Missing posts: September Dress, Willow-ish skirt, Up in the Air coat

I haven't been very loyal to Sewing and Style Den recently due to all the troubles with the change of jobs. It is fascinating how much physical and mental energy it takes. And the way things turned out, it seemed I have been on some crazy roller coaster ride for a whole 2 month. However, without bragging on about it or spilling the beans (though, believe me, I'd love to share the shocking details) what life had in store for me at the end seems too good to be true! Only it is true and I feel so happy and relieved.

My sewing was on hold, and it was hard to get inspired, however, I have made some attempts to get back into it, by refashioning some of my fiance's old t-shirts. He is doing amazingly well on his weight loss journey and he did lose almost 30 kg since last august, when he started. All his old clothes, sized XL, look massive now, and to our mutual delight last week he git a size S t-shirt, which not only fits perfectly, but is a bit loose!!!!! Unbelievable. So there was a big job for my serger to "doctor" some of his old favourites. And I have to admit - I missed my workshop and the sweet sound of the sewing machine and serger, busy doing what they should be doing much more often))))

I also had to make a few black t-shirt for work, and the top pattern 122 from  4/2011 came very handy! What a great pattern, the fit is perfect and it takes so little time to make! I strongly recommend this one!

And the other thing- I just discovered I have at least 2 posts missing on this blog. I can't imagine why would I delete them, it must have been by accident, but they are nowhere to be found, so I will have to re-post  a bit about those projects, forgive me for repeating myself.

A Confident Woman with Not-So-Confident Dog (Up in the Air Coat from Burda 9/2008 No.101)

Here is a finished coat following my Up in the Air post  The pattern from older Burda Style magazine has always kept me dreaming, so now with a bit of inspiration and a wool blend fabric with a nice black and gold pattern, the coat is mine!

The most fascinating fact about it was that itentered into Sandra Betzina Power Sewing online Looking Great in Green competition and it won 2nd place!   I received an email with congratulations and a book ( pictured on the right) as a prize. Wow- that was unexpected!



So here is the finished coat in its full glory:

I amended the original press studs and added a golden zipper.

looks good worn either open or closed

I had a bit of a gold/black trip that I added on the top of the collar and to give the coat a touch of glamour. 

And here is my not-so-confident dog, who I didn't notice during the photo shoot. Not ready for the front line, he is craving fame nonetheless!  LOL

Another September Dress (Burda 9/2010 No.122)

This is a very popular dress from the cover of September 2010 Burda magazine. I fell in love with it from the first sight, but only got to making it last month. The pattern looked complicated, but all parts came together perfectly, like a puzzle. The only note I would have for those who want to make this dress- if you are narrow-topped (like me) you will need to reduce the neckline width on both back and the front. I narrowed the back part, but not the front, and it ended up sticking out, so I had to cheat a bit, making pleats and adding a covered button, which now I simply love- it added a cute touch to the dress, I think. I used Perfect Curved Seams technique when making this dress. Also I didn’t really like the panels, so I added a narrow 3/4 sleeve, which made it much more practical to wear all year round in Irish cool climate.

Willow-ish Skirt or La Femme Fatale

This project was inspired by designer Willow’s collection, and a similar skirt in particular. I had a cut of wet-look stretch fabric left from another project, and so I decided to give it a go. There is an invisible zipper concealed underneath the front trimming, a couple of darts on the sides and the back. The issue was the length of the fabric remnant, so I had to go for a mini version.

The pullover is from Burda 9/2010 (121)- it is a great pattern, I highly recommend- made it in less than an hour, and it wears like a dream- so soft and comfy !!!!!