So I'm going to be a bit of a grump about this dress. I jumped on Colette's pre-sale of the Dahlia dress, mostly because I always need work dresses (especially wool!) and I love raglan sleeves. But when I received the pattern I was immediately disappointed...first off, the dress isn't lined (wool dress - lining… Continue reading Dahlia in baby wale corduroy
See this blazer? I designed, drafted and sewed it myself! And since I'm no longer actually attending lecture (conflicts with my teaching schedule), I'm using the book and my professor's office hours to get the job done! (By the way, here she is, walking through the construction of the jacket on YouTube. She's an amazing sewist!)This… Continue reading Self-drafted blazer!
A slim fit wool skirt such as the Charlotte really begs to be lined. Adding a layer of smooth and slippery fabric makes a wool skirt more comfortable to wear (especially with tights) and extends the life of the garment. Sewing a lining is fairly simple, however, there's another technique that serves the same purpose:… Continue reading Tutorial: Hong Kong finish + underlining in one step
The Charlotte from By Hand London is a lovely high waisted, slim fitting pencil skirt, with a below-knee length. It's a great shape for work, but with all the walking and stairs I have to do around campus, it's a tad narrow around the legs. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to draft a… Continue reading Tutorial: drafting a kick pleat for a pencil skirt
Okay, there are three posts associated with this lovely tweed skirt, but after that, I promise: no more skirts! I'm sick of looking at my bottom half, and I'm sure you feel the same! Don't I look grumpy about it?This final pencil skirt is a project for Britex. The fabric is a truly incredible silk/wool… Continue reading Month of the pencil skirt: (Part 3 of 3). The Charlotte Skirt in silk/wool tweed.
So my pencil skirt project for Pattern making II is jumping the line because it's done and due tomorrow (and thus won't be back in my hands until next week). I sewed it today, taking a little more time than normal since the inside finish of the lining is very professionally assembled (I had to… Continue reading Month of the pencil skirt (Part 2 of 3)
Gosh, it's been a while! Sure, school starting back up (for the kids, and fashion classes for me) and prepping for my quarter teaching biology (which starts next week), have really slowed down my sewing. But the main reason I haven't been too active here lately is because the contractors put one of our toilets… Continue reading Month of the pencil skirt (Part 1 of 3)
After exposing my bra to my friend (and most likely many others) while wearing my original Myrtle top out for drinks the other night, I decided to reduce the depth of the cowl for my second Myrtle. If you are less well-endowed than the C cup Colette designs for, this might be a good adjustment… Continue reading Tutorial: reducing the cowl neckline on the Myrtle dress
After making my wearable muslin top of the Myrtle dress by Colette Patterns, I immediately geared up for making a second version. I made some pattern adjustments: reduced the depth of cowl (tutorial up tomorrow!), as well as some petite adjustments of the bodice at the waist AND the upper bodice to shorten the armholes.… Continue reading Myrtle dress in stretch silk
I guess it's a little silly since I just drafted and released my own (free!) cowl-neck pattern, but I just had to buy Colette's newest release, the Myrtle dress. It was like a black hole, just pulling me in: I couldn't resist! I love a casual dress, and this pattern looked like it would be… Continue reading Cropped Myrtle dress and pattern review
Bea & Lucille 