Denim Look Vogue Dress

Now here's a dress that has been waiting its turn! I first planned to make this dress in thrifted fabric from a thrifted pattern way back in April of 2020. And I have proof that I cut it out in July of 2020 -- but then it sat on the project shelf until now. I thought that 2 years was plenty long enough for it to wait, so got it out and finished it up in August 2022. 

This was an affordable dress; both the pattern (Vogue 9166) and the fabric (denim look but very lightweight cotton) were thrifted. In fact, the most expensive part of this dress was probably the zipper, as I had to buy it full price since somehow I was out of navy zips! The topstitching thread is new but I did buy it in 2020...

I was so eager to get pics in this nice evening light that I forgot I hadn't
pressed the back yet!! It looks better now that it's had an iron ;)

Anyhow, this is a simple fitted dress, with panel seams front and back, and the extra detail of a triple topstitched line at neck and sleeve. I guess that's what makes it Vogue ;) It had no pockets but of course I just used my favourite pocket pattern and added in some side seam pockets. I need functionality! 

The hardest part was getting the curved seams pressed nicely. I pressed them to one side, clipping at the curves to assist them in lying flat. The topstitching, being such a strong contrast, made me nervous, so I practiced a bit on some scraps (which I'd conveniently left with the cut out dress) to get them right before I started on the dress.

I ended up going with a 3.5 length stitch, and reduced the tension slightly. The sleeves went very well but I had some trouble with the start of the neckline rows; it was hard to get them straight with the lumpy zipper seam there as well. It took a lot of patience and some redoing to get it done to my satisfaction.

I'm quite happy with this project and even if it did have to wait two years to get finished, it now works well with my Blue & Yellow sewing plans of this year. This pattern was also fun to make since when I took it out of the envelope, it had been cut out with all my regular size grading already. 

The only thing I had to change was to shorten it an inch above the waist. I guess the original owner was my size doppelganger ;) I had cut it at 16 neck, bust and waist and graded out to 18 from just at the waist to the hip, which was pretty much what the pattern was prepped for. However, there was a shoulder pad allowance that also needed to be removed from the pattern so that it would fit the shoulder without the extra padding. I do think I will take it in a smidge at the bust-to-waist area though. 

Despite those changes and the anxiety of doing so much contrast topstitching, this was a fairly easy and enjoyable project to work on. Glad to have it off the UFO pile & into the closet! 

Spring Sewing Plans: Specifics

After looking at my remaining Fall sewing queue and setting up my Spring plans, I decided to pick a few specific patterns that I want to make next. I pulled a bunch of fabrics from my stash and got busy. 

You might notice a theme of sorts. I've made myself some blue & yellow masks and a lapel pin for myself and my spouse. And of course, Ukraine is on my mind every day. So I looked through my stash and found quite a lot of blues and yellows to use for my next projects. Some of them are ones I put onto my #MakeNine2022 list, and others are plans I made in the fall. One or two are new ones I've added to the list. So far this is what I'm queuing up for the next month and a half of sewing. 

This Vogue 8612 is one I picked up at a thrift store just for this great jacket. I'd matched it up with this small piece of wool gabardine (also from a thrift store, online) back on my Make Nine list. I've got it cut out with a fun piece of lining, too. First one up!  

This Belgravia Dress by Liesl & Co is on my list as part of a project for the Liesl & Co Advisors Circle. I saw this feather print knit in the stash and thought I'd match them up! 

Butterick 6708 is a pattern for a zip front jacket that I was planning on making last fall. I had this textured cotton fabric picked out for it so now is the time! I might make the skirt from this pattern, but might also use another t&t skirt with pockets. We will see. 

This very bright piece of lightweight linen will need to be lined, but I think that this simple summer dress from an old Burda magazine (late 80s) is the right match here. It will be a fun summer basic.

This blouse is another from my Make Nine list this year. Butterick 6488 has variations, but I'm choosing the front frilled View A (the one in white on the cover) for this royal blue rayon.

I had forgotten about this cotton sateen print but when I uncovered it I knew it would be a great fit for the Suki Dress from the Tilly & the Buttons book Make It Simple which I recently read and reviewed. A nice quick dress, hopefully, and it will match with the yellow jacket above if I get that made quickly too. 

Finally, an outlier -- as I was going through my stash I rediscovered this cotton canvas curtain panel that I found in a thrift store ages ago. It will be perfect for a boxy jacket -- not sure which pattern yet, I have a Burda pattern and a vintage 80s See & Sew pattern that both appeal to me. I'll have to check which works best with the print here. This is a traditional embroidery design from Western Ukraine, where my family originated, so I'm very happy to have found this print!

Vintage Blues in Jumper Form

I did it again -- made another jumper! I'm getting addicted to these :) This time I used a 90s pattern, Simplicity 8788 and matched it up with a bright blue, wide wale corduroy that I picked up at the thrift store way back before lockdowns were a thing. It was one of my more delightful finds. 

I wasn't sure what to do with this corduroy, but finally clicked with the simple square-necked version (View C) of this pattern. I liked the straight lines, the square neck and the single pocket that crosses the side seam. I could have moved that pocket up an inch but I think it still works. I lined the pocket and fully lined the jumper as well. Corduroy isn't wearable without a lining, it sticks to itself and to any tights I attempt to wear. All my cord skirts and jumpers are lined. 

Fortunately I had a nice oyster-tone lining in my stash that went beautifully. And I also used the small leftovers from my recent "Europeon" blouse to cut the facings, since the colour tones matched perfectly. As I've mentioned before, I like a facing over a lining in a case like this because I find the lining always peeks out no matter what. With this project, I am almost as enamoured of the lovely insides as I am of the outside. 

This was a fairly simple project, aside from the care I had to take with the cord itself. I lightly steamed it, without pressure, to get some of the creases out, and found that it was easy to work with (except for having to use my little tabletop vacuum every time I cut a piece out to remove all the fluff). It doesn't have many seams so it went together beautifully, and as I mentioned, that inside finish is lovely! I just cut the same pieces in lining, 1/2" shorter, then hand basted it around the neckline and arm openings, and attached the facings on top. 

The only big change I made was in construction order. They had you sewing up the jumper and then attaching the pocket to the side seam. Nuts to that -- I sewed up the right side seam, attached the pocket while it was flat, then finished up the other side seam and shoulder seams. MUCH easier to handle. 

The only tricky part was getting the hem to sit flat and settle; it's a bit bulky with that fold of corduroy. I just catch-stitched it to the lining on the inside and it works for now but I may have to go back and firm it up a little. 

Anyhow, I was happily able to finish this off on the weekend and wear it right away. I am really pleased that this pattern worked so well with this beautiful, larger wale corduroy. It fits nicely and wears well too. All one can ask for! 

Weekend Review: The Rarest Blue

The Rarest Blue / Baruch Sterman & Judy Taubes Sterman
Guildford, CT: Lyons Press, c2012
305 p.

This book is a mix of ancient history tracing the path of Murex dyes across the centuries, a scientific treatise of dye and colour perception, and specific tiny points of Jewish law and history. It works, to a point.

It looks at the search for tekhelet, a specific sky blue dye that is required in Jewish law to dye threads to attach to one's prayer shawl. Sterman goes into what the dye was, why it was important to Hasidic Jews, how it was made in ancient days (discovered by the Minoans, traded by Phoenicians, worn by Roman elites, used in Jewish religious tradition), and the effort by Hasidic rabbis over the last two centuries to recover the secrets of how this dye was made. 

The search for how Murex dyeing works was fascinating, even though it's also quite disturbing, being dependent on mutilating live snails and discarding them after the one precious gland is harvested. There was no real discussion about the ethics of this practice or any moves toward a more sustainable method of harvesting the important chemical -- but when religion gets involved in things, other considerations often get tossed out the window. That is my own observation, not something that is discussed in this book.

The history of blue and purple dyes is interesting and exciting; I recall Lydia, the seller of purple, in the bible and how that mention always intrigued me as a child. And of course the history of Minoan and Phoenician culture is always fascinating, at least to me. The details of how the dye is made is both compelling and disgusting -- who knew that the smell was so bad that a woman whose husband became a dyer after they were married was entitled to a divorce if she wanted one! I found these parts great reading and very informative. 

However, there didn't seem to be strong organization in this book, it talks about a lot of different things and sometimes themes and timelines get mixed up, at least for this reader. It also feels like it goes on a little too long; the chapter on the physics of colour perception could have easily been dropped without being missed. 

If you are interested in dyes and their cultural relevance, this is a good read. Keep in mind that the authors are also head of the Ptil Tekhelet Association, an organization dedicated to selling this rediscovered tekhelet dye and the threads required by this obscure biblical directive, so they might not be as objective about its importance as another person would. But they do know what they're talking about when it comes to how this dye was recovered from the mists of history and put back into production. 

This was an unusual find and one that I learned quite a lot from. Pretty interesting that I was reading this while making my latest super blue dress!