Saturday, May 19, 2012

Draping


I created this shirt by draping the fabric on my mannequin. The pants are my cropped Vogue 1051 that I never properly blogged. The shirt was an experiment and I think it turned out ok!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Prairie Girl Refashion

Does anyone remember when I made this dress? It's ok if you don't. 
I made this dress in 2010. I think I wore it once - for this photo shoot. I decided the length was awkward for me and the slip hung funny and clung to my body in a weird way. So it languished in my closet... lonely and forgotten. Until last night when I had pity on it.
WOW! Did I get OLD? I look like TWELVE in that first picture!

First I cut out the skirt lining. Then I just wacked off the bottom and hemmed. Took about 15 minutes and now I have a shirt that I LOVE! The pattern is called Prairie Girl by Favorite Things.

Vintage-esque Suit

When I found this fabric I knew it was destined for a suit of some kind. I was thinking something in the realm of classic Chanel, Mad Men, Pan Am or something Jackie O. would have worn. 

The skirt is my standard straight skirt pattern using my measurements, but this time I added a tailored back vent, which I am quite pleased with! The jacket is Butterick 5332, which I've made once before. I really love the way it turned out! I'm not exactly sure what kind of fabric it is. First I thought it was boucle, but that's not right. I looked up tweed, but it doesn't look like that either. It's a very loosely woven yarn over a less loosely woven base fabric. Hard to explain... It's a pale mint green and white. Whatever the fabric is I love it! It has a super drape to it so the bell sleeves aren't too stiff, but it has enough stability that the waistband stays put. 

I wore it to work for the first time yesterday and got lots of comments that it looked like the 60's and that it was really nice. I wish I had had little white gloves and a handbag for the photo shoot but oh well!

BTW, did you know that this is Me Made May? Thanks to Zoe and her "Me-Made" challenges I have almost a completely handmade wardrobe! I never would have dreamed I could do that. I decided not to be a participant in the challenge anymore since it's my way of life, but I encourage anyone out there to try it! It's easy to start out with simple things, like handmade jewelry, and then keep building your wardrobe. It's so rewarding!