Pasley Gauze Skirt and Halter Blouse

I bought this gauze maybe a year ago, it was a cheap bargain and although I did not know then what to do with it, I decided to buy it and wait for inspiration. Some weeks ago I saw this skirt in a fashion magazine and I immediatly thought about my pasley gauze. I did not need a pattern, I simply cut the total lenght of the skirt with all the wide of the fabric. In the first try proved to be to big, so I cut it to fit me.

I really love this technique, sewing parallel stitches (1cm appart) with an elastic thread in the under reel of the machine. The result is similar somehow to the honeycomb pattern but elastic. I sew like 12 cm of this pattern, in the superior part of the skirt. I finished it with a zigzag and burned the remaining littler fringes. Finally, I had to sew an underlining of the same fabric because it was so transparent. I love the feel of the skirt moving sheerly about me when I walk, and the colous are wonderful. There was some material left, so I decided to make this halter blouse with a bow at the side of my neck. I can wear both together in an outstanding outfit. Please check the pants in this picture. It is one of the very scarse occasions where I managed to make perfect fitting, becoming and confortable pants (see Gertie's on the subject...). They are 2010's.

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Nude Embroidered Summer Skirt

I liked this fabric when I went shoppint in Barcelona last summer (see article ON THE HUNT). It was quite expensive, so I bought only 60 cm of it. I used a pattern for the superior part, and gathered the rest of the material to form the inferior part of the skirt. I had to sew a jersey lining under it because it was so transparent. With a carefully chosen black blouse, I was really happy with the final outcome.

A Nightmare of a Pattern and a Dream of a Dress

I have been pursuing this dress in my mind for long. I tried with last sping with this, and although it was nice, it did not have the retro touch I wished. Finally I made it. I boought this promising pattern in ebay: ...and decided to make it with a soft black cotton I bought this summer, with embroidered white roses and little 3D spots. Well... the pattern turned out to be the worst I have worked with ever. First, after careful consultation with the sizing chart, I cut the pattern in mine, only to see in the first trying it was like six sizes bigger than me (?????!!!!). I thanked my luck because bigger is easy to mend, and I blindly cut again, this time the size I guessed would fit me. And it did. Only now the midrif piece was 5 cm longer than its back counterpart, which I could also repair (again, it was too much, easy to rewind).

I am proud of some no-lazy decisions I took that made the dress perfect. First, I ironed interfacing in all the pieces of the body; second, following recomendations from the pattern itself, I put plastic bones in the vertical seams of the body. Finally, I discarded the waist plaited skirt, since in my previous project, I found it to make me too thick at the waist. I opted instead for a full circle skirt (which I made following this instructions in the net), that turned out to be much more becoming and retro-flavoured.

The magic of the dress, though, I copied from a shop in Barcelona. It was a black net undershirt ruffle that gave volume to my dress. I designed it like this (made it double, one skirt over the other):

I was gathering, and distributing it for hours!, but it was so worth it!!

My New Sewing Nest

I am proud and happy to present my new sewing nest.

We had a foldaway table in the kitchen we never used, and I had the idea of installing it under a window, next to a very practical piece of furniture with a foldable table for the sewing machine. Yesterday was a saturday and my husband - Karlos- and me decided it was time to do some DIY... we were succesful at the first try, and here I present it:
It has everything you need close at hand. In the black shelves on the right I have my sewing basket, magazines, fabrics, and all the necessary gadgets. I can put my computer on the table, since I like sewing watching American TV serials. I have my machine clos at hand and also, and very importantly, my ironing board. My mum taught me that having your iron near and hot was the best trick at hand to success. And she was so right... I recomend to iron every seam you sew before sewing the next.

And here you can see how my sewing corner looks when I am not sewing...

I am so happy with it! Having a luminous and confortable place to sew is crucial to find motivation to work.

Summer Beige Jersey Top

My auntie gave me this beige jersey which imitates crochet, with little flowery openwork. I decided to make a strapped top to wear it with, for example, short jeans.As you can see, I finished first the horizontal superior hems, both front and back, with a machine zigzag. Then I machine sew circular biased straps that went all around the armhole and over the shoulder, turned them over and sew them by hand with invisible zigzag stitch .These are both pictures of the inside.

Basic Black Dress

I discovered how to gather the body of a dress with elastic thread, putting it in the inferior reel of the machine, and sewing parallel lines around the bodice. I also applied a flounce in the inferior part of the dress. The finishings of the rims I made them with a zigzag, making thus a less "homemade" dress. In this picture, I am relaxing by the river. Like it?

ON THE HUNT!

Last weekend we travelled to Barcelona. Ribes i Casals, one of my favourite shops in textile, had moved, but the new shop was as big as the previous one, and only one street further from the city centre. They had "Rebaixes", that is to say, general big discounts.
I got four cottons: an animal print for a shirt, a black (+2% elastan) for an elegant frock, an embroidered nude for a miniskirt and a black and white polka dot print for a vintage dress. Also, and only for 4 Eur, a black lycra remnat destined to be a long sleeved body for the winter. You'll see them transformed, I hope, soon