Pattern Review Weekend - Chicago 2011

Wow!
The Pattern Review Weekend was fun filled and exciting. It was so nice to meet the ladies. Warning: This is a pictorial post. Here we go:




Deepika, Owner and Creator of PatternReview.com. This is the 10th Anniversary, 250,000 members strong. Come join us.



Ting Wong, Our Hostess for the Conference. Thanks, Tina!


Robin Martin shopping at Fishman's Fabrics.


Kelly Adams holding one of books, designed to help her keep track of fabrics and notions.


Kelly's pattern catalog


The ladies shopping at New Rainbow Fabrics


More shopping


Still more shopping at Soutashe (Ribbons, Buttons, and Accessories). Great store!




Beautiful Belt


Andrea is going to make it.


Rolls and rolls of beautiful ribbon.


Jacqui chillin' after shopping.



Rose adding up all those receipts


Dinner at Berghoff.




Andrea- Yes, I made this outfit. And let me tell you how.


Perfect fit and great style.



Angela Wolf, local designer and speaker for the day.


A few of the PR members: Jacqui Rocha Lovelace, Kyle Burkhardt, Jeanette Marie Price, Sherill Miller, Leslie Lawson, Melody Gardner, Connie Bontje


Me contributing to the pattern swap on Saturday.






PS –
I bet you’re wondering if I’ve sewn anything lately? You know me.., Sure I have. I just haven’t taken the time to write about it. Reviews are forthcoming.

Parting Shot: My Sweet Pea graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago, earning her Bachelor Degree in Business Administration – Management. I’m very happy for her. This is one of three pictures. I was too excited to think about pictures.



Happy Sewing!
C

Butterick 4386 Is a Winner - Easter Dress 2011

Every year I make my DD an Easter dress. This year was no exception. I picked the pattern; she picked the fabric.

We were lucky. The sky was clear and sunny. Perfect for pictures outside.

B4386 View B

Pattern Description: MISSES’/MISSES’ PETITE DRESS: Semi-fitted, straight dress in various lengths has back zipper closure and back seam slit. A: self bands. A, D: sleeveless. B: contrast collar and bow. B, E: cap sleeves. C: below elbow sleeves and self sash. D: patch pockets. F: long sleeves and front drape.


Pattern Sizing: 8 - 12. I used size 12 with modifications.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Pretty much. I made a few small changes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? There was nothing difficult about them. Typical instructions. The dress went together with no problems.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the retro look of the collar and bow. No dislike.

Fabric Used: Silk Dupioni and Ambiance Bemberg Lining. Both fabrics are a dream to work with.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Alterations:

-I did a pigeon chest adjustment on the front bodice and facing. I also folded out a small tuck(not pictured) at the neckline to eliminate the gap at the neckline.
-Added an inch to the length.
-I made a small sway back adjustment.

Construction changes:

- The front and back dress are underlined with bemberg lining.
- Single fold bias tape was added to the hem.



- Double fold bias tape was added to finish the armholes.



- I prefer the invisible zipper



- Added a straight eye about an inch above the slit.



Design change:

- For the bow, I sewed the two pieces together to create a wide bow instead of the narrow one for view B.

Caution:

- There is a lot of ease in the sleeve cap. So you may want to remove some of it for a smooth finish.


Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I don't know if I will sew it again. But I do recommend it. It a great wardrobe builder.

Conclusion: This is a great little dress pattern that is fast and easy. Just like the pattern says. A good wardrobe builder.

Thank you!

Everyone,

To all my faithful readers and commenters, thank your for continuing to stop by. The Haute Couture Show was a great success and I am looking forward to trying something new for the 2012 show.

Ann Steeves has published an article on Threads that showcases some of the beautiful garments modeled from this year's show. Take a look.

Enjoy!

Cennetta

The Ladies - Breakfast at Tiffany's - LBD's

My sister, DD and I all modeled dresses for the Breakfast at Tiffany's - Little Black Dress segment.

DD's Dress -

S2248

Pattern Description: Misses Dress with sleeve and back variations. Project Runway pattern.

Pattern Sizing: 4 - 20; I used size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes. it did. I made the chartreuse version on the envelope.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Typical simplicity instructions for this type of dress. Nothing confusing about it.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the neckline and the back yoke of this dress. No dislike.

Fabric Used: A poly blend jacquard from New Rainbow Fabric and china silk for the lining.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: This one was easy to fit. Aside from the sway back adjustment, I tweaked it as I sewed taking a chance that it would fit okay. Size 12 is a little too big for DD from bust line through the hip area. I added about 1 inch to length for a slightly deeper hem. This dress has front and back facing, which I do not like. I lined the dress.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I don't think I'll sew this again. I have hundreds of dress patterns. Seriously, hundreds.

Conclusion: This is a fairly easy pattern to sew. I chose this silhouette to contrast the other two LBD entries made by yours truly.

My Sister's Dress

Wouldn't you it? I do not have a deceit picture showing the front of the dress. Sorry.., If someone gives me a better photo I'll post it later.






B5277

Pattern Description: MISSES' DRESS AND BELT: Semi-fitted, lined dress, mid-knee has raglan sleeves and back zipper. A: self-fabric belt with buckle. B: attached mock front belt with buckle. C: collar with purchased pin.

Pattern Sizing: 6 - 22. I used size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? No problems with the instructions. Easy breezy.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? My sister and I liked the collar and thought this was a good basic dress pattern for her. No dislikes.

Fabric Used: silk dupioni from New Rainbow Fabrics and china silk for the lining.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: My sister is easy to fit. I only made two changes: Added about 2 1/2 inches to the length and used size 10 at the waist. Design change: I hand picked the zipper and added glass beads.




Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I may make this dress for myself. The view in green.

Conclusion: This is a basic shift dress pattern that is easy to sew.


My Dress - New Look 6824 hounds tooth

This dress was completed in November 2010. So there you have it. Three LBD's for the Breakfast at Tiffany Fashion Show segment.

The final outfit modeled was I faux leather outfit that I made 2007. My sister did the honors since I have changed sizes again. sigh, sigh.

Happy Sewing!
C

Claire Danes Inspirational Dress - B4941

This is one of two dresses my DD modeled in the show. It was inspired by a dress worn by Claire Danes. Her dress is a sheath. But I decided to use a shift dress pattern by Butterick. The goal was to create my own version of the pocket embellished dress.




Review:

Fashion show segment - American Beauty

Pattern Description: Career Casual Wardrobe pattern - shift dress, bias long skirt, princess seam jacket with collar, and slim slacks.

Pattern Sizing: 6- 22. I used size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, except for the pockets and the piping that I added.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, I really didn't use them. I basically followed my own method. I didn't use the facings because I prefer to lining my dresses. So I only used the front and back for my dress. More on that later.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? This one has been in my collection for over fifteen years. I needed a simple pattern to create the "look" of the inspiration dress. This one fit the bill. No dislikes.

Fabric Used: Wool gabardine for the dress and china silk for the lining, both purchased at New Rainbow Fabric on Roosevelt.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Alterations - Pigeon chest adjustment

This time I decided to try a pigeon chest adjustment hoping for a better fitting dress. In the past I had a few challenges trying to get the best fit for DD. Last time I measured her, it dawned on me that I should try a pigeon chest adjustment instead of a mini FBA.

Design Changes - Piping was added to the armholes, neckline, and pockets to copy the design elements of the inspiration dress.

I used an invisible zipper instead of a regular one.

The facings were omitted. Instead I used the front and back dress pattern to make the lining.

Pockets:

Here are the steps that I followed to create the pockets.

Step 1 - For the pocket, I used the pocket pattern from S2508, pieces 15 and 16. The pattern was scaled down to fit the size of the dress. Here you can see how the piping is pinned to the pocket. At the curves I clipped the allowance of the piping to ease it as I pinned it to the pocket.



Step 2 - I sewed the piping to the pocket using black thread on top and red thread on the bobbin.



Step 3 - I place the lining (cut crosswise) over the pocket. Then stitched. At the upper edge, I slightly pulled the piping to curve it at the seam allowance.



Step 4 - At the top, I stitched the opening about 2 inches on each side leaving an one inch opening to turn the pocket.



Step 5 - Turned pocket.



Step 6 - Press the pocket.



Step 7 - Using a slip stitch and sewed the opening closed.



Step 8 - Make a bow. Fee Style. I didn't use a pattern to make this box. It was sized based on the size of the pocket flap for the dress.



Step 9 - Follow steps 1 through 7 to complete the flap.

Step 10 - Attach bow to flap step 11 - Test positioning flap and pocket on dress. When the position is right, stitch to front of dress.



Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? No. I'm going to make a matching jacket. If others want to recreate the Claire Danes dress, this is one approach. It depends on what the sewist/design wants to create.

Conclusion: I'm satisfied with my copy of the C. Danes dress. So this project worked out well for me. And DD likes the dress. I can't beat that.

V2237 - Fashion Show Dress

I was not able to take pictures at the show, too busy. So, for this review, I'm using the garment review photos. Ann and Summerset's suggestions worked like a charm. I was able to sew through the mylar dots with no problem. The rest of the dress was pretty easy to put together. This is the third time I've made this dress.

Review V2237

This piece was featured in the Red Carpet segment.

Pattern Description: A floor length, close-fitting, straight, and lined dress has boning, foundation, inside belt, shaped back hemline and back zipper.

Pattern Sizing: 8 -18; used size 12

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? No problems and nothing confusing.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The simplicity of this pattern was perfect for the fabric that I selected. Anything with too much structure would have made the piece too busy. The outer dress was two pieces, front and back with three pattern pieces for the foundation. Simple. No dislikes.

Fabric Used: Sequined, knit fabric (mylar dot). This fabric was the devil to sew. I tried stretch, ballpoint, and sharp needles. None worked. So, I posted my woes and several ladies posted recommendations. THANK YOU. I tried Ann's and Summerset's suggestions. Both worked like a charm. Ladies, if it were not for you, I would have given up on putting this one in the show.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Alterations - I lengthen the dress. My sister is 5'10". I added straps and installed a invisible zipper.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? The fourth version is hanging in my closet. I was supposed to wear it to my Pastor's Annual Banquet last year, but I ended up wearing something else. So maybe I'll finish it this year. Yes, I do recommend this pattern to others. It's simple enough to make and it's a classic evening gown.

Conclusion: This is a simple evening gown that you can easily jazz up using a fancy fabric or adding embellishment. The community of sewists/designers helped save this dress from the trashcan.