Project Sewn Week 4 Entry: My Signature Style

I am having so much fun sewing along with PROJECT SEWN:) And this is my last entry for their week 4 challenge: Signature style. Hmm... I am not really sure of what exactly is my signature style at first, so I went to look through all my previous sewing works. It seems that I love navy and red colors a lot. Further more, I am in desperate need of a fall jacket as we will be going for a road trip to San Francisco next week. And! my winning prizes from Sewaholic patterns had arrived in my mailbox. So everything mixes together and churned out an ever so cute Minoru Jacket:)

Pattern used: Sewaholic Minoru Jacket
Materials used: Cotton twill in navy color from Joann. Red Japanese flora cotton from stash. Zippers and Velcro and elastic.

This is my first time sewing up a jacket for myself, and I am really glad that I choose this pattern. It's easy enough for me and also taught me many new techniques along the way. I cut a size 2 throughout and did my usual reduction of the bodice length by 2cm. It turns out to be quite long for me still, but that wont be too big of a issue.


The jacket took me 2 nights to whip out and 1/3 of the time I am stuck at the stitch in the ditch part. (yay again! I hated it man...) I tried my best to align the seams as much as possible, but somehow, the stitching will not hit the correct spot on the under layer so I just keep unpicking the stitches and repin and re stitch. The tedious struggle ended up with a more decent stitching in the ditch but still not perfect.

 

Everything I adores are in this jacket, navy color and my precious Japanese red cotton print. Red top stitching. Super cute hoodie that can be folded and zipped up in the collar. Sweet little pockets with Velcro closure and an elastic waist at the back for overall enhancement of the figure. I even brought some coco cotton twill hoping to sew up my second minoru jacket:)

After living here in AZ for 6 months, I really love how easily available quality fabrics are and their humongous range and cheaper prices than in SG. BUT! the notions here are so expensive! 1x 500yards thread can cost more than $4 while in sg, u can get it at less than $2 each. And the zippers.... I dunno what to say. My jaws almost unhooked itself when I first saw their prices here. But I must admit that for their prices, their quality is much higher than the usual made in china notions found in SG.

 

This jacket is not super thick and cosy, hopefully it will be sufficient to keep me warm during the road trip. (Sorry I am not really sure of what to expect yet as it's my first fall experience and I can't wait for it!)

 

 

Little bitsy Velcro closure. Navy with red, I am loving it. How about you? And to all my dear readers, thank you all for visiting and even leaving lovely comments on my works. They are super encouraging to me. My English isn't really good, so I am not exactly good with words. Hope that my sucky English wont turn you all off :P

 

Thanks for stopping by:

XOXO Ashley

 

Completed: Deer And Doe Aubepine Dress

Tadaa! My second Deer and Doe project. I loved my graphic Belladone, but now I love my aubepine even more!

 

 

Sewing Pattern: Deer and Doe Aubepine Dress

 

I cut a size 4 throughout for this dress as I prefer a loose comfy fit. This dress is really easy to put together (except the stitch in the ditch part-will talk about it later in the post) and is fully lined with hot pink voile. I find that this dress is really perfect for the cooler weather nowadays maybe its' becos of the double layers. The pleats at the waistline and the trapeze skirting helped to cut down on the 'maternity' look, creating this lovely babydoll style.



Look this dress has pockets! I kept the original length of the dress and now I am still hesitating whether to shorten the length or not. What do u all think?

Materials used: Pink chambray linen sort of fabric from Singapore Chinatown PP
Lining fabric is a hot pink voile from fabric.com
Pink grosgrain ribbon from stash
And a thin elastic for the sleeves cuffs.



Ohya, this dress doesn't require any zipper or buttons closure! Great for beginners!



Actual pic taken before I cropped out my busy "boys"



The pink linen is slightly wrinkly, but I like it:) It has this country style feel to it. LOL! And the only shoes I had to go along with it is a brown winter boots brought in Taiwan years back. And finally, I will be able to wear it in this fall! Cos it's almost impossible to wear them back in SG as it is hot all year round.

 

My ribbon has hot pink polka dots on them, perfect match for this dress.



The inside out of the dress.

And let's get to the stitch in the ditch portion. I hated it!!! The construction of this dress as instructed is to sew up the outer main bodice and skirt first, then sew up inner lining bodice and skirt, and join them at the neckline, then stitch in the ditch between the 2 layers at the empire waist seam to create the casing for the ribbon. I tried to pin baste the waist seams together first and had quite a tedious struggle with it to get the seams to align properly. Almost 1 whole hour is spent on trying to align the waist seam. And then, the instructions say to stitch 3/8inch away from the first seam to form the casing. I did as followed only to find out that my elastic threader is way too fat to go through the small casing. Being the stubborn me as usual, I spent another 30 mins trying to squeeze my threader through the casing. Finally I gave up trying and unpicked the casing and restitch at a half inch width instead. Is it my threader is too fat or what? LOL. At least I have learnt my lesson, not to always follow what the instructions call for.

Other than the empire waist casing part, the dress is a breeze to sew. I already started cutting out my next aubepine in a maroon linen. But for the construction wise, I will definitely change the steps a bit to avoid the stitch in the ditch portion:)

Thanks for stopping by:
XOXO ASHLEY




Project Sewn Week 3: Graphic Belladone

 



For project sewn week 3 challenge, it is about graphics which is great as my boring wardrobe is in desperate need of more colorful prints apparels.

After seeing the many beauties sewn with Deer and Doe patterns, I had a mini shopping spree done few weeks back, and luckily the patterns arrived just in time.

Pls pardon my nerdy face, been sewing really a lot recently= which means lack of sleep=super chui complexion=lazy to put on make up.

 

Pattern used: Belladone from Deer and Doe

 

I cut a size 4 for bust, tapering to a size 8 for waist and size 8 skirt. I just draw a line connecting the size 4 bust down to the size 8 waistline. Well, I did a super speedy muslim for this dress and the fit is just nice, a whee bit loose at the waistline, but I kind of like it this way as it feels more comfortable and allows for big meals.

 

 

Material used: A cotton calico print fabric from joann. It was under the red tag section, $5 usd per yard and I purchased 3 yards straight away. BUT! when I got home and went through Joann.com, the same fabric and design is selling at $3.60usd per yard. I felt kind of cheated. How can the prices differ so much when they are supposed to be under the same company?

 

This cotton feels stiffer than the usual quilting cotton, and doesn't wrinkles easily even after washer and dryer. At first, I had second thoughts on this fabric: Is it suitable for apparels? or is it just meant for quilting? I even tried to google cotton calico to find out what is it usually meant for. But in the end I am really glad that I choose this fabric for this dress.

 

 

The sweet back cut out design. Cute and not too exposed. Perfect for casual outings and trips. I am just too lazy and tired to try and match the prints for the waistband part.

 

 

I used invisible zipper for closure. This is my first deer and doe project and I find that their sewing patterns are great! The patterns are prints on huge white paper instead of the usual tissue paper and their instructions are clear and simplified. But I find it a bit weird, usually other pattern companies will instruct to stay stitch the necklines first in order to prevent stretching out. But for deer and doe patterns, they dun. Is it because of the designs needs? Or is it just that deer and doe never indicate as clearly?

 

 

Other than the mismatching waistband print. The bodice and the skirt actually matches.

 

 

The inside out pic. I used navy bias tape as instructed. I had a bit of struggle with the armhole curve portion. Iniatially, I just cant seem to get the tape to lye flat nicely. Until I realized that I should make notches at the curve portion even though I am using bias tape finishing. Then everything starts to go more smoothly, and the tape sits neatly. All the raw edges are serged.

 

 

The hemline of this dress is finished with facings, which makes the hem line more sturdy and less chances of wrinkling. I serged the raw edges as well and hand blind stitched it.

 

What do u think of my new dress? I love the simplicity of the design and there sure will be more belladones coming up soon.

Thanks for stopping by:
XOXO Ashley



Project Sewn Week 2 Entry: Fashion Era Challenge

Thank you all for your lovelies comments on my previous LBD. Reading them really encouraged me to sew and craft out more apparels for myself n my boys.

For this week challenge, it asks for design inspirations from vintage fashion and incorporating them into the modern fashion. Of course I got to use the delightful hawthorn pattern I had! And after finishing up a pants for myself last week, I just can't resist making another pants for myself. It's a skinny jeans this time:)

My inspiration style is the vintage pin-ups fashion. Below are some of the inspiration pics:

 

 

I choose this as they are definitely more comfy and versatile than the puffy and full skirts dresses. And I dun have the figure for wiggle dresses as well. So yup, a housewife look is born:

 

 

A pink seersucker hawthorn top and maroon skinny jeans.

 

For the top: Pattern used: Hawthorn from Colette

Materials used: Pink gingham seersucker fabric, flower buttons and interfacings.

This is my 3rd hawthorn, everything sews up in 1 night and again I skimped on the interfacings by omitting the front facings interfacings. Otherwise, not much changes from my chambray hawthorn dress. I practically used back the same tracings I used and just need to trace out the short sleeves version pcs.

 

 

I love seersuckers! This top is actually just out from the washer and dryer! No creases or ironing needed at all:)

 

 

The simple and sweet collar design.

 

The hemline is a bit uneven cos I never button it properly. It is actually even.

 

 

Added another buttonhole near the waistline there. Looks a bit cramped but I meant to wear it with a belt, so everything will be hidden.

 

 

Crisp and nicely pressed neckline.

 

 

I love the little bias cuff details for the short sleeves version.

 

 

For the jeans: Pattern used: Skinny jeans pattern from japanese FEMALE sewing magazine

Material used: Bull denim in maroon from joann.com, jeans zipper and a bit of seersucker for the pocket lining, jeans needle

 

It's my first jeans! Hoho... The sewing patterns from the jap magazines suits us Asian body shape much better as we r less curvy. I cut a straight size s this time and just added a 5/8 inch side seam allowance just in case the jeans turn out to be too tight. Lazy mummy lazy to make Muslim. And luckily lazy mummy got so lucky! The fit was right on, even the length!

 

Ready for some rock n roll? Going crazy and running out of pose look.

 

 

I couldn't get matching color zipper so I just opted for navy jeans zipper instead.

 

The back patch pockets.

 

 

Inside out pic. I only had black and white serger threads. So pardon the whiteness!

 

 

The waistbands  of my previous pants are a bit messy so this time round, I hand slip stitched the fold in before edge stitching the waistband from the outside.

 

 

Whee! I love my 2 new apparels. How about you? Thanks for stopping by.

 

XOXO Ashley

Completed: My First Pants!

 

Yes my first pants! I always wanted to sew up new pants, shorts for myself but because of my bucket waistline and almost not there bums, many of the commercial patterns are just not suitable for me. And I dun have the skills and knowledge to make them fit well too.

Previously, I have sewn up a shorts pattern from Jap Female sewing magazine, I find that their bottom patterns are more acceptable for my shape. So I digged out my precious stretch cotton twill from my stash and started working on a straight leg casual pants from one of the magazines.

 

 

Sewing pattern used: Japanese FEMALE sewing magazine. Brought way back from SG kinokuniya.

Materials used: Purple cotton twill fabric with a bit of stretch, super good quality and comfy. Got them at $20SGD for 2 m of fabric. Coats and Clark zipper black zipper and interfacings.

 

 

Previously, I cut a size M for the shorts, it ended up too loose and i had to take in quite a bit from the side seams. This time round, I cut a straight size S for the pants. And they fit perfectly! Hmm a tiny weeni hugging at the waistline, but it's ok for me ya, it just motivates me to start working out and tone up on my tummy.

 

 

This pants has 4 patch pockets, 2 in front and 2 at the back. It's very basic and relax style. Great for my everyday activities and matching with me new Renfrew tees. Ohyes, this is the fourth Renfrew tee I have sewn up this year and didn't bother to blog about anymore. I am really sorry about the color of the pants in the pictures. It really is a lovely purple shade, but being a noob at photo editing, I just can't seem to change it back to the original shade.

 

 

This pants is so comfy, I am sure that it will get a lot of wear. And I am so tempted to start sewing up their other pants pattern as well... If only I had more bottomweight fabrics in my stash. Hmm, maybe I should drop by joann soon? Or fabric.com? LOL.

 

 

The inside of the pants. All the seams are serged neatly. I can say that my sewing neatness have really improved a lot.

 

 

The zipper fly and curved front patch pockets. 

 

A photo to showcase my fourth Renfrew for fall.

 

 

I love my new pants. How about u?

 

Thanks for stopping by:

XOXO Ashley

 

 

 

 

 

Project Sewn: Little Black Dress

The day has come and Season 2 of Project sewn has started! After reading about the first season and loving all the pretties sewn during the competition, this time I am all ready to take part in their sewalong:)

For this week, its the little black dress challenge. I love the color black... And used to own many pretty black dresses previously (when I still got the figure... Now my bulging tummy is really stubborn and doesn't want to say good bye to me yet. HA!) So now I got an opportunity to sew up my LBD.

I always dreamed of a sexy cut out back dress so I choose Simplicity 1651 sewing pattern with the sweetheart neckline version. And used a black poly poplin fabric (fabric.com) from my stash for it.

I cut a size 6 for the bust tapering to a 8 for the waist and used skirt 8 skirting. The skirt is just a half circle skirt, a wee bit of flare and still able to twirl around, BUT! I much prefer a full circle skirt instead. The sewing instructions are quite clear and the dress whips up very fast and breezy. The pattern calls for facings to close the front neckline and back and uses bias tape for armhole.

 

I love the back design, but I regretted the fabric choice... It is thick and stubborn, doesn't press well and doesn't stay well. So after moving about in this dress, I need to tuck here and there to get the dress to sit nicely. Or is it my fitting problem? I think the dress fit is ok and got just enough ease. So I am not really sure what's causing the shifting and fussing.

 

 

U c how wonky the fabric is? I shall get hold of some nice black rayon or cotton sateen to make another dress instead.

 

 

I hand sewn on some tiny weeni pearl ribbons at the neckline and 1 at the v back for fun embellishment.

Other than the poor fabric choice, I kinda like this dress. Simple and versatile and great for date nights. (If I ever had one in future after the boys are grown up ? LOL. Daddy pls take note!)

 

 

Sneezing Pic! Getting chilly nowadays:) Hahahahahah...

 

 

How about you? Do you have the perfect little black dress in your closet? And how is it like?

 

Thanks for stopping by:)

 

XOXO Ashley