sewing saturday! red velvet valentine dress

Sewing Saturday! I didn't expect to have a completed project to share with you guys today - but after two full days of sewing, I finished my Valentine dress!

Now, it's just a matter of waiting a full week to wear it.

Lots of steps, so I'll try to abbreviate a bit (sorry there aren't photos for every step.. I'm trying to keep this short-ish, but if you have any questions, feel free to email me!).

My first section to finish was the bodice, which was considerably more time-consuming than the skirt. I began by marking and sewing darts - four in the back (shoulder and waist), and two in the front (bust). I clipped them with pinking shears and pressed them.

Using my zipper foot, I sewed the 18 inch zipper at the back, pressing the 5/8 seam allowance on both center ends of the back bodice inwards, as well as attaching the two back pieces by sewing a couple of inches at the bottom of the bodice.

I then tackled the facing - armhole and neck. The neck came in three different pieces, so I sewed them together and clipped and pressed the seams. I then sewed 1/4 inch from the outer edges of all three facing pieces, pressed at the stitching line inwards, then stitched over the pressed 1/4 inch. I sewed the facing, right sides together, to their designated spots on the bodice, making sure to match markings. I pinned them in place first and trimmed the seams afterwards. Once they were stitched in place, I stitched a second seam right above the first on the facing, stitching the inside seam edges and facing together to reinforce it a bit.

I then pressed the facing pieces inside (this is the part where you should stitch them in place inside the dress.. and if I wasn't lazy, I'm sure I would have done that). Then, I stitched the sides of the bodice together - front to back, right sides together.

Skirt! The skirt pattern pieces called for two separate pieces for the back and one for the front (cut at the fold), just like the front and back bodice. First step was sewing the two back skirt pieces together (so the seam would be the center back seam on the skirt of the dress, and be in line with the zipper), then sewing the back piece to the front at the sides. I then pressed the hem and sewed it - I pressed two inches, wrong sides together, at the hem, then folded one inch of the hem inwards, pinned it, and stitched it shut.

Then it was time to gather the skirt. I gathered the skirt the old fashioned way this time.. stitching two lines at the top of the skirt (within the 5/8 inch seam allowance), being careful not to backstitch or connect the ends (or cross the lines). I then pulled the threads and gathered along them, spacing it apart so the width of the skirt matched the width of the bodice (for a more detailed description, go here).

Then, I had two finished pieces. I sewed them at the waist, right sides together.

Somewhere along the way, I had to choose which trim I'd use on the bodice. I wrestled between a lot of choices, but mainly these three - two strands of thin, cream colored lace and light pink floral buds. I ended up choosing the flowers.. I sewed three buds near the neckline, once the dress was finished.

Finished! What do you guys think? And how would you style this dress? I'm thinking cream colored tights and maybe some lace up oxfords.

To bed for me, I've got an early morning. Lots to do tomorrow.. fabric shopping, work downtown, time with friends, art crawl, amateur wrestling. A weird mix. Have a great weekend!

sewing saturday.. beginning a valentine's day velvet dress

Sewing Saturday! Earlier in the week, I received a few sewing patterns I ordered from Vintage Core Patterns, a lovely Etsy shop (they're having a fantastic 50% off sewing notions sale - check them out!). I was so happy to open up my package and find out that Maggie from Vintage Core had sent along some free dress patterns - which made my decision on which dress to sew for the holidays way more difficult (aren't they all perfect?).

In the end, I chose the pattern I had originally ordered (Simplicity 8158) and opted to put the rest in my stash to use at a later time. The other patterns - 1970s wide legged trousers, a bow blouse, and 1950s high waisted tap shorts and peter pan collar blouse - are all pieces I can't wait to make in the future. I already bought a couple of yards of lightweight mauve broadcloth fabric for the 50s blouse.

The lace, eyelet, and crocheted trim is all from Grandma's Quilt Shop in Lebanon. While I know most of the tiny lace will be used to trim detachable collars, I'm contemplating adding some cream trim to my holiday dress.. that, or the little pink roses in the photo below. Or a peter pan collar. What do you think?

And I'd love to make the crocheted lace into a collar.. but I have absolutely no idea where to begin.

Back to the project at hand. The dress I'm making is a 1970s drop waist mini with a sleeveless fitted bodice and gathered short skirt. It's a pretty simple project with darts at the front and back and a zipper at the back neck. If you've never gathered skirts before, I'll definitely be sharing some strategies.

What you'll need for this dress - the standards (including pins, iron, pattern, marking pen, a good pair of scissors, measuring tape, etc.), as well as two yards of fabric, an 18 inch zipper, matching thread, and optional trim. My friend Lauren just introduced me to a new method of gathering skirts, which is way more efficient than what I normally do - this method calls for a piece of crocheting thread.. but I'll tell you more about it next week.

This weekend, I finished up the basics.. lots of ironing, cutting, and pinning.

First, I cut out the pattern pieces and ironed them flat. Then, I laid out the fabric, right sides together, and ironed the fabric.

Then, I pinned the pattern pieces to the fabric according to the instructions (matching straight edges and specific pieces on the fold - in this case, both the skirt front and bodice front were pieces placed directly on the fold of the fabric), and cut them out!

Easy but time consuming work. Next weekend, I'll have more progress to share with you.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

planning a valentine's day dress

This past week, I bought a few yards of crushed velvet in cranberry and gold with the precise goal to create a Valentine's Day dress. I also purchased pom pom trim in a bright white and an olive green.. also, some floral trim that would look lovely at a neckline or as a belt at the waist or under the bust.

Yeah, I know Valentine's Day is over a month away. Usually, I'm not an early person - and especially when it comes to sewing. But I think I'm still a little angry that I didn't have time to make a New Years dress, so now I want to make absolutely sure I sew something for the next holiday.

Below are the vintage sewing patterns I've been eyeing on Etsy.. plenty of lace ruffles, peter pan collars, and smocking.

Patterns found here.. 1. sew mrs p, 2. coconut pie, 3. sandmarg, 4. ima sewing machine, 5. sew mrs p

Which one is your favorite? Of course, I don't have to make a dress at all - I thought about making a high waisted full skirt to wear with a vintage silky blouse, or even a velvet romper or pair of overalls. The white pom pom trim would be a nice addition to a full golden circle skirt. I'm up for anything at this point.

What do you think I should make, and do you guys have any plans for what you'll be wearing?