My Sewing Space

Figuring out how to dress for work (alluded to here ) has led to some experimentation on my part. If I’m going to need new clothes, I might as well try some different things.  Awhile ago I included a couple pieces of silk crepe de chine in an order from Fabricmart . My experience with silk is pretty limited – both the sewing of it and the wearing of it, but I was curious if I’d like to do more with it. The pieces I bought were a good deal and good for experimenting.     I really liked McCall’s 7094 and thought it would be a good match for a drapey silk. I preferred view D, but didn’t have the yardage it required. The blue silk matched the blue in this wool , so I figured if the top turned out I could wear them together. As other reviewers note, the top has a lot of ease through the bodice. I chose my size based on the width across the shoulder yoke. After basting the bodice together and trying it on, I took some width off the front at the side seams an...

A plain black skirt. So basic, yet I didn't have one. I needed to change that. After making these pants (which are refinished and wonderful to wear, BTW) I had just enough fabric left to eek out a simple skirt. Given the fabric constraints, I didn't have a lot of options for styles or details, but I wanted to create a little interest somehow. I started with McCall's 3830 , a pattern that I've used many times before and have tweaked to fit me. For this version, I sliced and manipulated the pattern to add a yoke at the top and a seam down the skirt's center front. The back darts are incorporated into the yoke piece. The additional seams are accented with topstitching on each side. I used the triple straight stitch so that it would be more noticeable on the black fabric. The addition of the seams and stitching is nice, but the really interesting part of the skirt is the lining (also leftover from these pants ). The facing pieces are sewn on top of th...

For the most part, my blog posts are about finished items. These pants aren't finished yet. They need to be hemmed and I think I need to completely redo the waistband (a real bummer since it is totally completed). So, I wish this was a post about a finished item, but instead it is just a post where I am excited about something new to me. SILK-LINED PANTS! Whoa. I think redoing the waistband will be worth it. I'm going to want to wear these all the time. So, of course, I want them to look good. Both the silk and the black wool are from a trip to NY and I'm confident using them now since it's been awhile since anyone spit up on me or wiped their nose on me (thanks, kids!). I'm happy with how the welt pockets turned out. The wool was really nice to work with. My local Fabricland rarely carries high quality fabrics like this. These were a treat to work with. Now, where's my seam ripper...