Blouse #0219 Step by Step Construction, Part 1

This is a long post full of lots of pictures, so if you don't care to see the making of this blouse so far in nitty-gritty detail, content yourself with this picture of Walnut "helping" me tape the pattern together. Actual blouse construction after the jump.

Oh I'm sorry, did you need to tape this pattern together?
Also, I look like a kangaroo/T.rex with my huge back legs and front legs all tucked away.

Steampunk-Flavored Blouse In Progress

This week's project: my next VPLL 1912 Project pattern, the strangely constructed #0219 blouse. At first glance, it didn't look too difficult, which is why I selected it. See, I've never made a non-stretchy top before (cat pajama Sorbetto doesn't really count), much less a button-down blouse. So, in the spirit of go-big-or-go-home, I decided that my first blouse pattern needed to not only be a multi-piece pattern, it also needed to be so vintage that it doesn't come with instructions. I thought that not having to do set-in sleeves would make it a lot easier, but let me tell you, it is the bizarrest sleeve construction I have ever seen! It's this odd zigzag of sleeve-to-underarm-to-bodice-side; I almost thought it was a mistake in the pattern at first. Anyway, after mulling it over and experimenting with pin-basting, I realized that it was not unlike sewing underarm gussets in technique, and proceeded wibble less, and sew more. And now that I've done it, I have to say it's one of the cleverest sleeve constructions I have ever seen as well! I may or may not try to duplicate this in the future if I'm feeling particularly ambitious...

The red line indicates the seam line...that's all one continuous stitch!

Also, in case you didn't notice, the fabric is printed all over with these little clocks! From far away, it kind of just looks like a drab, vaguely-floral, ugly prairie-dress print, but up close, well, you must agree with me when I say I thought it was perfect for a steampunk-y Edwardian blouse. I found it in the $1/yd bin at Fabric Planet (the same one Oona was recognized at!), so I'm not exactly sure what it is. It feels like a nice cotton lawn, though, so I figured it would work for a blouse. To bring out more of that ubiquitous steampunk-y brown color, I threw in some piping at all the relevant seams. After the brain-stress of the sleeves and the piping around corners, though, I didn't yet feel like tackling all those buttonholes, so instead I opted to just make my buttons decorative and have the front close with snaps instead.

Brass-colored filigree-ish buttons covering the hidden snaps underneath.
Also, they are attempting to distract you from noticing how rippled the bias strip got on the button band.

I'm really pleased with how nice all the seam binding looks inside!

Anti-climactic reveal of the blouse so far: pretty shapeless. Also, I didn't even try to match the print.

I know, it doesn't look like much yet. I promise it looks much better when it's tucked into a skirt and not just poofing out all over the place! So, the next step is adding the cuffs and collar. Unfortunately, the pattern doesn't come with a cuff pattern either, so it looks like I'll just be winging it with an appropriately-sized rectangle and lots of staring at the existing cuffed blouses in my wardrobe. As for the collar, it's supposed to detachable, but I really don't even know how that would work. Here are the pattern pieces...any ideas?

Both collar pieces are labelled "upper collar." You can also see the oddly shaped bodice/sleeve combo piece.

Pink Sew Weekly: Horrockses-esque Vintage Vogue 8789

Thank you again to all of you who voted and stated your opinions regarding the stripe placement on this dress! As you can see, in the end I went with vertical stripes. Reasoning being, I realized that working with twin sheets, I was restricted in pattern piece layout options; chevrons weren't going to work. As for choosing vertical over horizontal stripes, I felt that the flowers looked better going vertically; I do still want to try my hand at another Horrockses-esque dress with horizontal stripes, though. I've already put Shayna on the lookout for more floral-striped bedsheets!

Back view.

I'm pretty happy with the final dress; with my hair up and my red wedges, I felt very Sara Crewe in her rose dancing dress (from Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess, even though I know my flowers aren't roses and the dress is more 1950's than Victorian England). I'm still considering this a very wearable muslin, though, since the bodice could still use some more fitting. I wasn't sure what the sizing was going to be like, so I cut a size 12, which was, in hindsight, definitely wrong. I eventually took in the side seams to be more of a size 10, but from the gaping under my arms and the excessive waist ease, I could have gone down to an 8. The bust is definitely too large; it wasn't so obvious when I just had the bodice on, but with the weight of the skirts pulling it down, there's a lot of extra fabric under the bust. When I got home, I actually fiddled some with the darts and ended up trying to take in some more fabric by widening and shaping the darts a little. It looks a little better, but I think the fact that these patterns are generally meant for B-cups was somehow really emphasized in this pattern. Generally I'm okay without doing an SBA, but I definitely need to here. It's hard to say, though, whether this pattern genuinely runs large or I'm just used to wearing bodices with no ease.

You can see that the bodice is looser on me than my normal dress bodices.

Because of the excess ease in the bodice, though, I was definitely able to do justice to the ten-course wedding banquet! I do love going to Chinese wedding banquets; even at an average restaurant the food is still better than most catered or hotel wedding dinners. In case you haven't had the pleasure of attending such an affair, here's what we had Saturday night (vegetarians, look away!):

Some people take pretty pictures of their food all artfully arranged; I am not those people. Here is what it looks like, mid-meal-mess.

1. Cold meats platter: Roast duck, soy sauce chicken, BBQ pork, seaweed salad, and my absolute favorite, jellyfish
2. Winter melon soup, cooked in an actual melon (so that you can scrape down the sides like some kind of bizarro bread-bowl
3. Shrimp balls (the teacher of sophomore boys part of me wants to say "shrimp spheres") with broccoli, kind of like lion's head meatballs except with shrimp
4. Steamed red snapper: there is nothing quite as tasty as a fresh fish (as in alive thirty minutes ago) steamed whole, with tasty tasty soy sauce, ginger, and scallion sauce
5. Fried lobster with garlic and hot peppers: need I say more? The coating is like crack. 
6. Mustard greens with shiitake mushrooms and abalone: my husband refuses to kiss me after I have mustard greens because their flavor is so incredibly assertive, but it's one of my favorite vegetables.
7. Bird's nest with filet mignon and asparagus: my parents never used to let me have the actual nest part (deep-fried things are too 熱氣), so it's always a treat to be able to eat as much as I want of those crunchy fried noodles as an adult.
8. Peking duck: roast duck is one of those things I really only eat at wedding banquets, as that half-centimeter thick layer of fat under the skin doesn't bear to much thinking about.
9. Seafood fried rice: honestly, not my favorite part of the meal, as it pales in comparison to everything that's come before. Still, it makes for excellent leftovers the next day. 
10. Mango pudding: I know it's ultra-easy to make at home, but somehow I never do. It makes it all the more special at banquets. 

It's the kind of meal where you can get full just reading the description of it -- pacing is definitely key! It's a good thing I didn't wear my Ms. Joan Frizzle dress, as there's no way I could have made it past the fourth course. Unfortunately, a side effect of such a meal is lots of oil-based sauces flying every which way (or maybe I'm just an uncoordinated eater), because I got fish sauce on the bodice of my dress...boo. It seems to mostly have come out, but I definitely need to make a note to self: don't wear light-colored (or tight) dresses to wedding banquets.

Anyway, the object of this blog is to chronicle my me-made garments, not other-people-made-food, so back to the dress. The skirt looked a little deflated when I first made it up, so 1) shortened it considerably, 2) added horsehair braid to the hem for the first time, and 3) wore the saddest crinoline ever under it. It's the saddest crinoline because it was so cobbled together last-minute (from some hideous polyester curtain lining, leftover elastic bits, and I-brought-it-home-from-somebody's-wedding-because-otherwise-they-would-have-thrown-it-away-tulle). It's so hideous that I'm too embarrassed to show a picture here, and you know I'm not too embarrassed to show pictures of my cat and I jumping on the bed in our pajamas, so that should give you an idea of how hideous it is. Whatever, it did its job and held out my skirts. I felt lovely and floaty (and self-concious about the bodice size, but knew that that was only an issue for me) the whole day, and it was really too bad that I had to leave the rocking dance floor to drive back to TCOCC and give Walnut a reprieve from himself.

You can see how the horsehair really helps the skirt hem to stand out.

My most invisible lapped side zip yet!

Summary:
Fabric: two thrifted twin fitted sheets, 100% cotton (surprising!)
Notions: seam binding, 14" zipper, 3 yards of 1/2" polyester horsehair braid
Techniques: Matching stripes to make chevrons, lapped side zipper (still not a fan of how difficult it is to take off such dresses), horsehair braid
Hours: 7? I kind of lost track, as I was pushing it to be finished in time for the wedding. Plus post-wedding dart-futzing.
Will you make this again? I do, in fact, want to make this pattern again! I really like the chevron effect in the bodice, and the all-in-one bodice+facing is very, very clever. I was hesitant about buying this pattern (even if it was on sale) because it seemed so basic, but I think it's worth it just for the bodice pattern pieces.
Total cost: $10 ($3/sheet, $2 for the zipper, $2 for the horsehair braid)
Final thoughts: I like this dress quite a bit, and it's definitely turned me onto chevrons. I originally planned to wear something else to this wedding, and only started on this dress because the pink stripes fit the Sew Weekly Tickled Pink challenge, but I'm glad I finished it in time for the wedding. At first, I felt a little silly wearing this giant, poofy-skirted retro floral dress when I saw all the other tiny Asian girls wearing their sleek cocktail dresses, but I felt better when, at the end of the night, a girl I didn't know came up specifically to ask me about my dress (sad, but sometimes I feel like it's not a "real" compliment unless it's from a stranger who doesn't know I made it myself).

Here's what the inside of the bodice looks like. I didn't bother binding the seams here, opting to just pink them instead, because it's cut on the bias and won't fray, and also because the pink seam binding shows through slightly. I love the chevron on the neckline facing, and I still need to tack down the armhole facings better.

I can't wait to try more chevron-ed dresses (especially with a chevron-ed skirt, too!), but it will need to wait until I've finished my next VPLL 1912 project pattern: this blouse that comes with no instructions! Call me crazy, but I've never made a buttoned, cuffed, collared blouse before, and I'm going to dive right in with a vintage one with no directions. Wish me luck!

The spiral staircase at the church was begging for an awkward prom picture with my husband.

These Are the Cats Pajamas

LITERALLY.

They are also, in my opinion, the absolutely ugliest shade of beige for my skin, which is the only reason why this SPECATULAR (yes, you read that right; it's not a typo) fabric from my stash didn't get turned into yet another whimsical print dress. But I really, really, really like the cats playing all over it, so I had to turn it into something that I could wear and enjoy, but nobody else would see me wearing and enjoying -- hence pajamas. Only I just defeated the purpose of nobody seeing this fabric next to my skin by posting photos on teh interwebs, but I never claimed to always make sense.

I'm so happy that there's a cat back on my back.

When I first caught a whiff of Karen's Pyjama Party here in the sewing blogiverse, I ignored it because I like sewing frosting, and everyday-pajamas-that-nobody-is-going-to-see definitely fall into the cake category. Also, I thought all my pajamas were fine. Then, right as everyone started posting their super cute pj's and I started feeling a tiny bit of envy, my two favorite pairs of pajama pants ripped. Large, unsightly holes in extremely awkward places, or else I would show you. And it's no wonder, too, as these well-loved flannel pieces are, ahem, the same ones I've been wearing since college. Which, if you know that my first students are now old enough to be getting engaged to each other, is seriously kind of gross, although I promise I do laundry regularly. So then I figured that this was a sign that I need to get off the frosting train (what's next? pants?!??) and make some new pajamas.

Is this not the best thrift store sheet find ever?! I swear I did not pose Walnut there.

Okay, now that the awkward confessions are over, let's talk about the actual making of these. The bottoms are traced off of the less horrendously ripped pair (which I'll also confess that I patched up, as the hole wasn't that bad), then put together following Karen's instructions. I French seamed everything (these pajamas have some long-lived predecessors to live up to!) and even got to keep the hem of the sheets as the hem of my pants. Unfortunately, the previous owners of these sheets (of course they're thrifted; whose blog do you think you're reading?) seem to have used this queen-size flat sheet as a paint drop cloth (why would you ever do such a thing to such awesome sheets?!), so I had to cut carefully to not only place cats strategically, but to avoid paint droplets. Thankfully, they also seem to have been fairly good painters, as the drops are mostly small and near edges.

Check out my beautiful French seams!

So I usually just wear old free t-shirts instead of actual pajama tops, but then I was inspired by Leah's matched set and totally copied her and used the Sorbetto pattern to make a matching tank top, minus the pleat. I ended up having to lower the armscye considerably and take in the sides near the bottom (and the bust dart could stand to be lowered too), but all in all pretty decent for a free pattern. The seams are also French, making this my very first outfit (if it can be called such) with absolutely no exposed raw edges!! And now I can also finally join the ranks of people who have made up Sorbettos, albeit not in a wear-out-in-public form.

Summary:
Fabric: Some kind of poly-cotton blend sheet, I'm guess it would translate to about almost two yards of a 45" wide material. I've had these sheets for quite some time, but couldn't bring myself to use them because of the color, nor have I wanted to give them away/donate them because cats!!! Thankfully, they're well-loved sheets, which means they are scrumptiously soft and thin and airy.
Notions: 3/4" elastic, bias tape
Techniques used: French seams, making pants!!! I'm surprised I didn't manage to sew the legs together or something. 
Hours: about three...so easy!
Will you make this again? Now that I know how awesome matched pj's are, yes! Also I still have enough sheet to make about four more sets, so...
Total cost: $3 (a dollar each for the fabric, the elastic, and the bias tape)
Final thoughts: I'm pretty giddy about these. I really wish they weren't such a hideous color, or else I would totally make a Sorbetto dress out of this fabric. What do you think, can I get away with it, or should I just make enough sets of cats pajamas to last for the rest of my life?

Can you tell how excited I am?

I decided Walnut had to join in on the jumping on the bed fun.

This might be the best picture I have ever posted on my blog.

Also, thanks to all of you who provided opinions about the stripe layout for my Horrockses/Horcruxes dress; I really appreciate your taking the time to vote and write out your thoughts. I realized I didn't have enough fabric to cut on the bias to make chevrons anyway (something you'd think I would've checked before offering it as an option, but I have lots of striped fabric waiting to be chevron-ed, so if you voted for that, I'll get to one eventually!), so I decided to go with the vertical stripes. Pictures to come post-wedding!

I'm too late for the party, but here's me and my current bedtime reading anyway: East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, one of my favorite novels ever. I'm rereading it for book club, and I can't wait to discuss it! Book club also means spending the night with Shayna, so there was extra incentive to make new pajamas (especially since she was with me when I got these sheets!)

Help! Your Opinion on Stripes Is Needed!

I'm in the middle of sewing up my Vintage Vogue 8789, the chevron-ed bodice version. In my inspiration sketch, I had originally written that I wanted a circle skirt, but I'm kind of just not feeling it. So here are my new options, and I can't decide which to go with!

If you can read my terrible iPad handwriting.

Here's an example of a real Horrockses dress with horizontal stripes in the skirt:

Plenty more like this here.

This is the pattern envelope illustration, which has the vertical stripes:

From here. I'm making the one on the left, obviously.

And here's my inspiration for the double-chevron look (I don't want to just steal her photo for my blog, so please go look at her fabulous dress). Dapper Duds' choice of fabric+pattern is just awesome! I'm concerned about all the bias, though, as I want to wear this to a wedding on Saturday and don't know if that's sufficient for the fabric to finish stretching. The horizontal stripes might be too widening, or is that just a fashion urban legend? And the vertical stripes are just so expected. So there are my arguments. In case you need to see what my actual fabric looks like, and not just my doodles, here:

Quick and horribly green-tinted photo of the bodice so far. I am so sad that the darts cut off the nice stripes! :(

What do you all think? How should I arrange the stripes on the skirt?

Walnut is of the opinion that I should just leave the rest of the fabric out for him to play in.

Two Turquoise Tees: BCT Chevrons and Sewasaurus!

Having finished my very involved faire garb, I needed something quick and easy to ease me back into sewing. I fished out this striped turquoise jersey from the stash, and inspired by Steph of 3hourspast's February hack of the Blank Canvas Tee, I made this chevron tee. I didn't think I could pull off the cutout in the front, so I opted to just use the back view for both the front and back. I also shortened the sleeves and ignored the binding, instead just folding over and topstitching to hem the neck and armholes. I didn't bother finishing the bottom because I intend to always have this tucked in, but I may go back and add a strip to the bottom à la Renfrew if I feel particularly inspired some day.

I'm pretty pleased with my stripe-matching.

I need to work on my v-necks though. Folding over doesn't work so well at the point, so both the front and back have awkward bits.

Iffy point foldover. I realized belatedly that I made this wrong side out.
Oh well. I doubt anyone will really notice. And if they do, hopefully they're
not so snarky as to point it out to me?

Summary:
Fabric: Questionable content knit from a thrift store; I used about 2/3 yd and still have 1/2 yd left for yet another tee? How many turquoise-and-white striped tees does a person really need?
Notions: none
Techniques used: Cutting (and sewing) on the bias, stripe matching (mostly successfully)
Hours: A mere two! An hour for fussy cutting and pinning, but the actual sewing went pretty quickly.
Will you make this again? Not this particular combination, no, but chevrons, yes, and BCT hack, yes.
Total cost: $2
Final thoughts: Eternal gratefulness to Steph for generously releasing her pattern for our use! Also, wondering why I ever bought this color, as it doesn't match anything else in my wardrobe except this black skirt (coincidentally sprung into being at the same time as my previous BCT hacks). Oh wait, I know, I was just so excited to find actual yardage (and not just another sheet) at the thrift store I just snatched it up without thinking too hard about its place in my closet color scheme.

This tee was also intended to be a low-commitment piece to warm up for the chevron dress that I want to make for the Sew Weekly pink challenge. I'll be using Vintage Vogue 8789 to make a Horrockses-inspired dress. Wish my cutting and pinning luck -- this is not a time to be committing sewing sins!

Obviously my drawing cut out a dress several sizes too big for her, not unlike most sewing pattern models on the pattern envelopes. And she's holding her arms out weirdly to help it stay on and look like it fits properly, thereby deceiving us pattern buyers.

But because I'm still a crazed sewasaurus rex at heart, and because I found a brand new tee at the thrift store (with nothing on it, so a literal blank canvas!), I decided to go ahead and make myself a "screenprint" tee with my sewasaurus rex graphic on it. 

Reusing my freezer paper stencil, because I'm too lazy to cut another one. I had to throw it away after this, though, as I tore it when pulling it off. :( You'll also notice that I was too lazy to wash the Greek yogurt lid that I use as a paint palette after making Oona's bag. When I'm lazy, I'm really lazy.

Finished tee, sad nighttime bathroom mirror shot.

That's two turquoise tees in two days. Good thing I like this color, even if doesn't really match anything in my wardrobe except black bottoms.

It's Here, It's Here, That Shocking Time of Year

Shocking as in, I can't believe that it's already May! It's May, it's May, the month of yes-you-may! The time for every frivolous whim, proper or "im!" Does anyone else like that musical? My dad introduced me to it when I was young, and while it's not my favorite musical, it does make me feel awfully nostalgic to remember my dad trying to inspire us with the ideals of Camelot.

Anyway, here is my list of interesting reading from last month, not all of it sewing-related:

• I'm sure everyone has already seen Tilly's analysis of the real cost of sewing, but here it is again anyway. I don't think it's very true of me, mostly because I cut a lot of corners when it comes to fabric choice. I mostly sew with thrifted sheets, and even when I make clothes from "real" fabric, it's from the discounted bin and is less than $3/yd more often than not. I also use the really thin, worn down sheets as my lining fabric, so that also saves money. Lastly, my patterns are always bought on sale at Joann's or thrifted; rarely do I use a pattern that costs more than a dollar. That said, I think my spendthrift ways do limit me in terms of what I can sew; I have yet to find a gorgeous silk or sturdy denim in thrift stores or the sale section of a fabric store. 
• Sue at Sewin' Steady posted about the odd embarrassment that comes with talking about one's me-made clothing. Personally, I get weirded out (but in the best way possible!) when people I am only good acquaintances with talk about how they read my blog. Sometimes I forget that my audience isn't just other sewists (who presumably have something to gain by reading my prattlings about fit and sewing techniques) and my closest friends (who don't sew, but read my blog out of pity because they don't live in TCOCC and want to hear about my life). I also get concerned when people find out I sew and then they ask if everything I'm wearing is made by me. If that's you, and you're reading this, I don't make screenprinted tees and jeans.
• Trena the Slapdash Sewist posted about the pricing on wedding (and RTW) dresses and concluded that non-sewists don't understand how much work it is to sew clothing. Having looked at the prices of lace and silk myself, I agree with her analysis. And I'm embarrassed by the fact that a mere two years ago (right before I started sewing seriously), I was outraged at having to pay $400 for alterations to my wedding dress. Now, I look at the lace appliques and the several layers of skirt (and with some experience sewing with chiffon and silk, and knowing how freaking annoying it is to take apart and alter a well-made garment) and think that my alterations lady really gave me a very fair price. It's akin to random solicitors who see my Star Wars dress and ask if I can make one for them for $30.
• In a similar vein, this older article on Etsy about the history of the cheap dress was also fascinating, especially as I toy with the idea of opening an Etsy shop. And even as a sewist who values (and makes) well-made, custom-fitted articles that will stand the test of time, I'm still tempted to go crazy at the sale racks at Forever 21 and H&M. When my sister and mom come home with adorable nautical-striped acrylic sweaters, my resolve to buy only five items of RTW clothing this year is severely tested. 
• Not sewing-related, but still close to my heart: a blogger for Tor posted about the lack of diversity in D&D characters. I myself play a purple-eyed, silver-haired eladrin, but I definitely noticed his points when I flipped through my manuals. If there were Asian-ish characters, I don't know that I would play them (for fear of dragon lady/geisha association baggage), but it would be nice to have the option to reject them, you know?
• Dressed in Time posted a brief catalog of odd-but-beautiful implements of yesteryear. I am totally going to be on the lookout for asparagus spoons now when I go thrifting!
• In case you need some cute in your life: this video of a kitten drinking milk has the best noises ever recorded in the history of the world. If I didn't have a vocal cat myself, I wouldn't have believed it possible. And then there's this book of art depicting life for Darth Vader and Luke had the former not been an absentee parent. I love the references to lines from the movies!
• Lier of Ikatbag had the chance to meet a legendary weaver, and graciously shared her experience with teh interwebs. I am always so impressed by people who are absolute masters (mistresses?) of their craft; I know I don't have that kind of dedication at all! I am more the type to try dabbling in everything (jack of all trades, master of none is totally me) and end up with half-assed attempts at all sorts of crafts. I did actually try tapestry weaving for a quarter when I was in college, and managed to produce this sad sampler:

At one time I entertained the idea of wearing this as a bizarre sort of scarf; now I just keep it in a drawer.

I don't remember what any of the terms are anymore, but I do remember that it was really tricky to keep the tension?
width? looseness of the weave? more or less even. The bit at the right was my very first section,
where I obviously had no idea what I was doing and made everything way too tight. 

Eventually I lost interest and returned my rented table loom, but I have so much respect for people who do this for a living! I also can't even imagine cutting into fabric you wove. Have any of you ever tried weaving? Are you multi-craft dabblers, like I am, or do you just have one or two crafts that you strive to perfect?