Behind the Seams: “The Blue Garden” Frock

Whilst discussing the themes for TSW Challenge, the five of us soon realized that we all have some blue floral fabric in our stash. That’s how this week’s theme ended up as ‘Something floral, something blue’! My TSW post can be found here.

“The Blue Garden” Frock was made in a baby blue floral cotton lawn I bought from Chinatown. I was drawn to how sweet and vintage inspired the fabric looked. However, compared to the Liberty tana lawn or the Alexander Henry cotton lawn I have recently used here and here, the fabric was a disappointment. It crinkles at lightning speed!

This dress was inspired by Grosgrain’s “Summer at the Country House Frock” which I have been eyeing since last August and based on the burdastyle Wiesn Dirndl sewing pattern.

Photo Gallery

The Outdoor photoshoot

It’s strange and funny at the same time but the sun is always playing hide and seek with me. I took my camera and tripod downstairs when I saw the sunny sky from my bedroom window but once I was downstairs, it became cloudy and only after I have gotten home and started downloading the images on my macbook that it became sunny again. I was very self-conscious during the session as I bumped into two estate gardeners and two neighbors who were all wondering what I was up to. Some crazy woman taking shots of herself in her own estate! Oh gosh! Oh gosh!

Taking photographs of the garments I have made is quick and easy in front of my bathroom mirror but a totally different ball game outdoors. I hope I will get better at it and become less self-conscious. That will certainly take time… Nonetheless, I am thankful that it’s finally sunny again. Spring is coming and I am hoping for clearer skies and hopefully clearer photos too!

Piping made easy

I took the opportunity to snap some photos of how I sewed the piping using what I think is the quickest and easiest way to get them done. Off course I have no idea if it is the best method but here goes:

Step 1: Using an erasable fabric marker, mark the seam allowance on the right side of fabric where you intend to place the piping.

Step 2: Pin the piping onto the fabric with the piping being placed just above the markings.

Step 3: Baste the piping onto the fabric

Step 4: Place the fabrics together right sides facing. Using the baste line as a guide, stitch over the baste line.

Step 5: Iron the seams. It’s done!

Have a lovely weekend! I hope the weather is good at your end of the world!

The 1-hour Kaftan Tutorial & Butterfly Kaftan

I made another Kaftan but this time in toddler size using my very own 1-hour Kaftan tutorial. I had to ensure it worked for all sizes before putting the tutorial on my blog

Meet the butterfly Kaftan, so named as my lil princess pretended to be a butterfly flapping her wings once I put the Kaftan on her.  Her piece is made with some Anna Maria Horner voile I had in my scrap basket. I didn’t actually have big enough a piece so I joined two pieces together at the shoulder seam for this version and here’s my baby modeling the mini Kaftan!

The Butterfly Kaftan

Isn’t she a natural Without further ado, the tutorial:) I hope you find it useful!

The 1-hour Kaftan tutorial:

Materials Required

Fabric

I would recommend light weight fabrics such as cotton voile, lawn, gauze, lace or chiffon.

The yardage depends on how long you want the Kaftan to be. I am 5 feet 7 and used two meters of fabric for the Ebony Kaftan and one meter for the Ivory Kaftan Blouse.

You will also need a small amount of fabric for the facing. If you are making an external facing (like the Ebony Kaftan), you may want to use a contrasting color.

Embellishments (Optional)

Scissors, Thread, Pins, Erasable Fabric Marker, Interfacing and Measuring Tape

A top/tee with your desired neckline- round, v-neck, square etc

Step 1: Identify the Shoulder ‘Seam’

Fold your fabric into half (selvedges at the sides) and iron. The fold you have just ironed will be your shoulder ‘seam’. Use an erasable fabric marker to mark the centre of the shoulder ‘seam’ . Place your tee over the fabric, matching centre of tee to centre mark on fabric as shown.

Step 2: Create the neckline

Place pins around the front neckline of your tee.

Use the erasable marker to mark points on the fabric.

Join the points with the erasable marker. That is your front neckline. Match the back centre of the tee to the centre mark and trace your back neckline.

You have finished drafting the neckline.

Cut the fabric within the lines.

Try it on ensure it can go over your head. Note that once the facing is added, the neckline will be wider.

Step 3: Attach the facing

Trace the neckline onto the fabric for your facing.

Using a measuring tape, extend the facing width by 8cm all round (for external facing, I extended the facing width by 10cm at the widest point). Join the lines and cut the facing.

Cut and attach fusible interfacing to the facing. Serge or zig zig stitch to finish the outer edges of the facing (only for internal facing).

Attach the right side of the facing to the right side of the neckline and stitch. (For external facing, attach the right side of the facing to the wrong side of the neckline and stitch)
Clip the seams, turn over and press with iron. (For external facing, clip the seams, turn facing out onto the right side of the blouse, press in the edges and stitch, add embellishments).

Topstitch the neckline.Step 4: Finish the Hem

Finish the hem of the blouse by ironing the edges in twice and stitch. If your selvedges are nicely finished, you can leave them as they are, otherwise, finish them as well.

Step 5: Create Armhole and Finish the Sides

Measure yourself from the shoulder seam to below your armpit and add an inch. If you are making this for someone else, you can also measure her tee and add an inch. Measure from the shoulder seam of the Kaftan, mark this point. It is the base of the armhole.

Measure the widest part of your body. This is usually the hip area. Divide the measurement by 4. e.g. 36/4=9″. From the centre mark of the blouse, measure 9″ to each sides.

Draw the lines down the Kaftan on both sides below the armhole mark.

Pin and stitch along the drawn lines, down the front of the fabric, catching the back fabric.

Wipe off all the markings you have made cos’ You are done!

 

Ebony Kaftan

Ivory Kaftan blouse

Wear the Kaftan and send me a photo or a link! I’ll love to see what you have made using this tutorial:)

Have a blessed week everyone!

Scrap Busting and New Sewing Theme

I realized over the weekend that my lil princess has outgrown many of her cute bloomers and shorts. So,  I made her three new pairs using scraps from my sewing projects. She was so happy to see them when she returned home from school and tried them on immediately! Here’re some photos of her modeling the bottoms.

Ruffles bloomer

I sewed single tier ruffles onto the top portion of the bloomer. Love how girly the pair of bloomer instantly become

Retro Dots shorts

A simple pair of shorts embellished with crochet flower and some buttons.

Bloomer skirt

This is my favorite of the three, the same gnome lining fabric from my Lady Grey is used for the bloomer and does a peekaboo when she is seated. It’s adorable! I also embellished it with iron-on strawberries which the lil princess picked while we were shopping at Daiso.

Not too bad a scrap busting exercise I’ll say:)

I’m also pretty excited about my new sewing theme and can’t wait to get started! From now till mid December, I will be embarking on resort style projects. I realized how I adore the relaxed and casual style of resort wear during Self-Stitched September and they are really perfect for the local climate.

I still owe some readers a Kaftan tutorial so that’s definitely on the list and here’s my fabric choice. A black and white voile fabric with embroidered details. I love that it matches my swimsuit perfectly and go well with regular jeans too.

There are two dresses I intend to sew from vintage sewing patterns. The patterns don’t exactly shout resort but I think the choice of fabric will contribute to the look. The lovely fabrics of choice, if I may say so myself , include my absolute favorite double gauze print from Nani Iro and a baby blue floral print voile.

Last but not least, a project that has been sitting on the shelf for ages. When I first purchased this Amy Butler fabric with batik print (from her Love Collection), I wanted to sew a tunic top adapted from the Built By Wendy tunic dress I made. So, I am glad it finally fits into a theme I am doing

I am all ready! Sewing starts tomorrow so it’s gonna be a fabulous week! Have a good one too dear sewing comrades!

A frock, a romper & a giveaway!

This is the project I have been working on for a number of days last week and the reason behind my first muslin. Remember the gorgeous retro inspired dresses with full skirt by Louis Vuitton I blogged about earlier? Well, this is my take on it. In fact, corset tops and dresses by Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton are on almost every fashion magazine here and I have been drooling all over them.

It is no surprised that I want to create my own version. Meet my Time Travel Frock. So named as I could very well travel to the 1950s and back in it without feeling out of place just by adding on a pair of pretty gloves. For this dress I opted for a 50s inspired drop waist skirt instead of a waistband.

I used the US$2 Margarete top pattern from burdastyle and modified it to create this look. The result is quite different from the original as I have widened the shoulder straps, inserted boning and padding to the bust piece and added a skirt to create this dress. Instead of piping, I used silver ric rac at the top of the dress.

The cotton fabrics are all from ikea. The camel fabric for the top is lighter than the home decor leaves fabric I used for the skirt. I simply love using home decor fabric for long skirts. This is the second time I doing so. The first was for the 50s Inspired Sabrina dress. It’s magical how they sway!

The dress is featured as burdastyle’s Project of the Week and you can create it too by following my tutorial here.This is the first time I created such a lengthy tutorial and I hope you have no problem understanding it If you have any queries, please feel free to leave a comment or email me. I’ll try my best to respond. It should be suitable for an intermediate sewing enthusiast. You will need a dose of patience because there is quite a bit of fitting involved but you will be rewarded with a flattering corset dress. I will also encourage creating a muslin like I did for the top because you might need to adjust the cup size for a better fit by adjusting the bottom seam allowance of pattern piece number 2.

My now wearable muslin has a new invisible zipper too and is also ready to face the world! It might be the perfect alternative for my friends living in warmer climate or in the Southern hemisphere! Its called the Summer Lovin’ Romper. It’s terribly cute

Other potential variations I imagined include the bodice combined with Kasia skirt in nautical print fabric or with the Sean skirt for something more flirty!

To motivate you. my sewing comrades to create the bodice with or without straps for yourselves and play around with the bottom variations, I am having a Margarete kit giveaway. To participate, leave me a comment and tell me where in the world you are from. There will be one winner chosen by the random number generator (random.org) but you will need to indicate which of the two fabrics below you prefer. The grey leaves fabric from ikea or the retro red polka dot fabric from Japan. The 1 yard of fabric will be mailed with sewable plastic boning and foam padding anywhere in the world, to the winner.

If you subscribe to my blog via wordpress, you are automatically given another chance in this giveaway. If you subscribe via other RSS services, please leave me a comment telling me for example that you have subscribe via blogger/google/bloglovin etc, so you get another chance. You can also get a third chance if you blog about any of the two outfits above. The giveaway will end Monday 27 September 2010. I hope you enjoy participating in this giveaway and happy sewing everyone!

Esther William Swimsuit & Tribal Kaftan

I have been waiting patiently and it’s finally here! My very own Esther William swimsuit!  Without knowing who Esther William was, I have been eyeing her stunning swimwear on ModCloth for months. Then, I read Casey’s post and checked out Esther William’s online store. There was a sale going on! How could I resist a discounted 1-Piece Classic Sheath I have been drooling over and at a more affordable international shipping rate? All the positive reviews I read on ModCloth really did it for me. Furthermore, I knew I needed a regular fitness regime since I last exercised on a regular basis a decade ago and swimming sounded good to me at that moment.  I chose the black fabric with white polka dots as it looked so adorable and retro. I ordered a size 8 and as per many reviews I have read, the fit is very flattering and it has to be my favorite piece of swimwear ever!

If weather permits this weekend, I will try to snap some photos with my family at the pool. That should be fun!

I decided that since I would be swimming on a more regular basis, I needed  to sew a pool kaftan which will take me from my apartment to the pool and back.  I didn’t have a kaftan pattern and didn’t want to buy one as I thought it should be relatively simple to sew.  I decided to  go with the tribal trend. Here’s my tribal kaftan which I think have the potential to be wore out as well, either on its own or with skinny jeans.

I cut two rectangular squares out of the tribal fabric, created a V neck out from the front piece, drafted an external facing for the v-neck using a black scrap fabric and sewed a gold piping onto the facing.  I loved the idea of longer sides so this kaftan ended up with that as well.

This Kaftan is so really easy to sew, it only took me half a day! And because some basic body measurements are taken, it will fit all sizes, even kids. I intend to make a light weight version for visiting the pool and another with a sash for going out.  If there is enough interest, I will post a tutorial for the Kaftan when I sew the next one. I have to look through the stash first.  And if I can’t find suitable fabric to go with my retro swimsuit, it will be a priority when I go on holiday in October.  I am so excited, I can’t wait to tell you more about my next theme!  This project will probably take me to the end of September now that I am going to start swimming. I’m still busy researching and matching my stash to patterns. I found it pretty challenging as it is not easy matching my existing stash and the fabric requirement of this new theme…will tell you more about it tomorrow. Happy Monday!

30 Minutes Elastic Waist Shorts

I know, I know it’s still dress week but I was very much inspired by this elastic waist skirt which I saw over the weekend on Tasia’s blog. The skirts are so sweet but as I do not wear skirts, I thought the idea behind it could also work for a pair of shorts, like the one I saw on modcloth. I used a 3″ wide black elastic and less than a yard of black floral print fabric to create this pair of shorts which is think is perfect for summer! The light weight cotton (light but not at all sheer) makes the garment so comfortable and cool.

What I like most about this is the almost instant gratification you can get from cutting, sewing and completing it in half an hour! The Bella and Ruby shorts took me an average of two days to complete so this is a Polaroid equivalent in comparison! It takes me longer to type this blog LOL!

What I used:

-Less than a yard of cotton fabric

-Less than a yard of 3″ wide elastic

-Thread

What I did:

1) Take a pair of comfy shorts made of woven fabric and fold into half. Place the centre of the shorts on the centre fold of the fabric. Using a white fabric chalk and measuring tape, I marked the fabric 5cm from the shorts (My seam allowance was 1cm) as shown. Cut two pieces. If you want them longer simply extend the hemline.

2) For each piece, fold the bottom leg together, right side facing and stitch.

3) Turn one of the pieces inside out and insert the other piece into it. With right side facing, stitch the front and back seams. Try it on and see if you are comfortable with the bottom fit.

4) Place the elastic on your waist and determine how much you will need. Do not stretch it. With right side facing, stitch the ends of the elastic together. Fold the ends down and stitch to the elastic.

5) Pin two pairs of pleats in the front and two pairs behind the pair of shorts, baste them. I measured equidistant from the front and back seams to determine the placement of the pleats.

6)Match the back seams of the elastic and shorts and pin the right side of the elastic to the right side of the shorts. Ensure they fit perfectly. Stitch.

6) Finish the hems and the shorts are done!

Just two things to be careful if you are making one.

1) Do not use white elastic or the garment won’t look finished and avoid prints that reminds you of a pair of boxer shorts or it will look like one.

2) Try out the waist elastic and ensure it can loop over your hip area, otherwise you won’t be able to wear it.

I’ll be making another pair out of this greenish floral fabric and wide silver elastic at the end of my dress week (if I can wait!).

Now, back to ironing, pinning and cutting these washed fabric for the macaron dresses!

Retro Inspired Dresses

I managed to sew two retro inspired dresses this week and am totally delighted with them. I have no one to snap the photos for me today so I tried my best by standing on a stool and snapping my reflection in the mirror. Think it would have been hilarious if anyone was watching. Anyway, I used this vintage simplicity pattern I got from etsy for the first time. I chose the one with V-neck but shorten the dress length and the sleeves.

Dress Number 1: The Hummingbird dress

Full length view

Close up

The Sew Convert chose to make this dress in Patty Young’s hummingbird fabric (Flora & Fauna collection). The vintage pattern came with a 1.5cm seam allowance so it was ideal. It was my first attempt with vintage pattern so I was a little skeptical but the instructions were surprisingly easy to follow. It was also my first experience sewing a zipper and as The Sew Convert does not have a zipper foot, she chose a normal white zipper instead of an invisible zipper. Thank goodness it turned out all right, phew!

Dress Number 2: Scallop Hem Floral Mini Dress

Full length view

Front view

Side view

My second zipper

Off course, I was inspired by the vintage blouse I posted here. I adapted the sheath dress pattern from Wendy Mullin’s book Built By Wendy Dresses and used the vain and vapid tutorial for the scallop edge. I had to add seam allowance to the pattern and drew my own pockets.  Instead of sewing the hem area as suggested by the tutorial, I used bias tape to finish it so that it does not show on the right side of the dress. To ensure that the hem stays I stitched it to the sides of the dress,  the bottom seams of the pockets and the back centre seam. I used a thin orange bias tape for the pockets as I didn’t have piping but am happy with the end result.

For both dresses I adjusted the fit at the waist and hip area a little at the end. Two dresses in a week. That makes it a good week doesn’t it?

To make it an even better week ahead. Have you heard about the 30% sale at colette patterns? Don’t miss it, I know I won’t! I have been wanting to make the Rooibos and the Macaron dresses from colette. Drool!!!!

Amazing Kids Clothes!

While joining in the fun of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway, I stumbled upon a jewel-the Elsie Marley blog!   I couldn’t help but notice a number of giveaway hosts being involved in the Elsie Marley Kids Clothes Week. Anything to do with kids clothes is a blog magnet for me. I missed the Kids Clothes Week Challenge though (bummer!) as it happened in the second week of May where mummies were to sew an hour a day that week. By looking at the amazing outfits they created or refashioned, I’m  guessing most of them committed more hours than that.  Take a look at the Elsie Marley flickr pool! These are my favourites:

Ruffle top by Hickety Pickety

Beach Hoody by TrulaKids

Bubble dress by Hillary Lang

Sailboat pants by Mon Ami

I also saw this tutorial I would love to try. It transforms a simple dress into a gorgeous flower collar dress like these:

Flower collar tutorial by Katie Did

Kudos to the amazing mummies!

Seam Allowance Made Easy…I Hope

I’m following Grosgrain’s A Frock By Friday sewalong and this time, we are creating a shirtdress like this one below. Gorgeous isn’t it? Today’s the first day of this sewalong (In Singapore time it is:)) so you can still join us! Kathleen from Grosgrain has also given great tips on how to create longer sleeves or an A-line skirt under the comments section, making this a really versatile pattern.

Like the last sewalong, this free sewing pattern does not come with seam allowance. This is the third project where I have to add my own seam allowance so I thought I’d share the process of how I do it. Off course, I’m not sure if this is the correct method but it is pretty easy and has served me well so far:) So, here’s a very concise tutorial using only a measuring tape and a washable fabric chalk or erasable fabric pen.

Step 1: Depending on the colour of your fabric, use a contrasting chalk or fabric pen and create 1.5cm lines around the sewing pattern. You can draw these onto the fabric. See white line in photo below.

Note: I use a 1.5cm seam allowance because I do not have a serger and in place of that I use the french seam most of the time. If you are not doing so or are blessed with a serger, you can choose the length you are most comfortable with. Seam allowance are not necessary where you cut on the fabric fold.

Step 2: Join the lines for irregular edges. (I normally do not join the lines when it’s a straight line on the pattern but cut across those lines I have drawn). I also recommend drawing other marked lines or dots on the sewing pattern onto your fabric with your chalk/pen at this time.

Step 3: Cut the fabric across your ‘dotted’ line.

Step 4: All done!

Do let me know if you have an easier method, I would love to know it! Have a blessed day!

Grosgrain’s A Flock by Friday

Hey, do you enjoy sewing and always wanted to make yourself a dress but didn’t know where to start? Join Grosgrain’s A Flock by Friday, a dress sewalong. This time it’s a shirtdress and it’s starting next Monday!  So get your fabric and notions ready! I wanted to make the coffee date dress in the last sewalong but decided not to because after reading through the instructions, I realised that it’s for a petite form. And The Sew Convert is anything but petite. If you really can’t afford the time to sew a new dress, why not do a refashion? Check out this fantastic Grosgrain tutorial to refashion a blouse into a dress! Checkout that dress! Mama, I wanna try that soon!

I’m quite a home person but today I went downtown for my six-monthly dental checkup in my Modcloth dress (above). It’s a perfect fit but kinda short for my 5 feet 7 frame so I wore tights with it.  Going down to Orchard Road only meant one thing to The Sew Convert- a detour to Spotlight at Plaza Singapura. I bought some zips, buttons and bias tapes for some projects I’m working on and bought these fabric for the shirtdress sewalong. Since I have not tried the pattern, I thought I better try it out with cheaper fabrics. They will be going into the washer later tonight. Check them out here. The floral for the main fabric and the blue plain one for contrast. What do you think?

There is also a Daiso (Japanese $2 shop) at Plaza Singapura with a craft corner. I bought a pattern tracer, erasable fabric pen and sewing chalk. They have a very good felt collection there too. It’s The Sew Convert’s second “gotta visit” store at the Plaza. I heart Daiso!