Happy Halloween!

Halloween has been a busy time around here.  I've been baking and sewing up a storm to get ready for it.

 

 My bakery received an order for a Zombie cake.  I didn't get a photo of the fondant zombies, but here's the smores inspired cake.  It is a chocolate cake with a whipped icing and a graham cracker filling.  Oh and there's some blood on top.... don't worry, it's just raspberry jam.  Though that's homemade too!  I canned five jars of raspberry jam last week.

I had the worst luck with pumpkins this year.  A few friends came over a few weeks ago to carve their pumpkins, then left them at my place.  They became a breeding ground for flies within a day.  Ugh.  Then my original pumpkin (uncarved) molded before I could even carve it.  So here's my final pumpkin!  My inspiration was Inspector Spacetime from Community on NBC.  It's hard to see the hat and umbrella that really make it stand out in this photo though.

We threw a Halloween party and I had to do some baking for it.  It was an apple cider cake with a caramel frosting.  I also made an amazing homemade fall sangria that had apple cider, caramel, all sorts of seasoning, orange juice, brandy, and of course red wine.

Now we move onto my costume!  I forgot to get more photos of it.  I am terrible at that.  I always end up with one group photo and not enough to really show off my costume.  My inspiration was Archer and this photo shows everyone in our group who also dressed up as characters.  And my whole costume was DIY and cost $8.  The "boots" used to be yoga pants that were too small and short to wear anymore.  I cut off the top and sewed them around a pair of heels so they look like thigh high boots now.  The dress was self drafted with a jersey fabric so it was really comfortable all night.  And the accessories were made out of faux leather I had sitting around from a few purses I made last year.  I love DIY costumes!

Sew Weekly... City Challenge

This past week's challenge was based around your city.  Here's my dress for the challenge!

You can click here to read all about it!

Sew Weekly... MAD MEN!!!

I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone how excited I am for Mad Men coming back in a few days.  It's my favorite drama on TV today and it will be back so soon!!!!!

This week's challenge on Sew Weekly was a Mad Men challenge!  Go check it out on over at Sew Weekly!

Sew Weekly- Made This Look

I realized that I forgot to post my Sew Weekly Challenge from last week!  I have been trying to make clothing that is work appropriate.  I have lots of sundresses and cocktail dresses, but not many pants, blouses, or work dresses.  I borrowed this pattern from Meg (New Look 6000), but I wasn't completely satisfied with the way it was designed on the envelope.  I ended up combining about 5 different patterns by the end. 

I started with the side pleating detail, but that design did not have bust darts... who thinks that is a good idea?  I drafted the side details with bust darts.  Oh, and then combined three different sizes to make this dress.  Due to all of these alterations, it took me a little longer than usual to make, but it turned out fantastically!

It relates to the Sew Weekly Challenge  since we were supposed to make something that you could buy off the rack.  My original inspiration has a little different waist, but it still has that big collar that I find so interesting.  Oh, and the original is from Shabby Apple, which is an amazing website! 

I couldn't get the best photos because our one snowstorm of the year hit... I hate Chicago weather... it doesn't snow enough.  We get one big snowfall and it all melts within a day or so.  And it hasn't snowed in a week and half since.  But my hate of the lack of snow in Chicago is not the point of this post. 

And if you want to see my Sew Weekly post, head on over to here.

http://www.sewweekly.com/2012/01/the-5-patterns-in-one-dress/

Yellow Dress!

And the last one of my handmade gifts for the season!  This one was made for someone who is just like family to my husband and I.  She's had a pretty tough year, so we wanted to give her something in this holiday season to bring some cheer.  The yellow dress is a middleweight fabric so it is nice for many different seasons and it can be accessorized just like a little black dress!

Zoey always tries to help me when I'm sewing...

SW- Going Patternless

This week's challenge on Sew Weekly is to create something without a pattern.  I had been wanting to make a holiday dress also, so I just sort of combined the two!  I was originally going to use a pattern I had gotten from Meg, the Vogue 8280.

I was going to make the black dress that is in the bottom corner.  I didn't like the back of the dress... it was too boring for a cocktail dress.  You can't see it on these photos, but it was just a full back with no special detail work.  Also, when I was looking at the pattern I had, it was the wrong size.  So I didn't completely go patternless as I used the top front piece... but I did the rest free hand and had to make lots of changes to that small piece too.

Oh, and Zoey tried to help me yet again... I don't know why she does stuff like this, but it leads to very cute photos.

I started by designing what I wanted the back to look like.  I copied the shoulders from the front and then pleated the lower back.

I had to redo all of the pleats, including the chest ones because they were placed oddly... or maybe I just have an odd body... I dunno.  The top looks kind of goofy in this picture because my dress form is really flat chested.

Sorry all the photos are dark... I leave for work with the sun rising and get home as it sets... so we are lit by Christmas lights!

And tomorrow night my husband is taking me out so hopefully I can get a photo to put up of me in the dress!

My 1950s Dress

One of the hardest things for me over the past few years is when I know exactly what I want to sew, but can’t find the right pattern for it or the right fabric.  When I worked in the costume shop, I would see some of the seamstresses whip up their own patterns as if it was nothing.  I could do that with basic things like a straight skirt or pants, but nothing really more than that. 

A big project that I took on my senior year of college was to make a formal dress for our banquet that my theatre fraternity threw each spring.  I knew I wanted something that was styled to look from the 1950s, but I couldn’t find a pattern that I liked.  I had seen a vintage dress online that was my ideal, but that dress had sold for around $200 on Ebay, so it was way out of my price range.   

I started with yards and yards of sheer blue fabric and yards and more yards of tulle.  Oh there is so much tulle in this dress.  The skirt was easy to figure out since it was just a big circle skirt.  The top is where it got harder.  The v-neck in front wasn’t too hard.  I just drew up a pattern on some paper and made a mock up with some scrap fabric lying around.  The tough part was getting the deep V in the back right.  I wanted it to be low, but not stick out or anything like that.  After lots of trial and error, it came out pretty well. 

The part that took me the longest was the tulle petticoat.  I just sat in my bedroom and gathered tulle for hours on end to give it volume.  Looking back, it probably would have been easier to just buy a finished petticoat and put it underneath. 

After it was finished, I made a bunch of modifications as the dress looked too simple being all just one fabric.  I sewed ribbon together to create a cummerbund that I sewed to the waist.  On the back, I added more ribbon cascading down the length of the skirt.  I also sewed the shoulders together to keep them on my actual shoulders since they kept falling off. 

Looking at it today, I would probably add a broach or something shiny like that if I were to wear it again.  Though I’m not sure where I’d be going that I would need something this formal.  The dress took me around 9 months to complete, because I would keep starting and stopping it.  But in the end, I was very happy with the product, especially since I didn’t use a patter for any of it.

Sewing Challenge: Nautical Theme

This week’s sewing theme is Nautical.  I’m not big on Nautical designs, but I’ve missed the past few weeks since I’ve been so busy so I thought I’d try my hand at a modified nautical look.

I took inspiration from the big nautical collars and striping.  Instead of using blue stripes, I went for red.  And instead of the usual large collars, I picked a pattern that had a unique collar to it.

I’ve had this red striped fabric around for years, but hadn’t done anything with it since it is all slippery.  (Not that fabric above, that's just an example of red and blue nautical fabric.)  Sewing slippery fabric is one of the most annoying things to me.  Actually it might be the most annoying for me. 

I bought this retro pattern earlier this year because I fell in love with the great lines of it.  I knew I was never going to make it floor length, but I thought it would do pretty well as a knee length dress too.

I can usually whip up a dress in one night without too much trouble.  This one is definitely a two day project.  The top alone has 8 pieces of fabric and 8 pieces of lining, with numerous sections that needed to be gathered.  The skirt was an additional 4 pieces and if I had decided to line it too then it would have been 4 more. 

I laid out the fabric and made sure that Zoey was comfortably asleep on the couch so she wouldn’t try to walk all over it.  Usually when I’m cutting I don’t use pins to save time, but in this case I wasn’t going to take any chances. 

After cutting it, I had to sew around all of the edges so it wouldn’t fray.  I hate doing this too since it takes so long.  Silky fabric all around sucks…

Once all the prep work was done, I could get started on the actual construction.  This took most of the night since there was such small detail work and it’s not easy to iron silky materials.  But by the end of the night I had it all put together.  Thought the directions it came with was missing important pieces.  I could figure out what I needed to do, but it was still annoying.

My second day of work was mostly to do the fitting of the dress.  I had to take out the hips, take in the waist, sew up the front, and hem. 

Here’s the final dress.  The hardest part of wearing this is going to be keeping the seam straight on the front!  It keeps shifting as I move.

What is your least favorite type of fabric to work with? 

Work Dresses

I always have so much trouble finding things that I’ve sewn that are appropriate for work.  Most of my sundresses are too casual or my formal dresses would look way too out of place.  This year I have been consciously trying to sew more dresses that I can wear to work. 

For the blue dress I used Butterick pattern 5603.  I had this fabric sitting in my box for years.  I was going to make a pair of comfy cargo capri pants out of it.  I never got around to it and when I got this pattern, it just seemed so perfect for it.  This dress looks great for work, but is one of the comfiest things I own.  Win Win!

I started with style B.  The darts were too short, so lengthened them.  Also I didn't want to have the ties sticking up on the shoulders (so it could be more work approriate).  After making the dress I decided to add the fabric at the shoulders to make it a bit more interesting. 

For the black and white dress, I used this New Look pattern.

I was going to sell this one after I made it because the bust was a bit too small, but every time I wear it I get lots of compliments so I guess it isn’t too noticeable!

Another Vintage Inspired Dress

My latest sewing venture continued in my recent pattern of not using directions/one pattern.  This one combined two patterns, Butterick 6582 and 5603.  I really like the bottom of 6582 and have used it on a few dresses now.  The fit is fantastic on it and I love the lines.  The top of the dress is much higher on my neck than I wanted though.  I thought the neckline of C on 5603 would be what I wanted, so I started with that.   

        

What ended up happening is the neckline was just as high as the other pattern!  So I lowered it to make the neckline I wanted.  I also made the darts deeper, and sewed down the overlay.  It turned out really well and I can’t wait to wear it… though I need some hooks and eyes before I can wear it out… I really need to get those.

The fabric is red and green although it looks orange when put all together.

Sometime I should redraw the top of this pattern on some paper so I can easily make it again another time.  That would make the most sense anyways.

 I’m in the mood to make a trench coat.  But I don’t have any of the right fabric around here.  And there aren’t any fabric stores close by me.  Fail all around.

Wedding Upcycle!

Since I’ve been in a wedding planning mood lately, I thought I’d write about an old wedding project I did. 

When I was in college, each fall the theatre fraternity I was a part of would throw a themed costume party.  One year the theme was Famous Teams Throughout History.  I went as Envy in a group of friends who did the Seven Deadly Sins.  I wasn’t really sure how to show envy.  My best idea was to copy someone else’s costume and just make it all green instead, but that would have needed a lot more planning in advance than we had time for. 

One of the best parts of growing up was the costume chest that my parents had for us to play with.    Lots of our Halloween costumes came from there over the years.  It was filled with clothing, hats, wigs, props, etc.  One item that was in there was one of my mom’s bridesmaid dresses from her wedding.  They were a light green as you can see.  (I cut out the bridesmaid’s head for privacy reasons)

Since the dress wasn’t going to be used again in the state it was in (the fabric was shredding and falling apart), I decided to upcycle it into my costume for the dance.  I didn’t have a pattern to use, but I had just received a dress form for my birthday.  I went to work designing the new dress on the form. 

I had to remove all of the fabric that was stained or had holes in it.  I took the skirt and shortened it to knee length in the front and a bit longer in the back, while still keeping the accordion pleats.  I used the top to create a v-neck dress and a series of straps along the back.  Even as I was sewing the fabric continued to fall apart.  I had to add a line of lace under the bust to hide the holes that the seams were creating.  But you can’t tell by looking at it.

Don't worry, there is a bottom to this dress.  It just wouldn't fit over the dress form's shoulders since there is not zipper in the dress.

 The dress turned out really well, though it needed lots of alterations.  It was my first time sewing without a pattern.  I haven’t worn this dress since that dance, as there aren’t many places that you can wear something that daring.  But I guess the moral of this story is the amazing things you can do to upcycle an old bridesmaid dress.

Now I just have to do the same thing to the hot pink tube top and floor length black skirt that I was supposed to wear as a bridesmaid…

Here's my mom, grandpa, the bridesmaids, and my grandma hiding in the background!

Dressing Up

I love to dress up.  I don’t have many chances to do it though.  I guess I should just make my own reasons.  Such as wearing a formal dress to the movies. 

I mentioned before that I keep buying blue fabric… well looking at the dresses in this post it just cements that.

This is one of my favorite dresses.  It came from a vintage pattern that I found while working in the costume shop. 

I absolutely love the 1950s/1960s.  And this dress fits so perfectly into that style.  I feel like I’m straight out of Mad Men when I’m wearing this dress.  All I need is a martini, a trophy husband (I’m still holding out for Jon Hamm… ), and some of that great 1960s cooking… ok maybe I could do without the cuisine of that era…

Here was my attempt at a little black dress.  All of the dresses I make are in bold colors and patterns, not too much is just a simple dress. 

This dress was a headache from the beginning.  The pattern was not done very well.  The dress should have been knee length and it ended up more like thigh length.  I’ve worn this with tights before, but it keeps riding up so it doesn’t get out of the closet too much.  The top also had a lining that made no sense.  The fabric is stretch, but the lining wasn’t supposed to be.  So the top couldn’t stretch at all and it was too small for the rest of the dress.  I ended up just cutting out the lining and that helped the fit a lot.  I just wish it was longer… Maybe I’ll have to pick up some additional fabric one day and add a strip to the bottom of it.

I love this pattern, but have had some trouble with it too.  I first made this dress for my high school graduation.  The dress was white, since our robes were white.  But the top of it was too tight to wear every day. 

When I made this version of the dress I made sure to make the top extra big.  This helped a bit, but the slit down the front is really low.  I had it sewn together for a while, but the fabric started to tear under the stress.  I now just have it open and have to wear a camisole whenever I wear it out.

It seems as I’m writing this that any formal dresses I make have problems.  But I guess that is kind of the way it is when you are buying dresses too.  You have to try on hundreds of them before you can find something that fits.  I just have to alter mine until it fits. 

For this dress I used the same pattern that I often use for sundresses.

I hate working with silk fabric since it shows everything.  Every wrinkle, every seam, every mistake.  This dress ended up being too loose in the waist and under the chest.  I had to add in a few darts, but the fabric puckers a little at the waist.  It has a thin belt to go with it that sort of covers it, but I like to wear a thicker black belt with it to just hide all the seams there.

Mad Men Yourself….

I am absolutely in love with the show Mad Men.  There aren’t too many shows that I countdown the time until the next show and refuse to watch it on reruns for the first time.  One of the parts of the show that I go crazy for is the fashion.  I already love 1960s fashion, and they do such a fantastic job on this show. 

You can even Mad Men Yourself on their website.  My friend Tyler did this version of me earlier this year.  I think I look evil…

Here are just a few of the dresses on that show that I would love to own…

Well really anything that Joan wears… I’d just like to be her, haha.

I decided to create my own dress based around a Mad Men fashion.  I made this one about a month ago and still can’t finish it because I’ve run out of hooks and eyes… Betty Draper wears this dress in the first season to the theatre.  I love the illusion top, the nipped waist, and how the skirt flows. 

For my version I used a wiggle dress pattern that I had and did the top freehand.  I used Butterick 6582 for the bottom.  I modeled the nipped waist and the illusion top, but kept it as a pencil skirt to be more like Joan.  I cut the top of the dress into a strapless sweetheart neckline.  Then I added the two tone, sheer white fabric to the top.  It is gathered around the bottom, so it is similar to Betty’s. 

The waist on her version is more interesting than mine, but I wanted to keep it simple, because I thought the two tone fabric on top was enough interest.  The back of the dress has a keyhole opening from the zipper to the top with a pearl button closing it.

I haven’t worn this one out anywhere yet, but I’m really excited to give it a try!  I just need to find some hooks and eyes…

Also, has anyone seen these Mad Men Barbie dolls that came out a few years ago… aren’t they creepy.