Skirt Collection

So I finally got a picture of me wearing the Lisette Continental skirt and blouse. I really like the colors, they are quite unusual for me. I am always more drawn to reddish colors, and this was a nice change for me. The light blue also goes very well with my white legs ;)




 This is such an easy and quick skirt pattern. And the cut is exactly my style. Two fabrics in my stash seemed to be perfect for a fall/winter skirt. The seam on the front and back is a nice touch to play around with prints, but for my two fabrics I needed a skirt pattern with a one-piece front and back. I am new to changing, not to mention drafting patterns, so the way I got rid of the seam on the front/back is probably way too complicated. I cut both panels from a leftover muslin, sewed them together, then laid it on freezer paper (I never cut the tissue paper, but trace all patterns on freezer paper) and traced around it. Voila!

This wool blend is leftover from my sew-along Thurlow Trousers (pics to follow). I lined it with blue Bemberg.

 I don't really know what kind of fabric this is. It has a tiny bit of stretch. The border print was meant to be a skirt, don't you think? I should've gotten a close up of the embroidery. The skirt is lined with some rather cheap polyester lining. It looks grey in the picture, but is actually more denim.

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Lisette Continental Blouse and Skirt

A couple of months back I bought this pattern at JoAnn's for $0.99. Great deal!

 I have six Lisette patterns, and I love the pictures on the front of all of them, but it seems that somehow they don't really work for me. It could of course be that I don't have the fitting right. Usually I can make a straight size 12 with all Simplicity patterns and they fit. But not these ones. It's just that they somehow turn out to look boxy on me. The blouses/tops that is. The two Lisette skirts I made so far are great.

The skirt is perfect and I like the seams on the front and back side. This time around I used a very simple cotton twill, but as you can see on the envelope front, the seams at the front and back side give a nice opportunity to play with prints. Next time I will take advantage of that. And there will be a next time for sure! It is such an easy and quick skirt project and the fit is perfect. I wish I could say the same about the top. The fabric is a cotton lawn from the Lisette collection at JoAnn's. It is so boxy, and even thou I used this very light cotton lawn, it sticks out at the back a lot. Maybe I just have to make it a size smaller.

 

Back view (obviously) 

Here is a close up of the gathers at the lower back.

I like Corduroy!

I am starting to sew more for the cold time of year. Here is my first fall ensemble. The Renfrew Top Version A in Navy Cotton Jersey. First time that I've sewn it with long sleeves. I absolutely love this pattern and have at least three more fabrics in stash for more. The skirt is Barcelona Layered Skirt by Amy Butler in grey corduroy.

After I finished the Lisette Passport Jacket I knew I wanted a fitting skirt to go with it. So I went to JoAnn's and bought more of the corduroy for the skirt. It was unintentionally that the top fits in color as well. 

 

Lisette Passport Jacket

This weekend I finished the Lisette Passport Jacket in grey corduroy. This project was on my list now for a while. I got around cutting out six projects two weeks ago. And finished five so far, this is one of it. I am very happy with the end result, even thou it drove me nuts a couple of times. The buttons could be placed better. I should have moved the lower three up a bit. Oh, well. I like it anyway. I bought the fabric at Joann's a couple of weeks ago.

 My serger got used quite a bit too with this jacket.

But the instructions drove me a little nuts. It wasn't mentioned to apply the fusible interfacing on the front and pretty sure I didn't. So I had to do that AFTER I already had sewn the front and side front together and had finished the seams. The result is crinkles in the fabric. The instructions to finish the seams of the pockets and the including seam was misleading. I had to finish that seam with a zigzag on my sewing machine. It should have been serged before putting it together. But as I said before, I am happy with the result regardless the couple of downturns in the construction.

Two projects finally finished

This week I was able to finish two projects, that where lingering around here. First on is the Cabo Halter from Amy Butler. For the fabric I chose Cotton Sateen from the Lisette Fall 2011 collection. It's the same as the fabric from my Lisette Continental Dress, just another color.

Here is another closer look at the overlapping neckline. I decided to go with the more modest version and topstitched the two parts together to prevent gaping. Which it does anyway. I don't know what I could've made different to prevent it.

And here is my absolute favorite dress I've made so far. I soooo love the fabric. A very soft cotton voile with a white cotton lawn. The instructions call for 1/2 inch seam allowance and don't really say what to do in regards of how to finish the seam when sewing with such delicate fabric. I decided to go with french seams, although I forgot that for a moment and finished the shoulder seams with my serger, bad mistake! It isn't too bad, but still! For the waist seam and the armhole seams I decided to make bias binding out of the voile and enclose the raw seams with it. I finished it yesterday and it worked pretty well. I have to admit that I couldn't wait until I got time to enclose those last seams before wearing it and worn it already twice, ergo the wrinkles.

Close up of the front.

 Backview

Lisette Market Skirt and Blouse

I finally finished the Lisette Market Skirt.

This project was jinxed from the beginning. I only start to figure out how to use the serger, and I have to say this skirt isn't the best project to make if one doesn't really know how to finish seams with it. In the end it turned out to be very cute, and luckily people will see only the outside. I finished the blouse a while ago, but unfortunately the sleeves are too snug for my arms (too many muscles, haha). I will make the blouse again but a couple inches longer and with wider sleeves.

I really like the Lisette patterns. So far the ones I tried out were really easy to make with clear straightforward instructions. The designs are simple with enough cute details. I made the blouse without the row of buttons down the upper front and I like it better this way. It's so easy with these patterns to change little things like this, at least for beginners like myself. I am looking forward to the next Lisette project. But for now I am occupied with the Prairie Girl dress, and my first try with knits.

Lisette Continental Dress

Last Sunday I finished the Lisette Continental Dress.

It turned out pretty cute. I made it with the same fabric as on the pattern cover and I love it. The fabric is very light and soft, with a nice drape. Perfect for a casual summer dress.

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Right now I am on an involuntary break from garment sewing. My used serger came without the holders, nets, and caps for the big spools and I had to order it at Singer. It will take 2-3 weeks to arrive. I will go to JoAnn's on the weekend to get some small thread spools for now but until then I am staying busy with some little projects like a water bottle carrier. Check out this tutorial at Pink Chalk Studio.

Current Projects

Here is a picture from the projects I am working on right now. The Favorite Things Prairie Girl Dress to the left. In the middle the Modkid Kyoko Dress. I already cut out the pattern and one part of the fabric arrived today in the mail. Above that is the Amy Butler Liverpool Tunic with the fabric I chose for it. I still have to prepare the pattern on freezer paper. To the right is the Lisette Continental Dress and parts of the already cut fabric.

And this is what I got so far of the Lisette Continental Dress. I hope to finish it today and maybe wear it tonight when we go out for dinner at the Bistro to listen to our farrier Doug and my piano teacher Mariam play there.