mermaids

At long last, here is *the* dress.  Was it worth the wait?  It was a long journey.  Ok, it wasn’t really *that* long of a journey, but it felt like it to me.  I can usually pop out a project at a good rate.  Lately, everything I do, sewing or otherwise, seems to take forever.  Anyway, the dress is done, it fits, and I am pleased. 

Like most Ottobre, simple sewing yields great style.  Any complications I had were entirely the fault of the fabric, a beautiful silk charmeuse from Hubski’s most recent trip to China.  The incredibly soft hand was perfect for the flowing skirt, but devilish to sew.  I heavily starched the fabric before even cutting it out.  I marked each piece as I cut, using more marks than usual.  For the bodice lining, I used a very stable cotton broadcloth. 

Remember the fits the binding was giving me?  I tried severely starching the bias strips, but was still not happy with the result.  Next I tried fold over elastic, but the shade of red was not quite right and the FOE just didn’t look right with the silk.  Finally, I stumbled upon a piece of red pima cotton in my scraps.  It was the *exact* shade of red that I wanted.  After having done one armhole with the matching bias strip, I decided that contrasting fabric really was needed to show off the design details.  Besides, silk charmeuse on the bias was making me crazy. 

The pattern calls for shirring with elastic thread just below the bodice.  I did not have any elastic thread and did not have time to get any.  Once again, the dress sat on my sewing table.  On the positive side, this gave me time to think.  I feared the empire waist and shirring would give the dress a maternity look.  Now the question became “How to keep the empire waist, but not look pregnant?”  I decided to skip the elastic thread and do some sort of pleating.  Since the dress has a zipper, the elastic is strictly decorative.  Pleating or even tucks in charmeuse would have pushed me over the edge.  Not being one to fight the true nature of a fabric, random pleating was the solution.  I cut a piece of the cotton broadcloth the same measurement as the lower edge of the bodice and 3 inches wide.  Next, I ran a gathering line along the upper edge of the skirt to fit the lining strip.  A hot iron pressed the gathers into somewhat random pleats.  In keeping with the random theme, I did some free motion stitching in a random wave pattern to hold down the pleats.  To further emphasize the waist area, I added two bands of the red pima cotton at the top and bottom of the pleated band area. 

As for the fit, it was true to size in true Ottobre fashion.  Since I always need to take in the bust a bit, I overlapped the front piece a bit more.  This had the added benefit of making the neckline less revealing.  The pattern directs you to ease the front bodice pieces a bit which helps keep the neckline close to the body.  There is also easing in the armholes to prevent gaping.  This is a very nice touch that Ottobre adds. 

Had I made the dress with self fabric binding and the shirring, it would have been a pretty dress.  The fabric is rather spectacular so it would be challenging for it to be anything less than pretty.  All of the roadblocks that prevented me from finishing the dress in the day (which is totally possible with any normal fabric) were actually a blessing.  Inspiration struck at the most unlikely times.  I am far happier with the end result.  At first, I thought using contrasting binding would make the dress too casual.  Instead, the contrast draws attention to details that would have been lost on such a busy fabric. 

I wore the dress to school on Friday.  There were lots of compliments from students and adults.  The best part is the dress was so easy to wear.  Yes, it is a bit indulgent to wear such luscious fabric to work, but some days we all need a little indulgence.  

Ideas come out of the blue and zap me like a bolt of lightening.  Sometimes I think I am slow because the idea seems so dreadfully obvious once I think of it.  Anyway, I finally came up with a solution for the Ottobre dress I was pondering a couple days ago.  In my defense, this week has been too busy to even remember my name, much less troubleshoot a pattern.  I think I have a remedy for the slippery silk charmeuse binding issue.  Hopefully reality will be as fabulous as the image in my head.  Stay tuned……

I am working on design #7 from the 02/08 issue of Ottobre Woman.  It is a sleeveless dress with a shirred waist…very simple, very cute, looks very comfortable.  The fabric of choice is one of the yummy silks Hubski bought in China.  The silk charmeuse will drape beautifully and be scrumptious for summer.  The armholes and neckline are bound with bias strips.  Silk charmeuse and bias strips should not be in the same sentence.  I have done one armhole and I am not pleased with the results.  Using tons of starch to give the fabric more stability has helped.  So, now I am pondering alternatives to the bias binding.  FOE is my favorite binding material, but not appropriate for this project.  I may experiment with cutting the bindings on less of a bias.  If this were a cotton or linen, this dress would go together in a snap.  The silk is beautiful but definitely has a diva complex. 

Here are photos of the silk Hubski bought in China last month.  I might cut into one of them this week.  Squeee!  It is my goal to *not* save these for a special occasion.  Why can’t a girl wear silk on a weekday?  Now, it is just a matter of deciding which Ottobre pattern to use.

At long last, a post with a photo.  Bet you thought I forgot how to do that.  The pattern is Design #4 from the 02/08 issue of Ottobre Woman.  In the magazine, it is shown as a “workout wear,” but I wanted something a little less sporty…and long sleeves.  The green fabric is a cotton rib knit that has aged nicely in my stash.  The black is a very sheer knit that I purchased a Fabrix in San Francisco.  It is way to sheer to be used alone, so I used as an overly with the green.  The bodice of the top sewed up easily.  I totally love that the seams on the side match perfectly.  Ottobre drafting is a thing of beauty. 

The neckline proved problematic.  Entirely user error.  I thought about a small ruffled edging, but it looked too frilly for me.  The I tried a sort of twisted treatment.  The double layer proved too dark.  It lost the sheer effect like that of the bodice.  Traditional binding techniques would also be double layered.  The neckline was getting a little stretched out from all the ripping.  I attached clear elastic to stabilize the neckline.  Given how rib knits can stretch, this was probably a smart pre-emptive strike anyway. Finally, the light bulb went off.  I sewed the binding to right side using a very narrow zig zag and a half inch seam allowance.  I trimmed the binding seam allowance away as close to the stitching as possible.  Then I folded the binding over the rib knit seam allowance and to the wrong side.  I then top stitched from the front along the very edge of the seam.  The excess seam allowances was trimmed away on the inside.  I am really happy with the way it turned out….dressier than a regular tee, but not too fussy for school.

I have sketches in my head of another version of this, perhaps sleeveless for summer. 

Another season of Project Runway is over.  What ever will I do with my Wednesday nights?  (Sleep might be a good start….)  Christian won, which did not surprise me.  I think his personality had a lot to do with it.  There was something endearing about his over confidence.  He reminded of a little boy who uses a towel as a super hero cape and proudly proclaims that he will save the universe from evil…..and totally believes it.  His collection had some amazing individual pieces.  However, it was very repetitive…lots of black jackets with skinny black pants.  Not very many women can wear that look.  Christian is drama and designs drama, which makes for excellent television.

Jillian bored me from day one.  Her designs were not ugly; some were quite attractive.  Jillian is a fatalist.  Everything is doom and gloom.  Lighten up, honey….it will all be okay.  Her collection was random, not at all cohesive.  She had a couple of killer jackets, but there were also some bizarre pieces like the gold lame mini dress that reminded of a super hero costume from KMart.

Ok, you have probably figured out that Rami is my guy….has been from the beginning.  His attention to detail is phenomenal.  I would love to see his work up close.  I bet every seam is finished to perfection.  His evening wear….any adjective I can think of is inadequate.  Michael Kors never liked him from day one.  The way Kors constantly snarked on the draping makes me think Kors is jealous, very jealous that he can’t drape like that.  I so wanted Rami to win.  Hopefully just being on Project Runway will help Rami get the business he so richly deserves.

My personal disappointment….I can’t quite make it work.  I am working on a top from the latest Ottobre Woman.  Thus far, I have tried two different neckline treatments.  Not happy with either one.  I am awfully close to just slapping FOE on it and calling it done.  Perhaps FOE is what needs to be there.  As Tim would say, “Don’t over design it.  Pull it back.”

There is not much to say about this pattern.  The photo says it all.  Design #32 takes only a few more minutes than a plain long sleeve tee, but it packs so much style.  This pattern has lots of potential for embellishment.  I omitted the skateboarder applique because it seemed a bit juvenile for my son.  However, the color blocking was quite appealing.  Cutting out took longer than sewing because I had to make sure I was cutting each piece out of the correct fabric. 

This shirt is drafted with ample wearing ease, definitely cut like a loose fitting sweatshirt and not a “close to the body” tee.  The fabric is a heavy sweatshirt fleece.  The matching ribbing was a stroke of luck because it was purchased from a different vendor and at different time than the sweatshirt fabric.

***Disclaimer:  Please forgive the fuzzy photos.  I had to use my old camera because the battery ran out on the new one.  The sewing is not up to my usual standards.  I did this sample quickly and with no concern for neatness.  The scale is also very small. 

The directions for this top has vexed many on the Ottobre-English group.  Honestly, I did not read the directions too carefully.  This is one way to achieve this style.  I hope the directions are helpful!  All of the photos are “clickable,” however, the quality is not great.  Sorry! 

Add seam allowances to the lower edge of pieces 1A & 1C, but not the upper edge of 1B.  Don’t forget to add seam allowances for the side seams, shoulder seams and armholes.  No seam allowances are needed for the neck edge because it will be bound.  

My binding was 1 3/8 inches wide.  Place the right side of the binding to the wrong side of 1B, on the side where 1A will be attached.  Stitch with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Press the binding up, towards the seam allowance.  Place 1A behind 1B with the binding between the two.  Stitch in place with a narrow zig zag within the seam allowance. I found it easiest to sew from the wrong side so I could keep 1A lined up with the seam line of binding. 

From the right side, fold the raw edge of the binding over and topstitch in place.  Sew the shoulder seams.  Place the right side of the neckline binding to the wrong side of the neckline.  Stitch in place with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Press binding up towards seam allowance. 

At the center front edge of 1C, fold the binding over as though you were going to sew it into place. Pin or baste about an inch of the binding in place. 

Place 1C behind 1B with the binding between the two.  Stitch in place with a narrow zig zag within the seam allowance.

From the right side, fold the raw edge of the binding over and topstitch in place.  The very center can be a bit lumpy.  I recommend trimming away some of the bulk.  This particular application method is best suited for a thin binding fabric. 

Insert the sleeves, sew the side seams, add hems, and you are done!  It took far less time to cut and sew this sample than it did to write out the instructions.  If you try it, let me know how yours turns out.

Believe it or not, I did not hack this pattern.  I made it “straight from the box.”  This Design #29 from the 01/08 issue of Ottobre.  The sewing is incredibly fast.  This top took less than hour to cut out and sew.  The fabric is a textured knit from ages ago.  There is a bit of ease built into the design, so a super stretchy knit is not absolutely necessary.  I selected the size by comparing my measurements to the measurement chart in the magazine.  I had to add some length to the sleeve to accommodate my freakishly long arms. 

Here is a closer look at the bodice seam and gathers.    

Finally,  here is a really close look at the treatment on the sleeve hem. 

I applied the binding using the same method as illustrated here. 

There was a tiny bit of concern that this top might have a maternity feel. The hem line is fits close enough across the hip that it avoids the “When are you due?” question.  I might make one or two more of these with some minor changes.  My reluctance to make more has nothing to do with the quality of the design.  I just don’t want a closet full of the same top. 

I have a binder of my Ottobre design sheets.  It is easier to flip through all the line drawings when I am looking for a pattern.  Sometimes, I look at the line drawings for ideas to hack another pattern.  Apparently, I am not the only who finds this binder to be a wealth of inspiration.  C has been using it for inspiration too.  He loves to draw manga characters.  He uses Ottobre to get ideas for clothing for his characters.  I told him he is more than welcome to borrow my binder and magazines as long he puts them back where they belong….and don’t crinkle the pages.  :)  I love his interpretations of Ottobre.  He has some great ideas for clothing designs.  If only I could sew faster…and find the great fabrics that come from his imagination.

Now there is someone else in the house who gets almost as excited as I do when a new magazine arrives.  The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.