Nothing Says School Photos Like Layers and Sparkle! A VFT Combo for the Win!

Through pure magic, I finished Camden's school photo outfit - score one point for me!  I mean, there were failures, pin pricks and a 1:30 a.m. bedtime involved, but suffer pain and sleep loss for beauty, right??

No joke.

I am pretty much in LOVE with the final look of this Georgia and Lulu combination by Violette Field Threads.  I am so glad someone in the group mentioned she had combined these two dresses.  As soon as I checked the pattern pages on the VFT web-site, I knew it was a go for me, too!  I then realized last week this would have to be her outfit for picture day, as I had clearly put NO thought into it.... then it was rush, rush, rush!

For the fabrics, I used Robert Kaufman Essex metallic from Modern Domestic, and you likely can't see the metallic in the photos, but it's SUCH a nice compliment to the dress!  As for the main dress fabric, Camden chose it on the discount table at Bolt - score!!!

Now, I did something I so rarely do - in fact, when WAS the last time I sewed up a pdf pattern???  Too many cute patterns have gotten to me lately, and as VFT only sells pdf patterns, I had to suck it up - along with a few other designers in my sewing future.  Anyway, putting VFT patterns together is a piece of cake!!  I like how the pieces are matched up; that sort of detail is a BIG deal.  I did learn I need to go through Adobe to print my patterns at the right size, as I wasn't getting my one inch by one inch box.

Starting with Georgia, the pattern itself is relatively simple - sleeves, bodice main and lining and skirt pieces - along with three other ruffles.  If you are not into making small ruffles and inserting them at necklines and small circumference sleeves, then this isn't the pattern for you.  Someone in the VFT Pattern Group mentioned having issues with the sleeve ruffles flipping out, but that doesn't appear to really be a problem with my version, and as for the neckline, I understitched the ruffle seam to the lining, just to keep things nice and neat.  Installing the placket was easy enough, but I still don't know if the placket is 100% needed.  We'll just pretend that it is, aha - in terms of getting the dress over the body, I mean.

As for the construction of the bodice and skirt, I sewed the sleeves onto the main dress fabric then hand-stitched the lining to the seam - and I did the same with the skirt/bodice attachment... as I did HERE.  I was definitely feeling the pain last night, as I stayed up way too late and kept stabbing myself with pins, but I just felt this pattern, too, was lacking in nicer finishing touches.  I just don't feel a dress should have a serged (or otherwise exposed) seem, when it could be completely covered up.  It just feels so much more polished and is worth the time.  And the only top-stitching, other than the hem, that I did on the dress was on the sleeves, to hold the ruffled seam in place nicely.  Overall, it's a super fun dress, and I may have lengthened it for a bit more wear.

Moving on to the Lulu, I just think it is a great pinafore.  I am happy with the basic construction and the fit.  I did a few things differently on this, too - to make my life easier and to give it a better end result, though sadly, a couple things didn't work out because I am a fool, LOL.  The shoulder straps are to be sewn on the tab side and then folded under and top-stitched on the opposite side, but I sewed it as a tube then turned it out.  I assume it is NOT done this way because the tabs are a bit annoying to pull through - but NOT impossible.  And I didn't want too much top-stitching on this, either.  I did insert lace on the shoulders, but I didn't think about inserting it on both sides.... and I completely forgot to insert it under the waistband, which I had meant to do. 

I waistband/skirt seam would have also been left exposed, as with the Georgia, and I didn't want this look, so, I had to think about that when installing the zipper.  In this case, I sewed the zipper on to the main fabric first, then I hand-stitched at the zipper and all around the lining of the waistband all around.  This meant starting my back skirt seam a couple inches down (they called for three inches, but I did no more than 2.5 inches), then serging that before applying the zipper.  In my haste to be cool and have a fancy pinafore, I chopped off the top of the zipper, including the zipper stop - WHYWHYWHY????!  Ugh.  I clearly could have installed a new zipper, but I didn't have the right color, so, I hand-stitched four thousand stitches at the top, making my OWN zipper stop, aha.  Not super classy, which is a bummer, but it works.

OMG.  WAY ignore the zipper I haven't yet finished!!!  LOL

As for the hem, I knew there would be shenanigans.  All fanciness goes out the window here.  I totally used a non-stretchy ribbon I have had stashed for years.  I wanted to give the innards some kapow, which meant I am sewing insanely stretchy material to something quite the opposite.  I did some tugging as I made my way around the hem, and while we know that isn't always a good idea, I was hoping for the best.  I clearly ended up with a bit of a puckered hem.  This was super frustrating so late at night, and I had to fix two different areas, but even still, in the end, it doesn't look too great.  Camden doesn't care, and nobody would maybe notice, but a sewist totally would. 

Ah!  That puckering!

Anyway, love the patterns and can't wait to make them again (I want to say SOON, but we all know I have a million things to make!).  I do just wish the designers would step up the game a bit when it comes to finishing touches.  Teaching home sewists is always a good idea; this way, they know there are other finishing options out there, and they can choose to be lazy if they want - rather than assume the home sewist DOES want the easy way out.

And some days in the life of!!

Piggy magoo is a grape thief!

Building my sewing room book shelf

A Book Report on Floral Fashion

You must know by now my undying love of this dress.  I daresay I like the pattern more than Camden does, as it isn't the first dress she ever reaches for.  I have sewn a few Book Report Dresses by Oliver and S - shown HERE and HERE.  It, like the Seashore Sundress, in my LAST post, is a relatively simple sew that you can turn into so much more.  I clearly don't get crazy with the pattern, but I think I love how there are different "blocks" of color, in a way.

The pattern goes together easily.  The only thing that may slow you down are the loops, and even putting those in isn't a chore.  I am sure it's fun for kids to have hidden pockets, too, though Camden never seems to make use of them.

I made a size 8, and I think I lengthened it, because this pattern makes it easy to do so.  And because it has so much positive ease, I do like to get extended wear out of it by making it longer.  

Anyhow, this puts me at dress number 5 for Camden's new school year!  Another is hot off the hand-stitching needle, so to speak, and I have plans for pants and a top AND a vintage pattern I have never sewn before.  After THAT, y'all???  Oh, jeez - so MUCH!!!

After the next dress blog post, though, I hope to be blogging about a finished cardigan, so, we'll see!

A few moments in the life of...

Writing comics

Helping dad sand

Even babies are welcome to their shack, lol

Modkid Gretchen With a Little Bit of Sparkle

Let's see..... Camden is almost 8 and a half years old, and I had this fabric BEFORE we moved from Vancouver TO Central Oregon.  This means I probably purchased this elephant fabric between six and seven years ago.  I believe I had a yard, maybe a yard and a half, and for the longest time, I had no idea how I could use it in a project.  I wanted to be sure the fabric was the star of the show and that it wasn't cut into tiny pattern pieces, etc.

Well, I met half that goal.  I decided to use the Gretchen dress by Modkid Patterns, which I have used and loved before.  For how cute it is, it is SUCH a simple pattern, and you can add in some extra bling with ribbon.  And this is where I likely messed up.  I could have kept the bodice front panel plain, surely, but I really felt I need something there, and of course, because I'm impatient and didn't want to wait to find a better ribbon, I went with something that is a bit too loud.  That purple is too dark, and I'm aware of that, ugh.  I did it, anyway.  I have no idea what is wrong with me sometimes.  Such is life, though, and a finished elephant dress is better than no dress, right???  And it just so happens that Camden is excited she was finally able to wear her shiny gold shoes I bought for school, aha.

You can see I have made the pattern here, and in that post, I also show off the tiny version Camden wore when we were married in October of 2012.  Funnily, one of those wedding photos was lying around in my sewing room yesterday while I was sewing the dress!

As I said, the pattern is super easy, and the pockets are such a great way to show off a fun fabric.  I have only ever done the short, elasticized sleeves, which is a great way to get away with using less fabric.  I was a bit lazy and wanted to use twill tape, instead of making side ties, and the twill tape doesn't totally match, but again, I wanted the dress done, so, there we have it.  If I had been thinking when I traced the pattern, I would have traced it longer, matching the size 10, but I was sort of worried about having enough elephant fabric.  And I was very happy to find the Essex-dyed metallic.  It is a pretty good match for the greens on the elephant fabric, and I knew Camden would be happy I chose something sparkly.

So, score!!  Dress number 2 is all done.  I have started the next, and I'd like to have at least one more done before Wednesday, so, we'll see how that goes!

And a few last pre-fall happenings....