Glow Up

     A new year equals a fresh start, right?  That’s not my approach this time around – I am still mentally in last year.  Yet, I am always ready to add to advancing my personal ‘glow up’ – even if that starts with spicing up my wardrobe!  I don’t know about you, but I definitely could use any version of a glow up going into the New Year after the holiday season.  Besides, I want to catch up on posting the projects I didn’t get to share with you in 2022!

     The online Dictionary says that Glow up is an informal pop culture term for a positive personal transformation, typically one involving significant changes in appearance and style.  I am not one for a major appearance change, and yet already try many different styles since my sewing skills give me wider access to that opportunity.  Thus, I usually keep my ‘glow up’ an interior mental or emotional effort.  Otherwise, I keep the visual appearance changes about me relegated to my wardrobe’s glow up.  How can a piece of clothing receive a glow up, you may wonder?  It’s easy!  A garment’s glow up can be new buttons, a new hem length for sleeves or pants or a skirt, some extra trimming, or even (my favorite) a dip in a bath of dye for a fresh new color.  A little bit of effort put into looking after for what you already own can make a big difference, yet is often nothing more than basic garment care or mending.  These are steps that even anyone with the most basic sewing skills can pull off, I believe.  No need to make a dent in your wallet or even buy anything new to refresh your wardrobe.   

     This post’s featured garment is one that definitely had its glow up moment.  It started out as some ugly orange rayon knit fabric that I bought very cheaply over 10 years ago and never knew what to do with.  It was soft and drapey but never appealing or exuding possibilities for me.  Now, I have dyed the material into being a wonderful color as well as sewing it into an interesting dress I am fascinated by.  Sadly this project didn’t make an appearance as part of last year’s “Designin’ December” sewing challenge but I had planned on it being a possible candidate for my entry.  The vintage pattern I used was a re-issue from Burda Style clearly inspired by a famous designer of the 1950s, which I why this project deserved such an exclusive touch and warmer tone as was given by the custom dye bath.  The fabric, the bottle of dye, and the pattern I used were all items which had been sitting in my maker’s stash of supplies for far too long, tormenting me by sitting unused, purposeless, and taking up space.  Now I have given all of them a glow up together, in return making me feel absolutely as wonderful as a powerful, confident goddess when wearing this dress.  What better way to kick start the New Year off?!

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  a rayon jersey knit

PATTERN:  Burda Style #7254, a vintage reprint from year 2012

NOTIONS NEEDED:  lots of thread and interfacing…along with a bottle of RIT liquid dye

TIME TO COMPLETE:  This dress was finished in April 2022, and it took over 20 hours to complete (not including the dyeing process) mostly on account of large amount of hand-stitched hems and such details.

THE INSIDES:  left raw (does not ravel)

TOTAL COST:  I had bought 3 yards of this on sale from “Fashion Fabrics Club” back in circa 2012.  –

Here is the fabric before being dipped in dye!

     One of the mysteries to my fabric stash is how I ever ended up with so much bright orange.  I like the color but not this much of it, and the few pieces I already have (here and here) in that tone are enough.  As has been seen in this past post (here) where I over-dyed some bright orange linen dark brown, I have been slowly, systematically working on turning these orange fabrics into something I would wear.  This time though, I didn’t necessarily want a darker color, or a whole new color, just a change of tone…which would be perhaps my trickiest dye job yet.  My husband helped me make sense of what color may work, and an internet chat forum had a few ideas, but ultimately the fact that I had a bottle of RIT “Wine” color liquid dye was the deciding factor.  I needed to use the RIT “Wine” to dye a shirt (and socks) for my son’s school event and thus throwing in the orange fabric at the same time was a convenient reason to cut through my fear and just go try this experiment. 

     As you can see, it worked out!  The neon orange rayon knit for my dress was changed to a warm, rust toned pumpkin color.  Everywhere there was more stretch in the material, the color dyed darker, almost like a grey, so that the overall fabric ends up looking heather flecked.  My son’s shirt was originally white (and mostly cotton) in content but turned into a purple hued burgundy that faded after one wash.  How hilarious is the contrast of this situation?  Both items were cooking in the same pot of the same color dye and look at how differently they ended up looking! 

     This just goes to show you that you never really know for sure what you will get when you dye and need to be open to a surprise when you do. This statement is especially true when dyeing over an existing color, as I discussed in greater length here (in this post).  I love how dyeing gives me a one-of-a-kind color and novel touch to my handmade clothes as well as teaching me more about the nuances of the process.  Orange does not seem to be an overall well-liked color by many so perhaps my experiment can give others the idea that they can use dye to personalize fabric colors into something else which would be better appreciated.  I yet want to dip more of my orange fabric in a purple bath or even a bright green batch of dye and see if a lighter tone of brown happens!

     The pattern itself felt experimental, too, with all the amazing details added to the front of the dress.  There is a lot going on to see that somehow works together.  Unfortunately, this is one of those ubiquitous “coffin dresses” where it is a full party in the front and completely basic in the back.  The back has two ‘fish-eye’ darts for shaping and mine has a back seam in place of a center zipper.  (Who needs a closure when the fabric has stretch?)  This design is summarized by the pattern as a “Formal tea-gown for the lady with style and class. It has a figure-enhancing line with carée-neck (square neckline) and many tiny pleats along the front facing.”  That sounds deluxe, right?!  I suspect it may be even more high-end than that summary gives away.  Let me explain.

     For many years I have followed Jessica at “No Accounting for Taste” blog because of her well-respected knowledge on the history of fashion designer’s biographies.  I also following her social media page, and there I happened to see a year 1957 Dorothy O’Hara dress advertisement she posted back in 2017. 

That image’s dress struck me as an almost carbon copy of Burda no.7254 pattern from my stash.  Yes, I have a photographic memory for certain things!  Then, I recently happened to find an actual dress to compare the 1957 Dorothy O’Hara advertisement – this discovery really helped me compare details with my Burda pattern!  Turns out that the Burda design is ever so slightly different in ways that few would notice at close inspection but it is so remarkably similar in all ways I am convinced that I have found a designer pattern sporting as a normal pattern.  I am convinced that Burda Style, back in 1957, was just doing a designer knock off with no attribution to their inspiration. This has to be a Dorothy O’Hara dress, just one without the designer’s official okay to reproduce.  To have a German pattern company imitating American Designer style versus Paris’ fashions says a lot about how Hollywood’s influence had become worldwide by the mid-1950s. 

     When I say Hollywood influence, it because Dorothy O’Hara was not only a native Californian but touted to be the only movie designer (she worked for Paramount motion Pictures starting in 1943) who also produced her designs to be sold to the general public through high end department stores.  Dorothy O’Hara was also a dress manufacturer as well, through her husband.  She had a niche when it came to everything she had to offer for the shopper off the street, the movie costumer, and the garment producer all combined.  Her true talent however was making longer length dresses that were elegant enough to go from afternoon to evening.  Dorothy O’Hara designed her dresses for women to feel elegantly sultry in a way that also pleases the masculine gaze.  Jessica at “No Accounting for Taste” says the phrase for her creations was “She (O’Hara) made women look nice, and men look twice”.  Go see Jessica’s blog post (here) and read up on O’Hara’s biography – it is much more thorough and insightful than anything I could offer here in this post. 

     I find the clip Jessica shares from the LA Times of July 9, 1954 to be most interesting the way it perfectly sums up this post’s dress design.  “(Dorothy O’Hara’s) distinctive signature, the “all-in-one-piece” drapery, literally wraps the body in fabric and her ingenuity makes the most of a woman’s figure.  Working with the grain of the fabric and molding it to give depth to the bust and minimize the waistline, the “poured-into” style is nevertheless a step-in dress in every case. The woman can slip easily into her clothes after hairdo and makeup.”  All this is very true, especially since my pattern is sewn with a knit as the Burda pattern instructs!  However, I cannot help but think my dress has a reference to Charles James, another American designer.  What I see reminds me of James’ “La Sirène” dress, popularly known as “the lobster dress”, of which he made many sleeved and sleeveless versions in many colors between 1939 and 1957.  The “La Sirène” dress also has horizontal tucks down the center front and a definite wiggle shape with the snug fit and tapered hemline.  I like my dress better than the designer ones, though!

     This dress probably looks intimidating to make yet isn’t as bad as it may appear once you dive into it.  The pattern came together much easier than anticipated.  It is pretty upfront with its design lines, but that makes it nonetheless tricky with such an interesting shaped middle panel and all the tucks.  Down the center front, the Burda pattern has 16 individual tucks (the summary calls them pleats) on each side.  Each sleeve has another 5 tucks for a grand total of 42 tucks overall over the entire dress!  In comparison, the original Dorothy O’Hara dress from either the ad or the original I saw for sale had a count of just two more darts than the Burda dress’ overall count, further proving my point that this must be a designer knock-off.  However, most of Dorothy’s dresses were constructed with crepe, a non-stretchy woven, while the pattern I used called for a knit, so I am wondering if this was just a Burda modernization attempt.  I must say that being precise with making the tucks was quite challenging when done with a knit!   I am tempted to size up and try this dress again in a crepe as O’Hara would have used, except I want to choose a print for this second version.

     I did not change a thing to the dress design besides adding some extra inches to the hem, making it slightly longer than many of O’Hara’s ‘cocktail’ dresses.  My dress is at what was called an “intermission” length.  This puts it firmly in the “wiggle dress” category because the longer the length the smaller the circumference of the hem when you continue the side seam lines.  

Here you can see the neckline facing that supports the dress’ shape, as well as the inner facing that keeps the inside seams clean. Check out my invisible hand stitching!

I found it was very important to follow the instructions and stabilize the entire center front panel.  As this piece goes between the pleats as well as encircles the neckline and shoulders, it really used up a lot of interfacing that took time to iron on.  My efforts were worth it because that panel is the only thing there to stabilize the entire details and keep the dress from drooping and growing on me since the rest of the dress is a knit.  As the fabric is so shifty and delicate, I stitched all hems (for both sleeves and skirt), as well as the inside facing panel down the front, entirely by hand.  My dress would have been whipped together in no time if I hadn’t done the hand work, but my dress just needed the extra TLC, I felt.  The lack of any visible thread elevates the dress to its designer roots and keeps me satisfied by a sewing job well done.

     After all the praise I have heaped upon this project, I must say I really do not like the fabric at the same time that I love it.  Normally anything rayon is a winner in my book but a rayon knit has plenty of downsides that I need to list.  Firstly, it is a nightmare all its own to sew…enough to put me off from it completely.  I however am saying this after having used it way too many times already, but that is only because I am trying to use up my stash.  I have learned from this modern Burda dress (posted here, also a rayon knit) that this fabric is awfully delicate to wear and snags easily.  The fabric acquires holes in it from sewing even with a ball point needle, making unpicking a seam as impossibly obvious as sewing in leather.  The fabric is almost akin to pantyhose or fine stockings that can easily acquire holes in it if you are not careful of running into sharp everyday hazards like a rough spot on a wood table, snagged fingernail, metal fence, or sharp branch.  Believe me – I know all this about rayon jersey knit by sad experience. 

     After all that I said above, I do love many features of this fabric, too.  My favorite is the way it is as cool to the touch it is to wear, much like a vintage cold rayon.  It is great at adjusting to accommodate your body temperature, acting almost like a silk – lightweight for summer but a great layer in the winter.  It has a really heavy drape on its own when you pick up rayon knit as a mere cut of fabric, yet once it is sewn into being a garment it feels like you have nothing on…scandalously comfortable!  It drapes around your body in the most glamorous way, but also flows like a silky satin and has such a fabulous stretch.  I am forever on the fence about Rayon knit – I hate it when I sew with it but love it when I wear it.   Just so long as I can add beauty to this tricky and difficult fabric…give it its ‘glow up’…then my time invested is made worthwhile.  This dress is by far my favorite use of rayon jersey, yet!

     To add to my general ‘glow up’ outfit theme, I brought out the really high-end vintage heels from my wardrobe.  These are Salvatore Ferragamo brand leather T-strap shoes dating to the 1970s.  They easily passing as older vintage because of their classic, well-made style.  These are in great condition and thus still very wearable – not stiff or delicate, although I do only save them for special occasions.  I love the fine details, such as branded buckles, and the rare material of the snakeskin contrast.  I am not one just about looks when it comes to my shoes, so they are also incredibly comfortable.  These Ferragamo heels might be the top tier of footwear in my closet, and I love what they add to this outfit and how fabulous they make me feel. 

     How will your glow up take its form this year?  In what way will you invest in yourself?  Will it be directly through some physical, emotional, or mental improvement or perhaps indirectly through your wardrobe, household setting, or social life?  I will try to include a little of all of this, perhaps, spread out over the course of the year.  The easiest approach for is for me to start that glow up by reconsidering the intentions with which I wear, make, and take care of my clothes.  This is a pretty accessible and worthwhile take on a glow up for anyone and everyone since what we wear can be a powerful mood enhancer, means of expression, and armor that suits us up for the opportunities of the day.  Whatever you make of this coming year, let me wish you a happy and healthy 2023!

Windows

A different view into a space apart from our own is essential to human existence.  We crave, we need an alternate vision, whether that view is into another living space or outside of our own quarters.  Windows keep us attuned to nature, in touch with society, and help us realize a bigger picture.  At certain times of our lives, we need to take advantage of a window in time to the schedule of our life and grab an escape, which is deeper and more lasting than a mere distraction.  “A distraction is momentary – an escape helps you heal.” (Quote from “We Look to You” in the Broadway musical “The Prom”.)  That process of reaching out – even if it’s as short as pausing to soak in a lovely picture, or as long listening to an orchestral piece, or as animated as a phone call with a friend – can be an opportunity to learn, grow, love, and find refreshment.  Such a train of thought is important in our world today, when the living quarters and life possibilities for many of us have become more limited.  Yet, it is also an important reflection for “Multicultural May”.  Take a trip with me then, into the wonderful world of India.

The Indian culture has as many grand architectural entrances as it does interesting open-back sari blouses for the ladies.  The bare-backed bodice of my tunic is my interpretation of the “chaniya choli” traditionally worn by Kutch women, a style which became prevalent throughout India beginning in the late 1940s.  My loose hipped, tapered leg trousers are in reminiscent of the kind of bottoms, called churidar pants, worn underneath an Indian tunic, the western words for what’s called a kurti.  Together, I have merged a casual, all-occasion style (the kurti and churidar) with a features of a garment for fancy, special occasions (choli, aka sari blouse) into one creation of individual interpretation.

My main accessories are fair-trade, handmade Indian imported goods bought from a local market.  My bracelet matches in the way it is a small window of itself.  I was so excited to find it!  It is a raw hammered brass wrist cuff.  My necklace is a combo of aqua grass beads and more brass with the excess of chain.  Finally because one’s treasured, best gold pieces are an important contribution to any Indian outfit, my hoop earrings had been a sweet Christmas gift from my husband and had to be included here!

THE FACTS:

FABRIC:  I used 2 yards of a printed 100% rayon challis direct from India for the tunic, and fully lined it in a buff finish polyester lining. The pants are a Telio Ponte de Roma knit in a 65% Rayon, 30% Nylon, 5% Spandex medium to heavy weight opaque material in a spruce green color.

PATTERNS:  Burda Style “Cut Out Back Dress” pattern #124 from June 2015 for the tunic, and a true vintage McCall’s #5263, year 1959, from my pattern stash

NOTIONS:  I just needed thread, two zippers, and a small bit of interfacing for both projects.

TIME TO COMPLETE:  The tunic was finished in late last year (2019) in about 15 hours, and the pants were made this May of 2020 after only 8 hours.

THE INSIDES:  The tunic, as I said, is fully lined, and the pants inner edges are left raw because they don’t unravel

TOTAL COST:  The Ponte knit (from “Sew Stylish Fabrics” on Etsy) was about $25 for the one yard I needed, and the material for the tunic was about $15 (the rayon was on sale at “Fibers to Fabric” on Etsy and the lining was a discounted remnant at JoAnn).  My total is $40.

Kutch district is in the Gujarat state is the culture of India that I am most familiar with through some close family friends who are like family to us.  So it’s no wonder that I chose it as my influence once again (see this post for reference)!  I will be exploring more regions of India in my future ethnic-influenced self-made fashion…I did already touch on the central region with my “homage to the Rani” vintage dress…and Gujarat is west.  Goodness, I acknowledge there is such a richness of traditions, artisan crafts, environment, history, and special people everywhere you look, but especially India has such fabulous fashion to boot!  I greatly respect how every detail to traditional Indian clothing has a reason, symbolism, and meaning.  Yet, I also love how the India of today is not afraid to merge modern renditions of clothing with a homage to their traditional past.  Personally I like to take a 20^th century vintage twist on India’s fashion, on top of all that!  That’s a lot to take in, right?!  So you see there are many ways to interpret Indian clothing with proper provenance.

This set is half vintage really.  As “The Facts” show, I used a true vintage pattern and a modern Burda Style pattern together.  Modern or not though, the tunic is strikingly similar to vintage – especially 1930s – styles.  In the depression era, many styles of fashion for women – mainly evening wear – were all about making a grand parting by sporting a “party from behind”.  I am all for that trend!  I have a whole Pinterest page here full of eye candy for the open-back trend.  It is a common feature to women’s Indian cholis (see this post or this post for some modern examples)!  Luckily, Burda keeps offering designs every so often with such a feature, too.  Now, I have sewn many open-back garments before (look under my “Modern” and my “Burda Style” pages to see them) but this one was by far the trickiest to find the right fit.  This is the main reason why I chose a 50’s pattern for the pants, because let’s face it…I find the fit of vintage patterns to generally be spot on for me, especially when it comes to pants.  Something guaranteed to be an instant success was welcome after the many issues I had with this Burda Style tunic.

I had to resize both projects due to them being in petite sizing.  Firstly, I’ll address the wonderful pants!  The “multi-sized” pattern were supposed to have three different proportions, but the ‘regular’ was missing from the envelope, the ‘tall’ was uncut, and the ‘petite’ was cut down to shorts length… ugh.  I had to retrace the pattern onto sheer medical paper and add some width for the smaller size to be my measurements, and then I was good to go.  No other adjustments were necessary and so I doubt a new pattern could offer better than this – it’s just what I had in mind!  Too bad they are mostly covered up by the rest of my outfit but no worries!  As basic as they are, I will certainly be wearing a lot of these pants with plenty of other tops, though.

Secondly, the tunic was the first time I had worked with a Burda petite pattern and I wasn’t quite sure how much to add horizontally to bring it up to regular proportions.  As I was sewing it up, I regretted adding in any extra allotment because this pattern seems to run long in the torso (very weird for a petite sizing).  I did do a tissue fit beforehand, but paper cannot quite account for the give of the bias grain, and there is a lot of that in the design of this tunic, especially when it is cut of something as slinky as rayon challis.  Thus, I had to take the garment in along the ‘kimono’ style (non-set-in, cut on sleeve) shoulder seam, which threw off the neckline, which messed with the proper bias.  Now do you see why this was a problem project?

I do like how changing the neckline forced me to be creative and add details to the tunic that I like better than the original design.  There was a lot of extra room in the chest because of the fit adjustments I made everywhere else.  I needed to bring that extra fabric in to fit by using a means that looked intentional, and not just what it was – an adjustment on the fly.  The best I could come up with was to make a soft, slightly angled pleat on each side of the neckline to shape the bust from across the upper chest.  It reminds me of a frame for the face and my necklace, as well as adding symbolical angles to the “window” theme of my outfit.  It’s so funny how a “mistake” taken with the right outlook can add so much good to the originality of what you create.

There were quite a few small tweaks I did to both pieces, as well as lessons learned.  I did not really need the zipper up the back of the back waist to the tunic – mine fit loose enough that I only wasted my time on a perfect invisible closure.  I did get rid of the back neckline button to less complicate things, then sewed down a hanging decorative tassel instead (sari top/choli reference).  How this pattern works as a dress I don’t know because the bottom hem was so confining and tight, besides being so short (I lengthened it by several inches for my version)!  I did plan on opening up the one seamline to be a thigh slit anyway so the snug hem width didn’t really matter too much anyway other than figuring out the pattern’s original design fit.  The pants originally called for a sewn-on set waistband, but I found them sitting high enough at my waist as it was.  I used the interfaced waistband piece to instead make a facing to turn inside so as to have a smooth edge for a very simple, streamlined style.

In case you noticed, I have been calling my upper garment a tunic in this post, as I feel it is a modern hybrid of a traditional cultural garment.  Kurti are usually a bit shorter in length than this (hip length like a blouse) while Kurta are longer in length than this (at least to the knees or down to the ankles, in my understanding).  I was short on fabric to make it any longer in length and I didn’t like the look of this design being any shorter than how I have it already, so my garment is in between.  The tunic I made still makes the ethnic reference I intended and has the general properties of a kurti the way I am wearing it.  A good churidar pant has its stretch coming from being cut on the bias grain, but modern Western-influenced young people often wear leggings or skinny pants as a substitute and so my bottoms are along that vein.  I do like the subtle reference to the May of 1960 split in the Bombay State along the Gujarat-speaking north by using a vintage pattern from ‘59.  I absolutely love the high waist, comfy fit, cozy body-hugging Ponte knit properties, and the slightly tapered but still full enough to be easy-to-move-in legs.

This outfit is very fun as well as quite different and very freeing.  I enjoy wearing it!  It is a unique garment combination for me to sew, too.  As out of the ordinary this set is for me to make and wear, it is a more ‘common’ Indian ethnic outfit for my wardrobe (versus dressy dresses and my fancy Sherwani coat).  I do love variety in my wardrobe, but variety is more important to help us to being open and understanding of other people and cultures.  Understanding India can be both challenging and intimidating because of its richness of history and traditions, so please never resort to easy-to-find stereotypes as a source for information.  I hope my little posts can shed some extra light on India that you never saw before.  However, don’t just stop at the month of May to focus on growing a multicultural understanding!  It should be a year ‘round effort, especially when there are so many beautiful clothes to see and appreciate!  What is your favorite “window” to a world outside of your own?

A Bold Upgrade to Your Modern T-Shirt Dress

Vintage styles are my preferred ‘look’, even for a comfy everyday outfit, but yet I do enjoy getting out of my comfort zone to sew up boldly individual fashions for myself in the styles of today.  I want to make sure I am in touch with today sufficiently to still enjoy modern designs here and there.  After all, although I do not follow ‘fads’, sometimes I can’t decide what decade I want to wear for the day and just want something that might remotely “fit in” for the 21^st century!   Burda Style patterns are my preferred resource for my modern sewing.

This year I might just have a dress-down Mother’s Day in my newest Burda Style creation!  It is such a bright and fun version of the American favorite – the t-shirt dress – made in deluxe rayon jersey.  This is perfect for these quarantine times when I want to be put together without a lot of effort but still just as comfy as if I was still wearing pajamas.

THE FABRIC:

FABRIC:  100% rayon jersey knit, partially lined in poly power mesh

PATTERN:  Burda Style “Dress with Waist Yoke” #110 from December 2015

NOTIONS:  I just needed lots of thread and a small bit on interfacing.

TIME TO COMPLETE:  This was finished on May 6, 2020 and took me about 8 to 10 hours to make.

TOTAL COST:  I have no idea when or where or how long I’ve had this fabric, so let’s count this as a stash-busting winner and completely free, shall we?!

I have had my eye on this dress pattern ever since it came out, but had not yet come up with a way to highlight the fantastic seaming until now.  It was really a sudden revelation kind of idea.  You see, I have been going through my fabric and notions stash lately – taking account of what I have, what I might run low on, what I should put away, and what I will tackle.  All this is because of Covid-19 shortages of sewing supplies and the resulting impossibilities to shop in stores in person, but also a bit of “spring cleaning” is in my blood.  I am being as smart, sensible, and thrifty as I can lately!

So, in continual process of that organizational effort, I ran across this bright fuchsia rayon jersey and the navy striped rayon jersey both paired up together on the same bolt.  I didn’t realize they had been sitting out of my storage bins for so long.  Then, I suddenly thought of this Burda pattern, long forgotten in the back burner to my mind.  These two fabrics would be an unusual, experimental, and certainly eye-catching combo!  Never one to shy away from a risky project, as you can see, I just went with it.  Yes, I need crazy sewing projects to entertain me right now.

I do think this dress turned out quite well, much better than I expected.  However, I am not totally won over to a t-shirt dress, even when it’s this good.  I suppose I just need some time for this project to grow on me.  The jersey knit is so super soft and slinky – I am not used to how luxurious it feels.  Something this lightweight and weightless on my skin makes me forget what I have on…and that feels kinda wrong to a girl like me totally used to vintage fashions like the 1920s, 50’s, or even 40’s that demand a certain silhouette with the corresponding lingerie and dress padding for shaping that said silhouette.

To help me feel better about wearing this t-shirt dress and also use up my extra fabric, I did take some extra steps to make this both opaque and easier to sew.  I doubled up on the layers of all the dress pieces which have the fuchsia knit.  Rayon jersey is a super fine material and harder to sew than any silk, in my opinion.  It so very easily catches on even a small fray of my fingernails.  My first wearing of the dress created a few new snags.  This is just going to have to be part of the dress, but at least I didn’t mess up the fabric while sewing it.  One layer of jersey is quite sheer and hard to sew without creating holes (yes, even with a ball point needle).  Two layers of rayon jersey knit makes for a heavier weight dress but is much more manageable to turn into a design, more opaque to wear, and easier to place through my sewing machine.

I lined the navy striped knit panels in a nude colored power mesh.  Doubling up on this contrast fabric would only make the second ghost layer of stripes underneath appear weird.  The power mesh does an awesome job at helping to shape the most important, detailed sections – the bodice front and the left skirt flare.  There is an interesting panel under the top half of the side skirt flare to keep the skirt in its slim shape and prevent the pleated section from getting too overwhelming.  I really like the lining panel especially because it keeps the skirt from wrapping into between my legs (which can happen with any knit skirt which is full).

There is one piece that is not like the others, though.  The left waist panel I heavily supported with iron-on interfacing to keep all those gathers in check to the seams above and below it!  Luckily, this was just a small pattern piece because interfacing is almost impossible to come by today, right?!  However, I am very glad I chose to make this one piece stable.  Doing so helps define the design.  I am not exactly sure if a curved corner was what I was supposed to do instead of my very angled finishing but at least it matched up precisely to the other fuchsia skirt section over the center front (not an easy feat here!).   I rather like the angled corners because they match with the lines of the stripes.

I made the necklace myself, too! However, this is just one part to a full jewelry set I have made for a different outfit to be posted soon!

The pros and the cons of sewing this were about equal on the scales, I suppose.  Firstly, don’t forget – this was originally drafted in tall women’s sizing!  On the pattern tracing, I had to take out a horizontal swatch of two inches through the bust to make this work for me, but the jersey knit pulls the whole dress down with its weight so I could have taken out more still.  I did trace out the tall woman’s equivalent to my “normal” Burda size but ended up taking it in along the side seams by an inch or so because of the jersey knit super stretch as well.  The dress length I chose was originally in between the longest length option and the ‘short’ knee length option.  Again, the knit stretches and makes the dress longer than was expected, but I rather like the way it swishes around when I walk, so the length it is will be staying.  I left out the back zipper and opted for no closures as the knit is so stretchy.  There is no need for any hemming to the sleeves and the bottom skirt because this kind of knit does not fray.  Thus, in summary, choosing a knit for this design made certain parts easy (no zipper, no hemming) and other parts harder than necessary (cutting double pieces, adjusting the sizing).  You win some, you lose some, but as long as I have something so cute and wearable for my efforts my time was worth it.

The list of things I want to find time to make is already quite long and Burda Style just keeps coming out with super tempting releases lately to add to my list of sewing projects.  Their vintage reprints are especially enticing and in almost every issue recently.  I’m not complaining, but it does present a bit of a problem.  Anybody out there have ideas for an easy way to keep track of what patterns are in individual sewing magazines?  I have enough Burda magazines now that I need to figure out a way to organize the designs in them which I intend to sew.  I wish it was as easy to file them by garment category as it is my individual patterns in envelopes!   Any insight would be helpful.  In the meantime, I’ll just get back to my crazy quarantine sewing and cooped up cleaning efforts.  I may even do some of that in this post’s dress.  We’ll see.

Casual Toffee and Wine

This sounds great for a nice evening, doesn’t it?!  I do like a good dark vintage…unless it’s on the dry side.  Then I reach for the paler tones.  I also seem to prefer a nice burgundy to over a bold red.  Oh wait – I am distracted.  Is this post about a good dessert and what vino I like to sip?  Or about what colors I prefer to wear in different seasons?  Well, both kind of – but I’ll pick the latter and make this about a wonderful wearable garment version of toffee and wine which I have made.

Sometimes I tire of wearing all the bright whites and pretty pastel colors during summer.  It feels good to mellow out for a change with a combo of muted earth and rich jewel tones such as this outfit.  Maybe I’m just trying to jump start myself into fall (when I usually wear such darker colors), or maybe I’m just being contrary.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that everything about this outfit feels good to me – from the cooling colors, to the texture and soft touch of the fabrics I used (rayon knits), to the easy relaxed fit, which actually makes me think I’m wearing Saturday sweats but looks like a nice weekday ‘going out’ set!  These two pieces are up there as my favorite Burda makes, and I think will be among my most versatile.

To make this set even more appealing and enjoyable, it came together in a ridiculously small amount of time.  Do you have a few hours on hand and a few small cuts of fabric?  In that amount of time I whipped up this set so I can spend many hours to come enjoying the newest separates that I have made for my wardrobe from some random but lovely fabric I bought with no clear project in mind.  Yes, you can have fashionable trousers that don’t require a zipper fly and need less than two yards of material.  Yes, you can have a top that only has two major seams, and with only one yard of fabric look like a million.  I’m sorry to advertise for these two patterns so much but I am really sold here.  I’m so won over that in fact I’m tempted to whip up a few more pants and tops from these patterns, trying out new material and color choices.  After all, these won’t take up that much time or fabric!  I will definitely be on default reaching to wear these more often than not.

THE FACTS:

FABRICS:  A striped rayon knit for the top, and a rayon/polyester blend Ponte Roma knit for the pants.  A scrap of burgundy colored cling-free polyester lining was used for the inner pants pockets and top neckline facing.

PATTERNS:  the “Shirt with Bat Sleeves” pattern #123A from April 2015 (also listed as “Boxy Top” #123B, also from April 2015) and the “Flounce Bottom Pants” pattern #117 from February 2018

NOTIONS:  Nothing special was needed – just matching threads, a bit of interfacing, and a handful of snaps and a waistband hook-and-eye

TIME TO COMPLETE:  The top was made in two hours and the pants were made in about 4 hours.  Both were finished in the middle of June 2018.

THE INSIDES:  The fabrics for both pieces do not have edges that ravel, so they are left loose and raw inside so they can stretch better anyway.

TOTAL COST:  Both fabrics were bought very recently from “Stylish Fabrics” on Etsy (the Ponte Roma can be bought here, while the striped rayon knit is here) so the whole outfit cost me just under $20.

Perhaps you can see since I used the line drawing from the magazine instructions, but the top has the sleeves ‘built into’ the front so that the raglan seam in front is the only stitching line besides the side seams (and small bust darts).  The back wraps over to the front.  I was certainly glad for minimal seams with such a delicate fabric as rayon knit is, especially a ribbed version!  ‘Chic’, to me, is effortless, amazing details that are low key but there to notice all the while.  That is this top!  Yet, it feels like a Saturday tee shirt to wear.

At first, the pants were something that I wasn’t sure if they would even work for me, as I have heard that shorter people don’t tend to work well with cropped hems if you want a silhouette that doesn’t take visual inches off your height.  I just kept coming back to considering them, however, being intrigued by them, and I think the wide hem with its interesting detailing saves them for me.  These should work for year-round wearing, as the shorter length should show off my boots that have interesting ankle decoration!  I mostly love the fact that the “fly” front is different, interesting, and especially zipperless, as I had mentioned.  I can deal with sewing on a few hooks and snaps, instead…no problem!  The left side has a ‘normal’ centered front placket, but then the right side has a folded over section which extends over to the pleat on the other side of the waist.  I might come back and put a snap in the asymmetric front fly just for complete confidence, but it really doesn’t open up so I’ve taken the easy road so far and just have closures on the waistband.

Now, as for any Burda Style pattern, printing and/or tracing is necessary to have a usable pattern to lay on your desired fabric.  My patterns were traced from the inserts in the magazine issue, but they are also available online as a downloaded PDF that needs to be printed out and assembled together.  What works best for me is to use a roll of thin, see-through medical paper to trace your pieces out.  It’s at this preliminary step that you pick out your proper size.  Some people add in your choice of seam allowance width directly to the pattern while some as they are cutting out the fabric pieces.  A scissor with a magnetic ruler guide helps immensely to quicken along the step to getting a finished pattern prepped.  Sorry to repeat something you might already know, but this is just an “FYI” for those that don’t.

Both patterns are rather straightforward and not too challenging to understand once you get into making them.  However, the wide pattern pieces are a bit deceiving.  The pants were an amazing fabric space-saver because they are divided up (with the wide cuffs) and cropped a shorter length than full pants.  They were also almost entirely laid out on the straight grain.  I only used 1 5/8 yards to have make these, leaving me with another 1 ½ yards leftover to make something else yet – yay!  Of course I did shorten them because the sizing chart is designed for a woman 2 inches taller than me, so I took that much out of the body (leg) of the pants pattern.  With the blouse it was a bit trickier to lay out on the fabric and adapt the design.  In order to have the stripes miter into the seam I had to cut the front body with the fabric folded selvedge to selvedge, then open up and refold.  The back/sleeve piece was long and unusual.  It was cut with the fabric opened up and folded oppositely from the front to have the long, whole 60 inch width be the perfect, exact length for the hem end to front sleeve seam for my chosen size 34.  Of course this layout was only really possible because on the pattern I shortened the top’s hem by a few inches and turned the sleeves into a short length.  Any other size bigger or longer length sleeve would need about 1 ½ or maybe even 2 yards of fabric, then.

Sizing was really predictable and good for both patterns, too.  With these pants, I cut in between sizes 36 and 40 to play it safe.  For my black divided jumpsuit I sized down and they felt slightly snug while my navy Marlene trousers were kind of big going a size up.  Going in between might be a bit unorthodox to many sewists but is perfect for me – apparently the sizing chart doesn’t lie.  For the top, I wanted a closer fit and saw how roomy it appeared to run.  It kind of has to be boxy and oversized when making it with a woven, because there is no closure of any kind – this is a pop-over top.  However, as I wanted a closer fit and I was using a stretchy knit, I went a size down.  Even still, I had to take the top in about 2 more inches on each side seam to get the still comfortably loose fit you see on my top.

The shirt’s facing is still non-stretchy (interfaced polyester lining) because something needs to support and keep the wonderful neckline shape in place!  The neckline of my top turned out like a slanted-in square just like how I see the line drawing showing.  However, the model’s garment in the picture looks to be more of a true square neckline.  I like my top’s shaping better.  I did cut off the self-facing to the center front panel and tape it in place to the curving facing for the rest of the neck so I ended up with one single piece.  The facing does end up with a center front seam, but this way I knew I was getting the right shape for my super shifty fabric, and no extra seam in the corners made things simpler.  I’m all about the K.I.S.S. principle (keep it simple, stupid!).

Talking about making things simple, I did leave the pants cuffs unhemmed and raw, so they end up a bit longer than planned, but it makes things easier for me and helps the pants looks better.  I had managed to have no visible stitching on the rest of the pants, doing hand-picked stitching all along the waistband.  I didn’t want to have to do more of that.  Besides, I sense that a hem to the cuff flares would give them undue stiffness, and not have them hang so softly as they do for my version.  Not too many fabrics can hold up to leaving a raw edge on a trouser hem like Ponte Roma can, though!

I only have a few caveats to these two patterns, and don’t take them to heart.  I’ll warn you that these really have to do with my harsh pickiness with achieving the impossible – perfection – with what I make as well as my fabric choices.  First, with the pants, I feel like the loose and poufy asymmetric front doesn’t do the best illusionary complimenting for my tummy.  I self-consciously think I look fatter in these.  I need the “Whatever!” attitude that my hubby has to that thought of mine.  Also, the Ponte Roma makes sure that any panty line and any hem of whatever top I tuck in to my pants shows through from behind over the booty.  Oh well!  For the top, the neckline just makes it over my head.  It’s rather funny because it gets caught on my nose.  Most of the time this is a bother because I often fix my hair before I get dressed.  Making the neckline more open even just ½ inch wider all around would I think help this little hang-up without changing the look very much.  Next time!

Somehow, I was discreetly riding off of some vintage inspiration (no big surprise) for how I styled my outfit, but mostly for how to change up the air of the boxy top into something relaxed and shapely.  You see, there is an old sewing pattern from the year 1935 for an easy one-yard striped top, and I could swear is the same as this Burda Style pattern.  The back is again one piece with the sleeves, which similarly wrap around to the front for a raglan seam.  Again, they use stripes which miter into the raglan seam.  Who would have guessed?!  I only found this cover image due to some random vintage sewing pattern searching and my weirdly sharp photographic memory.  It’s amazing to see how a whole new setting can change the way we see a garment design.  This might explain why I felt confident in softening the “Boxy Top” pattern so something very opposite of its name, and why I went and shortened the sleeves. Thus, my goal was to aim for a slightly modern 30’s influence, with the wide legged trousers which I made, the long necklace, the faux bobbed hair, an old 1960s era Biba Art Deco scarf at the waist, and vintage influenced Re-Mix brand sandals.

Even for my most modern outfits, vintage accessories or at least past inspiration can be found imbedded in there somewhere.  I don’t think that the same situation is that far off for many couture and designer offerings today, as well.  Personal interpretation of past fashion is the glory of what we have today, especially for those of us who sew.  Individual expression in what we wear will be the saving grace from the enslavement of boring, unfitted fast fashions.

So – if my normal fall season colors sound good in the middle of summer…I’m doing it.  If I can’t make a modern outfit without looking for where it originated, all the better.  Knowledge is power.  The desire for self-expression is strong and the world of today offers many avenues for that, but the silent yet deafening message of fashion is still so underrated today, in my opinion.  This outfit only needed a few hours of my time and few yards of fabric to send my newest message of current inspiration and personal tastes.  I’ll go mellow out to some wine now.  Anyone up for dessert?