{ NEW LOOK 6242 } Cloudy day dress…

Ive sewn NL 6242 before, however only the top version so I decided to try the dress { VIEW A } this time. 

I had remembered the pattern was a great success so I pulled out the cotton I purchased from Alfatex a few months back. I loved the tie-dye type effect which looks like a cloudy, overcast sky. I didnt expect the flocked pattern so that was an added bonus once it arrived – hazards of shopping fabric online. Luckily in this case it was a good hazard, or is there such a thing?!

I chose a bright orange piping (which was already in my stash) for the contrast along the undersides of the bust & midriff & continued the piping through the back. I had a little trouble matching the piping at the seams on both sides initially. The zipless side I managed to fix, the zipped side I figured the difference was so minute I wouldnt bugger with a good enough thing. For the zip, a white invisible did the trick however I used a slightly shorter one than specified. 

I also remembered to increase the length of the halter ties but I still think they could be even longer…so next time….

I cut the pattern to my size and although it fitted well, the skirt was a tad tight over the hips at first so I let out the seams slightly just for a little extra space – perfect.  I noticed some bagginess at the back waist area after some wear. With regular straps this wouldnt have been a problem, but the nature of a halter neck means the bodice is pulling up on the front so naturally it will shift slightly on the back. I was going to remove the small bit of bagginess but instead I decided to try this magic “Sockenbremse” ( Socken = socks, bremse = brakes) instead ie. it turns your bare socks from neck breaking enablers into slip-proof pad-around-the-housers! I ran a small thin line of this over the top edge of the back & et voila…no more shifting back = no more bagginess! The latex comes in a variety of handy colours, can be used on a variety of fabrics but it does need around 10 hours to dry. Its also washable to 40 degrees which is perfect since I would never wash this dress any hotter. 

I used my 10mm hemmer gadget for hemming which I had much better results with this time round than the last time I used it. I think this hemming gadget works best with cottons though so I still feel like its a hunk-a-junk in terms of it being marketed as a “foot”. 

The pattern is relatively easy to construct and although I wouldnt go so far as to say its great for beginners, I do think an advanced beginner could tackle this with relative ease. 

Thats all for today folks, till next time x

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• { ALL IN } Travel, WIPs & eenie meenie…

{ MMMAY’13 } Week 1

Lovely things, here is my breakdown of MMMay’13 Week 1.

Not terribly exciting since I had some stay-at-home days this week. I tweeted that I think I should make me-made pjs just so I can feel like even SAH days are me-made days. Enter Vogue 8888.

{ Day 1  } { SKIRT } : Me-made BurdaStyle Tulip Skirt

{ Day 4 } 

{ TOP } : Me-made BurdaStyle Frills & Thrills

{ Day 5 }

 

{ TOP } : Me-made B+W Vogue 2563

Taking pics of yourself is one hellava hard thing to do when you dont have the right equipment { OR } when you have the right equipment but the damn focus is being a pain.in.the.ass! { AND } there is so much to get done in 10 seconds before the self-timer hits the shutter…who knew! I had to have a good giggle at Dibs & the machine as she wrote about the trials & tribulations of self-portraiture in her post “How do you do it?” That last image with the apparatus over her head has got to be the savviest bit of photography Ive seen in a long time…it really made my day 🙂

I trust all is going well in your land of MMMay’13…

Also, dont forget my giveaway closes on Wednesday so be sure to get your comment in if you want to be entered! Good luck x

{New Look 6242 (E)}

I {REALLY} love this pattern and when I first purchased it back in 2000 or 2001 I thought I would get much more use out of it, but then around 2003 someone borrowed this from me & it was never returned. Dont you hate that?  Since then I do not lend my patterns out to anyone. Back in 2010 I was able to track down another & ordered it immediately so I have been re-united with a favourite and I hope to make the dress one day….if it weren’t for the queue of course.

I found this pattern super easy. My version is made from a toffee brown, polka georgette however I left off the waist tie and side zip. After making this version, I made a plain black version however, I inserted the side zip and I made the halter ties slightly longer. I definitely think the zip is required, it just makes slipping it on so much easier. After making the toffee version, I realised I should have made the dress, it would have been super cute in the polka – alas, next time.

A great little halter to wear to the beach and 12 years on, I am still making use of the black version. I still have the polka version, its just a little tight 😦

Highly recommended for all.

Original review can be viewed here :http://sewing.patternreview.com/review/pattern/53250

Thanks for stopping by & have a good sunday x

{Vogue 2563}

This pattern is one of my first ever Vogue patterns to try & probably one that got me {HOOKED} on sewing way back when in 2001.

I made this black & white hibiscus print halter top many many years ago & because it screams {SUMMER} I dont get to wear it terribly often {maybe once or twice a summer season} so its stumbled through years of summers without showing any ‘wear or tear’.

I sewed version C which is the bias cut halter with back-button neckband, crossing over at the front with a lovely low back buttoning waist band. Tight enough to look fitted at the waist but loose enough to be comfortable. I used a polyester georgette which is probably not that user friendly for summer but since there is so much natural air-conditioning going on, poly was not a {SWEATY} problem.  I would imagine a cotton, soft linen or silk would be more suitable though. Being relatively beginner back in those days, I made a huge boo-boo & stitched the side darts too small so the fit around the side boob area was gaping & I had to go back to adjust…the thrills of a learning curve. yay.

The pattern has been {OOP} for some time but you can find a copy here if you are interested. I would recommend this pattern to anyone from an advanced beginner even though Vogue calls it a ‘basic design’.  Dress it down for the beach, dress it up for an evening dinner while on holiday – a lovely pattern with endless possibilities.

View my original review here.

Thanks for stopping by x