Some things that make me go "hmmm"....

One of my favorite RTW dresses- see discussion in post
(Above)

One of my favorite RTW dresses- see discussion in post
(Above)

I have a few more dresses to post soon, but I wanted to share some thoughts. I've been contemplating a lot of random things lately, regarding sewing.

1.) MACHINES: I have a Singer Esteem II 2273. I bought it at Target for $130.00. At the time of purchase, I was brand new to sewing and wasn't sure whether I'd be able to learn, so I didn't want to invest a lot of money into a machine. The machine's okay, but I'm wondering if there are other machines that perform better. So, in your experiences, do you find that the quality of the machine makes a difference? I'm thinking of getting a new machine, but if one machine is basically as good as the next, I don't want to buy a new one.

If you think a better machine would make a difference in my sewing projects, let me know what machine you'd recommend and why it's better. Any help would be immensely appreciated! I don't really trust online consumer review sites-- so many times I've bought something based on reviews and the item was NOT good. I swear there are companies "padding" their products with good reviews.

2.) FABRIC OR FIT?: Because I'm a pretty picky person when it comes to my clothes, I like to be "wowed" by them. Perhaps my expectations are too high, but I always go for that "wow" factor when I'm shopping as well. Example: My friend and I will go shopping and we'll go to 10 stores. She's purchase something at least 2/3 of the stores. It would be a shock if I came out with one thing.

I haven't had much of a "wow" factor when it comes to my sewing projects. This frustrates me, because unlike RTW fashion, I had to go through a lot of work to make the item. As such, the urge to "wow" myself is even greater because of the work involved. I keep wondering: is my failure to "wow" myself due to not fitting my dresses as good as I could? Or, is it due to not using the right fabrics? I still have not found a fabric that I'm really in love with. I tried to compare my fabrics on my "wow" factor RTW dresses in my closet. Here's what I come up with:

1.) 100% polyester
2.) 67% polyester, 30% rayon, 3% spandex
3.) 100% cotton
4.) 92% polyester, 8% spandex
5.) 94% rayon, 6% spandex

So, there's obviously a trend toward polyester and/or rayon with a touch of spandex. But 100% cotton?? It's weird because the cotton dress has a lot of stretch to it, but there is no spandex in it.

And here's where I get more confused...I have used different 100% polyester fabrics and they weren't the same. I guess they have a different fiber content depending on the manufacturer?

Sigh...I must say that when it comes to sewing, fabric is an area where I'm really frustrated and lost.

Or am I wrong? Is it not the fabric but merely the fit being off? I'm running in circles, really.

Okay, so at the top of this post, I have pasted a picture of one of my absolute favorite RTW dresses. It fits me like a glove and it's this blend: 67% polyester, 30% rayon, 3% spandex. That dress is a black and blue sleeveless. The other dress is another favorite (fit wise).

3.) PATTERNS: Okay, I love the 60's mod stuff (as you know), but I'm wondering if I should also experiment with the early 60's more "mad men", Bettie Page style. Since I'm really struggling with getting the right fit as a beginning sewer, I'm wondering if I'd have an easier time with these styles (i.e. since the style is already closer to the body, which is what I tend to go for).

Okay and if I do go for these styles, I definitely need fabric recommendations. I've also posted pictures of some of the patterns I've bought in that style. Any help would be mucho appreciated.

Happy sewing!
Astrid

Beautiful Blogger Award

I'd like to thank Alessa for nominating me for the Beautiful Blogger Award. Thank you so much! I really appreciate that. ; - )

According to the rules, I'm supposed to share 10 things about myself and nominate 5 other bloggers. Here is my list of 10 things:

#1 - I have a Bachelor's in English writing, graduated from law school, and am a few weeks away from getting my MBA. I am not a practicing attorney, however. I don't care much for working at a job-- I had other reasons for getting my law degree.

#2 -I have 10 pet rats, all females, and each one has a first name and a middle name. They live in a 5 foot tall cage.

#3 - My husband and I work for ourselves selling handmade crafts.

#4 - I am an obsessive collector. My collections include: vintage adults only novels from the 1960's, Victorian post mortem photography, antique circus sideshow photography, and original paintings by pop surrealist artists. And that's just to name a few-- there are more collections than this!

#5 - I have been a voracious reader since childhood. My favorites include Kurt Vonnegut, Daniel Clowes, Jack Kerouac, and George Saunders.

#6 - I am attracted to the strange, the taboo, and the outlandish. People who are outside normal social conventions fascinate me.

#7 - Most of my favorite bands/artists are very melodic. I love the Beatles, Muse, Elliott Smith, the Psychedelic Furs, and the Killers, just to name a few.

#8 - My dream is to become a fiction writer. Most of what I write is satirical. Kurt Vonnegut is my biggest influence.

#9 - I'm from a very small town in Northern Minnesota (only 375 people). I never felt at home in small town life and have lived in Atlanta for over 2 years.

#10 -I am fascinated by psychology, particularly personality analysis and differences amongst introverts and extroverts. I am an INFJ, so if you know anything about Jung types, this will tell you quite a bit about me.

And here are the most excellent bloggers that I am nominating:

Helga Von Trollop

Fairevergreen Sews

Ice Pink Stars

Sew Loquacious

and a non-sewing blog too:

Cult VHS

*because I just loved watching these types of old movies on USA Up All Night when I was a kid (don't tell my parents)*

Simplicity 8381- 1969- Long Sleeve Colorblock Dress

Simplicity 8381 from 1969
(ABOVE)

Pinning those tricky, curved front seams
(ABOVE)

Can you tell that my husband loves these "action" shots?
(ABOVE)

Notice the shift from "day" to "night"?
(ABOVE)

It's Fall here in Atlanta and while the temperatures are still pretty toasty, they will *eventually* cool off. So, I decided to make a long sleeve colorblock dress (Simplicity 8381 from 1969). I have a low tolerance for temperatures under 70 degrees, so it won't be long before I'll be ready to wear long sleeves. I get a lot of stares when I'm wearing knee high boots over pants in the middle of summer. But, I'm cold-blooded, what can I say?

My husband (Truman) always helps me pick out fabrics and colors. He doesn't necessarily know what looks good. He does, however, know when things look bad. This time around I had a pretty big snafu, though, due to his advice regarding colors for this dress. His color snafu was irrelevant. I had picked the fabric from hell. With that, let's begin the rundown:

1.) FABRIC: The fabric from hell? 100% polyester "Jet Set" jersey. The fabric felt soft and flouncy in the store. It was kind of light-weight, but it seemed like it could work. The reality? The fabric was cheaper than the fabric of the "sexy nun" Halloween costume I just bought. And that's pretty mother-loving cheap! And not to mention so thin that I'll be cold! What was I thinking? Apparently, not much.

What attracted me to this textile terror? The 100% polyester ponte roma I've been using isn't my choicest fabric either. I like it okay, but it tends to pull a lot, which makes the dress look like it's wrinkling in weird spots, even when the fit is good. Also, the feeling against the skin isn't the greatest. It doesn't breathe much. I really NEED to find a good cotton/poly blend. I would have went with the ribbed cotton/poly knit again, but I didn't think a rib would work with the design of the dress.

What else didn't I like about the fabric? If I thought the ponte pulled, this one REALLY pulled. At the center of the dress (see picture), there is pulling galore. It looks awful. It makes the dress look very tight in the middle, when in reality it is quite loose. What can I say? The middle looks more like a Shar Pei than a finely tailored garment.

This garment needs some Botox--where's Joan Rivers when you need her?
(ABOVE)

2.) THE SHITTY JUST GET SHITTIER: So, you've started the project. You've just realized that you HATE the fabric that you picked. It's flimsy. It looks cheap. You feel like you're making a Halloween costume for your dog (or in my case, pet rats). What do you then realize? The shitty just gets shittier. Your attitude is already bad. You feel like you won't like the final result. From then on out, the project is littered with stupid snafus that you don't usually make. You sew the sleeve on inside out. Your top stitching is slightly crooked. On the plus side, Mr. Seam Ripper is no longer lonely.

The sleeve was sewn inside out-- much cussing ensued
(ABOVE)

Me & Mr. Seam Ripper: a match made in hell

(ABOVE)

So, you ask, why should you even continue?

I didn't stop, though, because I was anxious to see how a 34 bust pattern would fit (this was one of the 34 bust patterns I was so excited to try after feeling the 36 busts were too big). Which leads me to the next point...

The garment before sleeves and hemming
(ABOVE)

3.) SIZING: Good news! The 34 bust worked SO MUCH better. I pretty much followed the side seam lines, and it wasn't too small, even in the bust. So, I guess the comments about vintage patterns having a ton of ease were correct. My shoulder seams no longer look macho, because the size is so much better.

Before hemming the garment

(ABOVE)

Nowhere was the 34 too small. I made hardly any adjustments. After completing the dress, I remeasured my bust. I had remembered it being a 36. Apparently it's 35. So, that's probably one of the reasons the 34 fit so much better. But, I had to ask myself, did my boobs shrink? Which leads me to my next point...

4.) COLORS: I had mentioned that my husband made a snafu regarding color choice. We debated how the colors should be after deciding on black and white. I had thought you were supposed to put the lighter color on the main bodice of the dress and the darker color at the sides and sleeves. I asked: Don't you put the darker color at the waist to make your waist recede and create a more hourglass shape? He was convinced it was the other way around.

So...hmmm...do you notice that the colors seem to have an effect on the bust line that....how do you say...makes it look a lot bigger? I'm not going to say that he purposely made the snafu, but you do have to wonder...

Is it just me or are some of my body parts a lot bigger than others?
(ABOVE)

5.) THE WORKHORSE: My time for completion of a garment is improving. I'm becoming like the horse in "Animal Farm." Let's just hope I don't get sent to the glue factory. Notice in the pictures, that the early ones are daytime pics and the later ones are at night. I went from 12 noon to 10 pm. My dinner consisted of coffee and Cocoa Pebbles. That's dedication, right? Although, I still do everything I can to finish things faster, even if it means sneaky little shortcuts. I am a lazy sewer.

Necklace is a Sarah Coventry pin that I used a converter to make into a pendant
(ABOVE)

6.) HEM: This time I turned the hem up and sewed the bias tape onto the inside to finish it off, instead of letting it show on the outside (this one didn't need a contrasting bias tape hem). Thanks to Heather for the suggestion on the hem. The technique worked well, although the fabric was so flimsy, it ended up having a "hoop skirt" look at the bottom. Ultimately, I thought it look better with the "hoop skirt" style so that was a plus! It gave a little more body to such a flimsy fabric.

So, that's about it! This is the type of dress that only the creator could love (okay, maybe not "love"). Oh well, I will definitely have to remake this one in the future using a good fabric, because I really love the design.


Happy Sewing Adventures!
Astrid

1967 pattern- Simplicity 7470- Mod Green & White Tab Dress

I did version 2 but with long sleeves
(ABOVE)

Notice that my husband gave the pattern cartoon a blond wig to make her look more like me-- don't you love how technology enriches our lives?
(ABOVE)

That's a Reader's Digest sewing book from the 1970's. I was trying to "perfect" my dart process.
(ABOVE)

Oh boy, I love to iron...NOT!
(ABOVE)

I made this green and white mod dress from the 1967 pattern shown- Simplicity 7470. Here's the play-by-play of the making of this dress:

Trying it on over my clothes-- before hemming/side seams
(ABOVE)

1.) FABRIC: Okay, so I said I'd never use cotton again. I totally lied. The posters who said that not all cottons are the same. They were 100% right. I used a ribbed 95% cotton, 5% spandex blend. It behaved nicely, and the drape was flattering. I'm happy to report that I avoided over-tailoring once again. Trust me, this is an accomplishment.

I'm really OCD about trying on my dresses at various stages.
(ABOVE)

I don't know why I was so dense about cotton before. I should have realized that not all cottons are the same. My own closet has 100% cotton RTW dresses that have a beautiful softness and drape. One in particular is even body-con despite not having any spandex mixed in. I liked the ribbing on this cotton too-- it gave the final result more texture, which I sorely needed in the gray dress.
I still haven't found my "perfect" fabric though. Are you out there fabric? It's me, Astrid.

WOMAN SEEKING FABRIC: Wanted: the perfect fabric. Must be soft yet firm. Must be thick but not too thick. Must be stretchy but not too flimsy. Must not unravel on me...


2.) COLLAR: Okay, so the collar is kinda high. It actually photographs higher than it looks in real-life. I consider it a "stylistic" choice, rather than a fitting mistake. Even though it's supposed to be a "bias roll", it looks more like a "funnel neck" collar. I suppose I could have sized it down. Maybe size does matter, but what also matters is how lazy I am.

I also learned something new about "bias roll collars" this time around. When I made one before, I was confusing it with the stand-up collars and thought it was crazy high on my neck. Duh, I now realize you have to fold them over. I guess my head/neck size isn't super freakish after all. Just moderately freakish.

3.) DETAIL: After the lack of detail on the gray dress, I decided to add some detail to this one. The contrasting white bias tape on the hem and the sleeves was not on the original pattern. I rather like the result.

4.) MILESTONE: I didn't use Mr. Seam Ripper even once for this dress! He's wondering why I've stopped calling.

Okay, okay, I did have to use him to fix about 2 inches of hem that I messed up on, but it was 2 inches, come on!

This dress was the first-time I've finished a dress in one sitting. Sure, I had to go from noon to 8 pm, but it was worth it. I remember when I first started, I'd start at noon and be trying to finish the zipper at 10 pm.

Happy sewing adventures!
Astrid

Simplicity 7796 (1968) Beatles-inspired mod gray dress

The pattern- I picked the middle view
(ABOVE)

Ironing the invisible zipper- I just LOVE them now

(ABOVE)

Uneven collar band pieces=weird Gomer Pyle face
(ABOVE)

I created this gray, mod dress from Simplicity 7796 (1968). It's inspired by the gray nehru suits the Beatles wore in the 60's (the ones with the stand-up collars) My favorite band=fashion inspiration.If they were stars today, the media would nickname them J.Len & Paul Mac

(ABOVE)

Making the dress was a fairly smooth process, but I'm not all that happy with the results. For some strange reason, the dress looks really great in pictures but not so great in person. The last dress I did, the peter pan collar dress, it was just the opposite. I thought that dress looked better in person than in the pictures. Hmmm.... I have no explanation for that, but here's the rundown:

1.) COLOR CHOICE: In person, this dress looks like a prison guard uniform. Methinks that gray wasn't a great choice-- at least not the flat gray I picked. For a solid color dress without a whole lot of detail, I probably should have used a fabric with more sheen or more texture-- more SOMETHING to make it stand out and not look so flat. I used ponte roma polyester again. I really need to try some new fabrics, but now that I'm somewhat used to that fabric, I'm finding it hard to change it up. Fear of failure? Probably. I'd love to try a soft, cotton/poly blend.

A VERY SPECIAL NOTE: My husband agrees that this dress looks way different in pictures. I swear I am not crazy.
2.) STAND UP COLLARS: I just can't get these stand up collars to look right. In one of the pictures, you'll see what I mean. I used the interfacing as directed (god, I make it sound like medicine), but it still doesn't stand up properly. It droops like Justin Bieber's career will in a few years.

Button detail and drooping collar that won't stand up properly--my boobs frighten me in this pic-- blame my Bohemian grandmother for these-- all flesh, no silicone

(ABOVE)

I'm wondering if the neck hole is too large for me? Since I still haven't tried the 34 bust pattern, I'm wondering if the neck would fit me better on that size, which in turn would cause the collars to stand up and fit better? Could a too large neckhole cause a droop? I tried to starch the damn thing, but it remains flaccid. Either I totally don't know how to use starch or starch companies have been scamming people for years. Probably the former.

I also had some problems getting the collar to be even (height-wise) on each side, since it was made of two pieces divided by a small space. That wasn't so bad, but I did have to bond with Mr. Seam Ripper to fix the issue. I'm seriously reconsidering my friendship with him.

3.) SHOULDER SEAMS: Since I made this dress before I noticed the problem with the misplaced shoulder seams, I didn't fix that problem with this dress. I think this dress has more of a shoulder problem than the last dress. The seams are almost off my shoulders, making them look too wide (once again, I wish you all could see this dress in person).

4.) LENGTH: For some reason, I liked this dress better length-wise before I hemmed it.

I liked it better longer (that's what she said)
(ABOVE)

5.) HEM: I did the bias tape technique again which is working for me. I do want to try the rolled hem, however. Haven't gotten the right foot yet. I do wish I had matched the bias tape closer to the color of the dress. It seemed like a better match in the store.

Well, that's about it for this one. I'm going to get some sewing in tomorrow. I'm excited-- it's been a busy month, and I haven't put as much time in. I'm also working with a ribbed knit for the first time so wish me luck.

Backside

(ABOVE)

Oh how I wish this dress looked like it does in the pictures!

(ABOVE)

Happy Sewing Adventures!
Astrid