Hence I've been playing with my new man (sounds wrong...), and sewing a few things.
1) A me-sized cheongsam. I have had some practice sewing one for my little girl, but converting that pattern to fit me wasn't as easy as I'd naively thought! I've also wanted to construct it with a back zipper and I thought the most difficult part was the collar and neckline but surprise surprise - the part which gave me the most issues were the sleeves! Who would've thought? So perfecting the bodice fit took me quite some time and a lot of seam-ripping.
2) A bikini! This one was semi-successful. It's not the prettiest on the inside because I'm still struggling with sewing knits and attaching the blasted swimwear elastic with a serger but it's wearable and I've tested it in the pool the other day. At least it stayed on! And no, I'm not going to model it here :)
3) A shirt. Yes, an actual button-down shirt with a collar. These things scare the heck out of me, even worse than sewing a swim suit. I don't know why! Perhaps it's because I haven't found a good pattern for this yet. The one I've been using is from Simplicity 2215. I like that it's sleeveless and has the option to add a pleated skirt so it becomes a dress, but the back facing sort of flops around and needs to be hand-tacked down. I don't like that. Does anyone have any recommendations on an easy shirt pattern that looks pretty on the inside as well?
Anyway, so this is a project that I can show.
It's DARTH VADER dudes!! And a bad attempt at posing for the camera. It looks like I'm using my leg to scratch an itch on my other leg. My awesome bought-on-discount Nine West heels make another appearance!
I've been meaning to pair the Carolina Mae with a straight skirt for a while. A similar silhouette can be made using one of the variations on New Look 6699.
The white one 2nd from left with a pink sash. The neckline is more squarish on the New Look, but otherwise it's quite the same, no?
I'd decided to go along with using the CM bodice because the Scientific Seamstress fits are the best! And why would I want to go for anything else that isn't so perfect, am I right? :)
Here's a normal pose, but very unbecoming and so not suitable. The face needs to match the fabric, and I look way too happy. But you can focus more on the dress in its original shape here without the whole "leaning on a column with one foot against" pose. I look a bit thicker in the middle than usual because I have learnt the importance of ease. That's right folks, after making about 20 dresses, I've finally convinced myself that function >> form and it's no use looking delicate and slim-waisted if I can't even breathe after having a bubble tea.
See the red piping? It's my first-time putting in piping and it's really easy! I don't have a piping foot and it didn't work well with a normal zipper foot - the fabric kept sliding to one side, I think it's because the piping is a little thick and doesn't fit under the gap of the foot so it keeps getting pushed to one side. So do you know what I did? I hand-basted the entire thing. THREE TIMES: neckline, upper and lower waistband. That took quite a bit more time, but at least it's neat.
I love how the piping adds some accent to the dress and helps to break up the monochrome-ness of the many Vaders.
Fabric placement with Vader right in the centre was deliberate. Unfortunately, the waistband isn't so cute and there's half a Vader flanked by two other Vaders. Bleh.
The outer fabric is a cotton poplin while the lining is a cotton lawn, both from Spotlight. So it's rather comfortable and lightweight. I've also installed an invisible zip and a hook-and-eye at the top because I still can't get the top of the zipper to line up perfectly. Practice makes perfect, right? So I will need to be practicing that a lot more.
This is a pic taken by my sis earlier in the evening. #nofilter #candidshot #perfectlighting #hashtagsaredumbwhennotusedwithinstagram
So does it look better with the belt or without?
