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

Vogue 8961 | A Little White Sequin Dress!

10:00 AM

It's the middle of February and I'm wearing a white dress. I've never been one to follow those stupid, outdated fashion rules. Plus, it's currently 80 degree. If you have to run your A/C, you can wear a white dress!

This dress is Vogue 8961. It's currently out-of-print, but they still all size ranges available on the website. And you can probably find it for a few bucks on Etsy or eBay.

I'd previously sewn this pattern before in December 2013. I've worn this dress A LOT in the last 4 years. There is a common misconception that bloggers such as myself, spend a ridiculous amount of time making "over-the-top" garments just to play dress up and take photo shoots for the blog. I can't speak on behalf of anyone else, but if I sew it, I wear it!

Here are two past times I took a picture wearing the first version of this dress. Once last year and once in 2015. You can always date me by my hair!

So, I made this version using White Jersey Knit with All-Over Circle Sequins from Mood Fabrics.com.

Just like the first time, this pattern is a breeze to sew. It's a sew it that day, and wear it that night kinda dress. I'd previously altered the pattern by adding an inch to the waist and 3 inches to the hem. I shortened by an inch and a half. The length I needed before was to be able to cut around the fabric design. I went with a straight hem this time.

Like last time, I didn't use the facings. I just folded the edge over and stitched a 5/8" hem.

Sewing Tip: When adding elastic to a casing at the waist, always try the garment on before closing it up. I used less elastic than required. I needed mine tighter because of the weight of the fabric.

I sewed this using a ballpoint needle and I didn't need to remove any sequins from the seam allowance. And I used my serger to finish.

Unlike a lot of sequin fabrics, this one is not scratchy on the inside, so this dress didn't need a lining. However, I still wore slip, because I'm always "Team Slip"! I just can't shake how I was raised!

DP Studio LE302

Not Your Basic Gray Suit

12:00 AM

Vogue Patterns 2893 Jacket and DP Studio LE302 Pants -- Erica Bunker DIY Style!

Sometimes the fabric comes first. I found this beautiful, lightweight Glacier Gray Heathered Stretch Suiting from Mood Fabrics.com. I knew it would be perfect for spring and that I wanted to make a suit with it.

First came the pants. I'd recently discovered DP Studio LE 302 Trouser. I'm always on the lookout for a great pants pattern that I can create over and over again and this one is pretty darn good. I needed a straight leg pattern because I wanted pants that I could wear with either heels or flats. That way I can get more mileage out of my pants.

These pants are beautifully drafted. They're high-waist with the front pockets that extend into the center front that I've grown to absolutely love!

I didn't sew the complete fly situation. I tend to skip that part a lot on trousers and only do it on jeans.

There is also one single-welt back pocket.

The pants have pintuck creases and inseam slits. This pattern was pretty good right out of the packaging. I cut the size 44, I added 3 inches to the length. This is a European pattern, so the seam allowance is 1cm. The only thing I would change next time is to create a contoured waistband. This one has a straight waist and I had very minor gaping at the center back that I quickly fixed by adding darts.

This jacket pattern has been in my pattern collection for 12 years. Since off-the-shoulder isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I thought I'd pull this jacket out. I've been seeing similar style blazers for a few months now, so that's how this one got back on my radar.

This jacket is Vogue 2893. It's been out-of-print now for many, many moons.

It's from the Donna Karan Collection Spring 2005.

I couldn't find any pictures from anyone that had actually sewn this pattern. I googled and searched for pattern reviews...nothing. The only other way I could get a glimpsed of what it looked like was from an old magazine ad.

The details of this jacket were crazy, spectacular and off-the-chain (do they still say that??)! This is why I was so drawn to it. Sometimes I want to sew something up quick, and other times I want things that will entertain me while I binge watch a complete series on Netflix.

How often do you find suiting fabric juxtaposed with athletic mesh and a corset-style laced-up back? Like never! So, I was really excited to be able to add something so interesting to my wardrobe.

Another thing that I loved is the decorative zig-zag stitching. I used the #46 on my BERNINA 350 PE. The athletic mesh was already in my stash.

I really love both of these pieces and I can't wait to break them up and wear them separately. This jacket will be so fire with a pair of black distressed jeans for a night out. And these pale gray pants are going to be worn with everything. They're the perfect neutral that my closet has been missing.

Bold Colors

Review: McCall's 7728 | What I Wore to Black Panther

2:00 PM

It goes without saying that I was going to make something to wear to the "Black Panther" movie. If you haven't been living underneath a rock and are not "tone deaf", you already know the cultural importance of this film. So, let's move on and talk about this jumpsuit!

I love jumpsuits and would wear one every single day, like Oprah loves bread! So, when McCall's 7728 was released, it went right into my shopping cart.

For my fabric, I wanted something that wasn't necessarily Ankara, but still had the same kind of vibe. I went with this Purple Geometric Polyester Suiting from Mood Fabrics.com. For the contrast, I used an Italian Black Stretch Metallic Mesh.

My initial modification was to change the pants. It wasn't something intentional or planned. When I was ordering my fabric, I was so excited about finding something I loved that I didn't notice that this suiting fabric was actually 45" wide! How often does that happen?? So, I only ordered 2.5 yards, which would have been perfect for the 60" layout. I was determined to have a Tim Gunn -- "Make It Work" moment, so I had to think on my feet. I decided to use another straight leg, high-waist pants pattern that I already had that I knew would fit. Because the originally drafted wide-leg pants took up a lot of fabric. And this turned out to be a great choice because if I had enough fabric and stuck with the original pattern plan, I would've spent an entire day basically matching all of the seams for the pants. If you haven't looked at the technical drawing for this pattern, the pants have back and front princess seams. And this is quite challenging when working with a print.

For the bodice, I cut the size 14. I added an inch of length to it. My fabric has a lot of stretch... it handles like a ponte knit. I ended up taking in about an inch and a half.

For the contrast yoke and sleeves, my stretch mesh was pretty difficult to work with. I found that using a walking foot was key. Since the fabric is translucent, you are going to want to keep the seams as small as possible. There is a lot of ease in this part. I had to reduce the sleeve width by 4". I wanted mine to be wide enough to get my hands through. But if you notice how much ease is at the underarm, it's because of how low the armholes are in the bodice.

I used a black power knit that I had in my stash for the bodice lining.

I made my hems as narrow as possible and used a metal zipper.

I love how the jumpsuit turned out. I love that it's a woven, but wears like a knit without that loosey-goosey fit.

I'm happy I went with a straight-legged style, because it looks good with heels and flats. I ended up changing shoes because it was raining. And once we got to the theater, the parking was horrid and even with pre-tickets, we still stood in line about a half an hour or more waiting to get into our theater. But it was a great movie, and totally worth it!