Butterick 6094 | Patterns by Gertie

Hello! It's only been 7 months since I wrote a blog post! This dress was kind of special so I thought it warranted a whole post rather than just throwing a heap of pictures up on Facebook.

Butterick 6094 | Patterns by Gertie

This dress is really beautiful and easier to make than I thought it might be. I don't feel that it suits me very well, but I may try the pencil skirt version in the future and try adjusting the darts for a better fit around the bust.

The bust is rather squashy on me. The waist turned out too wide, so I came to the conclusion that it is better suited to a figure which has a smaller bust/waist ration than mine. I took the waist in by about an inch, but there wasn't much I could do about the bust. 

Even with a rather minimising bra, I feel a bit squashed. I may also try the other version with a slightly lower neckline.

Besides the fit issues, I love the style. It's very simple and the back detail makes it unique. I used a beautiful vintage floral fabric from Audrey Scarlett Vintage (Instagram link). The lining is Japanese silk. The back contrast is a cotton/silk blend.

The pattern includes a petticoat skirt which I left out. The dress is really summery and light (I used the lightest lining I had) and I didn't want to weigh it down or make it too hot with too many layers. I have a separate petticoat I can wear with it anyway if I want to fluff it out a bit.

 

 

I also left off the button detail on the back. Even with buttons that matched, it was too much with the print of the dress. I just put a small stitch on each side to stop it from flapping about.

Has anyone else made this dress? I had a lot of fun with it and would highly recommend giving it a go.

Favourite vintage McCalls pattern

Lately I've become a little bit obsessed with this McCalls pattern from 1958. It is a very simple, easy to make pencil dress. 

It consists of three main pieces; the front, which is cut on the fold, and the back, which is in 2 pieces. Then there are the straps and the facings (Joy! It's not lined! Or rather, the pattern seems to call for lining AND facing... complete waste of time in my mind)

Just going off track for a second, I absolutely hate lining things. It's like making two of something but ending up with only one. I don't mind lining coats; you're supposed to see it then, so you can make it pretty and part of the garment. But lining a dress? I mean, maybe a winter dress, so it's warmer. Otherwise, No.

Anyway back to this amazing dress. I've made a few now, so rather than bore the pants off anyone who still reads this blog by ranting about it over and over again, I've decided to show off everything at once.

First up: Blue florals.

This first attempt is not quite right. It looks nice and the fabric is very pretty, but I didn't get the sizing right. The pattern is a size 16, and it's not too far off a modern size 12 as far as I can tell. I took in the seams and altered the darts a little, but it's still a little loose, especially around the bust. 

I suppose I could fix it, now that I've made a few and I know what I'm doing, but, meh... I don't really want to. It's wearable.

Second attempt: School plaid.

Yes, this looks like school uniform fabric. However, it does not look like MY school uniform, so it's ok. As you can see, I got the sizing and alterations right this time.

Then I made this dress pattern version, which I have a feeling I've already posted up here before. Just in case I haven't, here it is (possibly again).

I'm not wild about this version. The fabric is nice but it feels too busy. I feel like it doesn't do the pattern justice.

Final and most recent version: Barbie pink.

I looooove this one. The fabric is stiffly stretchy (is stiffly a word? It looks weird but I'm not being asked to spell-check it) and really comfy. The top edge around the bust is really firm, so I can't take any deep breaths when I'm wearing it. There must be too much stitching up there for it to stretch properly, or maybe I just didn't allow the fabric to stretch when I was sewing it.

 

I will probably make more of these dresses. 

 

Peonies dress

 I wouldn't have known these little flowers were peonies if it wasn't helpfully printed on the fabric for me.

I made this dress using Simplicity 1873, View A.

Absolutely no alterations required. I have never made a dress with this type of pleated skirt before. It was not terribly difficult and I think I may have found a gathered yet flattering skirt style I can finally wear without getting the old pregnant-stomach look.

I ran out of fabric for the lining but I figured leopard print would be acceptable!

I made this specifically to wear to the Love Vintage Fair in Melbourne this weekend! Very exciting... just need to remember to keep my wallet tucked firmly in my bag at all times....

China blue

Damn and blast all washed out photos! 

 

 

This fabric - a bed sheet I picked up in an op-shop - was originally white, which looked far too stark for a dress and since when do I wear white anyway? So I took to it with a packet of China Blue dye.

The pattern is New Look 6587, view D.

Alterations: I took the bodice waaaaaay in. It looks loose on the model on the pattern envelope but fitted in the design drawings. Considering it has princess seams I don't really understand why it would be so loose-fitting. So I took mine in.

The other alteration is I used a zip instead of buttons. I really just don't enjoy the fiddlyness of buttons and matching them up with button holes, blah blah blah... and I just happened to have a zip which matched perfectly.

Brief life update: 

I have quite my job of 10 years, and my final week is next week. This is rather scary but I am looking forward to a change. 

 

Jay and I have split up. We had a wonderful time together and I am glad I can still call her a friend.

And, and! I have a new tattoo! You can see half of it here and in the third photo above. It is two swallows, one on each shoulder. I only had it done on Wednesday so it's still quite bruised and tender.

AND in a few short hours I'll be attending the debauchery that is Helgastock2014! There may or may not be photos, depending on how incriminating they are...

So yes. New dress, new tattoo, new life. Loving it.

(final gratuitous photo just because I like it)

Headscarves!

This was supposed to be a post about a pair of wide-leg jeans I'm making, but the zip just broke and now I Hate Them. So here are some headscarves instead.

I really like this look but I didn't just want a rectangle or triangle of fabric wrapped around my head. After trying out some pleats and gathers I've settled on this design. It's a rectangle, with a centre pleat or fold, and attached tie ends. 

The pleat means there isn't a heap of fabric bunched up around the knot, which is specifically what I wanted to avoid. 

 

These photos were taken in a hot sewing room so my hair is getting more and more frizzy as these photos go on.

So far I've made a few, and I have a heap of leftover fabric to make more. I also want to make some with long tie ends, to wear more as a headband with the ties hanging down, and some in silkier fabric.

I'm thinking of selling these but I'm not sure what the interest in them would be. If anyone has any suggestions for design or fabric I would love to hear them.