A Few Spring Things

I've had a few things,all navy, made for a while now but getting pictures taken has become a chore to me ! Finally, here they are :

A top.

I used V8793 minus the collar. The print is a textured double knit  and the sleeves are scuba knit, both from Fabricville. Adding pockets  made it a bit more interesting IMO.

A scuba knit pencil skirt made using my UFO skirt pattern Mc5590 (OOP). The navy scuba knit pant was from last summer.

             
 
A cream/navy cardi  ( based on View B of M6844 ) The fabric is  a cotton knit from my stash.

The front drape was achieved by angling out the front from just below the bust ,then joining it to the side of the front piece in a curved line ,using my French curve.

And finally a raw silk jacket. This is a rough silk that looks very rustic ( it actually reminds me of hop sack) and was a lot of fun to sew up but is hardly a luxe piece I used V8605 for a starting point but my jacket is far from the original style of this pattern.

For this piece,I was influenced by the many collarless and minimalist coats I've seen at various sites such as Farfetch.com and Nordstrom.

Style  details include Hong Kong finishing on the seams (I should have lined it ) and linen facings.

Welt pockets which have a circular pocket " bag of sorts " and can only be seen slightly but I love them.

A jewel neckline

Snap closures

Roll back cuffs sleeves for a casual feel..The fabric was really too thick for a wide hem to fold back and I may decide to take out the Hong Kong finish at the hem.

I so love this one! I know I say that a lot where jackets are concerned, but I do .Look how nice it looks with white skinny jeans!

...and a pencil skirt

....and my wide legged linen pants

...and a dress

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and many more items in my closet but you don't need any more pics, I'm sure.

I'm now working on beige and white pieces but I need to hem four layers of chiffon/charmeuse,etc on Jessica's prom dress and I'm dreading it with all my heart. Please wish me luck! No ,I didn't make the dress.

I do hope you 've had time to sew all kinds of fun things to wear in the warmer weather to come.

Jessica's Graduation Dress

Jessica was my first grandchild and has always been very special to me of course. She's 18 now and I just don't know where all those years went. She graduates in June and will then go clear across the country to the University of British Columbia where she has been accepted in a Performing Arts program.

 Graduates at her high school are required to wear white dresses for the graduation ceremony. I was all too happy to offer my services as dressmaker. She wanted lace and together we found the fabric at Fabricville and came up with a  design based on this dress.

I used Vogue  8766   as my base pattern.

 I used the bodice of View D for my muslin and the skirt of viewD as well for the skirt.I lowered the front neckline, and  I changed the back neckline into a V. Once I had perfected the fit of the bodice, I drew directly onto the muslin ,the outline for the sweetheart bustier layer. I reshaped the skirt to an A-line and added a deep pleat at center front and after Jessie's approval, I got to work. 25 hours later (Yes 25 hours!!!) or five days, after many fittings with my cold hands, Lol. I ended up with this.

                                                            

  

The lace is polyester, the under layer is poly satin charmeuse, and the lining is a silky rayon challis for comfort.

The binding around the neckline and armholes is bias strips of the charmeuse and was impossible to not twist. I tried each area three times and had to give up but then I remembered seeing this designer jacket

  (I can't find the link), online with its twisted binding and decided to relax my expectations.

I delivered her dress to Jessica today and there was no doubt that she is perfectly satisfied with her dress and that she  absolutely loves it so I'm very happy tonight!  This project was truly a labour of love!

These photos were taken right after skating practice and she still looks wonderful in her dress!

Next up I'll show you a few spring pieces I managed to make in between DD's coat and DGD's dress so come back for another visit please!.

Happy Sewing from