Vogue 1552, Sandra Betzina's New Dress Pattern

Vogue 1552 really caught my eye as soon as I saw it and nothing could talk me out of it. The problem is that no one wears clothes like this in my world . And not only did I make it up once, but I made two all in one day !!


Here is my mock up version .
It sure doesn't have very much dress form appeal !

\i'm not quite sure what the fabric content is but it feels and looks like a lightweight burnt out cotton knit.

Having examined the pattern pieces, I knew that the bottom of the dress would be too narrow for my liking.

For my first version , I simply added a bit of seam allowance at the bottom of the back and sewed a slit opening.

Here it is on me. A little better I think than the dress form. I'm at a workshop I'm giving on my own version of Vogue 8605.

For my second version, or View A, I added about 2" to the bottom side seams like this.

The fabric is a poly / lycra. The sleeves and collar, rayon /lycra.

Here it is on the dress form

I think the collar should be deeper and I wish I had used my own method for a cowl collar instead .

And on my sister Pauline, who is more petite than me so it looks a bit large on her.

and weeeeee!!!!

We started to play with the dress and discovered we could wear it this way

And this way

When I showed my hubby this one he said,

"Well, what's wrong with that ? "

His code words for " I don't like it " Lol.

But, I think it's kind of fun and if the curve started lower and closer to the waistline, it would look a lot better. I doubt I'll make it again though !

Has anyone else made this dress and what do you think of it ?

Fun Summer Things

For  the past two weeks, I've been trying to sew a few fun pieces to end the summer with. I wanted to use up fabrics added to my stash the last two summers. Of course, these new pieces mean too many clothes in my closets. I've made a firm commitment that for every new piece I make , I have to give one away.

I've long wanted a long sleeved white basic top to wear under this , made two years ago.

I used the neckline of V8793   , but the body of Burda 6988, which is really one of my basic slopers and I use it for many things.

The fabric is a beautiful weighty rayon lycra from my stash.


The culottes ( I'm so happy culottes are sticking around for a bit longer ! I love them ! ) are View E of this pattern.

The fabric is a quite yucky faux linen from my stash. Faux linen usually makes up in great bottoms but this one has little drape so not what I expected although I've worn this outfit and it's OK. This outfit looks so much better in person !

Then I copied a RTW top I bought with the intention of copying it to use as a new garment in my next Fashion Show. This is such a cool piece and  I've made three versions so far and it's so much fun to make and wear. I'll be posting How To Make this top at Diana's Sewing Lessons a little later if anyone is interested in trying one. I love these tops. Here is the original .I forgot to take a pic of me wearing it before giving it to my friend Ruth who loved it. I'd rather make my own I guess.

It looks like a poncho until you spread your arms.

In this photo you can see the outline of the dolman sleeve.

Here is one I made.

This photo shows the back of the top. As you can see , the wrong side of the fabric shows so you need a two sided fabric or one that is pretty on both sides. This one is burnt out polyester.

This is what it looks like on.

This next one is a stretch mesh that looks the same on both sides. You'd see me coming in this one !!

 And finally, a semi sheer polyester that I absolutely love but this one is too big and long for me. I made it to sell but love it so much that I bought more fabric so I can make one for me.

I think these tops help to make the perfect hostess outfit. Oh ! But don't try cooking with theses on. The "wings" would not be safe near a stove. Lol.

I have a few other things made including a print jean. I'm not even sure if they are still in fashion but I bought a bright flowered canvas three years ago and was determined it would become jeans ! I'll show you next time.

Please let me know what you think, particularly about the last three tops. Do you think they would sell ?

Have a great week everyone.
More later from

Don't You Love Anne of Green Gables !

My son is here with Riley and Poppy . Every summer they have a get together or two with our other two little GD's who live in a city near by. This year I planned an Anne of Green Gables Sleepover.

 I made all the girls a simple sundress with pre-elasticated fabric to make things a little easier on myself.

All the girls wore braids in their hair and I painted freckles on their faces with a washable marker.
They all loved their dresses, too.

We live in the country and right beside our house is a hay field. Of course it was favorite place to play
and seemed the perfect place for our photo shoot.

After an afternoon at the beach, we all gathered in front of the TV and watched episode 1 of the original Anne of Green Gables series. The two older girls really loved it but the two little ones preferred going off by themselves to colour.

The girls and I have spent quite a bit of time in the sewing room  Both have made skirts and stuffies.Both girls enjoy being in Nana'a Happy Place and I think in the future, Poppy will be the one to take up the craft. Riley, not so much although she likes to play with fabric, buttons and trims.

 Both have made skirts and stuffies

We visited Fabricville one day and they both chose fabric and buttons, etc. This is what they came up with.

Riley chose disco fabric! And made a disco skirt. She also photo edited these shots !

Poppy chose a matte jersey of all things and this is what we came up wit, Riley pointed out that Poppy's dress looked like a Shirley Temple dress and I think she's right.

They each sewed another skirt but they didn't make it to the photo stage.

Jeff and girls left Sunday morning after many tears on Riley's and Nana's part. Poppy was missing Mummy so she wasn't quite so sad. Grampy Bob and I were very tired people for a couple of days but I very happily spent many hours in my sewing room all week and will have some fun things to show you next time.

I hope your summer is relaxing and that you are finding time to sew.

More later from

I Love Grey and Yellow... BUT

This week, I was anxious to get back to designing using my Surefit Designs sloper. This spring , I bought a beautiful cotton knit in grey and yellow print. Grey and yellow have long been a favorite combination for me so I thought I couldn't go wrong .

My inspiration was the dress in this photo. The designer was Caroline Herrera.

 I used the knit version of my Surefit Designs sloper and achieved the slight A-line by closing a bit of the bust dart and opening it at the hem level. I lowered the neckline 1 ", took a little off the armscye above the notches and I happily cut out my dress.

The trim came from a coordinating stripe print of the same fabric.I sewed the trim to all edges,
wrapped it around the  seam allowances and then stitched close to the inner edge.

For the center front , I used my beloved Wonder Tape and overlapped the edges at the seam line.

Everything went wonderfully well , the fit is great , and the style is a little loose and just right for hot, muggy weather. A thought went through my head when I tried it on that it might look like a nightie !!

I went upstairs to show my hubby and guess what he said !

" Oh, is that a duster ? !!!!!" 

For those of you who are younger or maybe are reading from a different country, years ago a duster was a short housecoat, at least in this area.

Well I of course didn't want anyone to think it looked like lounge wear and so I said

" Oh, it isn't that bad is it ? "

He looked skeptical and replied,

"Just as long as you don't wear to church or in public or something !"

Well, of course, then, I had to admit I agreed with him. So my grey/yellow/dress will only be worn at home on hot days . But I'm happy with the style and the fit and it gave me confidence to try more designs using my SFD system.

Thanks for stopping by. I'll have more for you next week so please come back.

Vogue 8605 for A Retro Print and a Lounging Garment

I've had a long standing love affair with Vogue 8605 which is now out of print.

The first time I  made it about 8 years ago, I found it to have way too much ease so the versions I made subsequently were much closer fitting. I also changed the collar on most of them to a wing collar. Want to see all my versions? Click here.

Recently made jackets look like this linen one I made for my Fashion Show as the silent auction piece. My sister bought it because she loves everything I make and I wish I had taken a photo of her wearing it at the time !!! the fabric is a linen tweed which after washing and drying three times on a hot setting doesn't wrinkle at all. Thank you Sandra Betzina for that valuable hint many years ago.

This is all to show you my latest version of this favorite pattern  Voila ! A retro print housecoat ! I love it !!! Isn't it pretty ?

I added a front facing because this pattern requires a two sided fabric.

The fabric is a quilted look polyester from Fabricville.. I know ! It will be hot to wear but I couldn't resist it.It reminded me of a robe I had in 1968. Those were the days of the mini skirt and it was a mini.That was a long time ago and minis are no longer for me, LOL.

I really love the pockets in this pattern and I've used them on many fashion pieces through the years.
For this one I faced the inside of the pocket in a bright pink for interest.

 I hoped to find the same pink for buttons but that was not meant to be. I settled for these lovely clear ones .

I serged the seams on this piece rather than doing my usual Hong Kong finishes to save time.The whole thing was machine sewn including hems. It was a quick make and I absolutely love my new lounger. We're having a fairly cool summer here in the Maritimes so I've already worn it. It feels wonderful on.

This week I plan on making a new dress because I gave many of my old ones away to make room for new ones. i plan to use my Surefit Designs sloper to create it. i love doing pattern work so it will be a fun project.
 i hope you found time to sew and that you'll stop by to see me again.
More later from