LONSDALE IN TECNICOLOUR

A very exciting thing happened this summer. My girlfriend Anna has been bragging/raving about her family's fabric store for years. Unfortunately said fabric store was in Winnipeg. For those of you unfamiliar with arcane Canadian geography, let's just say that the 'peg is is halfway to nowhere, smack dab in the middle of the country. Not really the kind of place I can jet off to so I can check out an entire room of dead vintage fabric stock, no matter how much I would like to. Their store has been in the family since the 40's and for some reason they have a huge room filled with amazing vintage fabric. Anna had instagrammed a photo of one of the shelves and I had a melt down. She agreed to text shop for me. The next day, she walked around sending me photos of all their vintage cotton while I texted back "OMG THE ONE ON THE RIGHT", "THE NEON PAISLEY 2ND FROM THE TOP" (all in caps and crying emojis). I ended up with 25 yds of pristine 60's and 70's cotton prints.

This happened.

Never mind that I was on a fabric buying moratorium. When your friend long distance text shops for you from the fabric store that time forgot, you don't say no. You scream at your cell phone at work while your coworkers roll their eyes. And then you unpack a giant box a week later and dance around your apartment, draped in a psychedelic kaleidoscope of rainbow prints. OBVIOUSLY.

I knew right away how to dive into this pile of awesome. After admiring so many Sewaholic Lonsdales, I took the plunge and purchased the pattern this summer. I knew the pink and white geometric/floral print would be an inspired mash up.

It was.

Isn't this print insane? I love it when geometric and floral prints explode and make trippy pink babies. The fabric itself was a nice sturdy cotton I double washed. I only had 3 meters and the Lonsdale calls for 4 so I got REALLY creative with my pattern piece layout. Obviously pattern matching wasn't really an option given my fabric shortage but I'm pretty happy with the final placement.

(If anyone is ever in Winnipeg, Manitoba, be sure to stop by Mitchell Fabrics and explore the giant room of vintage fabrics!)

I cut a size 8 and it would have fit almost perfectly had I not made any adjustments. However, after my first fitting with the lining I took in a bit too much at the sides. This dress is kind of tricky to fit unless you make the whole thing up because of how the straps tie, and it turns out I didn't need to take it in at all. When I tried the assembled bodice on I got major boob flatten-age. My only option was to minimize my seam allowance at the back zipper since I had already serged the seams. It's still a little too snug in the bust but only I can really tell. Next time, I'll make the straight size 8, although I may raise the waistband a little as it sits about 1" below my natural waist and bunches enough to bother me.

Please ignore my very visible zipper. After messing with the seam allowance there and experimenting with a new method for inserting them it got a bit wonky. Seriously, it looks like the first zipper i ever installed. I was just so excited to wear this beauty I couldn't be bothered to tear it out and try again.

I loooooooove this dress. It's the most perfect summer frock and works at the office and picnics in equal measure. If autumn wasn't looming in the not so distant future I'm sure I would be making another. It's such a creative, innovative design and the way the straps attach to the bodice is pretty brilliant. Tasia, you're a genius! (I'm pretty pumped to make my Sewaholic Cordova jacket this fall.)

Speaking of fall...I may or may not (um, definitely may) be planning a trip to NYC in September. I was about to place a huge online order at Mood before I realized it would really make more sense for me to just go down in person, right? Right??!! Please help me to justify the huge fabric binge I have planned.... My stash is pretty overflowing but I want to focus on pants and jeans as it cools down and I'm not really stocked with denim and wool. YET. Bwa haha.

I'm trying to stick to a resolution I made recently to hit NYC at least once a year... it's so close and I have so many friends who live there it's pretty ridiculous to not make the effort. The nice thing about having gone a number of times already is that I can skip the tourist stuff and not feel guilty about spending a whole day in the fabric district.

A SUMMER UNIFORM

Hello friends. We Montrealers are in the middle of a heat wave. A hot and humid force field of sticky air and sweaty sheets. My cats barely move, I'm showering thrice a day and getting dressed in the morning seems like an exercise in futility. Better, truly, to just be naked all the time, but unfortunately that method garners a lot of unnecessary attention when one is not indoors.

It's become an interesting dilemma every day. How to survive the heat in style. How to expose as much skin to the air without being naked or getting solicited. The answer my friends, is not blowing in the wind. It's the wind blowing in my culottes. My Meghan Neilson miracles.

I fugging love these damn things so much, I want to make 800 pairs.

I made them with some DIVINE rayon challis I picked up in San Francisco. It has started me on a rayon bender. I want to get Charles Bukawski on rayon challis. I want to get so drunk on it I wake up in a strange city with Rayon Challis tattooed on my knuckles and no memory of how I got there.  The one thing standing in my way of an utter spiral into rayon challis oblivion is the fact that it is very, very difficult to find. I've been hunting online and there is a shameful lack of it. Most prints are a little too mumsy for me. I don't understand why it's not available in a million different colours and prints. It's the best fabric for summer EVER. Drapey, soft, breathable, washable. I love my silk but it's like a fine lady that needs to be treated carefully and with respect. Rayon challis will take spilled beer, summer sweat and a sudden downpour with a smile.

It will, however, shrink like George Costanza in a cold ocean. I learned this when I spilled a glass of red wine on these bad boys the day they made their debut. They didn't stain, natch but even though I prewashed them they got a little shorter then before. I've since learned that you should really prewash and dry your rayon a few times before cutting just to be on the safe side.

This pattern was really quick to cut and assemble (well, the rolled hems took some time but was weirdly enjoyable on my new Bernina). However, either due to the length of my torso or my tendency to wear everything high on the waist, the crotch is about 1" higher than I would like.  For my next pair I'm going to drop the crotch and lengthen them an inch or so. They fit like a mini, which is fine for hot summer nights, but not so great for hot summer days in the office.

Also, for anyone interested in making them, you HAVE to let them hang for a day or so before hemming them. Because they are cut on the bias, the fabric will stretch unevenly. I let them hang overnight but one area needs to be rehemmed as they stretched even further as I wore them.

Paired with my culottes is my first attempt at a bodysuit. Making one has been on my mind since Daughter Fish's tutorial last year. They really are the best thing to wear under high-waisted skirts if you want a clean line without the bunching that comes with t-shirts.

For research purposes, I tried on an American Apparel short sleeved bodysuit and scared the staff with my uncontrollable giggling. AA girls do not have my prodigious booty. I might as well have been wearing a thong. It was heinous. For this experiment, I used the lining of my Bombshell to draft a full coverage bum. I wanted a boat neck, no sleeves and a low back, and I fiddled with a muslin till I got something workable. I bound the edges with the same black knit, used my Bombshell elastic method on the legs and added a shelf bra. It's not quite enough support for me - I feel too free booby in it, so I'm trying to find some cups that don't give me crazy Madonna cone knockers for my next effort. Their WILL be a next time - I'm envisioning a few different backless bodysuits to come. I love the unexpected flash of skin.

Have a fantastic weekend! I'll be at the pool. In one of my Bombshells, naturally.

PLAYSUIT PARTY

Hello chickadees. I took a little blog break following the epic Bombshell extravaganza. A blog break. Not a sewing break. The new Bernina and I have been getting to know each other and so far it's been a pretty sweet romance except for one issue. She gets really tangled threads on the bobbin side when I start my stitch line. It's extremely annoying. My old piece of crap 90's Singer never gave me the same issue. Anyone know what is causing this and how I can avoid it?

I've been feeling the presh to knock off a few things a week due to the absolutely overwhelming fabric stash I've managed to accumulate in the last few months. A shopping spree in San Fran, followed by a crazy vintage fabric haul (more on this later), followed by a few garbage bags of my pal's grandmother's stash (I'll spare you the details of the utter panic attack followed by maniacal delousing that occurred when I discovered it was infested with moths) means I have piles of fabric everywhere and a great fire under my tukus to make them into beautiful things that will help me deal with the aggressive humidity and heat of Montreal summers (we are a city of tremendous extremes. Hence the simultaneous existence of both Cirque de Soleil AND Leonard Cohen).

On my mind has been my midriff. Particularly the zone right above the waistline and below the rib cage. The one part of my midsection I will unhesitatingly put on display. The crop top is back people, and I wanted to get my little sliver of torso up in the action.

So I made a playsuit of sorts. I bought this super lightweight black and white check cotton in SF, and I envisioned a two piece party with two guests: a full gathered skirt, and a scoop backed sleeveless top.

The skirt was a riff on Gertie's gathered skirt tutorial (coincidentally used the same print as Gertie as well!). I didn't bother lining it because I wanted it to be as light and breezy as possible. This is also the first time I inserted a lap zipper and I really like the finish. Gives that vintage vibe, and an excellent choice when you forget to buy an invisible zipper. I put my zipper at the center back seam, and added a vintage black button.

For the top, I used the bodice from an old sheath pattern and added about an inch on each side of the center back seam to accommodate a row of buttons. It was a little tricky to fully line it properly without resorting to a lot of handstitching but it works. The only real issue with the top is that due to the very lightweight nature of the fabric and voile lining, the buttons and buttonholes are not stabilised well. I should have added interfaced both sides to strengthen it. The buttons tug a little.

Oh well. It's an easy breezy summer squeezy of a suit. I love the slightly sexy edge that sliver of skin adds to an otherwise demure vintage silhouette. The skirt has gotten a lot of wear as well, with a cropped white T-shirt tied in a knot to let my sliver breathe, natch.

This is one of several outfits I've whipped up since the Sewalong. I reinvested some of my Bombshell earnings into the indie pattern community and have been LOVING me some Meghan Neilson & Sewaholic patterns. I'm also still on a crop kick so expect more of those in the near future.

If you've made your Bombshell and haven't posted it to the Flickr group, and I haven't commented on your post yet (the interwebs is a wide, deep place my darlings) hit me with a link! Nothing has given me greater joy this past month than seeing all you gorgeous ladies prancing around in the sunshine. I'll leave you with a message I got from Jill a few weeks ago, in response to the message I sent everyone updating them on the lining requirements:

It's been 20 yrs since I have sewn anything for myself and so naturally I blamed myself for having to be creative with my pattern placement on the lining.  The only surprise came in the end when I put my "Bombshell" on and couldn't believe how truly beautiful it was and how beautiful it made me feel. I  was so overwhelmed that I cried!  Thank you for all your hard work and for the sewalong, it was just what I and many other women have been waiting for!!

If that isn't the loveliest compliment ever, I don't know what is.

Giveaway Winner - With Bruno and Betty!

I know I was supposed to announce the giveaway winner yesterday but with the internet down at the hotel, I had to push it to today. But now it's time to find out who gets to win a great set of owl patches courtesy of Bruno and Betty!
Drumroll please...

Agh! So freakin' cute!

And the winner is... Abbey Irwin (Of The Irwin Bazaar), whose favorite thing from Bruno and Betty is their Thread Spool Shirt.
You and me both sweetie!

Congratulations to our winner Abbey and a huge thank you to Bruno and Betty for sponsoring this giveaway!

And now I'm off to make supper in a tiny hotel kitchenette (about as fun as shaving wet cats) so wish me luck!

Burda Style Magazine, July 2013...

I have a complicated relationship with Burda Style Magazine. I first discovered it at the newsstand of the Border's Bookstore I worked at, consequently, within days of getting my first sewing machine. I was enamoured! In my honeymoon phase I purchased some expensive silk habotai and a length of rich wool (how this fit into my saving money by sewing plan, I'll never be able to explain.) and set out to make my first dress.

I chose a dress from the December, 2008 issue, the much-blogged about Schumacher Cocktail Dress- which turned out to be quite possibly the most flattering thing I have ever sewn for myself.

Pardon my photo quality, I had a horrible camera back then :)

And then I was hooked, just like that. Even though the patterns have gotten increasingly blasé (and dare I say, uglier?) as the years go by, there is always just one good pattern and I can't stop myself from buying with each new issue.

Naturally, I was excited about the hints I was hearing of a lingerie feature in the new July 2013 issue and I ran right out from my hotel to pick it up (yup living in a hotel until the 12th, what fun!).
I skipped right past the slightly tacky beach cover-ups (though in the right fabrics, I think they could be fun) and turned directly to the "Delicate Liaison" feature.
It starts with a bra and knickers (#114) that is really more of a sleep set.

The bra is wonderful! I'm sure that the bias cut contrast bands will be a nightmare to sew, but I also think it will be worth my time. The 'knickers' however, are another story. With a thick elastic casing at the top, these are more sleep shorts than actual underwear because they will be far too bulky to wear under anything other than a loose skirt. And, I hate to say it, but if you picture the nickers in brown, it suddenly looks a bit like something a roman centurion might wear... or, God forbid... maybe even Xena.

But maybe that's just me...?

Moving on, we have a nice, basic half slip that makes no waves.

And then a rather lovely camisole. Once again it's very basic, but cut in such a way that the under bust cup gathers make one's girls look so very nice.

The camisole can also be made with a lace overlay as in #115A.

Or cut longer as a slip like the "Mini Petticoat" #116.

And suddenly, the love affair has fizzled. There just isn't any more romance. These patterns are ok and might make decent basic patterns that could be embellished but we all know that Burda could do better, be less generic, and pay a bit more attention to what the lingerie industry is doing, and what the rest of us are buying.

Sadly, what could have been a lovely issue just turned out to be a boring 1990's Victoria's Secret catalog.

How about you? Do you buy Burda Style? Are you often disappointed or have you moved on completely to another sewing magazine? Have any good recommendations for my next love affair?

~P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaway from Bruno and Betty, it ends tomorrow!~