Red Faux Suede Purse Prototype

As the February Red Month theme continues, I have made a prototype of a cross-body purse that I actually need. I have been needing a good, sturdy, large enough cross-body bag for my stuff and my toddler's stuff when we go out. My old purse is on it's last legs and I haven't seen any suitable purses at my local thrift stores.

I thrifted this upholstery grade red faux suede from my local thrift store last year. I had always planned to make bags/purses out of it. There is almost a metre of this fabric which is lucky for me because I should be able to make a prototype or two out of it.

I have been thinking and planning in my head about this particular prototype for a while. I like cross-body bags because I usually have to struggle with 2 active willful kids and I have no arms left for a purse. I also need a purse with many compartments so that I can store call the coupons, library cards, points cards, little crayons and stickers for my toddler, a basic change of clothes for her, a small pot of homemade moisturizer, my phone, a tablet, and of course my bulging wallet. I know that's a lot to carry around all the time but I'm with my toddler all day long so I don't want to have to pack and unpack stuff all the time.

This is how it turned out:

It's okay but not exactly how I wanted it to turn out. First, it's not big enough for all the stuff. Second, since it's a prototype I just used whatever I have in my stash for the lining. I use a medium weight denim as the lining for the outside zipper welt pocket. And then I used a coated cotton for the inside lining. All that has added a lot of bulk to the bag. If I had use a good sturdy polyester lining fabric the bag would be a lot less bulky.

Although I'm not completely pleased with this one, I'm happy that I tested out the ideas in my head and I learned a lot about making the zipper welt pockets. I test wore this bag today and it's okay. So I'll just have to do some minor design tweaks and change the lining fabric to something more appropriate.

Lessons learned from Altering Men's Dress Pants/Trousers

My hubby has lost a lot of weight since he embarked on a healthy eating lifestyle a few months ago. He asked me today to help me alter a bunch of dress pants so that they  didn't look like sacs on him.

I opened up the waistband of the dress pants and discovered that men's pants were made so much better than commercially available women's pants! The centre back seam is sewn all in 1 piece (from the back leg to the waistband to the waistband facing) for easy alteration. I just don't understand why they don't make RTW women's dress pants this way.

The blue chalk line is the new centre back seam. Look at how generous the seam allowance was! One could gain 3 more inches to the waist without having to buy new pants!

Once the new seam is sewn, the waistband facing folds down neatly covering all the mess:

After some pressing and stitches to close the facing, it looks almost good as new!

I'm very happy to have altered my hubby's pants. Not only does he have more dress pants to fit him but also, I will be stealing tips from the construction of these men's pants for my own pants creations in the future!

Pattern Review: My Red Lace Valentine's Dress! Butterick 6771

Lace dresses have been all the rage these past couple of years. I'm happy to say that I have made my own little lace dress too!

For the last couple of years I have only been creating garments/accessories/decor stuff using stash patterns and stash fabrics. This one is no exception. This dress is based on Butterick 6771 (published in 2000) and with a red moderate stretch lace that has been in my stash for at least 8 years. It was one of those off-cuts in a cheapy bin. I made the short dress with a redrafted neckline and no sleeves. I was going to add sleeves but hubby said it looked better without sleeves.

I chose size 12 but it was a little loose. Knits are all different in stretchiness so I was happy that it has a centre back seam which allowed me to tailor the dress a little more instead of just tweaking the fit with the 2 side seams. The dress came together very quickly. I would have loved to use clear elastic to stablize the neckline and armholes but the shininess of the elastic was showing through the lace so I opted to just fold it back and stitched on top. The stitching is very obvious to me but hubby said he wouldn't have noticed if I didn't point it out.

I was going to lined the whole dress with this gold moderate stretch knit but I wanted more versatility for the dress. Without a sewn in lining, I could wear the dress with a black slip or a nude slip underneath.

The dress is very comfortable (that's why I like knits!!) and easy to wear. I'm sure it packs very easily too. Now I have a new Red Lace Valentine's dress to wear! I just have to arrange for some babysitting for Valentine's Day......

February is Red Month!

I can't believe it's already February! We are in the 2nd month of 2014. Where did the time go?

This month's theme is Red. This means I will concentrate on creating garment/accessories with the red fabrics in my stash. I'm hoping to create something nice for myself and my daughter in time for Valentines day! It's already Feb 6! I'd better start looking through my fabric/notion/pattern stash now!

Do you have any sewing themes for each month?

Little White Dress - Finally finished!

After 3 failed attempts for the Little White Dress contest, I finally made one that I considered good enough for the contest. Here it is:

It's based on Butterick 6076 from 1999. I had made 2 dresses out of this pattern before (see this post).

I had put additional restrictions on my entry to this contest: only use stash pattern and stash fabrics. I barely had enough of this almost white linen mix fabric for this little dress. Since white linen is quite translucent, I used some remnant white broadcloth for the lining and the foundation (I barely had enough of these as well). I did my usual short waist adjustment and shortened the hem. I lost a little weight so my chest area is not squished anymore.

Here is how I imagine the dress going from the office to a dinner date:

At the Office, I would wear a belt with professional looking shoes and a navy blazer:

For the dinner date, I would take off the blazer, add some jet black self-made necklace and ring and a little black purse:

The versatility of this dress doesn't stop here! With a bouquet, self-made pearl necklace and bracelet and some bling bling shoes, this simple dress can become a simple wedding dress:

I'm pretty happy with this Little White Dress after all the fails and tears. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! Now I need to go and tackle that pile of mending/repairs that has been growing.....

A Thomas Bag for my boy

Ever since my boy saw the Kitty Bag I made for my girl, he had been hasselling me to make a bag for him too. I had some remnant Thomas fabric left so I grabbed some green cotton twill scraps, quilting cotton scraps and black nylon straps in my stash and made him this bag within an hour:

He was pretty happy with it and now it houses his mittens and winter hat in the mud room wall. More stash busting! Yay!

The Little White Dress project: 2 fails already!

I'm a bit sad. I was all enthusiastic about making the Little White Dress. However, I already wasted time on 2 failed white dresses already. One was a new pattern that I haven't sewn before; the other a Tried-and- True one. One looked okay except it was too short; the other - looked horrible! I am all out of that white fabric and I have nothing to show for it!! Sigh......

Now I'm scrambling to find another pattern and another white fabric that would work with the pattern. I'm really out of choices for white fabric in my stash now. I'm hoping this next one will work - oh please work before I start having a temper tantrum!!!

Thoughts on the Little White Dress

As mentioned before, I have entered the Little White Dress Contest by PatternReview.com. Initially I thought I could just transfer my thoughts/ideas for the Most Versatile Black Dress to the LWD. However, after looking over the white fabrics in my stash that fits the contest criteria (not much) and the patterns in my stash, I think I need to revise my ideas.

For example, the LWD with my current fabric choices will not to able to fit the following criteria:
- all sesasons
- suitable for a funeral (well it's not black!!)
- suitable for running after 2 young kids (well, it's white and anything white is not suitable for childminding!)

So I have revised my requirements for this LWD:
- suitable for the office (e.g. no cleavage on show)
- suitable for semi-dressy and dressy occassions

I'll keep looking through my pattern stash and the web for ideas.......

I entered the Little White Dress Contest!

I know I know. Just earlier I was writing about making The Most Versatile Little Black Dress. Not long after I posted that, I found out there was a Little White Dress Contest on PatternReview.com! What a coincidence! I thought perhaps I could transfer some of my ideas about the LBD into the LWD.

The one worry I have is the fabrics. I have vowed to not buy any new fabrics until my current large stash reduces to half its size. I don't think I have a lot of white fabric in my stash that fits the rules for the contest:

"The color should be pure white or similar; e.g. white, bone, ecru, light beige, cream, champagne, eggshell, vanilla, ivory, etc. Gray, silver and tan ARE NOT allowed. A tone on tone design is ok but fabric with other colors / prints are not acceptable."

I just had a quick look and I think I only have 3 choices of fabrics that fit the above criteria. I haven't even looked at possible linings yet. I really don't want to buy new fabrics so I'll have to be creative with what I have I suppose.

As for the patterns, I have lots of patterns in my stash so I'm not too worried about it. I just need to look through them all, note down the yardage needed and see if I have enough fabrics (out of the 3 choices) to make it.

 I'm quite looking forward to this little challenge!
 

In search for The Most Versatile Little Black Dress (LBD)

Like most women I'm always on the lookout for the most versatile Little Black Dress (LBD) - but of course I'm looking for THAT sewing pattern that can give me the most versatile LBD. I have accumulated a large quantity of sewing patterns in the last 15 years of learning to sew. I think this is the year that I make that versatile LBD. I have made/refasioned black dresses but they just didn't seem to be as versatile as I want them to be. For example:

1. The Safety Pin Dress. This is a nice cotton knit long sleeves dress that I pinned the safety pins to. It's actually pretty versatile. I can just take out the safety pins and wear it for the office (a bit short but with a jacket and opague tights it should look okay), to the bank, to school events, or even a funeral. With the safety pins I can wear it to a cocktail party, birthday dinner, company evening functions, etc. The only drawback is that it is long sleeves so it's good for all seasons except the summer.

2. The Black Sweater Dress. This is a great versatile dress except it's only for winter. It's super warm so not good for the other 3 seasons.

3. Stretch Velvet Halter Long Dress. Nice but not versatile. Obviously only for special occasions in the colder seasons.

4. Refashioned cotton mix stretch knit Tabot Dress. I really like wearing this dress in the summer. It's a good weight stretchy ribbed knit that doesn't require me to wear a slip and retains its shape. It's great for running after 2 kids. The only drawback is the ribbed knit material and the white trim on the neckline and armholes make it not polished enough for the office or funerals.

So after looking at these black dresses in my closet, it makes me wonder: is there really an LBD out there that is so versatile that one can wear it:

• In all seasons
• For all occasions - the office, funerals, special occasions, lounging, running after kids, etc.
• Can be machine washed and tumble-dried (okay I can relax on the tumble dry criteria)
• Requires no ironing
• Can retains it shape for years
• Doesn't go out of style
• Is made of a material that can look polished and casual at the same time

So what do you think? Do you think the ultimate versatile LBD really exists out there? Do you have a versatile LBD that you would like to share?

Refashion: Slip dress to DIY Wedding Dress

It seems that my current obsession with making wedding dresses is not going away any time soon. I think it's one of these milestones that we sewists have - jackets, fitted shirts, pants, jeans, swimwear, panties, bras, special occasion dress and then there is the Wedding Dress! What a wonderful opportunity it is for a bride to be able to make their own wedding dresses for their big day?

To fulfill my obsession, I decided to make a simple wedding dress first. A refashion would be quicker I thought.  I looked through my wardrobe and found these two cute white bias slip dresses from more than 10 years ago. I bought it in a rush for a friend's wedding. I had just come back from Europe and didn't have all my sewing stuff with me to make a dress. I just went to a nice boutique close to my office and bought these 2 slips dresses. They were on the clearance rack and fit me fine so I bought them. I think I got both of them for $30. I wore them to a couple of weddings and a formal bridal shower with different colour cardigans. Then I didn't look at them again for 10 years.

The top dress is made with a nice translucent tonal floral polyester material. The under dress is a just a white crinkle polyester satin. Slip dresses were all the rage in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They are not so popular now but I still like them. I personally like simple wedding dresses and I thought I could dress them up a bit to make them more wedding appropriate.

I dug through my fabric and notions stash and found this lovely lace trim. I actually forgot that I had them. I bought a lot of trims/ribbons when a local fabric store closed down a few years back. I had just enough of this trim to embellish my slip dress.

I basically just sewed the trim straight onto the neck edge with a straight stitch on my sewing machine. The whole Refashioning process took 30 min. With the right accessories, shoes, and hair, I think this would make a lovely dress for a bride who loves simple, romantic dresses. If I were to get married now, I would love to wear something like this for a romantic summer wedding.

I can also wear it off the shoulders like this:

This little project has really whet my appetite. It was so much fun! I think I'll make more Wedding Dresses later this year. Stay tuned!

Stash Busting: Fabric scraps became Custom Handmade X'mas Cards

I think I have mentioned before on this blog that I have way too much fabric and scraps. In order to bust my stash/scraps further, I used the little scraps that couldn't really be used effectively on garments to make these Custom Handmade X'mas Cards:

They were super simple to make. I already had some blank white cards. I cut out the boot and triangle shapes from whatever stash/scraps I have, put some interfacing on the back and then sewed the shapes to the card with straight stitches on my sewing machine. Then I added some star stickers on them for decoration.

This little project helped me think out of the box in terms of how I could use every little scraps of fabric I have in a creative fun way. Hopefully I'll be able to come up with more ideas for the stash/scraps in the future!