Badgley Mischka Vogue 1275 Planning

This is Vogue 1273, a Badgley Mischka desigern pattern (now oop, but still available on the Vogue website) and the project I'm currently working on.  I had previously started to sew up a super cute 70's skort/culotte thingie, however things got tricky and I got frustrated.  Instead of doing the logical thing and start on something fast, easy and rewarding, I went the complicated and involved route of course.

So, so floofy.  :(

I loved this pattern the first time I saw it.  It has some very striking details, yet isn't over the top and also has the added benefit of adding some... omph... to the bust area.  And the best thing- IT HAS POCKETS!!!!!  When is the last time you saw a cocktail type dress with pockets?  And not just the standard one hidden in the side seam, but angled and designed ones.  Anyway, I bought it not having an exact plan on how to make it up as I (sadly) have very little reason to wear shiny, fancy dresses, but I have since decided to use a trick I've used before- make it out of denim!  Cross my heart, there isn't a garment out there that, if even somewhat suitable for a heavy fabric, cannot be made into everyday wear by doing this.

The plan is to fake flat felled (french) seam everything, do lots of top stitching, ditch the foundation layer and lining, and add some straps to break up the barren expanse of my shoulders and upper chest.  Hopefully all of these changes will also have the added benefit of casual-ifying the dress even more.  I toyed with swapping out the funky pleated skirt for a more standard, rectangular, pleated one but it just started to look floofy which is a look I neither like, nor can pull off.  I drew the skirt as being quite a bit longer than the envelope shows, but I think I'm going to have to wait and see how much volume the awesome double pleats have, and which length will look better.

As a last note, while shopping for the fabric, I accidentally managed to pick a denim with lots of crosswise stretch though I think this will end up working in my favour.  I'm crossing my fingers that if things stay stretchy enough  I a) won't have to deal with inserting a zipper into the gazillion of layers around the pleated overlay and b) will have extra room for food induced expansion.

The Sacrificial Shorts

A while ago I picked up these high waisted shorts while browsing at the thrift shop purely for the colour.  Happily, the turned out to fit very, very well, though a bit too snugly at the waist to do anything active or, say, eat in.  I have a 10-11" difference between hip and waist, with the hip being located 12" below, so not having waist gape-age, lower stomach pooch, and the waist hitting high enough is rare.  It only struck me to measure how far apart the two were after tracing this out while this vaguely remembered phrase from Vogue's pattern envelopes/website echoed in my head:

"HIP- around body at fullest part—usually 7-9" (18-23cm) below waist (4)"

Let me tell you, this explains a few things.  My "hip" circumference is about 3" less in that area.  I knew I was long through the hip, but I never thought it would be an additional 5-3"- I just assumed I would be more in the 9" from waist category rather than the 7".   Needless to say, I foresee length being added to patterns there in the future.  Finding out the actual dimensions of my body is so fascinating I find!  It's like 18th century mapping: recognizable but so, so off sometimes.

from Wikipedia

Anyway, before sacrificing poor pinkie to the drafting and sewing gods, I tried rubbing them off by putting a cloth down, then tracing paper, then tracing the outline out with a tracing wheel.  This was a technique I saw on a YouTube video which I thought I would try first.  I had to press pretty hard, but the dots made by the wheel were pretty readable and the results, as you can see below, were quite close.

Some changes I will make when using this as a pattern is to lower the rise 1/2", and add 1/2" circumference (the waist band is currently centered on my waist, which means the band folds over itself and wrinkles when I move as you can see, especially with them being a bit tight).  I think this will become my dart fitted, loose leg shorts/pants block and crotch curve pattern which will be very useful.  I will also be able to turn this into a nice skirt block.

Sketchbag Complete!

The guts.

Ahem.


In case you couldn't tell but the very over the top title image, my sketching bag is done and looking pretty damned spiffy if I do say so myself.  It's rivets are shining, the pleather is only slightly grimy already, and the little pencil pockets are bristling with freshly sharpened utensils of destruction.  To top it all off, my zipped passport pocket is pristine.  I. am. smug.  HA!

Alright, it isn't perfect.  There's a couple of spots where the top stitching veered dangerously off track and need a redo, and the reinforcing stitching at the top back is definitely not a rectangle.  In fact, it could quite definitely be called... lumpy.  (Interestingly enough, you will not be seeing a picture of these things.)

Beauty incarnate.

But! I designed and drafted this thing from scratch.  There are only four pattern pieces, all the largest rectangles possible which was done with waste hierarchy in mind.  I don't know if it's a crafting thing, but I sometimes spend a ridiculous amount of time thinking about how to fix something I've made when it inevitably breaks/wears out in the future.  Not so much clothing I suppose, since that tends to wear out in the middle of a piece of cloth and not at the edges (holes in heels of socks anyone?  scraped and ripped knees?), but definitely for other useable items.  I spent all this time making it and I want it to last forever after all.  I have memories of my parents bringing home expired sutures and fixing the holes in the bottom of my worn out backpack when I was little.  It wasn't that we couldn't afford a new bag, but the rest of it was fine so why throw it out?

Anyway, this bag is exactly what I wanted, works better than I could have hoped and I've already stunned a few of my co-workers and Joe-the-sewingmachine-guy with the fact that I made it.  I really do think it's the hardware more so than my epic skill to tell you the truth, but that can stay between you and me.

In the process, I learned a few things about setting rivets the low-tech way through trial and error.  I think it may be helpful to some of you, dear readers, so I think I will put together a post on that in the next week or two.  I also have an idea for a really simple matching water bottle holder that clips on to go with this, so I guess we'll see how that turns out in the next little while too.

 

 

Artist's Sketch Bag - Design and Plans

 

This, dear readers, is a 6 year old project which has gotten a lot of use.  It's a pieced sketching bag made specifically to fit a small sketchbook with pockets for different sized pens, pencils, markers and erasers.  I designed it specifically for an extended trip abroad and it has gotten plenty of use since then.  I'm surprised how long and how well it has survived given its extremely poor construction.  However, it recently started to get holes, and given that I'm going to be making another significant overseas trip in the fall, I decided to make an updated, more useful, more adult version.

I'm using bottom weight cotton in a dark grey for the body of the bag, lined with what looks like a linen/cotton/poly blend.  The front flap is a lipstick red faux leather which will also be lined.  The hardware is gold tone and all straps are red cotton webbing.  The 4" black elastic will be used to make drawing utensil pocket band.  The bag will be convertible between a purse/messenger bag and a backpack by using clip on straps.  I'm super excited to try using rivets in the project!  I think it will make a big difference in making the bag look professional and sharp.  That and you'll never have to convince me that a hammer and anvil are a good idea.  Smashing things is so much fun!  On the other hand, doing a good job on the top stitching will be important.  I only get once chance on the false leather... *gulp*...

This is sized specifically to be able to pass as a cleanly designed large purse, hence the convertible nature (I would make it pretty anyway!).  A lot of museums won't let you take backpacks into the galleries due to space/security considerations, though most will allow purses.  I also plan to include a passport, money and document pocket on the back where it will be very difficult to pickpocket

Enough talk- gotta get back to sewing.

Poppy Skirt

Here is my first project on my new machine.  It's a super simple elastic waist gathered skirt that hits tea length on me when worn at the waist (36" length).  I purchased this bright and cheery poppy border print at Fabricland a few years ago specifically for a project like this and I'm happy to have finally made it.  It's too long to be twirly, but it feels nicely breezy and light to wear.

I wore it to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) to draw like I do most weekends.  When dressing I realized that the only spring shoes I had were a pair of shoes I use for interviews with 2" heels.  So I went out wearing a very ... obvious... skirt and being pretty close to 6 feet tall.  I noticed that I had no problems with crowds compared to usual, haha!