Happy Summer

Ah Summer. The longest day of the year is here already. So quickly it sneaks up and then just like that our days start getting shorter again. I don't think I am ready for the days to start getting shorter, but by the end of summer I will be looking forward to cooler days, longer evenings and more time for sewing. For some reason I find it easier to sew when it is dark outside. 

I am working on a couple of long summer dresses which I copied from a dress that has a very flattering fit. (It looks like a bag dress on the hanger but flows over curves and hides figure flaws nicely). Here it is with one section pinned flat so I can get an exact trace of the piece to copy it.   

I wrote a little about it here:  http://sew-i-do.blogspot.com/2012/11/back-burner-project-moving-ahead.html 

It has been a long process because several projects have been done in between the start and finish. Also until it got hot, there was not much motivation to start sewing sleeveless clothes. It was still snowing here in the middle of May. Here is a photo of the adjustments I made on the muslin.

I wrote more about muslin copies here: http://sew-i-do.blogspot.com/2013/05/muslin.html 

Last week when I talked about my cutting table, the dress on the top was the second dress I made from the copied pattern. I need to add buttons and button holes and finish some of the hand stitching (hem, tacking facings and finishing the back of the neck) but before I do that it is hanging for 24 hours so that I can get everything even. 

To make it work for summer casual and work I also made McCalls 6468 which is a super easy vest/jacket kind of garment to go with it. I think it works, but it probably is not quite as flattering as I had hoped.  On a thinner and younger person this would be just fine, but if I make this again for me, I will use fabric that flows and drapes better, probably a fabric similar to what I used on these dresses.

Here is a photo of the original on the left, the first copy in the middle and the second copy on the right with McCalls 6468. 

from Online Etymology Dictionary:

wardrobe (n.) 

late 14c., "room where wearing apparel is kept," earlier "a private chamber" (c.1300), from Old North French warderobe, variant of Old Frenchgarderobe "place where garments are kept," from warder "to keep, guard" (see ward (v.)) + robe "garment" (see robe). Meaning "a person's stock of clothes for wearing" is recorded from c.1400. Sense of "movable closed cupboard for wearing apparel" is recorded from 1794. Meaning "room in which theatrical costumes are kept" is attested from 1711. Wardrobe malfunction is from 2004.

chifferobe (n.) 

also chifforobe; "article of furniture having drawers as well as space for hanging clothes," c.1917, from merger of chiffonier + wardrobe (n.).

vestry (n.) 

late 14c., probably from Anglo-French *vesterie, from Old French vestiaire "room for vestments," from Latin vestarium "wardrobe," noun use of neuter of vestiarius (adj.) "of clothes," from vestis "garment" (see vest (v.)).

garderobe 

early 14c., from Old French garderobe (Old North French warderobe; see wardrobe).