Spring-Summer Collection for My Daughter

I have been doing some summer sewing for my daughter. It has been a while since I have made her anything. Plus, she has loved and worn a ton the few things I have made her. The picture above contains most of the pieces I have made for her, but there a few that I made after the photo was taken.

The idea behind the undertaking was to develop a "collection" of sorts that offers the possibility to mix and match the individual pieces. When planning, Ihad to take in consideration the summer clothes she already has (mostly bottoms). I could have, hypothetically, made her the tank tops and tees she needed, but I went to the The Children’s Place and Old Navy instead. I’d rather use the time for something less generic.

Most of the designs are Burda WOF patterns; some are drafted by me. The styles and colors reflect what I like in children's clothing, i.e. clothes that resemble those of grown-ups, yet appropriate for the little ones. That is why there are not many (any!) frills and pink hues. I did not make more pants because my daughter prefers dresses and skirts to pants, so I had to respect that as well.

I am going to post individual pictures and brief reviews (if a commercial pattern was used) shortly.

Dolman Sleeve Tops

I needed some more or less basic tops, yet, I wanted to steer clear of the basic tee. The solution - dolman sleeve top where the "dolman" element is very understated. I made the torso long, which may have to be redone after the pregnancy ends. The sleeves are slim and reach mid-forearm.

Again, I betrayed my mantra to not make multiples from the same pattern. The tan top is made from taupe heather 110z. rayon 4-way jersey; the striped top is made from lightweight cotton jersey with plenty crosswise and minimal lengthwise stretch. Both were extremely easy and quick to make, yet, I think are great wardrobe essentials.

On a separate note, the night when I made the tops, I also watched "My Sister's Keeper." I cannot remeber the last time I cried so much during a movie, but it has been a couple of years. It is one of those features that gets lodged in your brain and sticks with you, especially if you are a mother. So yes, if you have not seen it, see it; it is a brilliantly honest movie, albeit disturbing at times.

Answering questions from the comments section

I was asked about the technique used to make the shoulder strap knot arounf the bust piece on my maxi dress. Below is the photo tutorial. The black ribbon represents the bust piece, and the pink ribbon is the shoulder strap:

I was also asked why I have used French seams on the silk DVF knock-off pant. I use French seams on sheers and silks. Why: 1. French semas give a professional finish. 2. Finishing seams on sheers in any other way would be, to me at least, visually unpleasing.

Maxi Dress With One-Shoulder Strap

I did something I very rarely do: made two of the same pattern - in peach and in black.

The dresses I made have more gathers in the bust area than the original one, and I prefer it this way.

Material: black rayon jersey, 10 oz weight (my estimation); very lightweight

Although this is not intended to be a tutorial, here are the basic schematics and construction details for the dress:

• Bodice: Both back and front are made from two pieces: the outside piece is cut with the to-be-gathered edge alonfg the crosswise grain, while the inside piece with the to-be-gathered edge along the lengthwise grain. The two pieces attach at the line where the schematic points at attaching elastic. The elastic is sewn in the seam. At the end of the post there are some sequential photos of the process.
• Skirt:

Other notes on construction:

• The seam that attches the skirt to the bodice is reinforced with 1/8" elastic (sewn into the seam;
• Breast pads (from a swimming suit) inserted in the bodice (between the two layers). The pads from the craft store were too rigid and left a rather visible outline;
• The shoulder band is attached only to the seam that joins bodice with skirt.

My DVF Allen Pants

I posted about the DVF Allen pants one year ago, after seeing it in a magazine. It was for sale later on net-a-porter.com. Somehow I never got around to making it last year.

This pant is NOT to meant to be worn when pregnant, but it could be (provided you find the right top). As a matter of fact, it looked much better on me 3 weeks ago when I finished it and my "waist" was almost 2" smaller.

The original pant is made from a silk-blend (92% silk, 8% spandex). It has elasticated bands at hem, front pleats, side-slit pockets, and simply slip on. The elasticated casings at the waistband and at the hem are attached, not turned under. Also, the entire pant is constructed with French seams.

I decided to stick to the original as closely as I could, including the construction methods:

- French seams throughout:

- Attached WB and front pleating:

- Front pocket:

- Elasticated cuffs, turned up:

Black Silk Crepe Needed

I am working on a project (pants) that requires black silk crepe or other silk or silk blend fabric with similar hand (must be very drapey but not sheer).
100% cupro will also work.
If anyone knows of a place that has this type of fabric, pls let me know!
Thanks,
Adriana

Copying Ivan Grundahl

Some time ago I posted an outfit with an Ivan Grundahl top. See here: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXA40HuDEswENLxIQRnpoopOMeWjNMij2wgY_2yzwDYV2n0DrDfWBXewS8Likubgv_z3ZQypuKGkccfy1thvRtlGe5FQxnHjMnb6xghRNoc5ddsDyYYJpFU_sIyUcXdutWwDbPOWXkj0M/s1600-h/IMG_2202.JPG

Ivan Grundahl is a Danish designer with a rather conceptual point of view. You can check his recent work here: http://www.ivangrundahl.dk/index.php.

A local store had a few pieses by him last season. Although his stuff is expensive, most of the items in that store sold before getting down to my comfort price point; but I did manage to get the top for a tenth of the price.

This is the type of design you can never copy without having the original on hand. Recently I copied the pattern, made few (not significant) changes (lengthened it, neckline is a bit different), and replicated it in lightweigh wool jersey that ( I think) I bought from EOS awhile ago. The last picture shows the shape of the top.

BTW, I ordered the shoes from yoox.com for my birthday next month ( as present from DH), and although they are obviously very high, I really like the intricasy, the detail, everything. They just arrived and I still have not decided whether to keep them (because of the height), but wanted to have a picture with them!