Naughty Secretary Re-do

I redid my naughty secretary skirt and a month ago I loved it to death now not so much. While it’s a very nice skirt and actually well made this time I don’t care for the fit. About a month and a half ago I was happy with the fit. The hips could use some give but the waist which is my biggest issue fit ok. Fast forward to yesterday and waist is too big. So now it rides up and there is this odd bagginess all the while there is not enough give in the hips. I really don’t know what I’m going to do. I thought I could just wear a shirt and cover the top but it looks funny. Omega suggested putting some elastic in the waist so I think that’s what I’ll do. The next time I make this skirt or any skirt I’ll make the proper adjustments in the waist and hip as to not have this problem again.

Here are some pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the serged edges. They made me want to go out the next day and buy a serger. But I quickly came to my senses and calmed down. All serging was done my Omega my sew guru.

 

Patterns and More Patterns

So what better thing to do after a sewing meeting than go to hit up the sale at JoAnn's!!

I stay cold so it's I always have some type of sweater or scarf on me.  I saw this wrap sweater thing  at H&M a few years back that was like $50. McCall's M5713 (top) is a good clone.  Still haven't figured out what fabric or color I'll make it in. I'm thinking, black or grey, brown and maybe a bright color.

M5269 (bottom left) reminds me of the Vouge dress I'm in love with, V8220, which of course they didn't have in my size.

I love views B and E in M5661 (bottom right) I think it'll look hot with a pencil skirt!

I also got M5193. I've been looking for blazer patterns and when I saw this I jumped on it.  It has a jacket, vest, skirt, pants, that's practically an entire wardrobe!

 

Right now I'm aiming to make the jacket. Here's the fabric and the buttons. 

  

  

I'm seriously obsessed with dresses, I have no clue how many dress patterns I have.  I love the retroness of Vouges V8413.  Right now my goal is view C.

  

The  fabric. You can barely see it but it's like a greyish black with grey lines.  Very pretty!

 

Meetup Fun

Some Pics from my sewing meetup. As always a great time was had by all!

 

  

  

  

What better way to spend a Saturday but sewing with good company! 

I'm in Love...

I have literally been dreaming about a dress like this. It's so simple, feminine and sexy all in one! I have visions of myself wearing it and getting my diva on. I can't wait to get this!!

*pic from Vouge Patterns

Thrift Store Shopping

I love the thrift store!  I especially love it when I can pick up some fabric to feed my ever growing addiction.

 

 

These 2 are my favorites.  I plan on making either a skirt or a vest with the fabric on the right.  I'm leaning heavily toward making a vest, I'm  not sure if I have enough fabric for a skirt.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the fabric on the left, all I know it's really pretty! I think I may use it to make the back of the vest. 

The majority of the fabric is some kind of cotton I think. They remind me of the jackets I have.  Since I have a serious obsession with mini jackets (I have no idea what you call them)  I plan on using them to make a few from Butterick B5187

 

Total spent on my fabric was 7.92.  You can't beat that!  

Finished Dress

So I finished my simple summer dress.  All I had to do was sew the seam and fix the hem.  This is a super easy pattern. My only issue is that I had some issues fitting it on myself since I don't have a dress form yet.  I prefer these dresses tight on top and kinda loose on the bottom. I'll probably make some minor tweaks when I make the next one. 

 

 

A Quick and Easy Project

I love these types of dresses. So when I found a pattern for it I was in heaven. They are perfect when you want to just throw something on and still look cute. The dress is easy enough to make. All it is cut the fabric, sew a seem and add a hem. How hard can that be!


I plan on making 2. I got the fabric at a sale JoAnn's fabric had not too long ago.

The pattern has pockets on it but I'm not adding it. Even though in the picture the pockets blend perfectly into the dress I'm not really feeling how they look. Right now I've cut the pattern out of the black and pink fabric. I just need to size it and hem it.

Flouncy Tank Top Update

I started working on my Flouncy Tank Top. My sizing is all wrong. I made the pattern in a large to account for my bust. I don't really like how it looks as a shirt but if it were little longer and tweaked in some way (what way I have no idea) I think it would be a cute summer dress so that's what I may turn this into.

Ignore the jazz hands...


When I get my sizing correct this is the fabric I'll use. I was thinking some combination of the 2 but I think I'll get some white fabric maybe an eyelet for the back and the straps and use the red and white eyelet for the front. Or I was thinking making it in white and using the polka dot fabric for the band and strap. Before I can do all that I need to figure out sizing.

Update on My Almost Finished Project and First Project

I went to my sewing group last Saturday and got some well needed assistance and advice in regards to my Naughty Secretary Skirt. With a few alterations (a proper hem, waist, zipper that actually matches and better sizing) it will actually be finished and wearable! I'm excited!

For my first project Butterick B5181 I'll be cutting my pattern out of my "good fabric" in a few weeks. The goal is to get it done so I wear it before the weather changes. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

My First Kinda Finished Project

I am so excited I managed to sew a skirt! I needed to take a break from the dress I was sewing. It was driving me crazy. At the bookstore I picked up

It's a great beginners book to me. The language is simple and it has pictures. The best part to me is that it came with 10 patterns and 25 designs. The first thing I chose to do was the Naughty Secretary Skirt, a pencil skirt. It's a 2 piece pattern and what could be simpler than that.

Front:
Back:
Excuse the black zipper. I was originally going to do this with black fabric and realized that didn't have any so I used an old sheet that didn't fit my bed.

The entire process was easy and very fun for me. Thanks to the bodice I'm making for my dress I was able to sew my darts better and make my markings correctly. Best of all I was able to learn how to sew a zipper which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I did cheat a with the hem and the waistband - I used a fusible web. I couldn't figure out the instructions for the waistband so I fused it down. I also didn't really finish the slit in the back. It needs to stitched across and I can't figure out how to do that. Once I get some help with that it will be totally done.

When I buy skirts I always have issues with the waist being to big. Same issue here. The skirt fits well on my hips and thighs but the waist is way to big. This will probably be one of staple go to patterns but I'll adjust it so it fits me perfectly. I'm excited at the thought of having a skirt that doesn't turn into a hula hoop on me!

My next project from the book is the Flouncy Tank Top.


This didn't come with a pattern but gave instruction on how to make one. I made it out of some old tissue paper I had.

Singing a New Song

When I first decided I wanted to sew I went to Target and got the cheapest machine they had. I figured since I really had no clue what I was doing and what to look for I would get something basic. Since my mom had a Singer that's what I went with, the Singer Prelude.


It retails for 89.99 and features:
• 30-stitch function sewing machine
• 7 built-in stitches, 3 needle positions, built-in storage a free-arm design, front bobbin-load, large screwdriver and a 4-step buttonholer
• Needles, bobbins, large/small spool-caps and 3 feet: zipper, buttonhole/sewing and general purpose
• 13-3/4Hx9Wx17L"Standalone

Sounded real good to me. I bought Singer thread figuring it's a Singer machine so it's all good. Um...no...I think the machine stayed threaded for about 10 minutes if I was lucky. The thread kept breaking. We figured that maybe it was threaded wrong so we tried another brand and all was well. Put the Singer brand back and I was at a stand still. So I got new thread and problem was solved.

While I was sewing at my friend Omega's house we discovered that I am a speed demon. I have a serious lead foot when it come to the foot pedal and it was throwing me way off. Between trying to control the foot peddle, the fabric and backstitching I was seriously overwhelmed. Omega kindly suggested that I get a more computerized machine, or at least get one that had speed adjustment.

I went to Overstock and got a Brother XR 7700 Computerized Sewing Machine w/Free Bonus Feet (Refurb) Cost with shipping was $142.94.


It features:

• 60 pre-programmed stitches which perform 100 stitch functions
• One-step, auto-size buttonholes (seven different styles)
• Free bonus feet: Walking Foot, Quilting Guide and Quilting Foot
• LCD screen with computerized stitch selection
• Sewing machine functions include utility, decorative, heirloom and quilting
• Super-wide (7mm) zigzag and decorative stitches
• Automatic needle threading
• Built-in thread cutter
• Variable needle position
• Fast, automatic bobbin winding
• One-step bobbin replacement with quick set drop-in bobbin
• Quilting features included
• One-touch start/stop/reverse operations
• Operates with or without foot control
• Drop feed for free-motion quilting
• Free arm/flatbed convertible sewing surface
• Accessories for zipper insertion, darning, twin-needle stitching and button sewing
• Built-in accessory storage
• Electronic speed adjustment allows you to choose the most comfortable sewing speed for your project
• Quick-change presser feet
• Stitch width and length control
• Adjustable thread tension control
• Safety power and light switch
• Lightweight (10 pounds) with built-in handle for portability
• Instruction booklet in English and Spanish
• Foot Pedal Included
• 25 Year Limited Warranty Included

I am in love with this machine!! Not only is it a good looking machine but it sews like a dream. It's really smooth. The stitching is really nice.

Most importantly it has speed adjustment so no matter how fast I want to go I can't which has helped my darting a lot.

The Singer Prelude it a good machine also. It's a cute little machine that will get the job done but didn't work for me at all. Now it's sitting in my storage room. I want to sell it but for some reason I have this attachment to it even though I've only used it twice.

First Project

At one of the sales JoAnn's was having I picked up some patterns. It never occured to me to pick something easy as a first project since in my mind I'm a Sewnista Extraordinaire.

My first project is Butterick B5181 since it says easy on it. I thought was a simple summer dress that I could get done in a few weeks and be wearing by the end of summer. Ambitious don't you think for someone whose never touched a machine before. My original choice was the second one but I didn't have enough fabric so I decided to make the first one.


Here is the fabric that my sew idol Omega gave me. It's a really nice black and white print. Once the dress is done it should hit me right below the knees.


Since this is my first time actually sewing we started off with some practice fabric. So far I've managed to make the bodice.

I need to practice my gathering before I sew the skirt to the bodice. To be honest it's not as neat as it should be and I've been really sloppy with it since it's only a practice. I keep telling myself that I'll do better with the real thing. I'm actually proud that it actually looks like something recognizable! The seam ripper has become my best friend. I won't tell you how many times I had to take it apart and put it back together again. Like they say practice makes perfect...I guess...

Hiatus

I have been slacking big time. I started a new job and just couldn't seem to get myself together. But I am back and finding my groove!

Sew Anxious

I've always wanted to be able to see an outfit and go home and recreate it or just make one from scratch. My mom was was a master seamstress. She could sew any and everything. From curtains to clothes the sewing machine was always going in my house. Of course I never picked it up. Now that I'm an adult I am determined to become a sewnista! I bought my first machine last year but since I had no clue what I was doing it sat in my dining room. This year I am determined to sew. I dusted my machine off, found a sewing group and I'm on my way!