Spring Picnic Belladone

So I actually finished this back in March! (Hence the tights and boots).

This dress has been on the brain for quite a while, maybe a year or two, though then it was just to be a straight blue dress. This is my um, 1...2...3...4... 5th Belladonne iteration.

I started off with about a yard and eight inches and did some creative arranging to fit the pattern pieces in, which led to one of the back pieces being cut off grain.* There was also some repositioning of the skirt pleats to hide a hole that I missed during cutting.

*Maybe that's why I can't get the wrinkles out of the bodice...

I did my normal alterations:

1. Removed 1" vertically from the bodice
2. Didn't sew the vertical bodice darts, but also didn't draft them out (I should really make the dress without that inch removed)
3. No skirt hem facing
4. Still need to figure out the little notch above the zipper

And several months later I realize that I've been sewing bodices wrong in general. Working on remedying that.

Originally I planned a straight blue dress, but that was a bit boring so decided to add some flavor with the tattersall shirting in the form of bias binding on the neck holes, arm holes, and the back cut out. But then decided that there was too much visual interest up top so played around with which bias binding was visible, and framed the waistband with flat piping.

The construction went nicely, though it was waylaid at times with me trying to make decisions and being otherwise indecisive about where the bias tape was to be attached.

And now one of my major challenges with the dress will be ironing out the wrinkles!


Fabric: blue twill, blue and white tattersall for pockets and bias tape and flat piping
Notions: 16" zipper, self-made bias tape and flat piping
Alterations: removed vertical 1" from bodice, didn't sew the vertical dart in bodice, no hem facing, shifted the pleats an inch or two outward to hide a hole

The sewing queue:
1. Floral Simplicity 1810
2. Tan/ khaki pleated camera purse
3. Blue gathered Belladonne dress
4. Poodles on pink Sorbetto

Blue Porcelain Belladone Date Dress

This dress has been on my brain for a while.

Ever since I saw the fabric I was mesmerized by the blue and the white and the loveliness. 

I was also mesmerized by figuring out what pattern to use.

Early on my mind caught on the Belladone. This would partially be because I have not actually successfully 

made many dresses via a pattern, but I also really loved the silhouette. 

Due to concerns about the darts I swapped out the skirt for a derivative of 

The Selfish Seamstress' Coffee Date Dress skirt. And as I wanted maximum fullness of the skirt, 
as much as the fabric allowed, I used the waist curves at the top of the pattern pieces 

and with the help of my trusty yardstick and pins cut out a slightly wider skirt.

Before the skirt there was an annoying period of trying to figure out how to match the side and back seams of the bodice before cutting into the fabric. An evening or two was/ were spent engrossed in this challenge until I realized that there was a dart in the side which would skew any pattern matching so I threw up my hands,  matched only the back seam, and whipped out the scissors. 

Do do do. Along goes the bodice: shoulder seams; stay stitching along the neckline; stay stitching along the armholes to hold the back pieces together; visible stitching* of the back pieces when I decided to shift the zipper to the side seam; waistband; bias tape for the neckline, armholes, and cut out. 

The bias tape took quite a bit of more time due to contemplating whether it'd be visible or act as a facing. 

*Didn't want to try to match the pattern by turning the right sides together and stitching

Attach skirt, side seams, detour into pockets. I actually made pockets and was all ready to add them when doubts about pocket contents weighing down the skirt arose. The mind was made up when, as a test, I actually dropped my phone into the pocket which dropped both on the floor with a small thunk.

Lining: half circle skirt attached at the waistband.

Inner waistband to cover up the interfacing. 

Other alterations include 1" vertically removed from the bodice, 14" zipper instead of

whatever the instructions call for, ignoring the vertical bodice darts, lowered the armscyes by 1",

and stitching down the back pieces so that the cut out doesn't shift.

Next time I might add back that inch removed from the bodice, just to see what it looks like. 

I started with a little over two yards of a quilting fabric (yeah...) and in the space of less 

than a week** turned out this lovely frock.

Wee, now I'm going to rejuvenate by... not stitching?

(Blogging might take a hit from the sheer frustration of photo taking)

**Thank you The Monthly Stitch!
(EDIT: Of which I was too late to submit for the Indie Pattern Month Dress category)

Thanks also to:

Stashbusting 2015

and the Dress Up Party!

Basic Facts:

Pattern: Belladone bodice, Coffee Date Dress skirt

Fabric: quilting cotton (named Porcelain Blue) for fashion fabric,
 blue poly-cotton(?) pillow case for waistband and bias tape,
sparkle quilting cotton for lining 

Notions: 14" white invisible zipper

Stashbusting Piece Count: 3- 5 of 6 

(EDIT: the first publication of this post was a rush job regarding photos)

The Plantain Muslin... Ivory Knit and Cornstalk Suede

Here it is! My first attempt at Deer and Doe's Plantain.

 (Yes, the bookshelf to my left is mostly full of stash fabric. Heh heh... uh oh).

I am not much of an elbow patch person, but as I unexpectedly loved the pleats in the Belladone skirt 

I was quite willing to see if my opinion could change (still deciding)... 

...and it didn't hurt that the pattern is free... Thanks so much, Eleonore!

   

The main fabric is an ivory rib knit.

The elbow patches are a polyester suede.

(Yes, a woven on a knit.)

I spent a bit of time stressing over this. I really wanted to use suede for the patches (my traditional conception of elbow patches) and I really wanted to use all stash fabrics, so I decided to 

blast possibly good sense and give it a whirl. 

It also helped that this is my wearable muslin of the pattern.

(Accidental photo of elbow patch. Sew them patches on lower next time...)

Oh, and in other bits of happy news, I used a sewing machine for the first time in one of my projects!
I know that sewing machines are old hats for most people,  but I started without a
machine, started with needles and pincushions and some vague ideas of how this all works.
I enjoyed (still do) the simple and mostly mindlessness of handstitch after handstich
while listening to a nice lecture or audio book.
It is relaxing, I don't have to worry about a machine stitching through my hand,
and I have such control over the stitching.

But now that I've tried a machine. It is not as intimidating as it once was, and it stitches far faster
than I ever could.
There will be more machine stitching in my future.

The majority of the seams are sewn via machine, a few by hand (and with a stay tape), and I didn't
finish the sleeves and hem because I liked the raw edges.


A new garment to celebrate a good pattern, a fun challenge, and stashbusting!

Basic Facts:

Pattern: Deer and Doe's Plantain

Fabric: ivory cotton rib knit and cornstalk polyester suede

Notions: stay tape


Fabric History:
2 pieces of rib kit under a yard in length, acquired at different times at least a year ago.
Probably intended for a sweater.
Polyester suede acquired perhaps two years ago, intended for gloves.

Stashbusting Piece Count: 2 of 10 

Garment Count: 1 of 12

A Jewel Toned Belladone

I was going to ask my dear lovely readers (all five of them, bless their souls) if the color of this dress would be considered jewel toned... except the photos do not represent the actual color of said dress.

So this here is one of my early forays into pattern usage where I actually finished the garment! The fabric is a Deep-Lake Wrinklease, from JoAnn. In real life it is greener than shown in these photos. I bought the two pieces (0.889 + 1.25 yards = 81 cm + 1.143 m) a while ago, one and a half years? Anyway, I definitely consider the making of the is dress to be stashbusting.  Generally after six months I'd consider fabric to be officially part of the stash (sitting there, possibly collecting dust... nooo! Become lovely garments, my pretties!), but for the Stashbusting Challenge I decided that any piece purchased during the year of 2013 would not be allowed to become part of the Stashbusting Challenge. Theoretically this allows me to still buy fabric, but discourages a lot of fabric buying. Not sure that it is working. Moving on...

As per the blog post title, this is Deer and Doe's Belladone pattern. I admit to not at first being taken by the dress. Then I saw an iteration in black... and another in lace... and I went happy and bought the lovely pattern. Kudos to Eleonore and her customer service! From the limited contact I've had with her I find her to be sweet and good-hearted.

Back to the dress... after all, that's what's important! The dress! This is a creativity blog! I'm getting distracted. Put up a pretty picture!

Or not.

Dancing or slinking aside, I went through my stash and found this fabric, which I was fond enough of to use as my Belladone wearable muslin. Construction was... interesting. I had stitched up two or three of the darts in the bodice when I saw that it was was not shaped well for my chest. So I played around with the paper pattern pieces (traced) and decided to remove the vertical darts.

Because didn't want the back pieces around the cut out flopping around during wearing, I stitched them together.

The next bit of drama was that as I reached the waistband, I realized I wanted back the vertical inch I'd decided to take out of the bodice. After some cheek gnawing and staring at my reflection while wearing the offending bodice, I decided to not heighten the waistband. I think it worked out okay; I can live with the silhouette that the dress makes.

The skirt was stitched and attached to the waistband, the zipper basted in, and when I tried it on I stared in dismay because my waist had disappeared. Then follows a saga in where I baste and re-baste that sucker in and continue going bonkers because my waist is gone. And gone. And gone. Finally I sewed the zipper in and took in the sides. It took many, many tries to get the sides even. For some reason the right side was always so much looser than the left. Finally I was satisfied.

And after finishing the majority of the seams in bias tape, I discovered that the cut out was sagging. But I'm going to leave it because the front is possibly tighter than it should be, so this sag should allow me to move my arms. Unfortunately the sag is enough to reveal undergarments at times. So I will not wear this dress without a shirt underneath or a jacket over the cut out.

Overall I am pleased that I finished this project. And I finally have something to add it to the link party for the Stashbusting Challenge!