Anytime I see a lovely printed cotton I try to buy at least 2 meters. Why 2 metres? Because that's the least amount of material I need for a dress with a full circle skirt. This fabric wasn't an exception, and the Burda Style pattern was the perfect choice for it.
In the last few months I was sewing a lot of full circle and gathered dresses. That's not unusual for me because hot summer days always inspire me to sew cotton or silk. But the colder it gets, the more I prefer nice and elegant pencil dresses. It's still not too cold here, so my recent project was a bright printed pencil dress.
Last week I shared a general information about fabric shopping in Tenerife. As I promised, I'm going to write about the shops too. My today's pick is Almacenes Herreros in Santa Cruz.
I know that many of you may come to Tenerife on a holiday and start looking for a good fabric shop. I remember that it took me quite a while to find a good spot so I decided to start writing posts about different shops. But let me start with a short fabric shopping guide...
I wrote about regular bias biding tapes at least a couple of times. In those posts I've explained how to actually make and cut the tape, and how to sew it. But what about the jersey fabrics? Guess what... It's even easier!
Most likely you won't need to answer this question if you are using a pattern. But what if you decided to draft your own pattern? Or even make a garment without any patterns at all?
It's getting colder, but I'm still sewing cotton vintage inspired dresses. This Burda Style one wasn't an easy project, but only because I modified it in all possible ways.
If you've been reading my blog before, probably you know about my love to 50s style. I truly adore those feminine silhouettes that are perfect for both everyday life and special occasions. This Vintage Vogue 2903 dress is extra special for me, because it was the first one from those I've made based on the original vintage design.
I mention circle skirts all the time. I think I should finally write about drafting your own circle skirt.
I've heard so many times that the sweetheart neckline is too old-fashioned. Needless to say that I'll never agree with that! Here is my recent vintage inspired dress, based on a Burda Style sweetheart day dress pattern.
Have you ever had a sewing disaster based on a wrong choice of fabric? When instead of a nice cocktail dress you've got a pretty night gown? Or a delicate blouse instead of a classical jacket? Today I'm talking about the easiest ways to avoid this problem.
After all the ecstatic reviews on La Mia Boutique patterns I was looking forward to sew something with them. Here is my first try - a cotton vintage inspired dress from their "Grace Kelly" collection.
I'm seriously in love with polka dots. As soon as I see any polka dots in fabric shops, I rush to check them. And it's quite likely that I'll buy those fabrics. It's such a lovely, retro-inspired print that it's truly hard to resist. I had exactly the same feeling when I was purchasing this polka dot fabric for my Simplicity-based vintage inspired dress.
With my love to 50s style I simply had to sew a dress with some kind of drapes and gathers. All those dresses are made from silk chiffon, but I decided to start with something more practical and casual...
When it comes to classic 50s style dresses with circle skirts, there aren't really too many options available. Usually the difference between those dresses is all about the type of the sleeves, neckline and darts or pleats. This New Look 6067 dress is all about the bodice pleats. They immediately made me want to sew this dress, but with a circle skirt.
Cotton dresses with small sleeves - a must have for the summer. Today I'm blogging my Burda Style tea dress.
I think bias biding tape is one of the best finishing methods ever. Especially for facing. It's quick and easy if you know how to attach it the right way.
Looks like summer has officially begun in all parts of the world. And it means that it's the perfect time to sew many, many summer dresses. Today I'm showing you one of my summer pencil dresses, which is based on a Simplicity pattern.
A nice little back vent (also called slit) adds a special charm and a touch of elegance to any pencil skirt. Moreover, it adds an extra comfort while walking in a tight skirt. The one I'm showing today is a so-called Dior-fold (Dior-Schlitz), named after the designer who introduced it to the world of fashion. How to sew it?
Pleated dresses are gorgeous for a couple of reasons. They reduce or completely replace all the darts. And all those pleats are the real eye hook, especially on solid colored garments. One of my pleated dresses is this Burda Style petite dress.
Gathering fabric is the easiest way to get a nice fluffy skirt. You won't need any patterns, and you can use as much fabric as you've got without worrying that you have less than the pattern requires (a common situation for full circle skirts). How to gather fabric in a proper way?
The memademay is over, but in my case it should be a new hashtag - #junk_food_day_means_a_new_blogpost. Every single week on a day off I get a chance to take pictures of my recent (and not only) dresses, skirts and tops. A few weeks ago I wore this cotton pleated skirt.
When I was writing about the complicated process of choosing the perfect serger, I already revealed my old jersey taboo. But luckily I've completely changed my mind and I do sew jersey now. I think a good cotton or viscose jersey is the perfect fabric for summer clothes. It's stretchy, but still breathable. And it's a fabric that can compliment your figure without any darts or pleats.
A few days ago I blogged my elastic waistband cotton skirt. Today I'm posting my tutorial on how to sew it.
I'm obsessed with pencil dresses almost as much as with circle skirts. Their ability to fit any forms perfectly and create a feminine silhouette is priceless. One of my favorite pencil dress is this popular Burda style red one.
As soon as I've bought 08/2012 issue of Burda style, I knew I'd sew this fantastic red dress (it's Long Sleeve Seamed Dress). I really liked the fact that it has small waist darts, because they're quite helful when it comes to creating a perfect fit. Unfortunately, this model is designed for tall ladies, so I had to make many alterations. But they were worth it!
I liked that dress so much that I even decided to sew it in red, just like in the magazine. I choose a cotton/polyester blend fabric (80% cotton). I think that a perfect perfect pencil dress should have a lining, and this dress isn't an exception. The lining fabric is a stretchy viscose.
I've worn this dress for quite a few occasion. First of all, it was a Carol Service. Next year I wore it for Christmas. Christmas is all about red and green, right? That's why I decided to wear it.
Unfortunately, both times I couldn't wear it with a nice pair of court shoes, but I hope my winter boots didn't spoil my outfit.
And some melancholic words... I must confess that when I was moving out to live with my hubby, I left that dress in my mum's home. :( It was a tough task to decide what to take with me to another part of the world! But I can't wait to reunite with this lovely dress. It wasn't a number one priority, but it doesn't change the fact that it's one of my favorite dresses I've ever sewn.
This dress pattern can be bought at BurdaStyle.com,
Do you like pencil dresses? Which pencil dress pattern is your favorite one?
Choosing the perfect pair of sewing scissors is extremely important. You may buy a wonderful and expensive fabric and completely ruin it with bad scissors. Or get blisters. Or just get completely annoyed with the fact that your scissors can't cut the fabric properly and smoothly. So how to pick the right pair?
I'm a big fan of perfectly close fitting clothes. But sometimes I don't mind wearing a little bit bulky skirts and this one is the perfect example of the exception. One of the best things about this skirt is that it took me only a couple of hours to sew it (without any patterns or dozens of measurements).
Hand embroidered handkerchief is a very personal gift. You won't spend hours making it just for anyone, but when you want to give it to someone truly special, it's a great gift idea and an interesting diy-project.
Some of the details that don't include a seaming allowance should be placed and cut on fold. How to do it in the best way?
I absolutely love bias tapes. For me it's the easiest way of finishing hems. I've bought a bias tape only once, and I was making them myself ever since. One of the reasons is that I afraid a cotton (which is my favourite) one may shrink after washing, and that would ruin the dress. And as for washing bias tape before using it... Em, not sure it's a good idea.
Especially because it's possible to make them in a minute, using a rotary cutter and a cutting mat. But if you don't have them, it's still possible to make a nice bias tape.
Joining two details together doesn't seem to be a difficult task. But sometimes, especially if you are beginner, your seams won't be joined. It's not the end of the world, but your garment won't have a proper nice finish. So how to get a professional result and use a super easy beginner technique?
When you just start sewing, it may looks like you don't need any other devises apart from the sewing machine. But the more you sew, the more you realise that sewing machine's functions are quite limited. And that's the time when you may start thinking about buying a serger. How to choose the perfect one?
Му love for retro style cotton dresses is absolutely limitless. Cotton is my favourite fabric to work with, and dress is my favourite garment to wear. As soon as I've seen the Halter Dress 06/2011 #116 by BurdaStyle, I've already known I'm going to sew it. And here is my dress.
What type of clothing fabrics is better – natural or synthetic? What are the main benefits of using the natural fibers? I'm trying to answer those questions today.
When it comes to sewing, a good thread is just as important as a good sewing machine. Which thread do I like most of all?