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

At midnight

I love it when the nights gets longer and brighter. So of course midsummer night's eve is one of my favorite holidays. This year was the perfect celebration - just me and the mr, lots of delicious food, a good movie, and a midnight stroll.

By Nydala lake, on our way to search for a quiet place to sit down and enjoy the night.

The air was cold, but the water was still warm from the hot sun. A night like this it's easy to understand the old wive's tales of fairies dancing on the meadows during summer nights.

We found an empty pier/raft. This photo is taken straight to north, at around midnight. What to say? Love the light...

Mist danced over the water, with a magical effect.

This is why I love living in northern Sweden, why I can bear the dark winters. Sure, there are other places where summer it warmer, where the sun is stronger. Where the summer nights are warm and pitch black, and where the sun sets in half an hour. It's nice, it's pretty, but it's not home. For me, nothing beats the midnight light.

The water was clear and still.

Hope you've all had the chance to enjoy the longest night of the year! Don't worry though, there are still plenty of long nights ahed of us this summer... =)

Love / Erika

Chevron jersey dress

I've made another jersey dress! And I love it! I used the second pattern I talked about here, figuring why change a winning concept? =) Thank you so much for the input in the comments! I took your advices to my heart and have decided to drop the first pattern and focus on perfecting this one. 

These pictures were taken during our last in-doors social (lindy hop to a great live band) last weekend.

The front. You can see I made an attempt at the hairdo Sara made for me in Stockholm, still need to practice a bit...

From the back. The chevron-pattern on the bodice goes in opposite direction from the pattern on the skirt. It would have been clearer with a true bias, but I was short on fabric. The whole dress came out of 1,4 metres, 150 cm width. There was nothing but tiny scraps left! The neckband creates some ripples, because it's actually a bit too short as I ran out of fabric...

Some construction details: I shortened the bodice 1,5 cm /1", and the skirt 2 cm. I felt the skirt became a little bit too short, so I might add those 2 cm back. This time I stablilized the midriff piece with fusible knit interfacing, as you can see above. 

As all the seams were cut on some kind of bias, I sewed in stablizing tape in all the vertical seams, as well as the underbust seam and the shoulders. To the waist-seam I added a 5mm elastic, to help hold up the weight of the skirt.

With the fusible and the tape, this make feels like it has a much higher quality and durability than the first jersey dress I made with this pattern, and I have a hunch there will be more dresses from this pattern! =) 

All in all, I'm happy with this make, and I've already worn it twice!

Although the future def holds more jersey projects for me, right now I'm back to sewing wovens. I'm working on a very summer-y blouse+skirt combo, a nice little fluff project =)

Have a great week!
Love/ Erika

Jersey stabilizer - shopping tip for Swedish residents

Head's up: my inner geek slipped out and went exploring the wonderful world of sewing gadgets... (nerdy sewing post ahed =) ) A little ode to my new favorite toy tool!

Now that I've dared to venture into the land of jerseysewing, I've come upon the problem of stabilizing the overlocked seams. Some seams can gladly stretch (hello waistline) while others needs to retain their shape and length (like shoulders). Previously I've used a stabilizer from "Stoff och stil". It works, but it's 20 mm wide, so it needs to be cut in half to go through the overlock "tape-feeder". The tape then rests inside the seam and a bit outside.

However, when examining some purchased jersey tops I noticed a small, non-elastic non-fusible tape, totally enclosed in the shoulder seams. After searching high and low, both the internet and local shops (and shops in Stockholm) I finally found it in one place: Jofotex tyger.

(Pic source and direct link to the tape)

I don't know if they ship international, bur for Swedes it's a great resource. Unfortunatly, while the tape is cheap (2 SEK/m) the shipping is 60 sek minumin, and you need to purchase for at least 200 sek. That's a lot of tape... I bought 42 metres (what they had in store at the time) and a jersey fabric that was on sale. The fabric wasn't a necessary purchase, and the colour turned out to be wrong for me. I don't care though, I love this tape!

From now on it's steady shoulder seams for me, with no problems whatsoever. Just insert the tape by lifting the presser foot and then place the tape into the tape-guide, lower the presser foot, take a few stitches to get the tape secured to the seam, and I'm good to go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzYs_8LNBSM

A short video on how to easiest insert the tape into the tape guide (about 35 sec into the video). I'm adding it because while maybe you all knew this trick, I did it the hard way; trying to push the tape into the guide with the machine feeding the tape forward. Not so smooth. Not even close. Turned out the way they intended the machine to be used really is the easiest. Who could have known! ; )

Look how nicely the tape lays inside the overlocked seam, stabilizing without adding bulk.

The project? It's actually done, and I'll show it to you very, very soon =)

Love/ Erika