The brown challenge - HSF/HSM - Lisa

I had a couple things I could make for the brown challenge.  Both from the 30's/40's with my Wearing History patterns.  Trousers and a blouse.  I actually made both, and started working on a swing coat.   I've planned to make the swing coat for the last two winters.  Wide leg trousers were popular starting in the 30's, though they were not common and not worn as everyday clothing.

Jean Harlow in trousers

I have a pin stripe cotton, mostly brown with a little blue, for the blouse.  I was going to get wool flannel for the trousers but I wasn't sure I would like how the pants looked on me so I declined to invest the cash.  Instead I got a dark chocolate rayon twill.  It has lovely drape, though it's not very forgiving of my bumps.   I actually bought all this quite a while ago and just haven't got around to sewing it.

Smooth Sailing Pants 

The largest size of the pattern is a tiny bit too small for me in most places.  It's definitely too small in the 'high hip' (commonly know as the 'pot' belly).  I altered the curve of the hip and altered the pleats and darts along with adding to the overall size. I also hand sewed the side zip because I've found that I get a smoother line.  Clearly I'm too lazy to go downstairs to press my work before pictures.

Hand picked zip - Not pressed

And now, a moment to talk about squish.  I have a lot of squish, and it's not all just fat.  Everyone should know their squishability, because it matters when making alterations.  I added room in the pattern to match my measurements and then, when the muslin seemed too tight in the waist, I added more.  But I shouldn't have because I'm squishy, and I know it.  If my pants fit 'properly' in the waist they are actually too loose and will slide to my high hip.  I find I need to squish in about 1- 1 1/2 inches (more if the fabric will stretch a bit when wearing).  I always have a little roll over my waist but I prefer that to droopy pants.  I added an extra inch to the muslin and ended up taking two inches out.  That same 'squish' factor means I need to add a bit of extra room through the seat.  When I sit down I squish OUT there (wearing ease).  Alternately, Robin my co-blogger, has almost no squish no matter what her size.

Welt pocket - Also NOT pressed 

A side effect of the squish alterations was that the legs of the pants are a bit fuller than they appear in the pattern picture.  The pattern is for straight leg pants from the low hip and I added ease in the low hip.  My final decision was whether to add a welt pocket on the seat.  I've never done it, so I HAD to try.   I haven't made the belt yet, but I want to do that, too.









Smooth Sailing Blouse
The blouse pattern fit, except the bust.  Because it's made of cotton shirting and buttons down the front, I wanted to make sure I added plenty of fabric.  No gap!  The pattern creates bust fullness through pleating below the yoke.  I added half my extra volume there.  I also chose to add a bust dart, along with a little extra length in the front.  Due to the extra volume at the bust, I added a second shaping dart at the waist.  I'm quite content with how it worked out.

A couple of surprises with the pattern; first, the yoke is not lined and second, the shoulder seam came out slanting back over my shoulder.  Neither one of these were a problem.  I'm going to use the pattern again, and I will likely line the yoke and will slash and spread to move the shoulder seam closer to my actual shoulders.  The yoke is fine without the lining and hangs nicely, but my next blouse will have the outside of the yoke cut on the bias (for stripe detail) and will need the support.
The shoulder seam placement meant that closing the blouse up to the neck wasn't a viable option.  It will be easy to fix in the future.  Note; this is related to MY shape, not a problem with the pattern.

Both these patterns were extremely easy to work with and the instructions were straightforward.  I LOVE them.  I'm also secretly happy that I matched stripes (sorta) at the shoulder.

It's 7AM!  Only time I had for pictures...

Another win for cosplay! And finally a sewing day... - L

I got another third from the awesome Shear Madness judges for Attack on Titan.  This was for making things out of unusual materials.  I thank them for letting the definition of the challenge slide to include 3D maneuver gear.  I'm pretty sure the intent was to make clothing out of something other than fabric.

My offspring are now signed on to making their own stuff.  The boy will learn to sew!  I start everyone on pajama pants because if anything can wrap your head around how a garment gets put together, it's PJ pants.  And this means I can sew for me again!


I have a few things lined up shortly; a 30's tea dress, pattern testing a different 30's dress (pattern has a bust 10 inches too small so should be interesting), a victorian shift, a Regency dress, AND some cropped pants for late fall when Robin and I are off to Burma.  Because we haven't gone adventuring in a while.

I also want to make a men's Regency outfit and a victorian riding habit.  Then a natural form dress.  Also a victorian corset.  No problem.

Here's the result of hours of work to grade up a pattern by 8 to 10 inches.  It is just possible to see all the bits that are taped together in my  tea dress pattern.  When you made a pattern bigger you have to 'grow' it from the inside out.
The pattern is from VPLL and each dress typically comes in only one size.  I love it cause those aren't sleeves.  They are 'capelets' and are sewn on over the shoulder.  I have a bold floral rayon that will either be really pretty or '70's tablecloth meets The Blob'.


Robin got her Regency bodice right.  It's the Simplicity 4055 based on Sense and Sensibility pattern.  S&S patterns just don't fit us right without a little tweaking.  The back was too big in both our muslins but that's an easy and quick fix.

I want the regency dress for Costume College.  And the tea dress if I can swing it.  So yesterday Robin and I had our first sewing day in, well, forever!  We each had Regency muslins to fit, and I had a 30's muslin.  She had a 30's tracing (and a good thing too since it was too small through the shoulders).  We got it all fit including darts and hems.  I'd forgotten how much I missed sewing days. Now to cut fabric.....   This means more pictures and patterns; more blogging!  Also vacuuming and cleaning other cat detritus from the cutting floor.

Hero in a Half Shell - L

There are events on the horizon...

In a day or two, Robin is going to GBACG Pirate Bonfire.  I am thinking about it.  OF COURSE it would be fun to don my Haradrim costume and 'grrrrr' and 'arrrrhhh' my way around a fire.  But I have plans for that costume and don't want to have to wash the campfire smell out of it.  And it will be cold.  It's at Ocean Beach in San Francisco.  And we know what Mark Twain said about summer in San Francisco....    I would need to wear my cloak, and that would be another pain to clean.  I have to decide today.

Costume College is in two weeks!  Robin and I are going for the first time.  I'm nearly ready, having added hooks and eyes where I had been using safety pins and added buttons that were missing.  I want to fix the weapon attachments on the Haradrim costume.  There were NOT satisfactory last time I wore them.  That's in the queue for today.

And then the Art Deco Society Gatsby picnic.  I've been working on the dress.  And, knock on wood, it's going together well.  I'll post some pictures shortly.  I've also been concentrating on accessories.  There is a very strict dress code.  There's also a 'dress code' for our picnic.  No plastic.  No modern electronics.  Coolers must be disguised or covered.  So I've been acquiring accessories.  I already had gloves and a deco bracelet.  I got some flat spectators (no heels for me on grass!), some round sunglasses, and a thrift store wooden purse.  The inside needed a lining, if only to keep everything from falling out every time I opened it.  So I used some taffeta scraps and made one.  First I made a paper model to make sure my plan actually worked.  And I added a pocket for my phone so it wouldn't clatter around inside.

I put interfacing in the top inch of the side sections and ironed it in the folded position so that it would 'want' to stay that way.  

I also added some stiff plastic to the top edges of the body to make it stay in place tucked under the edge of the purse.  Then I hot-glued the top edges and a little curved part of the body.  It's not a perfect fit.  It can't be.  Otherwise the purse wouldn't open and close.

Here's a quick picture of all my accessories except a hat.  They are sitting on the dress fabric which is a soft green.

Yes.  Green.  Late 20's, early 30's style.  My waist-less torso.

Middle-aged Mutant Ninja Turtle.  

Hero on a half shell - turtle power!

(a direct rendering of the original cartoon theme song for you infants that don't recognize it)

Sewing Sunday and a Doublet - R and L

Last Sunday was a sewing day.  We wisely decided to target ONE THING for sure with a couple of backups if we had time.  Lisa needs to make a dress for the Gatsby Picnic.

One thing I know, is that I don't want to make a traditional 20's dress.  It just won't be flattering.  I've been looking into early 30's and actually settled on a 1911 dress with modifications. 1911 Dress   I made a muslin of the top of the pattern modified for size and styling.  It fits!  I also had Rob help me choose between 3 fabrics I had targeted for this dress.  I plan to use the middle picture, shorter, and with the collar and cuffs from the picture on the right.  My fabric is lawn, similar in color to the middle dress with ivory trim.

Robin is still immersed in multiple projects. She is plugging away at a renaissance outfit for her bf, and also has a plan for a pirate costume with a very funny alternative vision targeted for the WEHO Halloween street crawl.  She posted earlier as Pirettes of the Caribooban.

Robin:  OK, I HATE that this photo is snapped with me and my hair in "work mode", but that's the way it is. I modified the pattern to hold giant boobs (it's actually one of those Halloween tie-on butts" but worn upside down on my chest. I added 8 inches to the front of the pattern and, instead of making it elastic, I put in a facing and made it a drawstring close. No idea if it works, as I haven't modified the "butt" yet. Still need to finish the sleeve casings and maybe put a little lace on the sleeves, as I am a girly pirate.

With this accomplished, I actually was able to re-trace the pattern for the pants (which the dog had eaten) and cut out the fabric for both mine and my bf's pirate pants. I'm a fancy, girly pirate and he is a dirty shipwrecked deck hand, so I'll have the fun of distressing his outfit and the fun of decking myself out in "finery".

And now for the doublet progress: The wings are interlined with some REALLY stiff stuff so these suckers WILL stick out like... well, like wings.

Here's the skirt decoration. I later found that it will intersect the body, so I have to hand sew on another line of piping to make it match the body of the doublet.

 Here's the sequence of hand sewing on three different sets of trim to make it into one really pretty line of decoration.  Velvet is very shifty and it is a tiny bit wonky in spots, but the overall effect looks straight.

After sewing was done, Lisa actually fixed what she thought was a terminal error in a sock she was knitting.  You can sort of see what's left of the problem in the light grey lattice near my fingers.

After that, she lay about like the lady of leisure she is soon to be, while her cats convinced her it really was the ONLY option.