Author: Michelle

That Dress Revisited Part 1

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

My hubby and I are part of a dinner group that meets once a month. We’ve been meeting for the better part of 10 years, and have a lot of fun. We’ve tried recipes from all over the globe. Sometimes we get dressed up, sometimes not. There was one PJ night; we all brought our favorite comfort food. Conversely, there was an Academy Award Night. Everyone wore black tie, and one couple arrived in a helicopter! Another special night you might remember was our Valentine Dinner almost two years ago.

 That Dress

My dress-shopping-friend is part of our dinner group, and after trying on all those gorgeous dresses, I suggested we dress up for our Christmas dinner. She was hosting, and said no. She had too much work to do to get everything ready. I understood.

I found out I wasn’t the only one who wanted to dress up. One of the husbands in our group requested we dress up too. My friend decided since a few of us wanted to dress up, we’d dress up.

I was hoping to make the McCall’s 7684, but by time this was announced, I had less than a week to make it! I still tried.

The Pattern

I’ve already shared a bit about how closely this pattern matches the dress I saw and loved.  Here they are side-by-side. That’s the same skirt, same tie, same pockets, same zip in the back. The top is a little different, but that’s it. What a wonderful pattern!

My Materials

 I got the pattern. I bought some gorgeous materials too. I bought a lovely stretch velour for the top, which is closer to the original dress’ design which is a knit top. I also bought a gorgeous rich black and red brocade for the skirt.

 Pattern Hack

The first thing I had to deal with is the pattern has a dart in it and I know I’m going to need a Full Bust Adjustment (FBA). That’s fine. I’ve done FBAs before, but never on a waist dart. I think I drew it out four or five times, and still wasn’t sure. I didn’t have time to make a muslin either. By time I was ready to cut, it was three days until the party.

I decided to change the pattern. I pulled out my hallå Agnes pattern and traced off the top. I’ve used it to make a few tops. It’s designed for a knit, and my material is knit. I’d decided it would work.

First Attempts

Well, it was a sad, stressful day of sewing. The first top I cut out of the stretch velour was a bit tighter than I wanted. The stretch velour didn’t have the same amount of stretch as the cotton Lycra I’d used in the summer, and in my rush, I didn’t even check how much stretch the velour had.

I added a little more seam allowance to the pattern and cut out a second top from the remainder of my fabric. This second one was just fine.

Then, I messed up the neckband.

I didn’t think about the direction of stretch when I cut the band. I only had a little bit of material left, and I was rushing and feeling stressed. There was only one direction I could cut the bands for the neck and arms, and it was the wrong direction.

I only realized it was the wrong direction after trying to serge it to the neckline.

My Hubby

I called my hubby and told him I’d messed up the top. Twice. By this time I only had one day left to make the whole dress. Not one to give up, I ask him, ‘Should I go buy more material for the top?’

He didn’t think I should – at least not to try to make the dress for the party. He suggested I buy more material and make a muslin, and in the meantime we go dress shopping. What a sweet hubby!

Guess what I found on sale? My dress! The dress I loved from first look, and made me feel beautiful when wearing it.

I think you know what I wore to my Christmas dinner. Next week I’ll share all about our dinner.

Plans

I am not giving up on sewing myself the McCall’s dress though. I have some new material for the top, and it’s one of my projects I have planned for this year.

Happy creating!

2017 Wrap-Up

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

I don’t usually do a wrap-up post, but this year I started out saying I was going to finish some unfinished projects, so I thought it would be fun to look back and see how I did.

2017’s UFOs

 I started off the year mentioning a few things on an ever-continuing sewing list I just wasn’t finishing. I did finish a few of them.I don’t want to cover everything I did this year – just a few highlights.

January, February, & March

In January, I worked on my personal croquis. This is something I’d wanted to do for a while, but had put off. I don’t know why I put it off for so long. I love it! It’s come in handy so many times, especially to digitally try on clothes to see how they’ll fit. 

January also saw me work on the Raspberry Ripple bag, which I finished in February.

In March, I drafted my first bra using the Drafting information in the Bra Makers Manual Vol 2. Although it looked okay, it didn’t fit properly. I hadn’t splayed my wires enough. Lesson learned and changes applied to the next draft.

April, May, & June

May is when I discovered the hallå agnes pattern. I love this pattern! I made five of them over the next couple of months. I have plans to make a few with sleeves for winter.

July, August, & September

In July, I helped organize the Canada 150 – It’s in the Bag blog tour. I also made my first Canada bag.I ultimately made four Canada bags, three of which are now in Columbia. I used the free Miss Maggie pattern by Emmaline Bags. This is a great pattern. I have plans for more Miss Maggies.

In August, I made another bra draft, and a Cloth Habit Watson bralette.

September was a big bra month. I made two more bra drafts, and another  Watson for Em.  

October, November, & December

In October, I helped to organize another blog tour. This time it was Canada Cups – Coming Unwired blog tour. I made a lovely Pin-Up Girls Sweet Sixteen bralette for myself. This is such a great pattern for having so many sizes. It’s supportive and pretty. What more can a girl want?In November, I helped organize one more blog tour. This time it was the ChrisW Designs Global Blog tour. For this tour I made the Serendipity Hip pattern for a friend.December came and saw one more bra draft, well two actually. The first draft didn’t fit and I wasn’t really expecting it to fit. That first draft of December led to a perfectly fitting draft. I’m ready to start bra-making again in the New year. What a great way to end my bra-making year!

Unfinished Business

   I still have a couple of things on my sewing list from this year that didn’t get finished.

Here’s the list that’s been sitting on my desk:

  • bra pattern
  • test bra pattern
  • read up on bag dividers
  • make a pattern for a bag divider
  • sew Raspberry Ripple.

Out of all of that, I did the first three. I found a pattern with a bag divider so skipped the forth one. There’s still one Raspberry Ripple all cut out and interfaced just waiting for me. I think that will be one of the first things I sew in 2018.

I said starting off, that my sewing list is ever-continuing. There are projects I’ve added for my 2018 sewing list.

  • I want to work on the design or style of my drafted bra pattern and sew a bra or two or three or four…
  • I have two lap quilts to sew.
  • A friend wants a robe.
  • I want to sew another handbag or two.
  • I have material to sew two winter Agnes tops.

That’s a few things to get me started in 2018.

Happy New Year, and happy creating!

Noodlehead Range Backpack

~ Michelle

I had a request to make a backpack, and it’s a first for me. The pattern I used was great, and really helped me. It was all very clearly explained, and it didn’t take very long while making it for me to feel more confident and that I really could make a backpack.

The Range Backpack

I chose the Noodlehead Range Backpack. This is for a teen girl. I thought it looked a little more modern, and it might be preferable over a traditional-looking backpack.

    As well as making the backpack, I’m making a matching Blue Calla Clematis Wristlet, which is a free pattern. 

My Version of the Backpack

 Here’s my first backpack. I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. My son’s girlfriend, Em, gave me these materials. She’d made a bag out of the one with pink wavy stripes. Both materials are canvas, so they’re nice and sturdy for a backpack.

The backpack has an expandable zippered pocket on the front of the bag.As well as all the basics like straps and hanging hook on the back.Em may have provided the material, but all the hardware is from Emmaline Bags. And I had to add a little extra when I bought the hardware.   I used the same fabric I used for the contrasting bottom to line the bag. Seeing as the lining peeks out when the bag is folded over, I thought it might bring it together nicely.The Noodlehead Range Backpack is a great pattern. I had no trouble following it at all.

The Wristlet

 The Wristlet was another first-time pattern for me. I’ve had it in my pattern stash for a little while now, but hadn’t made it yet. I hadn’t made anything by Blue Calla. It was another pleasant surprise as there were no issues at all while sewing it up.The material I used for the inside of the wristlet was also given to me by Em. She had a small stash and said I’d probably use it before her. Thank you, Em.

The backpack and wristlet have been mailed to their new home, and I had to add a couple of little friends too. I hope they’re all loved and enjoyed.Merry Christmas, and Happy Creating!

Oh That Dress!

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

Recently, a friend asked me to go ‘Black Tie’ dress shopping with her. That sounded fun, so we made plans.

She had a shop in mind, so we went through all the dresses there to see what was appropriate for a black tie event.

  Gorgeous Dresses

 My friend tried on a number of dresses, but only two were lovely enough to really consider.

This adorable cocktail dress looked great on her, but wasn’t suitable for a black tie event. It just looked too good on her not to be included in her final list. This is the evening gown she bought for the event. It’s gorgeous and it really flattered her figure.  

Having Fun

 After helping my friend pick out so many lovely dresses, and seeing her try them on, I couldn’t resist trying on a dress or two.

This was the first gown I tried on. I loved this, but it did not love me back. I should know this styling is not flattering to my shape as I’ve been curvy all my life – even when I was a size 5. You can see on my croquis below, it isn’t flattering. It looked worse in real life.

No, that was not the right style for me. It was very easy to pass it up no matter how nice it looked on the hanger.

The next dress was a lot harder to pass up.  

While my friend was debating her dresses, I tried this one on.

I had to snap a photo of me in the dress too. When you try something on and feel pretty… it stands out.

Here’s the dress from the back:  

Ooh, it’s so lovely.

 I came home and looked for a pattern that was similar. I didn’t have to look far.

McCall’s 7684

McCall’s 7684 view C looks almost exactly the same. Same skirt, belt, zip up the back, pockets. The top is different.

I phoned the fabric store to see if patterns were on sale and they were! I was off to pick it up right away.Here are the dresses side by side:Here’s just view C:
 I’m so happy I went dress shopping with my friend. We really did have fun! I’m even happier I found this pattern.

That’s enough dreaming for me. It’s time to get back to work on all those Christmas gifts I said I’d sew.

Happy creating!

A Few Gifts

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

Before I can get back to sewing just for me, I had to finish a few sewing projects I promised to make for others.

Sewing Gift One

  Em, my son’s girlfriend, was over not too long ago, and she saw a small stash of material. She asked what I was doing with it, and I said I was donating it. I don’t like to keep things I’m no longer using, or don’t have plans to use.

She loved the one material and thought her mom would like it too. Would I make an Infinity scarf?

I searched around for a pattern, and found there was very little difference between all the patterns out there. Most call for 2 yards of material.

I had just over a meter of material, so I was beginning to think this wouldn’t work. Then I found a pattern that was one yard. I whipped up this scarf. 

This turned out so nicely, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of this myself. But the material was already claimed by Em, so maybe next time I’ll think of making a scarf. Here’s the side view. 

The only disadvantage to only having one meter of material is this scarf won’t double wrap. It’s thick as it is, so should still be nice and warm.

Sewing Gift Two

This next gift was some material brought back from Africa by a friend. She brought it back for another friend, but that friend doesn’t sew. Would I help?

I thought an apron would get some nice use, so that’s what we decided to do. I looked for a simple pattern that would show the material’s design, and found one. 

The material is waxed cotton, and it was a first for me to sew with it. It’s a bit more challenging than regular quilters’ cotton, but not too hard.

This is a reversible apron, so there’s no right or wrong way to wear it. 

It came together really well, and has good coverage. I heard our friend loves it.

 I have two more gifts to sew up. I’m making the Noodlehead Range backpack, and the Blue Calla Clematis wristlet.

Both bag photos are from their websites.

This will be my first time making a backpack. It’s also my first time sewing a Blue Calla pattern. I’ll share more on both of these once I sew them up.

I’ve had a few firsts this gift-sewing season. Once this is done, I’m back to bra drafting.

Happy creating!

Another Draft

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

I just finished another bra draft. And it’s not perfect, but it’s awfully pretty.

Draft Six?

To be honest, I’ve lost count of exactly how many drafts I’ve done. I’ve drafted a whole bunch of times to practice what I’m doing, but haven’t made them all up.  This is an ivory bra with a lace upper cup. It looks lovely, but the cup is a little bit too small.

Here’s the side view.

Despite this not fitting perfectly, I’m pretty pleased with how well it all turned out. I’m definitely learning with each draft I draw and sew up. This time around there were no oversights or mistakes like in previous attempts.I used gold-toned rings and sliders. I thought they’d look really pretty with the ivory, and they do!

The Good News

This bra not fitting perfectly isn’t all bad news. The band fits perfectly. I won’t need to make any changes to that at all. The previous bands were all a bit too big, or gaping here or there. This one is good.

 In the Bra-Makers Manual Vol. 2, Beverly Johnson says measurements should be taken while wearing a good fitting bra. This has been a big part of my problem.

Although the Conturelle bra I have fits, the cup material has stretch, so taking measurements in this bra gives me great measurements for another stretch bra, but not for a more supportive one made from duoplex.

With this sixth draft, I was able to take my measurements, and re-drafted one more time with those new measurements.

Things I Did Right

   So, how did that seventh draft work? It fits! It FITS!

I can’t even begin to express how happy I am right now. I never dreamed I’d make my own pattern from measurements, sew it up, and it fit.

  It looks a sight though. I said it looked a sight!

Number six became my tester bra frame because the frame fit but the cups didn’t. I re-drafted only the cups, and sewed them into the tester frame. It’s the tester frame that’s sticking out on the outside. To make things look even worse, well, actually, to make it easier to unpick to reuse the tester frame, I used black thread. 

If anyone is interested in how I made the tester frame, let me know and I’ll do a post on that.

Now to break into my stash and celebrate with a new bra.

Happy creating!

The Winners of the Serendipity Hip Patterns

~ Michelle

Thank you to everyone who made a comment either about my ‘Hip Mountie’ bag, or the contest. A lot of you know your commercials – even some non-Canadians got it right Good for you!

If you haven’t seen the commercial before, here it is. Just remember our Canadian humor (humour), and know that although we’re intensely proud to be Canadian, we also keep our tongue pretty firmly in our cheek most of the time.

Congratulations to… Amy, and Mandy! I’ll be sending out an email with your code for you to claim your free Serendipity Hip PDF pattern.

Come back later for the wrap up post and to enter to win one of the prizes from the Rafflecopter draw.

Happy creating!

ChrisW Designs Global Blog Tour – Serendipity Hip Pattern

~ Michelle ~ 55 Comments

Welcome to my little corner of the blog sphere from here in Canada!

I was asked to be a part of the Chris W Designs tour, and I couldn’t resist!

 It was one of Chris’ designs I first fell in love with that made me want to make my own bags. I’d been searching the internet for handbag patterns to sew myself, and I found this:This is Evelyn. Isn’t she lovely? I love everything about this. If I could only find this same material. I’ve kept this photo on the wall in front of my desk for sewing inspiration!

A Journey to Get Here

My bag-making has taken a round-about journey to making a Chris W Designs (CWD) pattern though.

After that initial searching, my first and second bags ended up being made following video classes. Being a very visual learner, it really helped me to start that way.

After both of those, I felt ready to tackle a pattern without a video. I chose an easy bag, and made a few of them. With a few successes behind me, I felt ready to branch out. It was at that point this tour was mentioned to me. Perfect timing! I really do feel like I’m coming full circle.

My Tour Make

 For my make on this tour… I’m still not making an Evelyn! Can you believe it? No, this time around I’m making a bag for a friend. She loves cross-body bags, so that’s what I’m making her.This is the Serendipity Hip bag. CWD graciously gave me this pattern to make for the tour. I think my friend will love it!

The Materials

This year marked Canada’s 150th birthday. To celebrate, there were lots of Canadian-themed fabrics. My friend has family members who are RCMP. Do you know what the RCMP are? They’re the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, often referred to as Mounties. These are our police.

So, seeing as my friend has a close connection, I couldn’t resist this adorable Mountie motif fabric, after all, I Am Canadian.Along with the Mountie material, I chose a dark red that coordinated, and a Native print to contrast for the lining.

How Did I Do?

  So after following videos and only making an easy bag pattern, are you wondering how I did? I found CWD patterns to be very well explained. Whew. That was a relief for me. Each step is not only well explained, but most steps come with a photo to show the step as well. Oh, I love photos to help me understand.

Something else that impressed me were there were even pattern pieces for rectangles. I can’t tell you how many patterns don’t include those, and I find them really helpful. I can get numbers mixed up sometimes, so I’m always double and triple checking them, so having that pattern piece instead of simply saying a 20″ x 8″ piece or whatever – it makes a difference for me.

My Finished Bag

 Here’s my finished bag:

I really think this is charming with all those little Mounties. The pattern front features a large slip pocket with a cell pocket inside, as well as a front zippered pocket. That’s three pockets before you’re even inside the bag. I was impressed.

Here’s a photo with something in each of the front pockets. The inside has another zipper pocket, and a card pocket with a small slip pocket behind it.There are lots of pockets! That seems to be a theme of CWD’s bag patterns.

Here’s the back of my ‘Hip Mountie’ bag.No pockets here, just Mounties! I really love this bag.

Bling

I had to do a few little bling things for this bag too. A little Sewn zipper pull.   And a leather tassel because I made an extra one with my last bag and it matched this bag too! My hardware came from Emmaline Bags.

Those Straps

For the straps, I used something I’d read on Chris’ blog: Jazzy Straps. This style of straps have made an appearance on a few of the bags in this tour. They give more of a pop to an otherwise basic part of the bag. Here are mine from the front:And from the back:I love these straps! Adding that extra bit of color takes them from basic and functional to not-at-all-plain, and makes them another feature of the bag.

Something For You

  Chris has also given each of us bloggers two of the patterns we’ve made to give to our readers. So, I have two Serendipity Hip PDF patterns to give away! Thank you, Chris! Not only is Chris giving each blogger 2 patterns to give away, but all her patterns are on sale this week! 20% off. Check out the code below.

 So for my give away, I want to make this fun. I mentioned a well-known line from a Canadian commercial. What commercial is it? Comment on my blog, and Marsha (Flying by the Seam of my Pants) will randomly pick two numbers out of how many have answered correctly. I’ll announce the winners tomorrow when I post tomorrow’s blogs for the tour. As well, I won’t approve correct comments until after the draw is finished. (This draw is closed now, but if you want to still comment, please do.)

If you don’t know the answer, I’d still love to hear what you think of the tour, and my Hip Mountie bag.

If you love all of the designs you’ve been seeing of Chris’, check her out on Instagram, and on her Facebook group.

Below are all the details on what you can save now, and the prizes to be won! Those prizes wouldn’t be there without the amazing generosity of our sponsors.

Thank you!

Tour Discounts

  • ChrisW Designs is taking 20% off all patterns until end of day (Australian Central Standard Time) November 21. Code GlobalBlogTour17 (applied automatically with this link. Buy without fear: If you purchase during the tour and then win a pattern, your purchase price will be refunded.
  • Handbag Hardware Australia (aff link) is offering a 10% discount for the duration of the tour. Use code: CWD10. (Excludes interfacing and Emmaline Bling.)
  • Bobbin Girl has a 10% discount using code BLOGTOUR17. (Not to be combined with any other discount or rewards points.)
  • Gold Star Tool is taking 15% off for our tour readers. Use code chriswdesigns.
  • Zipit (aff link) is also offering a 10% discount on shop items. Use code chriswdesigns. As well, you must be signed in and the discount is applied to your cart after you add your items.

Giveaway (This giveaway has ended.)

Prizes:

a Rafflecopter giveaway (wait for the end of the tour for this!)

Tour Schedule

(Australia Central Standard Time)


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Sunday, November 12

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Monday, November 13

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Tuesday, November 14

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Wednesday, November 15

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Thursday, November 16

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Friday, November 17

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Saturday, November 18

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Tuesday, November 21

  • Giveaway winners announced on all the blogs:

ChrisW Blog, Glitter in my Coffee, Michelle’s Creations, Flying by the Seam of my Pants, Serial Bagmakers, Tiger in a Tornado, Vanaehsa, Judith Stitches and More, Doctora Botones, Sewsewilse, Suck It Up Buttercup, Vicky Myers Creations, Marvelous Auntie M, inspinration, Fée bricolo, Trisha’s Craft Corner

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