Erica Bunker | DIY Style! The Art of Cultivating a Stylish Wardrobe

Vogue Patterns | Winter/Holiday Release!

9:00 AM

Style Maker Fabrics Fall Tour - A Bomb(er) Lace and a Suede Skirt for Fall!

10:00 AM

I am collaborating with Style Maker Fabrics for their Fall Tour. Michelle allowed us to select fabric cuts of our choice so that we all could create pieces that perfectly suited ours styles and personalities.

I picked this fabulous black lace that's fused over a white knit. I decided to create one of this season's best jackets - a bomber jacket. I picked Burda Style 7210 (can't find it on the site).

I made this jacket 3 years ago and I've literally worn it to death ever since. I reached this particular pattern because I absolutely love the lines, the various characteristics such as the slanted welt zipper pockets and of course I had it already sized and cut out.

Since the lace is fused on a bright white knit, I left the jacket unlined and finished the inside with a lovely Hong Kong finish.

With the lace being fused onto the knit, I had to be particular with what type of needle to use because this fabric has a lot of structure. I initially started out with a Ballpoint, which didn't work at all. This fabric sews like a neoprene. So I switched over to a Microtex. And it worked perfectly.

I wanted my jacket to resemble high-end RTW, so I modified the front...

Sewing Tip!

I wanted to give my jacket a mid-strip. It's that piece that you see in RTW bomber jackets that's sewn on one side behind the zipper. It's similar a fly shield in pants.

I drafted my own by measuring the length of the front edge of the jacket front, from the neck (minus the 5/8" seam allowance) to the fold line at the waist.

My width is 3". I cut 2 of these and interfaced one of the pieces.

Here is how it looks front and back after it was finished.

And I picked up my zippers (22" metal zipper and 2 - 7" metal zippers for the pockets) and rib knit from Joann's. I love this fabric and I have a little bit leftover that I plan to use again. But here's something you need to know: even though this is a lace over a knit, it has almost no stretch. So I would definitely treat this as a woven.

My second piece of fabric is this luxurious faux black suede. I've worked with genuine suede and I've worked with faux suede. I made this great faux suede skirt last year and I'm dying to pull it back out. So I'm accustomed to working with this type of fabric with positive results. And I've also worked with some faux suede before that left me sad because it was too structured and was probably meant for upholstery instead of being a fashion fabric. So I know what I look for in a good quality fashion faux suede. And this is a great fabric.

I wanted a suede skirt, but one that was interesting -- appealing to look at. I didn't want a back pencil skirt or an a-line. So I picked this New Look 6418. I love the seam details of this pattern. It's the same lines that you would find in suede and leather in RTW. So if you're actually thinking of using genuine hides, this pattern is already cut out and ready to go.

I cut the size 16. I generally go up a size in New Look patterns than I would normally cut in Big Four. I find that New Look patterns run about a size smaller and have less ease than the others.

This skirt is noticeably similar to the white skirt I just recently made. The white skirt is completely self-lined. The New Look skirt is unlined.

So for the top portion of the skirt, I flatlined it with a flannel back satin that I had in my stash. Flatlining is slightly different than underlining. I plan to do this again so, so I'll give an indepth tutorial on how to do this.

I zhooshed up my skirt, because that's just the kinda gal I am! I wanted mine to be ornate and not just basic.

Sewing Tips!

I started out by adding eyelets to each side.

I made my markings on both sides of the side seam lines.

And used a mallet and the eyelet tools. For the top, I used rivets that were left over from my chocolate leather skinny jeans because those eyelets were not going through all of those layers of fabric.

I was on a roll, so I continued the multi-sized rivets across the front. And I laced the sides with suede lacing found in Joanns in the leather/suede section.

So, these were two great fabrics and I have to thank Michelle for including me in on this tour! Don't forget to check out Helena's project tomorrow on the next stop of the tour!

Bold Colors

Hello to Fall with Mustard and Chocolate!

12:00 PM

I love creating separates that can be mixed and matched throughout my wardrobe and worn over and over. I love clothes that I can get great mileage out of, yet has a bit of unique appeal. Like this amazing top.

This is Vogue 1188. It’s currently out-of-print, but still very much of the moment. Dramatic sleeves are presently trending for this season and these sleeves are definitely bringing the drama. The sleeves is what made me dig this pattern out of my filing cabinet. I wanted something simple, but not a t-shirt. And I wanted sleeve appeal. Our fall temperatures are really mild and I can go without a coat since I drive everywhere and I'm never exposed to the elements, for months into the season. So I don't have to worry about working any fancy oversized sleeves into the arms of coats for a while. So I'm going to enjoy myself with this trend.

This blouse is cut completely on the bias. So I had to be very considerate of that when selecting a fabric. I wanted something that would drape beautifully. I wanted a solid because I didn't want to camoflauge a the lines of these fabulous sleeves. And I was also thoughtful in selecting a trending fall color. I call it sewing kismet and feel that the sewing goddesses have shone down upon me when a fabric is “sew” perfect for a design. And that’s how I feel about gorgeous Mustard Solid Suiting. I know you’re thinking, “Suiting? How does that work for blouse weight?” Simple, it’s a medium weight crepe and perfect for this bias cut. It cut, sewed and pressed like a dream.And it even tucked into my pants without being too bulky. And as a plus, this is one of the hot colors for Pantone Fall 2016 -- Spicy Mustard - 14-0952.

I cut my top in the size 14. It fits perfectly right out of the envelope. But let's talk about these sleeves. When I first saw the pattern, I couldn't really tell what was going on with them. They're probably one of the most uniquely sewn sleeve I've ever made.

The sleeves are sewn in two pieces. Each piece has a sleeve piece and a facing. The facing and sleeve piece are sewn with right sides together. The seam allowance is trimmed down and the right sides are turned out and pressed with the raw edges basted. Each of those pieces are then sewn with wrong sides together and stitched on the indicated line. The sleeve is pressed opened, the raw edges are basted and the sleeve is then set by the flat method and hemmed.

The neckline is finished with a facing. Even as striking as this top is, I still feel like I need one is a bright white!

My DIY leather jeans is the same pattern I've previously use here.

My jeans were inspired by these Rag & Bone leather jeans.

Modified this time to fit the lack of stretch of this most amazing quality of faux fashion leather I’ve come across. I used this Brown Fashion-Weight Faux Leather. I gave the pattern a full-butt adjustment and added a little more room in the thigh and calf areas.

This fabric is perfect for fashion sewing. It wears like genuine leather and has a look and feel of lambskin, if that gives you any indication of what to expect. I compared it to genuine lambskin in my wardrobe and the only difference – it lacks that leather smell. It’s not vinylish or plasticky like a lot of cheap faux leathers. This is the kind that you find in high-end RTW.

And like genuine leather, this fabric works with a jean sewing pattern perfectly. I sewed these to be really fitted. Because just as genuine leather, this fabric relaxes with wearing. And I didn’t want any bagging out.

Sewing Tips!

Use two sewing machines if possible. One threaded with my normal all-purpose sewing thread and a Microtex needle. I used my walking foot. And the second machine was threaded with topstitching thread (regular thread in the bobbin), a topstitch needle and a teflon foot.

For cutting, I used a rotary cutter. I would suggest pattern weights. But if you’re really precise, you can pin within the seam allowances. I sewed these as if I was sewing genuine leather and as I normally would for constructing jeans. I serged my seams because I like a clean inside. And most importantly, even though ironing is NOT recommended, I used my iron. I pressed my seams with my teflon foot on my iron and with a pressing cloth. If you choose to press this fabric, be extremely careful to not EVER allow the iron to actually come in contact with the faux leather.