June 1, 2009
Uugggghhhh! Darts are not my friend…at all. Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but still. Putting in a few darts wasn’t supposed to be so challenging, right?
I’ll be the first to admit that I am technically challenged when it comes to sewing terms and describing exactly what I’m doing. I’m more of an organic person when it comes to sewing. I like the feel and weight of fabric in all its many textures. I enjoy the art of manipulating a square piece of cloth over a dress form until my imagination is sparked. I especially enjoy taking a flat discarded piece of material and reinvigorating it. Up-cycling is cool! Basically, I just do what I do and learn as I go.
My challenge in interpreting my sketch was in figuring out how to use darts to add shape to the garment. I wanted the contour to begin right beneath the bust area and extend to just above the hips. What the sketch shows as 2 discreet darts in the front of the skirt portion of the dress, has turned into 6 very long contour darts around the entire piece. I suppose I could have figured out a way to limit the number of darts by cutting the fabric a little differently, however, flat pattern making is not a strength of mine. Instead I opted to use one continueous piece of fabric for the skirt portion. I just molded the fabric as I went along taking special care to keep the grainlines straight. (Not a lot of fun, but it’s working) Here are some pics.


May 27, 2009
Well, I took the plunge! After a 6 month hiatus, I finally have a little extra time to sew. I’m so excited! I entered the My Pattern contest to practice the draping method. I like draping because of the instant gratification factor. I can design as I go, and since I’m a visual person – as well as impatient- draping allows me to go from sketch to 3D design almost instantly. So anyway, here’s my sketch:

I’m using a beautiful vintage cotton floral for the bodice and a linen blend for the skirt. I’ve started a work in progress on www.sewing.pattern.com , but I’ll also be blogging my progress as I go.
-Calandra
April 17, 2009
Whew! Busy, Busy, Busy. I really need a distraction.
TIME TO SEW SOMETHING!!!
January 9, 2009
I recently completed 6 garments and a scarf for the PR Endless Combinations Contest, and I’m very pleased with the outcome. I enter these wonderful contests because I need the practice and the motivation of a deadline. This contest was great in that regard. The idea of the contest was to start with one garment and build upon that one to get as many combinations as possible. We had 2 months to complete everything which was great because it gave me time to plan out what I wanted to do and then have the flexibility to “take my time” and complete the project. As with all of the other contests, I pushed it right to the end of the deadline, but I got it done.
My favorite piece this time was a fitted tunic with sheared sleeves. I thrifted this beautiful tablecloth recently and thought I’d make a light jacket or something, but obviously the tablecloth had other plans in mind (smile). I’ve been learning how to draft patterns recently, so I thought I’d try using the draping method for the jacket. Well, it all started off well enough until I got to the sleeves. Although I started with just two pattern pieces (front and back), I ended up cutting the sleeves off grain (I still haven’t figured that one out, yet), so they wouldn’t hang straight. They were all twisty and funny looking. I didn’t have any more fabric, so I figured I’d try to work with my “mistake”. Anyway, I ended up just exaggerating the twists by adding double shirring to the top and bottom of each sleeve. Thank God for inspiration!
For other pictures from the contest, take a look here.


September 4, 2008

I just entered the Sewing for Kids/Babies contest on Pattern Review. I’ve decided to choose a pattern from my newly acquired vintage pattern stash (I’m soooo in love!!!!), but there are so many cute styles that I’ve had a difficult time selecting just one. I have a month to finish the project, so maybe I’ll try a couple of them just for kicks!!!
-Calandra