My Secret Wish Fashion

"Owl Eyes on You" Hat in my store

2011-08-25T22:58:00.000-06:00

This pattern, over a year in the designing (that happens sometimes), is finally done. Inspired by the challenge of getting a seamless, one-piece toque in a rectangular shape to make it simple to create "owl ears", this two-tone topper will look adorable on the little man or lady in your life!

I had extra fun making these, as I got to use some vintage buttons bequeathed to me by my grandma, which she had salvaged off of old coats.

You can find this pattern in my shop at www.mysecretwish.ca.

Lucy Pevensie Tam in the store

2011-07-07T15:41:00.000-06:00

At long last, I finally got a knitting pattern into my Etsy store. You can find this at www.mysecretwish.ca.

Who wouldn't feel like a princess in this adorable tam? Or even a queen?

I have actually made another hat in the largest size for myself, but am too impatient to wait until I get good photos taken of it before I put this in the store. I will add those photos later.

So, here it is, in all its glory: the Lucy Pevensie Tam! You can also find it on Ravelry here. Go check it out. And then buy it. :-)

Here is the tam being modelled by the adorable Zoe.

Lessons Learned?

2010-08-16T12:10:00.001-06:00

So, I've been working on slopers for my new designs--specifically, for an empire-waisted simple silhouette, meant to flatter many body types and to be the base for summer dresses, evening wear, shirts, and more.

I am putting together a maxi dress with the slopers using a cotton lawn lining and some very pretty fabric I found in the Bargain Bin, even if it is polyester-cotton. (I detest polyester.) The weight and drape are similar to the fabrics I will eventually be using to make my actual product, and the price was definitely right at $2.99/m.

Since this is one of my first designs, and I am not horribly experienced with making patterns "from scratch" yet, I have had the expected amount of ripping out, redoing, and redesigning.

What I wish I could get over, though, was that yesterday I insisted on making rookie sewing mistakes, over and over.

Like sewing a bodice together with the inside of the darts on the outside.

Rip, rip, rip...

Or forgetting to pin up all my under-bust gathers before I start sewing the bodice to the skirt. Pinning them after you have begun to sew, with fabric under the needle, is not nearly as easy as before!

The last mistake, which told me it was definitely time to go to bed, was when I finally started sewing the overdress fabric together. After doing one full seam (a good 1.5 m long) and starting on the next one, it seemed to me that I was actually sewing the wrong sides of the fabric together. Doh!

I only had about 10 cm. of stitching done on the second one, so there I was again:

Rip, rip, rip...

After getting it apart, and examining it closely from all angles, I decided that both sides of the fabric looked exactly the same. While I had wasted a little bit of time ripping out that short amount of stitching, I was really, really glad that I had not ripped out the first seam, as well!

The fabric is a fairly sheer burn-out, with daisy detailing and splotches of golden and tawny colour on a creamy background. (I'll post photos soon.) Even though this is a "mock-up", I am confident that it will be pretty enough for me to wear when it is done.

And I have decided that I LOVE working with cotton lawn. It so sheer and light-weight and fine. Positively delightful. (This is my first experience with it, other than in purchased, ready-to-wear clothing.)

Maybe today, I can finish this dress--without any more ripping-out of rookie mistakes. Because, despite the fact that I am fairly new to pattern drafting from scratch, I have been sewing for twenty-five years. That's enough time to out-grow being a rookie... isn't it?

The Store Is Open!

2010-08-09T15:21:00.001-06:00

My new Etsy store is officially open for business. My new brand is "My Secret Wish by Talena". I will be posting new items here that I am putting in my store, as well as my sewing adventures.

So far, I only have a few pieces of jewelry in there. This is one of my favourites.

And this is another:

And one more:

But you should really go see for yourself.

Also, I am very excited about the line of clothing I am designing--I have plans for getting a holiday line in the store by October-ish.

Would you like to help me share the news? Here are a few buttons and badges for your blog. To use the one you choose, copy and paste the code from below it into your blog template.

200x150:

200x400:

150x200:

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200x150:

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Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

First Corset--Civil War era

2010-07-25T12:47:00.000-06:00

For several years now, my back has frequently gone out in the mid-section. About a year and a half ago, I figured it out--it is always right at my bra strap.

With my good German build, even when I am very thin, I have a good-sized rib cage, but unfortunately a very small bosom to accompany it, so finding a bra that fits is a very difficult chore. Since bearing three children, however, my ribs expanded, and made finding a bra that fits nearly impossible.

So, round about December of last year I had a brainwave, and started researching if anyone had ever used corsets to alleviate back problems associated with bras. The answer? Yes!

I was up for another challenge with my sewing, so I did a bunch more research and decided that my next project would be a corset. I chose a pattern for a single-layer corset, ordered the fabric and supplies, and got started on my mock-up.

Unfortunately, the pattern I chose, Simplicity 5726, besides being designed to create the ultra-small waists that were in vogue during the 1860's, was also designed for someone with a good-sized bosom to begin with, meaning there is quite a difference between the finished waist and bust measurements. Too much difference.

Fortunately, I was prepared for this, since my pre-emptive research had already dug this information up on corsetry message forums. I knew I would need to fit any corset I made anyway, so I still decided to use it. (Already having the pattern in my possession was a heavily deciding factor--I had purchased it several years before for the chemise pattern.)

Well, I am fairly happy with how it turned out, for my first one. However, I made an error in fitting the bust, and actually ended up taking out too much--thus resulting in that interesting "double-boob" look you can see in these photos. Other than that, the corset it sturdy, pretty, and much more comfortable than most of the bras I have worn for years.

Despite how it looks in these photos, I do not wear this as outerwear. The only challenge is in finding modern clothing that it looks okay under. So... I am working on creating some of those, too!

Also, I am mostly finished my second corset--a Victorian (1880s) pattern from Mantua Maker. It is an outerwear double-layer denim corset, and I am quite excited with how it looks. I think I managed to get this one to fit properly, but the true test will be once the rest of the boning arrives (I ran out) and I lace it up for the first time.

I'll keep you posted!

Recycled Jean Skirt

2010-06-30T12:47:00.002-06:00

For some reason, the first part of my jeans to die is always the left knee. With current fashion embracing the ripped clothes look, I wear them like this for a while, until they rip all the way across--this, to me, just looks shabby, not to mention leaving my knee a little chilly. (If I'm wearing jeans, it's usually 'cause the weather is a little on the cooler side, anyway.)

So, I decided to attempt to give a favourite pair of jeans new life by turning it into a skirt.

First, I cut the legs off straight, just above the ripped section. (I actually had two identical jeans that had ripped in almost an identical pattern. The only difference is that the right thigh on the second pair is also quite worn--I think those ones are destined to become cutoffs.)

Then, I cut up the inseams up to the crotch, right along the seam line, and the side seams the same distance. Then I laid the pants folded so that the front inseam was matched with raw edges even in the front (see photo) and cut it so that the front seam was as straight as possible, cutting off the extra fabric required for the crotch seam. Leave a little bit of seam allowance, and you will likely have to actually sew the crotch seam straight for about an inch to make this work properly, as otherwise, your gores will not be long enough and your front and back will have strange little pointy puckers in them. (I found this out by trial and error.)

Next, you need to cut your gores from your leg bottoms. Cut along one side seam on each leg bottom and lay it flat. Cut off the cuff seam right along the line. Iron flat, if necessary.

On the backs of the legs, which were undamaged, I found I had room enough to make the triangle go straight up and down with the grain. However, I had to get creative on the front to make my gore long enough and avoid the tear, so they are cut on the partial bias. As it was, I still had to include some of the frayed gash into my seam allowance, but considering the "worn and recycled" nature of this garment, I knew it would not detract from anything.

I decided to put the bias-cut gores on the side. Be sure and reverse the fabric when cutting your second one, so that the bias will go the right direction!

Inserting gores can be a little tricky. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of this part of the process. I prefer to have my raw edge on the right side, so I am not forcing the bulk of the garment through the arm of the sewing machine. (Even though this photo shows a gore pinned to both sides of a single leg section, I ended up removing the one nearest the top of the photo before sewing and doing it as the following instructions discuss.) I will attempt to describe the process as clearly as possible.

1. With right sides together, start at the hem, with the gore piece on top. Use a 5/8" seam allowance, as we are going to turn these into flat-felled seams. When cutting the gore, it is best to make the "top" of the triangle flat, and 1 1/4" wide at the top, for seam allowances on both sides.
Centre the top of the gore over the centre of the top seam and stitch until exactly that point. Cut your thread.

2. Reposition so that now you are at the top of the gore, but looking at the wrong side of the leg section you have not sewn yet. Align raw edges. You should be able to see where the stitching of the leg seam ends. Begin at exactly this point and stitch to hem.

3. Check your work. If you have done this correctly, you should have no gap showing on the right side, and on the wrong side of the gore, the two ends of your lines should come to a beautiful point at the top of your triangle. (Note: I did not have enough fabric to make the tops of all of the gores wide enough, so I just centred the points on the seams and made a straight line from bottom to that point at the top, even though it meant my seam allowance was getting gradually narrower.)

4. Press the seams toward the leg sections. Trim the leg side of the seam allowance to 1/4". Fold the gore side under and press, then stitch using top-stitching thread (matching the existing thread in your jeans) as close to the edge as possible. Turn to right side of garment and top stitch the same distance from seam. Repeat for all seams.

5. Do a 1" rolled hem on the bottom. Use top-stitching thread, and do an extra line of stitching 1/8" away from original stitching line.

TA-DA! You're done!

What Is My Secret Wish Fashion?

2010-01-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

Right now, My Secret Wish Fashion is just an idea--my wish to create beautiful clothing that other people can enjoy, but does not necessarily have to conform to what current fashion trends dictate--or perhaps re-interprets them.

This blog is just to chronicle my designs--both the good and the bad--what I learned from them, and sometimes just my crazy creative experiments.

My Secret Wish is that women would see themselves as beautiful.
My Secret Wish is that clothes would be pretty--and practical (at least, sometimes!)
My Secret Wish is that clothes would be modest--and attractive.
My Secret Wish is that women would feel confident in their clothing.

What is your secret fashion wish?