Pencil Skirt- Burda 8155- Pattern Review

So, I've finally figured out how to take photos of me in my creations.  I do think they look more realistic on me instead of skinny little faker size 10 (really 4) dress form.

The pattern is not centered on the front of my body in this photo- ok all the following

Side seam

I had fun wearing this all day at work.  I felt great in it and let's face it, isn't that what it's all about?  Making great clothes that no one else has that make you feel awesome.

Of course I work at an apparel company so people notice things more than maybe at other places.  One of my co workers was walking behind me and said "I can't stop looking at your butt- that pattern is memorizing!"  And then she wanted to touch it.

Back View

You know I strut around working just dying for someone to ask me where I got my skirt so I can say- I made it!  Yeah, I'm that girl.  Ok, see my review at Pattern Review DOT com.

Have a good weekend.  I'm off to yoga- as you can see from this back shot, I need it!

Pencil Skirt- Burda 8155- Fini! On to the next project.....

Gorgeous skirt with crisp waistband (not hemmed)

It's amazing what happens when the mojo hits you. It's like you want to do nothing else but sew as much as possible.  Well, when the new Vogues hit I couldn't believe how many great wearable styles there were.  I realized that I had to get through the fabric and patterns I had before the next sale hit or I would just continue to increase the pile of fabrics and patterns in the closet.....

Stitch in the ditch between the two pieces so you can't see

Perfect Waist Maker

I scurried home from buying an invisible zipper so I could finish the best pencil skirt in the world... First I remembered this tip from Cidell about waistband fusible that's made for waistbands- Dritz Perfect Waist Maker.  All you have to do is lay the perforated line on the fold line, press to adhere to fabric. Sew the thinner side to the waist, fold over at the perforated line and press.  I just turned under the seam allowance at the back side and stitched in the ditch on the front side  to finish.  

Styled with the cowl neck sweater from Anthropologie 

Back View with vent- will wear with black suede tall boots

What made me scurry home from the store to finish the skirt?  Not the Waist Maker.... it was the new rule I made myself about buying new patterns or fabric..... Well I think Suzy Orman was involved.  I saw a commercial where she pointed to a pile of money and then at a few dresses and said: "Would you rather have this or this...."  And I was thinking I don't have either one, I have a pile of fabric and patterns.  EVEN WORSE!!!!!!!  And when I went to the store to look at buttons I saw something I wanted to buy- crap!

After I married up all or most of the fabric I have with the pattern that belongs to them, I had a few non matched patterns to store in the back of my mind.  So, made the rule that I can't buy anything that doesn't already have a pattern or fabric in my possession AND must finish one project to buy a piece of next.... so finished skirt...  bought this awesome silk to match up with Cynthia Steffe Vogue dress pattern I already had.  This is such an awesome print.  I never see anything this amazing and there was only 5 yards left.  Yes, it was 20% off but I won't tell you of what price. But let's say you can't buy a silk dress for that much..... and keep it at that.  Quality people, not quantity.  Now I just need purple silk lining.

97% Silk/ 3% Lycra- weird to add lycra.  At Josephene's Dry Goods where I bought the buttons for next project

This is the next project- Wool Coat...... scary.......

Making the long version with single CF placket,  3 button cuff, debating collar. Fabric is Cashmere/Wool herringbone from Parone Fabrics in NYC.  Can't even utter how much it cost per yard, but they did give deal and the rest of the bolt. 

This is a better photo of the fabric. Button is plastic bowl with deep dish in the center.  Really cool.  2$ each- YIKES

One project finished,  permission to buy a new pattern and/or fabric......better get crackin' before I spy some more fine fabric.....

Pencil Skirt- Burda 8155

I cut out this skirt a while back, spent yesterday doing all chores and prep for the week to free up my day to sew and then..........no mojo.  Anyone have that problem?  I literally couldn't muster the umph to start.  Could have been due to the cold cold weather making my little windowed, uninsulated, old time apartment a freezer box?

Yes folks, those are little snow flakes coming at midnight. Well, the tide turned when it occurred to me that I should dress more like I was outside and I pulled on my base-layer wool shirt and a cashmere wool sweater and wool leggings under my sweats and wool socks and a beanie.  yep, like I'm outside.  Pretty.

So eventually after  a bunch of couch time- yes I have no kids or responsibility so I can just lie around and READ if I want- it's awesome- I started the skirt- yay.!   The other reason for my hesitation could have been that the pattern envelope came without any instructions.  I discovered it when I was cutting it out and panicked until I realized this is the easiest little skirt that I probably wouldn't even look at the directions, much.  But you know, it's better when they are there.  It gives you comfort.

I've sewn the darts and the center back seam and the side seams.  It was a tad snug so I took 1/8" out of all three seams.  Now it's perfect. And the flocking looks great on this skirt.  I was afraid it would be weird.

Next step: cut out lining and do the same thing.  But not today.  I need to go make a bunch of food to eat this week- busy career girl- no time to cook good food during the week.  And, I'm trying to eat clean all week. We'll see if that happens.

Oh, and the Ducks are playing in the BCS championship or some such hoopla tomorrow night.  I think my entire company will leave at 3 just to settle into their position to view the show.  Beaver or Duck, most are rooting for OREGON!

BWOF 6/2010 skirt 134, Revival of Sloppy College Sweatshirt.

Let it be said that I'm new to the blogging thing.  And therefore, I get going on a project and forget to take pictures as I go and end up trying to retro fit it so you can see what happened.  Here it is the original Oregon State University Sweatshirt.  (PS. I did not pick my living room rug based on my college affiliation)

Now, I graduated in '93, and I'm positive that I bought this either upon exiting the school or some time shortly after so it's a total mystery as to why it says 88 and why it shows XL as the size because it is a large.  At any rate I've had it in my closet for close to 18 years and I never never never wore it even around the house.  About 3 years ago when I moved back to Oregon from California I tried to motivate myself to wear big sloppy collage sweatshirt by cutting the neck a la Flash Dance, but alas it become no more appealing to wear. 

So, I've had in my head for some time to make it into another garment because it's a really great quality Champion thick fleece and if you look in the fabric stores it's nearly impossible to find a brushed fleece in heather gray anywhere.  Along comes the June issue of Burda Style and what do I find in the "sewing and styling" section but a grey fleece skirt and lo and behold there's a pattern for it!  Yippee.  Enter big sloppy college sweatshirt that has followed me around for 18 years and my scissors.  I cut and assembled part of the skirt before I took the above picture but you get the gist that this is what it looked like before I cut it up.  Anyway, I decided that I wanted to use the bottom rib hem for the hem of the skirt so I just layed out the pattern pieces and cut so that I just had to sew the darts and side seams. Magic right? 

The lame part was that in order to do that it meant that I could't get much of the design on the actual skirt piece because it was so long and I wanted it above the knee. And, I thought it was better to have the rib at the bottom then to have the logo XL across my bottom, which it kind of is, but if I wear a shirt untucked you don't see.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this does absolutely nothing for my actual XL a$s, but man is it comfy.   I digress.  So I ditched the pockets even though I did cut them out of leftover black knit and I was going to use the rib as the pattern advises, but because the way the sweat shirt was originally there is a double panel of rib along the side seam so that would be WAY too bulky on my hips and I didn't need the pockets.   The waist is finished with a facing and then the black and gray cording is passed through it for a drawstring.  I just punched holes in the front with my eyelet tool from scrapbook world.  I'm sure they'll frey out at some point.    But it works for now.

And finally because there was only half of the design used for the back panel, I thought I would use the rest to make a little kanga pocket on the front, repeating the rib at the edges of the pocket openings there instead of at the side seam. 

I just applied it flat to the front panel w/a raw edge in the rip n repair sort of manner which makes it OK that the the design is not centered on the pocket but pretty much is on the garment.   Also, I don't have a close up, but the bottom edge of the pocket is not jaged it's just the negative space in the print making look like it is.   

So there you have it the random skirt that I made from an old college sweatshirt and am actually wearing to work today.  We have a pretty casual crew here but I do usually try to step it up.  Then my boss tells me that some peeps are coming from a well know shoe company, that we are doing a collaboration with, today and I'm totally embarrassed that I'm wearing a sweatshirt as a skirt to work when we have a meeting that I didn't know about.  Whatever, they can get over it.    This is the perfect skirt for lounging around, doing laundry, running to the grocery store etc.  AND, this weekend I'm going down to OSU w/my sistas to visit the old sorority and have a sleepover!  So I can wear this skirt while we braid each other's hair and have pillow fights (yeah that's what we are going to do with our time).  Yes, look out Corvallis, we're coming to the Kastle and you will never be the same.  If we can stay up past 10 pm that is..... AND I hope to purchase another college sweatshirt or item that I will actually wear.

Ikat Skirt- Self Traced/ Drafted pattern

In the way back I made patterns.  I totally hated it.  I much preferred draping to drafting.  I had no patience and didn't want to fuss around with the paper.  For some reason I'm into it now.  And, I think the results are going to be better this time around. 

For this skirt I copied my printed cotton canvas J. Crew skirt that fits well.  I wear it all the time so I thought it would make a good pattern.  I actually wear this more around my hips but it looks nicer on the form sitting at the waist.

First I laid out the skirt flat on top of a piece of pattern paper and then with my tracing wheel I traced around it along the seam lines as well as the waistband.  I really need to get a wheel with the long pins, but I haven't seen one in a while, I think my mom used to have one but maybe they don't exist anymore.

Anyway, then I traced the lines and trued the pattern so the pieces on the front and back walked and then added seam allowance.  I had to make the darts by slashing and pivoting and when I did this I still couldn't find my old pattern book so I'm not convinced that I did it exactly right but the outcome was great.  This sounds like it was fast but I went back and forth between my pattern and the skirt measuring, remeasuring and fixing things and then changing it.  At one point I changed something on the front only to realize I had just measured the back and had to do it over.  BUT, now I have this great skirt pattern.  So I guess it was worth it.

I made a muslin and it seemed too big, the orig skirt is a little big so I took out 1/4" of front and back. Bad idea- because that equals an 1" all around and it was too much.  The orig skirt sits at the hips and is short but with the low waist it is a reasonable length.  The new skirt fits like a glove but is now just a little too short.  And frankly, I have great legs, but I'm not 25 and I'm not Lindsey Lohan, so I have some sense of what is ok for my age group. Although, others might disagree.

I cut the  garment so that the stripe pattern was the same on the front and back.  I realized that I didn't have enough fabric to have the same pattern on the front and back waistband but since they are different, it helps me to remember which way to put it on.  I used narrow seam allowances to counter my pattern adjustment faux paux and I finished the seam allowances with bias tape since the fabric is loosely woven and frayed A LOT when I washed it.  To counter the shortness of the skirt I hemmed it by binding the bottom edge with bias tape and then just barely turned to the inside and hand stitched.

It has an invisible zipper that I did a shameful job of lining up, but it doesn't really effect the over all look of the skirt so I'm OK with it.   I wore this wine tasting last weekend when it was 85 degrees and it was really comfortable.  I think one of my friends has a picture of me in it, I'll see if I can get it. I swear I'm not camera shy but I don't really love pictures of myself and I don't have a tripod either.  I had some photos taken of me in some of the last few garments but that's when I noticed that you can really tell I've gained 5 pounds- blah.  I gotta get back to running more.......... OK, that's it for now. I'm off to Pump IT UP for my nephews birthday.  I'm scared.  Wish me luck.


Next up, planned projects. Fabric is in the dryer as I type this.