Sew: The Party Dress

Tomorrow I turn 30. I'm not sad about leaving my 20's. Not at all. I've achieved so much in my 30 years on this planet and I couldn't be happier. I've obtained a Bachelor degree plus a Masters degree, travelled the world, married a wonderful man I met at the pub, renovated the "Renovator's Delight" and become the mother to two loud and boisterous boys. I'm really looking forward to my 30's. I think it is time to slow down, smell the roses and enjoy life!

On the weekend we hosted my 30th Birthday Party at our local cafe. Friends and family gathered from near and far to spend the evening with us to celebrate my birthday. I had a fabulous night (and weekend) full of fun, wine, food, laughter and macarons.

Of course, I had to have an equally fabulous dress to wear. Allow me to introduce The Party Dress...

Project Details
Pattern: Tracy Reese Vogue 1086
Fabric: Bird Print Silk Crepe De Chine
Alterations: Lengthened by 10cm, lined skirt, raised neckline by 4cm, pinched out 5cm from centre front and took side seams in 6cm (!!)

Front

Front

 I fell in love with this fabric after seeing it on The Selfish Seamstress. It is a Marc Jacobs silk crepe de chine that I bought on Ebay for the bargain price of $15 per metre. I had no plans for it at the time but once it arrived I knew I wanted it for my party dress.

Back Detail

Back

I discovered Vogue 1086 and thought the fabric to pattern match was pretty good. I am super pleased with the end result but it took some time to get there.

Back - full length

Front - full length

Now, this dress was no walk in the park. All started relatively well and I thought I would be finished in no time. How wrong was I?! As outlined on Pattern Review, this pattern has major fitting issues. The front neckline is extremely low and wide. The shoulders are very wide and the pattern sizing runs extremely large. The fact that it is completely sewn with french seams or enclosed seams makes fitting extremely challenging.

I removed 6 cm from the side seams. Yes, that's right. 6cm!! Despite going down a size from my measurements, I still ended up with an indecent sack. I raised the centre front by 4cm and then removed an inch wedge once finished as it was very wide and gaping. I also raised the armholes and took an extra 1.5cm from the edge of the armholes when binding. Plus I extended the length by 10cm.

Despite all the fitting challenges, I am super pleased with the end result. It is a beautiful dress that is comfortable to wear. The fabric compliments the pattern perfectly.

L x

Party Dress

Soon I will be turning 30 and we are having a party!! I have taken the plunge and ordered the fabric I have been swooning over for a few weeks. It is called Emerging Spots and is a navy, black & ivory Japanese cotton voile from Tessuti Fabrics.

Once again I am undecided about which pattern to use...

I originally thought the Colette Truffle dress. With a black cropped jacket, black heels and a statement necklace??

What do you think? The fabric will need lining and I will probably go with a navy lining to make it a bit darker and more suited for an evening party (not kid's birthday parties for once!).

Any other pattern suggestions? I have 3.5 meters so enough fabric to play with.

Thanks in advance lovely ladies!!

L x

Review: Tessuti Online Shop

I used to have the pleasure of visiting the lovely ladies at Tessuti Melbourne on an almost weekly basis. Unfortunately (but fortunately for my bank account) my maternity leave finished and I returned to work. So my fabric shopping opportunities have diminished significantly. Enter Tessuti Online Shop!!

Tessuti runs an efficient and pleasurable online shopping experience. Each fabric has a few photos and clear description. Sometimes they include the weight, texture and potential uses for the fabric. I wish this info was included on all fabric as it makes it easier to "visualise" the fabric. In terms of efficiency, I ordered my fabric on Sunday night and it arrived Tuesday. All beautifully packaged in pattern tissue and a Tessuti ribbon.

In summary, I love Tessuti in all it's forms and if I can't get to the shop then the online version is a fantastic backup plan.

Store Details
Store: http://www.tessuti-shop.com/
Delivery: Express Post via Australia Post (free for orders over $150), extremely efficient, beautifully packaged
Extra Info: Fabric is ordered by the quarter meter, so be aware - for one metre enter quantity of 4, very helpful staff

Last but not least, my purchases! Two knit linens, in black and white, to make the Sewaholic Renfrew pattern. Plus a large piece of Japanese Cotton Voile Emerging Spots to make a dress for my 30th Birthday party (more on this soon!).

L x

Help?!

I need help. I have this beautiful Liberty Tatum fabric and can't decide what to make with it. I originally bought it for a Peony dress but since seeing Simplicity 2215 over on Idle Fancy I am torn...

What do you think? With a little red cardi and belt... Which is perfect for Autumn???

L x

The Fabric Store - Review

Between sewing for myself, my boys, my husband and our home, I buy a LOT of fabric. I tend to spread myself out across the fabric retailers within the city and inner norther suburbs. So I thought over the next few months I would do reviews of my main fabric and sewing supplies retailers.

Early one morning I dragged my boys down to Brunswick Street, Fitzroy to The Fabric Store. My mum had recently been to their Brisbane store and told me there was heaps of wool suiting and merino knits. I was in search of some fabric for a few Renfrew tops and a black wool crepe for a pair of work Clover pants.

The shop is full of fabric organised predominantly in colours, with some fibre content organisation as well. The service was friendly but not pushy. I did find that they weren't really eager to assist with fabric selection even though I'd asked for some help. I had two kids and a list, so a bit of assistance would have gone down a treat. I also didn't feel like they really sewed a lot.

Besides that, it is a wonderful shop full of ex-designer fabrics, lots of wool knits and linens and a good turnover of stock. You need to be careful when they cut the fabric, as there are often flaws in the fabric. Two of the pieces I bought had holes in the middle but the assistant happily gave me extra fabric to enable me to easily cut around the flaw.

Store Details

Store: The Fabric Store, Brunswick Street, Fitzroy (there are also stores in Sydney, Brisbane & NZ)

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday: 9.30am - 5.30pm & Saturday - Sunday: 10am - 4pm

Parking: Street parking right out front

Access: Street level, easy access for prams, lots of room

Extras: Friendly staff, couches for the onlookers, great coffee shop just a few shops away. 



Here are some of my purchases. You can see my plans for these in my Autumn Winter 2012 sewing list. 

After about 30 minutes I had one bored little boy...

Thankfully the museum is close and is a great bribery tool!

L x