Pattern Review – McCalls 6506 Dress

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

Just in time for the weather in Boston to drop from the upper 70s to 20 degrees, I finished my summer dress!

McCalls 6806 Plenty by Tracy Reese


Pattern Description: MISSES’/MISS PETITE DRESS: Dress has collar, collar/front band, fitted bodice with darts stitched on right side of fabric, pleated skirt, attached belt, self carriers and stitched hem.

Sizing: 8-24. I started with a 12 at the shoulder, tapering out to 14 at the waist.

Fabric Used: A beautiful lightweight cotton sateen from Gorgeous Fabrics. Sorry, it’s from last year and long since sold out.

Needle/Notions Used: Pro-Weft Supreme Lightweight Fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply, 70/10 Universal Needle. La Mode buttons. Thread.

Tips Used during Construction: Get More Mileage From Your Fabric, And Now, A Word from the Pressinatrix

Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Yes

How were the instructions? Pretty good. There was one glaring error that I found. The instructions tell you to press the bust darts, and the illustration clearly shows to press them down toward the waist. In fact, you need to press them up toward the armhole. Other than that, they seemed okay. Before you start sewing, make sure to read the directions for attaching the CF bands. They use a non-standard method, and if you do it the way I’ve been doing it for years, you’ll spend a lot of time ripping it out. Fortunately, I caught it before I made a mistake.

Construction Notes: As I say, I tapered out from a 12 at the shoulders. I used the D-cup front bodice piece. I lowered the bust and waist darts one inch, sigh… Because of that, I repositioned the buttons on the front bands. I put one button at the bustline and one at the waist. Then I worked backwards from there to place the rest of the buttons.

I omitted the self-belt. I’ll wear it with a leather belt instead.

Likes/Dislikes: I think this is a really pretty pattern. I like the pockets. I love the fact that they give you different pattern pieces for different bust cup sizes! The outward-facing darts are cool, but they get lost on this print. If you use a solid color fabric, they will be a more distinctive design feature. In fact, if I do it again, I’ll probably make it up in a lightweight denim and use contrasting thread to sew the darts.

No real dislikes.

Would you do it again? Would you recommend it? Yes and yes.

Here’s a picture of the front on Jeff, my full-body mannequin.

I didn't have time to take more pictures. I'll get them tomorrow.

Conclusion: This is a great dress. If you want a summer shirtdress that will do well for work or weekend, this is a great choice.

Posted in McCalls, Reviews | 22 Comments

A New Tool, and Snoop Shopping

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

Phyllis turned me on to the hams at Stitch Nerd. Needless to say, they appeal to my inner Pressinatrix. And she makes contoured hams! Those have become as rare as hen’s teeth, and I have scoured eBay for ages trying to get one. I ordered the Contoured Professional Size Tailor’s Ham, and a Ham Holder. I’m one happy Pressinatrix! What I love about Stitch Nerd is that you can customize your fabrics on each (wool/cotton) side of your ham. Here’s the wool side:

Purple Tweed

And here’s the cotton side:

How could I resist this print???

High End Snoop Shopping
My sister came out yesterday to see DS the Elder’s opening night performance. She lives in Boston, so we drove in this morning and did some snoop shopping in Barneys at Copley Place. I have fallen in love with the workmanship and quality of The Row garments. That’s the line owned by the Olsen twins. If I ever win the lottery, I’m going to buy an entire wardrobe of The Row. The workmanship is exquisite, and the designs are beautiful. Here’s a crappy phone picture I took of one jacket that I just love. It’s a princess line, with an extra dart. The pockets are cut-on and interfaced to stand out just a bit. This is fabulous!

Fabulosity incarnate. Well no, that's me, but this would help!

Alas, at $1,950.00, it’s not in the budget. But I can dream. It also comes in a dress, which you can see Here on the Barneys Website.

They had it in Black and in White. Here’s an interesting tidbit about it – it’s made of RPL, so as a stitcher, you can approximate it using RPL (I don’t have any in black right now, but I do have This Gray that would be perfect) paired with Marfy F2413. It would be fun to copy that cut-on pocket flap, don’t you think?

Well, that’s all for now. I’m off to finish my dress and press it using my new ham.
Happy sewing!

Posted in Style, Tools | 12 Comments

A Diversion

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

I attached the collar to the dress, now I have to do buttons and buttonholes. But that has to wait until this weekend, because tonight, we’re going to see DS the Elder in “Kiss Me, Kate”! DH and I went to the dress rehearsal last night and stayed for the first act and part of the second. Bear with me while I bore you with some shots I took:

Another Openin'... (this gal has a set of pipes on her!)

"Lois" and "Bill"

He can dance! Who knew?

In "Shakespearean" Costumes

Now, of course, as a proud mom, I have to say he’s awesome. But to be absolutely fair, all four leads are excellent. And the two main leads, Lilli/Kate and Fred/Petruchio are both heading to college as theater majors. They are A-May-Zing! I suspect we’re going to see him in films and her on Broadway. Here’s hoping!

So, no sewing, just work and the play. But hopefully this weekend I’ll finish my dress. Just in time, of course, for the New England weather to turn cold again. Ah well…

Happy sewing!

Posted in Miscellaneous | 2 Comments

WIWoT

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

No, not What I Wore Today. What I’m Working on Today! I’ve been sneaking home at lunchtime to work on a summer dress. Given that it’s been in the upper 70s all week (say whaaaat?), I’ve been in the mood to sew something summery. So I give you my current almost-completed-WIP, McCalls 6506 by Tracy Reese.

Just needs the collar and buttons

I (gasp!) didn’t do a muslin for this one. I’m muslining my Couture Dress, and I just wanted something fast. For those who asked, the fabric that was in my header last is the cotton sateen fabric I’m using here. It’s been sold out since last year, sorry! I’ve been (mostly nicely) admonished for putting fabrics in my header that are either mine alone, neener neener neener, (Oh, did I say that out loud?) or have sold out. So I put up a fabulous French Designer Bouclé for your perusal that is available! I’ll try to do more of that in the future, but I won’t make any guarantees, because I’m eeeeevil!

I hope to have this finished tonight. More later!

Posted in McCalls, Sewing | 7 Comments

Pop Quiz!

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

Okay, kids. Here’s a question for you. In a woven fabric, with no Lycra in it, which grain, lengthwise or crosswise, has the least amount of stretch?

(insert “Jeopardy” theme music here)

Okay everyone, pencils down. The answer is…

Lengthwise!

Think about how a fabric is woven. The threads of the lengthwise grain, which runs parallel to the selvage, are pulled under tension while the shuttle runs the crosswise threads over and under them. Because of this over/under movement, the crosswise grain has more stretch than the lengthwise grain. In fact, if you ever are the recipient of fabric that has been cut from the middle of a larger piece, with no tell-tale selvages, one way to see which is the lengthwise grain is to pull in the direction of the threads and see which has the greater stretch. That will be the crosswise grain. On a related note, in a non-stretch woven, the greatest degree of stretch is on the true bias.

Of course, all bets are off once you add Lycra, since the greater stretch will be in the direction that has the Lycra fibers. And knits are a whole ‘nuther story.

That concludes today’s pop quiz. Now open your books to page 72, “How to sew a straight seam while distracting toddlers and dogs.”

Happy sewing!

Posted in Sewing | 11 Comments

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

Yesterday I gave you some funnies to use if you were out last night, today I want to tell you a funny story.

The June after I graduated college, my sisters, Marie and Carole, went to Ireland. They wanted me to come with them, but I was broke. Also, I had just started my first full-time job, so I didn’t have the time off, so I missed out on the fun. Oh well.

One fine day, they were driving around the Ring of Kerry, when a large snake slithered across the road not 10 feet in front of their car. That night, they went to the local pub and told the bartender what they had seen, asking, “We thought St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland?” The bartender replied,

“That’s right, dears, there are no snakes in Ireland.”

Carole insisted, “I know snakes and that was a snake.”

The bartender kindly responded, “No dear, that was no snake you saw. That was an eel. St. Patrick did nothing about the eels!”

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted in Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

This Is Something I Would Like To Learn

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

Over on Stitchers Guild, someone asked a question about beading, and I was reminded that I really, really would love to learn tambour beading. I had all the supplies at one point, but I was working in high tech, traveling all over the world, and my kids were very young, so I never got around to it. I sold my hook, for which I’m kicking myself these days, along with the instructional books I bought to try to teach myself. But I saw this video recently, and I am hooked on the idea again. Ooooh, bad Ann! No biscuit!

So now I’m thinking about it again. Wouldn’t that be fun to add a little beading to my couture dress? Speaking of which, the muslin is cut out, so I’ll work on that this weekend. More later. In the meantime,

Happy sewing!

Posted in Couture, Sewing | 7 Comments

An Early Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

This is making the rounds on FB - it's hysterical!

Happy St. Patrick’s day, a day early! I’m half Irish. My maternal grandmother hailed from Galway and my maternal grandfather from Waterford. But I don’t really care for corned beef and cabbage, though I do love corned beef hash. I don’t drink any kind of beer, green or no. I prefer wine, myself. And here are a couple of toasts you can pull out for the day if you want. This is my favorite – I use it at friends’ weddings.

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rains fall soft upon your field.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

And for the snarky set:
May you find yourself in Heaven, before the devil knows you’re dead!

Have a great day!

Posted in Miscellaneous | 1 Comment

Woo Hoo!

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

I scored another small bolt, so I can make my couture dress. And I even left some for you!

Wow, I didn’t even get back from lunch and it’s gone! Holy cow. Well, blame FB. The Peeps found out about it first, so there it went. Sorry! I’ll try to get more.

If you want first notice, best to Sign Up as a FB Peep.

Happy sewing!

Posted in Fabrics | 1 Comment

Beyond the Cotton Aisle

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Gorgeous Things

Good morning, campers! I got the most lovely email today from a customer. I’m going to share part of it with you, because it’s the inspiration for this post:

I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your noting with each fabric your suggestion for a pattern. I am a beginner sewer and usually stick to children’s clothes because quilting cotton is easier for me to manage – both in terms of sewing (i.e., it isn’t too slippery or too stretchy) and in terms of matching the fabric’s pattern to the style of dress. … I followed your suggestion and made the portfolio dress with the fabric you suggested and even though I just have a few finishing touches to put on the dress, I know it is going to be the first dress I made that I will wear out the door with confidence!

I have to tell you, that email made my morning! I’m smiling from ear to ear. But it also points out a speed bump that most stitchers hit at some point in their careers, usually toward the beginning. Cotton is a great fabric, and it’s letter perfect for newbies to get going and get good results. There are entire companies built around patterns designed specifically for cotton fabrics.

But…

There comes a point in one’s sewing story arc where you look in the closet at racks of cotton garments (and I am the voice of experience talking here) and say, “Is that all there is?”

Cue Peggy Lee.

No, friends, that’s not all there is. But you need to step out of your comfort zone. You can still use that pattern, but vary it up a bit. Let’s talk about some Advanced-Beginner-Friendly fabrics that you might consider if you’re not cottoning to cotton at the moment. I’m going to stick to wovens. Knits are another story that I’ve dealt with in the past and can revisit here later if you all like.

Rayon
Rayon has many of the same characteristics as cotton – it comes in many different weaves, it’s a plant-based fiber. It has more drape and weight than cotton, because it’s made from wood pulp. Two types of rayon fibers that are a nice alternative to cotton are rayon challis and rayon broadcloth.

Floral Rayon Challis

Pros: Rayon Challis is very soft and drapes beautifully. It swings and moves and it’s a great option for skirts and dresses. It’s forgiving of mistakes and it presses well. It’s also a good fabric for soft tops.

Cons: It’s a little more slippery than a cotton, meaning you need to pin it carefully. It shrinks, so you need to make sure to pre-wash it before sewing with it. I put rayon challis through the washer and dryer 3 times before I sew with it, to get all the shrinkage out. It’s not suitable for anything very tailored, unless you underline it or block-fuse it. And even then, I wouldn’t block-fuse rayon challis. It kinda destroys the purpose. I’d rather use a rayon broadcloth in that case.

Some patterns that I would pair with rayon challis include:

Sewaholic's Pendrell Blouse

Loes Hinse's Gore Skirt

Colette Patterns' Crepe

Rayon broadcloth has many of the same properties as rayon challis. It’s heavier in weight, and it is more firmly woven. You can find rayon broadcloth that is suitable for blouses and dresses, as well as heavier-weight broadcloths that are suitable for separates. If I make a suit or jacket from rayon, I always dry clean it to prolong its life.

Wool
I own a Border Collie, and if I could, I’d own sheep, too. Wool is one of the most versatile fibers known to humankind. It can be woven into everything from tropical weight gauzes to hard-finish gabardines. Not all wools are Advanced-Beginner-Friendly, but one certainly is: Wool Crepe.

Black/White/Navy Wool Crepe


Pros: If I were stranded on a desert island with only one fabric allowed to me, that fabric would be wool crepe. You can use it for everything from suiting to dresses. It has wonderful drape. It will work as well for a pencil skirt as for a swingy full-skirted dress. You can dress it up or down. It’s highly forgiving of mistakes. It presses beautifully. It is warm in winter, and cool in warmer weather.

Cons: None that I can think of off hand. Well, it is dry-clean only. And it will shrink, so be sure to pre-shrink your yardage. I use Pam Erny’s method, which produces great results.

Here are some patterns that are suitable for use with wool crepe:

Very Easy Vogue 8764

Simplicity 2315

Collette Patterns' Clover Pants

If you look at any of these patterns, you can envision them (and undoubtedly have seen them on many blogs) made up in cotton fabric. But don’t stop there! Once you’ve started sewing, stretch your horizons and your abilities by trying new fabrics. You’ll find that there are lots of other fabric types out there that will give you just as good results, and will give your wardrobe a welcome variety. These fabrics that I’ve shown you are just a taste. Check out fabrics beyond the quilting cottons aisle. You’ll be glad you did!

Happy sewing!

Posted in Fabrics | 32 Comments