Wednesday 21 January 2015

Sewaholic Yaletown

I can't think of a fancy title for this post, so tough, you're getting a title telling you what it's about. Call a spade a spade me...


So if you haven't guessed, I've made up the Sewaholic Yaletown. I bought the pattern not long after it was released. I just took a while to find the fabric to make it up. During my successful trip to The Fabric Store where I got my Pretty Flamingo fabric from my last post, I also got this blue crepe. The fabric is perfect for this dress, it has a great drape, but, it was a nightmare to sew!


OK, so where to start. I decided to cut a 14, mainly based on my body measurements. The dress is meant to be loose-fitting, so this seemed the best size. I think in hindsight I'd have done better to cut a 12. It's ended up quite loose-fitting! I didn't make up a muslin, it didn't seem worth it for a make like this.


The pattern is a really easy make. It's certainly not difficult and Tasia's instructions are so clear.

I hemmed the sleeves with a rolled hem. Just check this out!


Slight cheating. I was going to hand sew the rolled hem, but that looked awful. So I decided to try something I'd done before. Fold over the hem about 1cm, then sew a short narrow zig-zag stitch so that it just catches the edge of the fold. Trim the excess fabric when done and, voila - one perfectly rolled hem. [Yes I know I could have done it on my overlocker, but I didn't have blue thread for it and really just wanted to get it done!]


All the seams are straight stitched on my regular machine and then overlocked to finish them.

This was the finished dress! Just a wee bit big.


Checking with my WSBN guys the suggestion was that as well as too big, the bodice was too long. So I unpicked the waist seam, took out the elastic. I straightened off the side seams of the bodice, which meant I had to loosely gather the skirt onto the bodice before I attached it again, shortening the bodice by an inch. This has helped the "blousing" effect slightly, but I think it's still a wee bit too big.

The waistband is really easy to deal with. It's stitched with a normal seam allowance, then that is pressed down and stitched again to form a casing for elastic - great for those large meals! Or even high tea, which was the first outing for this dress!


I might catch the wrap front down so that it lies flatter. At the moment I think it gapes, but I'm looking down on it, it might not look like that from the front.


However, one great thing - it's a wrap dress that's drafted really well and doesn't gape when I lean forward!


And... it has pockets!

 
The details...
Fabric:  Blue polyester(?) crepe from The Fabric Store, August 2014.
Notions:  Thread, elastic and interfacing
Pattern:  Sewaholic Yaletown View A
First worn:  High tea at James Cook Hotel with some lovely sewing friends last Sunday


Worn with:  Shoes from Overland (quickly becoming my fave shoe store!)
Changes made:  I straighten up the bodice and shortened it by about an inch (2.5cm)
Another one/Recommend?  I certainly recommend the pattern, it's well drafted and quick/easy to make up. I wasn't thinking I'd make another one, but I've got some fabric which would make a great Yaletown blouse, so perhaps I might and cut a smaller size!

Thanks to Jenna who wielded my big girls camera along Lambton Quay on Sunday by the fab Invisible City sculpture, where in theory anything is possible when a friend is just snapping away...


I'm happy though, this is a great dress and makes me feel really girly as the fabric just drapes so well!


Thursday 8 January 2015

Pretty flamingo

I made this in December and haven't got around to photos. Well you know, life. Sorry, not sorry.


I saw the fabric in The Fabric Store last August and knew straight away how I wanted to make it up. It was just one of those fabrics which spoke to me straight away.


After the success of my teal Pendrell, I've been meaning to make another one for some time. I originally intended to make view A as before, but then decided that was feeling lazy and really couldn't face making up that double sleeve with the pleats - as cute as it looks! View B is just too frilly for me, I'm just not into all those gathered layers, so found inspiration from this blogger when I was looking at various Pendrell images on the Interweb. That decided it, View B without the top gathered frill. It was the perfect choice.


I decided the size of my previous Pendrell was a wee bit too big. I really should go with my instincts and trust the pattern sizing. I think last time I cut halfway between the 14 and 16, then ended up taking in the side seams so they were 3/4" seam allowance. This time I cut it the same and ended up sewing 3/4" Princess seams and 5/8" side seams. I'm sure I could possibly still take it in more, or possibly just cut a straight 14. The fit is certainly better this time though.


There's not really a lot else to say, it went together really quickly, it helps having made a pattern before! The seams this time were finished on my overlocker - I love my new Baby (Lock)!


So that's about it, I'll let the photos do the talking this time!


The details...
Fabric:  Flamingo printed cotton voile from The Fabric Store, August 2014.
Notions:  Thread.
Pattern:  Sewaholic Pendrell View B
First worn:  Actually when I went on a wee jaunt to Sydney before Christmas, but worn here between Christmas and New Year, on the beach at Mt Maunganui, near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty.


Worn with:  A RTW skirt I got from Kathmandu (an outdoor store here in NZ)
Changes made:  I left off the top frill and also shortened it by about 3/4 inches.
Another one/Recommend?  I certainly recommend the pattern, it's well drafted and quick/easy to make up. I think I will probably make another one for the reasons above and I've got some lovely Thai silk that would look fabulous as View A!