Fall Wardrobe - Moss Wool skirt

Remember this dress from the Mad Men challange?

And remember this moss wool, and skirt inspiration that I want to make for fall?

Now that I have spent the necessesary time and effort to fit the dress, I can create my skirt using the skirt from the dress pattern. 

 The changes I will need to make are: 

Style changes :

1.  Narrow the skirt towards the hemline, so it creates a little more of a pencil skirt, but not to much because this can quickly add up to me looking hippy and drawing attention to the fact that my legs are less then elegantly long.
2. Create the hem detail

Pattern changes:

1. Create a waistband
2. Adjust the ease at the waist appropriate for a skirt.  Did you know that dresses require 1.5" of ease at the waist where a skirt only requires 3/4"?  So I need to lose 3/4" of ease.

I began with the pattern changes.  Trimming a fat 1/8" off of each side seam takes care of the additional ease.  Then tapering that down to 1/2" at the hem, which I am hoping will provide a hint of my pencil look, but the muslin will let me know if I am correct about that or not.

The hem detail is next and for that I cut off 3" from the bottom of the skirt, carefully labeling so I don't get the front and back confused. 

slashing and spreading to add fullness to 1/4 section of skirt hem band

It looks to me like the hem detail has a touch of the flounce to it, and so I make four cuts into each pattern piece, leaving a hinge where it joins the skirt and spreading the hemline.  I spread each one 1/4" is all because I don't want a ruffle, just a bit of a flip.

Time for the muslin, which stitches up quickly.  I grab my shoes and my husband, who is great help with judging proportions for me, slip into the skirt.....and decide....I was correct about the "pencil" amount, as well as the spread on the hem band..."and there was much rejoicing". 

The length however need to come up a bit,  to just below the knee which meant shortening the skirt by 1.5".

Now that, that is decided I can make my additional hem band pieces, as it has 3 layers of unequal width and length.  I trace my hem band twice, layer them and cut them to pleasing shapes. 

 Nothing to it:)

Time to cut some wool.  Surprisingly when I went to cut my fabric I discovered I did not have an appropriate length of lining that would suit.  Although a little frustrated by the delay I will console myself with the thought that it simply means I must be effectively reducing my stash....don't you think? 

 In the meantime I will go paint my daughters bedroom, which will now be called the "Guest room"

Won't this skirt look great with this wonderful jacket I made a few years back(goodness back when my hair was long even) from a Vintage Vogue pattern and an Angora wool blend houndstooth I picked up at Ginnys Fine Fabrics. 

Fall Essentials and Palette challenge Post 1

Additional fabric contenders for Fall Essentials and Palette challenge Post 2

Ribbon Belt with Vintage Buckle Tutorial

Yellow Silk Dress with sweater Here is my Mad Men Sew Along Dress with a belt mocked up....awaiting the arrival of the correct Navy velvet ribbon

I ordered two pieces of velvet ribbon from MJ Trims while my dress was under construction.  A yard of Navy and a yard of black.  I wanted to make sure the Navy was truly dark enough...it can be difficult to tell these things when ordering on-line.  The navy turned out to be ideal though.  So Lets get started with making a belt from a lovely piece of ribbon.

My vintage buckle appears to be plastic, possibly Bakelite, but I have not tested it or had it appraised.

It is 2-1/4" tall by 2 -3/8" wide  Although the dark part appears to be black in this photo, in reality it is a dark navy.

I cannot recall where I found this beautiful buckle, but apparently I only paid $5.00 for it.  How Fantastic! It may have been years ago but how satisfying to have on hand to finish off my dress.  The back shows you the attachment bars for the belting and my ribbon sitting above it measures 1-7/16"  I need my finished belt to measure 29" and my attachments are 1" apart. I cut my ribbon 31-1/2" so that I have some turn back, an adjustable turn back and seam allowance. Next I cut a piece of light weight buckram 1-3/8" x 29" and a piece of black cotton twill 2" x 31". 

 The buckram will add stiffness to the belt to keep it from collapsing on me while wearing.  They used to make belting for this when covered belts were more often seen, but buckram or heavy craft interfacing will work.

To begin I spray baste my buckram onto the center of my lining, leaving 1/4" on each long side and 1/2" lining on left side with remaining 1-1/2" on the right side.  I fuse 1/4" steam a seam 2 onto the seam allowance of the lining along both long sides.   

Then remove paper backing from one side turn down onto buckram and press. Repeat for the other long side.

With right sides together sew the short ends of the velvet ribbon to the short ends of the lining using a 1/4" seam allowance. Turn right side out.  The seam allowance will naturally want to lay towards the ribbon.  Now I want to make this belt adjustable and so I am adding some 1-1/2" strips of Velcro to the inside of the belt just to the right of the buckle.  My Belt  although in a large loop is in 2 sections, the lined buckram and the ribbon  By sewing my Velcro on now the stitching will not show from the right side.  I sew the male Velcro on first through the buckram and lining only and repeat for the female Velcro 1-1/4" away from the male.

 Once the Velcro is on, I edge stitch the ribbon to the Velcro along the long edges securing the two together.  I then thread my short ends through the buckle attachment bars.  The right side simply Velcro's close while the left side will be stitched by hand to secure.  Notice how the female side of the Velcro is facing...so that the soft side will be rubbing against your clothing.

 Voila!  The completed belt.  My Mad Men Dress is now ready for its public debut.

Have you ever made a belt?

What materials did you use?

Did you know that belts are very much back in style?  ( this is a hint)

Please share your belt making adventure with us.

Mad Men: Completed

 The completed Mad Men Sew Along Dress! 

I completed the handwork around the sleeves while watching a Midsummer Mystery with my husband.  This is my favorite time to do handwork, in the evening, in a comfy chair, with the addition of my close up glasses..alright maybe a glass of port, possibly tea as well.

Could not resist showing it here styled as I am planning on wearing it for its debut.  I have a beautiful pair of spectator pumps that look fabulous with this combo.  Additionally I tried my burnt red wool crepe jacket with it....also very nice.  A girl has to have options.

Sadly it will be a few months before the weather allows the wearing of this dress, but its so nice to feel ready for spring. 

Here she is unadorned, for the purists out there.

 Any thoughts on jewelry.....anyone?

And the back....not much to say, except that my tush is apparently fuller then my dress forms.


Needless to say I am contemplating future projects..... I have a beautiful piece of silk chiffon to make a blouse very similar in style to the bodice of this dress.  I have at least 3 pieces of wool that I could make pencil skirts from, again using the skirt of this dress. But I have my sights set on spring now....and of course yoga pants and tops...did I mention a new quilt for my bed.....yeah....

Mad Men: The Lining

The patterns we purchase rarely have seperate pattern pieces for the lining, this saves on printing costs, but means that we have do additional steps if we want our garments to look professional.  For our lining on this dress it simply means removing the 5/8" seam allowance from the center back seam all along the bodice lining and just to the notch on the back skirt.  Scary I know... but bear with me.  Sew your dress lining together except for you center back seam and do not sew the sleeves in.

After sewing your dress lining together pin(with right sides together) the center back seam of the lining to the center back seam of your dress and stitch at 1/2" from the neckline to the end of the zipper.  You will be sewing through the zipper tape.

  Next we will sew the neckline. 

 With right sides together pin the shoulder seams of your dress to the shoulder seams of the lining, continue pinning the front neckline.  When pinning your back neck line your lining will be shorter then the dress, this is as it should be, lay the center back seam allowance to the lining side. 

Sew your neckline at 5/8"

After sewing your neckline, trim and clip the seam allowance.  Turn right side out. Understitch the neckline.  The zipper is neatly sewn in and the neckline is ready to be pressed. 

 Baste the armhole lining to the the dress.   

To sew the sleeves, you sew the underarm seam on the fabric sleeves as well as the lining.  With right sides together sew  the lining to the sleeve along the hem line, understitch.  Sew sleeve into bodice being careful to not catch the sleeve lining.  Trim the seam allowance under the arm to about mid way up the armhole back to 1/4".  Hand sew the sleeve lining to the bodice lining around the armhole.

Thats all for today.  I need to sew that sleeve lining in and then I will post pictures of the finished dress.

Mad Men Sew Along - the zipper and beyond.

After preparing the center back seam with interfacing you are ready to install your invisible zipper.  You can see a  basic video tutorial on YouTube.  As some of you may know instead of pinning or basting my zipper in I like to use Wonder Tape, its very secure and there is no fussing with pins.  Apply the tape to the right side of your zipper tape just along the outer edge, slightly away from the teeth. Peel the paper backing off of one side of your zipper and place on right side of fabric so that the teeth are sitting on the 5/8" stitching line and the top of the tape is sitting at the edge of the neckline. After sewing use a pencil to mark where the waist seam crosses the tape.  Now repeat the process for the other side of your zipper being careful that your pencil line  matches the waist seam on the other side. 

Your completed zipper should match beautifully at the seam line, your zipper disappears...you gotta love an invisible zipper.

 Finish sewing your center back seam from top of skirt vent to where you stopped sewing your zipper.  I do the majority of this with a regular foot, and then switch to a zipper foot for the final few inches.   

 I also like to reinforce my vent fold with a strip of interfacing.  You can interface the entire vent, or use a strip, as I did.  You want to place a straight edge along your marked vent fold line, being careful not to fuse your tailor tacks in.

 Press along this fold line.

Now we need to sew the vent extensions together across the angled top of the vent to the center back seam.  Clip close to the stitch line and press the center back seam open and the vent towards the right as you are looking at the wrong side.

That's what I call a sewing hump.  Now I get to sew the shoulders and side seams together, finish and press those seams open...getting giddy now...Are you ready?

Ta Da!!

Well the shell is together at least.  Next will be the lining, sleeves and the hem.  Of course I had to pin the belt buckle on there, and I have ordered two velvet ribbons, one in black and one in navy.  Looking forward to their arrival I am hoping the navy is dark enough to use.

Oh Yes and lets not forget the movie selection for the day....which was...."How To Succeed in Business Without really trying"

Think I may need a pillbox hat for this dress now.

For the love of yellow.

Do you have a favorite color? A color which you can spot at 60 paces across a sea of fabric or racks of clothing?  For me that color has always been Yellow, think butter, sunshine, and liquid gold.  I have grand memories of hot Californian days with the dust rising up from the ground with shafts of warm light slicing through.

In my pursuit of inspiration for the Mad Men Sew along I recently opened a box of clothing my mother saved for me. (yes Dorothy I was a child born in the early 60's) Enclosed is her maternity wear, beautifully made,with bound buttonholes and exciting details.  Dresses from childhood,lovely made by mom(as seen above) and some garments I made or embroidered on as a child.  What a treasure of.....yellow.  All of this just proved to me that this love affair with yellow has been going on a long time, and certainly explains why I simply could not resist the yellow silk I will be using for my Mad Men Sheath Dress.   These pants were my favorites around age 7 , that beanstalk must of made my legs look miles long - lol.

This dress has a label which reads Sears Roebuck co. It barely fits my size 6 dressform and I love the smocking and the elegent cut of the back neckline. Summer anyone?

The smocking is done by hand and the seams are simply pinked.  The waistseam is covered with a narrow piece of rayon seam tape

Personally I do not recall my Mother wearing this dress, but she no doubt looked beautiful in it.  Such a tiny waist.  Are you thinking about lemonade, lemon squash, or daisy's perhaps. I am wondering what the gloves, pocketbook, belt and jewelry looked like.  My goodness winter has hardly begun and I am yearning for the long hot days of summer.  Sigh...

None of this though gets me any closer to the actual sewing of my yellow sheath dress.  I still need to order the lining fabric for it and the more I think about it the more I think I will change the back skirt dart..but more on that later.



What color do you love?  Does it stem from your childhood?

The Bishop Method of Sewing

The Mad Men sew along has me researching fashion from the late 50's to the early 60's  This has led me to watching some movies as well as digging through my library of sewing and fashion books, which in turn led me to the books you see at left. Last summer I found these wonderful books by Edna Bishop at a yard sale. They are chock full of still useful methods, and techniques which are very clearly photographed, explained and illustrated.

To my great glee inside there was also an invitation to a fitting seminar that The Fabric Shoppe (also in Minocqua) hosted in 1981. Unfortunately this was before I moved to the area. Does anyone have any information about this store?

I don't know if you can read this(it 's a little out of focus) but this seminar featured a coffee reception followed by a lecture and demonstration entitled " Magic of Perfect Fitting"".   A luncheon provided by The Holiday Inn Supper Club and wrapping up with a drawing and door prizes. 

From the typed flyer to the door prizes the whole event reminds me of my Grandmother...another Edna who helped arrange for similar events through her women's clubs.  It all seems so civilized.

I wonder how many women attended? I can only assume that the previous owner of my books did.  From the notes in the margins I can see she enjoyed her books and I hope that she would be pleased to know that they made it into the hands of another lover of the craft of sewing.

In Chapter One of "Fashion Sewing By the Bishop Method" entitled "The Well Dressed Woman" she advises us to ask these questions before every garment purchase, or for that matter when we choose a pattern/fabric combination.

1. How will it wear?
2. Will it keep its shape?
3. Will it become dated?
4. Where will it take me?
5. How does it fit into my life?

I think you would agree, that those are excellent questions to ask ourselves.  When I read this list to my husband he suggested that these are the very questions we should ask about a potential marriage mate.  Hmmm, he might have something there

If you want to learn more about the Bishop Method of Sewing the link above is her official website, and if you would like to pick up one of her books, you can find them on Amazon for ..sew cheap!

MadMen: Sewing Darts and altering for a sway back

 Sewing darts is an important skill to learn and perfect for dressmaking.  After all  almost all garments have them in one form or another.  The dress pattern selected for this Mad Men sew along has 10 darts altogether.  Here you can see how to pin them properly. 

I begin by folding the dart, right sides together and matching the stitch lines.  I place my first pin at the very end/apex of the dart and pin along the stitch line being sure to stab the pin through the front to the back being very careful that the stitch line matches up. 

Since you sew a dart from the cut edge to the apex, you want to place your pins with the point heading towards the cut edge and the leg of the dart to your right.  This way when you start to sew the pins are easy to remove as you approach them.

During my fitting I pinched out some excess under the dart to provide a better shape for my bodice.  In this picture I am transfering those markings by using dressmakers carbon and a tracing wheel.  I will only use the carbon on the muslin, as it might leave color in my final fabric.  I will repeat this on my tissue/pattern as well.

One of my figure issues/pattern adjustments is for a slight sway back.  While trying on my muslin I noticed that the side seam pitches forward.  To correct this I pinch out a fold of  skirt fabric horizontally just below my waist until the side seam hangs at a right angle to the floor.  Once I take the garment off I measure the fold.  The fold tells me how much to remove/lower at my center back waist line.  I then mark the amount, 1/2" and fold my dart over the corner of a table so that I can draw a smooth line from center back to side seam.  I use my Fashion Ruler for this, as you can see and draw in and cut my new back skirt waist. 

Mad Men: Muslin

Today while completing my muslin I watched the film for which you see the trailer above.  It's a visual feast which is a large criteria for studio viewing and my especial favorites have period costuming, so this fired on several layers.  It was based on the book by the same name and if you are looking to be inspired, I promise this film will deliver.

This has nothing to do whatsoever with my Mad Men sew along, wrong period of course, I suppose I should be watching some Mat Helm, James Bond, or how about something fabulous with Audrey Hepburn in it.  Seems a little more appropriate for the occasion but as usual I digress.

My muslin which is what we are all here for, went from ....what was I thinking? to...Okay this could actually be fabulous.  It still needs some tweaking at the hips, where it bumps out a little more sharply then I do, but all in all its complete.  The fabric hanging off to the side is the yellow silk I plan to use.

Other then my personal fit alterations the only thing I changed was the shape of the neckline and the pocket placement.  My weight is at my hip/thighs and my waist is a touch on the short side while my rise is a touch on the long side.  Placing the pockets about 1" higher helps to balance this out as well as make my legs look long....okay longish.

This dress demands a belt, and I love that they are back on trend because belts work for me.  I found this vintage buckle in my stash, not what I was initially looking for, but how sweet is this? I think it just requires some black velvet ribbon.  What do you think? 

Mad Men Pattern Alterations

When selecting the correct pattern size for a dress or blouse I always choose  the size by comparing my above bust measurement with the bust measurement on the pattern envelope. This indicates a size 12.  Now for my favorite part -  pulling the tissue out of the envelope. 

 I have decided to make version A but of course it must be modified..right, after all what is the point of sewing for yourself if you don't take a few liberties with the designers.  All right version A has the side bust darts transferred to the neckline, and in the pattern they have sewn these just like darts, but added some top stitching.  I on the other hand what to treat them like pleats which means hopefully they will stay the same, but I will not be sewing along the leg of the dart but simply pleating them up.  Sounds simple enough yes?  The sleeves show a similar stitched detail which I am not crazy about, so I will be using the sleeve from version D instead.

Once I have identified my pattern pieces I am please to note that the actual garment measurements are printed on the pattern with the ease amount included.  Hooray!  This saves me the time of having to measure the pattern pieces.  So that's a point scored for New Look.  The bodice lining tells me that the garment measures 36.5" at the bust for a size 12, but my bust measures 37...with the right bra.  The size 14 on the other hand measures 38.5" which give me 1.5" of ease around my bust...2" is what I normally like, but I also know that I will most likely be making a fba so to keep it simple I will cut out the pattern using the size 12 for the neck, shoulder, armhole, and sleeve, and the size 14 at the side seams.  The only other adjustment I am making is to the length of the skirt...I need mine to hit just below my knee.  I measure from my waist to my desired hem length and find I need to add 2" to the length of the skirt....wait....really...add to the length of the skirt?  I am only 5'3"  and they clearly show this length as below the knee....and the average height is 5'7" ...curious.  I imagine it saves them tissue though. 

Time to prep my muslin prior to cutting. As you can see the edges do not match as they need to.  I begin by tearing off the desired amount of fabric, and then tearing off the selvage.  To do this you simply make a small snip, grab hold on both sides of the snip and start tearing.  This process helps you "true" up the grain of your fabric.  Once I have pulled the grain into submission I press it and lay out my pieces

That's much better!  My edges match and my pattern pieces which have also been ironed are ready for me to trace onto my muslin.  The owls stand at the ready to hold my pattern pieces in place. 

Here are my fabric choices for this dress.  The yellow is a silk herringbone remnant that I purchased several years back from Ginny's Fine Fabrics and support group in Rochester, MN.  I am not sure I will have enough of this fabric, but its my first choice.  The burgundy is a silk dupion with a gorgeous lustre and it would make a lovely cocktail dress, but we don't have much call for that in the North woods....to my great displeasure.  Maybe I will show some real ambition and make the dress out of both!  I can always throw my own party...right?