Wearing Yesteryear: Class of March 2013

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I have been sewing away this past month, but you’d never know it from looking at my blog! There is one Colette Beignet skirt in red wool gabardine in the works (very excited about this after some initial pressing issues), fixing some pillows for my sister, and another secret project that is a gift for someone. This last one is the project I’m closest to finishing, yet I won’t be able to share it until this certain someone receives it! I should be sending it out by the end of this week so hopefully there’s a blog reveal post in the works soon.

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Silk dupioni hanging from my apartment’s picture rail. That’s one way to avoid folding it up to deter the wrinklies! Three cheers for historic interiors.

Of Sew-Alongs and Sewing Meetups
Oh, and I’m also participating in the Sew Sexy Sew-Along being hosted by Clio of Clio & Phineas, Lisette of What Would Nancy Drew Wear?, and Wanette of Sown Brooklyn! My sew-along track record is the pits, but what the heck – why not?! I plan to make a Sewaholic Cambie/By Hand London Charlotte mash-up using red silk dupioni (seen above), which I have already dubbed “the Charmbie”. If I pronounce it with a French accent, will it sound sexier? ;)

Also, a meet-up happened! Lladybird was in town and a whole bunch of us gathered on Saturday to shop the day away in the Garment District. I feel like I should do a post about that, but how about I just officially endorse the wrap-ups of the day written on Peter’s, Aleksandra’s, and Lisette’s blogs?!

Anyway, I figured I could share a Wearing Yesteryear post for March 2013 (no finished projects for February 2013, alas). Yay, a freebie post for me! And this is one I’m very excited to share…

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The Sabrina Coat

Blog Debut: March 25, 2013
Pattern: McCalls 5717
Worn In: Late fall, winter, early spring
Wearability Meter: Very much so!
Lessons Learned: This was fun, so make another one :)

Okay, so I really love this coat! The whole tailoring process was really fun and a great learning experience. I’ve found that I can wear this coat in temperatures ranging from the 30s to the low 50s F (~0-10 C). One of my favorite features is the length of the coat, which covers knee-length dresses and skirts. Makes for a nice clean finish I think!

Everything seems to have held up well over the past year. This winter has been COLD so I spent most of it in my goose-down coat, but I’ve definitely worn this baby enough times this season. I had used a flannel-back satin lining to give a bit more warmth to the coat. Originally I wasn’t sure if it was going to make me super hot, but now I know I could stand to add a layer of interlining if I wanted to make the coat even warmer.

I’d love to make another coat in a slightly more casual fabric. Oooo, temptation! But, for now, I have some spring projects on the mind. Are you getting ready for some spring sewing? Or autumn sewing for those down under?

(Random note: WordPress has changed the look of the smiley emoticons. The :-D one looks kind of strange!)

Sharpen Your Shears, “The Sewing Bee” is Casting!

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You might have already seen this flyer on other blogs, but here it is again for those of you who haven’t. If you love The Great British Sewing Bee on the BBC, dreamed of being a contestant, and happen to live in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT) then you’re in luck! The producers of the GBSB are bringing the home sewing competition across the pond to the United States and are looking for amateur sewing enthusiasts to take part in the pilot.

They are casting over the next two weeks so if you’re interested apply as soon as you can! The show will be a little different than the GBSB in that four different contestants will be featured each week (so it’s not an elimination challenge where someone gets voted off each week). I’m hoping it will have the same drama-free vibe as the UK version. So refreshing!

Here’s the flyer I received from the production company:

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Also, I just noticed that the second season (or should I say “series”!) is now available on the BBC website, but I’m guessing it can also be found on YouTube too. That’s how I watched the first one last year. Yay for reality TV for home sewing! :-D

Cozy Checkerboard Flannel “M6696″ Shirtdress

Posted in 2014 Sewing, Finished Projects by

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Pattern: M6696 shirtdress
Fabric: 2 yards of 60″ wide Buffalo check flannel from A K Fabrics in the Garment District (I wish I had had at least 1/2 yard more though)
Notions: 10 5/8″ sailor buttons
Size: 10 at bust; 12 at waist/hips (waist should be brought in more next time)
Alterations: Similar to my first version, except this time I omitted the waistband (due to fabric shortage); made a self-fabric tie at the waist to cinch and to help hide the mismatched plaids; used the B-cup bodice pieces (and raised the waist darts 1″); lowered the skirt back darts 1 3/4″; and altered the sleeve cuff design

A warm and cozy dress for cold and snowy days is complete! Yay! Now I just need to find a cabin to sit by a fire with hot chocolate and marshmallows. Even though I think I just turned myself into a Brooklyn hipster with this flannel (L train chic?), I’m most pleased with it! For some reason I don’t like the way it photographed on me, but I like it on me otherwise. If that makes sense. :)

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Wearing Yesteryear: Class of January 2013

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We’ve been pummeled with another round of snow today here in New York City, and now that I’m all cozy in my apartment again I remembered that I’m way overdue for my January Wearing Yesteryear post! But first, check out this elderly woman shoveling snow in front of her building this morning. She must be in her 80s, but was out there like the tough cookie she is! Her younger neighbor joined her as I took this shot of all the snow accumulating on the stoops of these Murray Hill brownstones.

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Intense! And this was just 9am. We still had a few more hours to go, and this evening the snow is back at it! I walked about 15 blocks in this and passed a bunch of shop owners shoveling outside their stores. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed my walk in the snow. :)

Anyway, back to the snow-free sewing world – here’s my lone graduate from January 2013:

The London Fog Skirt

Blog Debut: January 15, 2013
Pattern: Simplicity 5454
Worn In: Spring, Summer
Wearability Meter: Very!
Lessons Learned: When shortening the length of a skirt, true the seams properly.

I love this skirt! The color makes me sooooo happy and the pockets are fun to have around. I wore this regularly over the summer with a number of different tops. It’s a bold color, but it still manages to pair well with both prints and solids. Win-win! I typically wore sandals or flats with it.

The one thing I goofed up on was shortening the skirt. The original pattern is a straight skirt at about calf-length, and when I shortened it I came out with a fuller skirt than I had anticipated (I wanted to preserve the original silhouette). Next time, I’ll narrow the hem to account for the fact I’ve adjusted the length. My mistake wouldn’t have been as big a deal if I had used fabric with drape, but this cotton/linen canvas is a tad stiff.

Oh well! Can’t complain. I’m just a slight perfectionist. :) I’m still excited to wear this skirt and I’d like to make more! If you like this design but have a hard time finding it, you might be interested in the similar Hollyburn Skirt from Sewaholic Patterns.

That’s it from me. I have a new shirtdress done and it just needs to be photographed. Stay tuned! In the meantime,

Happy Valentine‘s Day!

A “Charlotte” Skirt to Wash Away the Winter Blues

Posted in 2014 Sewing, Finished Projects by

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Woohoo! I just managed to post this at the end of January. You didn’t think I was going to make it, did you? ;) I also have a Wearing Yesteryear: January 2012 edition to post (I haven’t forgotten!).

Pattern: Charlotte Skirt from By Hand London
Fabric: Black and light grey herringbone wool from Mood; midnight blue Bemberg lining
Notions: 8″ invisible zipper; a snap at the waistband tab
Size: 6, but reduced the curve at the hips
Alterations: Added a vent using Sunni’s tutorials

This is my second pencil skirt using this BHL pattern, and I wish I had a zillion more! It’s a great wardrobe staple, especially made in wool for winter (I can never figure out what to wear in winter that keeps me feeling put together). I found this wool at Mood and really loved the herringbone pattern. It feels kind of festive and is great paired with lots of tops!

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I added a vent this time (rather than the slit), which took me a little longer to figure out – especially how to line – but it’s totally worth it in the end. It feels much more professional to me. These photos were taken after I got home from work, and it seems as if the vent flipped outward right before I sat down at my desk resulting in a crease. Whoops! I’ll have to fix that.

As I mentioned up above, I used Sunni’s vent tutorials on her blog, A Fashionable Stitch. These are from her pencil skirt sew-along from about three years ago now I think (wow, time flies – I remember when she was hosting that one!). She did a wonderful job sharing her tips, but I also found it helpful to go to YouTube to find videos of other tutorials. Sometimes seeing things in action just really helps me figure things out.

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I machine stitched the lining to the invisible zipper, which is the look I prefer. The hem is catch-stitched. I had the toughest time hemming the lining for some reason. That seemed to hold up the entire project! Actually, it wasn’t the actual stitching (hem is turned up twice and machine-stitched); it was trying to make everything level with the skirt hem. Not sure why I was having such issues. I blame this frigid winter. :)

The lining is machine-stitched to the vent. Following Sunni’s tutorial, I now have lining pieces (front; back with vent; back with inverted vent), which the original BHL pattern doesn’t come with.

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Oh, and I actually wore this outfit with two layers of sweater tights and boots, if you’re wondering! It’s FREEZING outside, but too warm in my apartment so I switched to one of my favorite pairs of heels. It’s going to be 40 degrees (~5C) this weekend. Heat wave!

I had been working on this pencil skirt on and off for the past month. Some of that was not having the time, but I was really determined to improve on my first version. Here’s to more pencil skirts in the future. :)

I’m looking forward to tackling a brand new project. As much as I’d love to make some more pencil skirts (and I do have the wool to make that happen), I’d like to switch gears and make a dress. Perhaps a button-down shirtdress using the buffalo check I bought from AK Fabrics during the 3rd annual MPB Day last summer!