Oh holy moly I'm tired!  Six, count them six costumes for clients this season.  Quite the harried time for me.  But they are done and I am celebrating with my usual wine.  Nice to have a reason to sip the evening away. hahahah

Anyway...here are the last 4 costumes.

Ursula, the Sea Witch

 Prince Charming

 Link, the Legend of Zelda replica

 Daenerys Targeryan, Game of Thrones Replica

So for a short time, I'm done.  Ha, whatever,  Back to it tomorrow with my little helper.  Emily (8) is going to help me make her costume.  Yea!

No, you aren't losing your mind.  I changed my website name.  REPLIKATEING!  Get it?  I Kate, replicating designs you want.  Bahahahah!

Well I like it anyway.

So here is another design I Replikated.

If you don't have an elementary age girl, you may not recognize this but it is the dress Mal wore on her date with the Prince.  Its from the Disney TV movie "The Descendents".

The first thing I had to do was figure out how to make the twist at the top of the bodice.  After 2 days of hit and MISS experiments, I deconstructed one of my dresses to unlock the secret.  Whew.

Then I had to overcome the shape obstacle.  This dress is for a young girl but was originally on a busty teen.  Hmmmm, what to do?   Can't use tape so I chose pins.  Then I had to stitch the puckers in place.  And no, that isn't a typo, I did meant to type Puckers and nothing else.

Then came the sleeve/wings.

And here it is!!!

I'll post a picture of my little friend in her dress as soon as she sends me one.

Below is the actual dress.

Halloween

If you know me, you know I love Halloween!  So when I was asked to make a Once Upon A Time "Rumplstiltskin" costume, I was beside myself with joy!!!

It was a bit of a struggle to get the collar right.  It required shaping and painting, and even fire.  Yep, I burned the edges to take that vinyl appearance away.

And here is what evolved:

I will say though, it was worth the effort!

Next time I'll show you the replica I am making of this costume...

Pattern Review Simplicity 1104 Cynthia Rowley

So I went to the fabric store looking for some specific Simplicity patterns because they were on sale for $.99.  Woohoo!  I love when they do that.  Course I've probably bought 50 patterns that have never been cut ($50 sitting in my files) but who cares.  I saved on each of them.  hahaha

Well, turns out the fabric stores are learning marketing tricks from the grocery stores and have placed some patterns at eye-level making them even harder to resist so I ended up with an extra.  But I think this was $1 well spent.

  See, irresistable!

I had this navy blue and white, houndstooth fabric laying around that I got a good deal on a couple of years ago. This just seemed like the perfect pattern to use it on.  (I still have 2 1/2 more yards because when something is on sale, it becomes SO attractive!  Am I right?)

And it turned into this:

Simplicity 1104

This two piece outfit looks like a dress when worn but I can wear the top with skinny jeans or the skirt with a white blouse.  Versatile is the way to go!

Top Back

Skirt Back with Vent.

Fits pretty well but you will notice I had to add a modesty panel to the top because it cut so low on me.  This is the stuff you are supposed to learn with on cheap practice material but whatever.  Next time, I'll reduce the depth of the neckline before cutting.

 

So, about the pattern.  It was pretty easy to make.  The darts are different than what you traditionally see but made for a good fit, and after rereading the directions a couple of times they made sense.  The skirt was SUPER SIMPLE.  The most difficult part for me was the binding.  I don't do bound edges a lot so it took a while to get right.  But now I feel more confident about doing them and they make for a really pretty and smooth hem.  Both pieces have an invisible zipper but that is my favorite style so I consider that pretty simple too.  As you know, practice makes everything easier.  

Overall, I love this pattern.  The darts make for easy fitting and pattern pieces are minimal which always makes me happy.  I'm the girl who searches for recipes based on number of ingredients so that is quite appealing to me.

Fabric recommendations for the top and dress include not only woven types such as linen, sateen, batiks, brocade, crepe, poplin, and taffeta, but also sturdy knits such as ponte and double knit.  My fabric is more of a double knit.  It doesn't have a lot of stretch but enough to make sizing different than for a woven so I chose a smaller size than usual and it worked out perfectly.  Usually I have trouble fitting the bust area but I didn't have to make any bust adjustments. I did however have to take in the sides.  What you need to know is that your fabric choice and fit preferences play a big part with the top and dress.  I had to take in the waist area which is unusual for me, but the fabric is a bit stiff so it stood out more than I liked and flared more than I like.  If I were to use a fabric like crepe with a softer hand but no stretch, I would go up a size and work from there.  It would probably lay closer to the body and the flare would be less of a problem.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this pattern from Simplicity and Cynthia Rowley.  It can be fun and playful or dressy and dramatic.  Plus the ease of construction makes it especially appealing.  Enjoy!

Wedding Dresses Spring 2016

No, I'm not getting married again.  I just love dresses.  That should be the name of this blog but whatever.  I can't help but look at dresses and dream of wearing them.  My favorites are vintage but wedding is near the top too.  So, I present you with "My Favorite Wedding Dresses at This Time."

2016 bridal wear is bringing lots of fluff and ruffles, lace and feathers, and swirling layers.  Many are quite beautiful but some are just over the top gaudy.  Plunging necklines make a huge showing, literally.  I have to wonder what a young woman must be thinking or rather her father must be thinking of those types of dresses.  Yikes!  Illusion bodices run rampant but and that makes me ask, Undergarment anyone?"

I found all these dresses on Brides.com.  

Cristos

Victoria Kyriakides 

Monique Lhuillier

Theia

Galia LahavAngel Sanchez

Sareh NouriVictoria Kyriakides

So, if you had to choose, which would it be?????

Post a comment and let us know!

My Favorite Wedding Dress for 2016

Well just because I love dresses that's why.

Anyway, I'm preparing a post on my top picks but in the mean time, I had to get this out.  It literally has me salivating!  So elegant, crisp and sleek.  Wow, I mean wow.

By J. Mendell on Brides.com

For this post, I am reviewing the Brother cs6000i computerized sewing machine.

Brother cs60001   

This is the first sewing machine I bought NEW.  Previously I sewed on an old Kenmore (also known as Sears) I bought from a friends mom.  It weight about 99 pounds and I ran it into the ground because I never once took it for service or cleaning.  Now, you can imagine this machine...basic utility stitches and complicated bobbin threading.  By the time I gave it away, it was probably only good for spare parts and it sounded like a freight train.

All I can say about the Brother cs6000i , is WOW!  This is a trooper of a machine.  I have killed it at least three times in the 9 years I have sewn on it and it always comes back.  Let me explain...I used to make diaper bags and purses.  I even sewed with leather and as you can imagine at the very least, I used heavy fabric and needed to sew through multiple layers.  This machine IS NOT for leather and multiple layers of heavy fabric.  That is what killed it 3 times.  I took the poor ailing machine to be repaired expecting it to be sent home in a body bag but alas, we are still stitching together.

Now, more specifics.  It can get a bit noisy when sewing fast but the stitches are consistently pretty and even.  The tension is easy to adjust, and changing thread and bobbins are even easier.  Being computerized, choosing stitches is simply a matter of pushing some buttons based on the handy chart printed right on the front of the machine.  There are 59 different style stitches including 7 button hole styles.  You have all the necessary utility stitches and 18 decorative stitches.

Read the manual, get it serviced/cleaned yearly, and when you have to help the sewing arm push down, stop.  It is all computerized and the slightest forceful manipulation will make it unhappy.

I personally love Brother products which is why I went with this brand but I can say that this is a great machine and I have been happy with it for almost 10 years now.

Purchase your own Brother cs6000i.

Today I made some jammies!  Woohoo!

I was experimenting with a pattern and using some cheap fabric.  Dollar fabric to be exact,  from Walmart!  But if there is one thing I have learned (really I have learned more than one thing), it is that you can't always picture correctly what a garment will look like once it is made up especially if the pattern only features a drawing of the garment so you make up a cheap version first.  Sewing snobs refer to this as a "Toile".

So here's the pattern, Simplicity S0418 or 1112, also purchased for $1.  Rule #1, never, ever buy patterns full-price.
 

Below, you will see two versions I made of the top.  The top on the right is as the pattern suggests.  It is cut on the straight grain and to me looks and feels like a box.  The top on the left is on the bias.  You could probably do it either way and get the nice drapey effect you see in the picture with the right fabric.  But my fabric, while lightweight, was a bit stiff.  The bias gave it more stretch, a better fit, and more flow.

Check out these seams!  I've been practicing.  Its amazing once you start using these tailoring/couture techniques how cheap some clothes are made, like the ones we buy off the rack, also known as mass-produced.  A bound seam or armhole takes more time and working a garment on the bias...also more time but also more fabric.  So if you want that quality and fit, you either buy ready made and go see a tailor or you buy custom made.  Either way you pay more but I think its worth it.

I totally love this bias stuff.  It makes even my crappy stuff look good.


Well that's all for now.  If you are interested in learning the techniques I used (French seam and bound armhold), do a Google search.  I'd love to do tutorials but they've all already been done so what's the point.  I'm just here to prove that we normal people can do it!  Really, sewing is not sew intimidating!  hahahah, like how I did that?

Holy Moly!  Did I say that already?

Holy moly, I'm back!!!  I finally sewed something that wasn't just an alteration.  I wasn't hemming or taking in or fixing something because Megan, my 12 year old preteen wants to shop in the Juniors section but is too small.

Nope, I made a dress.  Check it out...

I found this awesome site that has reproduced some vintage patterns and they are fabulous.  This dress doesn't look vintage but here is the pattern it came from...

Vera Venus Patterns, and it was free.  You should see the stuff she has on her site.

So I had to make some alterations to the pattern as I went along and was astonished that I have actually learned something.  Yes, I have learned something in the 30 years that I have been dabbling in sewing.  Look...

 

 

First of all, I had to accommodate the girls.  You will find that most patterns are made for B cups.  I am not a B cup.  Working from Vera's pattern, I expanded where needed, added more gathering and here you have it.  Then, because I didn't really want to work so hard getting the straps just right (you know, to cover the bra crap, straps, etc.; I decided that a tie slipped around to the back and tied at the shoulder would be cute.  So, I like it.  You would think that it is one of those dresses though that you only want to wear when your belly feels somewhat flat but NOOOOO.  This dress is cut and sewn on the bias so it drapes over your curves instead of sticking to them and emphasizing bulges that weren't there before you had children.

Anyway, I plan to be back with more to show you.  I have some interesting alterations to make and I am in love with the idea of recycling/upcycling old clothes so maybe I'll show you some of that.

In the mean time, find your happy place!