le mani d'oro

There was almost one year of silence between now and my last post on the XMas dress form. There was no inspiration to write and lots of activities others than being in front of my screen. I was very active practising sports and I have sewn a great deal as well.  Here are pictures of of the project I finished in the last months.

This is dress is one of the my favourites. I like the asymmetric neck line (that is just perfectly drafted so that I can wear a regular bra under it) and the mix of  woven fabric in black and the knit in the centre front only.  The woven fabric is textured cotton from Couture Elle in Montreal and the beautiful and colour full knit is from Emma One Sock.

Burda 2014-05-115 hem not done

Burda 2014-05-115 hm not done yet ;-)

close up of the fabrics I used and the original Burda picture

DH and I went diving in the Cayman islands last may. for the occasion I have sewn a series of beach and summer dresses that I enjoyed a great deal. This one was sewn using a OOP pattern from Kwik Sew #3333 I added and internal bra to avoid any unelegant bra showing session if the dress moves a little.

KS3333

The fabric is a light polyester knit with a large print bought online at Emma One Sock. It is lovely ad fluid. I feel light and wonderful on a hot summer day. I lined it with a skin tone power mesh...  that you can see as the wind is lifting my skirt and in the lower picture as well.

Inner bra made with two cup, power mesh and underwear elastic.

Lovely Little Cayman Island

KS 3333

Back view

I used KS 3333  as a base. I made the skirt and the bodice longer. I used a very unexpensive bamboo knit. I doubled the bodice and lined the skirt with skin tone power mesh. I love to roam around wearing the lovely dress.

Matching strip is a fun game !

KS 3333 back view

 Hoo yes I almost forgot this beach dress. It is self draft pattern. I used a very light and shear synthetic knit from Emma One Sock. I added trims and a hoody made from black power mesh. It is very nice over a bathing suit but not for the city of course !

Back view

Front view

Other posts are coming up. I have great garments to show !

I have been silent but sewing very interesting clothes for the past 11 months. I took pictures and I now simply have to post them.

Though summer is behind us and snow started to fall today in Montreal, I am still thinking about next summer. If any of you has this pattern (Vogue OOP 2126) in XS_S_M and would be willing to sell it, I am a taker. Write me an email.

Thank you in anticipation!

I made this fun skirt for me dress form with a petticoat of steel netting to which I attached two types of evergreen branches (fir and pine).


For those of you who would like to do it at home, here are the making of pictures:

This is just a quick post during my vacation to show the Burda 2013-04-109 dress all finished. I love ti!

Burda 2013-04-109 Front View

The A-line of the dress and the fact that it is not fitted, allowed me to remove the zipper and replace it by a shoulder opening.

Burda 2013-04-109 Side View

Burda 2013-04-109 Back view

Hem facing.

Since I had only 0.95 meters of fabric instead of the 1.30 that pattern called for, I had to face the hem. The lining is embroidered as usual.

Burda 2013-04-109

Lorsque j'ai entamé ce projet, je n'aurais jamais pensé devoir faire autant de corrections. Le dessin ci-dessus résume les principales modifications apportées au patron. Déjà en regardant les photos attentivement dans le magazine, j'ai noté que l'on voyait le soutien gorge de la mannequin. Contrairement à certaines femmes croisées sur la rue, l'option soutien-gorge visible n'entre pas dans mes critères d'élégance.

Ainsi lors du traçage initiale du patron, j'ai choisi mes tailles habituelles dans Burda. Je me base sur mon expérience et leur tableau de taille. j'avais tracé un 38 au buste, un 34 à la taille et le 36 pour les hanches. J'avais également relevé l'amenchure. À ma grande surprise le haut de la robe était nettement trop grand, la robe était plus serrée que ce que je désirais aux hanches et j'avais besoin d'une correction de 3 cm pour accomoder mon dos courbé et mon derrière rebondi. L'encolure à l'arrière était un peu grande.

Pour la deuxième toile, j'ai donc :

1. Tracé un 36 pour le haut de robe
2. Remonté l'encolure dos (voir Fit for real people pour les étapes à suivre)
3. Retiré la fente à l'arrière (avec la shantung brodé les risque sont trop grands)
4. Ajouter une ouverture à l'épaule gauche
5. Redessiné la courbe de côté en retirant 1.7 cm sous le bras (basé sur la première toile) et en terminant à zéro à la taille
6. Élargi légèrement aux hanches (entre la taille 36 et la 38) pour évaser légèrement jusqu'à l'ourlet.
7. Corrigé la longueur du dos (correction pour dos courbé)

La deuxième toile me semble très bien. Il est entendu que la forte correction pour dos courbé ajoute 6 cm de tissu au dos. Je me demande si je n'adoucirai pas la correction. Comme je taille la soie ce soir, je vous en parlerez dans mon prochain message.

When I planned this A-line dress, I would have never thought having to sew two muslins and make that many correction. 
For the first muslin, I cut my usual combination of sizes: bust 38, waist 34, hips 36. I raised the armscye. I ended up with a dress that was to big at the top and a little more fitted at the hips then I wanted. Here are the corrections I made for the second muslin:

1. Traced size 36 for the top
2. Raised back neckline to avoid gaping (See Fit for real people for the technique)
3. Took off the slit at the back that is too risky with a embroided shantung silk
4. Add opening on the left shoulder
5. Took off 1.7cm at the side starting at the armscye and tappering to the waist line
6. Increase width at the hip line between size 36 and 38 and increasing width at hem line to emphasise the A-line shape
7. Sway back correction for 3cm

 The second muslin seems very nice. Of course the sway back correction added 6 cm of fabric. I have to decide before cutting if I reduce the correction to avoid the extra fabric. I will decide tonigth

The fabric I use is illustrated in the previous post. Le tissu utilisé est illustré dans le message précédent.

ADDITION: I was really bugged by the excess fabric in the back. Sherry for the amazing Pattern-Scissors-Cloth blog explain how to redraw the side lines to reduce the excess of fabric. See HERE.

Habituellement durant l'été, je passe beaucoup de temps à vélo, vraiment beaucoup de temps. En fait, chaque été je roule environ 3000 à 3500 km sur les routes du Québec et parfois dans le nord des États-Unis. Cette année, comme il pleut presque tous les weekend, et bien j'ai le temps de tracer et de coudre. Disons que je ne suis moins en forme, tandis que ma garde robe ce porte mieux.

Usually during summer, I spend most of my weekends cycling on the roads of Quebec or the roads of the northern states of US. This year we have had rain almost every weekend. Today is an exception...  and we have a big party this afternoon. I will have no time for either of my favourite activities. 

This year I was determined to use the fabric in my stash uniquely. Lets face it, I have enough in that closet to sew one garment per month for the next two years at least. Though lots of my sewing friends have much more fabric then I do, I was under the impression that buying more would be insane. When I start not remembering all the fabric I have, well this is THE sign that I have to much stuff.

Burda Magazine 2013-04-114

Burda Magazine 2013-04-114

Il y a deux semaines, j'ai mis le paquet un après-midi et j'ai tracé quatre patrons. Le premier à être réalisé est ce pantalon Burda tiré du numéro d'avril 2013. Parfois, j'ai peine à comprendre les descriptions de Burda. Pouvez-vous me dire en quoi ce pantalon cousu en bouclé fait hippy? Ciel, ils n'ont pas connu les mêmes hippies que moi! 

The first pattern I traced two weekends ago was a pattern for a pair of pants that Burda Magazine qualifies as Hippy!  Really, those bouclé pants look Hippy to them?? Well they did not live the same hippy years I did... For me, this pattern is very 1960. 

I had a flower print medium weight cotton bought to make a retro dress (95% cotton, 5% lycra) some 3 years ago at Madeleine Soie et Laine. The more I was looking at that fabric and the less I wanted to have a sheet dress with huge flowers. I was afraid the dress would look like I grabbed the curtains to sew a dress. You know like in the Von Trapp family did in the movie? Not the look I wanted!  After being inspired by this picture on the blog Atlantic-Pacifique

Blog Atlantic-Pacific clic to see the post

well I thought I could also wear a pair of  pants made of a loud print. Yes, I know, this is unusual for me. But, I thought that with a long tunic it could be cute. Was I wrong

The picture in the magazine suggested a very tight cut. I traced a size 36 according to their size chart and it ended up a little to big I had to shorten the front crotch of 1.2 cm on each legs and 0.5 cm on both back legs. I also took in 0.5 cm on the crotch seam. The rest was perfect. I always trace a size 36 for pants in Burda. The hem line is not as narrow on my leg. I think themodel is wearing pants that are 1 or 2 sizes to small.



The final result is shown on the first picture at the top of the post. As soon as I have pictures with me in the pants, I will post them. 

I added a contrasting pipping at the waist line and a plain black waistband. Well there was enough flowers on the pants and I was under the impression that the big print would not make such a neat waistband.  

Burda Magazine 2013-04-114

Black waistband and piping - bande de taille noire et cordonnet contrastant

Slit hem - ourlet avec fente

 The result: Worn with a black twin set, I feel like I was snatched out of a Mad Men episode ! Funny pants but on a small dose.

I almost forgot!  For pants corrections, I always use the excellent book: Sewing pants that fit. They explain so much better than I do.  Pour les corrections de patron, j'utilise toujours le livre: "Sewing pants that fit"


Comme ce pantalon est maintenant terminé, je passe à la création suivante. J'ai décidé de confectionner cette robe dans un shantung de soie bleu acier, brodé ton sur ton.

After sewing those pants, I decided to make myself a simple sleeveless dress with this pattern. The fabric is a silk embroidered shantung in steel blue.

Burda Magazine 2013-04-109

Burda Magazine 2013-04-109

Burda Magazine 2013-04-109

Silk Shantung in steel blue

Le patron de cette robe me semble un peu trop échancré sous le bras. Comme on risque de voir mon soutien-gorge, je dois corriger le tout avant de tailler.

By looking very closed at one picture in the magazine, I was under the impression that the low armcye would give a plunging view on my bra...  I will of course correct this flaw before cutting the dress.

En rafale, voici les autres patrons tracés recemment. - Here are the other patterns I have traced recently.

Burda 2012-10-121

Burda 2012-10-121

Burda 2012-10-118

Burda 2012-10-118

Burda 2012-10-118

 After the dress, I think it will be the skirt...  in black since the fabric in my stash suitable for this garment is black. My new modo: "Shop in you stash first" !  I makes more space for buying more...

 
This first part is in English only

In my last post, I showed details of the bias tape used to ornate the lining. Gail from the blog My Fabrication was asking me details regarding the piped lining.

Since I am not the best pedagogue when it comes to sewing, I will try to explain how I proceed to ornate the lining in my jackets.

1.  In make about 2 meters long of bias tape (fabric cut at 45o and sewn together to obtain a cylinder). Usually I work with 4 cm wide tape. When folded in two, is has a final width of 2cm. Here is the tape before it is sew to the lining.

bias tape 2cm wide

2. Once the lining pieces are sewn together at the shoulder seam only or all sewn together (as you prefer) this is when I add the bias tape.
The bias tape is added to the RIGHT side of the lining. Raw edges of the lining and the tape are put together as show on the drawing. The tape's fold goes toward the centre of the back and front pieces. You baste at 1 cm for the edge.

3. Then you can attache the lining to the front and neck facing as you would usually do. Right side of facing and right of lining are put together, with the bias tape sandwiched in between. Raw edges of lining, bias and facing are all together. Sew and press the seam. By putting the seam allowances towards the lining, the piping or bias tape will be over the facing (made of fashion fabric). The final width of the tape will be of 5mm. Just enough to add a nice touch.

Here are more pictures:

Bias tape over facing

Bias tape is installed all around the lining/facing seam

Detail of the tape around the back facing

Paco Peralta used a nice technique that gives an even more professional look. Tutorial here

The following pictures are taken on a jacket Paco made for the very lucky me !!




After running all over town for a tailor who would make the buttonholes for me. I finally obtain the address of a professional shop that sews buttonholes and press jacket or pants for most of the tailors in Montreal. Here the final result of my jacket with the buttonholes and of the Burda skirt previously made here.

Après avoir couru la ville à la recherche d'un tailleur qui daigne bien coudre mes boutonnières, j'ai enfin appris que ces derniers ne se donnent plus la peine de les faire eux même. Ils envoient leurs vestes terminées chez Pressage Unique. Je ferai un petit article sur eux bientôt. Pressage unique coud les boutonnière et presse à la perfection vestes et pantalons pour hommes. Voici des photos de ma veste et de la jupe taillée dans la laine Valentino. Il s'agit d'un patron Burda déjà réalisé ici. Petit rappel la veste est un patron Vogue OOP 2844

Look at those beautiful buttonholes !!!  Thank you Pressage Unique

Welt pocket in this thin wool was very difficult to sew...

Gail if you have more question, do not hesitate to email me. Next project, the Ralph Rucci pants and a blouse. I need blouses. If you need inspiration look at My Fabrication. Gail sews amazing blouses.

Prochain projet, les pantalons Ralph Rucci dans cette belle laine et une blouse. J'ai tellement besoin de blouses. Si vous chercher une excellente source d'inspiration pour vos projets de blouse, lisez le blogue de Gail : My Fabrication. Elle crée des pièces magnifiques.