Ceylon progress

I know all the pattern alterations I am doing are needed and will look great in the end... But so far I traced the pattern, made the muslin, fitted the muslin then re-drew the pattern to account for the alterations I made to fit the muslin. At this rate I may be making this THE dress pattern for 2012.

The good news... I altered almost every piece of the pattern in some way, and it would NOT have fit me if I hadn't done that. I can't wait to share the finished product.

My first time...

I have never made a muslin. So, here I am with this new pattern from Colette patterns which is very fitted and I think it's time to give it a try.

In spite of the fact that many home seamstresses seem to be making them now, I think you probably don't need to do the extra work on every garment you make. I have been fitted with them before in my theatre days, but I just never thought I would be brave enough to do a garment that was tailored enough to bother. 

So here it is, my first muslin for a dress I hope I will love and make more than once (thus justifying the extra work). For starters I changed the pattern when I traced it to account for the fact that my waist is one size and my bust is another. This problem is a common one for me, so I knew to do it before I cut anything. Hopefully the muslin can be used to shorten the torso because I usually need to do that too, but I wasn't sure where to take up the excess.

Wish me luck friends, tonight we fit!!!

Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic

I made this pattern about 6 months ago, and I love it. I decided to revisit it with a few minor alterations. My biggest problem with the tunic (if you can call it that because I still love it) is that I have to wear a shirt under it. So my alteration was closures. Here is the first one, in cotton.

So, the new one has buttons. I did that by making a little tube of fabric and sewing it in during the step where I sewed the facings to the opening on the front. I thought I was clever... Apparently not very original, because you can find the same alterations on the Sew Liberated website. Also, I made this one in a light weight wool blend because it's winter here you know...

So there you are... My new tunic. And I just want to put it out there that re-using patterns you love with little alterations or in different fabrics is a great way to grow your wardrobe without having to alter a new pattern or risk not loving the finished results!

The Year of Sewing Dangerously...

Or something like that anyway. I have decided that I want to go handmade with my wardrobe, inspired mainly by two things. A great blog I found through Craftsy and a pattern company I found that I absolutely love. Here they are:














I always loved to sew... But I have also always had a major aversion to things looking handmade. So, imagine my delight when I found patterns that fit both my love for vintage inspired things and and my desire to have the finished results look professional. I have been wanting to make more of my own clothes for years now, and I have decided to just jump in and do it. Let 2012 be the year that I add a garment a week until I have a handmade wardrobe. I hope you will come with me on this adventure... I will be sharing it on this blog. Let's start now! I'll be warming up with this delightful pattern for some very cute intimates ;)

Colette mini-bloomers