Polkadot blouse

Before the summer I made this cute little polkadot blouse. It's a variation of my usual blousepattern, I closed up the front, skipped the collar and made fabric covered buttons down the back.

It turned out ok, but it has an unfortunate tendency to wander back, so the neckline climbs up, the shoulder seams move a bit out of place and the back becomes very blousy-saggy. Any idea of what I could do remedy this on a future make, save raising the neckline? It worked on the dress (see previous post), but then of course the bodice was attached to a skirt...

From the front. There's a bustdart to create room without adding bulk to the waist. The necline is faced. (A sidenote: That little building in the background is the in reality quite big outdoors dance-floor we use a couple of times during the summer)

The skirt is actually even better than new: it's an old make that needed some small fix-up's, and I've finally done them! I made this skirt in December 2009, over two years ago, for a Christmas danceperformance (the colour in the old post is very different from the one in this post - the truth lands somewhere in between). It was a last minute-no-time-for-finesse sewing project, so I didn't have time to let the skirt hang before hemming. A short while after it looked like this:

I put it on my dressdummy, measured a new length, cut and re-hemmed and voila! A usable skirt =)

Also, I was a little bit slimmer around the waist and hips two years ago, and the skirt came out on the tight side from the start. I had done a very dodgy waistband, which now had the benefit of being easily adjusted. I had to wrestle down my instinctive desire to remove the entire waistband and sew one on properly. But seriously, this skirt clings to everything, it wrinkles for nothing and while it was well worth the time to re-hem and adjust it a bit in the side, it would have been overkill to make a proper waistband. Even though my sewing-conscious is writhing, I'm trying to learn that it doesn't have to be perfect every time =)

I love this blouse and skirt combo! It feel very 50s college-student, esp with the keds and the ponytail. Quite fitting for this going back to school time of the year =)

Love, Erika

30s ensamble: I did it! Sort of...

So, I had this grand plan to make a dress and jacket in 7 weeks, during which I'd be travelling at least 3. I got inspired by some pretty fabric, and I desperetly wanted to make a 30s outfit to wear to a friends wedding. I made it! Sort of... I didn't have time to line the jacket but as long as we don't tell anyone it doesn't matter, right? (So why did I go around and show this to my sewing-friends at the weddding?! Or admitting this to the world on the blog?! Hmm... not so smart, perhaps ; ) ) In the last minute, I just basted the facing hem and sewed on the buttons, it worked for the day, but I will of course make it properly now after the wedding.

Dress and jacket.

Just the dress, with the cute little 30s handbag I bought at Tradera.

The wedding was in an old chapel at Gammlia outdoors museum. In between the guided tour and waiting for the newlyweds to get back from the photoshoot, me and Linda, who generously helped me out with taking pictures (Thank you!) found a 40s boat in one of the few museum buildings at Gammlia. We had fun... =)

It was a wonderful day; a beautiful wedding, a delicious dinner and a fun party.

Congratulations, Johan and Amanda!

I'm glad I made the outfit, but was again reminded that me and deadlines don't go together very well. Esp when I set them up way too tight!

I you want to see details shots and read some construction notes, just click on the blogtitle...

Otherwise, thank you for reading this far =)
Love, Erika

Herräng - what a week!

Me and my sister Kajsa outside Folkets Hus, The Lindy Hop Shop in the background

When the world's biggest international swing dance camp is hosted in Sweden, it's quite natural that it's a given part of a Swedish swingdance enthusiast's summer vacation. This summer was no exception! This year was very special to me, as it was the first year my sister attended the camp, and the first time me and the mr were there together. My friend Elin was also there, and the four of us had a great week!

What to say? The classes were fun, the teachers great, our fellow dancers inspiring, the company the best. The social dances in the evenings a delight. The tea hot and the cookies warm =) Only bad was that the weather had shifted back from past two years glory to normal swedish summer, unfortunatly.

Me and Kajsa the last day, shivering in the not too warm evening air during Friday night party. We wore really cute outfits beneth the jackets, promise... I had cought this year's Herräng flu, hence the glasses.

Herräng is a 24/7 activity, with classes, evening events, social dancing, and lot's of eating to have energy for all the dancing =) Some snaps of everyday life at the camp:

Removal of tape after glueing the sole back on. It's a hard life to be a dance shoe...

Lunch at the Blue moon café

Brushing out pincurls on Kajsa for the evening dance

Wendenesday there's cutural activities in the "morning" and no classes starts before three in the afternoon. A lot of people take this as an opportunity to sleep, as they went to bed very, very late (or early, depending on if one refers to the evening prior or the day that had started) after Blues night =) This year Kajsa and I guided our mom and grandmother around, as they came to visit to see what all the fuss was about =)

Kajsa and Gran

As I said, the weather did not co-operate for one bit, two days in a row we even had serious thunderstorms with heavy rain and pea-sized hail!

Storm clouds coming in, one can almost see how they push away the blue-sky-and-fluffy-white-clouds-weather we had had earlier that day. It was a gorgeous effect!

However, while it of course is better with nice weather, a little rain was nowehere near eunough to spoil our mood. Herräng, it was a lovely week, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again next summer! =)

Me and Kajsa with our camp passports

All for now!
Love, Erika

A fabulous idea - or?

A fabric shop next door equals risks for spontanous "oh, I adore this fabric, what can I make from it? Oh, I know, I know! Wouldn't it be lovely for an ensamble for the wedding I'm attending in 1,5 months? I think it would...
I know it would!
I'd love to make it.
Of course I have time to make it.
I will make it or die trying!

Now, how did that happen, didn't I have anyting at all to wear already? Of course not, nothing really suitable!"

And that's the story of how I talked myself into sewing a dress+jacket ensamble... This is the fabric that started this whole process:

For this outfit I had a quite simple dress pattern in mind: combine my holksleeve blouse pattern (modified a bit, of course) with my A-skirt pattern and voilà, a dress! The jacket took some thinking though. The problem is that my absolute favorite era is the 30s, I adore the soft, feminine and elegant fashion of pre-WWII. My bodyshape is however more attuned to the New look of the late 40s/early 50s. And the set of  hips needed to wear up a New look-outfit is not at all flattering in a 30s dress...

So I made some necessary accomodations and came up with this:

I figured I want the polkadots in the bodice and the solid for the skirt. To it I want a 3/4 sleeve jacket with a shawl-collar. A bit like this one from Sears catalogs -36:

Now you're probebly wondering what on earth this sketch has to do with the 30s, but maybe it's a matter of small details to get the look I want? Check out these two patterns:

Link

 Link

Looking through Sears catalogues, patterns, photo's etc, to me it seems that most details can be seen in different decades (at least if I stick to my favorite period: 30s, 40s, 50s). Wide collars, small collars, shawl collars, v-neck, round neck. Princesslines, pleats, gathers, darts. Etc, etc... My point is that if it's not in the construction details, then where's the difference? 'Cause the difference is huge!

Maybe it's in the fabric and subtle changes in the cutting? For me the 30s appear more flowy and drape-y, while the 50s was more structured. Both feminine and lovely, but if you place a haute cotour gown from the early 50s on the floor, it stands on it own. A 30s gown would melt into a graceful puddle. Likewise, an A-line skirt in silk taffetea will instantly give a new look-feel, while a bias cut charmeuse A-line will bring the glamorous Hollywood starlet of the 30s to mind. What do you guys say; am I on to something?

So the question is: can I re-create the feeling of the drape and slim elegance of the 30s, while still make a garment that flatters my hourglass shape? I'm not after historic accuracy, only the feel of the 30s. Here's my plan to "thirtyfy" my patterns:
- Cut skirt on bias.
- Omit shoulder pads on jacket.
- Use a thin viscouse with lot's of drape.
- Don't tailor the jacket, only reinforce with knit fusible, maybe add a sew-in stabilizer for the collar.
- Gather the top of the jacketsleeves .

Can it be that simple? I have until August 4 to find out =)

Love, Erika

Pattern storage - problems and solutions

Pattern box

Like many sewists I've hoarded a small collection of patterns. They're stored in a box, and I love taking them out and admire the pretty covers. Commercial patterns, both vintage and new, are easy to deal with once the project is done, but how about the other patterns?

Guilt box

Since I either trace and alter patterns, or (most often) just draft them myself, I end up with a lot of patterns that has no obvious storage place. Usually it goes like this:

- Draw an image of what I'm aiming for

- Trace (printed pattern/basic sloper/similar pattern)

- Draft alterations

- Make a toille and fit

- Mark up the changes and clean up the pattern, draw a second generation of some pattern pieces if needed.

- Sew

- Not throw away toille, "not-final-generation-pattern-pieces", and left over scraps of toille fabric and pattern paper. Why? Because obviously all of this might come in handy in the future!

And it never does. The final pattern I often use for future makes, or as base for a new pattern, but the rest is a waste of space and I'm slowly learning to throw it away. Not an easy lesson at all...

However, I've worked out a new system, and it seems to be working! All needed is a binder and some plastic folders. When the project is done, I take the inspirational image I drew before getting started, maybe make a list of the pattern pieces on the back, put it in a plastic folder with all the pattern pieces and maybe a fabric sample, and voila!

Some of the folders in the binder.

Next time I want to make a pattern I'll just browse the binder! I have a feeling this binder will grow into more binders in the future, perhaps one each for dresses, skirts/trousers, blouses, outerwear and jersey. I'm really forward to creating more patterns!

Pile of inspirational drawings... If I manage to make all of these ideas I will certainly need more binders... Yay!

I have a strong feeling this will make my life considerably easier when it comes to finding my patterns. Also, browsing through a binder full of colored images of garments I've made is just as fun - or maybe even more fun! - as browsing my commercial patterns. There's a sense of accomplishment, and "oh yes, I've made that!" =)

Of course, there's room for improvement. The pattern paper I prefer when drafting is easy to mark, erase and tape, but bulky to store. The plan is to transfer the TNT patterns to my finer tracing paper that is a lot thinner, doesn't crease or break so easily and is great to store. So ideally, when the garment is done I'd trace the pattern to the finer paper. Yeah, right. I'm working on at least tracing it to the final version next time I use it, I think it's a more realistic aspiration.

One step at the time... Right now, I'm hoping to soon place this drawing in the binder:

How do you store your sewing patterns? Do you draft, trace or are you perhaps lucky enough to get away with only using commercial patterns out of the envelope?

Love, Erika