Coming to an imaginary theater near you.....

(Beginning of movie voice over by that guy who does all the "In a world..." movie trailers.)

In 2009 John Rambo was killed by terrorists, but not before the government had taken samples of his DNA. Concerned with homeland security, the government assembled a crack team of scientists and tasked them with top secret project "First Blood." The goal of the project was to clone fully grown super soldiers from Rambo's DNA. *The project was going well until a fluke lab accident damaged the Y chromosome on the source DNA.  Unable to make carbon copy clones of John Rambo, the team came up with a different plan. They would make a female super solider, one that was as good with a gun as she was with a needle.......and so Jessica Rambo was born.

(Cut to first person narrative from our hero Jessica Rambo)
Returning to my quarters from a kali training session, I found a message from central command.  Major Seamstress Erin had sent down orders for my next assignment. I was to join the top secret mission classifed as The Rambo Project.

Command would be sending me a turban from one of my "father's" prior missions in order that I create suitable garments for tracking down my next target. More instructions were coming in the mail so be prepared.  I cleaned my gun and sharpened my Gingers, now I was ready for anything.

The package arrive a few days later containing 3/4 of a turban and a note written in code to inform me to my next target.  As I removed the turban from it's wrappings I was stuck with a sense of deja vu. Hadn't I seen this turban being worn before?  Had I ripped it into pieces with my gunfire?

A hazy image flickered in my mind.....but no, that wasn't me. No matter, I had orders to obey.

My fabric yardage was limited but I'd make it work, just like Sargent Gunn had always told me. My brain rifled through the possibilities and it became clear that there was only one that would serve my needs. I was a warrior queen and would dress like one.  I ordered Private Froggie to get out the pattern from the Craftsy Bombshell dress class.  A little extra explosive power comes in handy in my line of work.

We worked through the night, carefully considering stripe placement and irregularities in the fabric.  Private Froggie threw his paws up in the air in disgust more than once, but I told him not to despair. **Once you've had to make garments out of stockings and clear vinyl, then turban garments are a cake walk.

My original plan was to attach shorts to the bustier, for those times I have to run through the jungle exchanging sniper fire with masked bandits. Sadly, it was discovered that there was not enough yardage to cut shorts that would cover my "muscular" backside.  Private Froggie and I did some quick calculations and drafted up a mini skirt that would make the most of our remaining fabric.

After sewing the skirt to the bustier and putting in a zipper, I sent Private Froggie off to fill up my bandoleers. One with bullets, the other with red lipstick. While he was doing that, I made up a bustier lining and sewed in featherlight boning to help the garment retain it's shape.  My plastic boning stores came up a bit short, so we had to close up the lining and hope for the best.

I put on my poisoned red lipstick and shoes with hidden knives in the soles to go get photographic evidence that the first part of my mission had been completed. Private Froggie stopped me and said that the ensemble was missing one thing. He pulled out a red head band and I knew he was right, a true Rambo always wears red.

As I tied on my head band I told Private Froggie to saddle up, it was time to hit our target.  Look out evil doers, we're coming for you.

Need more Rambo?  Check out the ladies who have already posted their Rambo projects.
Oona of OonaBalloona – La Wrambette
Sonja of Ginger Makes - Swingy Summer Top
Shams of Communing with Fabric – Jeans Style Jacket
Tempest of Fanbloomingtastic - John Rambo’s Worst Nightmare
Lauren of Lladybird - Slutty Bralette
Leila of Three Dresses Project- Hummingbird Skirt
Keep checking back on Seamstress Erin's announcement page for new links to go live.

* Blatant rip off of X-23. Sorry fellow Marvel fans.

** True story, I had a college course similar to the Project Runway challenges where they have to make garments out of candy or random things you find at the store. Sadly I have no photographic evidence of these garments.

Sundress Sewing Link Round-up

Happy Monday everyone, it's the official start to the Sundress sew-a-long. Hooray! What better way to get started then to round up of helpful sewing tutorials. I've selected several that have been helpful to me in the past and some new ones that seemed perfect for sundresses. Now open your gray cells for a little learning. ;)

1. Fabric a little bit too sheer? Underline all the things with Sewaholic.

2. Wanna replace those pesky neck and armhole facings with piping? Gertie breaks down the steps here.

3. If piping is not to your liking, then how about a some bias bound necklines and armholes. Jen will help you sew them nice and flat.

4.  Are you looking to add underwires to a bustier style sundress? Gertie is here to support you.

5.  Sewing spaghetti straps driving you batty? Try this method from By Hand London and you don't even need a quick turn.

6. Maybe you'd like some braided spaghetti straps for your sundress. Colette shows you how to put together this cute detail.

7. Maybe you need a waist stay to give that strapless dress some extra support. Anne gives you the what and the why over on the Gorgeous Fabrics blog.

8. Ouch, that naughty zipper just bit you! Maybe you need a zipper shield a la Sewaholic.

9. Need some self covered buttons for your sundress? Laura shows you how to put those suckers together with no pesky metal show through on the Lilacs and Lace blog.

10. Is your sundress screaming for a matching belt?  Colette shows you how to whip one up in your left over fabric.

If you know of any other great tutorials, then let me know in the comments. I've love to learn some new stuff and maybe do another round up at a later date.  Alright then, guess I'd better go decide which sundress pattern is getting sewn up first!

P.S. - Had a twitter question this weekend asking if self drafted sundress patterns are OK for the sew-a-long. You betcha!

Summer Breeze makes me feel fine - Sundresses for Retro Chicks

Hello Sew-a-long sisters, I'm back with my vintage inspired sundress picks.  You know I like a good retro inspired pattern even if I'm just a vintage dressing poser. Have a seat on the patio and and I'll get you a glass of long island iced tea, while we discuss the merits of princess line seams and halter straps. Then we can break out the red lipstick and decide how many shades a girl really needs.

1. Colette Lily - Some how elegant without being over the top fancy. It might be my favorite sheath style sundress.  Contrast bodice and pocket details, yes, yes, yes!

2. Butterick 6019 - Vaaaavooom! Sexy tiki dress, need I say more? "You know, it's dangerous for you to be in the frozen food section. Because you could melt all this stuff."

3. BlueGingerDoll Billie Jean - The perfect dress for picnics in the park.  I'm picturing one sewn up in some floaty cotton lawn for those hot summer days.

4. Vogue 8812 - Sure you could go to the beach party in shorts and a tee shirt, or you could go in STYLE! The gathered bust area paired with tiny spaghetti straps is fabulous.  Quick, someone find me some red plaid fabric, stat!

5. By Hand London Flora Flora's tank bodice option screams sundress to me.  Sewn up in some bright cotton it would be a cute dress for strolling around town.

6. Simplicity 1353 - Oh how I love you view A.  The full skirt with the sweetheart neckline just knocks my socks off.

7. Vogue 8789 What this old thing? I just wear it to do some heavy gardening. ;) Jokes aside, the possibilities of a bias bodice intrigues me. Such fun things you could do with a linear print motif.

8. Colette Hazel - I want to insert that old cover girl tag line, "Easy, breezy, beautiful..." cause that description fits Hazel to a tee. The perfect pattern for seersucker or gingham fabric.

On Monday I'll be doing a link round up of sewing techniques that may be helpful when sewing your sundresses. Till then why don't we have another refreshing drink and chill out to the mellow sounds of Seals and Croft. Summer breezes do make me feel fine.

Hot Town, Summer in the City - Sundresses for the Modern Girl

Hello lovey sew-a-long participants! I'm completely thrilled you've caught a case of sundress fever. You know that there's only one prescription for sundress fever and that's more sundresses.  So let's get those creative juices flowing by taking a look at some of the great pattern options out there.

Due to the number of sundress patterns that caught my eye, I've decided to break them up into two posts. Today I'll be tempting you with my favorite sundress patterns with a modern feel. The second pattern post will be vintage inspired/reissue patterns.  You don't have to sew one of these patterns to participate in the sew-a-long. I just like window shopping for patterns and wanted to talk about my favorites.  So let's take a look at my top sundress picks for "summer in the city."

1. Sewaholic Saltspring - Sweet and simple in the best way.  It's the kind of pattern that makes you feel cooler just looking at it. Maxi hem option so you can be a sunshine princess in your own backyard.

2. McCall's 6740 - This pattern has a lot of things going on and I like it. High/low hem, godets, and bustier look with a button front. You vixen, you!

3. PaperCut Patterns Midsummer Night Dream Dress - So chic and sexy. Love the wrap over bodice with waist tie. It's ballet chic to a tee.

4. Simplicity 1607 - OMG Cynthia, those straps are rocking my world.  I'm getting a strapy sundress warrior princess vibe! Bonus point for a stylish drop waist, which is something I rarely say.

5. Deer and  Doe Centauree Dress - I like seamed bodices and I can not lie. Especially ones that use rouleau straps to create some back interest.  Love to see this sewn up in a bright and colorful fabric.

6. Vogue 9001 - A classic maxi dress shape, but with the added pizzazz of some interesting bodice seaming. Could do some fun things with color blocking or bold prints.

7. Pattern Runway Gathered Sundress - Some great design details on this pattern, princess line bodice, waist definition and pockets precious, pockets. I love how cute this looks on the model with sneakers and a hat.  Would look equally good dressed up with some wedges and some jewelry.

8. Sewaholic Lonsdale - Even though there's a Sewaholic pattern already in the list, I couldn't leave Lonsdale. It's such a classy sundress and that twist halterish neckline wins me every time

That's all from the city of sundresses. I'll see you guys in a couple of days with vintage suggestions for all your picnicking needs. Till then enjoy the Loven' Spoonfulls telling us how to beat the summer heat.

Summer Sundress Sew-a-long - Let's Have Some Fun in the Sun

Is your summer sewing list a mile long?  Are you longing for some focus and maybe a soft deadline to get something done? Do you want to help me, help you, help me with my own sewing queue? Is that a YES??! 

Froggie says he hears some of you yelling yes and to stop asking questions.  Ok then, no more questions. Instead let's break out the frozen drinks and announce the "Summer Sundress Sew-a-long!" *Cue some Beach Boy's music*

The Details

1. Sew-a-long runs from June 16th to August 18th.  That gives you two months and an extra weekend to fit in some sundress sewing time.  Heck you can even fit in a couple of trips to the beach.

2. Pick any pattern you want to sew. If you're wondering what counts as a sundress then the standard definition of sundress is:

1. a light, sleeveless dress, typically having a wide neckline and thin shoulder straps.
2. 
   

In the interest of everyone being comfortable, I'm not going to be a stickler about the sleeveless part. Heck for years I didn't wear sleeveless garments either. For sleeve lovers, pick a dress that meets your own idea of a sundress and sew along with us.  All pattern companies, current or vintage, are acceptable choices.

3. Join the flickr group. Mingle with fellow sundress enthusiasts and drink some virtual mojitos. More importantly post pics of your patterns/fabric/finished dresses for the rest of us to admire.  (The flickr group is by invite to keep the flickr creepers out. I can't guarantee that there won't be creepy comments from your fellow sewing friends.)

4. Get social. Want to share your sewing plans/progress/FO on social media?  Use the hashtag #sewsundress so that other sewcialists can see what you're up to.

This week I'll be posting pattern inspiration to get your creative juices flowing or to pad your already long sewing queue.  That's right, MOAR Dresses!!!! Stay tuned through out the sew-a-long for helpful sewing links, inspiration, and some goofy fun.  I might even be talked into demoing how to sew up Butterick 6019, view A ........ if you butter me up some with liberal amounts of chocolate.  

Wanna get in on the fun in the sun? Sign up with the flickr group and grab yourself a blog button. Then dust off your sandals and meet us down at the beach cottage.  Summer won't last forever. ;)

Small sized sew-a-long button

<a href="http://handmadebyheatherb.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3880/14350651666_f9e8db0e39_m_d.jpg"/></a>

Large sized Sew-a-long Button

<a href="http://handmadebyheatherb.blogspot.com//"><img border="0" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3880/14350651666_f9e8db0e39_z_d.jpg"/></a>

Summer of Sundresses and Separates?

Hey there blog readers, seasonal summer temps have arrived and that means it's time to come up with a summer sewing plan.  At least that's what organized people would do and I'm trying to masquerade as one. Shhhhh don't tell.

My brain hasn't gotten the organizational memo though. Probably because it's been busy deleting pertinent knowledge to store more song lyrics. When I asked it, "What do we really want to wear this summer," it returned me a null value.  Really brain?  You have no preference to what gets sewn? You do know that we really need clothing right now. So maybe you need to keep me from sewing evening gowns or Jem and the Holograms costumes. Brain ignores me, tries to recall who sang that cover of "Careless Whisper" it heard on the TMS podcast the other day. Fine brain, I'll just pull out my pattern stash and see what's lurking in there. Oh so many things were lurking there....so many things.

Separates - My sewing hasn't quite caught up to my weight loss. Right now I'm working with 2 A-line skirts, one stretch denim pencil skirt, and exercise clothing for bottoms.  A couple madewell knock-off Tees and RTW shirts from my late 20's for tops.  This girl needs a few more separates and fast.

1. More Netties - These don't take too long to sew up and I'm digging how they look with skirts.  Current plans are for a turquoise, royal blue, and black versions.

2. More Emery skirts hacks - Cause I need them to wear with my Netties.  Watch me go and sew all of my rayon up into gathered skirts.

3. Some neutral colored Betsy Pencil skirts - I like my current denim pencil skirt a lot and would wear it regularly even if I wasn't short on clothing.  A few more that coordinate with my random collection of knit tops would be useful.

4. Belcarra - Bought the pattern when it was released and still haven't gotten around to muslining it up.  My stash as plenty of lawn and blouse weight fabrics that will work great.

5. Maybe a Bustier top - Right now I've got a bee in my bonnet about wanting some bustier tops. My pattern stash has both the Gertie bombshell dress pattern and OOP McCall's 6325 patterns to play around with. Not entirely sure it's a garment I'd wear on a regular basis though. For now it can sit at the bottom of the sewing list until a few other things get made.

Sundresses - I personally wasn't comfortable going sleeveless at my heavier weight, but that didn't stop me from buying patterns. Time to break those babies out and do a little stashbusting too.

1. Colette Lily

Bought this when it was released. How many years is that now?  Anyway I'm pretty sure that I can pull this look off because of all the princess seams. It's also the perfect pattern for the sturdy butterfly pique.....which I may of picked up last month when it was on sale.

2. Sewaholic Cambie

Cause why not jump on the Cambie train years after it's left the station. I blame all of you who keep making me fall in love with this dress every summer.  There's only so many times you can say, "Oh that won't look good on me," before caving and trying it out.  There are plenty of fabrics in the stash that would work for Cambie, but I've paired it with a quaint toile print inherited from the grandma stash,

3. Deer and Doe Belladone

Hey guess what? This pattern has also been around for a couple of years now.  Kept thinking I'd put some sleeves on it, but was too lazy to work out that puzzle.  Sometimes pattern drafting laziness pays off and you can make up the pattern as is at a later date. Right now I've got another cotton pique paired with it, but that's subject to change.

4. McCall's 6833

This baby is new on my radar thanks to Almond Rock who just blogged about her version. OMG it's soooo cute! I might even take this clipped voile out of the "too pretty to sew" pile for this pattern.  Since this pattern isn't in my stash yet, of course that's the garment I want to make it Right Now! However I will be sensible and wait for the next JoAnn's pattern sale day..... even if it slowly kills me to do so.  

So that's the plan for now.  If the past events are any indication of the present, then expect me to sew two items from this list in completely different fabrics before moving on to a new list. You know I'm easily distracted...ooooo shiny things!!!

P.S. Oh yeah, it was Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright who did that "Careless Whisper" cover. Guilty feet ain't got no rhythm....now try to get that out of your head.

The dream of the 80's is alive in my sewing room

Why yes I did repurpose that song from a Portlandia sketch.  It was running through my head the whole time I was sewing the new Nettie bodysuit pattern. There's just something about bodysuits that remind me of the 80's. How else were you gotta show off your rad gathered yoke mom jeans? You don't wanna cover that ass enlarging design detail with a boxy tee. Bodysuit all the way.

But enough about my deep seated traumas about 80's fashion. Nettie is a modern take on the bodysuit designed by Heather over at Closet Case Files.  And you know that girls named Heather won't steer you wrong fashion wise.  We might band together to kill people, but we'll make sure you look good first. (Wait did the Heathers get killed in "Heathers"?  That's bogus.)

My first Nettie was made during a time crunch, so it had no fitting alterations other than combining the 10/12 sizes. The turquoise version is a good wearable muslin, but I wanted to have another go at the pattern before reviewing it on the blog.  It also seemed sensible to put some thought into how I would wear a bodysuit in a "causal" outfit.  To be honest I'd never thought about wearing a bodysuit again.  My torso is very short and with a low set bust I literally have 3" between my bust and natural waist. My natural inclination is to hide that fact with long shirts that visually lengthen the area.

But I loved how Nettie looked on so many other bloggers. They all looked like chic ballerinas playing hookie from the theater.  My brain started playing the theme to "Fame"* and I thought, "Hmmmm ballerina chic? That might work."

The stash was consulted for inspiration and it did not disappoint.  This rayon parrot print almost flew at me and squawked, "Sew me into a gathered skirt! That will look great with a bodysuit"  But parrots, I replied, I don't really like gathered skirts.  The parrots gave me the evil bird eye** and said, "Oh yeah? Why do you like that Anna/Emery dress so much then, you punk?"  Crap, the parrots did have a point and they looked like they might get ill tempered if crossed.  I took their advice/orders, attaching the Emery Skirt to a self drafted curved waistband to make a light swooshy skirt

Since the parrots were back and white, (fine ivory. Damn computer screen fooled me again) it seemed right to break out my other favorite neutral. That's right peeps, the color red is a neutral in this house.  So I "liberated" some Lillestoff from the kids stash and made myself Nettie #2. This time with fitting alterations!

Did I nail the ballerina chic? If so can I join the "Flashdance" gang?  Word on the street is that they run around dosing people with buckets of glitter.

Pattern
Nettie Bodysuit from Closet Case Files with enough of the Kitschy Lady skater bodice grafted on to mention it.

Bonus Pattern - Christine Haynes Emery.  No changes were made to this other than attaching it to a waistband.

Fabrics used
Lillestoff cotton jersey.  You can get a 10/12 sized combo out of a yard of Lillestoff and still have enough over to color block a T-shirt for your son. You know, if you feel any guilt about stealing fabric earmarked for him.

Pattern changes/alterations
My biggest fitting problem with Nettie was that the upper back width was much too narrow for my figure.  I felt constricted when moving my arms forward and the shoulder seams would pop up off my shoulders in an odd manner. There were two ways a girl could go about fixing this. Slash and spread, then make up a few muslins to check fit or use a pattern I knew fit me and trace off the shoulder/armhole position. I went the easy route and pulled out the Lady Skater to trace off the back dimensions.

1. Lining up the shoulder seams I traced the shoulder/armhole/side seam area of the Lady onto Nettie. This gave me 4 extra inches across the upper back. Awesome, that should be enough room for the sweet dowager hump I'm working on.

2. However, the change to the back meant that the front now had to be modified to get the shoulder seams to match.  I went the easy way and traced the lady skater front into Nettie.  This gives about 2" more width across the upper part of the bodice.

3. Then to complete my cycle of lazy fitting, I changed the neckline to the Lady Skater neckline and used the LS sleeve.

4. The LS sleeve did look a little big with the tightly fitted body.  I took 3/4" out of the circumference at the underarm sleeve and also made them a cap length.

5. The crotch length was reduced by 1" because it was a little long on me.

Confessions/Advice
1 - The directions are really well done, but I've been full of the "sewing dumb" lately. One of the crotch pieces/snaps got sewn to the wrong side of the garment before I noticed.

2. Guess who's still in denial about needing a sway back adjustment for all garments?  This girl. Next version will get one.

3. I'm pretty pleased with this version but would like to tweak the pattern a bit more.  Next version I'm going to lower the neckline back to it's original position and try the Nettie sleeve in the narrowed lady skater armhole.

4. Bonus skirt confession - I really hate cutting and sewing rayon wovens.  But wearing them is makes you forget all that just like childbirth.

Husband Comment
"You look puuuuurty."  Then later the same day he said, "What do you wear that bodysuit thing with?"  Ummmmm with a skirt.....like I was wearing a few hours ago.  He was distracted by the color red. It happens.

My Final Thoughts
Oh man, is this outfit comfortable.  I was really sad when the bodysuit had to be taken off to get some detail shots and, confession, finish sewing on the snaps.  Comfy and cute......I need 4 more.  Can I get a summer wardrobe staple alert. "BEEP BEEEP!"

P.S.  The necklace and earrings are from Bluehourdesigns on Etsy. I picked them up last month with some birthday money and couldn't be happier.

*The "Fame" theme song still makes me want to enroll in ballet classes immediately. Too bad I'm horribly uncoordinated.
** I'm sure not all pet parrots are evil spawns of satan. However every one I've met tried to take a chunk out of me for having the gull to enter their human's house.