Monday, December 23, 2013

Practically Completed Vogue 2401

Except from hemming the bottom, Vogue 2401 is finally done. Thank goodness.

General thoughts:

Overall, this wasn't a terribly hard pattern (except, of course, for those darn wrap ties). Granted, the fabric I chose to work with wasn't the easiest to sew, but overall I think the silkiness of it looks great. The collar is a real strong point of this pattern, very sharp looking and gives the dress a sophisticated 1950s, Dior feel. The skirt isn't quite as full as I thought it would be; I'm not sure if it will be possible to wear a petticoat underneath.The wrap ties that are connected to the front sides of the skirt remind me of the Butterick walk-away dress (B 4790). The waist came out a bit tight, I definitely need help getting in and out of this dress. Luckily there was enough room in the sleeves with this pattern, something I've had trouble with in patterns lately.

Would I make it again? Yes, I think I would. Maybe next time with taffeta, or a more casual cotton.

Pictures? Of course!

I swear, it looks better on!

See what I mean? Totally looks like the Butterick walk-away dress. Although, I must say, an overall more snazzy design. 

yeah, the flash makes things ultra-bright

Anyways, Happy Holidays, and Happy Sewing!



Saturday, December 14, 2013

Bah, Humbug: Vogue 2401

So I feel like I've been to hell and back with this bodice. As usual, there aren't enough pictures with the pattern directions, especially around the wrap ties/lower bodice area. I've googled this pattern to see if anyone that had made it put pictures on their blog with the wrap ties untied. Not much out there. What exactly has been the most difficult part? Attaching the wrap ties to the bodice. Doesn't sound hard, but its been tricky finding where exactly to attach them so no seams show and so the arm holes are free. I think I finally have it down though. Eureka!

Here's a picture:
wrap tie attached to the side, underneath the front side piece, there are three layers of fabric on this seam

This took a long time! So glad its over. Unfortunately the waist is a bit small, but doable, maybe insert a zipper later.

Here's a picture with the wrap ties tied:
at least the wrap ties are nice and long, so I can make a substantial knot

If you decide to make this pattern, be patient with this portion. It may also help to use a thicker, sturdier fabric. Although I like my choice, it is thin, and moves around a lot! 

Oh, and did I mention I got the collar attached? Well, obviously you can see by the pictures. It was actually quite painless. The sew-in interfacing was much thicker than what I'm used to sewing. I used a stiff, thick one. I recommend using a fairly stiff one, since the collar is such a central element of this garment. Pressing numerous times is a must! You have to fiddle with it a bit to get it to set right, but it eventually does. The collar has a seam down the center back (the collar comes in two pieces). The sew-in interfacing helps reinforce this seam.

The seams are fraying like mad with this satin fabric I'm using, I think I'll have to track down my extra bottle of fray-check (love this stuff). Next I need to attach the skirt which comes in several pieces. Getting there!

Happy Sewing

Monday, December 9, 2013

Side Pieces, Wrap Ties, Fa La La La La

Man oh man. Holidays. Know what I'm saying? But I have made some progress on Vogue 2401, despite shopping, gift wrapping, decorating, and the oh-so-cold temperatures here. I'm to the wrap ties portion of the dress. They've been confusing. They are attached to the bodice back, but not the sleeves, creating even more seams near the armpits. I've been turning this thing inside, and outside, and back again, trying to attach these wrap ties. Oh, and I've learned how to use Power Point to create pictures with arrows and hopefully some more helpful descriptions of what I'm talking about. 

Bodice Back:

Not hard at all, pretty self-explanatory.

Bodice Side Front:

You have to stretch and rotate this piece so that it attaches straight. Hey, whatever gives the garment some extra inches around the waistline!

The top seam is turned inside, while the bottom is left with the seam showing. Like I mentioned earlier, this portion has been a holdup. I think I'm past it, but we'll see. As with every project, you really never know until its finished and you've tried it on.

Nitty Gritty insides:

The nasty insides, where rugged seams and fraying edges meet. You can see where the wrap tie is turned inside with the second arrow. Only part of the wrap is turned, the exposed lining shows where it isn't. 

Final Shot:

This is what the top looks like so far. Aye aye aye, always the roughest part of garments for me.

What's up next? Collar. Groan. I'm using sew-in interfacing which I've never used before. And I will be attaching shoulder pads, which I've never done before. Should be interesting. 

Happy Sewing!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

A Good Ol' 1950s Holiday Dress, Progress on Vogue 2401

Aye aye aye. Haven't posted in a week. Thanksgiving, copious amounts of food and cooking, and a cranky puppy. Those are my excuses. Good ones? I don't know. But I have made some good progress on Vogue 2401, henceforth known as my holiday dress.

So, I finished lining all the bodies pieces. This took a while, but I think it will be worth it. The first order of business (i.e. the directions actually in the pattern) was to sew the darts in the back bodice piece. There are a couple in the back portion and in each arm:

the back
the arms

Nothing I haven't done before. I really like the idea of darts on the arms pieces. Why don't many modern blouses have darts in the arms? It adds structure, and look quite nice, giving the garment a tailored appearance. (Looks like I answered my question there, modern garments hardly ever look tailored since that's the style? now) 

There's also a couple little darts near the neck edge:

The back bodice is cut in two pieces, so I had to sew those together, hence the seam running down the back.
Next was the front bodice pieces. I ran into a bit of a snag with these. I forgot to turn the pattern piece over when cutting the alternate side. Result? Two left sides. No good. Rookie mistake. After I figured out what I had done there were a few little darts in each piece. Next was the front bodice side piece to attach to these pieces. Making sense? No? That's okay, here's a picture:
the piece attached at the side is the side piece
Not too bad. You do have to sort of twist the piece to get it to attach straight. The side front piece is a little rounded. FYI-if you make this dress DO clip to the dot of the front bodice. The top of the side piece must slid under the bodice at the armpit. If you don't clip, it won't. 

The last thing I've done on this dress is the sewing (pre-attachment) on the other bodice side piece (piece # 4). Its kinda weird. You end up making this piece a triangle on one side with the wrong side facing out:
the seam is sewed at the bottom
The last thing:
still the same piece
Clipping! So very important on this garment. This is the top of the same piece.The folded down triangle part must be clipped at the top. I think I see where they're going with this, not sure yet though.

Whew, that's all for today!