Apr
2018

Statement Sleeves for Spring!

categories: Behind The Seams, Pattern Making, Review, Sewing 101, What I made

Hi Fashionistas!

Long time no sew! I took a break from sewing for the month of March to adjust to a second child. It has been quite a transition, and I and my family are still getting used to the new routine, or lack of routine 🙂

Anyways, I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I am sewing, and here is my latest make!

I used this fabric.  It is currently sold out but I am hoping they will offer it again! It is a quilted double knit. Very soft, yet has good body and is thicker, about the thickness of a lightweight scuba knit. 

For the pattern, I ended up using this pattern, view C, but made the following alterations.

  1. Changed the neckline to a boat neck.
  2. Chopped off the pattern at the high hip (to include hem allowance)
  3. Shortened the sleeve
  4. Freehanded the lantern/ bell sleeve with pleats using some scrap fabric

The fabric is quilted and has some really gorgeous texture as you can see in this close up below. For the neck, I used a twin needle to do the hemming as I did not have enough matching spools of thread for my coverstitch machine.  I hemmed the sleeves by serging first, then turning under and using a straight stitch.

I so love the sleeves!  They are so poofy!

This is how I wore this top on Sunday, with skinny jeans … and a sock bun. Yes, there is a sock in my bun.. it belongs to my husband 🙂 I cut off the foot part and rolled all that hair up, the stuck in a ballpoint pen to hold it in place. It’s called mommy chic 🙂

For a more dressy look, I paired this with a skirt (which I will never wear anywhere since I have nowhere to go :), but it is so cute!

Here is the back view of the top. Typically I put a CB seam in this pattern, but I decided not to in this one, as the fabric has a moderate amount of stretch, as opposed to more stretchy fabrics I usually use.

Ok- before I made this top, I actually made a scoop neck peplum with a cap sleeve, but I was totally cutting corners and I made a bad garment. So that one is getting cut and I will use the fabric into a top for my daughter. I also have some fabric left over so I will definitely be using that to make another top for myself!

Well, that is it! I am working on a red circle skirt for May, for my birthday!!

I hope that you are doing well. I would love to hear about what you are working on these days and I hope you are enjoying the spring!

I’ll see you in May with my next project- the red skirt!

ps- did you know Crafsty is giving an all access pass for 2 weeks for $1 right now? You can access all classes for $1 by clicking HERE

XOXO

-Vatsla

 


Feb
2018

Kimono Duster In Emerald Green: Vogue V9253 Modified

categories: Behind The Seams, Review, Sewing Quick Tip, What I made

HI Fashionistas!

I am so so excited to share my latest project with you. I made a kimono duster/ topper. Something like this would have typically taken me 4 to 6 hours to make, but I promise I spent more like 20 hours on this one, working at a turtle pace, in the final two weeks of my pregnancy. Matter of fact, I finished the sash on Saturday, Feb 10, and ended up going into labor that afternoon.  Had I known that baby Connor for waiting for me to finish sewing, I would have wrapped up this project a lot sooner 🙂

Well, the baby is out and he is one week old today. By the time you read this, he will be 11 days old… what a week it has been.. to think a week ago we were in the hospital. Moving on to this gorgeous Kimono… Here it is!

The kimono can be worn with or without a sash. I will probably wear it without a sash. That is more my style, but I wanted to have the sash, so I sewed that up in the solid green color.

I will show you how it looks belted as well.  The kimono is unlined as you can see. Here is the back view:

This print is just so gorgeous:

This is the fabric that I used. The fabric had a solid green panel on of the selvage sides, I used that to create the belt/ sash.I used Vogue pattern number V9253, View B with the following variations:

  1. Eliminated the center back zipper
  2. I also had to make my skirt front and back panels slightly less flared as my fabric was not as wide as the pattern suggested.
Here are the pictures of the Kimono belted:

 
 

 

And this is just me being goofy… because life is too short to be serious all the time 🙂

 

Here is the back view belted

 

Oh! Mom is in town visiting from India.. she gifted me these gorgeous earrings that happen to go so well with the kimono, so I wore these 🙂

 

Here are some “behind the seams” info of the garment in the making.

  • I always like to do a practice run of the thread/ tension/needle combo and make some samples before I take the garment to the machines. This eliminates any surprises and lets me test out the fabric.
  • I ended up serging the CB Seam and the side seams first, then stitched them and pressed them open. For the rest of the garment, I stitched the seams together, pressed them to one side, and the serged as one. Typically I like to press seams towards gravity, but in this case, I serged the waist seam before sewing it, and pressed the seams open, mainly to reduce bulk.

That is all I have. I am so ready to get started on the next sewing project. Not sure exactly what I am making next but I have been thinking about either an off-white peplum top, somewhat structured, or a knit hi low maxi dress. I will be looking for some sewing inspiration before I commit to the next project. I hope you all are well.  Once my baby is a bit older, I will sew for him and I am sure he will make his debut on the blog!

XOXO

– Vatsla 🙂


Feb
2018

Maternity Shoot and my DIY Dress Hack!

categories: Behind The Seams, Mommy and Me, Pattern Making, What I made, Who wore it best?

Hi Fashionistas!

So last month, in the cold cold month of January, I did my maternity shoot and family pics before the babe arrives.

Christmas ended and it all of a sudden hit me, I had not even thought about Maternity pictures. We had not thought about which photographer to hire, where we would take the pictures of what I would wear. I liked the idea of combining the Maternity pictures with some family pictures since we don’t get family pictures done that often.  I was so tired of being preggo at this point, I did not want to make my dress, let along mommy and me dresses.. But after the dreaded looking around for the ideal dress and seeing the high cost of low-quality maternity dresses, I decided to make mine after all.

Here is the dress I made, I will talk more about how I ended up with the fabric choice, pattern and other details below.

I knew exactly the dress I wanted, based on my inspo pic I will share later in this post…


Here are my fav mommy and me pictures: I made her dress too, freehanded pattern 🙂

We also did some family pictures and here are some of my favorites, I want to get these 2 framed. Love my little fam!

And


 

The dress has a bit of a train in the back..

Photo credit for all these gorgeous shots to Bailey Smith Photography. 

As always.. I found my Inspo pic on Pinterest. I pretty much knew I wanted a form-fitting, off shoulder dress that was fit and flair.. after looking I settled for a royal blue.. I think the color is just gorgeous and pops in pictures.. Once I found the inspo pic, I went on to hack/ draft a pattern to make the muslin (in black below). I’ll talk more about how I hacked the pattern.

I also know the color suits me from having sewn it up before HERE in this peplum top

Lots of folks on IG and Facebook asked what pattern I used. I hacked this one up so let me share the details below!

Once I find an inspiration pic, I look for the silhouette or the style lines. Example … I ask myself what is the best way to accomplish this fit? Do I have a pattern that looks like this (even remotely), do I have a garment in my wardrobe that could be used as a base to lift a pattern?

Let’s start by looking at the inspiration pictures: Here are two I liked:

 

I figured I could accomplish this neckline with a raglan sleeve, one that goes from the collarbone to the underarm. I immediately thought of this RTW top I have  in my wardrobe :


 

So I lifted the pattern for the top and used it as a base: I used THIS method I documented on youtube a while back. This method will work for lifting the pattern from any knit garment (one lacking darts)

Then I placed the bodice pattern on my dress form to make sure it kinda sorta looked like it would work. This is a knit garment so I can be a lot less concerned about the pattern being perfect.

When I copied the pattern for the bodice, I had drafted it down to the low hip. Then I measured down from my own low hip to decide where I wanted the flare to start. That was 16 inches for me. Then I just flared the pattern out to as wide as the pattern paper was. I used the exact same pattern to cut the front and back of the dress. I also lifted the pattern of the sleeve from the RTW striped top and extended it to be full sleeves.

Using this pattern I sewed up this muslin, which all of you seemed to love! I had 4 yards of this sweater knit sitting around that I previously used to make THIS dress . so I used that for the muslin

Confession: I have been very indecisive in the end of my pregnancy.. and I could not decide between cobalt blue and royal blue.. so I made 2 dresses, one that I wore (Royal) blue and one in the cobalt blue below. When I tried on the cobalt blue dress, it just did not feel right. Below is the fabric that did not make the cut. That will be repurposed into a pencil skirt as soon as I drop the baby weight!

I hope you enjoyed reading up on this make. Since this dress, I have made 2 baby blankets and a kimono duster/topper. I am so done sewing at the point, until after baby arrives!

I’ll try to share my 2017 review (high time) and also the blankets and duster with you (Its GORG)… energy permitting..

That’s all I have to share with you for now.. Who else is ready for warm weather? Do drop me a comment and let me know what you are working on.. I’ll be living vicariously through your sewing projects for a while 🙂

Take care and hugs. Excuse any typos… I’m still tired as a mother 🙂 Just trying to get through my to do list before we head to the hospital!

Vatsla. 🙂


Feb
2018

Baby Shower Dress with Statement Sleeves- Mccalls M6886 Modified

categories: Behind The Seams, Pattern Making, Review, What I made

HI Fashionistas!

Long time no see! I have done a bit of sewing in the last few months, but have not had much energy to blog about it. My pregnancy is coming to an end, I am only 10 days away from my due date, so It’s about time I share my 2 final maternity makes with you, starting with this gorgeous baby shower dress in a navy Ponte knit.

Would you guess what pattern I used? Yes indeed, its the TNT Mcalls M6886 with modified/ self-drafted sleeves 🙂

Since I was making a fitted maternity dress in a thicker stable knit with a pattern that is typically meant to use a generous amount of stretch percentage to its advantage, I had to get a bit creative. I measured my big ole bump and graded the pattern to be larger in the stomach. But because I could not depend on the stretch of the fabric too much (as opposed to using a jersey knit for example), I had to end up putting darts on the belly. I know that sounds strange. Most maternity clothes depend on ruching, but I find those so frumpy.. and it’s just not my style.. so I went for darts, you can see them if you are looking for them 🙂 The darts are in the front only, none required in the back 🙂


I styled this dress with one of my fav vintage furs. I downsized aggressively and sold the majority of my fur stoles last year, but this one I could not part with. My shower was on December 9, it was such a special day. Five of my dear friend’s co – hosted my shower. It was amazing. I’ll share some pictures of the shower with you below. It was cold that day! It even snowed a bit, but I refused to cover up this fabulous sleeves, so I wore gloves and the fur.. and a beautiful clutch purse that I picked up on my last trip to India. The shoes were a no-brainer. I mean, animal print d’orsay pumps.. how can one go wrong?!

I 1st saw this beautiful a thick anti-pill Ponte knit over the summer at Joann’s fabric. I’ve been unable to find a link for you online, but in the store, I have seen it in multiple colors, mainly a dark red, black, navy.

Here is the side and back view:

So these sleeves are so swoon worthy. I kinda freehanded them, kinda measured. I will have to dedicate a separate blog post to how the sleeves were made. Let me know if this is something you would like to read about! I might do a video, as its much easier to explain that way! It is basically the McCalls sleeves used as a base, and the ruffles are full circles (donuts) of varying circumferences, but uniform width.  I can show you a diagram and instructions if I do a demo. Just let me know!  You could add this detail to any base pattern!

The ponte does not fray, so the edges are raw on the ruffles.  Here is a “Behind The Seams” look at the sleeve. Click to play the video:

And normally I don’t wear much jewelry, just the same bracelet every day and my armlet, but this was such a special occasion, I pulled out an extra wide bracelet gifted to me by my mom, and the skinny spiral one that belonged to my mom’s mom.

 

I also want to share with you some pictures from my shower, planned by the sweetest of friends. Sometimes I am not sure what I did to deserve so much love . These are my dear friends: Leah, Kristy, Laura, Kristina and Julie. So blessed to have them in my life.

I hope you enjoyed reading this! I am due in 10 days.. so wish me luck.. I made another fabulous blue dress after this one.. hoping to share that with you as well before the baby arrives!

PS.. I am tired as a mother… so this blog post has not been spell checked.. or proofread.. 😀

I’ll see y’all soon.  I have 4 more things patiently waiting in queue to be blogged..

XOXO-

Vatsla. 🙂

 


Dec
2017

Mommy and Me Skirts for Christmas and Upcoming Giveaway

categories: Behind The Seams, GiveAway, Mommy and Me, Pattern Making, What I made

HI Fashionistas!

Hope you all are having a wonderful December. Mine is going by way too fast! I’ve been sewing up a storm lately. Last weekend, I wrapped up my baby shower dress and this past weekend, I finished these mommy and me skirts from a double-knit fabric:

For my daughter, I made a full circle skirt, and for myself, I made a maternity pencil skirt. I am seven months now! By the time you read this, I will be 33 weeks! Yipee!

Hers has a straight waistband and a zip on the back. Both hers and mine are self-drafted. 

I used a black and white double knit that can be seen HERE

Back view of her skirt:

Back and side view of mine:

She has her very own custom clothier, and wardrobe department

I styled this skirt two ways, 1st with a halter top with a bow, and next with this ruffle tee with 3/4 sleeves. Personally, I felt more “me” in the long sleeves,  since I feel its a more balanced look, and the top is longer. I do love the halter with the bow. It’s very chic!

Initially, I had planned on making mommy and me pajamas for Christmas morning.  It is my annual tradition, but the fabric did not have as much of a stretch as needed, so I switched to skirts!

And here is my latest obsession. Owl earrings! I shared with you the last owl earrings I gifted myself HERE. Well here is another 🙂

That’s all the fun I have to share with you!  By the time you read this post, I will officially be in hibernation mode through my due date 🙂

Hope you had a lovely Christmas!!  Happy New Year and stay tuned for my end of year/ new year fabric box giveaway!

XOXO- Vatsla 🙂

But before I go… some final silliness from my kid.

 


Nov
2017

DIY Gray Coat- Mccalls M7262 Modified

categories: Behind The Seams, Review, Sewing Quick Tip, What I made

Hi Fashionistas!

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!! We went to my brother and sister in law’s home and had so much fun!

Trying to stay comfortable and fashionable during pregnancy has been challenging, but I am determined to make the best of maternity fashions and look chic while dealing with sleep deprivation, heartburn, and fatigue!

Here is what I made: A soft drapey waterfall coat that can be worn three ways:

1st way to wear this coat: Draped, with either the right or wrong side of the fabric showing:

I wanted to make something that  I can wear for the remainder of my pregnancy, and also be able to wear it after, without having to make any alterations. I decided to go with a drapey, unstructured coat that would be fashionable, yet effortless, but most importantly functional. I am always cold and wanted something warm and cozy.

 

2nd way to wear this coat: This is my least favorite and I don’t plan on wearing it like this, but I thought I would give you some ideas 🙂 This will require you to fold the top of the collar so the correct side of the fabric is showing, and then overlap the right side over the left side and pin with a brooch at the waist!

3rd way to wear this coat: I LOVE this one! So chic!

The pattern calls for a button and buttonhole, but I instead used a vintage brooch to pin the coat. This easily switches it up from the waterfall drape to a cowl neck look, and perfect for those cold winter days! And to accessorize, I added these cute owl earrings which are a gift to self

This is an easy unstructured coat. It is unlined, had no pad stitching, no sleeve headings.  The fabric is so warm and so soft. When I ordered the fabric, I was expecting it to be a bit more densely woven, but I was pleasantly surprised at how soft it was.

Here are some side pics of how the coat draped if left open in the front

There is really nothing glamorous about the back view, but here it is

Here is one of the inspiration pics I pinned on pinterest

What I also love about this coat is that is is just one big ole’ blanket. So nice and soft and so cuddly. I could live in this now through February 🙂

And if you get REALLY cold, you could just do this. Hahaha

I used this gorgeous wool blend fabric—> HERE

For the pattern, I initially considered using Butterick B6244, which I think would be such a good pattern, although more drapey and bulkier than my inspiration picture, I had a serious case of mommy brain. I was convinced I had purchased this pattern, but I had not!

 I looked through my stash and found Burda 7184.

I could have used it, but I really wanted a set in sleeve as opposed to the raglan sleeve.  So, in the end, I ended up going with Mccalls 7262. I cut view B but eliminated the facing. I’ll talk more about how I finished the edges below.I made a muslin using some wool I had in my fabric stash to test out the pattern. In the end I made only one pattern alteration, extended the length.

I wanted something to hit me calf length.

 

So many pregnant celebrity mums have rocked similar length coats to rock their bumps and I wanted to join in on the fun!

I also wanted to show you some “Behind The Seams” pictures of the coat. I decided not to hem the perimeter of the coat. That would be bulky and since the wrong side shows, I wanted something subtle. So I topstitched all around the coat, 1/4 inch away from the edge. Then I took a pin and frayed the fabric. I treated it very similar to boucle, where the fabric frays, but still looks chic!

For the side seams, I serged the sides individually before stitching them and pressing them open to avoid bulk. The only place I stitched the seams first and then serged all layers was the shoulder seam and the sleeves. At intersecting seams, my Brother 1034D Serger was able to handle 4 layers of wool beautifully, and I was quite pleased!

For the CB Seam on the collar of the coat, since the wrong side shows, depending on how you wear it, I did not want serger thread showing. So I did a flat felled seam on the center back collar

This project was so fun to make. I have saved the pattern and at some point, I will trace it on to a tag and hang it. That is my preferred way of preserving patterns I like, and having them on a garment rack makes me more likely to reach for them. I could see making this exact same coat in a camel color and a black color and oh. Maybe a light pink or blush! These are so easy to style. They can pretty much make any outfit look good!

I hope you enjoyed sharing in this sewing adventure with me! Happy sewing! See you again, just in time for Christmas!

XOXO

-Vatsla


Nov
2017

Craftsy Class Black Friday And Cyber Monday Sale Alert!!

categories: Behind The Seams, Pattern Making, Sewing 101, What I made

HI Fashionistas!!!

Enabler Alert!! Craftsy has all classes on sale today for Black Friday and also Cyber Monday and it is the perfect time to buy a class or two if you have been wanting to add to your skill level or get into patternmaking, or couture sewing!

Hope that you had a fabulous Thanksgiving and are enjoying a nice weekend. I’ll be doing some online shopping for both fabric and online classes as soon as my kid goes down for a nap! See my review of all the classes I am already enrolled in and what I am buying today, as well as what I am putting on my wishlist!

I am purchasing the latest Coat Pattern Making class by Suzy Furrer for Black Friday. I studied pattern making with her in person at Apparel Arts and she is truly brilliant! I got to visit Suzy last year at the new school location and it is amazing! She is now also teaching on craftsy and I have all of her online pattern making classes

All classes are $17.87 or less. To get this amazing deal, click HERE

Here are the classes I am currently registered for. I highly recommend all of them. Suzy is an excellent teacher and also very responsive.

We studied pattern making at Apparel Arts in this order. Now you can benefit from her classes at home! If you want to learn pattern making, these would be the classes to take in order to build a good foundation.

Skirt Sloper : Click HERE

Here are a couple skirts I made for my final collection while studying with her:

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Bodice Sloper: Click HERE

From a bodice sloper, you can draft dresses, tops. jackets. Here is a dress and jacket I self-drafted using my bodice sloper:

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Dart Manipulation/Seam Lines: Click HERE

This class focusses on taking the basic slopers drafted for the body and then manipulating them into different style elements. For example, here you will learn how to change a basic darts on your sloper into princess seams, gathers, pleats, tucks etc.

Here is a good example of manipulating a bodice sloper into a sweetheart strappless neckline and also manipulating the darts into princess seams. (ps- that isnt alkee-hol, i just posed for my final collection :))

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Another example fo a self-drafted garment is this one.  You also learn about adding excess ease and then removing it in the form of pleats (which are dart equivalents)

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Creative Necklines: Click HERE

Collars/Closures : Click HERE

Sleeves: Click HERE

You know sleeves can completely change a garment. Dramatic sleeves are still in

. You can learn how to make bishop sleeves, bell sleeves etc. Here is a bell sleeve I drafted this summer.

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Pants : Click HERE

Here is a pair of pants I drafted in school. Not the best fabric choice, which caused the wrinkles. But being a novice, I can see why I selected this fabric. These pants with a stretch denim would be so cute! Hindsight is 20/20 🙂

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I also highly recommend her textbook, which is the Bible of Pattern Making. You can find it HERE

In fact, I just purchased a second copy because I misplaced my original one

 

I have also taken and reviewed the following classes in the past. They are both for tailoring a coat:

The first one is Essential Guide to Tailoring: Structure & Shape and the second one is Essential Guide to Tailoring: Construction

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You can read my review of these classes HERE and see the final garment HERE

Here is the latest coat I made, I should be posting this one to the blog soon!

I hope this post helps you see how these classes can help someone who wants to be a self-taught fashion designer. Gone are the days where you needed to take out crazy student loans and go to fashion school. regardless of whether you want to be creative and design for yourself, or be a self-taught designer and turn into a career option, the sky is the limit. With online learning, it IS possible!

In the last year, I added the following class to my library to make this chiffon skirt

I also added a coverstitch class

Let me know if you like online learning. I have the following I am adding to my wishlist and plan to score them on upcoming sales:

  • Sewing with Waxed Canvas: HERE
  • Couture Dressmaking Techniques:  HERE

Happy Black Friday and Cyber Monday Shopping! Have a relaxing weekend!!!

XOXO

Vatsla.

 

 

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