Regina's White Dress - Part 2

(Have you read Part 1 yet?)

Above - the covered buttons and loops to secure the sleeves. After creating them I found a picture that revealed the buttons on the show's costume to be some kind of rhinestone, but given that the chiffon I used was so delicate, I figured these covered buttons would work better. I put a drop of glue on each base for extra security.

Here you can see the two pieces of the sleeve, with the lower part already fitted, and the upper part ready to be gathered.

I cut the loops to the correct size and pinned them in place between the two layers of chiffon.

I then added a stabilizing length of bias tape to hold the buttons straight and keep the sleeve from bunching up.

Sleeves, finished with buttons and loops.

Getting the V on the neck with the false modesty panel was probably the trickiest part of the gown. I machine sewed the back and sides of the neckline, but secured the chiffon in place with hand stitches once I'd turned it right side out to ensure that everything lay flat. I also sewed in the sleeves at this point.

I played around with different ideas for the hem. I didn't want to do a doubled over hem, as that would get bulky and I was worried about it being too short in front. So I decided to go with a hem tape, which I secured using hand stitches, making it entirely invisible from the outside.

After attaching the bodice to the waist with the bead trim in between, I sewed in an invisible zipper.

Believe it or not, this was the first invisible zipper I have ever inserted. Well, not this exact one - but this project. I had to take the first one out because it was too short. Anyhow, I'd gotten an invisible zipper foot as a Christmas present from my awesome grandparents and was able to finally properly insert an invisible zipper. Turns out it is WAY easier than inserting a regular zipper!

Now for those with sharp eyes... yes, as far as I can tell the beading I was able to procure is the same they used on the show. You can purchase it here.

Looking for a custom commissioned costume of your own? Check out my commission info here.

Regina's White Dress - Part 1

The moment I first saw this gown, I fell in love with it, and desperately hoped someone would commission me to recreate it for them. Sure enough, I immediately got an order from a client I'd already been in communication with for another costume. She loved it just as much as I did, and was excited to get her very own replica.

Finding a floral weave to resemble the one used on the show was difficult - my assistant and I scoured the fabric warehouse, and then hemmed and hawed about whether this one was too yellow. I didn't think it was, as the OUAT scene had been heavily color corrected and this was likely what the original fabric actually was. My client approved, thankfully!

I purchased three yards, which was just enough for the pattern I drafted. If I were going to make a version for a taller client, I'd need more.

Side view of the sewn pattern pieces. Here you can see the slight train I incorporated, as a likely element of the unseen hem in the show.

Close, but not the smooth, snug fit the costume required. So I did some pinning, tucking and adjusting and...

Getting much closer! Here the bodice is finished and I'm working on the skirt.

I pinned down the front panels to get more of the fitted, straight look we were going for.

I then based the tucks in place with a dark colored thread, utilizing a loose slipstitch. I then sewed down the seam on the machine and removed the basting threads.

Read Part 2 for the rest of the story... sleeves, hems, and a very special bead trim...

Inbox Flood!

I am working my way through an every increasing flood of messages in my inbox. Don't worry, I'm here, I'm reading them, I'm just having a hard time keeping up with replies - and those who have already commissioned a piece in progress have reply priority. Thank you all for your interest - and your patience!

(I cannot positively guarantee anything until June 1st 2013 at this point in time.)

Floral Sundress - Part 2

Stop! Have you read Part 1?

One fun detail I enjoyed adding to this dress was the gathers at the shoulders and the contrast bands.

The gathers were sewn on the machine, but the contrast bands were applied by hand.

Remember those buttonhole loops from Part 1? Here I insert them. I doubled each loop in half, and marked where they needed to line up on the fabric, then pinned then between the dress and facing and sewed straight down.

Voila! Once the loops were sewn, I could then mark and stitch in the buttons.

I did not continue the buttons down the skirt, but rather inserted a short zipper.

All that remained was to sew on the sash and...

One awesome, perfectly fitted sunddress!

I spent less than $10 on all of the materials for the dress, however it should be noted that I spent at least three full days working on it.

Many thanks to my beautiful sister for modeling her gift for the blog!

Floral Sundress - Part 1

Last autumn I was shopping a sale at JoAnn's and came across some gorgeous cotton prints on clearance. I picked one out for my sister, and then drew several designs for her to choose from.

This is the design she picked. I was a little surprised that she wanted the bow, but she utterly insisted on keeping it.

The only major change we made was choosing a rust-colored fabric for the contrast instead of brown. Above you can see the pieces cut out, based on the same pattern I used to make her black bodice earlier in the year.

The detail I've been most excited about are the tiny, covered buttons on the back. I covered them with the contrast fabric, so that they match perfectly. Here you can see them on a close-up of the floral print.

The tricky part was making the button casings, which had to be sewn, trimmed, and turned inside out with the loop hook (visible in the second from the top tube). More on loop construction in part two.

After sewing the bodice, I did a second fitting and adjusted the seams at the top edges. It's not a luxury I get with a lot of my projects, as I have to work with a dress form and measurements - I can't do fine-tuning. So it's fun and satisfying to be able to do it with my sister.

I chose not to line the inside, as that works better for sundresses, and put the serger to good use. It was necessary to add facing to the top and back edges, and cut and hand stitch notches so that it could follow the curves properly.

Then the sash! Step one was fairly simple - just cutting matching pieces with diagonal edges and sewing them right sides together.

Step two involved inserting the gathers, which you can see here.

Ready to see the dress come together? Continue to Part 2!

The Tale of the Serger Repair Mission

Two weeks ago my serger broke (long story in and of itself), and so I had to do my first solo machine repair mission. The last time I had a broken machine was almost a decade ago, before I could drive and my mother took care of that kind of stuff.

First off, I of course took the machine to JoAnn's which is where I originally bought it. The lady at the Viking/Husquevarna station was very helpful, but to my dismay she told me the baseline price would be $99.99, plus any parts repair. I gritted my teeth. I needed my serger for work... I would have to do whatever it took to get it repaired.

Well, we'd gotten the ticket filled out with my info when the sales lady decided to call the repair guy and... I'm not sure, get an estimate on how long it would take? Turns out it's a good thing she did, because their repairman no longer works on Singers, having a full quota of Viking and Husquevarnas.

That was a low point. However the lady directed me to another repair shop that did all machines, and later that week I drove over (half hour drive) to get it looked at. That was rather nerve wracking as well, as the guy looked over my machine, had a worried look on his face, and asked me to leave the manual, which apparently they never do but my machine is... unique.

"Yikes!" I thought. What if they can't fix it?

I tried not to worry and focus on sewing the pieces I could do with my regular machine. The one upside was the lower price quote I'd gotten at the second place... $50-$70 unless something was really wrong. So that was reassuring as I spent the next ten days serger-less.

Finally yesterday we got word that it was complete, and I was able to drive over and get it. The guy said my machine was in great condition, and the problem had been with the looper timing which they were able to fix - and they charged me $59.99 which was definitely a better price than I had been hoping for at that point.

I still had to spend 16 days without a serger, which is NOT a good situation when you sew for a living, but I made it work.

A Seamstress's Bargains - #2

Part of being a thrifty seamstress is thinking far out. Buying materials for projects in installments instead of all at once can enable you to use more coupons and save quite a bit of money. With this in mind, today's advice is how to get the most savings out of shopping at your local sewing supply stores, specifically JoAnn Fabrics, as I used to work at our local store and have shopped there religiously for over a decade, which means I've had a lot of time to learn some really important basic tips and tricks.

Sign up for the mailing list at any and ALL craft stores in your area.
Often they will honor each other's coupons, although beware, you can't use Michael's coupons to buy fabric at JoAnn's, as Michael's does not sell fabric and JoAnn's will only let you use a competitor's coupon towards a comparable item. You can also set up your account to send your coupons to your e-mail or even your phone. Finally, if you didn't print/aren't on the list, more coupons are getting put directly on the website.

Don't assume that clearance fabric will be less than other options. Several fabrics will always be on sale (30%-60% off!) and can often be better savings. The only time when clearance is absolutely positively the best bargain you are going to get, is when the clearance items are reduce a further 50% off of the usual 50% clearance savings, for a total of 75% off the normal price. I never ever pass by the clearance when on the super sale without at least browsing.

Remnants are often the best deals on smaller amounts of fabric. They are always 50% off the current floor price - which means if that fabric is currently marked down 40%, you're going to get 50% off that already-marked down price. Furthermore, during big sales, Remnant markdowns may switch from 50% off to 75% off... at a time when many of the fabrics are already under some kind of markdown. You'll almost certainly never find a better deal than this.

Be aware of what you can and cannot use your coupons for. JoAnn's policies have changed over the years. Nowadays you cannot use coupons towards fabric on clearance. You also can't use them towards already discounted fabric. It used to be that if fabric was 30% off, you could use a coupon to cancel the original 30% off, and apply the coupon's 50% off instead. This is no longer valid (and is probably why some items, such as magazines, are perpetually 10% off, so that they can never be further discounted - However, if you have a total purchase coupon (usually 20-35% off), that will apply towards these items. ). So if you want to get a good deal on some fabric that is marked 30% off, wait a week until that discount ends and use your 50% off instead.

Take advantage of sales. Don't buy on impulse unless you have to. When items are marked down - stock up. Especially things like thread or the notions wall. Sometimes they are discounted as much as 50% off, which is a real savings and beats out what you can get anywhere else.

Don't buy full-priced patterns unless you have to - but do buy from JoAnn's as opposed to an online source! I've yet to find an online source that consistently sells any of the popular patterns for less than JoAnn's everyday 40% off price once you count shipping into total. However I try to keep my pattern buying for their $.99 pattern sales. I usually buy a ton during the sales in a variety of styles and sizes so that when I do need a pattern, I will already have something fairly close to use.

You can return fabric you buy at the store, as long as it's unwashed and uncut. Many customers wait in line to make a return, only to be told that they have to first take it back to the cutting counter to be remeasured, so save yourself the time of waiting in line at the check-out/returns twice, and go straight back to the cutting counter!

Don't order anything color specific on JoAnns.com. As much as I love the company, their color accuracy between the website and real life is the poorest I've seen - and it is difficult, expensive and sometimes impossible to make returns on online orders. Also, you can't combine multiple coupons, so you either get the free shipping or the 50% off - not both. If the store doesn't have enough of the color you want, they'll call and special order it for you, or do their best to track down another store that has it in stock - and you'll be able to see it before you pay for it.

Use your coupons. If you've got a store that is on your weekly errand rounds, then you can make smaller purchases and use more coupons. Don't have something specific you need? Maybe this is the week to get ten yards of muslin or batting or black silk and use your 50% off on it. You'll have a good stock for future projects, and you'll have gotten a great deal on it.

I've found that by following these guidelines, I can get equally good or better prices at JoAnn's than most other venues (unless I'm looking for something special like silk or velvet or boning). It takes a little extra work, but in this economy it's worth it, right?