BWOF 8-2009-117 & BWOF 11-2008-104: Sewing from my Stash

Stash Project #1: BWOF 8-2009-117

I have had a couple of pieces of fabric laying in my stash for quite sometime now and I decided to put them to use. I just love the blouse BWOF 8-2009-117 and have wanted to make it since it first came out. I know it is Burda Fashion now (I think) instead of BWOF, but at the time the mags came out, it was still BWOF.

In April 2007, I bought some silk chiffon in a confetti print with the intention of knocking off, you guessed it, an anthropologie dress. It came from fashionfabricsclub.com. I never got around to it...you know, so many anthro dresses to knock off, so little time...and so little know how so many times. I thought it would be perfect for this blouse. I have really be loving all the ruffles and flounces that have been so popular lately. Since this blouse has no zippers or buttonholes, I thought it would be perfect for this silk chiffon. I really don't like sewing chiffon so I wanted a pattern that was as painless as possible for it.

I cut my usual size 38 in Burda, but when I got this blouse made, it was too large. I kind of think it is supposed to be looking at the model, but I like my clothing more fitted.




I ended up taking an extra 5/8" seam allowance down the side and added darts to the back. I serged the seams on the inside and hand hemmed the sleeves. I used my Babylock Imagine serger to do a rolled hem on the edge of the flounce. I did a thread loop buttonhole at the front neckline. Here are some pics below of details:



























back dart rolled hem edge of flounce



thread loop buttonhole at front


Stash Project #2: BWOF 11-2008-104

I decided I needed a teal skirt. I have one, but I don't like the fabric I made it from, so I decided to make another. I have had some teal gabardine in my stash so long, I don't even remember where I got it. I think this Burda skirt pattern is sooooo cute and I have been wanting to make it. It does not call for a lining, but since I really don't like slips, I intended to line the skirt. However, for some reason I could not, for the life of me, get the lining to "line up" with the skirt. It was too small. I tried a couple of times and just gave up. Ummm, maybe there is a reason it didn't call for a lining. I don't know, so I just serged the seams on the inside of the skirt and am wearing a half slip (UGH!) I used an invisible zipper. I made it exactly by the pattern without any alterations in the size 38. Here are some pics of the front and back:





I apologize for the wrinkles in the skirt. I did iron it, but I had just been sitting in it all day at work at the time I took these pics.
P.S. Does anyone else have spacing problems with Blogger? I am hoping my picture titles end up under the pics, but they probably won't. I just don't know how to fix this. I write this blog in the"Compose" mode instead of html because I really don't know html.

McCalls 5477 -- Corduroy Jacket

I have wanted to make a pink jacket. I considered making one out of velvet or velveteen, but I am just not brave enough yet, so I purchased some feathercord corduroy (28 wale?) from fabric.com awhile back. The wales are fine enough that it has a velvet-ish look to it. The color is described as "georgia peach" but it is really more of a pale pink. I used McCalls 5477 View C and lengthened the sleeves from 3/4 to full length. I fully lined it in slipper satin in soft mint--also bought from fabric.com. I had originally planned to make a blouse from this satin, but I just didn't like the weight of it when it arrived for the blouse. I was trying to decide what kind of interesting color I could line this jacket in when I remembered this satin.

lining fabric

view of lining on inside front

view of lining on inside back

A couple of years ago, I learned the hard way that you don't use fusible interfacing on corduroy when I messed up some beautiful purple corduory that I was trying to make a jacket from. When I fused it to the cord, it just showed every wrinkle. This time, I used sew in interfacing.

I was concerned initially with how light weight the corduroy was after cutting out the jacket, but this satin lining and the sew in interfacing gives it good structure.

I cut a size 12 and did not make any changes except for lengthening the sleeves. I think this is the first time I have been really happy with a jacket I made. Always in the past I have cut too large a size. I have ironed and ironed this jacket, but I think I am just going to have to accept that this fabric is a little wrinkly, probably due to the high cotton content. Here is a pic of the way it looks open.

At last but not least, I used some light pink marbled buttons that I bought I my local fabric shop. I think this jacket will be a good transitional piece for going into Spring.

SOS!! Looking for a Vintage Pattern--Vogue 2517

I have become obsessed with finding this vintage Vogue Diane von Furstenberg pattern, Vogue 2517. I stalk ebay and etsy daily for it. It did come up awhile back on ebay, but if was not for "Buy it Now" which is all I do on ebay. I don't bid because I am very competitive and, believe me, readers, I would win!!! I may not have grocery money or be able to pay the electric bill at the end of the month, but I would win!! So, it is just better that I not even start bidding. Do any of you have this in your pattern stash and would be willing to sell it to me? As far as sizing goes, I am a 12 in the current Vogue patterns, so I don't know what that translates to in vintage. However, I would take any size and grade it. Anyone?