Showing posts with label My Daily Sew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Daily Sew. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Altered Walkaway Dress

I recently had a commission for Butterick 4790, the Walkaway Dress! It's the first time I've made it since my first attempt several years ago. It's amazing to think how far things have progressed since then, it was one of the first patterns I used, one of the first dresses I made for myself, and I was so scared of patterns! Now I have a huge pattern stash and I love making dresses for other people. :-)

I made a few alterations to the pattern, though. I wanted something that could be worn over a regular petticoat, rather than having to make the split front version I did the first time around. In order to do that, I knew the underdress portion, the front, needed to be fuller in the skirt. So, instead of a sheath type dress underneath, I decided to cut the front pattern piece at the bodice, and then attach a gathered skirt. (Sorry for not getting a clear pic of this, in typical fashion I was sewing up to the second I handed the dress over so I didn't get a chance to take lots of detailed pics!)


I also saw this version of the walkaway with ties, and loved it! So I decided to add ties, which also made it a bit more easily adjustable.



We went with a simple white for the underdress, and a navy floral for the overdress. When she tried it on at her fitting, we agreed it needed a little something around the neckline, so I added a floral lace trim that went perfectly!



For the attachment of the underdress at the back, I wanted something with a little bit of give. I thought about it, and remembered seeing bra hook extenders or replacements at the fabric store, which I thought would be perfect! They hook nice and snugly, have a couple hooks to choose from like on a bra, and have some elastic built in for a bit of give. So I bought some and sewed them on, and it was exactly what I was looking for.


I'm pretty pleased with the end result, especially with the alterations I made! Maybe I'll even make another one for myself at some point.




Friday, April 22, 2016

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

New Project Sketch

Dreaming up a new dress for a client is always my favorite part of creating! Listening to what someone likes or doesn't like, discovering what excites them, what they're hoping for in a garment and then pinning down the details, it just feels like a new adventure each and every time!

 This particular dress will be black lace and tulle over a champagne or mocha base, to get that lovely contrast of light and shade.  Here are a few of my early inspiration pics and sketches!



Monday, April 18, 2016

Veggie Apron

Today I finished up a fun little project commissioned by a client, I call it the Veggie Apron. :-) This was the fabric she chose! I thought the uneven red dots looked a lot like the strawberries.


I gave her a couple options for the fabric placement...



She chose to go with the red fabric add the waistband, and this was the result.




Tuesday, April 12, 2016

My Daily Sew Update

I'm fairly pleased with how my experiment for March went, even though I missed a few days here and there. I'm planning on continuing with My Daily Sew updates, but I'll just be shooting for several times a week rather than every day! I'll try to snap a pic of any project I happen to be working on that day. The short and sweet posts definitely help me stay on track!

Today, I found a new fabric organizational tool, pants hangers! They're great for my larger amounts of fabric which can be hard to fold neatly. I found the idea on Pinterest, got a couple pants hangers, and love it. I'll be getting more for sure for the rest of my fabric!


Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Today's Vintage Finds!

Today I went with my Mom and aunt to a super fun antique mall where we drooled over many vintage garments and patterns! I just love the potential treasures in a scene like this.


Above my head not far away were these lovelies!!


And this was my haul after all was said and done. :-)


Not a bad day!

Monday, March 28, 2016

Apron Pinspiration

I've been neglecting my booth at Austin Gift Company, and need to make some stock to take over soon! Specifically I need to make some aprons, so I'm trying to find some inspiration via Pinterest for a new-ish retro design. Here are some of my favorite finds so far!








Sunday, March 27, 2016

Bluebonnet Dresses - Finished!

Happy Easter to everyone!! What a perfect time for pretty little girls in frou-frou dresses wading through Texas bluebonnets! We had a gorgeous weekend here in Austin, sunny with a lovely cool breeze.

It was another week of whirlwind sewing for me, of course, and I am just ecstatic at how these dresses came out, they were so much fun.

As a bonus, I actually got to meet Sally of SallyKate Photography for the first time, though we've known each other online for many years! She and a friend came with their darling model daughters to take the traditional (around here) photos among Spring wildflowers. In a lovely coincidence, another mutual online acquaintance of ours happened to be crashing at my place when she stopped by. I always love meeting longtime online friends!


So, I missed a few days again of the My Daily Sew challenge, I just got so busy trying to finish up that I didn't get a chance to come post. But I hope to make it up for it with this post!

On my last post I had finished the bodices...


Next I had to start figuring out the skirts. I needed a kind of cascading ruffle effect, with a lot of volume and movement. I decided to just gather a good amount of the nylon chiffon over the full circle skirt lining (which all sits on top of the hoopskirt, of course), and then start layering with circular shapes on top of that. Gathering all that fabric took a while!


I figured out the ruffles by adding the full length of the skirt to the length I wanted the top tier to be, and using that as a diameter. Then I cut big circles using that number, and trimmed the edge in a sheer ribbon to give it some body and define the edges, and it worked perfectly!


Then it was just a matter of pinning everything on, attaching it all, and sewing it to the bodice.



On the yellow version, I added a bit of cream dotted lace on the side just for some different texture and interest. The blue version had some lace trim around the edges of the fabric on the sides.



Then I added a zipper on the back, and a ribbon tie at the very top. I kept it long to hang down and blow in the breeze. :-)


Finally, I embellished the front with flowers from the shoulder to the waist, and falling down the skirt a bit.



And they were done just in time, lol! The girls came and tried them on, and they fit great and looked fabulous. Then they were off to take pics, and I got to wait for my favorite part, seeing some amazing photos!! I'll just leave these here. ;-)

Julie Peveto Photography





Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Bluebonnet Dresses - Hoopskirts

So any time I'm working with circular stuff especially, I end up doing lots of math, and it hurts my brain!


But it's always worth the hassle! ;-)


Saturday, March 19, 2016

The Purple Wedding Dress - The Wedding Day!

The dress is done, the wedding past, and what a whirlwind day it was! The bride looked absolutely stunning.

I missed my last couple days of posting because I was so busy finishing up the dress, but here were a few of the last details I finished up.

First I finished attaching the lace and sewing on all the beading. I was pretty pleased with the seam on the lace, I think I managed to hide it pretty well! Can you see it?



Next I gathered lots of tulle and netting for the petticoat!


Then I added lingerie straps...


And of course, a waist stay!


And finally, I made a little flower for her hair!


And that was it, everything was done! Here's my revised sketch (after nixing the capelet) and the final product.














It all looked so much better on the glowing bride!! I wish I had some better pictures, but it was a big rush to get dressed, get married, and have a reception all within the couple hours allotted at the lovely outdoor venue. Throw in some missing shoes, and a thunderstorm starting just as the bride was about to walk to the outdoor chapel, all at dusk, lol, and it meant I didn't get a chance to get a great picture. But she looked beautiful! Here are a few of the fuzzy phone pics I managed to snap. :-)







A flash, of course, picks up all the purple sheen!


Here's a short little video which I thought captured the movement of the dress well. :-)

A video posted by Stephanie Lochet (@slochet) on

I'm so pleased to have been able to play a small part in my friend's wedding, and I wish the couple a lifetime of happiness!