The Lamour Dress - Charm Patterns By Gertie and SEWN MAGAZINE FEATURE

Well look at that, your girl is in a VINTAGE DRESS! 

When I first started sewing, my favourite thing to make was vintage dresses. I still dearly love vintage fashion, but over the years my style has evolved with more of a modern influence.

So when Michelle from Sewn Magazine messaged me and asked if I'd like to feature in their fabulous magazine and would I mind making something VINTAGE (and with a Christmas theme!), I jumped at the chance!!

The Pattern

It's the Lamour Dress by Charm Patterns by Gertie. This pattern has recently been updated and expanded, ranging from size 2 (US) to 20 and cup sizes A to H.

With different bodice, skirt and finishing options, there are 18 different dress combinations that you can make with this one clever pattern.

I made the princess seamed bodice with bodice sash, and the sarong skirt.

Sizing

I originally cut a size 10 and after making the toile, went down to a size 8.

As is suggested in the pattern, if you want minimal ease in your dress (i.e. more fitted to the body) it is better to choose your size based on the 'finished measurements', rather than the 'recommended measurements' chart.

I am larger busted but maybe because of my shorter torso combined with a bodice that is strapless and not covering the complete breast area,  the A/B cup version fit me well. I find this is often the case when I sew strapless patterns.

The Fabric

I used a beautiful quilting cotton from GJ's Fabrics and the print was perfect for this Christmas themed, tiki style vintage dress!

It was also nice to branch out to more a loud print! I typically sew with solid colours. They're often bright colours(!) but solid, so this felt different for me and I really enjoyed it!

The bodice is underlined with silk organza and lined with a polyester lining.

The Details

More and more these days I get excited by garments that have more engineering and structure on the inside. Typically this requires more time, but I really enjoy this type of sewing and it has never failed to produce a garment that is more likely to be worn and loved.

This dress has a bodice with THREE LAYERS - the garment fabric (the part you see on the outside), underlining (the middle layer) and the lining (the layer that touches your body).

THE BONING AND CHANNELS were attached to the lining layer, which was new for me.
In the past I have placed the channels on the middle layer (the underlining) which is then sandwiched by the other two layers. The result was just as effective in any case.

The hem of this FAUX WRAP SKIRT comes with a HEM FACING which I absolutely love.
The long width of the facing gives the hem body and weight, which is missing from so many modern dresses these days. It also ensures the shape of the hem is exact and not distorted.

The dress is closed with a LAPPED ZIPPER which I think looks so beautiful on a vintage dress, and the lining of the bodice is HAND STITCHED to the garment waistline.

Look Out For

With all the construction and shaping of this dress, it is really important to make a muslin/toile first. You don't want to go to all that effort for a dress that doesn't fit right, and in this type of silhouette, a poor fit is hard to hide.

The instructions for this pattern are wonderful and well thought out, but even still the construction of the flounce and faux wrap can take a little bit to get your head around. Making a muslin means you get to practise the steps without making irredeemable mistakes on the real thing.

Final Thoughts

What an honour and thrill it was to be featured in the Nov/Dec issue of Sewn Magazine 2019!
I'm so grateful to be included amongst such talented seamstresses and thoroughly enjoyed re-visiting my love for vintage sewing!

Spring Dress - Project Sewn FINAL Week

It's the final week of Project Sewn! Wah!

I feel so honoured to have made it to the final round. Thank you guys so much for following along and voting for me. Please accept one million dollars* as a token of my appreciation.
*invisible money and not actual money.

Project Sewn has gotten me back into the thick of my sewing passion and for that I am so grateful. It has also taken me away from housework. Lets just say that my son Harry is not the only thing growing in my house at the moment. At least now I can take a breather and restore order to our abode. I'm sure my husband would be happy to hear this, if I hadn't lost him a few weeks ago in one of the laundry piles. I'm going to miss that guy.

So for the last time this season, click here to check out the fabulous creations and VOTE for your favourite!

This week the theme was to create something of our own style.
When it comes to looks that define us, I have a bit of a split personality. The great part about being able to sew is that you get to experiment with all different types of looks, and I love many! I lean towards vintage, the 60's in particular with it's feminine silhouettes, but I'm also drawn to modern fashion with architectural shapes and lines. So which one do I choose?

I decided on this little number which is feminine, soft and vintage but yet wouldn't be out of place at a spring event today . The moment I put this dress on I feel like me.

Details

The dress is made using beautiful ivory lace and underlined with satin. Underlining gives the lace structure and stops it from being see through! I took extra time to make sure that the lace patterns lined up and matched on all the pieces. Check out my tutorial here on underlining lace.

I featured the scalloped edge on the skirt hem of the dress and by making little cap sleeves for the bodice.

I made a scoop neck on the front and back of the bodice,  and added soft pleats on the bodice front neckline. The dress is closed down the centre back with an invisible zipper.

I wanted a big full skirt to go with the fitted bodice. I shaped the skirt waist by making small even knife pleats along the waist. This takes longer than gathering the skirt, but it creates an even shape and makes the skirt sit a bit flatter to the stomach instead of foofing out where you don't need foofing.

This dress would be perfect for an afternoon tea party, a garden wedding or the Melbourne Spring Races which is in a few weeks time!

Styling

Earrings: Swarovski (I wore these on my wedding day!)

Brooch: Myers

Belt: Alannah Hill

Shoes: Burgundy sandals from Zara

Thank you again to everyone for your kind words of encouragement and support throughout this competition! It has kept me going on those days when I never thought I would finish in time!

Don't forget to check out the entries and VOTE for the winner! 

Project Sewn Week 1 - Little Black Dress

Ladies and Gentleman I'd like to introduce you to my entry for Project Sewn's Week 1 Challenge: The little black dress.

Project Sewn is a wonderful online blogger competition with six contestants. Each week there is a different theme and one contestant is eliminated until there are only three people left. I've loved putting my dresses together so even if I get eliminated in week one I'll still be sharing them with you guys here!

Voting
Who stays on in the competition is decided by public vote. So if you like my dress, I'd love it if you'd show your support by voting!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE :) (Scroll to the bottom of the post for the voting)

And make sure you check out the other contestants fabulous outfits. They are simply amazing!

When I think little black dress I think, classy, sexy, alluring and timeless. I feel like I could fight crime in this dress. On another note, how awesome would a couture super hero be?

My dress was inspired by my recent trip to Italy. Everywhere you looked you were surrounded by beauty; it was almost overwhelming. I purchased this stunning black lace while staying in Florence, and I knew it would be perfect for this challenge.

I wanted the lace to be the focus of the dress as it is so beautiful. I made a low back featuring the scalloped edging of the lace.

I underlined the front bodice with a cotton lawn and added a detachable lace dickey for extra modesty. Check out my tutorial here on how to underline fabric.

The skirt is a silk that has been blended with polyester for extra strength. It is such a forgiving and structured fabric and beautiful to sew with.

The dress is closed with an invisible zipper down the centre back, and the armholes are finished with bias binding. 

 

I styled the dress with a belt that I bought when I was in Italy. I've always been a sucker for bling and I like the little something extra it adds to the outfit. Below is a picture without the belt. I think it works both ways.

This is the first evening dress that I have made since giving birth to my son eight months ago and wearing it is like a breath of fresh air. It's so nice to feel a bit fancy-pantsy and put on a frock that makes you look less like a mum and more like a minx. It sure is a nice change from my pyjamas. Now I just need somewhere to wear it!

If you like my dress you can vote for me here! Voting closes this Thursday.

Thank you Project Sewn for asking me to be part of this fabulous competition. I am honoured and excited to be included amongst such talent!