MAGAM - my plan for the March theme

For March I'm declaring an assault on the clothes I need for a Jane Austen festival. For starters I'm making a 2piece skirt & top using this dress pattern from Past Patterns #031 and some fabric from my stash.

I have plenty of other garments that I need to make for the 3 day event, so there's more to come than this 2-piece morning dress.

joining a Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge

As soon as I saw this through a blog I follow, I knew I was in.

During 2014 I, CostumesFromAShoebox, will sew up at least 4 of my vintage sewing patterns.

wardrobing the UFO skirt & on a pattern hunt

I'm having to wardrobe the finished skirt for a little while - I've gained enough weight since my gallbladder removal that it doesn't fit around my waist/hips. I'm hoping to resolve that issue over the next few months, so haven't given up hope of wearing it this year.

The purple skirt will be fine, as it was cut out in January when I knew what was dealing with (girth wise). Toted to work to day was the next stashbusting skirt, a taupe-ish linen/rayon I bought in Adelaide in 2010. I'm using a pattern that I made up a couple of times in 2005, and it too as asymetric seam lines and this time an asymetric hem, McCall 4593

(here's a link to one for sale on ebay, cos I don't think I've got a pic saved of it elsewhere).

And the pattern hunt? The vintage Anne Adams pattern I want to use for a dress is hiding from me. I had it 4-6 weeks ago, but have zero idea where I put it when I got home from the sewing guild meeting.

Silly me.

Productivity - I have it at last

I went to the sewing guild yesterday and had a busy time. I didn't need to take the 3rd skirt as I didn't get to even touch it.

I tackled the near doomed UFO skirt - it got to the point where I didn't care how well something was done, so long as it was done. Look at this zip insertion for example. Worst ever, but I just don't care!  I attached the waistband today, and topstitched it as the interfacing started to lift. I don't care if it's sewn in and not fused.  I started stitching in the ditch but halfway changed ... nobody is going to see it as I don't tuck in tops. See what I mean, what an attack of the "Just get it done" when usually I'd take the effort. But after 2 years and 7 weeks, pffft. Get it finished.  The buttonhole is done, and I got this button from the stash - it's a lavender and almost perfect match to the periwinkle blue.  This fabric just doesn't want to photograph properly.


Next up, the purple skirt from the Burda WOF pattern. I think it might be a smidge too long, but I'm not going back unless I get laughed at when I wear it. I topstitched the panel seams, and put the zip on the RHS as I don't need to wrestle with a zip over the seamlines. The original pattern had an elastic waist so there wasn't this to think about (had I done that). However, with my waist & hip difference, I get too much fabric bunched in the shortness that is my body. blech.

babystepping back to daily sewing

It's not a lot, but I overlocked the hem on my 2-year-old UFO skirt. It's my MAFAM January item, and I want to wear it to work. Thanks to working out what was wrong with the silly overlocker it was easy to do.

Tonight I'd like to insert the zip and cut out/interface the waistband, so that tomorrow I can take it to the Australian Sewing Guild group for finishing. I'll also take my purple skirt that's cut out, and the sandy taupe linen/rayon to cut out a 3rd new skirt.

These are all achievable if I don't talk more than I sew. or I may take my UFO regency dress to work out what construction stage I'm up to.

A sneak peek at the next stash fbaric I'm cutting out, a 2 piece morning dress for JAFA.

the next dress is almost cut out

I've already cutting out the next dress from this pattern - using stash fabric this time. I've not yet cut the bodice front - you can see why I need to make sure there isn't a target on each bustpoint.

fitting changes made to Lilly Rose

I should have started with a bodice 1 size larger.  However I had already cut the pattern at a size that was right post-surgery, but sadly I've gained more weight in the past 10 months than I lost in the 5 months I was waiting (that was only 3kg) and in this pattern range it definitely made a difference.
I took out the usual 1cm between underarm & bust and 4cm between underarm and waist.  Added my usual FBA and it wasn't enough.

Because I didn't start with the right size (just toiled the one I'd cut & altered), instead I added to each side on the front (2" at underarm tapering to 1" at the waist), and filled in the armhole. Probably should have slashed and spread but my brain grasped this instantly and I didn't want to have to think.

I needed to change the  back waistband as I need a curved not straight - I think it's lower on me than intended and I am a short hourglass - the curves aren't the same as they would be on a taller person with the same measurements.  The front edge of the neck line had to be adapted to match my neck shape.

I did cut the back on the fold, and changed the neckline to a much lower V and completely redraft the neck facings. Now I'm not sure if I have the beta version of the pattern, but the front waistband is shorter than the bodice - I had to make the waistband 6mm or 1/4" longer on each half.  The neck facings don't match. Not only do they not match at the shoulder, but the front is not mirror imaged.  Plus the side front skirt panel has a small dip in it that I smoothed out (badly drawn on the pattern piece but smoothly cut on the fabric!).





I completely abandoned all thought of cap sleeves - my bingo arms say NO.  I used a fitted sleeve and added a couple of inches in height only to the sleeve cap to get a little puff.

I've already got more fabric to make this, and may alter the waistband - make 1" shallower to be more proportional to my height.

finished the Lilly Rose - with a superhero themed dress

My friend held her superhero themed birthday party yesterday, and I got my dress finished in the squeak of time.  I still want to tinker (a couple of seams are a little puckered, and it needs small shoulder pads).

On the bus there I rememebered that I have a vintage 40s hat in red wool that would be great with this, or I wanted to make a rockabilly style headband but didn't get there in time.  Anyhoo, on to my dress


I'm dog minding for friends and forgot to pack the right shoes for this, and despite going home for some forgot to put them into my bag.

I altered the neckline and made that up on the fly. Originally I wanted a W shape but thought it wouldn't work and went for a deeper V - until I realised the V would meet the waistband, and that wasn't the look I was after with such a narrow band.



and I was so excited to find an affordable massive gold star brooch on ebay.  As idea of scale, I take size 9 gloves


Oh and a full length pic -- which I've borrowed from Dee

A solution was found for the misbehaving overlocker

It was the pressure of the foot that was severely out of wack. It took 2 days, 1 bottle of wine and multiple readings of the manual to even find this would make the fabric gather while the tension was otherwise correct.

According to the manual the front edge of the screw thingy should be 1mm below the surface of the overlocker cover. On mine it was 1mm above and as I have no memory of doing that I'm a little baffled. Technically it's possible I did it while sleepwalking, but it's unlikely.

Anyway, after switching thread types; cleaning out any lint; rethreading from scratch many times; adjusting the differential feed; and much bad language and glasses of wine I had success.

I got the UFO skirt overlocked but the zip isn't in it yet - lets not rush these things ;) I also cut out the next purply skirt in the same fabric. (one on the right, it used to be pastel pink.


For the purple I'm using a Burda World of Fashion pattern - from the December 2004 issue. It's #148, and though it was drafted as an elastic waisted skirt, I definitely changed it to darted with a side zip.

glitches in the machinery

There's no finished skirt, as my overlocker is on the fritz. The shaped seam, side seams are done but I can't insert the zip until I overlock the edges. Yes I could zigzag, but I prefer not to these days.

I need to figure out what is wrong with it or burn it with fire.

Or get it serviced.