squares

 

dress - burda magazine 08/2012/#115

 been knitting a lot this past year..

have actually finished 3 sweaters

and 4th one is half finished

(gonna blog about them one day, i guess)..

and i really enjoy every moment spent knitting

and how meditative and nerve soothing it is

..

so.. why am i talking about knitting 

and how is it connected to these pics and this dress,

that obviously is not knitted?

the thing is that i don't think this dress would have ever happen

if i haven't been knitting so much

as i would not have the patience to make it

because it required hours of hand sewing

..

i'm not a patient person by nature

and get bored easily

so i like things to be done, and to be done fast

which is how i usually roll..

but lately i've noticed that my approach to sewing changed a bit

and suddenly i wanna do things the slow way

and try out new techniques

and try to master new skills

and do them the right way, without taking shortcuts,

and i blame it all on knitting

..

it's not like i've joined the slow fashion team yet though

as you can see, i still find hand hemming big pain in the ass..

but slowing down a bit is still a plus, right?

  

after these pics were shot

i used clear nail polish to finish raw edges of squares

(there is no 'fray check' in stores here

so i tried experimenting with nail polish, and it worked)

so squares look a little bit more stiff now

and i actually prefer the new look

but i don't have a pic to share with you

..

loved hand sewing all the little squares

so i have few more dresses (and a blazer) planned

that are going to have similar embellishments

..

anyways..

wish you all a happy new year

may it be way better than this one was

..

mokosha

oitnb

dress pattern - burda magazine 10/2014/#105

new favorite dress

simple as can be..

not much to say other than that

..

plus i'm in a hurry

gonna spend next 4 days up in the mountains, with friends..

so i wish you all happy holidays and 

marry christmas if you celebrate

..

mokosha

gray drape dress

dress - gathered back dress (burda #109, december 2015)

i've made couple dresses from this pattern before 

and i wear my mocha version a lot

but there is something slightly off about those pleats..

maybe it's a drafting mistake

but they look kinda bulky in almost all the versions i've seen,

regardless of fabric choice, 

and pull in strange places..

and if you try wearing cardigan over the dress

gathers make it look like you have a back hump

..

but i love the overall fit

and actually like that extra fabric at the back,

just not the bulkiness of the pleats,

so, i came up with an idea to change the back

into a cowl drapey thingy

..

to achieve that, i simply cut fabric in straight line

from one high shoulder point to the other

while i was cutting back of the dress,

it must be easiest pattern 'hack' ever,

and then i finished that new neckline with bias tape

..

my modification also simplified construction of the dress

as pleated version requires hand stitching

(to secure neck facings to the dress)

..

bonus photo is shoulder seam, from the inside

i like how  bias tape and front neck facing look

..

next time i might try cutting convex back neckline instead of straight

i guess it would make for a better looking cowl 

..

mokosha

oversized

started working on this blazer 

all the way back in 2014, when the pattern was out

(it's pattern no.126, from april issue of burda 2014)..

and then did my standard thingie of messing up welt pockets

and abandoning the whole thing for a year

..

then this april i tried to get back to it

even got the pockets fixed by my friend boris

finished the lapels, sewed the lining

and abandoned it one more time

..

but it bugged me

i'm not a fan of unfinished things..

so, some time ago, i finished it finally

and, then made 5 more in a week

because i'm strange like that

..

i simplified it a bit

there should be back went, but i skipped it

blazer is wide enough without it..

i also skipped metal buckle closure,

and have made the blazer one size smaller than i usually would

..

only blazer #1 has welt pockets

made as per pattern instructions..

damn pockets are to be blamed that it took me 

two years and a half to finish the blazer,

and when i finally did finish it

they proved to be completely useless 

so i added simple patch pockets to other blazers instead

..

i know it sounds kind of nuts to sew 6 almost identical blazers

but i wanted to master lapel inserting 

and really enjoyed the process :D

also, i plan to keep only blazer #1 (it's already getting crazy amount of wear)

and sell the rest of them

  

i see many more blazers in future

maybe not from this pattern, but more complicated ones

as there's so many skills i'd like to master

(starting from welt pockets, that i menage to mess

way too often)

..

mokosha

hummingbird bomber jacket

bomber jacket - burda magazine 10/2016/#122 modified

dress - burda magazine 09/2012/#107

couple months ago

i found this amazing fabric in remnant bin of my favorite fabric shop

and, as i've never seen anything like it, i had to have it

(bonus is that it was pretty cheap, as it had a misprinted part)

fabric is double faced, it's basically a thick gray sweatshirting fabric

that has teal fabric with hummingbird print fused to it's back

..

the idea was to find a bomber jacket pattern

and then use both sides of fabric to make that jacket

to 'play' with it a bit..

dunno why i landed on this particular pattern

probably out of laziness, as it's only 3 simple pieces to trace and cut..

but i kind of wish i chose a different one

 i mean, there is at least 10 of them that burda released in recent years

with all kinds of silhouettes

and i went for the boxiest one..

anyways, i made size 36, which is a size smaller than what i usually sew

and it was still so grotesquely wide once sewn

 i ended up taking it in quite a lot, at side seams and sleeves too..

and i mean a lot, my jacket is probably 20cm narrower than burda's..

it was an easy fix, but a lot of fabric got wasted in that process

if i'd chosen a different pattern

i'd had a bit of the fabric left for future projects

this way, i have only misprinted parts left..

..

that aside, i love the jacket i got in the end

i did not line it

but have used seam allowances as a 'design feature'

and topstitched them all down 

it took some time, but i think it looks nice

both inside and out 

(actually, if i'd menage to find a double sided zipper

it could have been a double sided jacket)

..

mokosha

  

black&navy floral

dress - burda 08/2016/117

feeling a bit conflicted about my new dress

..

one the one hand, i really love how the dress turned out

i loved sewing it, and adding all the lace tape was fun

it's super comfy and i love how those two fabrics look together..

on the other hand, it's kind of not my style at all

and i feel a bit strange wearing it

as if i'm wearing a costume

..

i mean, i love me some boho looking dresses

and i've sewn quite a few of them, that i still love and wear..

but it's almost like i love that look in theory

more than i love it once i try to pull it off..

does that even make any sense?

  

dunno why the 'bust' tape looks so unsymmetrical in these  pics

i swear it's neat and symmetrical irl :)

(and i have an instagram photo to prove it)

anyways.. back to more technical stuff

i changed the sleeves, narrowed them quite a bit

because i did not have enough fabric for the original sleeves

but i actually like them now more than original ones..

also, i had no idea what i was supposed to do with pattern piece no12

i wasn't reading instructions before cutting fabric

so i cut that piece in black floral fabric

(it shouldn't be cut, but used later, when pleated panels are added to skirt

as a pattern for trimming i don't-know-what,

i wasn't actually planning to add those pleated parts, 

and burda instructions are rather strange sometimes)

so, when i finished the skirt, and it looked a bit too hi-lo for my taste

i simply added that piece no12 to skirt front

and it made the hem way more even

plus it added visual interest to skirt

and is not my favorite detail of the dress

..

and that would be it.. 

now i'm off to find me some gray shapeless sack to wear

and feel more like myself again 

..

mokosha

not so little LBD (and few tops too)

i'm all about simple things lately

simple silhouettes, simple lines, simple fabrics,

minimal jewelry, bold lipsticks (and a bitchface, apparently)

(with occasional smile)

first i've made a top, two months ago.. 

white one with black dots, 

that you can see in pics below..

pattern is from may issue of burda magazine (#111)

and i loved it, so i made another one

and then wore those two tops repeatedly

like i have no other items in my closet..

then it hit me that i should turn that pattern into a dress

and make my dressing up in the morning even more simple

no need to think which pants, shorts or skirt to wear with one of the tops

just put a dress on and call it a day..

it can't get more simple than that

(unless you're in a nudist camp in high summer

and dressing is totally unnecessary)

also made these pants

(trusty burda 07/2011/#102

first time in jersey fabric)

should make more of these too

so yeah.. i have my summer shit figured out

now only if summer would last forever

mokosha

sandra's maxi

new maxi.. that i've made for me

but gave away to my friend sandra

because she, as you can see, looks pretty damn perfect in it

(and i can always sew a new one for me..

not that i need any more dresses at the moment, but still..)

..

for the pattern i used top 'pattern'

that i copied from an rtw top

and then simply elongated it to maxi length

and added elastic at the waist

easy peasy, and nothing to talk about..

plus i'm not really in the mood for talking

as it's freaking hot 

and there is brand new episode of mr robot to be watched..

so i'll leave you to lovely sandra

and her new dress