Maroon Skirt

Thursday, November 27, 2014

This one is an oldie that I never photographed, but I figured I would post it. 

This was for a dance performance back in the spring, and most of the dancers got skirts from H&M and such places. I found one but it didn't fit and I figured it wouldn't be hard to make one for cheaper than the price they were asking. 

So, I surveyed Jo-Ann for fabrics that were the right color and would behave right, and they had this nice linen (it might have been a blend, I don't remember) and I bought a yard.

The pattern I stole from an existing skirt I had, which was a jersey knit so when I traced I compensated for that. It's really just a half-circle skirt cut in two pieces with a rectangle waistband. To fit mine on the fabric, I planned to have a center back seam. 

Well, I messed up a bit in the cutting of it and couldn't fit those back panels on the fabric. So, I created a "design detail" in these little triangle insets you see here. I flat-felled those seams for a nice finish.

Then of course I put the zipper on the wrong side and the back became the front, which I don't actually mind because I like having the triangle pieces in front. The seam being in the front irritates me a bit but not, like, a whole bunch. 

The interior of the waistband is hand-whipped down. The non-zipper seam is French, and the zipper seam is on the bias so I just didn't finish it. The center front seam is the selvage. 

The only other thing that bugs me about this skirt is that the interfacing didn't fuse properly on the front waistband so it gets kind of wrinkly. Someday I will go in and fix it.

Overall, though, I adore this skirt and it goes with all kinds of outfits. It behaves well in the washer and dryer, although being linen, it does wrinkle easily (but irons just as easily). I'm definitely considering making a slew of these in different colors!

-Madame Taylor

Late-Summer Shorts

Thursday, September 11, 2014

I say late summer, but in reality today was the first that felt like fall. 

I've been back at school for nearly three weeks now, and this is what I've made so far!

 I bought the pattern (Simplicity 1464) with the intention of making the pants, because I bought some palazzo pants and adore them and I wanted to make some more. However, I wanted a nice swingy rayon challis for that and I didn't find any I loved. So, I got some slightly stretchy printed cotton to make the shorts version. They only took just over a yard, so pretty inexpensive. Plus, the fabric was on sale for $3/yd. Pretty good deal. 

This was my first foray into inset pockets, and I will admit that the actual pocket is way too small to hold much at all! A chapstick and some keys, perhaps. But it was more for looks anyway, and practice. I considered putting white piping along the edge but I didn't have any, so I did this feather stitch embroidery, which I quite like. (I basted two guidelines before I started.) It also serves as topstitching to keep the (contrasting) pocket lining from peeking out.

(Note: the pattern doesn't have pockets; I added them, which is why they were too small.)

The size 14 fit me perfectly, although I discovered halfway through that my needle had been to the right and I'd been sewing 1/2" seams the whole time! I might do that on purpose for the pants when I make them, because otherwise they might end up too small. 

Stats:

Time: 5-51/2 hours (under 4 for the shorts, the rest for the embroidery.)

Cost: $6 for the pattern on eBay, just over $3 for fabric, plus a stash zipper, interfacing, and thread.

Pattern: Simplicity 1464

Frustration: None with the actual pattern, just silly mistakes of my own!

First worn: Not yet!

I can only hope there will be another day warm enough to wear these, otherwise I'll probably just throw on some tights underneath because they're too cute to wait until next spring! 

-Madame Taylor

I made a TARDIS skirt!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Well, it's been a while! To be honest, I haven't really been making much, though. College keeps me busy! Over spring break, though, I finally made this skirt which I've been planning for over a year (I went back and found sketches of it in my notebook from probably last October) so that's good!

 It's made of cotton, with a pattern I drafted myself. The side seams are machine done but crazy me decided to spread the seams, turn them under, and hand-whip them down. I don't know what that seam finish is called but it looks nice! A lot of work though. I did the zipper by hand too because I needed to make it work easily from both sides. It's still a little awkward to zip from the plain black side, but it works! 

The TARDISes were stenciled with contact paper and acrylic paints. I put them on a separate piece of fabric so the paint wouldn't seep through, and then sewed it on. 

I'm quite satisfied with it! Hopefully, I'll be able to post some of the other things I've made soon.

-Madame T

Graduation Dress

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Several months late, I know. I'm at college now, but I thought I'd post about my high school graduation.

I made my dress which I wore under my graduation gown. Not many people got to see it but I think it'll be a good sundress for the future too.

And here is the back:

I used Simplicity 4070 for the bodice, and simply cut the skirt as rectangles. I also substituted a smocked back panel instead of a zippered one, cutting it about three inches wider. It's lined with muslin and it has pockets! Sadly I underestimated the size needed for pockets so I can't fit my hands in them but I can carry a chapstick! 

Bonus: my graduation cap. 

It's partially paint and partially fabric scraps! The girl is dressed in scraps from my prom dress. 

-Madame Taylor

Prom Dresses

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Well, it's been a while. I'm a bad blog owner, I know. But I want to share some things, beginning with my prom dress!

I took inspiration from early 1900's styles, mostly because of the 1912/2012 thing going on this year and all the fashion interwebs going on about the Titanic.

This dress was fabulous. I patterned the bodice from the laurel dress in Patterns of Fashion 2. The skirt is half an oval and then a wedge. The lavender fabric was this weird polyester stuff that was matte, was heavy but flowed like it was light, and barely frayed at all. I have no idea what it was, but it's great.The bodice is boned with leftover cable ties from my 18th century stays! 
The lace overdress I draped on, it's pretty simple. And the black net, same thing. It didn't come out exactly as planned but I like it. The velvet belt is an heirloom! And I have a wonderful train! I hemmed all of that by hand.

I also made the blue dress in the following pictures. It was a commission from the lovely lady wearing it. It was based on a picture of a dress she found online but couldn't buy. The bodice is from a commercial pattern, and I drafted the rest. She's wearing a large floofy petticoat underneath.
We're all sweaty in this picture, it was taken after three hours of dancing! And she has the tulle overlay gathered up because it was pretty long. And here she is with her boyfriend. I didn't make his vest.
So prom was a lot of fun! I went with like 8 people to this hibachi restaurant beforehand.
Hopefully I can get a post about my graduation dress up before too long!

-Madame Taylor