Marcy Tilton Dress in Batik: Making Progress

I'm trying something new for my latest project -- a pattern that many of you have probably seen floating around in blogland -- the Vogue 8876 pattern by Marcy Tilton.

Image from here.

This pattern is definitely a departure for me. I don't sew a lot of Vogue patterns; I don't wear dresses all that often; and I tend to wear more fitted garments (this one is described as loose-fitting). That said, I just love the little gathered collar and the interesting curved seam lines -- and since I have this great batik fabric from Hawaii that I've been hoarding for a couple of years, I thought I would give this a try. The fronts have interesting pleating and beautiful curved seams!

Some considerations for this pattern:

1. The pattern says it is loose fitting, but I think "very very loose fitting" is more accurate. I traced out a size that is on the lower end of my range for Vogue patterns (size 10), but I think I could have easily gone with the size 8 and it would have fit better.

2. Check the size of the yoke first to make sure it will fit. I ended up decreasing the width by 0.5 inches to be more fitted, which is typical for my petite self. As long as the yoke fits you, you can then play around with the seam lines (side seam and one of the vertical seam lines in front) to adjust the fit.

3. I guess I'm used to a more fitted silhouette, because when I tried this on (I didn't make a muslin), it looked like a big tent. There was a lot of fullness, especially from the bust down. I know it is the style of this dress, but for me, a more fitted bodice is flattering -- not tight, but just a bit closer to the body -- so I ended up taking out a significant amount from the side seams and a bit from the center back seam. Just a note -- I finished all of the vertical seams at that point because I made flat felled seams, so I couldn't use other seam lines to refine the fit. I hand-basted the side seams to refine the fit.

4. A different fabric may have been a better choice. While I envisioned the style would look great in my batik fabric, I think it might be too crisp for this style. A fabric with more drape would probably have made it look less like a big tent, and I may have been able to get away with taking out less from the side seams.

I'm working on the collar and the sleeves now -- very cute so far!

Resources for Couture Sewing With Lace

My lace craze is finally starting to wane -- after three months and three lacy garments! -- so I thought I would compile some of the resources I've accumulated before I move on to new challenges. Lace is intimidating to work with -- it can be expensive, it is delicate and may be ruined with one errant snip, it is impractical for many lifestyles -- but I have to say that the beauty of the finished garment makes it all worth it.

Books and Articles
Bridal Couture by Susan Khalje: I didn't use this for my projects, but when I looked through the book version, it featured a lot of great techniques and would be an invaluable reference for couture sewing, including sewing with lace. I need to get this CD!

Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Schaeffer: Great reference book for couture techniques such as how to work different hand stitches, adding stays, closures, etc. I like how the book is divided by garment type and includes a section on lace.

The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques by Lynda Maynard: This is a good go-to reference book for specific techniques with step-by-step instructions on how to do them. I love the couture waistband technique as well as the bias trim technique for the neckline edges. No lace information, but the book is full of useful techniques that can be used on lace garments.

Threads Magazine has featured lace in various issues, but I found the books to be more useful references.

Fabrics
Maybe it's just me, but I really have to see the lace fabric in person. There are amazing resources online for lace, but it is so difficult to gauge how it drapes, its texture and weight, how the lace pattern actually looks, etc. Also, in many cases, you may want to back the lace with a different fabric and add an underlining as well, so it would be ideal to do this at a storefront.

B and J Fabrics: This store was highly recommended to me for lace. They have a wonderful online presence with a great selection of lace fabrics -- I can't imagine how great the store is in person!

Britex Fabrics: They have a good selection of laces here -- the expensive lace is on the first floor in a roped off corner in the back and the less expensive lace is tucked away on the second floor.

Notions
Good hand-sewing needles and pins: For couture techniques, I used my hand-sewing needles more than my machine!

Tracing paper and tracing wheel: I've never had good luck with tracing paper, but this one is just the best. And the Clover wheel is so much better than the dritz one I have -- more stable when I trace.

Mettler silk-finish cotton thread and various silk threads: The Mettler thread was perfect for hand-sewing and silk threads are a must for all of the hand-basting that is required.

Beeswax to strengthen thread, an assortment of press cloths, a good ham and sharp scissors (large and small).

Happy Mother's Day!

My lilies always seem to bloom right around now -- just in time for Mother's Day!

Having a Rare Retro Moment and Garden Tidbits

I love styles from past decades, especially those from the late 40s, 50s and early 60s (Dior's New Look is an absolute fave), but I'm one of those people who admire from afar rather than dress in retro styles. Recently though, I had my chance. I made a simple little top using the leftover lace from my Guipure Lace Pencil Skirt that allowed me to have my very own sort-of retro moment.

The top pattern is from the March 2013 issue of Burda magazine -- minus the sleeves. It has a simple boat neck and no shaping, so it was easy to sew and, of course, is easy to wear. I backed the lace with silk charmeuse and underlined the top with silk crepe de chine. I love crepe de chine! This was my first time working with it and, while it is slippery, it feels so wonderful. I didn't add a lining, as there was already three layers to work with, so I used hand overcasting to finish the edges. I'm still not very proficient with hand overcasting -- hit or miss on how neat it looks along a given edge -- but I'm working on it! If you look closely, you can see the pick stitches I used to sew the lace to the charmeuse and crepe -- with no lining, I wanted to make sure the wrong side looked as clean as possible.

For the neckline, I finished the silk charmeuse/crepe layer with bias binding using the technique outlined in Lynda Maynard's couture sewing book and then folded the excess lace over it to finish. I like the additional neckline stabilization the bias binding gives.

I've tried it on with the matching skirt and it looks pretty good -- a lot of lace, but pretty!

Also, just a quick thank you to JillyBeJoyful for letting me know the name of these flowers in my yard -- bearded iris! They were planted by the prior owners -- I just get to enjoy them every year!

Even though I'm not a gardening type of person, I've been inspired to beautify our front yard, so I spent some time laying down bark mulch. My first time with mulch -- I'm quite proud of myself! Here's an in-progress shot that shows the difference. Note that the amazing array of roses aren't mine -- I'm grateful for neighbors who love to garden!

Thank You and New Projects

Thank you for all of your lovely comments about my Soutache Lace Trench Jacket! I really appreciate your taking the time to visit.

The Couture Workshop was such a positive experience and I have been trying to apply what I learned to new projects. One of the benefits of taking a workshop where everyone is working on different garments is that you can catch tidbits about different techniques that you may not be using on your particular garment -- but are interested in learning.

I recently made a Simple Navy Dress (to go with the Soutache Lace Trench, of course!) using a gorgeous lightweight wool (I think it is a wool sateen, because one side has a beautiful satin-y finish to it) from Piedmont Fabrics in Oakland. I used silk organza as an underlining and some scrap china silk as the lining. The pattern is from the February 2009 issue of Burda Magazine. It didn't look like much in the pictures, but I have to say that it is a wonderful pattern -- a simple style with a fabulous fit. As I learned in the workshop, I thread-traced all of the stitching lines and guidelines and hand-basted the pieces together for a first fitting.

For such a simple pattern with few pattern pieces, and despite the fact I made a muslin beforehand, I ended up having to make quite a few pattern alterations at this stage. I can see the merits of hand-basting and cutting out wide seam allowances!

I stay-stitched the neckline and armholes (on the fashion fabric and lining) by machine and sewed the lining in around these edges by hand. I then did a row of pickstitches about 0.5 inches away from the edges, which nicely finished the inside lining (these stitches do not show through to the fashion fabric). I loved doing this, even though it took more time and effort. I'm sure couturiers would cringe, but I ended up machine-sewing an invisible zipper down the back because it was the only navy-colored zipper I had. If I had a regular zipper, I definitely would have sewn it in by hand!

As you can see in the photo below, I made some mistakes along the front neckline -- I should have clipped closer and more frequently to accommodate the curve. I may need to re-do some of the pick-stitching as well, as it looks like I may have caught a couple of threads from the fashion fabric. I think some additional pressing is in order as well. Also, I didn't show it, but I accidentally snipped a bit of the lining as I was clipping something! Ugh!

My current project is a simple sleeveless top using the extra lace I have from the Guipure Lace Pencil Skirt. More to come!

Soutache Lace Trench: Finished At Last

It seems like ages ago since I participated in Susan Khalje's Couture Workshop, but I've finally finished the Soutache Lace Trench Jacket that I started during the course!

I prefer to wear it open so the scallops along the CF are visible, but it looks more "trench-like" when I have the belt tied.

The color is a bit washed out because of the lighting, but the base lace fabric is a deep navy blue with a bright white soutache lace stitched along the motifs. While the jacket is unlined, it is composed of three layers: lace fabric, white silk taffeta (love the rustling!) and white silk organza as the underlining. I used scrap silk/cotton batiste for the pockets and the shoulder pad covering. Most of the seams are finished with bias silk organza -- some seams are finished with hand overcasting.

The Successes
1. Burda Magazine pattern from November 2012 (#118). This is a wonderful trench coat pattern. The fit is good, the pattern is well drafted and the princess seaming allows for a lot of fitting opportunities. I shortened it considerably for this project, removed many of the details such as the epaulettes and used an usual fabric for this style, but it still turned out well.

2. Extensive hand basting and stitching. While time-consuming to do, hand-basting and stitching allowed for greater control and accuracy. All of the stitching lines and guidelines were thread-traced first, then the seams were hand-basted for fitting. I machine-stitched the vertical seams, but left room at the hem for hand-stitching to try and match the scallops as best as I could. I set the sleeves in by hand using backstitches, which worked out perfectly because the lace fabric was difficult to ease and the sleeve cap would have been a nightmare using the machine. I used overcast stitch to finish the seam allowances on the sleeve cap, which worked well, as it didn't add bulk but still yielded a good finish. I still need to practice my overcast stitch -- kind of messy in the photo.

3. Covered snaps and covered shoulder pads. It was worth the extra time and effort to cover the snaps with navy silk fabric and make my own covered shoulder pads. I used craft fleece (found in the interfacing section at Joann's) and cut out three layers to create a thin shoulder pad. I pad-stitched all of the layers together and then covered the pad with a piece of bias-cut scrap silk/cotton batiste from my stash. I basted the batiste to the fleece and then hand-stitched around the edge, making sure to keep the rounded shape. To finish, I trimmed the allowance and hand-overcasted the edge.

4. Silk organza selvages. I saved these strips and used them to tape the roll line along the lapels and to stabilize the shoulder seams. They aren't as bulky as regular twill tape and worked well.

5. Learning applique stitch in Susan's Couture Workshop. The technique I learned during the workshop while working on my Guipure Lace Skirt came in handy for this project. I wanted the scalloped edge along the hem as well as along CF. However, I didn't have enough in the layout without having to cut scallops and applique them to the areas I wanted. It's not perfect, but I think you have to look very closely to see the area that was appliqued. From afar, it definitely is not noticeable.

The "Will Improve Next Time" Items
1. Matching the scallops at the hem seam lines. I did the best I could, but the scallops that met at each of  the seam lines along the hem weren't perfect. The wide seam allowances helped in being able to fudge the hem to try and match the scallops, but they are still a bit off. Lesson learned -- be extra cautious when placing the pattern pieces and cutting out motifs.

2. The tracing marks are visible on the inside. I was overzealous when pressing down on the tracing paper, so while they aren't outrageously obvious, they kind of bug me. I'm hopeful that they will disappear over time. Lesson learned -- be gentle when tracing.

3. Think through how thick/thin the belt and belt loops will be. The soutache made the lace fabric somewhat thick and inflexible, so it was difficult to sew normal seams to make narrow belt loops and a belt that wasn't too bulky. I learned the hard way and had to trash a few belt loops. I ended up finishing one raw edge with bias silk organza, overlapping it over the other raw edge and stitching down by hand. Lesson learned -- think about options for making these types of details beforehand.

Overall, I'm really happy with this jacket. While it doesn't have all of the traditional trench coat details, their omission really allows the soutache lace to stand out and be the star. Here's a photo on my dress form -- the lighting allows the details of the lace to be seen more clearly.

Knitting + Sewing: A Little Wrap Top and A Flared Skirt

Soutache Lace Trench update: It is completely finished! But I haven't been able to take photos of it yet -- I'll definitely post once they are taken. It turned out well -- definitely one of the prettiest garments I've ever made.

Meanwhile, I finished a quick little knitting project recently -- a simple wrap top with cap sleeves.

I tested a new stitch -- a pretty openwork pattern with some cables thrown in. The yarn is one of my fave mercerized cottons -- Classic Elite Provence -- in a summery Caribbean Blue. I just love this color for summer, and the stitch pattern is great for a smooth yarn.

I played around with the neckline. I started with a stockinette ruffle and then decided to gather it up at the top edge to create a type of ruched look. The closure is a simple button loop + shell button I had on hand.

The flared skirt is something I made a while back. I'm more of a pencil skirt gal but I thought a flared skirt that is fitted through the hips would look ok on me. I used my Bustle Skirt pattern as a base.

The skirt has a raised waist stabilized with lightweight boning and a curved yoke that is fitted through the hip. The skirt is cut on bias, which gives it a lot of drape. I should have been more cognizant of the stripes and how they would look when cut on bias. Well, it's a lesson learned for next time!