Refashioned Cynthia Rowley Dress

I made this Cynthia Rowley dress last year,  loved the dress so much that I worn-out  the faux leather sleeve, so instead of condemning the dress to wadderland  I removed the sleeve, serged and finished with 1/4" SA for a sleeveless look.  I paired it with a ready-to-wear under top for work this morning. With this new look I can have at least 3 different looks; wear as a sleeveless dress, with jacket or with an under top like this.... that's a big score in my book.......

Butterick Dress ?????

I made this dress several months ago but didn't review it for some reasons. This pattern is no longer in my stash and I cannot recollect the pattern number, I think it's as OOP as I couldn't even find it on Butterick website ,  but I can remember some of the alterations I made;

1. I lengthened  (can't recollect by how much) like I always do.
2 .Made about 1.5" swayback  and
3. Did not include the back zipper.
The sleeves took lots of time to assemble for some reason I can't recollect

The pictures were taken after work yesterday using my new tripod ( I don't have to wait for my photographer anymore....oh what took me so long...) then I remembered this dress never made it to the blog....lol. So here it is bloggers ;

 

This is one serious look...lol

With my photographer...testing the tripod

With self-belt.. Not sure I like

Mccall 6069 + Simplicity 1606 = Lovely dress

I made M6069 view A in 2010 here

For this version, the bodice is made from view C back and view A front while the skirt is from S1606. I interfaced the neck back for stability before sewing to the front bodice. The fit is superb and the style oh so flattering, I will take my pics when my photographer has time, but for now this is all I got. Please enjoy!!!!!  Have a lovely week.....

Breaking Silence with Cynthia Rowley...Simplicity 1873

Gradually coming out of my shell................This little number was made last weekend and worn to work yesterday. The fabric has been in my stash for God knows when, it's some kind of soft Chinese cotton ... can't remember where I got it from, but perfect for this pattern.....

I made these few alterations to the pattern:
1. Lengthened the bodies by 1"
2. Lengthened the skirt by 3"

More to follow!!!!.

Color Blocking with Butterick 5677 - Done

This dress was generally easy to make but time consuming. I find it difficult to quantify the amount of time I spent due to distractions here and then, but all in all it was well worth's all the efforts.
Pattern review after the pictures: Sorry for my look in these pictures, they were taken after a long day at work;

Pattern review:
Fabric: Ponte and Tricot knits from Fabricland, these fabric have been in my stash for about two years. Pattern Description: Close fitting, lined dress has cap sleeves, front and back seam details, exposed zipper
Pattern Sizing: I cut size 14 for bodice and graded up to 16 from waist down using the waist markings and  pattern line drawings .
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing it?: Pretty much I will say
Were the instructions easy to follow: So easy, especially with the pattern numbering, the odd and even pattern pieces were grouped by colour which makes it so easy
 Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:  I did few to achieve my desire look.

1. I lengthened the hem by 2", I could have added more because I had to reduce the hem to 1/4" from 1 1/4" which makes a total extra length of 3"
2. I interfaced the neckline
3. I used invisible zipper
4. Used bagging method for the lining,

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Love the style and the fit.
Would you recommend it to others?: I highly recommend to everyone who likes the style. I think one of this style is enough for me, so won't be making it again.
Conclusion: One of the reasons I joined the Fearless February sewalong  (though not February yet...) is to sew outside my comfort zone, with this pattern, I will say I have been able to achieve at least this goal. I have used the bagging method of lining once and only in jacket lining, I never knew I could do the same with dress, until I read mimig blog's  where she mentioned  the process again and that was when it occurred to me that I could do the same with my dress. I plan to use this method more in any sewing that involves lining, because of the cleaner and more professional finish .
I am still a work in progress but enjoying every process.
Lesson's Learned: Bagging method of lining dress

McCall 6506......Tracy Reese Dress

Have been doing a bit of sewing but just too lazy to do blog entry. McCall 6506  is the latest addition to my wardrobe, I love everything about this pattern especially the pleat detail, no FBA needed because the pattern came in different cup sizes and most of all didn't take much time to make.

Here is my review...

 Fabric: Cotton (Challis), I was drawn to this fabric immediately I entered Fabricland early this year and I was fortunately enough to get the remaining 2.8m.
Pattern Description: Dress has collar, collar/front band, fitted bodice with darts stitched on right side of fabric, pleated skirt, attached belt, self carriers and stitched hem.
Pattern Sizing:  Size 8- 16, I cut 14 for the bodice and 16 for the skirt
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?: Pretty much but mine is longer
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: judging by the pattern envelop,the dress looks too short for my liking so I added 4.5 inches in total to get my desire length.
(1) I lengthened the bodice by 2"
(2) I lengthened the skirt by 2.5 "
(3) Lowered the back neck by 1/4" (I made a wedge, chopped off 1/4" from the back neck and tapped to nothing at the shoulder)
(4) I omitted the pocket, and fabric belt because I have so much going on with the fabric already, I prefer a contrasting belt.
(5) I reduced the collar by 1.5", the pattern collar is not my usual type
What do you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love the pleated skirt and the retro style
Would you recommend it to others? If you love this style go for it, it's so flattering and can be dressed as you like....

Have a good week everyone...

Simplicity 2497....A Cynthia Rowley dress

My latest Simplicity 2497 dress, just like every other Cynthia Rowley patterns, she really knows are stuffs. I love patterns with few tissues, easy to make and flattering on every figure. I was looking for an evening dress for an event coming up this weekend and this fits the bill so perfectly.

close up of the ruffle

Fabric: Soft satin fabric, this has been in my stash for about 3 years, from Fabricland I guess.
Pattern Description: Misses' dress in three lengths with neckline variations.
Pattern Sizing: I cut size 14 for the bodice, but didn’t have enough for the skirt so I folded the remaining 46” fabric into 2 to make the skirt. I had barely enough to go round my hips.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?: Pretty close
Were the instructions easy to follow: Absolutely easy to follow. However, instead of hemming the ruffle, I used my narrow hem foot to make the hem; this technique not only makes the hem faster to do but neater as well.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I did ½” FBA, lengthened the bodice by 1.5” and raised the neck by 1". The pattern called for 3.5 meters but I had just about 3 meters fabric for this style so I improvised a bit on the skirt as stated above. Also my skirt is about 3 inches longer than the pattern suggested for view C but I love the length this way also did not add the pocket...
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like everything, nothing to dislike at all. I just need the right spanx because of some problem areas showing…..lol
Would you recommend it to others? Highly recommend, if you like this style.

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone, it's been brutally cold here in Calgary, the lowest yesterday was -36 degree , presently it's -32 degree celcius......we are in for a cold week!!!!

Vogue 1250....in snake print

Quick, easy and second time around. One will never be enough , even two maybe three...Please enjoy my new Vogue 1250 dress in Snake Print Matte Jersey fabric. For this Winter season of course, I will be wearing with my high knee boots.

Stay tuned for more!!!!

Butterick 5488.....

Another easy and simple dress. The only thing I dislike about  this pattern is that it runs so big, I cut my usual size 14, but  removed at least 4" total to make it look flattering and I lengthened by about  2", no other major alteration, every other thing was straight from the envelop..... few hrs later I was done . Another wardrobe staple to be worn with tights and high boots.
Here is my version: I used a knit polyester fabric that's just a bit over 1 m.

Worn with cardi

No Cardi

I guess I like it more with the cardi. I wore it to work today, our weather has been so nice since Tuesday with the chinook  , but I am sure it won't be around for long, I better enjoy my dresses now......

Enjoy!!!