Author Archives: lorene

I’ve had Burda 7494 in my stash for years. I’ve always loved this pattern with the slight cap sleeve and the peter pan collar. The problem was that it only went up to a Size 20 and I was sewing a larger size at the time. Then I took the Palmer/Pletsch Fitting class at Fabric Depot and I learned that I was a Size 18 (with an FBA). Rejoice!

When my friend Alexis asked me to be the godmother to her daughter, I volunteered to sew a baptism gown (post on that soon!). So of course I also needed to make myself a new dress! I was so excited to finally use this pattern.

SIZING

This pattern is offered in sizes 8-20. I used size 18.

ADJUSTMENTS

The primary adjustment I did was a 2.5″ FBA to the princess seams in the front. I also did a 3/4″ broad back adjustment. I also added width to the skirt to match the width of the adjusted bodice. I also followed Julia Bobbines’ advice and swapped out the pleated skirt back pieces for the darted skirt lining.

I had purchased some luscious bemberg lining but since the dress fabric was stretch and the lining was not, I chose to omit it. I also chose not to use the peter pan collar. When I tried the dress on with the collar, it just looked a little too sweet for me.

FABRIC & FINISHES

I had a difficult time finding the right fabric for this dress, since I was looking for a stretch floral print. I ended up picking up this floral stretch twill from Fabric Depot. Up close the dark blue almost looks like denim. I liked using a heavier fabric because it allowed me to omit the skirt lining. I also like that it helps smooth out some lumps and bumps that you get when wearing such a fitted style.

I used bias tape to bind the neck and armholes. All seams were finished with the serger.

STYLE

I think this dress is pretty versatile thanks to the fabric. With heels and jewelry it looks pretty fancy. Not quite cocktail dress but I’d definitely wear it to a daytime wedding. However with a cardigan and flats it’s also suitable for work or more casual wear. For the baptism I mixed it up a bit and wore a cardigan and heels. 🙂

WHAT I LOVE:

The bodice is very flattering
The slight cap sleeves
The tapered skirt

WHAT I DON’T LOVE:

The pleating in the front is not the most flattering. It accentuates my tummy.
The pleating also sticks out a little which makes it look like there should be pockets there. This would actually be okay with me if there were pockets, because I love pockets!

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?

Yes. I think this dress is super cute and I kind of want one just like the pattern photo! It’s a black dress with small white polka dots and I adore polka dots!!

Denim Hollyburn Skirt

posted by lorene

on 06.15.2015

It seems like the rest of the blog world is finally discovering the awesomeness of the Sewaholic Hollyburn skirt. I made this one up at the end of last summer and this skirt immediately became a wardrobe staple for me. It’s the View B length.

SIZING

Hollyburn is a Sewaholic Pattern which means it’s designed for pear shapes..which I definitely am not! However it was very easy to tweak the pattern to accommodate my lack of a waist. When sewing pants or skirts Sewaholic patterns you definitely want to pick a size that fits your hips and then adjust the waist. Waist adjustments are generally the easiest. In my case my hips fit a 16 but my waist was bigger.

ADJUSTMENTS

I figured out the difference and used the slash and spread technique to make the waist larger. In order to calculate this you need to take the difference, let’s say 2″, and divide that by 4 to get 1/2″. This is how much will need to be added to the front and back skirt pieces to get a total of 4″. This does slightly distort the half circle shape but with such a small adjustment it’s not noticeable. You’ll also need to add to the waistband. This is cut on the fold so just add half of your waist difference (2″/2 = 1″) to the end of the waistband piece. If anyone is interested in seeing how this was done, leave a comment and I will do a post with some photos.

I’ll let you in on a secret. I was lazy when I made my adjustments and only added to the front pieces. See how my side seams and pockets are too far back? Oops. Don’t worry – I fixed this on my next version 🙂

FABRIC & FINISHES

The fabric for this skirt is a lightweight denim I picked up at Joann. To keep with the denim look I used a jeans zipper on the back. I like seeing the slightly exposed brass zipper. I finished all of the seams with self-made bias strips and a Hong Kong seam finishes.

STYLING

This a style that requires tucked in or cropped shirts. I’ve found that leaving something untucked just looks frumpy as it squashes down all the fullness around your middle. I’ve been thinking I need to make some Closet Case Files Nettie bodysuits to wear with this skirt! In the meantime I wear it with my silk Tucker blouses for work and with slim fitting JCrew t-shirts or tank tops for more casual settings.

I think this skirts has a slightly 70’s vibe that works great with chunky platforms or sandals. View C is a shorter flirty version that would be very contemporary and festivalwear-like in a girly floral print.

Reasons I love this skirt:

Fit n Flare style makes me look like I have a waist
Great pockets
Dressed up denim works with everything from fancy silk blouse (in my photos) to a basic tee or tank
Easy to follow pattern

Reasons to not love this skirt:

Waistband can be a little constricting. I think I wear too many knits these days and expect everything to be stretchy and comfortable
Adjustments needed to make waist fit. (This is expected with a Sewaholic Pattern).

Save some $$$

One last note on this pattern. It’s based on the lovely Sewaholic Lonsdale dress. I own both patterns so I compared the skirt pieces and they are totally identical! So if you like the Lonsdale too, just buy that pattern and you can make both! All you’ll need to do is make your own rectangular waistband pattern piece, which you can base off of the one on the Lonsdale.

Seamwork Aurora Top

posted by lorene

on 06.10.2015

The June issue of Seamwork Mag is all about knits. I love knits! There are two cute patterns in this issue – Mesa a simple shift and Aurora – a swingy tank. With the hot weather I need more sleeveless tops, so I went scrounging for some fabric in my stash.

I had a bit of black and white polka dot jersey left from my Coco top. It was just enough to cut out the front and back pieces. I didn’t have enough to cut the yoke, but I think that would have looked weird anyway. I didn’t have any white knit but I did have a promotional IcelandAir t-shirt! Cheap t-shirts are cut so off grain thatI had to do some fussing but I managed to get my pieces cut out of the white shirt. Recycling for the win!

I cut the 1X size and made no modifications to the pattern. I was a little concerned that the straps were going to be too narrow based on the model photo, but this is well drafted to be proportional to the overall size. I’m glad I didn’t have to redraft that to make it cover my bra straps!

This is a very quick and easy top that is cleverly constructed. The yoke is doubled to be self lined and the armholes and neckline of the main piece are hemmed before attaching to the yoke. I did end up using my sewing machine, serger and coverstitch machine, but thankfully they were almost all threaded with the right color thread to begin with!

The pattern instructs you to top stitch the yoke after attaching the main pieces. I’ve held off on this for now. I’m not sure what color thread I want to use or if I want to do it at all. I might end up doing it on my coverstitch machine so it matches up with my armhole and neckline hemming.

The one issue I had with this pattern is the bar tacking. After attaching the yoke to the body you are supposed to bar tack the seam allowance down. I understand that this strengthens your seams, which is needed because of the serging and keeps them from poking out, but it also stretched out my fabric and distorted my armscyes. This is more obvious on the back of the shirt. I think on future versions I will do this by hand.

I’m not sure this is the most flattering top I’ve ever made, but it sure is comfortable. I like that the yoke is wide enough to cover my bra straps and that the fit and flare silhouette skims over my problem area. I could see making another one in a solid color.

I made those shorts too, but that’s for a future update.

True Bias Southport Dress

posted by lorene

on 06.08.2015

Summer is finally here which means it’s sundress time! When True Bias released the pattern for the Southport dress a few weeks ago I snatched it right up! I love the blouson silhouette and the tank style works so much better for me than thin straps.

I happened to have the perfect fabric for this – a geometric rayon challis I picked up from the “designer” section of Joann for $5/yd. Despite possibly inducing vertigo in observers, I had intended to make the maxi length until I realized it was only 44″ wide. Oops! I actually really like the short version so I’m not too disappointed.

Although my bust is bigger than the pattern should make, I looked at the finished measurements and made a straight size 18. No FBA needed. The other adjustment I made was to not make the front plackets. There’s never going to be a need to unbutton this so I did a faux placket with topstitching and just sewed the buttons on. Look Ma! No button gaping! My neckline gapes slightly so next time I make it will take a wedge out of the neckline so it lays flat.

This is a very comfortable dress to wear! It’s been in the 90’s the past few days in Portland and I’ve been keeping nice and cool. The shape really works for me and I don’t have to worry about wearing any shapewear to smooth out my lumps and bumps. I also love that it has pockets. Yay for pockets!

I can definitely see myself making more of these in a maxi version and maybe in a knit too!

Chevron Baby Quilt

posted by lorene

on 05.08.2015

Since everyone is having babies these days I’m making lots of quilts! I made this quilt for one of my besties who lives in Germany. I wanted to get it done before Christmas so I could pass it along to her mother to deliver it for me. The last quilt I had to ship to Europe cost $50 to mail!

Almost done hand sewing the binding on!

Making a chevron quilt has been on my to do list for awhile and I really like the ones with white stripes. So all I had to do was find some fabric. Since I’m lazy I went for a charm pack. I knew it was a boy but I dislike things that very gender specific, so I ended up buying The Boat House by Sweetwater for Moda. I needed 2 charm packs because the chevron blocks required 2 squares. I was also super lazy and got a Kona white charm block. Yay for precuts!

Chevron blocks are super easy to make. It’s just a bunch of half-square triangles. Although if I made another I’d definitely invest in one of these nifty Half Square Triangle Rulers, that my sister Natalie only told me about when I was almost done.

Magi says “I’m not sure this navy polka dot block should go here.”

For my block layout I was trying to get an ombre effect as from red to navy. My cat Magi was super helpful in figuring this out.

Is it too late to shorten my last name to Vosky?

One of my special touches on my baby quilts is a hand embroidered quilt label that I sew into the corner of the quilt backing. Whenever I do one of these I wish my last name wasn’t 11 characters long. 🙂

I totally forget what the name of this fabric is, but the lady at Modern Domestic was brilliant in suggesting this. I had something totally different in mind when she pulled this one out and I instantly knew it was perfect. The design and colors totally complement the quilt front. I forget your name but thanks!

My other cat, Cleo, was also very helpful in the making of this quilt. Her she’s keeping my lap warm while I hand sew the binding. On a side note, Cleo loves hanging out under blankets. Every morning she greets me by trying snuggle up under the comforter. It’s adorable.