7/09/2012

One Part of my Stash


This is what you get if you work in fabric retail. The plan to keep all my fabrics in a box beneath my bed didn't quite work out. But I just can't resist a good bargain and if I see how quick some fabrics sell out, I need to purchase them before. So, may I present to you the purchases of , in my defense, four months.

From top to bottom:
  • greyish blue twill cotton with some percent of elasthan will become a muslin for a pair of skinny trousers and a skirt
  • snakeskin jersey to make a simple skirt, nothing to difficult
  • red and blue striped jersey, might become a peplum top similar to the one of Zoe
  • white jersey printed with popsicles should become summer jammies consisting of the Colette patterns Sorbetto and the Madeleine bloomers
  • grey and light pink striped jersey should become a v-neck t-shirt
  • dark blue jersey with some woolen content should become a loose sweater
  • mustard yellow jersey, quite thin will become a drapey cardigan
  • white, brown, neon yellow striped jersey will become a t-shirt or top
  • cotton twill with elasthan printed with flowers should become a pair of skinny trousers
  • shiny jersey, the shine comes from a coating with some kind of silver paint, very cool, will become a loose sweater
Some of the fabrics are still on stock, others are sold out. I'll try and update this post with links, but now I have to finish my thesis to be able to print it tomorrow.

Edit: In inserted some links to the fabrics that are still on stock as of today (07-10)

7/08/2012

Sewing according to plan?

Today I wanted to sew a top I've made a couple of times already. I wanted to have one piece in a patterned fabric and one piece plain black. I started cutting into the fabric and when I was finished I realize that I had mixed up the fabrics. Instead of cutting the upper part in black jersey, as I intended it when I bought the fabric I had cut the patterned fabric. So I quickly needed to change the plan and this is what I made instead.

I used the Sorbetto pattern from Colette as a starting point and used it for the upper part. Then I attached a rectangle to the front and back. Where the black and patterned fabric met, I made a casing for an elastic thread. I had some trouble pulling the elastic through, but in the end it worked out. The bodice was a bit roomy and unflattering so I folded over the edges and zigzaged them into place. Then I inserted an elastic there as well. Now it fits perfectly, even the darts are in the right place.
When I was finished I had about four metres of black thread left on the cone! Which means that for all the projects I made in the past 48 hours, I used about 200 metres of black thread!
The sewing of the top took about two and a half hours including the cutting. The Sorbetto pattern is great because it is so versatile and fits perfectly even in bigger sizes.

Pattern Review
Pattern Description: From the Coletterie blog:
With its ultra simple construction (just two pattern pieces plus some bias tape, and no closures needed), elegant loose cut shaped with bust darts, and the box pleat detail down the front, this is a pattern you can throw together in a huge range of fabrics for summer.
Sizing: 0-18 I cut an 18 and used an extra 1.5 cm seam allowance, though it is already included in the pattern.
Fabric Used: Black jersey from Alfatex, elastic printed Polyester from Alfatex. Get similar here.
Needle/Notions Used: Universal 70/10 needle, Gütermann thread, elastic thread
Did it look like the photo or drawing when you got through? Similar yes, but I only used it for the bodice.
How were the instructions? They were good. This pattern goes together very well, and the instructions are quite clear. I only used the instructions when I made the pattern for the first time.

7/07/2012

In Full Swing

Can someone please stop me? I didn't make one, not two, not three but four pieces today. I just can help it , I admit I'm sewing obsessed. It all started yesterday when I had the new black thread and made the simple skirt. In the evening I wrote a list on what I wanted to make in the next weeks and today I made everything except for one shirt, but I fear that as soon as I have finished writing this post I'm going to start cutting the pieces.


I started today with a bikini from the leftovers of the fabric from yesterdays skirt. I had already cut the pieces and just needed to fold over the edges and zig zag along the edge to make them look nicer. I'm missing a ribbon to make the ties, but I'll get that next week
Then I went on and made a bag from the leftovers of my African printed cotton fabric. I didn't use a pattern just cut some rectangles for the straps, the body of the bag and the little inside pocket. It was so nice to sew a cotton fabric again, the construction is so much easier than slippery polyester and jersey fabric.
Next I made a pair of shorts. The fabric is a dishtowel that I got from a supermarket!

 I got four towels for I think 1 € each and they were perfect for the four pieces of the shorts. I used my pyjama pants pattern and just shortened it.
I love the colours and unintentionally I made the first striped garment for Streifen-Monat-Juli. I first thought to leave the pants in this 7/8 length and just roll up the legs, if I wanted to wear shorts, but it was so bulky I just took the scissors and cut off the length. The hem is just finished with a zig zag stitch and can unravel a bit, to give it a relaxed look.
After these shorts I made a second pair. If you're on a run, you can't stop it, right? The fabric was purchased at a flea market in Hamburg and from the two metres that I got I will be able to make something else as well. I'm thinking of a dress but don't know which pattern I will use yet.
This shorts was inspired by a a pair that I saw on the Sew Tessuti blog. I'm yet undecided on the length and the white stripe on the hem. I used the selvedge for the hem and that was white, but maybe I'll fold it under. The fit of the shorts is not perfect, I think the crotch area could be a bit more loose, but for a quick summer project it's fine. Now I will do a bit of blog reading and get inspired for further projects!

7/06/2012

Black Dots On Gold

I scored this great fabris at work. It's a black jersey which is coated with a layer of golden foil and the foil has some holes in the shape of dots, which gives the fabric a really interesting texture. I bought just 0.7 m to make my simple skirt. I made it today with my new black thread ( rPET recycled Polyester thread from Gütermann, I'll write about it soon) and could manage to get the pieces for the skirt and a bikini out of the fabric. Oh, and with the leftover I can make a simple turban, which gives every outfit a special touch.
Here are some different ways of styling it. The top with geometric print is also made by me, another one of my staple patterns. I'm currently trying out different styling ideas to see what suits my body best. I like the highwaisted style, which you can see on so many bloggers but I think I'm abit too large and not curvy enough for that and have not enough waist to pull it of. The styling with the twist in the top covers the humps and bumps and looks much more flattering. Maybe I should try some shapewear? Has anyone experiences with Spanx? The sandals are one of my score from a fleamarket in Bonn last year, they are uber comfortable even though they look terribly high .
Stripes and dots look fabulous together, at least in my opinion . The pink necklace adds the final touch. I made it myself simply by crocheting some rows of stitches on to a metal chain. Anyone interested in a tutorial? The waistband of the skirt was attached again with slipstitching by hand. It took about two episodes of SATC. In the episodes I watched Carrie was wearing an amazing wrap dress, which is now on my to-do-list. I already have a good pattern from an old Easy BurdaStyle in mind which will be perfect. Now, I only need to find the best jersey with a similar print. I've seen some samples at work and I think I will find something suitable in the Summer Sale. There are some good fabrics in the sale, so hurry up and get them before they are sold out!
Oh and by the way I got a look at the new Burda patterns for autumn winter 2012/2013 today. There are some really interesting pieces in the collection. But the best part is the styling! Some models even wear the blogger-famous Litas from Jeffrey Campbell.

7/05/2012

The Two Scarves

As promised yesterday I show you my new tunic today. I made it a while ago with a really simple pattern. If you want to call two square rectangles a pattern. Yes, I know even Burda provides a PATTERN for squares, but I won't comment on the state of the magazine now. That should be another post on its own!
So, here is how I proceeded:
- Put the scarves left side to left side, sew up two side seams
- Turn the whole thing and sew on the same sides again , now you have two beautiful French seam side seams ( I had silk scarves and to prevent them from fraying it is necessary to make these seams)
- Left on left again, fold in half to set the neck opening, cut out the opening
- Left on left, sew the shoulder seams
- Turn and sew again on the shoulder seams

All the edges were then covered with a small zig zag stitch to prevent them from fraying and voilá finished is the simple tunic! You can either wear it with bare legs on the beach or with skinny jeans, belted in the waist or left loose. Now, I will show you how it looks.





 You can wear the tunic with either side as the front or back. Cinched in the waist it has a bit more structure, but I actually prefer the loose tent-like way of wearing it. Especially on hot and humid days it is an effortless way to look good on the beach, without getting a sunburn.
I will definitely look out for new silk scarves on my next flea market or thrift store adventure and plan on making a simple kimono style jacket to wear with jeans and a t-shirt with a Coachella vibe. I've seen it on Dylana of Color me Nana and love the effortless style.

On another note: I'm browsing through the Resort 2013 collections and have so many ideas coming to my mind. It seems that the one-print-top-and-bottom trend will be strong in the next season as well. What do you think of that? Would you wear print on print?

7/04/2012

Girl in Black and White


Today I took the afternoon of from writing my thesis, which is finished by 99 % now. I'll only do minor tweaks here and there in the next week and then I'm going to get it printed and bound as a book before I travel to Mönchengladbach to hand it in. The company is already working with my results and that is very satisfying for me. Now it only needs to get approved by my professors and after the oral presentation I'll be able to call myself "Bachelor of Science in Textile- and Clothing Management". The title is maybe a bit too long for businees cards, but a nice B.Sc. will be as nice.

So, today I made a skirt. Originally I planned to use a different fabric, but when I looked in my stash I found the leftover from my simple black skirt and a leftover of my dotted pyjama pants ( I think I haven't blogged that one yet...) and decided to combine them. The fabric was just enough for this skirt!

For the pattern I used my ususal pattern with two darts on front and back.Originally it fitted me as a woven skirt but today I can only make it from knit fabric. But that one fits perfectly! The black fabric is this one and the dotted is this (unfortunately only on stock in blue and white at the moment).

The construction is very easy as you only have to close the 4 darts, sew up the sideseams, attach the waistband and the ruffle. I did not only use up fabrics of my stash, I also used up almost all of black thread. See how much is left on the picture on the right, and how far I still had to sew on the left.

Luckily it was just enough! Well, I should probably go and get myself new thread tomorrow, otherwise I won't be able to sew the projects that are on my mind.
Without further ado, here is the finished skirt.
I can either wear it like this on the hips, or pull it up to my natural waist to make it look different. The ruffle part is made by little pleats. Somehow a 1.50 m wide fabric is perfect to pleat it in distances which are the length of my thumb...Must be something like the Golden Ratio or such ;-)
With longer tops the black part is covered and it gives a new silhouette, as you can see on the next picture.
For the waistband I simply too a rectangle and guessed the dimensions. It was then attached to the upper part of the skirt patterns folded over twice and then sewed up with a slipstitch, which gives a really nice finish.

I used pink thread, just because I can ! I will remember to use slipstitch more often, because when you topstitch the waistband it usually isn't perfect from either the in- or outside. We'll see how the weather is going to be tomorrow, maybe I'm going to wear the skirt for work.
I also had some items on my mending pile and finally finished the armholes on a project that I made a few weeks ago. I'll post about it tomorrow. Here is a preview!

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