A Dress for Elizabeth

It's amazing just how a sewing machine can make  you "want" to sew; this has been the case since getting my other computerized machine.

Elizabeth loves dresses and she especially loves vintage style dresses. I've been buying vintage reproduction patterns when the store runs them on sale.

This dress is Simplicity 8591; a vintage reproduction style from the 1960's. It has a very full skirt and zips up the back. I made the dress using a fabric that was purchased at Walmart; on clearance $1.50 yard. I bought this fabric over a year ago with the intention of using it for a muslin and am so glad my muslin was good enough to keep.

 I love how the dress turned out, but there were a few problems along the way. The first problem was the bust darts. The pattern has four on the front of the bodice; two on the sides and two at the waist. I ended up removing the waist darts because the pattern is designed for a full bust.

The bodice of the dress was too long on Elizabeth, so I ended up having to remove the skirt, cut down the bodice by 2-inches and then reattaching the skirt. What a difference that change made.

The final problem was the size; according to the pattern envelope and the measurements I took of Elizabeth I chose size 14, but the dress turned out too big. A simple belt that ties around the waist solved this problem. (The pattern calls for a belt, but it's more for an accent than to help the dress fit).

I really love how the dress turned out and am anxious to make a second one in the future; after I try out a few more vintage patterns first!

My Beloved Bernina Virtuosa 153

I have had my Bernina Virtuosa 153 for over 10-years and love it dearly. Last year, out of the blue, it started to turn off and on for no reason. 

After numerous trips to the repair shop, and forking out money here and there, I decided to just give up on this machine. 

 During my sewing machine ordeal I started using my Bernina Minimatic 707 machine; I bought it used in January of this year. While this machine is nice and did the job as needed, I was still missing my computerized machine.

 After giving up on the Bernina Virtuosa 153 I started looking for another Bernina. At this time I discovered that Bernina is no longer Swiss made; what a big disappointment this was to me.

I was also looking for a used Bernina at this time with little luck. Then one day I decided to check ebay and found a Bernina Virtuosa 150 and made an offer of $200; plus the seller was asking $50 for shipping. They accepted my offer and I was super excited to finally find another Bernina.

When the machine arrived it made a horrible noise and I was greatly disappointed. Back to the repair shop I went with the second machine; thankfully the repair man said this machine was in good shape. The noise turned out to be bushings in the motor so I had a new motor put in. My repair bill was just under $200 so all together this second machine cost me $500.

It's been working just fine and I sure am happy to have another computerized machine to sew with. The Virtuosa 150 is an older model, which means it's Swiss made, and is pretty much identical to my Virtuosa 153.