A Lace prom Dress,1966 and a Lace Dress,2013

What woman doesn't like lace?

I thought I'd show you the only lace dress I've ever owned.....my prom dress from 1966!! I've kept it all these years. It's very teeny weeny! Sigh!

I still love it and can really understand why I chose it all those years ago. From the salmon coloured taffeta underskirt/lining, the organza layer, the gorgeous white lace,  to the beautifully scalloped border of the lace running down the back, it still gives me a thrill.

I couldn't make my dress form small enough so I couldn't zip it up but closed it enough to show the lovely back.

My 1966 prom dress is not in perfect condition. It has spots and discolorations and even some wear and tear. It was worn to a couple of formals, as a bridesmaid dress, as a costume for a High School drama production at the school where I taught and even as a Hallowee'en costume by my then teenaged daughter.
But pressing it and seeing it on Antoinette has made my heart ache a little for my youth now long gone.
But enough of that.

Lace to me is very dressy and formal and I've been wanting to make a lace dress ever since it started popping up everywhere in the fashion world including the blogs we all love and follow. ( Examples include Diary of a Sewing Fanatic and Amanda's Adventures In Sewing.).

We were  attending an event  that was  perfect for a lace dress and since I had a beautiful navy stretch lace in my stash, I decided it was now or never.

My pattern choice had to be New Look 6000    because the fit was so great in the View B version I just made and showed here. This one would be View A.

I decided to use a black lining although I considered a nude lining, but I knew I'd be more comfortable as an older woman in the more conservative navy/black combo.I left the elbow length sleeves unlined however.

Here is my dress.

The true colour is more like this

My 16 year old grand-daughter thought it was beautiful so it must be OK, I guess.

I cut the dress and sleeves so the scallops, which formed both selvedges, finished the hems.

 That made it so there is more stretch going down the dress than there is across,but that didn't cause any problems. The zipper, which I of course stabilized, did buckle a little but that's in the back and if I can't see it, it must not exist,right? Lol!

I'm very happy with my lace dress ,2013. Of course it doesn't have the magic that my 1966 prom dress still has for me, but then,  at the risk of sounding really corny,my life  after all has really ended up like a fairy tale and I don't need magic anymore.

I wanted to show you a real life shot of my husband and me at the event we attended but I forgot to have a photo taken! Darn!

I hope you will let me know what you think!

More later from

Buttereick 5645

 I couldn't wait to try View A/B of Butterick 5645.
It is one of the two current top patterns on my list for summer .




What I ended up with is a slight variation of the one pictured on the envelope. Here it.

Why did I change it?

My first problem was that I lost the instruction sheet. Normally, that wouldn't matter because like many experienced sewers, I can make a whole garment without ever looking at instructions.

 For this top, I had to guess at what to do .
The problem was that those sleeve inserts are too large and the shirring wasn't tight enough if one used the guide provided. I tried applying the zipper as in View B but it just wasn't right.

I ended up drawing up the shirring a lot more and cutting off about an inch of the length of the sleeve. That made it better.

The second problem was that the armhole is too low. I added a band under the arm which isn't great but makes the top at least wearable. It won't be noticed unless I point it out, for the most part.

After making those changes, I still didn't love it. I came up with the idea of putting the exposed zipper at the mid front neckline and then it seemed right to add the contrasting neckband . Now I love this top but I wouldn't make this one again.

Another comment about this pattern is that the size Medium was quite large. It isn't meant to be close fitting but even so, I could have cut a Small for this one. For comparison purposes, I usually wear a size 12 and sometimes have to add to the side seam.

The fabric I used is a slubbed cotton knit (no lycra in this one ) that has lots of body and is so comfortable to wear. I didn't get a chance to take a photo of me wearing it.

Hope you've found time to sew this week . More later from

Butterick 5610 , A Summer Top

I loved this pattern   Butterick 5610 as soon as I saw it. Despite a busy week, I managed to cut it out and sew it in a fairly short amount of time.

 

The fabric is a cotton /lycra with striations. The lace is a poly/lycra blend. I had to line the yoke with self fabric so the lace wouldn't show bra straps.

The pleating was somewhat of a challenge. I wasn't sure about the part of the directions that stated "make inner pleat" was for. I ignored it and ended up with a total of six pleats which is what shows on the pattern drawing.

My fabric was very stretchy and I found the corners of the yoke a challenge to pair with the lower bodice. It all worked out in the end.

I decided to do the elasticized hem. I really like this top. It's not a great look for a busty lady, but I don't care. I'll enjoy wearing this in hot muggy weather this summer.

Stay tuned for two lace dresses,one dating back to 1966, and the one I've just finished for a special event.

Hope you've found time to sew.
More later from

New Look 6000, A Great Pattern

I made this dress for a function I was attending last night. I love it. And the pattern  New Look 6000, is a gem,IMO.

I achieved a good fit with only a small FBA and a sway back adjustment. The pattern envelope calls for a  woven  fabric but I used a rayon lycra knit. I cut  a size 12  to which I sometimes have to add extra wide seam allowance at the sides but I didn't need it for this one.

The dress is close fitting and flattering, but for a woven, I would most likely need the extra at those side seams

t.I made View B minus the collar.

You can just see the side darting which I love.

I lowered the neckline just a smidgen.

I made a little cardi-like topper to wear with it.

Isn't it cute? I copied it from RTW. To see how I made it, go to Diana's Sewing Lessons for  a brief   "How to". The fabric for this one is a  very light viscose knit.

My husband really liked this dress and so do I.

Next up is the same pattern in navy lace for an event we are attending at the end of the month.

I hope you found time to sew this weekend!  More later from

Trying to Fix

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A Casual Outfit for Tamara

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I've been trying to figure out why people have stopped commenting on my Sew Passionista by Diana blog. I reset a few things and have signed up to follow this blog to see if it appears in my Reading list.Could you please leave me a comment if this is appearing on your reading list.

 I just got back from Ottawa so you know  I made something for DD to take to her!

 Tamara recently told me she has plenty of work clothes but not enough casual stuff. I think the outfit I made for her fits the bill. Here it is.

For the jean jacket I used my favorite OOP Burda pattern  (8905) which I've made many times before. If you have this pattern you should try it.It's a real gem.

For the skirt I used another favorite pattern, New Look 6300also OOP

The fabric is a stretch cotton denim which is a nice chambray colour .For top stitching, I used Gutterman Heavy Duty Polyester thread in colour 865 and I loved the effect.

Now about this shirt!

 

I know! Wow! Really?

In the 80's I made DD a purple shirt with parrots on it that she wore till the millennium! I finally had to insist it had to go.

 I found this cotton  at Fabricville a few years ago and planned to make her a new parrot shirt as a joke. It was quick to make and brought  a smile to Tamara's face. She said however that she wouldn't wear it with the suit! I can't imagine why!!!

I used the print for the facings etc. because this is suppose to be a fun, casual Friday kind of outfit.

I forgot to take a photo of  DD wearing her new outfit so I'll leave you with a buttoned up view of it..

I hope you found time to sew this weekend!
More later from

A Reto-esque Spring Outfit

What's more spring/summer like than navy and white. Today I'm showing a dress/jacket set which to me announces the end of winter clothes and hello Spring. Here it is.

The fabric is a cotton/poly blend knit with no lycra so it just barely stretches. And I know that crosswise stripes are suppose to make me look wider but in real life they don't really do that. Just in the photo.

The dress is yet another version of McCall's  6355 which has become a favorite TNT pattern for me. I've stuck with View D because I feared the sleeveless version would be too bare.

 Here I'm wearing it to my oldest sister's 70th birthday party.* I'm the youngest of four sisters)

At first I was just going to make the dress with sleeves, but I thought I'd get more wear out of a sleeveless version and decided to make a little jacket to wear with it to church. For this I used McCalls 6708 View A but longer.The neckline was much higher than it shows on the pattern drawing so I had to lower the neck to add the band.


My fabric isn't very stretchy and the neckband wouldn't lay against my neck on the jacket although it worked fine for the dress. I thought I'd add little tucks a la Marci Tilton and that turned out OK, I think.

One challenge I faced for the jacket was matching the stripes to the dress. It took some manoeuvring but I managed quite well, I think.

For closures, I've decided against buttons so I don't have to worry about buttonholes . I'm going to use these white plastic snaps instead. I got lazy and will sew those on later.

 

I really enjoyed the process of making this outfit and I'm more than ready to start wearing warm weather clothes but it's so darn cold here! Ugh!!!!

 I hope you found time to sew this weekend. more later from

Hooray for Ann Rowley

I'm in Ottawa and I just got the chance to watch the final episode of the Bee so I'm so excited that Ann won.

She is such an inspiration to not only someone nearer her age ,like me, but especially to the young who are perhaps just starting to sew or to someone who hasn't jumped in with both feet yet.

I so wish we had a program like this on our side of the Atlantic!

Sorry I can't include the link to Episode 4. I'm writing this on my tablet and I can't figure  out how to do a link on it.

Butterick 5826, a Second Version

B5826! Well, I've gotten this pattern out of my system.  Disappointing, really. But It's my own fault, a matter of wrong fabric choice.

Ok, the first version, my muslin  was. pretty but the fabric had me screaming in frusrtation. A polyester satiny thing so what could I expect, right?

My second version is a poly crepe with a nice drape and would have worked in a lighter colour but see how it is very blah in this navy print. There are no  styling accents visible.

I like it better with the sleeves rolled up and fastened with white contrasting D rings.

The print and colour of my first version was more suited to this very simple pattern.

I had added a couple of inches to the length in the first version but decided to stick to the pattern length in the second one. I prefer the first version.

And that's the end of the story.

I have other things to show you but I don't have time to post them. I'm leaving for Ottawa Wednesday and have a lot to do before I get there.

More in a couple of weeks from

The Great British Sewing Bee, Episode 3

 I just finished Episode 3 of the Great British Sewing Bee ( I love it!) and of course I'm rooting for Ann Rowley but I love the other two contestants who are left too!

Oh well there can only be one winner so it might as well be Ann.

Can't wait for next week!

Haven't seen any of it yet? Just click on the links below. You're in for a treat!

 Episode 1
 
 Episode 2

Episode 3

Enjoy!

The Great British Sewing Bee

Thanks to Ann of Ann's Fashion Studio, I've just finished watching Episode 1 of the GReat British Sewing Bee and I so love it. What a trhrill to see Ann Rowley on whom I've had a sewing crush for years and Tilly of Tilly and the Buttons as contestants.

If you haven't seen it it, check it out. I promise you will love it! Here is Episode 2 as well