Projects for this week

This Saturday is the vintage boutique market, which means this week I will be repairing all the vintage clothing I have left to do. I aim to have around 30 items in total to sell along with the handmade purses I made a couple of weeks ago. I've taken photos of some of the items that I can fit in and that I intend on repairing during the evenings this week. The repairs I have are mainly small, things like loose seams, dropped hems, missing buttons that sort of thing. So if I do manage to repair all that I need I want to get started on some linen shorts ready for the summer using a Burda pattern I acquired today.

1950's brocade dress with chiffon sash inserted into the chest.

1960's brocade wiggle dress.

1960's wiggle dress.

A very loudly printed button detailed dress that I'm guessing is from the 80's?

1960's wiggle dress

1960's mini dress

Pencil Skirt Revisited

I managed to finish my skirt pretty quickly after my last post as I was dying to see the finished project, and i'm so thrilled with the way it turned out. I hope you like it!

So after I attached the waistband, I then fitted the zipper...

After this I turned the skirt to the wrong side and started to sew up the centre back seam, leaving about 4 inches at the bottom for my slit.

I then neaten the seam by zigzagging each edge, and then hand stitched them down so they would stay flat. 

I then hemmed the bottom by hand, and that was it!

Here's the finished skirt...

After sewing this I remembered another famous pencil skirt from one of my favourite movies..

I love the white top Grace is wearing with hers!

The Sunday Times...

Like the title?

For my first Sunday evening post I wanted to share the project that I am currently working on. 

I bought this houndstooth/dogstooth fabric a while back with black lining and the intention of creating it into a skirt. My only problem being that I don't have any patterns for skirts at the moment (I'm a relatively new pattern collector), so the way to conquer this? I made my own.

It started with a few scribbles on a notepad whilst I was at work (even at work my brain still thinks about sewing!) then when I got home I started planning/drawing/measuring, and with the help of my fiance (I am slightly mathematically challenged) I drew out the pattern, cut it, and started to work on a muslin.

I've made the pattern to include 4 darts in total, 2 in the front, and 1 either side of the zipper. The pattern also includes seam allowances. I'm making it high waisted, as I find this style really comfortable and flattering on me, plus it's totally 50's. I keep thinking of Traci Lords in John Water's 'Crybaby' and how she totally wiggles when she walks.

Anyway, here is the muslin pinned on to the dummy.

The front looks good to me, however the back only just meets the centre, so I decided to add an extra inch to the pattern pieces to make sure it fits when I cut for real. The fabric I'm using is also slightly stretchy so it should be fine.

I also found that where I had made the pattern slightly curved, so it fits my large behind, the muslin looked a bit puffy at the sides. I'm thinking that I possibly introduced the curve too late in the pattern and should maybe move it up a couple of inches? 

So with these changes in mind, I started to cut out the pattern in my chosen fabric.

So pieces are cut, darts are in, sides are seamed, I've now placed the fabric and lining together, and tacked (basting, whatever you call it?!) by hand to keep pieces neatly together. My waistband is all cut and will be attached next, then my favourite part (not) the zipper and all else that follows! Here are some photos of it pinned on the dummy looking all pretty!

It's a Bank Holiday in England tomorrow so I should have this finished ready to post on Tuesday along with other things I'll be working on this week!

Hope you've all had a productive weekend!

The Technique of Dress Design

I was given this book as a gift recently, and I thought that I would share some of the pages as they are particularly cool & inspiring.

I found it slightly amusing that the book belonged to a Catherine Middleton!

The book contains a detailed guide in how to create different looks from positioning darts, necklines, pleating, how to draw and design clothing using different materials, and what fabrics suit what.

The following pages are some that popped out at me.