Making Goals for 2015

Hello All!

I originally was not going to make any goals post, but after reading some post from fellow bloggers, I decided that it might be a good idea to set a few. Last year I only set one goal and I don’t think I was successful.  The goal was to sew more, but I ended up sewing less but perhaps more challenging projects.

This year I will try to be in a better spirit and set some goals that I will enjoy completing.

1.) Sew at least 10 new garments for myself This my not seem like a lot but I feels it is at least realistic. Even though I just started a project this weekend, I am still not fully in the sewing spirit. Going home, climbing into bed under cozy covers and watching YouTube or Hulu still feels like the thing I look forward to doing each day. However, If I can make 10 new garments this year, no repeats that would be completely awesome. I am even thinking about doing to Wardrobe Architect, we shall see how that pans out.

2.) Draft/Drape myself 2 garments. I know two garments sound weak, especially after all the pattern-making that happened last year. However, I plan to make some garments for myself and at least one of them I hope to be a challenge for me, since I really want to draft a jacket/blazer.

3.) Seriously finish some UFO.  I have several that I really want and some that I really should REALLY finish. Especially my co-worker/friend’s jacket. I told him I was going to make it several years ago and just dropped the ball.  Since he purchased fabric for it, I really need to stop being a jerk and finish it. I also have some coats and shirts that I need stop being afraid to finish.

4.) Blog more and get back into the community.  Since I have two blogs now, I really should be able to blog more. Also if I keep up with the above goals, then I should be able to have more post here. The other blog is much easier since I am actively taking care of my skin most days. I really how I can reconnect with some of you, because I really enjoyed our exchanges and also love hang out with ya IRL.

5.) Travel. Not related to sewing per se, but last year I did travel to hang out with sewing peeps and I hope that can happen again. However, I really want to get my passport so I can travel outside of the US. I haven’t been abroad in a long time and I probably should do something about that, Right? Also, since one of the places I am thinking of relocating to one day is out of the country, I will need a passport to do that.

6.) Commit to learning Korean.  Even though I started learning the Korean language this summer, I feel like I am still stuck learning Hangul (alphabet). It really isn’t enough to listen to music and watch shows/movies in Korean. I really need to commit and  even force myself to have conversations.

7.) Dance & Sing more. At some point I stopped dancing and singing around the house.  I really need to get back to that. Not only does it boost my spirits, it also is my little exercise time. Well, that’s that.

 

Do you have any goals for this year, even if they are simple?

 

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Making a Collection: Part 3

Have you been itching to see the final design? I am excited to share it with you all, but I am going to hold off just a little. I know, I am so mean.

You can read part 1 & 2 of this series if you are interested.

A quick review of the steps I took, before the big reveal

Concept – Basically, this is where you come up with theme. It could be as simple as black & white separates or Kpop Jekyll & Hyde. During this step you might keep a photo-board of images, colors, fabrics, whatever you might find inspiration from.

Design– Taking your theme and creating garments that represents that theme.

Patterning – Creating a paper template for your designs or working it out on a dress-form

Muslin/Sample Garment – Sewing up your pattern to test the fit, making other tweaks and just see if it works in general.

Now on to the last step… Making your dreams into reality!!

 

Making the Final Collection

If you have not made a sample garment, this is where you will collect all your supplies, because of course, you can not make a garment without your fashion fabric, notions and interfacing. Let me tell you I purchased so much black fabric and white fabric, I don’t know what to do with the leftovers. The black fabric I’ll be able to use but the white fabric…. Not a fan of wearing white really.

You might happen come across this scenario: Go on various fabric shopping trips only to come home and the fabric just doesn’t work together. So, always keep swatches with you when shopping. I purchase my fabric in NYC, LA and San Diego for this project and even the weekend before the fashion show, just before cutting out the final pieces I still was not happy and ended up going to the fabric store. It happens.

Luckily, once you find the fabrics that works for your project, all you have to do is sew the garments up as normal. Always pre-treat and test the garments before cutting out anything. This was a must for me, some fabrics I hand washed, while others I tossed in the washing machine. Oh yes, hand washed and machine washed fabrics are combined in the garments for this project. You also should test your interfacing and stitching. For me I tested the Palmer/Pletsch PerfectFuse Light and Medium Interfacing and ended up using the Light for the waistbands and Medium to interface the facing on the jacket. They are still running a sale $19 for 3 yds with 60 width or 66′ width, check it out. Since my jacket used 5 different fabrics, I had to do test samples to make sure they played well together.

The bonus final step for creating your collection that you might not even think about until the last minute is Presentation.

Presentation

What the heck am I talking about. For my 1st Collection, I presented my finished look at the School’s Fashion Show. I am super happy that I have modeled in fashion shows around San Diego, so that I knew how I wanted to present my work. Looking back, it is kind of funny because, it might seem like my model walked into the wrong show, in a very awesome way. I really thought about how I wanted her to look. Head to toe. I did both her hair and make-up. Shopped for hair extension, dyed hair extensions, full Trice Salon services, researched good and evil make up looks and quick runway modeling coaching. All that said, I think I nailed it and I know it was a great idea to make her the last model, so she could close out the show. She pretty much stole the show, she gave a fierce runway. Mama proud.

Hehe, I know you guys are like, Geez Trice, shut up and show us the pictures. Okay I will stop tormenting you all.

Let’s start off with my design sketch and compare it to the final look.

 

Now it’s time for the Final Reveal!!!

Outdoor Shoot

Of course, the Designer/Model shot

I do want to thank my dear friend and model for letting me abuse you all semester. And sorry for using you like a pincushion. Love ya. Also want thank her Mister, my friend and photographer, for not getting upset that I stole your lady. Love you too.

Well there you go friends, what I spent a good chunk of this year working on. And guess what this is only the beginning. But right I am going to squeeze in some selfish sewing.

 

Making a Collection: Part 2

I am sorry that I am behind on posting this, but of course the closer I was to the fashion show date, the less time I had.

The last post was focused on Concept and Design, this post will be one of my favorite difficult parts.

 Patterning

Did you expect me to say patterning was one of my favorite parts? I bet you did not. I really enjoy pattern making. This is really where the magic happens, where you creativity shines. Once you start learning about pattern-making the more your realize how creative your can be making garments. Yes, there are rules to pattern-making and you have to learn how to make a pattern for whatever your imagination came up within those rules (or try to breaking them). I tend to always want to break them or at least find a difficult way to do things. One of the rules I always want to break is darts. This project I actually embraced darts.

Let me back up a little. In case anyone here does not understand what I mean by Patterning. A pattern is a paper or cardboard template that you use to trace parts of a garment onto fabric.  There are varies ways to approach making a pattern; Draping, Flat Pattern-making and Commercial Pattern Customization. There are more ways, but those three are the ways I  made patterns for my 1st Collection.

 

Draping for a dress I made over a year ago

Draping:

I consider this the fun technique. Using a dressform, a garment could be created with pins and clever positioning. You can actually work in the fabric you intend to use and you can    see results right away For this project, I used the draping method to work out tulle part of my top.

Flat pattern-making:

This method is what I am most familiar with using. After using body measurements to draft a sloper (master template), I took the sloper and manipulate it to the design I want. I trace my sloper onto a piece of paper and then I freehand my ideas. This time around I freehand on the muslin that I sewed up for the sloper. Then I took measurement from that and plotted it on my sloper.

Working on 1st draft for top

Commercial Pattern Customization:

This term might be new to you, but the technique is familiar. This technique  is probably best if you are not too comfortable with drafting or pattern-making. Taking a pre-existing commercial pattern and making some design changes, which is different from fit alterations. There are some great patterns out there that you can have fun with this techniques,  Renfrew, Laurel and Emery just to name a few. After making my very first pant sloper, I decide to use  the Clover pant as a base for the pant design.

 

Renfrew with  Commercial Pattern Customization

Muslin & Sample Garments

After you get your pattern drafted, you need to make a muslin of it. By making a muslin, you figure out if the pattern you drafted works. You can solve fit issues as well as finding out that your garment needs some features added. One of the features I found out I needed was a zipper in the center back of the top. My model really could not get properly in and out of top. I really did not want a zipper to show in the back, but at the same time a true invisible zipper was not ideal because the length.  The perfect zipper would be an invisible separating zipper. I was told that they did not exist. Yet I managed to find it. I purchased  two zippers (1 white, 1 black) from ZipperShipper.com.

Another thing you might figure out during this stage is construction order and most importantly (for me) how to finish seams, necklines and hems. You might not think about that during the  designing or drafting stages, but it does come to a reality during this phase.

Making some adjustments from the first draft.

 

I went back and forward about whether I was going to line or  use bias binding to finish the neckline on the top. I did use bias tape for the arm hole, however because of time, I ended up using steam a seam on the next line. :0

 

After making the muslin, you will need to make another pattern draft of changes you made in the muslin. You possibly will have more than two drafts. Always mark each draft, and don’t get rid of them sometimes you have to go back to the first one as reference. I only made 2 drafts for this project. I only really had time to make 2 and any other changes I made, I made in the garment.

1st & 2nd Draft of Back Vest Pattern Piece

 

 

 

You also might want to make a sample garment after you worked out everything, and it is best to do this in the fashion fabric or something very similar. I mostly skip this step except for making the pants.  I have a mostly finished sample or wearable muslin in a fabric very close to the final fabric. After that, you are probably ready to work on the final garment.

I will go over the final stage in the last post of this series. For now here is a sneak peek into the final garment.

 

 

Disclaimer: Sorry about some of the camera phone quality images in this post.

 

Making a Collection: Part 1

If you have read several of my post for this year, you will be aware that I am taking an Advance Pattern-making class. The class is about making your first Collection. I have been sharing pictures of my process on Twitter/Instagram. However, everyone does not use Twitter or Instagram, so I decided to do a little series about the path to my first collection.

Concept:

So I knew exactly what my Theme would be for class before the semester even started. Sadly, once class started, I realized I had to calm my ideas the hell down. This made my concept a little tricky.

I bet you are curious what my concept/theme is! Anyone that knows me, knows that I have a soft spot for things Asian. I took Japanese for my foreign language credit in college, my first clothing item I sewed up was a Kimono blouse and I really don’t need to get into food. In all honestly, I didn’t realize I had a LOVE for Asian things until a few years ago. My current focus is with Korean culture and this lady loves some Korean Pop music. It’s a not so secret, secret pleasure. A lot of it reminds me of music from the late 80s, early 90s. Feel good music you can dance too. I have a strong bias towards Korean Boy Groups to make matters worst. In the 80s/90s it was American Girl Groups.

Okay, back on tract. I don’t remember how it came to me, but I do recall it was very much like a light bulb moment. Like YES, there is no other option. I was mad excited about this idea, still love the original idea. My concept was inspired by my second favorite K-Pop group, Vixx’s Hyde music video.

Warning: This is a dark concept video, so there are snakes, skulls and such.

In case you decide to skip the video, the story line is, these guys are struggling between their good and bad side. The song lyrics plays out in a similar fashion, like a crappy relationship. Nice one moment and a jerk-face the next.

I have watched the above video many times (as well as their others), plus I even read The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The next step for me was to make an inspiration board. Not only was I inspired by images from Vixx, but also Krystof Stroznya’s Fall/Winter 2012 Collection and even photographs from the 1800s on double exposure.

Vixx Inspirations

 

Jekyll & Hyde Inspirations

Design

The next step for me in this process was to come up with designs. Somehow, I got in my brain that I had to create three different looks. So in my head, I came up with a good side, a bad side and the conflicted good/bad. However, turns out I had to make three garments or a 3-piece outfit, which is great labor and time wise but kind of threw me off design wise. I needed to get across Jekyll & Hyde (meets Korean pop idol) all in one look (3-piece outfit). *breathe*

The first real assignment was to make a croqui, make copies and then design 12 garments. From the 12 I had to pick 3 that I would make. This method is a little difficult for me, because I usually always know what I want and I really have strong feelings and focus towards those idea. So, 9 of the garments I designed ended up being mostly BS, that I kind of struggled with. However, some of them I went in after the 3 were picked and played with for other project ideas. I did make some adjustments to my final 3 garments, and guess what, the designs are still being adjusted beyond the design stage. You know I even dream about my design ideas, FOCUS!!!

To end today’s post, I will share with you my first garment. My illustrations are not the best, so I will do a short description for each illustration.

Illustrated by Me (Trice @ SewTell) Don’t know why I crossed my real name.

Garment 1: Jacket/Vest, Black and white, armhole princess seam front, waist back darts, feathered back, 5-6 different fabric textures, faced and partially lined.

Jacket Mockup

Come back next week, for Garment 2 and other thoughts on the process.

Run Lola Run

 

Finally, I jumped on-board the Victory Pattern’s Lola love train. Why on earth did I take so long? Yeah, I don’t know either.

You all know by now that I went to NYC last month. Once my trip was confirmed, I knew that I wanted to make a dress for that trip and I want to make sure I was going to be warm too. This dress, in this fabric was perfect for the job.

This fabric is an amazing, super cozy. I was completely warm during the cold NYC weather in this Lola dress. I believe the fabric is a sweater fleece, with stretch (YAY) that I purchased on my trek to San Francisco to meet the gorgeous Leila.

 

There isn’t much I really need to say about Lola that you probably don’t already know. Right?  This is indeed a super fast sew, especially if you have a serger. I sergered everything except for the top-stitching on the pockets and  stitching down the triangle. You can honestly make this dress in a day.

 

The next one I make, you can be sure there will be a next, I would like to make it in a lighter weight knit. That why I can wear it more often in SoCal’s warm weather. I think the next version I will go down in size. You can see that I have a lot of extra fabric in that upper back area. I would also like to make an adjustment in the sleeve/sleeve band. For some reason, the 3/4 sleeves bands are always too big, like in my Renfrew. Perhaps my arms are a lot smaller than the rest of my body suggests. I dunno.

 

Obviously, one of my favorite features about Lola is the pockets. They are so huge, I think I misplace my ring in one of the pockets. I DID find it before it ended up in the washer.

That’s where I put my phone!

If you want a fast, simple, yet cute dress, you should definitely check out Lola and make her up. The directions are pretty straight-forward and easy to follow. Here are some more pictures from the photo shoot. Mostly silliness.

Big pockets = more storage

Come on, get in there!!

I think I got this

Success! Mwahaha

Okay, let’s be serious now.

Nope, never mind!

I got caught by a coworker shortly after this picture. He said he sensed booty shoots were going down, which was true. There is a series of shoots of me touching my booty.

I am still working on my Jekyll and Hyde project for school. I think my teacher is finally starting to see my vision. She gave me a big hug the other day because she was happy I was in her class and that my project was so different from everyone else. Tonight I have class, and I plan to work on the drafting the facing for the jacket, then, cut out my top and sew it up. I also need to drop into JoAnn’s to find some fabric to test the fit on the pants. So much to do. The school is having a fashion show towards the end of May. I have to submit an application to be in it and hopefully, I get selected. I think my piece is interesting enough to be including. Wish me luck.

Okay, I am going to end this post here. Up next will be my NYC/L.A. trip post. It’s gotten so wordy, that I am about to delete it and start over. Okay, until next time.

Happy New Year! (What?)

 

Let me dust off the cowebs and dust that this blog has collected so far in 2014.

I know, I know!  I have been MIA for some time now, well mostly from blogging. I have been spotted on instagram and twitter. Oh and of course hanging out in real life. I am sure most of you have seen several of the amazing blog post from everyone that met up in NYC a few weekends ago.  I also went to a meet up this past weekend in L.A. for Christine Haynes Book Release Party. However, I will save those stories for another post.

So what have I been up to all this time. Well, despite my lack of presence here. I HAVE been sewing and a bit of pattern-making. I’ve made x-mas presents, tester patterns, slopers, hacks, sample patterns and the Victory’s Lola.

But today, I will share with you one of the x-mas presents I made, that I am very happy how it turned out. Most of the other stuff I can’t share with you right now, because either I didn’t like how they came out, they are not ready to be shared or I did not photograph them yet.

This last x-mas, I made blankets and a scarf, even a knit ponte pencil skirt as gifts. Of course, I can’t find the pictures for some of these, but that’s okay because I do have pictures of my favorite x-mas make.

 

 

 

Over Thanksgiving, I overheard my friend’s brother say that he would love to have a hooded sweater. Light bulb,  McCall’s M6614. This pattern is pretty easy to sew up. I went with View C, since I think he really wanted a pull-over. The only changed I made was with the sleeve. Which was the first sign of the downfall of this garment.  It was when I slipped my hand through the cuffs that I made, that I realized I had purchased the wrong fabric. Don’t get me wrong, I love this Sweater fleece fabric I purchased from JoAnn’s. Super cozy. BUT how the hell did I not notice there was no stretch. D’oh!

 

 

 

I finished the pull-over hoodie anyways and crossed my fingers that it would work out. X-mas day, my friend’s brother received his gift. LOVE IT. However, it was difficult to get on and 5′ too short. UGH! I told him that I would make him another one, longer and going up several sizes since he really loved the fabric. I purchased more fabric and that’s where the story gets put on hold.  Yes, I am a bad friend. Life has been insane tho.  So now, I have this really nice pull-over hoodie that has no owner. Super sad-face. It is a crime. Especially with those hidden front pockets.

 

Despite, the fact that this doesn’t fit the person that it was intended for. I really love the way it came out. This was my favorite make of 2013.

 

In case you did not know. I am taking an Advance Pattern-making class this Spring semester and we have to make our first collection. The collection is only 3 garments thankful, but kind of sad because I had this whole vision beforehand. My theme for my collection is Jekyll and Hyde meets Korean pop idol. Since I am making a 3-piece outfit, I have to translate my idea to one garment. My teacher kind of side-eyed my sketches but approved it anyways. I think I have 9 weeks left until the fashion show, where the garments will be displayed. Of course I am a bit behind. I am excited and nervous all at once. Very overwhelmed. Hopefully, I get this done in time. I really need to focus and buckle down my time, since my garments  are not simple. I do promise to share the excitement of it all with you all.

Next post should either be about the March meet-ups or my Lola. Until next time.

2013 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 9,400 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

AnyWHO, on with my own reflection of 2013.

Like every true artist I can find fault with everything I made and in true form say it is not finished. However, I will roll my eyes at that part of me and take a step back and allow myself to see the good in the stuff I have created over this year. Here are My top 5 Makes of 2013

1. SHANER DRESS

 

Of course, I am going to be proud of this dress. This dress started from an idea on paper to a perfectly fit garment that I can wear. Not a model but ME, with all my glorious curves. Yes, they are glorious, whether it’s from the muscles I built from walking and lifting or fats from cookies and tasty pastries. GLORIOUS. I was uneasy about buying pink fabric, because YUCK, pink. However, I am a sucker for polka dots and I think it works great for a dress to wear to a wedding. There are some changes I would like to make to this dress: Deepen the neck curve because it is not supposed to look like a V-neck, take out some of the flare in the CF, add sleeves and use interfacing. D’oh!

2. Polka-dot Sorbetto

I really love this top. If I could wear it every day I would. First off it has polka dots. The fabric feels wonderful and I wished there was more of it. I am tempted to make another and a adjust the armhole but I will pass on that for the time being. REALLY LOVE THIS TOP.

3.  #Sewingdare Pillow Cases

I had purchased some Ikea fabric and pillow forms a while back for my last apartment and just never got around to making covers for the forms. Gillian from Crafting a Rainbow gave me a sewing dare which was a good kick in the butt to take care of covering the ugly pillow forms on my couch. Heck, even my Man Friend likes them.

4.  Emery Dress

I didn’t actually expect to like this dress since I am not really a retro/vintage kind of girl. More of a comfy, modern, wannabe futuristic kind of girl. I have actually wore this dress outside of a photo shoot. I wore this dress for Xmas and got some compliments. I am thinking about wearing it for a party next week. I also might make another one and do a much-needed FBA . This is a great pattern, simple and allows room for your own personal touches. Love it.

5. Black/Blue Sugar Plum

This year I made 2 Sugar Plum dress from Lolita Pattern and this one is my favorite. I made some fitting adjustments that makes me happy. My favorite thing about this dress is that it looks like a two piece. Which is awesome. I also like this version more because it has a shorter hem. Not that I like showing off my legs, but fitted knit skirts look better on me above the knees or to the ankles.

SUMMARY

This year was a pretty decent year. I gained some new sewing techniques, I did a lot of designing (Xmas put them on hold), I lost some friends and made awesome new ones (sadly none in SD, but LA is not far), got to meet some sewing heroes, and participate more in our little community.

Since I did not accomplish two of the main things I had plan to do this year, I am going to keep my goals for this year simple.

My Goal for 2014 is to create more. This is simple enough and regardless of what I do, I can make this happen.

Do you have  goals for 2014?

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and I look forward to spending 2014 with you!

Sew Red October

Yeah I know, it is not October anymore, we have moved on to November. But I am allow to hold on a little bit to October, it is my favorite month. Except for the allergy part.

I did finish this blouse in October, but did not get to photograph it until November. The interesting part is that I started this blouse back in May 2011. I think time ran out, this was my second garment of the semester. The cool thing was when I decided to work on it again, all the tissue fitting/adjustments and cutting the pieces out were done. Tho, I do think i was supposed to do a fabric fitting. Oh well.

So the pattern I am using is McCall’s M5661. I cut out a size 16 and did a 3/4″ FBA then I lowered the FBA dart 1.25″. I ended up moving that dart to the neck pleats. I also did a sway back and made the seam allowance 1″. Beside the fit adjustments I made this pattern without a belt and I went with snaps instead of button/holes. I used pearl snaps for the pattern and kind of aligned it with the guide. Since this was my first time installing snap, they might not be perfectly in line. I really don’t like making machine buttonholes, so hence the snaps.

My favorite part of this top is the sleeves. I love cool sleeve treatments. Even puffy sleeves. It was fun making these sleeves. I think everyone should try a hand at fun sleeves.

My least favorite things about this shirt are the silly front facing, the pool above my bust and that I can hulk out a little in this top.  If I bend over or flex my back, the second snap unleashes. I feel like Bruce Banner (The Hulk). So this top will be worn on an easy movement day, which actually doesn’t exist. HA.  Okay, more like not in heavy rotation unless I want to show off my upper back muscles.

Now for a little silliness. I wasn’t too much in the mood for taking picture, plus I was heading up to L.A. in a few hours so I had to be quick. So most of my pictures are side views. Did I mention I forgot to pack my shoes. I am wearing running sneakers? Yeah, I was kind of worn out.

I have decided that I am going to try to complete an UFO in my collection each month until they are gone. This does not include stuff that I have no interest in anymore. It happens. This month, I am planning to finish my Sewaholic Minoru Jacket. Does anyone remember that. Yeah, didn’t think so. Lol

I also have some exciting new projects underway, so stay tuned.

Guest Post at Lolita Patterns

Hey everyone, I just finished another Sugar Plum dress during my crazy birthday weekend (Apparently I am always sewing dresses for my birthday, I was told). Check out my guest post at Lolita Patterns to read about all the details of making my second version with a FBA.

Dancing with Sugar Plums

Geez, Trice another post? I must be on something, right? The day has finally come. I get to share with all of you another secret project.

Enters Lolita Patterns‘ Sugar Plum. I was one of the lucky women to be a pattern tester for their new Sugar Plum dress. I love clothing that are mixed with woven and knit fabric, so I was very much looking forward to making this dress. Early June, a request for testers were sent out and I hopped on right away to be a tester. I knew this dress would be perfect for my work wardrobe.

Sugar Plum is a dress that looks like a shirt tucked in, how awesome is that! Plus there are ruffles. Despite the fact that I am a tomboy at heart, I love me some ruffles. However, due to time and my skill level, I decided to go with View B. I have never mixed woven and knit fabric before, or made a rolled edge hem with my serger (yay, to new skills aquired), plus I was not sure if I had enough fabric. So yeah, no front ruffles. I used fabric already in my stash for this pattern, the only thing I purchased were the buttons. Go me!

Whistle while you work, or slip out of work

I definitely knew I was not going to get away with making this pattern without making a muslin. I would like to note that I did not do a FBA for this pattern and the only changes I made to it, was adding 5/8″ to the front and back side seams after the side notches. Next time I will definitely do a FBA using a size 10. While I am at it, I will probably throw in a forward shoulder. I am pretty happy with the fit in the back, except for one part which I will go into later.

Did you notice? This dress comes with pockets, who does not love pockets? I walked around all day with my hands in my pockets, most of the pictures in the photo shoot has me with my hands in my pockets. I was supposed to line it with the lining fabric, but I decided that I wanted to use the contrast fabric (skirt fabric) as my pocket fabric.

Dress in Action

So like I said earlier, most of the fabric and notions I used to make this dress I had already in my stash. Yes, I so happened to have a 22 inch zipper, yeah I don’t know how that happened. The only thing I had to buy was the buttons, which I love. They are a pearl-like button, wish works perfect for this dress (sorry for the lack of close-up). The fabric I used for the top half is the same I used for the Sorbetto Top. I think its a poly silk.  The contrast/skirt fabric is a double knit that I have tons of.

Sometimes a gal needs a break from shoes

Despite the fact that this dress looks great on my curves, there is a little bit of an horror story that goes along with it. You see, the back is supposed to have an invisible zipper, but the zipper is not that invisible, especially in the contrast skirt. The reason being… I am actually hand-sewn into this dress. My invisible zipper foot gets so close that at times it stitches into the teeth and that’s what happened and I broke the zipper. During the day the little spot that would not zip just got worst and since I needed to take pictures of the dress, I could not hide my exposed back behind a hoodie, so I had my coworker sew me in since we could not fix the problem. I know, complete Face Palm, but doesn’t this dress look great on me?

I know I should take the zipper out and re-install a new invisible zipper. However, I am lazy and scared to remove a zipper since it is fully lined and the fabric is delicate. We shall see, it would be a shame not to wore the dress again.

Lolita Patterns will be having a sew-a-long for the Sugar Plum dress at the end of the month, Everyone should check it out. I know I will be following along.

I want to thank Lolita Patterns for giving me the opportunity to test this lovely dress. One of the things I love about Lolita Patterns is their sizing. These L.A. Pattern Companies (Lolita Patterns and Christine Haynes) are stalking me, I am convince. 😉 The size is on point with my own measurements, give or take what I might eat on a given day. Lolita Patterns also has two size range (2-14) then (16-24) and they are not just using the same block for the larger size. This is really smart. There is a brilliant post about it here.

Now go and purchase your own Sugar Plum pattern, here. Especially since they are having at 15% sale (on physical patterns) until Oct 10 PST. Sale code is sugar15plum

Happy hour and dancing friendly