My 'Gertie' Wiggle Dresses

Just recently, you may recall, I tried to be super efficient and sew two dresses at the same time.  It was a total success and I've worn each of them a few of times and I've only had them a couple of weeks!

As a reminder, this is the pattern I was using:

But with a different neckline...

And I'd previously used the pattern to make my Mad Men Dress:

I really need to do my hair like that again soon...

And because I have been able to wear them both (at least once!) I've been able to get photos of them to show you!!!  However, the background is REALLY BORING!  Its winter here now, and so its often dull and too dark to take photos at home, which means I'm confined to taking them in the office with a helpful co-worker.  Luckily there is an empty room that gets plenty of sunshine.

Maybe I should ask if I could bring some props in... I don't think anyone would care....  I'll work on that.

But until then, here are the photos (with a very empty and boring background!)

the black version

This is seriously the most comfortable dress!  Its form fitting without being tight, and its so versatile!  And I'm REALLY HAPPY with the changes I made to the neckline.

the green version

You may remember that I thought the green version was too plain when it was finished?  Well my solution was to make a gathered attached 'belt' just like in the blue 'Mad Men' version.  I did make a small boo-boo though, and attached it a bit high, so it sits just under my bust rather than around my waist, but I like the way that such a simple addition really changes the look of the dress.  I am trying to resist putting one on the black dress!

Oh!  And you may notice the lovely flowered hair pieces I'm wearing???  I've just found this lady with a business called Swell Dame Vintage Inspired Accessories and Apparel who lives in Greece who makes the most AMAZING hair pieces...  She has an etsy store here, and a facebook page here.  If you are looking for any gorgeous hand made things, you should check her out.

This is the one I wore with the green dress

 This is the one I wore with the black dress

And it has a BIRDIE!!!!!

I should add that Swell Dame has in no way asked me to say that, or paid me to say that, or given me anything to say that.  I just enjoy promoting people who make beautiful things that I think others would love too.

Now that I have been so successful at sewing two dresses at the same time, I am planning my next efficient sewing project - COATS!!!!!  Lets hope I don't bite off more than I can chew!

Beccie

xxx

Double Trouble is actually Double Success!

Well wasn't that a flat-out busy weekend!  And a long weekend too!!

I spent most of Saturday, Sunday and Monday sewing the two wool Gertie Wiggle Dresses that I talked about in my last post.  I did it production-line style (or sweatshop style - thanks Bea W, I like that one!) where I did each step to both dresses one after the other, keeping them at the same level of progress.

When you are talking about things like darts and underarm gussets and zippers, it really gives you a chance to practice your techniques, but when its just straight seam sewing, its kinda mindless.  Thank goodness I don't actually work in a sweatshop!  I think I'd go to sleep and sew my finger to something!!

And I have NO IDEA how many times I changed the thread and bobbin on my machine.  Next time I attempt this I might have to try harder to plan so my thread colours are the same on all garments!

Another downside to sewing sweatshop style is that I get so focussed on what I'm doing (in multiple) that I forget to take progress photos.  This is only a problem if you have a sewing blog...

However, I did take this photo:

Mainly because she just looked so adorable.  Miss Stella was sleeping on this cushion while I did the hand sewing in front of the TV with the dresses on my headless helper.

Oh, and this one:

This just shows that I REALLY need to do some sewing machine maintenance!  I was sewing the lining for the green dress and I'd done a stop stitch to start and then got about 8 stitches down and the whole thing jammed.  The bobbin thread had wrapped itself around this giant ball of fluff under the feed dogs.  I tried yanking it out (which didn't work) and then I started worrying about damaging my pieces (eek! Don't want to do those darts and underarm gussets again!) so I got out my unpicker and levered the fluff ball out, breaking my unpicker in the process.  And while this all sounds like a mini disaster, I managed to clean all this up without ruining my fabric pieces!  Hooray!!

So, after a lot of diligent concentration over three days, I got my two dresses finished.

Here is the black one:

I wore this dress yesterday to a Rugby Union function - I think I was one of only three women in the room - so it wasn't really a situation in which I could take photos...  But how fabulous is the red lining with the pink bias on the edge of the black!!!  I love it!!  Just cause its a boring black dress on the outside doesn't mean it has to be on the inside!

Here is the green one:

Same with this one - I love the magenta lining with the teal edging on the wool!

And while I like the green one as is, I think it just needs something else, so I'm going to do a gathered waistband belt thing like I did on the Mad Men dress, just without the bow.  So while I say its finished, its not quite.

And can I say these are two of the best zips I have EVER put in.  EVER.  I know a lot of you have zipophobia, so this coming weekend I promise to do the photos for a zip tutorial.

I hope you are enjoying the start of my winter sewing, because there is so much more to come - I have such plans for my next few garments!

I'm off to do some maintenance on my sewing machine.  Anyone need to join me?

Beccie
xxx

Double Trouble???

Last weekend I started making two dresses that I think will be the staple for my winter wardrobe - and what better way to make two dresses than to make them at the same time!

....until I realised that this means twice the amount of the crappy jobs like cutting out, and darts, and underarm gussets, but more on that later!

After the Mad Men Dress Challenge where I turned the Gertie Wiggle Dress into a dress just like Joan wore, I knew it would be the perfect winter dress for me.

Warm, with sleeves, and a sexy curve hugging silhouette

So I purchased some more fabric in a couple of colours.  One being the every popular and servicable black

Black Italian Herringbone wool from Gorgeous Fabrics

(Seriously, how gorgeous are the fabrics from Gorgeous Fabrics!)

and another, more unusual choice for me, a dark teal green wool crepe

Changes colour every time I look at it...

Now the green wool was inspired by these shoes...

You can find these shoes here

We all know this isn't the first time I've let what should be an accessory define the dress I make!  I'm sure we all remember the tropical dress for the sparkly pineapple bag, or the cherry outfit inspired by another pair of shoes... anyway!

And the lining... I chose some lovely vibrant rayon.

Magenta for the green dress, and red for the black one

I had to retrace the pattern (sigh!) because I wanted to change the neckline again, so once I did that I cut out a couple of pieces using the lovely sheet we saw last week and pinned them together on my dress form.  I then drew all over it with texta...

Somehow I managed to remember which lines were the ones I wanted, and I adjusted my pattern and started cutting.  Which took forever.  Since I'm fully lining the dresses I had to cut out the pattern 4 times!  5 pieces for the dress outer, 5 pieces for the dress lining, 8 gussett pieces, and front and back neckline facings for EACH DRESS!!!!

I seriously didnt think I'd get it done before the weekend was through!  But I kept at it and by Sunday lunch time I had it all cut out... so I started on the darts.

Now, for some reason I HATE sewing darts!  They are just a pain!!  Totally necessary but a pain none the less.  So I knuckled down and I sewed 24 DARTS!!  24!!!!

But that wasn't the worst of it.  Next I had to do the underarm gussets - there are 16 in all.  I've worked at this during the week and at this point I've done 10, and I'll have 6 to go when I start sewing again on Saturday.  But I suppose all this repetition gives me the chance to master a technique...

I'm hoping to have both dresses finished this weekend because its a long weekend, so that means I have THREE DAYS TO SEW!!!!  Wooooo!!!!!

Have you ever sewn more than one garment at once?  How did you go?

Beccie
xxx