Sunday 3 May 2015

darn cheap fabrics seasonal challenge - autumn 2015

woot woot it's a blog post, it's been a while and i am very happy to be back posting.

firstly, i should note that my blog graphics have been vastly improved by the very talented alex from when all you need is...  she has done an AMAZING job for me and am really happy that my graphics now reflect a bit of the real ernest flagg.

back to the challenge - a seasonal challenge where lara and i use the same fabric from darn cheap fabrics and make up whatever takes our fancy.  i had some surgery on my leg and haven't been able to travel to melbourne for a while so lara did the choosing this time.  when she messaged me a pic of the fabric i loved it immediately, if i had been at dcf with her it is definitely a fabric i would have been drawn to straight away. lara's message said it was a poly knit, almost like a fine gauge jumper knit. its a lovely fabric and very stable to sew.

my make is a moneta / lady skater mash up and i am thrilled with how it worked out.  i have never hacked patterns together before but figured a knit would be very forgiving so went for it without a stunt run.


i have made the lady skater previously, a great pattern but the main problem for me, as rachel points out is also an issue for her with the dixie diy ballet dress is that it hugs the tummy a bit too much for me.  hence i thought the moneta would be a good option as it has a gathered skirt.

i bought the colette moneta pattern before googling for reviews.  once it was in my inbox i started to look for some reviews and rachel's was one of the first that came up.  she points out that she got excess fabric in the upper bust area.  when i stuck the pdf together it struck me that the bodice looked like a weird shape at the side seams so i decided to do a mash up with the kitschychoo lady skater.


i did the following simple mash up:
  • used the lady skater bodice, straightened off the bottom and added the moneta neckline
  • used the moneta skirt


i used 3/8" seam allowance throughout, except for joining the bodice to the skirt where i used 1/2" to give me a smidgen more allowance to help get some nice gathers. when joining the bodice to the skirt i started the gathers in ernest from about 1 and 3/4"from the side seams so that i don't get extra bulk near my hips.



i constructed the entire dress on my overlocker (a first for me) and used a twin needle on my sewing machine for the neckline and hems.  about a minute after sewing the shoulders and sleeves on it occurred to me that i really should have lined the bodice but at this stage i couldn't be bothered unpicking the sleeves. its ok, but i might look into getting a slip to wear underneath it for a bit of extra warmth in winter.






this will be a great dress for work and works well with a black jacket.  it is a perfect addition to my 'no iron' work wardrobe. win!


doing all of the construction on my overlocker made this an incredibly quick make and i will be on the look out for another suitable fabric to make this dress again to add to my no iron work wardrobe. i am quite new to turning under necklines and sewing them down with a twin needle.  does anyone have any tips on how to approach the shoulder seams? my machine struggles getting over the seam bulk.  having said that i really should just start using my cover stitch machine now i seem to have conquered my fears with overlockers… 

even though its been a while since posts i have been doing a lot of sewing so if i can get some photos taken i have lots more to show you in future posts.

now i'm excited to go and check out lara's make.

emma

28 comments :

  1. It looks fantastic Emma. I'm so glad that you like the fabric, and yes, it was great to sew! The shoulder seams just take practice I think. I usually use double sided fusible to hold them in place and stabilise them as I sew, that that helps over the seams too. I love the dress and have a feeling that you'll be getting lots of wear from it!

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    1. Thanks Lara, I'v got my dress on today at work and yes it is going to get heaps of wear! Thanks for the suggestion about the double sided fusible,it just occurred to me that i bought a fabric glue pen a while ago but haven't used that. Will try the double sided or glue think that will help a lot.

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  2. Nice dress and the blog looks great!

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    1. Thanks Christy - am very happy with the new blog look!

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  3. First of all love the new look of the blog - it's so you!
    This dress is a stunner! The fabric's great and the dress sits really nicely on you. It's kind of the perfect dress for looking put together even though you feel like you chucked on something snuggly and comfy. Love it.

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    1. Thanks Jodie, yes as per our IG post chat these kinds of dresses are so fab. I'm hoping to find another nice fabric as i think another would be a perfect wardrobe addition. Yes I am so happy with the new blog look!

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  4. Great looking dress.

    I use fabric glue to get my necklines and hems to stay in place and use the coverstitch. Another tip is once you fold the hem or neckline, clip into the seam allowance a the hem line and flip the seams each way (hope that makes sense). This make the seam flatter when sewing over it with either the twin needle or coverstitch.

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    1. Thanks Sharon, yes I have a fabric glue pen I have never used. I think that should do the trick nicely. Do you have a coverpro? How do you go cover stitching in the round? Particularly when you have finished and getting the fabric away from the machine without pulling the stitching?

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  5. Emma, I'm new to your blog so I can't compare to what it looked like before. However, your blog looks great!

    So is the outfit! I came over from Lara's blog and you've both made great use of that wonderful fabric!

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    1. Thanks Melissa and thanks for coming over to have a look!

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  6. Very cute dress and versatile too. Blog looks great. Mine needs an overhaul (and some more posts too..lol)

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    1. Thanks Vicki, the new blog look has definitely got me motivated to get some more posts up - it was a while since my last one too!

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    1. Thanks Renee - this is a prefect addition to my wardrobe!

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  8. Love the new blog look! Great work dress :)

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  9. Such a great dress - no iron work clothes are awesome, one less thing to worry about in the morning rush.

    Love the blog's new look.

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    1. Yes I have been actively on the look out for no iron fabric suitable for work clothes. I've made another dress in a colourful poly knit from Pitt Trading that is another great no iron work dress. Hopefully I will get round to taking some pictures soon!

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  10. Ohh, this is a total work wear win! You guys always pick the best fabrics together :D
    And love the new blog look- sleek and sassy!

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    1. Thanks Amanda, its such a fun challenge. I am obviously hugely biased but i love the new blog look too!!!

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  11. Nice mashup!!! Congratulations. And such attractive fabric, it looks great as this dress - Lara's chosen well, & you've done it proud, again ;)

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    1. Thanks Nic. Am glad this went ok cause I'd love to start doing more tricky mash ups one day, its so fun to mix things together. Love DCF!

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  12. Thanks Emma! It was a real pleasure working with you to redesign your blog. So glad you're happy with it. Love this dress and fabric - I really need some of these in my winter wardrobe, so perfect with tights and boots.

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    1. Thanks so much Alex, the new look just makes me want to post more and more. Luckily I have quite a few recent makes ready to blog, just need to take photos...Thanks so much for all your work, I really appreciate it and love the new look.

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  13. I come across your blog that looking nice with your unique pics.  Sewing Machine

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    1. Thanks very much - glad you found my blog and like the pics.

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  14. Replies
    1. Thanks! I am really happy with the job Lexi H did for me. Hope you have been thrifting and sewing up a storm.

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