Hong Kong Finish Experiment

I have been working on this fabric:

That is Carolina Herrera Cotton Stretch Twill purchased from Emma One Sock few seasons ago. When I bought it, the dress made of this fabric was still available in stores:

Carolina Herrera Short Sleeve Marble Print Dress
Photo courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman

The fabric has just the right amount of stretch - perfect for body-hugging style.

I decided to make a sheath dress. 

The difference between the CH dress and NL6261 is that CH has panel front whereas NL is shaped by darts.  

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I do not know what kind of bug had bitten me, but I am in love with Hong Kong Finish! I decided to use it to finish all the visible seam allowance (=SA).

Things went great until I got this 'huh?' moment...

What should I do when the seams are not straight?

I know that for hip curve, I should ease-stitch SA and shrink it before sewing bias tape to it... but what about waist curve where SA is clipped?

Ease-stitch on the edge of SA

I searched online but to no avail... Does that mean Hong Kong finish is not an appropriate method to finish clipped SA?

Let's see....

Clipped SA

Pin bias tape to clipped SA and stitch along fold line

Press the seam open, enclose the edge, and stitch in the ditch - Now SA lie flat

You can see the clippings between seam and bias tape. I have to say it is not the most elegant SA, but at least it will not ravel.

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The dress is almost done! I only need to add lingerie guards.

I will post the finished dress next time.

Until then, happy sewing everyone!

More on McCall's 6506 Shirtdress

I had a lovely lunch with my friend yesterday and she took this photo of me. It was meant to be posted on FB to show how happy I was to receive a signed picture of my favorite soccer player, but I thought I should post it here as well. Although it is not front/back photo, it still may help some readers to visualize how the dress looks on a petite figure. I am 5'2/157cm and wear US size petite 0/XS. I cut pattern size 8 and shortened the bodice.

Some random thoughts after wearing McCall's 6506 shirtdress:

The dress is comfortable to wear even though the fabric has no stretch to it. If you have a thick back, I recommend that you make a muslin to test.

Waist is marked on the skirt pattern. This means that the belt is supposed to be slightly above waist, but mine sits at waist. I probably should have shortened bodice additional 1/2 inch or so. However, I think tying the belt at waist is more comfortable than doing so at above waist.

The waist darts are supposed to be folded outside. I folded inside because I did not care for outside darts. This change did not affect the fit at all.

Skirt hits at knee. If any shorter this print may look a bit childish for 40-something woman. I may shorten the skirt if I use more mature fabric.

On pattern envelope the collar looks too big for my taste. I cut off its long edge about an inch. Even after that I still feel the collar is big and dress looks little too 70's. Now I see why. I had to alter the shape of the collar, not just trimming around the long edge. I like this collar on Oscar de la Renta:

Photo courtesy of www.Nordstrom.com
Oscar de la Renta Lace Print Shirtdress

Be warned: The skirt is easily blown up by the wind!

Overall, I like this pattern. It is great addition to casual daytime wardrobe.

Until next time, happy sewing everyone!

McCall's 6506 Plenty by Tracy Reese Shirtdress

I had some time to sew last weekend at last! Did I try to finish Vogue 8857 tunic that I started last fall and abandoned since then? Nope! I made this dress.



McCall's 6506 Front

McCall's 6506 Back

Fabric: Cotton Poplin from Gorgeous Fabrics (I used same print before: Vogue 1177 Poppy Blouse)

Pattern: McCall's 6506 - Out of Print (Limited sizes are still available at McCall's website as of 03/12/2014)

Some Changes: 

• Collar: Since I thought that collar looked too big on the pattern envelope, I made it smaller.  
• Pockets: I wanted to make pockets and actually cut them out, but the instruction for attaching them confused me so much that I decided to omit them. I thought that either the illustration was wrong or cutting line and fold line on pattern were mixed up. Of course I could be wrong...

The dress has a retro vibe to it. I like how pleats turned out. 

I tried Hong Kong finish for the first time. I am loving the result!

  By the way, this dress sold at Nordstrom looks identical to McCall's 6506.

Photo Courtesy of Nordstrom.com
Plenty by Tracy Reese 'Amy' Print Shirtdress

Now I want a black belt to wear with my new dress! 

Happy sewing everyone!



Mini Salmon and Asparagus Quiche

I love the versatility of mini phyllo shells. I used salmon and asparagus for these mini quiche but you can substitute with so many other ingredients. While these are great appetizer to pair with wine or beer, one of my friends likes them on brown rice with a bit of soy sauce.


Ingredients:

1 Package (15) Mini Phyllo Shells

1 Large Egg
1/8 Cup Heavy Cream
Salt
Nutmeg
Black pepper

1 Fillet of Salmon, cooked (I grilled it) and crumbled
Thin Asparagus, cut into 1" piece then boiled for about a minute
*Maybe you do not need to precook asparagus as it can be cooked during the baking process.

Need 24-cup Mini Muffin Pan

Direction:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

2. In a small bowl, combine egg and cream. Season with salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Set aside.

3. Place the phyllo shells in the muffin tins. Place salmon and asparagus in each shell.

4. Spoon the egg mixture into phyllo shells.

5. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes.

* * * * *

Vogue 8857 Sewing Update: So far I have finished bodice and sleeves (Did I hear 'that's it?'). Yet another exam (this time SQL) coming next month, my next update would be most likely after that.

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday season!