You Are Witnessing the Birth of a Dress....

Its not a great picture, but it's not a great dress... yet...

this is the first draft of the first dress that I've designed, draped and made from NOTHING, the first attempt, the bodice was about 3 inches too high... I've just added some length to the straps and it looks a lot more like a proper dress...

So I need to lengthen the straps and redraft the armholes to match, I might change the back dart (it's a bit sack-like) I'm going to abandon the triangular panels at the waist as I don't think they add anything... it's be different if I was blocking it in different colours, but I've got some lovely patterned fabric that can speak for itself....

and, as you can see, it's boobie-feeding friendly... if I pull this off I should be able to put together a tutorial on how to modify a pattern to include a nursing panel... fun fun fun... anyhow... I'd better get going... Squiggle's asleep, must make the most of this time...

My Ass Rocks! (Pt 1 embroidery)

Check it out!!

  ICK! I don't like it that close up it's a bit unforgiving!

There we go:

It started out life here:

 Guys, it's the 21st century! we don't have to spend loads of money on embroidery patterns! google images has a feature now where can specify exactly what kind of picture you want:

and there you go - line drawing = embroidery pattern, job done. Save it, pop it in word, add a text box, add some cheeky text, Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt!

On the Internet there's loads of different ways to transfer embroidery patterns. I chose to use carbon paper because I happened to have some lying around after I failed to use it to transfer sewing patterns in the early days. (Just goes to show NEVER THROW ANYTHING AWAY!!)

As you can see, nice and light, but sharp enough to see what you're doing, awesome!
In case you care I'm just using muslin as a base and when I'm stitching I'll be using backstitch because I don't know ANYTHING about embroidery at all!

Ok so that's the hard part, it took me about 3 nights (3 school nights) to sew this, it's about 3.5x6 inches... something like that.... not big....

In the next installment: how to make you kickass embroidery into a patch for your jeans or jacket... but you still wont be as cool as this guy:

 see you soon!!

x G

Supergirl Costume (pt 4, muslin extremism)

that's all you're getting.

G x

Supergirl Costume (pt3, 'S' Applique and muslin making)

Muslin making.... well... there's a first time for everything.
I never usually bother, but since I'm making this from scratch I feel it may be beneficial...

LUCKILY (sorta) I bought some fabric online for the supergirl outfit and it turned out to be completely the wrong colour! BOO! But it was stretchy, making it the perfect muslin fabric for the top (YEYY). I had to make the 'S' as part of the muslin because I wasn't confident about the effect the applique would have on the overall fit of the top.

Lets start with the Applique. .. . because I did the Applique before I constructed the garment.... it feels sensible.
INTERFACING ON EVERYHTING! I'm applique-ing a stretchy fabric onto a stretchy fabric here.. DANGER! So essentially I've got 3 pieces to start with I've got the front bodice, the backround the the 'S' (in this case some shiny black fabric) which is the diamond shape of the 's trimmed about hal an inch all round to make sure it doesn't show on the edges, and the 'S'(+diamond border) itself.. I need to interface the wrong side of the front of the T'shirt, interface the black diamond and interface the red diamond... I interfaced BEFORE I cut out the shapes. I cut out the shapes with the dressmaking shears rather than the stanley knife... it was fiddly... it was worth it

I basted the pieces together because the red - although it was interfaced- was insisting on stretching and shifting under the pins.

zigzag stitch, buttonhole length and A LOT OF PATIENCE later...

some stitches are neater than others, but, WHO CARES?! it's a MUSLIN! yeyyyeyyy!!! it'll be less noticable on the real thing because I'll be stitching red on red :-) it's all good!

So! I stitched that to my interfaced bodice:

 and then constucted the bodice, ((1)shoulder seams, (2)sleeve/shoulder seam, (3) sew all the way from cuff of sleeve to hem of bodice, all in one)
and this is what I got:

there we go, not right, but not insanely wrong... I need to do something about the armpit area, the sleeves are too tight and too short (I goddam hate sleeves) I need to do something about the sagging near the neckline... for more an armpit dysfunction see here:

anyhow, thats a lot of work foor one day, I'm just going to make slight fitting alterations, redraft the sleeves and get back to you tomorrow!

G x