Taco Facings

Time to finish up the bodice. The bodice is underlined. The facings or lining (I have facings, but you may have a lining) have been sewn at the shoulders then sewn to the bodice along the neckline. Trim 1/8" from the facing or lining at the armholes. This will keep it from showing on the outside. It will naturally turn under. Now it is time for the "taco method" to put a nice finish on the armholes. This is a great way to finish any garment that is lined, faced, or partially lined. The steps are as follows:

1. Lay out your bodice as shown below with the back and front bodice pieces facing to your left and right.




You can see my underlining and facing are underneath, already sewn and understitched to the neckline.





2. Roll the long side closest to you toward the other side until you get to the edge of the other armhole.









3. Bring the fashion fabric (and underlining) over the "filling roll" toward you.



4. Flip the whole thing over as it is.

5. Bring the facing right side together with the fashion fabric right side and pin.












The filling roll is inside the taco of the right sides of the facing or lining and the fashion fabric.

Make sure when you pin that you don't catch any of the filling.





As you sew, make sure you feel with your fingers for lumps and fabric catches.

6. Sew that seam

7. Press the seam allowance toward the facing or lining. I use a seam roll and the backside of a flat wooden spoon to get in the small spaces.





8. Pull the filling out and give everything a nice press. This method makes a beautiful, easy finish!




......sew that's all folks....

Bright vs. Blah

Michael Kors is one of the most popular designers. I guess he is the "safe" choice for women. I am attracted to designers like Milly and her bright colors and wild prints. Yes, they go out of style faster, but they brighten my day.




Blah and Boring




Bright and Happy!

......sew that's all folks....

Magic Darts

If only I could make magic darts like Simplicity.  They are so good, they disappear!

Darts New Look 6968

Today I put in another hour in the sewing room. I cut out the back bodice pieces using a rotary cutter and some fancy pattern weights.









Each piece was cut out in a single layer after I lined up my silk on the grid of my cutting table. I marked the darts using a red Frixion pen and a sharp chalk pencil. I love the Frixion because I can get a strong line using only a light touch. This prevents movement or distortion of this squirmy fabric during marking.

Next, a thorough press. I use my dream team:








a Reliable vacuum table and a Consew gravity feed iron. They are really making a marked difference in my results. I am a cheapy (except when buying for others) so I bought these on sale. The $599 vacuum table was bought for $150 because someone returned it and it wouldn't fit back in the box for resale. What a deal!! Iron - $120 on sale. Love it.

The result?








two decent looking back pieces (basted to the underlining toile fabric.)

......sew that's all folks....

Pet peeve-Simplicity 2177

Why can't pattern companies realistically depict how a garment will look when sewn from their pattern?

Take Simplicity 2177




I like this pattern. I have a stripe that would be perfect, but look at the picture carefully. The bodice of the striped dress looks like the stripes come out just right, but a seamstress knows those stripes will really go off in different directions at the dart. Could look strange. Certainly Simplicity knows that also.

......sew that's all folks....

On the Table: Milly Purple Knockoff Dress

On the table for my first blog post is a copy of this dress my Milly of NY:

Designed to look like two separate pieces, a silk dress features a graphically patterned tank bodice paired with a slim-cut skirt, while a ruffled sash highlights the waist.

• Hidden back zip with hook-and-eye closure.
• Lined.
• Top is silk, skirt is cotton; dry clean.
• Made in the USA of imported fabric.

This is from Milly's Spring 2011 Collection.  Cost-$375.00!!!
I have the beautiful purple silk from gorgeousfabrics.com and a wonderful black wool novelty suiting from gorgeousfabrics.com

Costs so far:
Purple and black (?) lightweight silk twill at $20.00 per yard $20.00
Italian black novelty wool at $10.00 per yard 10.00
Black Invisible zipper at $2.00 2.00
Black lining from stash (cost estimated) 10.00
Time invested at $7.00 per hour, so far 14.00
----------
$56.00

I charge myself $7.00 per hour because the sewing is a pleasure so its below minimum wage.

Now, on Nordstrom's website they seem to use navy for the bottom. The fabric I have could go to a very, very dark navy, but it looks best with black. Even on the Nordstrom website I can tell the navy doesn't go well enough to satisfy me.

Progress so far:
1) cut out lining and use to make a toile from New Look 6968.

This pattern just happened to be one I had on hand.
2) Use the lining toile to cut out the top in the purple silk. I have cut this pattern out of manilla to save for future use. Milly uses similar patterns amongst her dresses and I have a lot of Milly fabric to sew.
3) Make darts in the purple silk
4) Baste the pieces to the corresponding lining pieces for stability (this fabric wrinkles and wiggles just by looking at it. Thank goodness for Pfaff IDT or I would go crazier than I already have.)

Two hours
-sew that's all folks, for now-