The best kept secret dress?

I am appalled!  After a few month I found out that Burda Magazine 10/2010 has a dress, that is only availbale for download on their German site. So What did all Russian, English, Italian and French fans did to them, that they were all deprived of such an amazing dress, far better than anything in that issue!!!






Well, it immediately went on my next to sew list, I love the assimetric pleats on the front, there are two zippers in the shoulder seams and an invisible zipper on the side, however if you are using a stretch material it is not nessesary. I just received a very nice marl grey ponte double knit 4 way stretch jerseythat could be perfect for it.

All these are ready-made versions from Burda.ru members - looks great, I  think. Will try to give it a go soon.

Up In The Air

So I am caught between an itching for some sewing time and total apathy, sounds familiar? Don't you just hate it when you start doing something and in a while just want to quickly check if that email you're been expecting has arrived. Two hours later you are still online and feeling sooooo lazy to go back to work! Well I do! I hate wasting time and it looks like I am very very good at it lately, wasting my precious time. 

So here's what I am putting off: 

This stunning coat, which is actually very easy to make - it could have been almost finished by now if I didn't get into this virtual trap. I am using one of those fabrics I bought ages ago and couldn't decide on the best use for it .It is a designer wool blend fabric from Italy- it feels fantastic- not too thick or heavy and it has a fantastic texture to it. I have about 2 meters, might even squeeze in a matching mini,  or even a wee bag! (I actually never made a bag before- there's spontaneous idea, Thank You Blog!)

Back to the coat, I am going to add a zipper to the front instead of concealed snap fasteners, and I decided against the lining. I just want something light you can wear on a cool spring-summer  night. I will have to either bind the seam allowances or use the overlock- I will check what looks better- I have some black satin bias tape, but I have to pop into the shop for a zipper (the ones I have at home are all too short), so I might see something nice there for binding. 

So now, after all this blabbering, I feel it's time to retire to my workshop again, so I will be back soon with the finished result, I hope!



P.S.                          Quick update:

What an amazing pattern. It is unbelievably simple to sew, just a couple of seams and the whole thing already looks like it is coming together- and quite nicely!!! I bound the hems of the sleeves with the black satin ribbon and I will do the same to the seam allowances of the bottom hem. Funny but even though the sleeves have a darker cuffs on them in the photo- there s nothing like it in the pattern/instructions. Go figure.

Too bad I have to wait till tomorrow to get that zipper, at it looks like it could be a "3 hours work" coat. So as there is no point in rushing, I am alternating sewing with some blogging and online socializing. Also need to get black raglan shoulder pads for best shape, so might check out ebay before going to bed too.

My Current Projects- Work in Progress

BRAINSTORMING

I have a couple of fabrics that need to be used asap-

This is VOYAGE designer wool suiting fabric. 2 meters. It is quite light, yet warm maybe good for a winter dress, something with plain cut like the one in  Burda 11/2010

I also was inspired by Gok's Clothes Road Show (season 3), where he made a cropped jacket with frog fasteners, so I think this fabric could look very funky in a short jacket from Burda 12/2010  - however, I would make it single breasted and used above mentioned frog fasteners ( I have seen some stunning ones on ebay, but will check out our local shop first)

This is a sheer a bit stretch chiffon fabric. Very soft and light. Could make a nice little top/blouse. I regret now not making something out of it last season, when prints like that were a real hit though.


Still don't know really what to make out of it. Will trust my impulses I suppose. It needs a non-transparent lining, if I want to make a dress, but this fabric is so light, I am not quite sure what lining would work. Any ideas? I have a slight feeling it will end up in something like this eventually-

Here we have a shimmery wool blend fabric, I only have about a meter of it- I used it for a project before. It behaves well, but creases easily. My idea for it is a Karl Lagerfeld skirt I blogged about before. Just need to check if I have enough fabric for it.




However, on the other hand, I might go for something different- Patrones 296 had so many lovely styles, it is hard to choose the favourite. Here are some of them...hmmm, all yummy....

and finally, I have a bit of wet-look leather stretch fabric left over and look what I saw on Net-A-Porter.com today: amasing, I think! A bit of gathering and a bit of grosgrain- fab!











So this is what I am up to... have any comments, tips or ideas? Do let me know!

Hello 2011!!!!!! Bye Bye personal Facebook profile!!!!

Well, my friends, the holidays are over and it is a good time to look at the current state of things and make some decisions, create resolutions and try, really really hard, to stick to them as long as you can. Well, easier said than done, you'd think. But why not? What the hell? At least, give it a go. 

My first resolution for this year was to get off Facebook... Well not completely, as I am enjoying running my Sewing and Style page, but just the other day I read this article about a girl closing her FB profile. Her view on this was that social networks do nothing but make you feel like other people have better life than you do. Interesting.

I have to admit, since I joined this network I have developed a sick obsession with pointlessly staring at other people's statuses and posts, I spend hours flicking from home page to profile(s) and back. I rushed to share any very impostant fact, like "I am bored" or " dying of flu" and every time I had a picture taken, uploading it on my FB profile, was probably the first thing crossing my mind... Is this a good picture of a happy person with an eventful life? I really don't think so!   It scared me deeply to see what I've become, I haven't read a decent book in months and my dressmaking ideas stay at the idea level much longer than they ever should have been.  So I did it. I deactivated my profile, I created an alternative profile- no friends made- to access pages management and i am soooo looking forward to the year ahead!!!!!!!!

Well, the other new realisation was to do with this dress- I was dreaming of making it for weeks, even featured it on Caught My Eye... page, but since the magazine is out, I have seen a few sewn versions of it on Russian Burda site and it kind of puts me off a little. Go see for yourself

and tell me what you think- does it look very "eastern European" - you know what i mean- no offense to anyone, I am one of them myself, but one thing I do not fully support is the general public's dress sense in that part of the world. That is why I need a bit of feedback on this one.

I have been browsing other blogs a lot recently and found this fantastic site for wardrobe remakes- as far as I got it, the lady who blogs buys very cheap jersey tops and remakes them according to fashion trends. And I lost the link, so will update this part when I find it again!


My mom-in-law has been staying with us for over two weeks and I had to convert my workshop into a guest bedroom for the duration of her stay, so i was unable to make anything for myself recently, and I really miss my sewing machine now, so from Thursday (the day she is leaving) my plan is to sew sew sew like there's no tomorrow!!!!! However, for now, i am getting all my magazines out to refuel my inspiration. This year i would like to make more jersey-based clothes, I have a great seller on ebay with an amasing selection of stretch fabrics, and their service is excellent. 

I have a small amount of wet look black leather resembling stretch jersey I purchased for my Von Trash dress insets, and i am thinking of making something like this top from Burda WF 10/2010. It could go quite nicely over a black high neck pullover, to make it look less BDSM-ish ))))) with a pair of skinny dark gray satin trousers I bought on sale from Vera Moda last year - hmm, could be good, and it looks very easy to make. 

I also want to make a warm dress or two for the cold weather- apparently my husband has an obsession with winter dresses- how nice to find out after 6 years together. In Ireland you can't afford wearing little kinky dresses all year around (in fact, the warmest temperature here is +25 and it feels like +20,at all times due to the chilli breeze, so it is a no win situation either way) 

And it is very promising to know that you can still look very attractive in a thick winter dress - as long as it drifts towards late 60's kinky style with a pair of sexy woolen tights ))))) Well, I intend not to disappoint him in the year 2011! I already have a collection of old movies like "Diamond are Forever"and so on to steel some ideas

So on this positive note, I am retiring to my pattern magazines: burdas, patroneses and boutiques and I will be in touch soon, hopefully showcasing some new garments))))

Happy New Year!!!!!!

Inspired by lower back pain....

...A seamstress friend of mine asked me the other day:" How do you get time to make all these new clothes and blog about it at the same time? I have no time even to draw :-)"

Well I supposed it is the matter of what you do with your spare time and right now I am bed bound with a bad lower back pain, a bit tipsy on pain killers, thinking about having to skip my job tomorrow morning ( losing working hours is the last thing I can afford before Christmas, but I suppose life has something different for me in mind. Whatever it is - it isn't money )))). Comparing prices of canned tomatoes in Aldi's and Lidl's seems to have become a normal part of my weekly shopping- thanks to the "severe" weather conditions and my job closing down way more than I can allow myself to joke about...

But my Mojo is- life's moving on, and when it seems to be bad- there is always something good hidden somewhere in there, just need to keep your eyes and your heart open. Like making a dinner for a family of 3 with a nice roasted pork joint, lovely veg and a bottle of wine for under 10 euro- that's what I am talking about! Or finding a couple of dirt cheap ebay outlets that offer super trendy shoes for ridiculous prices- like these gorgeous platform sandals for £8.99 (plus postage £6.99) How can you go wrong with that?


Lying here in bed is somewhat good for sudden great ideas. I have a 1.5m of an azule blue satin fabric and as blue is not really my colour, I couldn't decide for ages, what  it could be used for. So tripping on Tradol brought me the answer: this dress from Burda 12/2010 was on my mind ever since the first preview of the magazine. I would probably have to wait till January before I could realize all my recent fashion ambitions, with this pain getting in the way and visitors for the next two weeks forcing me to turn my workshop into a guest room. But hey- this is what this blog is for- "filing" the dreams )))))

So this is the idea (and i hope it will work out):

this dress in blue satin

worn with this white pullover I made from BURDA 9/2010 and topped up with my cream furry cropped coat, maybe some woolen white tights with some cute anckle boots?

THANK YOU NOTE

I just wanted to thank everyone for kind words and voting for my projects on both Burdastyle.com and Burdafashion.com/ru  I am so thrilled as I couldn't have even dreamt of my humble creations being featured on on one of the world's largest sewing communities' website's homepage !!!!!!
Here is the project that was honoured that much:

Romance Blouse on BurdaStyle

 

 

 

 

And this one here won the best garment of the day on 10/12 on Russian Burda World of Fashion Photo Forum:

So once again THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A pair of shorts for a Pear?

Shorts are one the sexiest outfits you can ever pick up from your wardrobe. Especially this Spring 2011, the shorts are on. You can choose from satin short, cotton shorts, patterned short, monochromatic shorts. It is better to buy floral patterned shorts, because it is spring. It is a great decision, if you pair your new shorts with one of the Alexander McQueen Spring 2011 shoes, for example with butterfly detail. Pair your shorts with a blazer, or with a cardigan. 

Or so they say...... but what do you do if the widest  measurements of your body is your hips/thighs? If anything shorter than a 15cm above your knees makes your legs look laughable and totally undermine anything great you were blessed with? Well I am one of them, at least for the last 6 years..... When I was in my 20's I never had to think about these things and life surely was sweeter then. Now though, in my mid-30s, I have discovered the taste of constant dieting, pressure of exercising (oh yes, it is a VibroPlate in my workshop you can see at the back of my bodyform-based pictures), nightmares of missing a mortgage payment and crow feet in the corner of my eyes...  But hey, no moaning here! I have always believed that there's something better awaiting us around the corner and i am surely ready to embrace it whatever it may be!

But back to shorts. I love them, adore them, drool over them in shops for hours and I don't owe a single pair..... because as soon as I put them on, i start wishing there is a rewind button I could press to go back to the moment I decided to try them on and erase even the memory of the thought of trying them on. This love seems doomed to be platonic (((

But maybe not?

Today I came across this small article in one of online forums and I think it is a great piece of advice for those slightly ( and only slightly) unfortunate pears like me. Hope you find it useful too.

The Best Shorts for Pear Shaped Women

Kimberley Heit

 In creating a versatile wardrobe, it is useful to include a few pairs of shorts. To achieve a flattering appearance, it is very important to choose styles that suit your body shape. The following article is a brief guide to choosing shorts that flatter pear shaped women.

guide to choosing shorts that flatter pear shaped women.

Style & cut

Pears often have trouble finding shorts that fit at both the waist and hips. To get around this fit problem look for styles with elastic or drawstring waists or drawstring waists. Some styles that have dart fitting at the waist may suit your figure type also. Or consider buying a style that fits through the hips and have it tailored to fit at the waist.

Pear shaped women often have the appearance of shorter legs; to extend your leg line visually it is a good idea to select a pair of shorts with a slightly raised waistline. Avoid low rise styles because they will not only diminish your leg line, but bring the eyes to rest on your fullest area. You also want to look for shorts that are cut a little higher in the back to accommodate your curvy behind when sitting and bending over, unless you don't mind having your underwear on show.

When it comes to length, go for longer styles that will help draw the eye away from your bottom. Where possible, aim for shorts that hit at the knee or lower. Avoid slim fitting styles or styles that taper inwards towards the knee. These will make the difference between your top and bottom size glaringly obvious. You want to look for straight cuts or styles that have a slight A line shape to them. These will help balance your figure.

Color & print

The most flattering color and print for pair shaped women is something dark and plain. Consider colors like black, navy, charcoal gray or dark brown. The only print that tends to be flattering is a fine vertical pinstripe; this draws the eyes down the body, rather than outwards. Wide stripes don't tend to have as much of a slimming effect and some can even add visual width.

Fabric


Typically steer clear of jersey fabrics or anything with a high percentage of Lycra, you'll be drawing attention to your fullest areas in a glaring way. You want to look for a structured fabric that can help disguise the region, or a nicely draping fabric that skims over the top. Try linen, denim, cotton chino, wool blend suiting and crepe. Avoid fabrics that are thick and textured, because these can add more volume to your lower half. Definitely steer clear of anything shiny like silk satins or sequined style fabrics.


Decoration & details

Where possible avoid shorts that feature pockets of any kind, or only choose those that have besom or jet pockets, because these do not add any volume. Flap pockets will add extra visual weight to your full area, and side seam pockets have a tendency to pull across your body. Also avoid shorts that have horizontal seam lines or panels, belt details at the hips, and pleats. Ideally you are looking for sleek, streamlined styles that are completely fuss free. Save decorative touches for above the waist on your smaller top half.

More advise for a pear-shaped body


The key is still balancing the difference between the top and bottom part of your body. We can achieve this by drawing attention upward, de-emphasizing the bottom part of your body and elongating your legs.

Drawing attention upwards:

• Wear the best possible bra. Giving your bust line the shape and support it needs will define your waist and create curves in all the right places.
• Strive to create an “A-line” silhouette with your clothing. You look exceptional in dresses and should take advantage of this ultra-feminine look all year round.
• 
• Always wear slim fitting tops, sweaters, cardigans and button down shirts. Choose styles that define your waist and show off your torso. Boxy trapeze jackets continue to be all the rage and you can absolutely wear them (despite the fact that this goes against the rules) if you keep them cropped, fitted snugly at the shoulders and matched with a longer and slim layer underneath.
• Wear V-neck tops and create V-neck shapes with your layers. V-shapes elongate your neck and draw attention to your slim midsection giving definition where you want it.
• Keep your shoulder line strong and refrain from wearing items with “a sloppy shoulder line”. It’s imperative that your clothing fits you properly on your shoulders because the eye is drawn to definition.
• Select tops, knitwear, jackets and coats with interest. Tops with wide cuffs, bell sleeves, ruffles, embellishment, rushing, vertical seaming detail, large collar/lapels, wraps and princess lines are good choices. These design features naturally deflect the eye upwards. The voluminous sleeve trend was made for you.
• The length of your tops should either catch you just below your hipbone or around the knee. Avoid lengths that finish straight over your bottom or straight across your thighs. You can sport the leggings look with the right A-line dress because this look is about the dress and not the leggings.
• Layer your garments. Pop longer length camisoles underneath your knitted tops and shirts. They should finish just above your crotch point. Pop a fitted shorter jacket or sweater as a third layer over these layers for the most flattering effect. The layers automatically create a visual balance between the top and bottom half of your body.
• Accessorize the top part of your body well, with necklaces, specs, earrings, hair clips (but not all together). Sport one statement accessory at a time.
• Consider wearing a waist belt over your tops for extra definition. Wear your belt a little lower if you’re short-waisted.

and very importantly

“De-emphasizing” the bottom and elongating your legs:

• Keep your bottom choices simple and structured, thereby saving all the visual interest for your tops. No cargo pockets, waistband details, side entry pockets, pleats, drawstrings, elastication or hip embellishments. Curvy women can wear skinnies, if you match them with A-line tunics, dresses and heels. Trust me, it’s a fab look!
• Keep the front part of your pants free of detail and your rise mid in length (not too high or low). Make sure that there is enough ease through the hip and thigh. Fabrics with stretch are your best bet.
• Keep the hems of your pants wide (boot cut or flared) if you’re not sporting “the skinnies and tunics” silhouette. Pants that skim along the contour of your thighs always work best.
• Keep walk shorts straight from the thigh down and knee-length (like a cullotte) and avoid lengths shorter than this.
• Don’t force yourself to wear pants and jeans if you look and feel fabulous in skirts and dresses. Knee length A-line skirts with vertical panel seaming are best. Stay clear of bias-cut skirts and pencil skirts. Ankle length A-line styles work particularly well for tall pear-shaped gals.
• Wear pointy-toed shoes (if you can) with pants that are wide at the hem to elongate the leg.
• Wearing some sort of heel (even if it’s just an inch) whenever you can will give you the height that automatically slims down curves. Simple rule: the curvier your bottom, the longer and wider you’ll need to wear your pants and the higher you’ll need to wear your heel to balance out your silhouette. This is especially effective if you sport the correct pants length (hems should skim the surface of the ground).
• Be mindful of shoes with ankle straps. They might break the long vertical line that you are trying to create.
• Wearing heeled knee high boots that are slim at the ankle with skirts or dresses in cooler weather is a great leg-flattering look.

Ode to Audrey (freezing and dreaming)

Audrey Hepburn has often been called one of the most beautiful women of all time. I have always admired her, however, it was not until about a month ago that I have seen "Breakfast at Tiffani's" for the first time. This was the day the world changed for me. A little, but significantly enough to obsess over her famous black dress with a deep back opening- so feminine and so powerful. Unfortunately, as much I as would love to, there is no chance for me to duplicate this dress, just simply because it would be condemned to stay inside my wardrobe forever.

Until today

This evening I finally found the solution for my annoying problem: I found a gorgeous dress in Burda 8/2010

Fabric:It is originally made from duchess, but I have something different in mind for it- the top part of the bustier and the parts you tie will be made from a dark red crepe, and for the rest I have a bi-stretch red suiting fabric in the same shade as crepe. This will make the narrow silhouette look very feminine, hiding imperfections






Design: As much as I love the top part of the dress- I absolutely hate the bottom- this will just make me look huge around the hips and won't do me any favours. So..... I am going to cheat. remember the black skirt with curved seams I blogged about last week? I reckon this dress will look amasing with the skirt like that one on the bottom. Just need to make sure the princess seams on the top and the skirt are aligned at the back, but that is a doable task)))
Here is a sketch:

The Jury is still out on keeping the ties at the back or omitting them altogether as in Audrey's dress. The argument in favour of not having a bulky feature at the back is that I have enough suiting fabric to make a cropped jacket to suit the dress ( something like this)

So let's get down to business! I'll keep you posted

P.S.: Ireland is covered in snow (it almost never happens) and my workshop room is FREEZING!!!!! My Job is closed for a week ( no wages!!!!) So feeding my family plain potatoes (hahaha - we are snowed in and can't get to the shop- the roads are not gritted and nobody has winter tyres in Ireland - imagine that!!!!) and making plans is all I have left to do.

Dress 1969

I recently found an old Burda edition (9/1969) and fell in love with those little mini dresses, so sexy yet so innocent. There were a few interesting numbers there, but my eyes were caught by this gorgeous blue high neck dress - I just love the architecture of the bodice , the decorative stitching along the seams, the waist accentuating detail and a girly a-line skirt.

Blue dress on the right

For my choice of fabric I have a couple of options for this projects, but I feel that the scarlet red bi-stretch suiting fabric could be a great choice- just to give this lovely dress a bit of a kick. The only glitch is that the patterns for each dress come only in one size, but they had a tendency to make little dresses in small sizes rather that bigger ones, so wish me luck. It won't be an immediate project to get into as I do tend to brainstorm a lot before anything like this, and quite often even decide against it in the end. But whatever is in store for me, I still feel that this dress is worth sharing with the world.

You Sexy Mother F***er - Simply Ought To Be Made (Burda 12/2010)

nice corsage dress - can be made from a statement fabric probably with a little jacket to match/ compliment

                                 Something for those coffee morning/lunches with my loving fiance

yet my favourite: and this one is officially THE DRESS OF THE DECADE: super sexy and super stylish- will be my number one priority as soon as the magazine arrives.

 

all images courtesy of Burda Style 12/2010