Fit for Real People

I was on vacation for an extended weekend (sooo nice, and so necessary!), but while I was gone, I got my copy of Fit for Real People in the mail. Not kidding, I read the first 70 pages or so in two nights. I'm so excited about it. I've also flipped to the chapter on bust fitting, and I've figured out how to do an adjustment to fix the blue dress. It's a bit late for it, but I might pull the dress apart and replace the bust pieces anyway. I've got more than enough sheet left for it. I've actually probably got enough sheet left to make a whole other dress!

Ruminations About Fitting, and a New Vintage Pattern!

I am so excited! I purchased my first vintage pattern last week, from karenleanneking on Etsy. It's Simplicity 3562, a 1950s dress and bolero. You have to love those little bows on the shoulders. I'm not usually one for boleros, but I might just have to stitch this one up, it's so adorable.

I've been almost done with the New Look dress all weekend, but I've been putting off the zipper and the hem because I'm a little disappointed with myself. I rushed through the whole thing, and even though I made a muslin, I didn't take advantage of the fitting opportunity it provided. When I tried on the almost-finished dress, I realized that my teeny-tiny changes to the bust didn't really do much. It still gapes in the chest and pulls around my breasts. How does one do an FBA for this dress? Add more width and widen the area that's gathered, so there's more room in the bust but it still comes in at the ribs?

Hmmm... Must get a good book on fitting before sewing up Simplicity 3562. I've read a lot of blogs that recommend Fit for Real People. That may have to be my next purchase.

Marking Fabric Blemishes and Adding In-Seam Pockets

While I was pressing the blue flowered fabric (formerly a sheet), I found a bunch of small stains and cuts in the fabric, so I tacked them with bright red thread so I wouldn't cut out pieces that had problems.

There's lining in the crossover bodice pieces of the dress and interfacing in the back, and I've decided to self-line and self-interface. Because of the scattered placement of the stains and cuts, I couldn't just fold the fabric in half and cut two pieces at once, so cutting took me a little longer than it should have.

Actually, the whole dress is going to take me a little longer. With the French seams, every seam will take twice as long, and I decided to add in-seam pockets too. I know, it's ambitious for my second dress, but I don't see why I can't. Just a little extra time. I learned how to sew in-seam pockets from a Burda tutorial last year, and I've sewn them into two skirts (one in rare circulation and one a sad UFO...more on that another time).

Muslin and French Seams

Last night, I finished the muslin and made a few minor adjustments. I added a quarter inch to the inside of each of the bodice pieces for modesty and decided to make the seam allowance 3/8" instead of 5/8" on the inside of those pieces. I also pulled the inside corners down a quarter inch to prevent gaping in the chest. I experimented with sewing a French seam on one of the skirt seams, and it turned out beautifully.

I'm so excited about these! I found a tutorial on Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing, which made French seams seem so easy (hehe...seams seem). I want to use French seams on all of my clothes now; they're so pretty and clean.

Making a Muslin for New Look 6557

I've decided to make a muslin of my first dress, since I really want the finished product to be perfecct. I started on the muslin for the blue dress today. I traced the pattern (I don't cut into my patterns, because I'd like someone else to be able to use them later), cut the pieces out of an old sheet stained with ink that I saved for just this purpose, and started stitching the bodice together. This dress seems to just sort of fall together. I'll probably finish the muslin tomorrow and see how it fits.

I thought about lining the dress, but I'm wondering if I can't just finish the seams nicely (I just looked up a tutorial for French seams, and they seem pretty easy). That way, the dress will be lighter for the hot weather. If the muslin fits and I have time, I'll start cutting out the fabric for the dress tomorrow too. So excited!

Building a Small Stash

I spent this weekend collecting the beginnings of my new wardrobe. I went to the PTO Thrift Shop and bought a blue flowered queen flat sheet, a white flowered full flat sheet, over 2 yards of charcoal gray lining, over 2 yards of blue and tan plaid wool, and an irregularly-shaped piece of thin yellow cotton with little raised white dots, all for $18. I also spent $38 at JoAnn's Memorial Day sale for five Simplicity patterns (2176, 2250, 3877, 2886, and 3823), New Look pattern 6557, nine skeins of DMC embroidery floss, two yards of a gorgeous silky gray fabric with white, lavender, and rose dot bursts, two spools of pink thread, and an invisible zipper.

I'm so excited about all of it! I think the first pattern I'm going to make is New Look, view B, in the blue flowered queen sheet. It'll be a more casual sundress-type dress, and it would be really cute paired with a white cardigan. Something I'll actually need to purchase ready-made. Ah, well. Can't make everything. :)

First Post

If my clothing situation continues as it is, I'll be naked within the next two years. I don't have many articles of clothing at all, and about three quarters of those items I do have are stained, have holes, are inappropriate for work (or even dinner out!), or are not flattering colors or cuts. As I'm typing this, the nicest think I'm wearing is a gray skirt that I bought at Old Navy for $3 a couple months ago, and it's paired with a six-year-old white tank with green flowers and underarm stains, and a pair of last year's black Target sandals, whose soles are falling off. Writing that makes me a little embarrassed at the state of things.

This is a picture of the inside of my closet so you can see how bare it is.

And a close-up of the shoes, because they're the best things in my closet at the moment:

My biggest problem is that I'm working on paying off my credit card bills, and I don't have spare money to spend on updating my wardrobe. My second biggest problem is that, as I was told by the saleswoman at the wedding gown boutique, my bust is a size 2, my waist is a size 4, and my hips are a size 8. I'm also a D cup, which makes sizing even more complicated.

I sewed a dress for myself once before, and I've been getting more and more interested in the possibilities of stitching my own wardrobe. It will all fit perfectly, the fabric will all be flattering, and I don't have to spend months searching for the perfect lbd only to end up taking home something not-quite-perfect.

This blog will document my adventures in sewing and creating a new wardrobe I can feel confident in.