Sewing and lifestyle blog of a wannabe "full-time vixen"

Presenting…The Tulip Dress!

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So I know I have been teasing you all with hints of the dress I’ve been working on for the last few weeks. I finished it last week and then my friend Victor Ngo helped me take some photos. Here is the dress!

Now the reason I call it the “Tulip Dress” is because I was inspired by the shapes of the petals on the tulip flower. My dress is a bit of an upside-down tulip really. As you will see from the photos below, I also wanted to experiment a bit with colour blocking. The back is in pink to give it a visual contrast with the red. I used cotton voile in red and pink, underlining with white because voile is a sheer fabric. I sewed two trims on the edges of the red layers — a pink lace from Dressew layered on top of eyelet trim that I dyed myself.

I didn’t make any pattern changes but while sewing the dress I realized the armholes were too tight and had to trim away 1/4 of an inch all around. I have realized now that I have narrow shoulders and should be making the adjustment on all patterns from here on out. I took in one cm in total at the back seam, I might take in a bit more next time. I also should have done a small bust adjustment but it’s not too problematic on this dress which has a loose fit anyways. I do intend to use this pattern again, it’s a great “blank slate” for all sorts of designs!

A cute outtake!

Here are a couple of interior shots. I used bias trim to finish the neckline and armholes. I hand sewed the bias trim and hem with an uneven slipstitch for an invisible finish. I adore uneven slipstitch (because I adore invisible finishes!) and use it wherever I can.

This project is also my submission to the Colette Patterns Laurel Contest. The sewing pattern I used is from the company Colette Patterns and the pattern name is “Laurel”. The only contest requirement was to use this pattern, which is a simple and versatile shift pattern. We were allowed to modify the pattern and envision our own version of the dress however we saw fit. There is a Flickr group for the company and you are free to peruse all the other entries!

I have no idea if I will even win any of the runner up prizes. The prizes are various gift certificates to various sewing related companies or gift certificates to Colette Patterns. But I don’t care! The goal was never to win a prize but to challenge myself and also to pull myself out of the low energy funk I’ve been in for several months. The goal was to complete a sewing project. I have achieved all these goals so I feel quite proud of myself. I also made a new online friend!

Her name is Gema and she’s from London, here’s a link to her blog. She saw my dress in the Flickr group and featured it in her blog. This is what she wrote about me and my dress:

I think this Laurel creation shows real imagination; Caroline shows a unique approach to taking a simple shift, and making the lines run in an entirely different way. It’s almost like her playful design is saying ‘Look at my face! I’m just as adorable as my clothes!’; really cute and playful :) AND she dyed the trim herself. *extra Brownie points*

Caroline’s website made me think she’s probably many men’s ideal woman; she works in a library by day, also as a scientist in a CSI looky-likey lab, makes gorgeous clothing in her spare time, and her website’s called http://fulltimevixen.blogspot.ca/. Enough said!

Haha! You have no idea how much I blushed from reading that. Sufficed it to say, I had a fun time working on this project and now I have an adorable dress to prance around in. Win-win!

[Outfit details: Shoes are Chelsea Crew from Ruche and tights are from American Apparel.]



A Sneak Peak…

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So I haven’t updated this blog in a while. Without getting too personal, there have been a lot of things happening over late fall/winter/early spring. I’ve been knitting, taking fashion design classes which require tons of homework, and trying to overcome procrastination. Yep, I’ll admit it, I have a problem with it. Most people do, so I’m not too ashamed and I’ve been working on developing good work habits. I think I’m starting to get out of my lack of sewing mojo! I’ve been working on a new spring project, and will be done in a week or so.

Here is some eyelet lace trim that I dyed tonight for the project. This used to be pure white!

This is my first time experimenting with dyes. I didn’t use anything fancy, just some all purpose Dylon dye that was on sale at Fabricland and cost less than two dollars. The colour is “Pagoda Red” and I’m satisfied with how it turned out. It’s currently soaking in a mix of vinegar and water to help it set a bit more. The colour looks a lot nicer in person and I look forward to more dye experiments. I would love to dye more trims which is a fun place to start for a beginner.

Now I understand the Dylon dye I used isn’t totally colourfast, which is totally fine for me and the purposes of my project. Next time I’d like to use a nicer dye that is actually fabric reactive.

I’m excited about the project I’m working on. It’s a dress and it’s gonna be quite girly and pretty. I hope to get pictures soon to share!

I still have other older projects to photograph, including the dress I finished and wore on New Years Eve. So my goal is to update this blog at a bare minimum of a biweekly schedule. See ya later for now!

A Dainty Floral Skirt – Butterick 5285

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Here is a skirt I made last spring that I finished just a bit before my birthday. The pattern is Butterick 5285, I sewed up view B with the pleats. Cut a size 12 but I should have cut a size 10 as it’s a bit loose around the waist. The fabric is a cotton voile I bought from Dressew which I’ve lined with black acetate. I’ve worn it a bajillion time already as it is just lovely. And it has pockets!

Action shot! The skirt is so swingy because of the light fabric and pleats.

Side seam pockets, so simple but so awesome.

Fully lined skirts are just such a luxury!

This is a lovely and simple pattern to work with. I will definitely be using it again some time. The only thing about it that is a bit troublesome is that the pattern utilizes a fair amount of fabric for a skirt pattern so that you can only purchase fabric that is in the 150cm width range. The back of the pattern envelope does not give you an option for 115cm fabric widths.

Outfit details: Blouse from Urban Behaviour, green wedge shoes from Ruche!

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I am hoping to start blogging weekly or biweekly again! Probably biweekly now as I keep re-evaluating how much blogging I really care to do in my schedule and I have night classes on Fridays for the next 7 weeks. I keep losing the habit as it’s a bit of work taking photos, going through the photos, doing possible retouches in terms of lighting, and then writing a post. Also, the summer was just so hectic, I spent a lot of time frolicking in the sun rather than cooped up inside my baking 3rd floor apartment that faces south.

I might need to find a better spot in or outside my apartment for photo taking. Still not satisfied with the type of photos I am getting. It’s all a lighting challenge!

If you’re wondering what happened to that yellow polka dot project I was working on…well I’m still working on it. I have to turn the dress into a skirt now as I botched the bodice. D’oh! Everything is a learning process.

Buttons for Ears

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I’m behind on my blog posts due to it being summer (so many things to do!) and spending a lot more time on social events then personal development (i.e. sewing, knitting, crafting). But I’ll throw this short little post out there! I made some fabric covered button earrings for a friend’s birthday this past weekend. They are the first time I’ve made such a thing even though the idea has been swirling around in my head for a while.

I think they’re adorable! And I can see myself making a bajillion of these things for myself and for friends. They’re pretty easy to make so I’ll probably write a photo tutorial later this month.

EDIT: If you do a quick google search of “fabric covered button earrings” you’ll find plenty of tutorials so I won’t bother making one of my own, would seem pretty redundant. If you need help making your own, feel free to ask me any questions. Cheers!

Summer Sewing

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Sneak peak of the current project I’m working on. Just taking a bit of a break with garment photoshoots which will resume next week.

I’ve been REALLY productive this week in practically all aspects of my life. My boyfriend has been/is away for a week and I decided to take advantage of his time away to do two things: sew like the dickens and start exercising again.

I’m proud to say that I’ve managed to do both! I enjoy both activities quite a lot and now I find myself looking forward to my next “fix” of either activity.

I also started keeping a log book of hours spent sewing right on the table where my sewing machine sits and it helps greatly in achieving my minimum goal of sewing for 7 hours or more a week (so at least one hour a day). So far since Monday, I have sewn for 7.5 hours already, spread out among four days.

I think part of my new-found vigor is due in part to a book I’ve been reading titled “Get Out of Your Own Way” by Robert Cooper. The book is about explaining some of your brain’s less productive habits through neuroscience and then giving methods for overcoming such brain obstacles so you can be more productive. Some of the advice doesn’t really apply to me (such as working in teams on a business project) but I still find those sections interesting and a little bit useful since it gives me insights into workplace politics and such.

I also watched Moonrise Kingdom this week by myself before it the theatres in Vancouver and enjoyed it superbly (I have this fondness of watching films by myself if it’s the right film. I watched Black Swan by myself and it was amazing). I totally have a costume crush on Suzy and all the costumes in the film. But specifically Suzy of course.

Check out this website for more examples:
http://fancyfrenchcologne.com/blogs/blog/6129004-costume-crush-suzy-bishop-in-moonrise-kingdom

I have been wanting to make dresses like these for at least a year or more now. I really need to get on this! They’re simple and classic and oh so girly. *swoon* I especially want to make a red dress with a Chelsea collar!

So here’s a hip, hip, hooray! for getting back on the sewing bandwagon. It has been a frustrating spring so I’m glad I’m over my slump.

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