7/24/2013

Pete - not only for men

Believe it or not, for this dress I used the free Pete pattern from burdastyle.com as a pattern. I simply cut the smallest size and it fits perfectly. The fabric is this viscose jersey from the shop that I work for. I got many compliments today at work for the dress and think that it will be great in fall too. I think of layering it with some cosy knits and tights.
For this summer day I simply accentuated the waist with a neon yellow belt and put on some neon pink sneakers.
The dress was made in one and a half hour, including cutting the fabric and putting it together with the help of my serger. Oh, I'm so happy that the serger works again, it makes the sewing so much more professional.

7/23/2013

Shine on me

This is my copy of the Grainline Tiny Pocket Tank. I used the free Sorbetto pattern by Colette Patterns and drafted the small pocket myself. I'm not sure if I should change the shape of the armhole or leave it as it is.
What do you think?
The top was quickly sewn together with the help of my serger and will be nice for the next summer party night.

7/21/2013

Summer, Sunshine and a bit of Sewing

I had a very productive weekend today making a blouse and a t-shirt, but tonight I want to show you something else that I made last week. Actually it's not only one thing but one pattern made in three different fabrics.
Last week I was remembering burdastyle.com and the fact, that they have some free patterns on the page. So I was browsing and found the "Let's twist again top" by member irmchen. Having in mind that there was a similar pattern from pattydoo, I quickly decided to download the free pattern. I also found out, while trying to login and download the pattern, that I had an account on burdastyle.com, but had never used it. So with these three new makes I'll quickly fill my empty wall.

This was the first version of the pattern. I got the fabric a while ago at Karstadt and never had the right pattern for it, but since I always wanted to have a dotted shirt, this was the perfect match. The fabric is a medium weight jersey, so it's not very drapey. A fabric with a little more stretch would be better for the pattern and the drapey effect. I also didn't use a neckband on the neckline, but folded over and topstitched the neckline. Well, it was a wearabel muslin, still cute, but on the next shirt I improved and used more techniques.
 This metallic jersey is much nicer in reality than on the photograph. It's a lightweight jersey that has some metallic coating in silver. I got it a year ago at stoffe.de and would recommend this fabric as a similar one. The neckline was finished with a neckband made of the fabric and the drapes fall pretty well in this jersey quality. It's a great shirt for a night out, or dressed down with jeans appropriate for a special day at work.
The last version is similar to the pattydoo top Elaine, and I actually watched the pattydoo video tutorial for sewing tips and tricks.
I'm not sure, which way around to wear the top. I had to cut one piece on a kind of cross grain, because otherwise the pattern piece didn't fit on the fabric. So the stripes run horizontal on the back and diagonal on the front, but since the drapes change the direction slightly it's difficult to decide which version is the right one. The neckline was finished again with a strip of the fabric. It's much more neon, than it looks on the picture, but still not too much. You can find some stripey neon fabrics here.

Next on I'll show you, what I made of the leftover fabric from the shiny jersey and what I made in my summer sewing studio.
Check out my Instagram, which I use quite often lately to see what I'm up to, before I post it on the blog.

7/17/2013

Changing a needle can change your life!

This week at work I wrote a text about sewing needles and during the research I often read that the effect of a bent or slightly broken needle can highly effect the machine. So when I came home first thing I did, was changing the needles of my serger. I hadn't used that machine for about two years, because it didn't work properly anymore. So, I set in the new needles, which were still in the little box belonging to the machine and voilá - machine works perfectly again.

To celebrate this and welcome back the machine in my life I used it every evening since then. Not one, not two, but four tops and one blouse were sewn on the machine in the past three days.

The first item was a blouse made of fabric that I bought on my Paris trip last year for Valentines Day. I had already assembled the body of the blouse with French seams and just needed to attach the collar. I tried it with my regular machine, but didn't like the end result, so I wanted to serge it. With my "new" machine I had done the task in less than 30 minutes.
Here is the result:
The pattern is a vintage pattern from Burda Moden March '77. It's two pieces and the collar, so it's quite simple. For the side and shoulder seams I used French seams and for the hem I simply zig zagged a sort of rolled hem, to prevent the hem from fraying.
In the front piece is a slit on the neckline and the collar can be tied in the front. If it was a little bit longer you could also tie a bow, I can just knot it.
Here you can see the fabric in detail. See those little hearts? So sweet and such a good memory of Valentines Day in Paris.
In the next days I'll show you the other finished projects like my new metallic jersey drapey top and tiny tank imitation.
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