My First Tutu!

Well, look at me.  Two posts in 3 days.  What?!

About 6 weeks ago, I was asked to make a tutu for the company associated with my daughter's ballet school.  True to my personality, I of course jumped at the opportunity and completely ignoring that I, in fact, have never. made. a tutu...ever.

Let me tell you, there is very, very little information about tutu-making out there.  It's like this secret that nobody wants to share.  The one resource I have came with the tutu-making supplies I ordered and it has almost no pictures!  There is one diagram about drafting a basque (the waist structure of the tutu), and that's the one thing I actually could have winged because it's similar to drafting a yolk on a skirt.

So what is a motivated girl who loves ballet and a good challenge to do?  Fake it 'till you make it.  Here goes...

Here is my first muslin that I fitted on the dancer before cutting out the regular material.  It was pretty close, but I'm so glad I made the muslin.  Tutu bodices are so specific and must fit the dancer perfectly.  For professional dancers, everything is custom--tutu to pointe shoes.  Yes.  Custom pointe shoes.  

The bodice is made of Bengaline, a cotton/rayon blend material that is very strong.  It is then lined with Cotton Coutil, another strong material.  In the bodice directions, I was instructed to underline the Bengaline--in other words, the inside of the tutu should not have covered seams.  This allows for easier alterations, if needed later on.

And, voila.  Part one completed.  I will be posting more frequently as this project progresses!

 And here is a fascinating video on pointe shoes, as referenced above.  You don't need to be a dancer to appreciate this.

 Oh, how did that get in there?  This is embarrassing.

Vintage Simplicity 5733

The last time I visited my grandmother, she gave me this vintage pattern from what was left of her stash, and I'm pretty sure she used it to make a couple of dresses for my mother and aunt when they were little.  I fell in love with the drop waist and the button-down back, so I decided to use the pattern for new Easter dresses.

Round #4, LBD

So, the fourth challenge was one of my favorites so far.  A little black dress?  It's something I could use forever.  I had bought this beautiful herringbone wool/cashmere blend and I was just dying to use it.  This seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I used this boring ol' pattern:

And made this!

 I shortened the length by 4 inches because I wanted a mod-style dress.  And of course with stockings, you can get away with a shorter hemline.

This is my favorite element of the dress.  I added a keyhole back and overlapped the top to include a button closure.

 I found these vintage buttons in a hole-in-the-wall fabric store right across the Tappan Zee Bridge a couple of years ago. 

 Can we just bask in the beauty of vintage buttons...made in Italy?  It feels rich, doesn't it?

Here are the dresses made by the other lovely ladies in the competition:

http://blog.fabricmartfabrics.com/2013/10/fourth-challenge-little-black-dress.html

I'll find out tomorrow if I made round 5!!!!  Here is the fifth challenge:

Timeless Classics

Vintage dresses are made up of clean lines, darts, pleats, buttons, and feminine shapes.

But most importantly, they are about a great fit!

6 Seamstresses will compete in this challenge.

You will have 2 weeks to complete this challenge.

Challenge: Sewing a garment from a vintage pattern is challenging. The pintucks, pleats, and precise fit can be difficult to master. Choose a vintage pattern and modernize the piece. You can modernize your piece with styling, embellishment, or fabric. 

You will be judged on difficulty, craftsmanship, how fashion forward your look is, and FIT!

Take your time, you will have two weeks to make it perfect!

The winner will receive a Silk Bundle (6 yards). 

Pictures are due on Oct. 21st

Please remember to not collage your images. Send us single images and we will select the three that best represent your garment. 

Send us a picture of the pattern you used and an explanation of what attracted you to that pattern and material. 

Challenges #2, #3, and #4!!

Time to play a little catch up!  The first group of pictures are from the 2nd challenge, the Salme dress.  I fell in love with this cotton fabric when I first saw it and thought this was the perfect opportunity to use it.

 The great thing about this pretty netting, was that it didn't have to be finished and I thing it gives it a more whimsical, romantic feel.  Don't you?

 I also fully lined the dress, which was not called for in the pattern.

 So on to challenge #3!!!  When we all first started this Fabricista Competition, we were sent a box of 3 completely different textiles.  And then came thisHere were the rules:

Bundle Challenge

Remember that bundle we sent you?

You are finally allowed to use it!

We gave everyone a 6 yard mystery bundle and none of them are the same!

8 Seamstresses will compete in this challenge.

You will have one week to complete this challenge.

Challenge: Using the 6 yard Bundle we have sent you, make a 2 piece garment. What is in the bundle is a mystery and everyone will receive something different. Try to incorporate the three fabrics in some way. You can use fabric from your stash to finish your look, but keep in mind that the bundle fabric must make up a majority of your outfit. You will be judged on creativity, craftsmanship, the way you use your fabrics together, and fit. 

Submit at least three images of your work to show us the front, back, and any details that should be shown. We took pictures of all of the bundles before sending them out that we will use to help us judge.  Submit by: 9/30/13

And here was the mystery bundle I was given!!!  A houndstooth suiting, denim, and a floral swimwear knit!

And these are the patterns I used:

Please vote for me at: http://blog.fabricmartfabrics.com/
The voting will be posted until midnight on Wednesday!

And what is challenge #4, you ask???  Here it is!  My favorite so far...

Little Black Dress

Everyone needs a little black dress, right?

But where are you going in your LBD?

7 Seamstresses will compete in this challenge.

You will have one week to complete this challenge.

Challenge: For this challenge, be creative and make a little black dress for your perfect night out. 

Create a story for us. Are you going out with your husband on a romantic date or a fun night out with the girls? Where will you be going? What will you be doing? Your dress should be able to tell your story. 

You will be judged on creativity, craftsmanship, how the dress tells your story, and fit.

The winner will receive a Basket of Notions. 

Please send single (not collaged) images of your design, include a picture of the front, back, and details. We will select three we think best depict your look. 

In addition, please write a brief statement of your dress' story. Where are you going? Who are you going with? What will you be doing? etc.

Challenge #2 Guidelines

I moved on to the second round of the Fashion Fabricista Challenge!  Here are the deets for challenge #2:

We are to use this Salme dress pattern and make it represent our personality, taste, aesthetic, etc.  We can alter the pattern in order to do this, too.

My Saturday night is lookin' wild with Salme.  Who needs to go the bar anyway? 

Vote for Me...please?

Hey, everyone!  Here is the Fabric Mart blog post highlighting the sewing competition in which I am participating!  I would be oh so very grateful if you would vote for me!  These ladies are so incredibly talented!

Exciting News!

I just want to let everyone know that I have been chosen as a contestant for the Fabric Mart 'Fabricista Fashion Challenge!'

Ten lovely ladies were chosen for this cool sewing competition and I'm so excited to be participating.  Here is the link: Fabricista Fashion Challenge

Our first challenge is to make a garment out of something you would either throw away or recycle.  I spent a couple of days thinking about what the HECK I'm going to do, but a light bulb went off this morning and I'm excited about my idea.

Keep checking in with my blog and the Fabric Mart blog for posts!