Just like a pill...

Well, more like a capsule... as in capsule wardrobe.

I got the job I interviewed for in January! I'll be a Community Health Nurse working in Infectious Diseases. Part of the time I'll be in the clinic or out in the community doing vaccinations. I'll need a couple sets of scrubs for that work. However, most of the time I'll be at a desk and I'll need to dress business casual. The blessing and curse of losing 50 pounds is that I have almost NOTHING to wear that is business casual. I start my new job on April 2, so I have just over 2 weeks to get a wardrobe together for work. I want to stay as true as possible to the RTW fast I'm participating in, so I figured a smaller capsule wardrobe was my best option.

I browsed Pinterest, Youtube, and blogs around the net for inspiration. I pinned the wardrobes that inspired me most here. First step seems to be picking the colors of the capsule. Here's my color plan:

My neutral will be espresso brown, a very dark brown that easily takes the place of black. My secondary color is a warm khaki/sand color. My accent colors will be olive green and paprika, a spicy orange shade.

Next step is selecting the garments for the capsule based on needs. The general rule seems to be that every outter layer goes with every other piece. As I need nearly everything, here's my list:

2 Suits - Cropped blazer, trousers, pencil skirt in espresso and khaki
1 button down blouse in khaki
1 dress in a print that has all colors
4 blouses - 1 in espresso, 1 in olive, 1 in paprika, 1 in a print of all colors
2 cardigans - 1 in espresso and 1 in paprika
Scrubs - 2 scrub tops in a print of any of the colors and 1 pair scrub pants in espresso

What I have so far:
1 pencil skirt in espresso
1 blouse in espresso
1 blouse in olive
1 cardigan in espresso

What I need to make:
2 cropped blazers in espresso and khaki
2 trousers in espresso and khaki
1 pencil skirt in khaki
1 button down blouse in khaki
1 dress in a print of all colors
2 blouses in paprika and in a print of all colors

What I need to buy:
1 cardigan in paprika
Scrubs

I already have LOADS of accessories that will work with this color plan. I also already have shoes that will work. My plan for the next two weeks is to at least get my espresso suit finished. The skirt I made for my interview will be part of the complete suit. I have lots more of the same fabric to make a blazer and trousers. I also have a few garments that will work to tide me over until I can get the entire capsule complete, I just need to alter them to fit as they are a bit too big now.

I'll be picking my blazer and trouser pattern tonight so I can prep for muslin making tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

She's got legs, she knows how to use them!

I just made you think of a ZZ Top song! Ha!

Well, I finished my first garment for the 2014 Ready-To-Wear Fast and I LOVE it!

Outfit Details
Blazer: Target (Purchased 2013)
Tank: Target (Purchased 2011)
Skirt: DIY
Purse: Vintage from Reneesance (Purchased 2011)
Shoes: Chinese Laundry (Purchase 2010)
Necklace: Orion Designs (Purchased 2008)

I have a job interview tomorrow and had NOTHING to wear that didn't make me look like a little girl playing dress up in her mother's clothes. Seriously, it was a major problem. I really try to look impeccable for interviews. It's my past career life in business and my perfectionist tendencies combined. I had the tank and blazer already. The blazer is a smidgen big but it's totally appropriate. The tank is actually a spanx style tank but because I've lost weight it isn't OMG SUCKING THE LIFE OUT OF ME tight anymore.

Originally I wanted to make a ponte knit wiggle dress for the interview, but the fabric I have on hand didn't go well with the blazer. The blazer was a must in my mind so I developed a Plan B. I pulled out Butterick's B5249 and started making a muslin of View A. Shockingly the muslin fit almost perfectly with no alterations! I couldn't believe it. It was meant to be! I have a variety of mid-weight stretch cottons in my stash and decided on my darkest brown stretch sateen. I figured it matched my shoes perfectly, contrasted the tan tank and cream/gold tweed blazer nicely, and I was pleased to see it perfectly matched my handbag when I shot my photos. Yeah, totally meant to be!

On to the pattern/construction details:

Pattern Used: Butterick B5249, View A (OOP, Available on ebay) - An unlined, high waist, princess seamed pencil skirt with belt, flounce, shirring and pocket options.
Size Cut: 16 for the back, 18 for the front
Alterations/Changes to Pattern: I took in front princess seams by 1/4 inch to give me 1 inch less in the front total. Also, I trimmed down the hip curve to suit my shape better as I have lower curves on my hips than the pattern was designed for. I made a 3 inch hem instead of a 2 inch one as the pattern stated because I wanted the bottom of the skirt to hit me mid-knee. I omitted the belt and carriers, but may add the carriers later. I have a leopard print belt that would look amazing with this skirt!
Instructions: Didn't use them. It's a pencil skirt with princess seams... A newbie could do it!
Fabric: Dark Brown Stretch Cotton Sateen from FabricMart (I think) purchased a few years ago. I have yards of this stuff left to make slacks and maybe even a jacket. 
Does it look like the pattern envelope? Yes, except I skipped the belt/carriers.
Will this be made again? ABSOLUTELY! This is now my TNT pattern for pencil skirts. The fit is AMAZING! I'll probably work with adding a lining and maybe a vent in future versions. This pattern is insanely versatile. It's a shame it's OOP!

Construction Details:
I SUCK at sewing zippers with a machine, so I decided to try handpicking the zipper for this skirt as my first time ever trying that technique. It's not perfect, but for a first time ever I'm seriously pleased! Next time I make this pattern I will use an invisible zip with the same technique. I'm seriously out of practice with hand sewing but I thoroughly enjoyed working on the zip while watching Downton Abbey and Sherlock (watching the episodes before Season 3 airs on the 19th).

I used a Hong Kong finish with all the seams and bound the raw edge of the facing. The facing is understitched and I hand tacked it down to the seam allowances on the skirt to keep it in place. I ran out of the darker bias tape so had to improvise by using a shade off, but I don't care, it still looks freaking awesome to me on the inside.

I did a blind hem with my machine. It turned out perfect!

I love how clean this skirt looks on the inside! It looks amazing now matter which way you see it! I did spend a good bit of time and put in a lot of work on it, but the end result is so worth it! I have a skirt that will really last. I know this will be a staple in my wardrobe for a long time! Such a classic skirt!

The whimsical seamstress actually has a plan!

I tend to sew based on whim and rarely finish anything. Sad, but true. I get a rush of inspiration, get through fitting and then realize "Ugh, I hate it!" Rinse and repeat... that was most of my 2013 sewing experience. I realize now that I desperately need a plan in order to accomplish anything. Otherwise I'll just do what I did last year and end 2014 with nothing to wear, again! I am NOT going to let that happen!

Today Patti, one of the other RTW Fasters, posted a brilliant blog post about figuring out what you love to wear and what you need in your wardrobe. Using those ideas (found here) I came up with a plan in 3 minutes. Seriously, 3 MINUTES! I can't believe how fast it was! The idea is to evaluate what you spend your time doing that requires clothing (um, pretty much everything but bathing, folks) and specify what clothing you need for those activities. Here's what I came up with:

Weddings/Birthday Dinners - Cocktail Dress

Plays/Date Night - Cocktail Dress, Skirt/Blouse or Slacks/Blouse

Sleeping - Pajamas and Robe

Working Out - Leggings, T-Shirt, Sports Bra, Hoodie

Interviews - Dress and Jacket/Blazer

Doctor Appointments - Dress, Skirt/Blouse or Slacks/Blouse

Lounging at Home - Knit Top or Sweater and Pants or Jeans

Cleaning House - T-shirt/Leggings/Apron

Entertaining at Home - Dress, Skirt/Blouse or Slacks/Blouse

Errands - Dress, Skirt/Blouse, or Slacks/Blouse

Seasonal Changes - Winter Coat, Dress Coat, Jacket

With that information I can definitely see what I need to have in my wardrobe! Some of them I have already, but not many. Based on what I already have, I need to make the following during the RTW Fast. I will need to buy new bras, sport bras, panties, hosiery and the like, but no actual garments! If I have time I want to try to make my own bras and panties. However, I can't go out in public with just those so I need to focus on my garments first.

1 Cocktail Dress

2 Dresses

2 Skirts

2 Slacks

3 Blouses

3 Knit Tops

3 Pajamas

2 Pants for lounging or Jeans

1 Dress Coat

1 Robe

So I need to sew 20 items! Whew! The cocktail dress is already well in progress and I'm about to start one of the 2 dresses because I will need it very soon. Once I get those done I will be planning when to make the rest of my wardrobe. I want to focus on basics that I can dress up or down as I need to and that can be mixed and matched to give me a variety of outfits.

I also have commissions coming up... A dress for my niece for Easter, a wedding gown for a friend, and flower girl dresses for my own girls to be in my friend's wedding. The wedding is actually in May 2015 so I'll be starting those around November. I'm going to try to get one more garment done in January to make 3 for the month and get as many done as I can in February so that March and April can be focused on the Easter dress I need to make. Then I'll have May through October to focus on everything else left for my wardrobe. Wish me luck, y'all! My sewing machine is going to be going into overdrive!

I lost weight, now I'm fasting!

Sounds kind of backwards, right? Well, actually, it's not. Over 2013 I didn't sew much because from July through the end of the year I focused on losing more weight. On January 2, 2011 I weighed my heaviest.. 200 lbs! I was depressed, in pain, and overall just miserable at that size. In 2012 I had lost 20 pounds to go from 200 lbs to 180 lbs. I decided in July 2013 it was time to get serious and get the body I want to have. I started drinking Shakeology daily and working out with Beachbody programs.

L- Me at my heaviest, 200 lbs
R- Me today! 156.2 lbs

I've gone from 180 lbs to 156 lbs in 6 months! I didn't workout as regularly as I should, but I steadily improved my habits and have been exercising more regularly for the past month or so. In 2014 I am taking myself to the next level. I'm working out consistently so I can reach my goal of 130 lbs. I want to be lean, strong, and healthy!

The best and worst part of losing almost 25 pounds this year is that none of my clothes (undergarments included) fits! Absolutely NOTHING! I saw a couple weeks ago Sarah and Goodbye Valentino was going to have another Ready To Wear Fast. I thought that would be the perfect inspiration for me to make my wardrobe of perfectly fitting clothes that I love to wear! I'm totally Fasting with her!

My goal is to complete at least one garment a month, but I'm shooting for getting 2-3 done per month. I have some commissions coming up that I will have to make time for so that's why my goal is just 1 per month. I will be posting my plans soon. I've been sketching ideas like crazy. It's so much fun brainstorming when I need EVERYTHING!

Summer Wardrobe Plans

Hey everybody! I'm getting ready to send out the patterns to the giveaway winners but I got distracted by seeing summer sewing plans on other blogs. Typical ADD kicking in for me. lol The weather here in Maryland has been increasingly summer-like and I'm realizing that my wardrobe is not well suited for the weather. I need to make a plan for things I need to carry me through the next 3 months or so.

Here's what I'm starting with in my wardrobe already:
Lots of tops and tanks
4 cotton cardigans
3 cotton shorts that don't fit well
1 cotton blend capri pants that are a little snug
2 bathing suits that don't fit
Lots of skirts
Lots of dresses
2 bras that fit perfectly
1 pair of sandals
1 pair of flats
1 pair of sneakers that need replaced
2 pairs of dress shoes

So, considering the above I already see the plan I need to make. I will be attempting to make some bottoms as I love shorts and capris in summer. It gets pretty hot here, especially in late June through July. Less is more, for sure, during that time of year. Also, the pool at my mother in-law's is open and I haven't gone swimming yet because my suit doesn't fit! That's just a crime! I need to make a bathing suit right NOW! I also need some shoes. After I broke my foot last August I haven't been able to wear shoes with flexible soles unless I can put carbon fiber plates under the insoles. I need to figure out what exactly I want and go from there with figuring out what I can find that in to work for my feet. I also need to buy a couple more bras. I finally found one that fits me like it was custom made for me: the Panache Tango II Plunge. I figure buying one a month until I have enough would be good considering my budget.

My tentative sewing plans:

For the shorts and capris I will probably use Simplicity 3435 from the early 1960s. If I use the pattern I will be using views 1 and 3. I have some stretch cotton twill in navy and olive. The navy I have enough for the capris and maybe shorts. The olive I have enough for shorts. I'd like to get some khaki stretch poplin for the bottoms as well. The pair of capris I have are the perfect length for me. I'll be using them with the pattern to make sure the ones I make hit me where I like on my legs.

I have some olive print ITY that is perfect for bathing suits in my stash. Have you seen the AMAZING Bombshell Bathing Suit pattern by Closet Case Files? The blue version is so 1950s glam! My jaw hit the floor when I saw it. It's exactly what I've been wanting to make for myself! I bought it right then and there. I also placed an order with Sew Sassy for lining, elastic and poly laminate foam to make my own cups for support (I just can't find any big enough for my girls). Closet Case Files is also hosting a sewalong. I'll be participating.

If the olive suit turns out well I plan to make a leopard one and maybe a gold or copper lamé one.

So, that's what I think I'll be sewing for summer. Right now on the table I have my Gatsby inspired robe to finish. It just needs the sleeves hemmed and a closure added. I want to do the lingerie I planned to go with it (vintage styled knickers and a bralette or cami) but the satin I bought is a nightmare to sew and I'm not sure I'm up for dealing with it right now. Luckily I have a lacy slip that will match the robe already.

Other plans for the summer include hopefully going to the beach for a weekend with all the kiddos (step-kids, too) and I want to teach my almost 9 year old daughter to sew. I want to start with hand stitches with her then get her a very basic machine to learn on after she gets the hand stuff down. I also want to try to fix my serger. I think one of my loopers is bent. I got the serger for free so I don't want to spend anything taking it to a shop. I figure I like to tinker and figure out how things work so I'll try to fix it. It's already not working right so what do I have to lose? lol  My job is going well. In mid-July I will be switching from day shift to night shift. I've never worked nights before, so it should be interesting. Hopefully I can adapt to it ok.

Do you have any sewing or crafty plans for summer? Or maybe winter if you are in the other hemisphere? Leave me a comment and let me know what you plan to make.

Mad Men Challenge 2 Complete!

Inspiration: Megan's Orange A-line Dress

Phew... I did it! The deadline for the JuliaBobbin's challenge was extended until tomorrow and I got two dresses made with just hours to spare. Best part is the girls love their new dresses!

Both dresses were made with Simplicity 4927. It's a simple A-line dress sized from Girls' 3-8. The shape and neckline really hearkens to the mid-late 1960s Mod fashion.

For Abbie's dress I had to cut a size 4 for the bust/shoulder area, a size 6 for the waist, and a size 5 for the hip. I cut it to a size 6 length. Her dress was made with quilting cotton yardage I purchased from my friend Angie. She runs Sew-lutions on Facebook and two Etsy shops: Fabric4U and Patterns4U. She is offering a discount in both of her shops to my readers. As a Sew Damned Creative reader you are entitled to 10% off of $10 or more purchases (S/H not included) in both of her shops. Use code SDCREADER when you buy from her on Etsy.

 

Evie's dress was cut to a size 5 in the bust/shoulder area, a size 7 in the waist, and a size 6 in the hip. I cut it to a size 7 length. Her dress is made with cotton yardage I purchased at Hancock Fabrics last year.

It feels good to get this challenge done. It almost didn't happen. Next up I have to alter a bridesmaid gown into something more prom appropriate for a client before the end of the month. In May I'm going to be making some 1920s inspired lingerie for myself for the Great Gatsby Sewing Challenge.  I'll also be making a 1950s cotton wrap skirt to wear with my bathing suit for the Accessory Inspiration contest at Pattern Review. I'm going to enter that into the natural fiber contest, too, as it will be made in all cotton.

Not So Mad After All

I took another break from the Joan dress because we had unseasonably hot temps here in Maryland and our AC is out of commission. Bleh. No desire to sew when it's hot inside like that. Well, it finally cooled off today and I came back to the lining that I had been working on fitting. The fit is fine but I'm just not crazy about the dress now. The square neckline is not something I'm really into (not sure why I even thought I would want it) and I'd much prefer a princess seamed dress instead of a darted one. So, I scrapped it. I still have the uncut shantung that I plan to make a cocktail dress from, but I'll revisit that idea closer to autumn.

Am I waving the white flag on the Mad Men 2 Challenge? NEVER! I have a backup plan after a quick search of my pattern and fabric stashes. I found two semi-mod looking floral cotton fabrics in yardage that would work for dresses for my daughters. I also came across this adorable little A line dress pattern:

Simplicity 4927

Very workable to look similar to mid-late 60's! And I can totally make two of these in the 6 days I have left. I'm going to have the girls pick out their preferred fabric in the morning. I have enough of both fabrics to make two dresses of each in case the girls want the same fabric.

Changing my mind with 6 days left?! Maybe I am a little mad.

I Must Be Mad!

I totally distracted myself last week with making the slip to go with my Sew for Victory dress. That derailment made me feel awesome when it was finished, though, so totally worth it! Now it's time to get back to work on my Joan inspired dress for the Mad Men Challenge #2 (see button on right).

 

 

Last week I got a package from Amazon that had these two books in it:
 

 

I really wish I had bought Fit for Real People (FFRP) when I first started sewing in 2010. It would have saved me so many headaches and heartaches over failed fitting attempts. I inhaled the entire book that same evening it arrived and thumbed through Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing. I'm looking forward to trying out the projects and techniques in Gertie's book at some point but I knew I could apply things from FFRP to my Mad Men dress right now! 

 

After doing 4 muslins of McCall's 2401 (View C) I've totally lost my mind and decided to start over. I'm incorporating the techniques in FFRP with the pattern tissue. The changes I had made to the back already were spot on with what they say to do. 

 

 

My front, though, oh wow... did I ever have it overly complicated! I changed my wing-it approach to their Y Full Bust Adjustment and now I have a pattern tissue that fits my bust beautifully! It took 20 minutes, not 4 muslins, too!

 

 

Victorious! Sew for Victory Sew Along

I decided a few weeks ago that I would join the Sew for Victory Sew Along hosted by Rochelle at Lucky Lucille (check out the button on the right). It's a 1940's themed sew along and I just love that era. I used a 1948 Simplicity pattern to make my dress. Here it is all finished!

I also needed a slip under the dress because the fabric was semi-sheer. My only (modern) full slip was way too short so I ended up making one from a 1940's Advance pattern. Here it is:

My inspiration:  

My paternal grandparents on their wedding day. June, 1938

My paternal grandmother, a woman who I often considered to be a mother more than a grandmother, was one that would never waste anything. She was born in 1920 and remembered the Great Depression. She spent her days in the 1940s keeping up a farmhouse and raising 4 of her 5 kids (the 5th came in the next decade). One of those 4 children was my father, who was born in 1946, so he was one of the first of the Baby Boom generation. I can imagine her wearing comfortable, simple, but kind of pretty house dresses. She'd have her wedding ring on and pretty much no other jewelry. Baubles were reserved for when she left the house. She'd have on her perfume but not have makeup on in the house. If she was going shopping she would never leave without her lipstick on. That's pretty much all she ever wore. She never fussed with all that other stuff. She'd use her Oil of Olay moisturizer and maybe a little blush, but she'd wear vibrant lip color. Usually some sort of coral or red. She was a natural beauty and really didn't need a lot of makeup to look stunning. During that time she had very dark hair, nearly black, and crystal blue eyes.

A little tidbit: Grandma's baby brother died in WWII. He was an Army Private that was in the group who stormed Normandy Beach. He barely made it to land before he was hit and killed by the Germans. Grandma had his Army picture hanging in her living room and when I was a little girl I asked her when Daddy had been in the Army. My dad looked a lot like her baby brother. She told me who it was in the picture and his story. I hope I never forget that memory.

Advance 6333 Throwing Darts at Gathers

So, after a really good sleep I came back to my progress on Advance 6333 and realized that I was just not loving the cup of the bodice. I am very busty and my bust is fullest at the bottom. Adding lots of gathered fabric where my bust is fullest really wasn't looking good. I decided to pinch out those gathers into darts. I added a side dart and three under bust darts.

With Darts

With Gathers

With Darts
Look at that profile! Hotness!!

With Gathers

Looks so much better on me! Heck, it looks much better on Mathilda, too!  Making this sort of design change really affects the finished slip. It is going to be much more fitted now, so I'll need to add a zipper to the side to get in and out of it. I'll need to redraw the cup to incorporate my changes and to give more length to the bottom side to compensate for the dart. Also, I have decided to use bias binding instead of self fabric like the pattern calls for. Just easier that way and I want to add a little contrast. If I have enough of my binding left over I'll just use it for my straps. If not I'll just use the sky blue cotton.

I also got the back worked on today and had to make a slight adjustment to the top because I have narrow shoulders. I also need to move the attachment point for the straps over about 1/2 inch towards the center. The back really did almost fit perfectly right from the pattern.

I cut out the skirt pieces and have basted together the back of the skirt. I'm sure I'll need to add probably 2 inches to the back and maybe more for the front. I hope to have the entire bodice finished tomorrow and then get started on skirt fitting.

Sidetracked Sewing

After making 4 muslins to work out the fit on my Mad Men dress (yes, 4!!) I really needed to just step away from that project. I'm still not totally happy with the fit and I'm going to start from scratch with tissue fitting. I've recently gotten the book Fit for Real People and I now have a sewing bible! I'm going to incorporate the techniques from that book in my restart. In the meantime I've been impatiently waiting for a sunny day that doesn't feel like winter to photograph my Sew for Victory dress outside. So far one of those hasn't really happened. I realized when I completed the dress that I really need to wear a full slip with it as it is made of slightly sheer fabric. I came across this pattern on eBay and I won it. It's perfect for the dress!

It's in mint condition! I got it for $12. I feel like I got a great deal! I'm making it in a sky blue cotton poplin that has 2% spandex for a little stretch. I got like 10 yards of it on sale a couple years ago and I use it as muslin for slightly stretchy projects.
 

I'm really not the size of the pattern, so I'm going to be making some adjustments. So far I have almost finished the bust. I ended up cutting the piece as is, then cut it into quarters and spread it over me. I filled in the gaps with scraps of the fabric and then cut a new, re-sized piece. I'm so proud of myself for not sticking my breast with a pin when I was doing that! I need to add about a half inch of length from the side seam tapered to the center of the bust. Here's Mathilda modeling what I've done so far:

 

When I finish the bust I'll be tweaking the back just a bit. It almost fits perfectly as is. I think it will need a little shifting of the center, so it will need to be a little narrower. I hope to get the fit worked out of the entire slip later today.  The skirt is all princess seamed panels. Super easy to fix! It will be an easy sew once the fit is taken care of. Crossing fingers that I can get it done and the Victory dress photographed this week. The deadline for that sew along is April 1, 2013. I'm technically done, but I want a modeled photo for the deadline.

So, that's how I'm distracting myself from the little mess the Mad Men dress is.

Mad Men Challenge 2 - I'm In!

I've been bit by the sew along bug in the best sort of way. I've just finished a 1940s style dress for the Sew for Victory sew along (post to come as soon as there is a sunny day for photos). Now that is out of the way I'm on to my dress for the Mad Men Challenge 2 hosted by Julia Bobbin. I hated that I missed out on the first one. I was thrilled that she decided to do it again!  For my dress I'm going to recreate this amazing number that Joan (Christina Hendricks) is modelling in this Season 5 cast photo:

Image belongs to AMC.

The actual dress she is wearing is emerald green and it looks like a jacquard fabric.I hunted and hunted at my local Hancock's but couldn't find an emerald or even an olive green fabric that I felt would justify a cocktail dress. However, I did come across some really pretty chocolate poly shantung.

I wish it were silk, but my local store had no silk at all. I was not impressed. Next time I'll go to JoAnn's that's further down the road. I picked a cotton broadcloth in orange for lining. I prefer to have natural fibers against my skin.

I'm using McCall's 2401, View C with longer (3/4 length) sleeves. I got it on sale for $0.99 when I got my fabric.

 

I cut it to a sort of size 18 but I've had to alter it to death to fit me. It has 3 pattern pieces since I'm not using the facings the pattern comes with due to lining it and I've had to make adjustments for being shortwaisted, and having a very full bust, narrow shoulders, and a swayback.  I have to say, though, that the neckline is laying perfectly on me. I'm so happy about that. I tend to shy away from square necks because they gap with my narrow shoulders and full bust. I'm working on my 3rd muslin now, but here's the second one on Mathilda:

 

It looks a whole lot better on me than it does on Mathilda. She's too rigid to really pull off a wiggle dress. I'm hoping to be done with tweaking after the 3rd one, but I might need a 4th for fine tuning. Then I'll have to work on the sleeves. Luckily I have just over a month before the deadline. It's going to be, hopefully, an amazing cocktail dress when I'm done. I want the fit to be impeccable.

I'm loving the process of working out my fitting issues with this pattern. I think it will be a TNT by the time I'm done. Are you doing this challenge? Leave me a comment with a link to your posts about it.