Vogue's 2011 bestseller

Photos from Style.com

Vogue 1224

You can now count me among the many who have made Vogue 1224, the Tracy Reese knit pullover dress that has won many hearts.  It seems all seamstresses are pulling out their wild jersey prints for this one, and so did I.

Fabric
I used a lightweight rayon/lycra jersey, originally purchased Summer 2010 at Pacific Fabrics, a local fabric store chain.


Notes on construction/alterations
One feature of this dress is an elastic waist that hits probably at the natural waist or higher on most people. I noticed that many other reviewers of this pattern lengthened the bodice and lengthened the skirt, but I decided to keep both as drafted.  I'm just a bit short-waisted so this worked for me.

When the weather's not exactly warm enough for a dress, I wear it as a tunic with pants.

The pattern calls for the skirt to be lined.  I used the same fashion fabric for the skirt lining and I deviated from the pattern instructions in that I assembled them as you would a bubble skirt - I'd much rather stitch one seam than two hems.  Because the lining is shorter, you can't tell at all when I'm wearing it.

Conclusion
I'm still breastfeeding so I continue to scrutinize garments as to whether they provide easy nursing access.  It turns out that Vogue 1224 is a stylish option for all the nursing mamas out there!

The neckline drawstring is actually a length of elastic with a fashion fabric tie stitched to each end.  The elastic is entirely hidden within the drawstring casing but it means the neckline has tremendous stretch (and recovery!).  So, this pattern is a winner in my book.

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I finished BurdaStyle Magazine's 6-2011-104 button-up shirt but still need to get some pictures.  Coming soon...

Adding on to the to-do list

Thanks for you feedback on the Blumarine dress!  It definitely feels good to sew for myself again.  I'm working on another garment from the June 2011 issue of Burda Magazine, I've got it cut out and will start sewing tonight:

BurdaStyle Magazine 6-2011-104

In my previous post, I mentioned that I'm trying to sew up my stash, since most of my fabric still resides in my daughter's room which used to be my sewing space.  I really want to clear it out so there's more room for her things, plus, when I think of something I need and it's after her bedtime, I have to sneak in to her room and use the light of my mobile phone to silently rummage around and find what I need, which is kinda inconvenient...  Marie asked where I'm sewing now.  Now we have a room that does triple duty as an office, a guest room, and my sewing room.  I have a dedicated table set up for my machine, and basically I take over the bed with fabric and patterns anytime we don't have guests.

So I didn't help matters today when I came home with 4 pieces of fabric from the thrift store!  And that was me being good.

I believe all are cotton.  (Left to right) The patchwork gingham print was too cute to pass up, perhaps it would be considered vintage, it's certainly older.  I was thinking it would be fun to make large shaped pillows (heart, house, bunny, alphabet, etc) for L.  The navy is a lightweight shirting with a subtle woven stripe, I've been wanting a navy summer dress.  The aqua fabric is a sheer woven voile (?) that I'm going to use to make another beach cover-up using BWOF 7-2008-123.  We are going to Nantucket at the end of the month so I'm mentally starting to pack (and panic about having nothing to wear) for that.  The red gingham will become something for L, because shouldn't all little girls wear gingham?  I actually hit the gingham jackpot at the thrift store today - they also had yellow, green (both large checks and small checks), and aqua, and it was all I could do to not buy them all.

Burda/Blumarine wrap dress

The last thing I need in my wardrobe right now is an animal print wrap dress, but I just couldn’t help myself! I’ve already traced 2 patterns from the June 2011 issue of Burda magazine, which was exciting after nearly a year of issues that didn’t thrill me.

BurdaStyle magazine 6-2011-139

Photos from style.com

I am a sucker for a sewing pattern that has a designer’s name attached to it, and the Blumarine wrap dress in the latest issue of Burda was no exception. The dress is from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection, which is full of soft color and animal prints.

I was even more excited once I realized that I already had the nearly perfect fabric for this dress (I am on a mission to sew up my stash - which is taking up precious real estate in a huge dresser in my daughter’s room (AKA my former sewing room – sigh…)). In 2009, I bought an animal print jersey during my vacay in Italy . Bingo – animal print Italian fabric to go with the Italian label dress!

Fabric
Rayon/lycra jersey (I think) from Bassetti Tessuti in Rome, Italy.

Notes on construction/alterations
I made my pre-pregnancy size 38, but I could have probably benefitted from a 40 in the waist and the hips.  Even though I'm back to my pre-baby weight on the scale, my measurements aren't there yet, a fact about which I'm still in denial.  The line drawing and runway dresses appear much more loose and drapey in fit than my dress does.

The Burda magazine instructions do not call for any interfacing at all in this dress, but I decided to apply interfacing to one side of the collar and one side of the front band.  The jersey I used is super soft, so I used Sew Exciting's Pro-Sheer Elegance, it's a barely-there fusible interfacing and was perfect for this project.  I also fused bias tape to the shoulder seams to prevent them from stretching out.

If you decide to interface the collar, it's important to use something that leaves the collar very soft and malleable.  The collar and the front band are both stitched to the bodice along the same stitching line, and the collar needs to be able to fold back over the front band.

The bell sleeves are fun, the perfect long length (on me, at least) as drafted, but they do have a tendency to slide and bunch up around your elbows if you lift your hand up (i.e. while sipping a cocktail, as one very well might be doing when wearing a dress like this).  In fact, while I wore this dress, I was thinking about the thumbholes that Trena added to her ballerina wrap sweater...

Conclusion
We had a babysitter booked for Saturday night, and I finished this just in time to be my date-night dress.  The v-neck of my dress isn't as low as me as it appears in the runway garments (all a matter of how much you cinch the dress I think), but I still needed a U plunge bra in order to not have to worry about exposed undergarments.  If I were to make this again, I would add some length to the skirt, since I personally think this would look best on me if it hit right at the knee.  And, I would love to raid Tany 's jewelry box for the perfect bling to accessorize this!

More comfy sleep set PJs

I am having too much fun making PJs for L.  Here's another set of the Stitch Magazine Comfy Sleep Set PJs that I first showed you in my previous post .  The dark pink fabric is from an old t-shirt I was about to donate and the other fabrics and ribbing are from the stash.  L is just starting to stand on her own and walk, so here she is showing off her new skill.

Photo from www.green-cotton.dk

I was inspired by these pajamas that I found on www.green-cotton.dk (the direct link to this product no longer exists).  I like the mix of fabrics and the knee patches.

Miss Sarah asked if I hemmed the two front bodice pieces together or separately - I hemmed the them together as one.

Now that the evenings are getting warmer, I may adapt the pattern to make short sleeves instead of long and shorts instead of pants.

Stitch Magazine comfy sleep set

During a recent gathering with my local BurdaStyle sewing group, I learned of a website called Sew Daily from the Interweave group that publishes Stitch magazine.  The site has quite a few free pattern downloads available, the caveat being that the download only contains the pattern pieces and the instructions are found in a corresponding issue of Stitch magazine. I found a pattern for some fun kids pajamas that appeared in the Spring 2011 issue, the Comfy Sleep Set. I don't have the issue but decided to give them a try anyway.

Photo from Stitch/Interweave

Description by Stitch Magazine: "Inspired by the traditional kimono, this sleep set is perfect for active toddlers. The ribbed-knit cuffs on the sleeves and legs fold up and down for extra growing room, and the comfortable elastic-free waistband gets its stretch from a little spandex in the knit." Designed by Bonnie Ferguson

The pdf download includes the pattern pieces for the shirt and the pants, and it provides the dimensions for the various bands of ribbing.  In this post from the pattern designer's blog, you can see that there is ribbing around the waist as well.  The only thing I wasn't sure about was the size of the seam allowance (which I assumed was included in the pattern), so I just went with 1/2" and that worked well for me.

I used a mix of fabrics from the stash - the striped fabric came from a thrifted t-shirt, the solid in the bodice is leftover from when I made these leggings, and the rib knit is from Joann, purchased in anticipation of one day needing it for toddler-wear.

L is currently nearly 20 pounds and 30 inches tall - I made the 12 month size and there is plenty of room for growing, which is a plus.

Stitch Magazine offers the pattern in sizes newborn - 12 months, and Bonnie Ferguson added sizes 18 months - 5T on her blog - how cool is that? I definitely see more of these in my future, and they are a fun way to use scraps and repurpose old tees.

First birthday dress

We celebrated L's first birthday recently and so of course the occasion called for a new dress. Well, two dresses - one for her professional pictures and another for her birthday party.  I had an idea in mind of a dress with a crossover bodice, but I couldn't find an existing pattern for one in my stash, so I did a little bit of redrafting.

I started with Burda Magazine 11-2007-136, which I chose because the fitted bodice and full skirt were a good starting point, then muslined it to check the fit, omitting the collar and shortening the sleeves and skirt.  After that I altered the pattern again to remove the puff sleeve gathers, raise the waistline, and make a crossover front bodice.  It sounds like a lot of work, but things go very fast when you're working with tiny pattern pieces.

This is the birthday party dress.  The fabric is a girly sweet cotton lawn from Denver Fabrics (also available in another colorway, if you're interested).

The leggings are Ottobre 1-2011-9, I'm going to make another pair of them and I'll talk about them more after that.

I made the same dress in white swiss dot for her professional photos.  The bloomers are Burda Magazine 7-2008-134 (also made them a while ago for my niece).

And I made the fabric flower belt and hair clip in a few different colors since I wasn't sure which color would look best with the photo backdrop.  That was a busy week.  But I love how the photos turned out.

Here are a few more photos from L's birthday party.  The party was totally for me, not for her.

One of L's friends gave her a set of butterfly wings, they were adorable but she kept taking them off.

Oma flew in for the party too.  We made fringe streamers using the tutorial from Oh Happy Day.  They were gorgeous and so easy.

Initially, she wouldn't dig into her cake, I had to give her a slice and she ate it as daintily as a one-year-old could.  It wasn't long before it was all over everything though.

We hung a fabric bunting in the entry way.  I found the fabrics at The Quilting Loft in Seattle and priority mailed them to my mom the week prior to her arrival because I knew I wouldn't have time to make it. I'm so lucky to have a mom that sews, too!  It made such a difference, too - really added to the fun party vibe.

We also hung a collage of pictures of L's first year (on the TV, which was the only good place for it); I totally swiped that idea from a birthday party we were at a few weeks ago.

Coming up - women's apparel! Yes, I actually sewed something for myself. I promise this blog hasn't gone totally baby.  I made a Tracy Reese/Vogue dress, I love it.

Ottobre's New Star bodysuit

I've been taking a "music and movement" class with L, and the babies are supposed to wear a onsie, something unrestrictive. She's in cloth diapers which are more bulky than disposables, so a lot of RTW onsies leave her diaper cover exposed. I decided to make this Ottobre bodysuit with the goal of keeping her diaper cover hidden.

Ottobre 1-2011-1, New Star bodysuit

Incidentally, there is an identical bodysuit in Ottobre 6-2009, in that issue it's called the "Puolukka" bodysuit, and it's also the first pattern (6-2009-1). I compared the pattern pieces and they are shaped the same as 1-2011-1, the only difference is that the neckband and hems are finished differently.

One thing I didn't know about Ottobres until I started buying them - they give the names and ages of all the little models - how cute is that?

Fabric
The cotton knit is from a thrifted Lane Bryant t-shirt, I was even able to reuse the neckline binding for the cuffs and leg inseam/snap area. Snaps are from Snap Source.

Notes on construction/alterations
I made a size 74 several months ago, and it still fits her now at 11 months and nearly 20 pounds. The only change I made was to lengthen the strip for the neckline binding. I can't remember what measurement Ottobre used, but it seemed like it would be way too small to fit over L's head.

Conclusion
The one thing that annoys me (and is totally my fault and not a pattern drafting issue) is that the top crotch seam is longer than the botton crotch seam, so it doesn't stay closed very well between the snap fasteners (especially visible in the flat garment photo).  I'll pay more attention to that next time.  Otherwise, it's a great piece that can be worn solo or with pants.

Baby in muslin

Tap, tap, tap. Is this thing still on?

I know it's been a looooong time, but I hope you didn't delete me from your RSS reader yet.  Really, I never intended to be gone for this long.  I guess I'm not "mommy blogger" material!  The break was nice though, and I feel refreshed and ready to be back in the online sewing world.  I'm just going to pick up where I am now, and here and there I will share some of the projects that I completed during my hiatus.

The truth is, I haven't sewn much for myself recently.  Maybe part of the reason is that styles in Burda magazine no longer excite me the way they used to. And how they killed their English language website and therefore hundreds of my old links to the archives, ugh, I know it's already been hashed out in forums, blogs, etc so I won't go into it again...

I have sewing a few things for L of course - it's great once they are past 6 months and their growth rate slows down a bit so a particular garment may fit for several months!  We are approaching her first birthday next month, so I am sewing a dress for her to wear when we get some professional pictures done.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to show the pictures here, but the setting is going to be all white/beige/neutral colors, so I'm making a simple white woven dress.

This is my muslin of Burda magazine 11-2007-136, I'll post a line drawing in a future post. I've made a few Ottobre garments but the only Burda item I've made for her is a sleepsack which runs huge (review forthcoming), so I decided it would be worthwhile to check the fit on this dress.

If you know about babies, then you know they are fascinated by anything tiny; here L is inspecting each thread on the unfinished hem.