Finished! Butterick 6167 in Flocked Faille

I'm also calling this the "Meta Dress" because it has little dresses flocked on it! Dresses on dresses, readers. YES. This is my pattern design B6167 done up in my new flocked faille, just out at Joann.

I did make a couple changes to the pattern. First, I used a contrast fabric for the bust inset and the straps. It's a black tulle flocked with tiny dots all over it, a perfect match for the main fabric. Here's a picture of the texture.

I layered the tulle over black Kona cotton for opacity. When you use a sheer for the gathered inset, you will probably want to cut two of the bust stay: one for the lining, and one to underline the gathered inset with (this way you don't see the inside of the stay through the sheer fabric). Here are my two bust pieces during assembly. The gathered tulle is basted to the second bust stay, and the second bust stay is for the lining (note that it also has a strip of white fusible interfacing to stabilize the neckline).

I also changed the skirt design. The original design was made up in my rose sateen border print, so the skirt was a gathered rectangle.

The faille, however, doesn't gather very nicely because of its stiffness. So I used a three-quarter circle skirt pattern I have instead. I just measured the pattern pieces before cutting to make sure everything would fit together and match at the side seams.

I also added a little glitter velvet ribbon underneath the bust, with a bow at center front. I liked the idea of having a little "border" between the bust inset and the midriff.

I also wore a black satin belt with it for extra vintage flair. Also, a chiffon petticoat!

As for matching the print along the seams: I had great intentions of doing it on all the seams, until I realized that I would have to drastically shift the grainlines on the side bodice pieces to make that work. So I made do with matching the dresses along the center back seam, as you can see in the photo above.

Construction-wise, I made a small amount of changes. This pattern design was originally conceived as a casual sundress, so the pattern only calls for boning at the center back and the side seams. As this is a more formal look, I decided to add more structure. (Also, I love using steel boning so much that I get a little carried away!).

I added extra channels on the princess seams below the bust and diagonally on either side of the bust. Here's a picture of the inside of the bodice lining. 

I used black sew in interfacing for the outer bodice. You can press the faille lightly, but it's better to now use too much steam or pressure on flocking. So sew-in interfacing is best. You can baste it to your fabric by hand or machine (but only if the machine doesn't cause puckering).

I made my waist stay in lavender petersham.

As for the fit. I used my bodice lining as my muslin, and it worked out just fine. I made a size 12, which had to be taken in just a little at the side seams. I also had to raise the waist seam 1/4". I made the A/B cup size, which fit very well. I'm so glad this pattern also has C and D cup sizes, as the bust fit is so important.

I'm so loving this dress. It feels like it was made for dancing. And it's been wonderful having time to sew things in my patterns and fabrics. I hope you're enjoying the results!

Gertie Fabrics Are Here!

What an insanely busy few weeks this has been, readers! I took a whirlwind trip out to Puyallup for the Sewing and Stitchery Expo and got back just in time for two weeks of photo shoots for my upcoming Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book. In the midst of it all, my first line of fabric was released! Joann Fabrics now has the full Gertie line in stores. I was so excited when I saw them in my local store in Poughkeepsie, NY!

Would you like to know what each fabric is? Yes? Okay, here we go.

First, a classic rose print on a swiss dot! This is lightweight and textured, and would be perfect for blouses and dresses.

Swiss Dot Roses

I have my freshman design students at Marist College make tank tops as a first project, and I sewed my sample in this rose print. You can see the swiss dot texture here!

Here's another swiss dot with a floral-bow stripe print! This was inspired by Horrockses dresses of the '40s and '50s. I would love to see this with a chevron design on a bodice, like Vintage Vogue 8789.

Swiss Dot Stripe

Next, a rose border print with polka dots on cotton sateen.

Border Print Rose Sateen

I designed Butterick 6167 specifically with this print in mind. Here it is on display in Puyallup!

Is it okay to have a favorite fabric in your own collection? Because mine might be this one. Huge roses in lovely pink and red tones on a black background. This is also a sateen. My next project is to make a half circle skirt in this for spring.

Sateen Rose in Black 

It also comes in coral and yellow on cotton poplin! I want to make a HUGE full-skirted dress in this to go flouncing about in.

Coral Rose Poplin

Of course, we couldn't do without a tropical floral print sateen. This would be perfect in a Shaheen-esque pattern like my Butterick 6019.

Tropical Floral Sateen

Cherries! We have them on an aqua background in a heavenly rayon challis with an amazing drape.

Cherries on Aqua Rayon Challis

And on a white background on crisp cotton poplin.

Cherries on White Cotton Poplin

Another favorite: KITTIES. This is inspired by a 40s novelty print and is done on a poly chiffon with a sheer windowpane background. I was hesitant about polyester, but when I felt this one I was so in love! It has a really nice hand and feel to it. (Also, the grey kitty is my Henry. Obviously.) I'm going to be making the "40s-Style Blouse" from Gertie Sews Vintage Casual in this print. More to come.

Poly Dobby Chiffon Kitties

Also on the poly windowpane chiffon: BOWS!

Poly Dobby Chiffon Bows

Don't worry, I didn't forget the doggie lovers. Poodles and polka dots on cotton lawn. Squee!

Poodle Dot Lawn

Next, a mini-collection of three grey chambrays. These are all cotton and feel so nice. In little white bows:

Chambray Bow Print

Pink cherries.

Chambray Cherry Print

And red polka dots:

Chambray Polka Dot Print

Embroidered strawberries! This is on a medium weight ribbed-texture cotton.

Embroidered Strawberry Cotton

And finally (whew!): a really cool novelty weave fabric. It's a swiss dot cotton with polka dot chiffon "pinwheels" appliqued on top. This is super special and would make a beautiful full circle skirt.

Embroidered Swiss Dot in Black 

It also comes in pink!

Embroidered Swiss Dot in Pink 

Well, there they are! They are in Joann stores and on their website (which ships to the US and Canada. I will be doing a giveaway for international readers, so look out for that soon). I really hope you like them, readers. I would love to extend a huge thanks to Fabric Traditions, who made the line a reality, my supporters at Butterick, and of course Joann Fabrics and their dedicated sewing-obsessed employees.

Now that all my sewing for the dress book is done, I plan to spend some time making myself a spring wardrobe in these fabrics. More to come!

Brown Hair, Puyallup, and More!

Well, the deed is done! I'm back to my (kinda sorta) natural hair color. It required an enormous amount of work to get it to this shade, so I can hardly think of it as really natural. But I'm sure it's someone's natural hair color. My big photo shoot for Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book is mere days away, and I have a closet full of 25 dresses ready to go. I'm happy with the color, and think it will make a nice neutral "accessory" for the frocks. I'll admit that I'm kind of fried from prepping for this shoot and I'm looking forward to the downtime from when it's over. I'm already planning what I'll sew for fun and relaxation! (Gracious, this sewing stuff is addictive.)

In the meantime, I'm headed to Puyallup for the Sewing & Stitchery Expo! Perhaps I will see some of you there? I'll be in the McCall's/Butterick/Vogue booth on Saturday (I'll be there all day signing books and such) and we're going to announce the Gertie's Grand Giveaway winner! There were so many amazing entries, and Butterick has created this super cool look book of all of them. It's so amazing seeing all these fantastically creative versions of my patterns!

Thank you so much to all who entered! I can't wait to reveal the big winner!

My Butterick Lingerie Pattern: Choosing Fabric

I've received some comments from readers wondering why I chose to design Butterick 6031 for stretch fabrics only. Vintage slips were always made from woven fabrics, usually nylon. For some reason, I don't find woven slips comfortable, even if there's some lycra woven into the fabric. I'm not a vintage purist (as if the purple hair and tattoos didn't tell you that!), so I decided to look into other options.

My favorite slip of all time is one that I purchased years and years ago from Anthropologie. It was a slinky blush knit that glided over the body and kept my dresses looking smooth. I wore that thing to pieces. Unfortunately, I could never find another like it! It was similar to this beautiful stretch slip by indie brand Ti Mo.

I spent a lot of time researching what kind of fabric the Anthro slip was made from and looking for something similar. The best thing I found was this fabric called Micro Stretch Jersey from Berenstein Textiles. 

Here's what this fabric looks like when it drapes: slinky!

Online, you can find it at Emma One Sock under the name Venezia Stretch Lining. She has a selection of neutral colors. I highly recommend this site; I've been thrilled with every fabric I've ordered from them! (Note: the Emma One Sock listing says this fabric is a poly/lycra blend, instead of nylon/tencel. I've found conflicting info on the fabric content, and I'm not sure which is the most current.)

I also know that B&J Fabrics in New York carries this fabric in many colors. You can call them at 212-354-8150 to order.

If you prefer all natural fibers, silk jersey is a good option for this slip. However, keep in mind that it doesn't stretch as much as lycra-blend jerseys, so you may need to cut a size or two larger than normal.

Do any of you have a slinky knit to recommend for this type of design? Please share! I will be doing more research to find online options before I begin the sew-along for the slip, so stay tuned.

Tips for Sewing with Velvet

Ah, velvet. So lovely, yet so cruel. This is a fabric that seems to have a mind and body of its own. It moves without warning, shifts inches away from where you want it, and worst of all--gets ruined at the mere suggestion of bring pressed.

Quick note: Silk/rayon velvet (like the blue fabric I made the dress above in) is drapey and soft. Cotton velvet tends to have a thicker feeling to it, with more body. Cotton or synthetic velvets have the same challenges as silk velvet, since they all have a pronounced nap. Silk velvet can be a little trickier to handle and cut because of it's slippery feel.

The trickiness of sewing velvet can all be blamed on its nap. The nap (or "pile") refers to the texture of the velvet--the little hair-like fibers that stand up, creating a luxurious fabric that feels heavenly to the touch. The nap is tricky to sew because:


1. It has a direction, just like a cat's fur grows in a certain direction. If you pet the cat in the opposite direction, the fur stands up and looks messy. And the cat gets kind of pissy, too. Velvet's the same way.

2. The pile shifts easily. Imagine trying to sew two pieces of carpet together, with the furry sides together. They would shift up and down as the pile tried to settle itself in a flattened position. The pile can slide back and forth, causing unpredictable movements in your fabric.

3. The pile can get crushed with improper pressing. Crushed pile creates these weird shiny spots on your garment, and it's impossible to get the pile to stand up again.

Now that you (hopefully) understand velvet a bit better, here are some tips that work well for me:


Cutting and Marking

*Lay the fabric out with the wrong sides together. Any time you put the napped sides of velvet together, it starts to do its shifty dance thing. Keeping the smooth sides together helps keep it in place while cutting.

*Try using a rotary cutter and mat so you don't have to lift the velvet as you cut it.

*Transferring marks: I used waxed tracing paper and marked just inside the marked lines of darts in case the tracing wheel disturbed the nap. The other option is tailor's tacks.

Pressing

*Do not EVER touch the fabric with the iron. Steam, while holding the iron about an inch away from the fabric. Use your fingers to coax seam allowances open after steaming.

Sewing

*Baste! Hand baste your seams before sewing. A double row of basting works best: one row of basting on either side of your seamline.

*Hold the fabric taut as you sew, holding the fabric out in front of and behind the presser foot.

Lining/facings

*Consider using an easy-to-sew fabric for your linings or facings. For my blue velvet dress, I lined the bodice in cotton voile. It feels nice against the skin and reduces the stress level of sewing a bit. When you're lining in slippery silk or rayon, you have two difficult fabrics to deal with instead of just one.

*For facings, don't use velvet. Any time you can avoid sewing velvet right sides together, you should take advantage of it. Find a coordinating, non-napped fabric.

Stabilizing

*Stabilize necklines with staystitching or strips of silk organza hand stitched to the neckline.

*Do not use anything fusible--interfacing should be the sew-in kind. You can use muslin if it matches the weight and drape of your fabric well.

Closures

*I prefer to do a hand-inserted zipper. If you must do a machine-inserted zipper, use two rows of basting before stitching on the machine.

I hope this was helpful! Please let me know if you have any questions about velvet.

Trending: Novelty Print Cotton Dresses

Remember this delightfully obnoxious quilting cotton I brought back from ASE? I was browsing Modcloth the other day and found a dress made out of it:

"Good Enough to Eat Dress" from Modcloth

It's kind of great, right? I was originally going to make pajamas out of this fabric, but now I'm sorely tempted to make a frock. (The fabric is called "Midnight Snack" by Alexander Henry, if you're interested. A quick search brought up plenty of online vendors.)

If you're into this kind of thing, retro-silhouette dresses in novelty prints seem to be a trend on Modcloth right now. There's the Roadside Attraction dress.

I haven't been able to identify this amazing fabric--any ideas?

"Martha's Air of Adorable Dress" features hot air balloons and a cool neckline.

And perhaps the coolest novelty print of all? Alexander Henry made a fabric based on the vintage comic book "Home Sewing Is Easy."

Modcloth has not one but TWO dresses made from this fabric.

Sew It Like You Mean It Dress

Sew It Would Seamstress Dress

I've seen a couple bloggers make awesome dresses out of this fabric, and I'll confess to having 5 yards of it in my stash.

Of course, novelty print dresses are hardly a new trend; they enjoyed quite the heyday back in the 40s and 50s--but current design and printing technology has made these prints WAY bolder and louder.

I don't think I would have considered dresses like these until recently, when I made my kitten-print dress. I've worn it way more than I thought I would!

What do you all think? Would you wear these prints? Or do you prefer them to be relegated to quilts, jammies, and the like?

Back from American Sewing Expo

Hello, readers! I spent the last several days in Novi, Michigan teaching at the American Sewing Expo. It was a fabulous time and I got to meet lots of cool sewing enthusiasts.

One of my favorite things about the expo is the shopping, of course. Here are a few key purchases:

I bought some white tonal striped silk from Haberman Fabrics, and some bright green basket weave wool from The Wool House to make a blouse and pencil skirt. And then I found the perfect vintage green buttons for the blouse!

In fact, I found lots of great vintage buttons! Most are from Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods.

I stocked up on my favorite pins: Clotilde glass head pins in red and white. Also: adhesive thimbles!

An expo must: purchasing fusible stay tape from Emma Seabrooke.

I went momentarily insane and bought 4 yards of sparkly pink ruffled mesh. 

What can I say? It spoke to me. 

Also potentially insane? This quilting cotton.

Perfect for jammies, right?

Anyway, it's great to be back and working on my book again. Henry has been following me around since I got home--I think he missed me!