Tamara's Spring Suit V1037

I want to thank all of you who left wonderful comments on my last post.You were right. The dress was just right for the occasion and I got lots of compliments!

Last week we went to Ottawa again (to see Riley of course) before going to Montreal.Before leaving I really pushed myself to make DD's suit.I didn't get all of it finished so I couldn't take nice pics of it on Antoinette.I did some hand sewing on the way and finished up when I got there.

The pattern is V1037




The fabric is this gorgeous silk tweed I purchased at C&M Textiles in Montreal.They were having an 80% off sale on end of bolts and I was lucky enough to score this piece and Tamara loved it too.



The only changes I made was bound buttonholes,



and I changed the bound pocket to a single lip to save time. It doesn't show anyway.



I used a skirt pattern that I had already made for Tamara so there wouldn't be any fit issues and I'm pleased to say the suit was a perfect fit!

Unfortunately,last week was so hot and muggy that I didn't have the heart to insist on a photo of Tamara in the suit so this is the only good photo I managed to take.



I hope you all had a great week! I can't resist leaving you with a favorite Riley picture.

My LND (Little Navy Dress)

When I made this dress for DD this winter,



I tried it on and knew that all I needed was an FBA and it would fit me.



I made the 3/4 sleeved version out of black ponti but didn't quite finish it because it was just too late to wear it so I've put it aside until the early fall. It fit very well in the knit fabric at size 12.

The version in this post is the sleeveless A-line view in a cotton( with 30% polyester )jacquard which of course has no stretch. I knew I'd have to cut it bigger so I added an inch to the seam allowance. I only needed 3/8 " of the extra but I was really glad I had it to use.

The changes I made to the pattern are as follows: besides doing my usual FBA, I cut the neck about an inch lower in the front and I added two inches to the length of the dress when I was cutting it out. That afforded me a nice wide hem which gave the skirt a little needed weight as this fabric is very light.

I added piping made out of the same fabric to the waistband and the neckline for a little added interest.




I used an invisible zipper closure which I inserted using my brand new invisible zipper foot which almost was my undoing. I ruined the first zip (the navy blue one) and fortunately I had a dark blue one on hand and it went in without a hitch.



The dress is lined in a semi sheer silk something or other that I had in my stash.I chose to add neck and armhole facings which I slip stitched to the lining on the inside.







So here it is all ready to be worn at a banquet my DH and I are attending in Montreal next week. I hope it doesn't look too homemade beside what other women will be wearing. Sometimes I find that is the case. I do like to be different but sometimes it bothers me that I am.I guess one is never too old to want to fit in!







I've put a short tutorial on Fixing a Gaping Armhole here if you're interested (or see my sidebar)

More Navy Blue

Well, I had intended to post again before now,but I just didn't get around to it.
The other two pieces I made last week are not a matching set. I could wear them together but I probably won't .

The first one is a shirt that I made because I loved this pattern and couldn't resist it.



I think it reminds me of the 80's, and I loved the 80's,even the shoulder padded things we wore then.


The fabric is a cotton plaid that kept coaxing me to buy it when I was still working at Fabricville.I guess I don't wear plaid much. The last item I made was this one and now lives with Tamara in Ottawa!

So it was a bit of a shock when I tried this one on! I said

"Woah! I don't think I like plaids on me!"



But it is cute,isn't it?

There were a few things that didn't suit me about this style:

First,the dropped shoulders. In the 80's, we thought nothing of wearing those enormous shoulder pads, but now, it's different. We're not use to those anymore. I have narrow,slopped shoulders so I have to have shoulder pads but they won't be as big as before.




Then the loose fit of this over-blouse wasn't my thing at all.So I added a casing on the inside of the waist area. (Wish I had thought to snap a pic of it before I made the change ). I inserted an elastic and sewed a tie on each side.



And the sleeves were too big and wide so I formed a pleat at the bottom and sewed a button to keep it in place.



Having said all that, I kind of like it but it will probably only see the light of day at home or in the neighbourhood.



The other piece I made was a pair of pants from my TNT pattern.I used the same navy/white cotton pincord I used last summer for this
outfit.I wore those pieces a lot so this will take them even farther ( as to Paris for example in September!)


I recently decided that from now on,I'm not making or buying pants with a waistband that falls below my "muffin top"
. I started with these pants. I didn't change the front or back of the pattern pieces, just the waistband. This is what I did.


( I just discovered Fotoflexer and this was my first attempt at it)

I added one inch to the top of both front and back waistband pieces because I determined that much would do the trick and not distort the look of the pant.





This is what they look like on me. It's just a little thing but not seeing a bulge above my waist really makes me feel good about myself.Don't you think this is a good idea!!!I don't know why I didn't think of it before.



Here I am in the pant paired with last summer's Ann Klein jacket.



And they look well with last weeks cardi set so these pants will get a lot of wear.

What did you sew this week? Next for me is a navy (yes navy) dress for a banquet I'll be attending in Montreal in a couple of weeks.

Have a great week and Happy Sewing from Diana!

Blue,Navy Blue

All week I've done nothing but sew. Why? Because I could!

I finished four pieces all of which were at least partly navy blue. I didn't have to change the thread on my sewing machine or my serger all week. And I still have two more navy pieces to make!!!Maybe just a little overkill you say?

I'll only show you a couple of the pieces today because of the lack of a photographer. ( I can't possibly ask my husband to drag himself away from the Montreal/Pittsburgh game now can I!)

The first two pieces were inspired by a fashion show I was in, a couple of weeks ago. The stylist put me in a cardi much like this



with a matching skirt.The cardigan cost $90.!! And it was too long so I decided to make View B, the shorter version. I had a piece of NAVY poly/lycra which had cost me nothing so I was able to get both the cardi and sleeveless top out of it.Here it is on Antoinette.



I like it this way too.



The little sleeveless top is a nice fit and will be a great piece for summer when I want something more than a T-shirt to wear.




I took the easy way out with this set. All hems were finished with Steam-a-Seam (one of my best friends).I don't wear my clothes all that much since I have a lot of them so this won't need to be washed a lot.





(Whoops,! Looks like two different things ,doesn't it? A photographer,I'm not,LOL.)

I'm really quite thrilled with this set. I always thought I was too short for that look but my husband said as I was leaving for church

" What a nice outfit!"

So here it is on.





I'll have more in a couple of days.
Hope you ,too, had time to sew this week!Have a great one!