I’ve never been a big fan of the bubble, or pouf, skirt. Maybe it brings back memories of bad ’80s fashion for me. But then, I saw this dress on The Sartorialist.
I never would have thought to make a jersey bubble skirt. I like it! I’m not sure if it will like me but I thought I’d give it a shot anyway. I bought this Simplicity pattern and pulled some rayon jersey out of my stash. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Now, you probably think this post is about making lovely knotted frogs for use as closures. Not so! When I was watering the potted plant in my courtyard today, I noticed a few little specks of soil bouncing around the inner rim. When I looked closer, I realized that they weren’t bits of soil at all - they were the teeniest little frogs I have ever seen! To give you an idea of how small they were, that white ball is a piece of Perlite. Teeny, teeny, tiny! Preemies, even! Okay, back to sewing.
If you dare tempt the Sewing Fates (as I did yesterday) by beginning a new project while piles of UFOs await completion you will be punished. You will make a big cutting error and the adorable Pucci-print dress you envisioned wearing all summer will never become a reality. Trust me. After said mistake, I had two choices 1) shut off the iron and take a nap or 2) get right back on the horse and finish one of those UFOs. I bravely chose option #2. I had known what this beautiful rayon/lycra knit from Textile Studios would become from the moment it arrived: a wrap top (Onion 5032) to wear with jeans. Why it took me so long to finish, I have no idea but here it is - finally. One to-do crossed off the list!
Maybe the Fates will feel that I have sufficiently redeemed myself and will allow some more of that brown Pucciesque rayon/lycra to appear.
I recently scored this lovely vintage Claire McCardell pattern on Ebay. I really like the style so I might actually make this one. I will carefully copy each piece as the paper is very delicate. For now, I’ve popped it directly into an acid free bag for safekeeping. It looks to be from the late ’40s or early ’50s.
While we’re discussing Ebay, I’d like to piggyback onto Erin’s Dress A Day web rant. I like to check Ebay often for new vintage patterns. Lately, this has become a very frustrating task. Maybe my patience is simply wearing thin, maybe not. Here goes:
*Get rid of all the extraneous graphics. All I want to see is a decent picture and a brief description along with your terms. I don’t want to have to search for them. If there are too many graphics and your page takes too long to load even on my high-speed connection I’ll be hitting the Back button.
*Please list the bust measurement in the title. Size means nothing when it comes to vintage patterns. “1950s evening gown B32″ tells me everything I need to know - “1950s evening gown size 14″ requires further investigation which I might, or might not, have time for.
*Please add a gallery photo - it’s only $.35. There are many hundreds of new vintage patterns listed every day. Most of us skip right over the ones without a gallery photo.
*Erin said it and I’ll say it again: spelling counts. I will bid to the death for a Claire McCardell pattern but if you misspell her name I’ll never even see your auction.
*No music or sound of any kind. It can’t be said often enough. There’s nothing worse than having the life scared out of you when you’re trolling for patterns in the wee hours. Sleeping husbands don’t like it either. :-O
*Try to end your auction at a normal hour - sometime before midnight EST is good. I’ve been known to stay up until midnight to ensure winning a desirable pattern but 3:00 a.m. is a bit much, even for me.
Last week I ordered some beautiful white and ivory Sea Island cottons from Michael’s Fabrics. The samples he sent me were so silky, so heavenly, that I could not resist. I figured I’d make myself some nice basic shirts. Until I saw this beautiful blouse at Basset Mode. Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s fresh and feminine and would pair equally well with a skirt or jeans. Then, I remembered my small stash of French laces and Swiss embroideries and knew that I could use them to make something similar. The sheer stripes will be replaced by laces and I will embellish the plain fabric with embroidery, pintucking and perhaps some puffing. Yet, because of the sophisticated chevron design I will not end up looking like a cupcake.
I had the house to myself today so I was finally able to finish up this dress! First, here is a close-up of the button and loop detail I added at the center front. The buttons are vintage mother-of-pearl. I think they are going to want to face whichever direction suits them so I’ll just have to deal with that. I originally wanted to use covered buttons (covered in the main fabric) but I couldn’t find any small enough.
I decided to extend the front band around to the back on this version since I was using contrasting fabrics. I think it was worth the extra effort.
As you can see, I decided to use the main fabric for the hem band and use more uncorded piping to accent the seam. The more I thought about it, the more I thought I didn’t need that horizontal cut at the hemline. I’m short enough as it is. 
Here’s a closeup of the bodice. I’m a little annoyed with myself. I ended up having to let out the bodice 3/8″ for extra length over the bust (different fabric, different fit) and didn’t think about the fact that I’d need to add an extra button and loop. By the time I noticed my mistake it would have required many hours of reverse sewing to correct so I decided to leave it as it is. Hopefully, no one will notice.
As you can see, work on the dress hasn’t come very far. I’ve had a busy work week with very little time to sew. I didn’t make much progress on Memorial Day either! However, I am determined to finish it up this weekend as I’m feeling guilty about the many UFOs in my sewing room. Yet, I just keep starting new projects because that’s more fun than trying to remember where I was on a project I stopped 6 months ago, sigh. Must. Get. Organized!
Anyway, I wanted to take advantage of the coordinating fabrics I chose for the project. Yet, I didn’t want to give the dress too much of a bohemian look with lots of pattern blocking. Instead of using the contrast for the midriff inset I decided to use 1/8″ uncorded piping in the seam instead. I think it’s a very nice, subtle detail, don’t you? I’m still on the fence about the hem bands. I have cut them out of the main fabric with the intention of simply piping the seam but now I’m wondering if I should use the contrast fabric instead? Decisions, decisions. I might have to try both before I make a commitment.
In this second photo you can just barely see the buttonloops I added at the center front. I have some lovely vintage pearl buttons that will be added shortly.
My sadness over losing the Desi Arnaz apron auction didn’t last long! Last week, the same seller listed another copy and, you guessed it, tonight I am the lucky winner! Woohoo! Ricky and Lucy - together again.
A few people have asked me if I intend to make these patterns up. Hmmmm, not unless I can persuade my darling husband to barbeque in a shirt and tie. Me? Well, I don’t cook much. I intend to frame copies of the envelopes and then tuck the patterns themselves into acid free bags for safekeeping.
Now that so many of you have coverstitch machines, I thought I’d rerun this tutorial from 2001. This is a very easy and neat (yes, I love my sewing to be neat and tidy!) way to finish a knit. I’d originally titled this the Picot Elastic Finish but there are so many types of decorative elastic available today that I felt it necessary to change the title. We normally think of this finish as being used in lingerie but it works equally well on the necklines and armholes of street clothes. Here I’ve used a ruffled elastic to finish the edges of the Loes Hinse Tank. Not only does it look nice it’s also very quick and easy!
The first thing you’ll want to do is check the seam allowances. They should be equal to the width of your elastic (not counting the decorative edge). If your elastic has a very wide decorative edge, you might consider trimming the neckline down. Otherwise, the finished opening will be a bit smaller - not really a problem on a deep neckline but it could be uncomfortable on a jewel neck or at the underarm.
Next, you’ll need to sew up one shoulder seam - I usually sew up the right side first. Then you will serge the elastic to the edge right sides together. It isn’t necessary to stretch the elastic. Instead, apply it in a 1:1 ratio. When you turn the elastic inside you will be turning a smaller circle (the cut edge) into a larger one (the body of the garment) so gaping will not be a problem.
Then, simply turn the elastic to the inside and coverstitch along the edge from the right side.
Lastly, you will sew up the remaining shoulder seam. I also like to tack the seam allowance down with a few straight stitches to keep it in place.
The finished product:
If you are finishing armholes on a sleeveless garment you will go ahead and do that now while the side seams are unsewn.
