books, a Half Price Books OUTLET. Which means a strange selection of items, but all items for super cheap. There is a small selection of crafting/sewing books, so I like to go in there every now and then to see what gems I can find. This book was one of them.

Downtown DIY Sewing

I bought this book for something like $2 or $3. There are a few patterns and also some design ideas with general dimensions. It's worth...about $2 or $3 : ) I had stuck it in my stack of sewing books and forgotten about it, because there was nothing there that I wanted to sew right that second. This week, I was flipping through it again, and lo and behold there it was! A pencil skirt! With a waistband and a lining!

I felt pretty stupid. After obsessing over pencil skirts for a week or so, it was startling to see that I already had a pattern for exactly what I wanted. But, I think I can set aside my feeling of stupidity and get to work on the skirt just as soon as I decide on something for the lining.

The other project in this book that drew me in is the tunic pictured on the cover. It's different and certainly cute. The biggest drawback of this book is that it's pretty sketchy on the details of recommended fabrics, and there aren't many pictures of the finished garments. It's a cute top, but not one I want to try making without the right fabric.

There are a few non-clothing sewables in here as well. There is a fabric necklace, a circle bag, and an MP3 cover. If you see this book at your local discount bookstore, I say go for it. The layout and design of the book is very cool, and the artwork is different and fun. It would make a nice addition to any sewing library.

Sewing Project: New Look 6097

I'll be blunt: I'm in love with this pattern.

New Look 6097

It's a New Look pattern, which means of course that it cost real money (i.e. not $1). It was well worth the whopping $4 price tag, however! I'm finding that I like a lot of the New Look patterns, even though I have to pay full price. Although, it's almost nice to know that these patterns will never go on sale, so I can buy them whenever I want and not have to wait for a cheaper price!

Anyway, back to this particular pattern. My goal when I buy patterns is to make sure they contain functional pieces that I could make at least twice. Wrap dresses are the be-all end-all in women's fashion (everyone looks good in them, right?) and I didn't own one. What makes this pattern fantastic is the addition of pockets. All the reviews on Pattern Review are positive, so I was dying to make this up. The wool jersey I purchased from Mood is for this pattern. But before I cut into that expensive fabric, I wanted to make a wearable muslin.

Note: the neckline does not HAVE to settle this high.

It can easily be adjusted lower by shifting the fabric.

This is view B, with short sleeves and no collar. The fabric is an ITY poly/Lycra jersey from Emma One Sock. 

The fabric was originally destined for Vogue 1224, but that pattern only needs 1 1/2 yards, and I had 2 yards of this jersey, so I figured, why not? By the way, the envelope for the size 10 states you'll need 2 1/8 yards. I think you can easily get away with 2 yards exactly, especially if you omit the neckline facing as I'll detail below. I know that yardage can be pretty important when ordering fabric online, since most places won't let you order in increments like 1/8, so I hope that information is helpful to someone!

Here's another blunt fact: this print is loud. I took a risk ordering it and it didn't pay off. I almost used the reverse side because it was more muted. It's okay, I don't mind that I took a chance. It's not hideous, just not my style. I've made two pieces with floral prints and I'm just not that into it. It's important to know what you like and to know what you DON'T like, in my opinion. At least I won't be ordering/buying anymore florals for awhile! 

I made a few changes to the pattern. There is supposed to be a facing along the neckline, but a few reviews mentioned applying clear elastic to the edge, then folding it over and topstitching. This sounded like a great idea to me, since it meant one less piece to cut out! Since this fabric was crazy slippery, I did glue-baste the elastic to the edge. It should be noted that I did not have to stretch the elastic. I zig-zagged it to the edge, then turned it over and topstitched with a single straight stitch. Next time, I'll use a twin needle for the topstitching, I think it may keep the elastic from occasionally flipping back out to the right side. 

Pleat detail.

I also didn't make a belt. I did not find it necessary with an elastic waist, especially in a busy print. When I make the solid-colored wool version, I may make a belt for more visual interest. Goodness knows this print doesn't need anything else visually stimulating!

It sewed up like a dream. Rarely do my notches match up as well as they did here. Overall, the construction felt very intuitive, and I did not find myself consulting the directions too often. I only had to use my seam ripper once! 

Looks great with flats.

For next time, I may sew the sleeves in flat. Setting in sleeves is annoying to me and often I can't get them eased in "correctly". 

If I had not read about it ahead of time, I may have been tempted to lengthen the bodice (or at least despaired when it was done). It was pretty short.

However, once the skirt is added, it brings the bodice down some, and the elastic casing does sit at my natural waist.

Looks great with heels.

Usually, when I finish a pattern, I'm ready to never see it again set it aside and move on to something new. This was the first time I was excited to start over and make it again, immediately. There is no gaping at the neckline, the pockets are fabulous, the fit is great, the length is perfect, there is nothing to dislike!

I'm also realizing that the proper tools can make or break my sewing experience. I mentioned glue-basting, but I also used wash-away stabilizing tape on the skirt and sleeve hems, and dressmaker's carbon paper to transfer the pleat lines. The wash-away tape and the carbon paper are new to my collection of notions. Without those items, I would have been pinning a slippery hem that wouldn't press, and tearing my hair out over making pleats (as it was, most of my marking tools were a nightmare on this slippery, varied-colored fabric). So, if you find yourself going crazy over a particular problem, do some research to see if there is an easier way. These shortcuts greatly enhanced how much fun it was to sew this dress, because I wasn't getting bogged down with boring stuff.

Forced natural pose.

I hope that in a less fancy fabric, this pattern can go casual. I really like this version and can't wait to wear it. If I don't get anything else made in time, it will probably end up being an Easter dress, depending on the weather. This weekend in Indiana it was almost 70 degrees, and last night the low was 20. That's how we do it in the Midwest!

Sewing Inspiration: fabric

The Muse. Anyone who has tried/failed/succeeded at being creative has had brushes with the Muse. Something that inspires you to action, something that makes you say "wow". Like most creative-minded people, I've tried my hand at a number of things, from writing to drawing to graphic design. What I always found to be lacking (in addition to any skill, ha!) was the Muse. When I began sewing, I felt like I'd finally found the perfect thing: fabric. It's plentiful, it's beautiful, it's varied, it's ever-changing. It's easy to be inspired by something that fits that description!

Girl Charlee (no longer available)

The best thing about fabric is that it's a two-way street. Sometimes you may see a textile you just love, but not know what to make. Other times, you'll see something you want to make, and then fabric will help you accomplish that vision. 

Girl Charlee (no longer available)

My fabric choices tend to be all over the place. I realized recently that I was attracted to a LOT of knit stripes. But exactly how many of those do I need?

Girl Charlee (no longer available)

When you're able to identify what appeals to you, and why, I think it helps you to be more selective. I may respond to stripes stripes and more stripes, but intellectually I know it doesn't make a lot of sense to keep buying them. It certainly won't expand my horizons or teach me to challenge myself with something different.

Emma One Sock (no longer available)

I also know that I tend not to buy solids. I find them to be somewhat boring when compared to all the fun patterns available. But in reality, solids are the most versatile of all fabrics. Whether you need a small accent, or a great basic like a black cardigan, you wouldn't get too far without solids in your wardrobe.

Hart's Fabric

Since I do have a one year old daughter, I am blessed to be able to indulge on whimsy. There are many fabrics that I could never pull off for myself, but AB can happily oblige.

Girl Charlee (no longer available)

Jo-Ann's

In the end, fabric is my favorite part of sewing. I love taking something as basic as a sheet and constructing it into a beautiful, functional item. It's the epitome of creating.

Mood

Project Runway recap: spoiler alert!

Guess what! My fabric from Mood came this week! If you recall, my husband gave me a very generous gift card for Valentine's Day. It was so much fun shopping online and picking out whatever I wanted. And is there anything better than waiting for UPS??

1. Cotton batiste 2. Stretch poplin 3. Cotton poplin 4. Cotton/lycra knit

5. Rayon/lyca knit 6. Poly knit 7. Stretch denim 8. Wool jersey

I'm excited about all of these fabrics, and the majority are already destined for certain patterns. One thing I wasn't expecting was how generous Mood would be in their cutting. In some cases, I received almost a half yard more than I ordered. Every single piece had a little bit extra. It's crazy! Even my one yard of purple grosgrain ribbon was longer than 36". Hear me shouting "thank you Mood!". My favorite is definitely the poly knit. The picture on Mood's website, and my picture above, don't do it justice. It's textured and does not feel like polyester at all. The wool jersey is for a wrap dress (wearable muslin finished this week, can't wait to blog about it next week!) but it is a TAD itchy. Just enough that I'm afraid I may not wear it without a lining. So stay tuned for details on lining a wrap dress...just as soon as I figure out how : )

And now on to Project Runway. Man, I thought my birthday last week made me feel old. This prom episode was just as bad. I hated everything the judges liked, and I liked everything the judges hated. Did anyone else think it was pretty stupid to have a prom competition when two of the judges had never been?? Cue entrance of prom pictures of my own:

Junior prom.

Senior prom.

Photos have been highly edited/cropped due to people in them not being my husband : ) Also, the pink dress from my senior prom (it's actually coral) is my favorite piece of clothing I own. Ever. If I could wear it every day, I would. Take note, Heidi and Nina.

I thought the new mix of teams was interesting. I loved what Stanley said about wanting to work with Layana in order to learn something new. That's an unexpected bonus to this season with the team competition, I think the designers are forced to stretch each week. You don't see any Vens making the same rose motif over and over and over. Sadly for Stanley, Layana's whining surely must have gotten on his nerves. It grated on me and I only watched it on TV for two seconds.

When the designers did their show for the high school students, I thought for sure that Patricia and Samantha's dress would get KILLED. It looked the most like duct tape, it was downright weird, and it was so poofy that you couldn't even have a date stand next to you for pictures (and c'mon, you spend half of prom having your picture taken, so how would that work out?). When Heidi revealed that this dress received the most student votes, I pretty much gave up critiquing. Obviously I know nothing about prom anymore. Especially because Richard and Daniel's was by far my favorite. It was cute, flirty, and I did like the underarm lacing because it was different. And no, I did not go to prom in the eighties!

It was nice to have Zac Posen back this week. It was doubly nice to see him fight with Nina. I vote for a Zac/Nina cage match!

The double elimination of Tu and Kate was hard to watch. Kate did nothing in her interviews besides go on and on about how easy it was to boss Tu around, yet she said NOTHING about being sorry for getting him eliminated. If I were Tu, I would not have been quite so gracious, so good for him. I will miss his silly phrasing that makes no sense. And Michelle's win? Meh. Hated their dress, and Michelle's 80's rocker vibe is surely going to be the thing that gets her eliminated at some point. Possibly next week in their apparent menswear challenge. We'll see. Happy weekend everyone!

Sewing Project: Croquet Party Dress

Once a year, my family has a get-together that we simply call "the Croquet Party". It's kind of a big deal. My aunt and uncle have been hosting this cookout every August since I was merely a bump in my mom's belly (and my cousin, who is 7 weeks older than me, was a bump in my aunt's belly). Last August gave us the opportunity for something momentous: the debut of grandchildren at the Croquet Party. Not just my sweet AB, but also my cousin's daughter, who happens to be 7 weeks older than AB. And no, we did not plan that!

For AB's first Croquet Party I wanted to make her a special dress. Obviously, it must be croquet-related, as we do in fact play croquet at the Croquet Party (seriously, there's a tournament and a trophy and everything). At that time, I had only been sewing for a few weeks, and I was mostly working on tutorials from Pinterest. I didn't yet feel comfortable spending money on patterns. I ran across a tutorial on luvinthemommyhood for what she called "the Sweetheart dress". It's a sleeveless dress with a heart cutout in the back. I thought it looked very cute and would be perfect for a special summer occasion. The tutorial made it seem like it was something I could conquer, even though it's a lined dress without a pattern, and I hadn't yet made anything like that. I have since revisted the site and I see that she has taken down the tutorial and released this dress as a paid pattern. I can't blame her! 

I knew that I had to have the most perfect fabric, and I spent a LOT of time searching the internet for anything that had to do with croquet. I did find some quilting cotton with croquet balls on it, but I wasn't too in love. Then, finally, I found this:

Fabric from The Stitching Post.

Elephants playing croquet! At first, I found random yardage on eBay, and then eventually I located it in a quilting shop right here in Indiana. And in four different colors! I calculated how much it would cost in gas to drive there, vs. how much to ship it to me, and I chose shipping (sadly). Probably saved myself more than just gas money by having 1 yard shipped to me, rather than making a trip to the shop!

Yes, it somehow still fits her now. Easter dress anyone?

This fabric is really adorable. Even though it's available in pink, I went with green to keep it from being TOO sugary sweet (but trust me, I labored over the color choice for about three days). For the lining, I went to Jo-Ann's and just picked out a fat quarter in a coordinating color. I only lined the bodice, so I didn't need much fabric. I also picked up some muslin in order to work out the pattern before I cut into my precious elephants.

Lining

Since this is now a paid pattern, I'll hit on my personal experience with it rather than taking you through all the steps.

That's a hair bow being tossed on the floor.

First up was the muslin. I traced the bodice of a dress that looked similar to what I wanted, and went from there. It was not a quick process. AB was 4-5 months old at the time, and not the most willing participant! I went through a few versions before I had my front bodice pattern.

I essentially copied it for the back, but also drew a few different hearts on paper to work out how I wanted that to look. Basically, a lot of trial and error! I then transferred the heart shape onto my back bodice pattern piece so that I would have a cut-out heart shape on center back.

I cheated a little on cutting the skirt. Because the elephants LOOK sort of random (they're actually on a diagonal) it didn't hurt the effect too much to run the skirt fabric in a different direction than the bodice. One selvedge was a thin white line, and I cut my skirt so that the selvedge was the hem. I used the full length of the piece and just gathered it into the bodice. Even though it was a tad lazy, I truly do like the effect and I'm happy with it.

Hem detail

The second change I made was with the elastic closure. I had this clever idea to use elastic thread, instead of regular elastic, to minimize how big the closure looked. I even braided three strands to make it a bit stronger, but it still broke within an hour of AB wearing it. Lesson learned! I replaced the elastic loop later, but since the dress was already assembled it's not sewn between the two layers. It's ugly, but now much more efficient!

Inside view. Ugly!

I love the lining and I love all the topstitching. I went very carefully, especially around the heart and armholes, to make sure it looked nice and neat. Of course, coordinating thread helped!

Working on this dress was probably my first experience sewing something that was a "labor of love". Everything from searching for the fabric to picking out the button was done to make something special. AB only wore it for a few hours (and somehow I managed NOT to take many pictures!) but the dress means a lot to me. I hope that when she is grown, that the Croquet Party lives on, and maybe she will have her own daughter to share this dress with, or, at the very least, she can share the memories.

"Seriously Mom, I hate hair bows."

At the Croquet Party.

I can't believe she was ever this small...