McCalls 6997 - Summer Seersucker Dress

The Summer Seersucker Dress is finished!

 Here's my summer seersucker inspiration, if you missed it.  This dress was featured on the Satorialist.  (Note the very "retro" 1994 pattern I found for my dress!)

I think I came pretty close, especially considering I'm not a thin Italian street fashionista.  I LOVE my finished dress too!  I wore it yesterday and got loads of compliments (which sorta surprised me, since it's such a non-structured dress).

Let's start at the top!  The bodice has non-functioning buttons (the pattern calls for buttonholes, but the neckline is plenty wide enough to slip over my head, so I skipped them).

I used 4 mis-matched vintage pearl buttons of nearly the same size.

I topstitched the neckline and cap sleeve edge, to hold the facing into place (and just because I thought it needed the finishing touch).

If I have any beef at all, it's that the sleeve facings are really wide.  See them peeking out above?  They don't do that when you wear it, but I suppose they *could* if you weren't careful.  I might trim these back quite a bit.  Next time I'll probably just use a bias binding for neck and sleeve edge.

I also skipped interfacing.  For such a breezy dress, it seemed unnecessary.  The hem is turned up about 2.5".  I think it could use another inch or so, but that's OK.

 

In from of my "lucky bamboo", which reminds me of something.  As I was finishing it up and then trying it on I realized why I loved the style so much.  It's very "Japanese pattern book" in it's simplicity.

 

Yesterday, I wore it with my navy Keds, which got a little messy while I was taking pictures in the early morning dew.

You'd have thought I was wearing a super-expensive pair of shoes from the way the kids acted at school yesterday.  They LOVED the Keds.  Ha.  Go figure.  Everything 80's really IS in style right now.  I must have had a dozen pair of Keds as a kid.

All in all, a successful dress project.  I'll be reusing this pattern again!

pretties, in progress, etc.

Due to the indescribably bad weather, I have not had phone or internet for a couple of days...yikes.  I wish I could report I used that time to work on projects, but honestly the most I got done was to cut out a little lawn sundress.  Which, I don't have enough batiste to fully line sooo.... I'm at a bit of a crossroads.  I hate when I do that. 

I used this pretty 1950s Vogue sundress pattern for the bodice:

 

The lawn is pink, tropical print.  I think I got it from Fashion Fabrics Club last spring.  I cut the bodice as drafted, just adding a bit under the arm for insurance.   For the skirt,  I didn't have quite enough fabric to do  the gores and follow the directional print. So gathered skirt it is!

This afternoon I've perused the new offerings at Modcloth.  There are some really cute spring & summer things out now!  Here are several things I love and think are worth knocking off...

How amazing is that pink gingham trench???  LOVE!    And the last dress is named "Hawaii, 1955".  LOVE AGAIN!

The first dress may be the one I actually try to knock off first.  I have this cotton print in stash and I haven't had a clue what to do with it:

It's by Andover and is called "Oh La La". I think it's perfect to knock off that cute sheath!  Here's a closeup of the neck detailing:

Then there are a bout a dozen other things worth perusing my pattern stash for knockoff potential:

And then there's this sweet blouse (in two incarnations):

I couldn't have been more excited a few days ago when I found the perfect pattern to knock this off!  I knew it had to be 80s (or preferably 40s, but that turned out to be asking too much).  Gathered shoulders to yoke, tie neck with collar options preferably, button front placket, cap sleeves (cut on or separate).  Here's the winner:

Good gravy, this post could have been divided into several parts.   ha.  Sorry, it must be Wordy Wednesday!  Progress on SOMETHING coming up in the next few days, I promise!

Vtg McCalls 6328 - pt 1

 I have loads of spring dress fabrics I've been hoarding and limited time to sew during the school year so the Dubarry goes back into the pattern basket and the cute vintage cherry print back into storage for now.  Time to move on!

I've picked this very Chuck-like McCalls:

Isn't it awesome??  I'm making the full, pleated skirt version.  I decided to use my green check shirting from fabric.com.  I was on a roll yesterday after giving up on the Dubarry and threw the bodice together.

I'm not the least bit worried about matching plaids, mind you.  I just flat don't care that much.  I know many do...I'm not one of them.  Not with this small scale anyway!  Isn't the color pretty?

I do have a bit of a booboo though.  This shirting plaid is woven, so it's the same from front or back.  I made the darts on the front bodice on the "wrong side", so the neckline slit & bow will be on my right, rather than my left as shown in the pattern illustration.

I plan on fully-lining the bodice.  I suppose I could correct the darts on the lining pieces (I used self-fabric) and that would technically make this the lining.   That would fix it.  Right?

I also pleated that gigantic skirt.  It's actually not quite as full as my yellow gingham dress.  But almost!  The pleats are so pretty!

A bit wider than I envisioned them per the illustration, but still very pretty and scale-wise I think they'll be just fine.  I'm a bit wider than the illustration too, after all.

I'm a bit nervous that my half-thought out grading process (in other words, my cheat) won't work and the skirt won't fit the bodice a'la the Dubarry.  And that the side zip closure won't work out evenly with the pleats. 

We'll see in a little bit I suppose.  I plan on stitching the side seams on the bodice and pinning the skirt in place.  Then we'll know!

Happy Monday!

Vtg McCalls 4115 - finished!

Yay!  And what a different experience...I sewed something I loved from start to finish and it fits.  This must be what those really productive people feel like.  Here's a full body shot, but I cut my head off in every one.  Sorry, my tripod is AWOL, so I was using a chair. :)

In case you're just joining me, here's the pattern photo:

Obviously I'm missing the illustration's wasp waist. ha.  Other than that, I really love it!  Makes me feel like spring is coming!

I did decide to topstitch the tabs and collar.  I'm glad, it really added a finished touch.

I chose a pearly button from my vintage button box.  They were probably ivory originally, but look pale yellow on the gingham.

I used a pale yellow bias to bind the armholes.

I only had 5 of these buttons, so I had to limit myself to 3 down the back tab:

The skirt is very, very full!  It's nearly 180" of skirt!  On a windy day like today, it's a Marilyn moment waiting to happen.

The bodice fits better than anything I own.  I think that might be a testament to the muslin process? 

If I were a bullet bra and girdle kind of girl, I could have made the bodice closer fitting, which would be more period-appropriate.  I kinda prefer to breathe though.

Shoe shot, "pewter" ballerina flats from Naturalizer.com:

I'm even more excited to have this well-fitted bodice because I have several similar patterns that I can check fit on with these pattern pieces (a'la a personal sloper). 

Off to post at We Sew Vintage and the Vintage Sewalong!  Hooray for the first finished project of 2011!

Vtg McCalls 4115 - in progress

I made a lot of progress the past two days on my yellow gingham dress!  Here is the pattern photo:

I'm making the full skirt version, with the button on tabs from the slim version.  First, here are in-progress photos I just snapped of the bodice for you picture lovers.  Then, I'll list the changes I made for fitting for the detail lovers.  ;)

Bodice front, keep in mind I'm more endowed than my dressform! Note the cute little button-on tabs peeking out from under the collar.

 

Close up of the cute v-neck.  I'm debating topstitching it.  What do you think?

Bodice back, with the back tab.  I LOVE the tabs!  I can't wait to dig around in my stash for buttons.  White?  Pearl?  Yellow??

 

Inside shot.  I've been following the vintage directions exactly, and used pinking shears to cut out/finish my interior seams.  This is the shoulder seam with the collar flipped up so you can see the facing.  I used the "turn under and edge stitch" finish for the facing raw edge.

The opposite shoulder seam with a better view of the facing.  Because of my changes to the neck, I had to redraw the facing and it seemed a tad too large.  That was probably a drawing/tracing error on my part.  The facing ever so slightly flares out at the bottom edge.  I've adjusted the pattern piece for next time. 

The inside facing at the v-neck.  I still need to tack the facings down.  I should end up with several tack points to keep the facing in place: the CF, shoulder seams, and under the tabs at front and CB.

I turned under 1/8" and edestitched the facing edge:

I topstitched all of the tabs, although the pattern did not call for it.  I thought they looked better with topstitching!  And that could be one of those things that are "left out" of vintage patterns because it was assumed you knew to do that.

I didn't happen to take pictures of the bodice during the muslin stage.  Because it is a simple, fitted bodice, I was able to use my experience & pattern from Simplicity 3430 to help gauge fit.  My first muslin was near perfect (again the front bodice WAS perfect, needing only a re-angled & shorter waist dart, and a lowered side dart). 

The back had some issues that were similar to 3430 with an additional fold of fabric under my neck.   I must be walking around with a hump back there.  Why haven't any of you mentioned that?? haha.)  I added to the sides using the Rasband book, did a swayback adjustment to remove some length at CB, and then removed that little fold/pouch of fabric under my neck by slashing the pattern and overlapping it about 1/2".  I also lowered the back neckline by about 5/8", which I find I have to do on a regular basis. 

None of the fitting books give the slash/overlap as a fix for that fold, by the way.  Pretty much all the fitting info I could find (in books or online) suggested the opposite...ADDING fabric there.  I did try that and it exacerbated the fold.  My instinct was to pin it out and lower the neckline, so I did, and voila.  Perfectly fitted to MY back.  Sometimes you need to go with your instinct! 

Now I'm off to gather the skirt pieces and pray I have a suitable zipper.  This is another side-lapped zipper, and dang it all if this pattern doesn't give any instructions at all!  I'll have to google  or dig through the pattern box I suppose.  I hate the instructions I used last time.

Hope you're all staying warm and toasty!  We still have 19" of snow on the ground (as of 4 pm last night) after a little melting and settling yesterday.  We ended up with over 25" by the time it stopped Wednesday.  That's the most snow we've ever had here. 

Happy Friday!