Little Satin Jacket - Vogue 8799 (Kinda)

A while ago I saw this inspiration jacket from Paule Ka's Pre-Fall 2015 collection, and fell in love.  So I attempted something similar.

Note that I say 'similar.' It's not a very faithful copy, although I kept the major elements the same:  cropped, satin, zip with guard underneath, elasticized cuffs and waist, whatnot. 

Here's my version:

It's cute, right?  I used a heavily modified Vogue 8799. This pattern is now out of print, sadly, but can be found all over Etsy.  The fabric is a cotton/poly satin with a good amount of stretch to it and embroidered flowers.  I get a kick out of the contrast between fancy fabric and casual style.  

I don't really like it with the pale blue dress, I think it blends too much.  It looks much nicer with my darker dresses, or with high waisted jeans.  That's actually my favorite way to wear it, but I wanted to only show it with other garments I've made.

I topstitched the collar, which I think looks pretty cute, and added little non-functional welt pockets.  They were originally functional, but I didn't really take into account how small they would be, so I just stitched them shut. 

Here you can see the sleeve head I made out of some heavier satin twill:

In all, I'm very happy with this jacket!  

Once Again, I'm Wearing a Couch - McCall's 7089

Here's a nice one.  I use the most banal of adjectives for this dress because although I really like it, I'm also a little ambivalent.  On the one hand, this dress is bangin'.  I look good in it, it's a great print, and I didn't have to do much to the pattern itself in order to get a reasonably good fit.  On the other hand, it's made out of some extremely flammable home dec fabric from Jo-Ann's with a soft, brushed surface and no give whatsoever.

Basically, it's fine once it's on but I can't actually zip it all the way without help.  Or lift my arms higher than my head.  

I still wear it, though.  Why?  Because it's a party dress that happens to flatter and I usually don't wear it for more than a few hours.  I do get lots of compliments on it, and even more after people touch it and feel how soft it is.  I have plans to make another one, because I do like this silhouette, but perhaps in a stretch sateen.

The Pattern:

I used McCall's 7089, a Designer Joi number.  The pattern is good, I think.  I did an FBA by lengthening the bodice pattern pieces an inch and a quarter, then making the mini French dart deeper at the bottom.  It worked well, but I also had to shorten the dart by about half an inch to get the bust points in the right place.  It's difficult to see with the print.  

I lowered the neckline, which gives room to breathe, and shortened the sleeves by three inches.

Believe it or not, this is the original finished skirt length.  I didn't shorten it at all.  I'm 5'7", so perhaps it's drafted for someone a couple of inches shorter, but I expected it to be just a little longer.  I usually wear it with tights, though, so it's definitely not a deal breaker!

In this photo, I'm wearing a jacket I made out of a heavily modified OOP Vogue 8799.

Ruffled Maxi-dress - Simplicity 1873

Hello all!

Gosh, it's been a long time since I've posted.  I've made a whole new wardrobe since then!  Moved, transferred to a new university, got married a cat, and generally begun a new phase in my life.

First of all, the most important bit:

Little Mills (full name Millicent Sabrina Frampton) is just pushing four months.  She's an evil little shit but sometimes she dials it back and does some adorable ninja nonsense like you see above.  Evil, though.  The worst bitey monster I've ever willingly shared my bed with.

Here, have a few more:

 She used to be so tiny.

Getting a bit bigger

Millie came to live with me when she was just about 3 weeks old, because she and her siblings were abandoned in a friend's yard, no mama in sight.  I picked her up and she bit me, which for some reason I took as a good sign.  Since then she's become a traveling cat.

 Stuffed in a bag on the train.  She doesn't particularly like this.

She loves to ride in the car, though!  She climbs all over that handsome man.

So, that's Millie. Onward to the dress!

I used Simplicity 1873, a Cynthia Rowley pattern for dress and jacket.  I only used the bodice pieces, though, and rectangles for the skirt.  The skirt has four deep inverted pleats, two in front and two in the back.  It's simple, pretty, and breezy.

See? Breezy!

I made a 2-inch FBA in the bodice, but could have used a little more coverage in the armscyes.  They show a little bra, but it's not something I mind too much.  

The fabric is a very lightweight polyester double georgette with a geometric design reminiscent of bows.  I'm not rabidly anti-synthetics, and this is a nice one.  It's got a dry, not too slick feel that I appreciate.

 This is a slightly older picture, hence the different haircut.  In this photo, you can see the ruffle a bit better.  It was a very simple job!  I just traced around an LP, then traced around a bowl inside that circle to get a ring.  I then sandwiched the ruffle between fashion fabric and lining and here we are.  An effective way to trim a dress, embarrassingly easily!  The ruffle is baby-hemmed which was definitely the most difficult part of the process.
Does anyone else have the worst luck trying to press down baby hems?  I should get one of those silicone gloves you're supposed to use with curling irons...

Here's a shot of the inside:

The dress is lined in a sheer silk crepe de chine.  I just zig-zagged around the waist seam.  The skirt seams are done all French-like.

I love this dress.  It's something easy to wear, comfortable, and I don't have to worry about flashing someone if I have to struggle out of a seated position on the ground!  All around, it's a winner!