Aw, Shucks!

Gwen, of After the Dress, has bestowed upon me the "Excellent Blog" award. And here I am, with no acceptance speech prepared. Needless to say, I am beyond flattered and just tickled pink!


The rules of acceptance require that I choose 10 blogs that I feel are excellent. As am completely incapable of narrowing down the 293 blogs to which I receive feeds, I will point you to my sidebar where I have listed all my current favourites. Each one of them is absolutely fabulous in my opinion.

Pattern Lust

The new offering of Vogue patterns has me happy, happy, happy! I love the two new Vintage Vogues (duh!) and what can I say about the Chado Ralph Rucci patterns? Considering Rucci is my absolute favourite modern-day designer, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw the two patterns. I just hope Vogue keeps producing more patterns from him. Here's all my favs:

1043















1044















1048















1054















On the SWAP front, not surprisingly, not much has gotten done in the last couple of weeks. I still have a top and skirt combo to get done, as well as a fully interlined and lined outerwear coat. I will be amazed if I manage to get it all done by April 11th (the deadline), but I am going to try. I didn't come this far to give up now! I still have a few other finished garments to show you all and hopefully over the next few days I will find the time to write up those posts.


On the Mom front, she is doing very well. She has almost all the strength back in the left arm and hand - she was so excited the other day because she cut her own meat at dinner time, which is something she has been unable to do in months. She has walked the hall and has gone up and down stairs, all by herself (although the nurse or PT was very nearby). The pain in her head is subsiding and she has been in great spirits, so it looks like the surgery was a complete success and she is well on the path to a full recovery. We are hoping to get her into a respite centre (there is one just around the corner from where I live) for a few weeks until she feels more stable - going home to a multi-level house is not happening just yet. So, things are looking up!

So Far, So Good

I went to see my Mom today and when we got there she was wide awake, completely alert and most of the tubes and IVs had been removed. She was doing so well, as a matter of fact, that they were in the process of transferring her out of ICU into a regular room. We were told that she would likely be in ICU for 3 to 4 days, so I was quite surprised that 1.5 days after her surgery she was well enough to go to the regular neurology floor. She is talking and smiling and all I can say is whew! I know the next few days may offer up some setbacks, but right now, things are definitely looking good. I only hope that she continues to improve like this.

Again, I am so grateful to all of you for such amazing support. I just wish I could hug you all in person because you have made me feel so much less alone during this whole ordeal. Thank you all.

Hopefully, over the next few days, I can get back to some regular blogging as I have a bunch of stuff I wanted to share with you that was finished prior to all the hoopla.

Another Update

Although I was told that my Mom would be in surgery for approximately 4-5 hours, in the end her surgery took almost 10 hours. We arrived at the hospital yesterday at around 3:00 pm (which was near the time her surgery was supposed to end), but didn't see the doctor until 9:15 pm. He said the surgery went well, it just took longer than expected because the tumour was so large and bloody (sorry for the graphic details). The tumour was approximately the size of a billiard ball and during the surgery she lost around 7.5 L of blood (which is a ton when you consider the average adult only has 5 L of blood), so she had to be transfused several times.

This morning we arrived at the hospital hoping to see my Mom in the ICU and talk to her doctor. She was sent for a CT scan to ensure that there were no blood clots (or other complications) developing after surgery and we were supposed to speak to the doctor after he saw the scan. Unfortunately, the doctor was called away on an emergency surgery so we couldn't talk to him, but we did get to see my Mom.

I have never seen so many machines and tubes and wires and blinking lights in my whole life. When my Dad was dying of lung cancer three years ago, I thought he was hooked up to a lot of equipment, but this was a whole other level. When I went in to her room, she was awake. She couldn't talk to me because of the tube down her throat, but she did write on a tablet. She was lucid and there appears to be no sign of paralysis or loss of mental capability - boy, did I breathe huge sigh of relief when she knew who I was and began asking questions and giving intelligent answers! Prior to the surgery, she had almost no power in her left hand and it shook horribly (the tumour was located on the right side of the brain and was adversely affecting her left side). Today, she was able to squeeze with her formerly feeble hand, which is an excellent sign. After two short visits, we decided to come home, as she needs her rest. I just pray that her recovery continues to go smoothly. I guess the next several days will begin to tell the tale.

Once again, thank you to everyone that has left such kind messages of hope. I feel like I have love pouring in from all over the world. You all cannot know how much I needed your support the last few days.

Update

Thank you all so much for the well wishes. Your outpouring of care and good thoughts has helped to make an unbearable time easier.

My Mom's surgery was postponed. The doctor had a patient scheduled before her that had some unforeseen complications while in the OR, so my Mom's surgery was pushed back. Hopefully, it will be today. It is terrifying enough knowing that there will be surgery on her brain, but it is extra difficult when we get all psyched up and then it doesn't happen. So, the nerve-wracking vigil continues...

ETA: Hallelujah! My Mom just called. They are taking her down to the OR for surgery right now (Saturday, 9:00 am). I am so nervous and antsy that I think I could bend a steel bar with my bare hands! But, I know everything will go smoothly.

I'll post when I have more info.

ETA: We went to the hospital this morning and the nurse told us that my Mom went into surgery at 11:00 am and that she is expected to be in surgery until 3 or 4:00 this afternoon. Then she goes into the ICU. We are heading back to the hospital now (2:30 pm) and I hope to speak to the doctor to make sure it all went well.

Needing Well Wishes

I may be spotty with the blogging for a while. My Mom goes in for neurosurgery tomorrow to have a benign mass removed from her brain. After surgery she will remain in the ICU for 3 or 4 days, followed by a 6 week recovery. I know in my heart that everything will go smoothly, but if you could spare a thought for my family over the next while, I would appreciate it.

Jackie Jewelery

Since I have been immersed in all things JBK lately, I figured why not go the whole nine yards and stock up on some Jackie jewelery. The Jacqueline Kennedy Collection is made made Camrose and Kross and it consists of replicas of Jackie's jewelery. I chose three pieces (from The Shopping Channel, Canada's version of HSN) to start my collection. Each description below is lifted from TSC website.


Three Strand Pearl Necklace
The Jackie Kennedy Collection presents this triple strand faux pearl necklace. Each pearl is hand knotted for a total of 158 pearls and the art deco clasp has 14 Swarovski crystals.










Dual Pearl Pin Set
The styles of yesteryear look as chic today, like this dual pearl pin set from the Jackie Kennedy Collection that features two pins in gleaming gold plate with faux white pearls in a circular design.









Topaz Flower Brooch
The gracefully fluid design of the Topaz Flower brooch from the Jackie Kennedy Collection is brought to life by the shimmer of Swarovski crystals.











I also found this awesome PDF document online. If you love Jackie's clothes as I do, this is a must-see.




Let's finish with questions from the recent comments:

In reference to my last post, Becky asked, "Ooh, I'm jealous of the silk. I'm not sure if I've ever actually sewed on silk, actually-- definitely silky fabrics, but that's not the same thing. Is it a lot harder to sew on than other types of fabrics?"
If you've never sewn silk before, I strongly suggest you start with silk dupioni. It has a crisp, dry hand and isn't slippery like a silk charmeuse. It behaves beautifully - very much like a thin woven cotton. One down side, is that it can be a bit ravelly, but if you don't handle it roughly, it shouldn't be a problem. My only last caution, if you plan on using it in a very close fitting garment (like a tight evening dress), underline it with silk organza or cotton batiste for stability or the seams may shred on you.

Rose said, "BTW, I finally made bound buttonholes. I used your method. They turned out great - especially for a first attempt."
Way to go, Rose!! I love hearing about successful seamstresses!

Carolyn asked, "So did you have a good sewing week? Did you get a lot accomplished and are you further along with the SWAP pieces?"
I did have a good sewing week. I got a bunch done. At the beginning of the week, I only had four SWAP garments done and I was sweating big time. Now I have seven garments done, one almost done and the other three on the go. With four-ish weeks left until the SWAP deadline and a four day weekend for Easter, I think I'm in good shape now.

They Call Me Mellow Yellow - Part 1

Thank you to everyone that has left such wonderful comments - I truly appreciate when people take time out of their day for me. I have had a bunch of comments asking when I would model my latest garments. I will definitely be posting pictures of me wearing my SWAP wardrobe, but I am going to wait until all the pieces are done and ready to be submitted to Julie of Timmel Fabrics (the SWAP sponsor). So, stay tuned, it won't be too long now! :)

Also, Marguerite writes, "Are the dress photos from the White House Years book or the Cassini book?"
The dress photos are from "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years", although I also own "A Thousand Days of Magic". As an aside, for anyone that is a Jacqueline Kennedy fan, I cannot recommend both books highly enough. Each book contains amazing photographs and historical information about JK, her clothing and her personality. Great reads!


The next garment up in my SWAP 2008 was inspired by a yellow silk ziberline dress worn by Jacqueline Kennedy in Jaipur, India on March 19, 1962. This dress, as well as several other pieces taken on a tour of India and Pakistan, were designed by Gustave Tassell. Interestingly, JK wore this dress, as well as pumps and white gloves, to indulge in an elephant ride. One year earlier, the Queen rode the same elephant wearing a safari suit. I guess Jackie favoured fashion over practicality - that's my kind of gal!!

JK typically favoured slim or A-line skirts. Occasionally she went for the fuller skirted look as seen in this dress. Being a fan of fuller skirts myself, it was a no-brainer for me to knock off this particular garment. Originally, I had planned on making this dress in a mustard wool crepe. I tend to only wear wool crepe in the cooler months and since I really wanted to stay with the sleeveless design, I figured I would have to wear a sweater over the dress for warmth. However, I didn't want to ruin the lines of the dress by slapping a cardigan on over top of it. So, I decided to take a cue from the original and a hunt for yellow silk began. I looked high and low on the internet to find appropriate fabric (at a reasonable price) and basically came up empty. Then one day, while browsing in a local chain fabric store, I spotted the perfect shade of mustard yellow silk dupioni - sometimes what you want most is right under your nose! I snatched up 2 m and skipped merrily all the way home.

Since dupioni is a light weight fabric and in this case, fairly translucent, I underlined the bodice and the skirt with a very pale peach cotton batiste. Batiste is one of my favourite underlinings for crisp, thin silks. It adds body to the garment, it ensures modesty and all the facings and hem can be tacked to the underlining, leaving the front of the garment completely unmarred by stitches.

The pattern for this dress is based on Simplicity 7990 (which, incidentally I used unaltered for last year's SWAP as well). This pattern has the same basic silhouette that I desired and only needed a few tweaks to more closely resemble the inspiration garment. You can see a comparison of the old and new pattern pieces below.

To increase the fullness of the skirt, I slashed the front and back pieces in two places and added 1.25" to each opening. To create the front seam, I simply added a 5/8" seam allowance to the front where it was originally to be placed on a fold.

The midriff cummerbund band was perfect as is, so it was left alone, but the tie was discarded.

The front bodice required the most work. I traced out two front bodice pieces and taped them together, on top of a another piece of paper, in the crossed over manner displayed on the pattern cover. Then I drew in a wide, rounded neckline. I drew a vertical line from the centre of the neckline to the centre of the lower bodice. Finally, a 5/8" seam allowance was added to this newly drawn line. Lastly, a front facing was drafted for this new front bodice piece. See the photo on the left for a before and after comparison.

The back bodice required alteration as well, so that the back neckline would match the front. This, of course, necessitated the redrafting of the back neck facing. After checking that all the old and new pieces fit together properly, the tweaked pattern was ready to go. Next time, I will show you the completed garment.



Lastly, I am the proud owner of a new camera. I decided on a Canon Rebel XTi (which can be seen at left). It is winging its way to me as we speak. I can't wait to get my hands on this baby and give it a whirl. My husband (who is really into photography) has a much sexier version of this camera and the nifty part is that his lenses can be used with my new camera. I will now have the ability to get super crazy close-up shots, super duper far away shots and everything in between. Wahoo!!

A Pleasant Surprise - Part 2

I finished this dress several days ago, but I have been so busy sewing that I haven't had time for posting. I want to share a few pictures, but first let me apologize for the image quality. My camera is on its last legs and I am in the process of picking out a new one, so hopefully my photos will improve!

Full length shot of the outside front and inside, showing silk charmeuse lining. I chose not to line the sleeves on this dress - sometimes I do this if I am concerned that the lining will restrict my arms' freedom of movement. The lining was attached to the zipper area with handstitching. The sleeve, neck facing and bottom hems were covered in seam binding and sewn up by hand.








The quatrefoil embellishment was created by cutting a 2.5" wide bias strip of wool crepe, folding it in half lengthwise (right sides together) and sewing a seam 0.5" from the raw edge. The resulting tube was turned right side out (note to self - invest in a set of Fasturn tube turners) and pressed so that the seam is in the middle of the back. Do not stretch the bias tube when pressing - this "give" is needed to go around the curve regions smoothly. Initially, I tried to shape the quatrefoil by eyeballing it, but I didn't like the uneven results, so I walked away from it for a few days to ponder on a solution. Finally, I had a "light bulb moment". I noticed the quatrefoil was basically two infinity signs (∞) laying perpendicularly over each other. I fired up word and printed off 2 infinity symbols (font size 400), cut one out carefully and taped it on top of the other one at a 9o degree angle. This paper was placed on my ironing board and the bias tube was shaped to follow the outside edge of the lapped infinity signs. I held the fabric in place by inserting pins straight down through the fabric and paper into the padding of the ironing board. When I was pleased with the placement of the bias tube, I steamed the heck out of it (at this point the paper gets very wet, so you can't salvage the design - make duplicates if you need more than one motif) to "seal in" the design. I tacked the fabric together at all junction points and then centred it on the garment. The embellishment was attached to the garment using small invisible appliqué stitches. To complete the look to match the Jacqueline Kennedy inspiration garment, I covered a button in crepe fabric and centred it over the quatrefoil. I am very pleased with the results - I knew it looked good when my husband told me he loved it!

Now, what was the pleasant surprise you might ask? When this dress was complete and I did the final try-on, I realized that something interesting had happened. Although I had started with one dress as inspiration, I actually ended up with a garment that has elements of two of my favourite JK dresses. I discussed the dress to the left in my initial post. The dress to the right was worn by Jackie when she had an audience with Pope John XXIII at the Vatican, on March 11, 1962. I have always loved the austerity and simple, clean lines of this dress - it is so dramatic. What tickled me about this turn of events (that my dress is an amalgamation of the two JK dresses pictured here), is that the date on which I completed my dress (March 11, 2008) was exactly 46 years, to the day, from when Jackie wore her black dress to the Vatican. Cool!

Questions

I want to respond to a few questions, so let's get answerin'!

Anwen asked, "How long have you been sewing?"
I first started sewing when I was sixteen years old - so just over 20 years now. I sewed throughout the end of high school and most of undergrad university. However, during graduate school I got too busy to sew and didn't really get back into it full force until about 3 years ago. Since then I have been an unstoppable fabric and pattern buying machine and I sew at least one garment every week.

Catherine said, "Thanks for showing how you do your SBA. I have seen techniques that remove length from the center front panel, as well - have you tried that? Do you walk your seams after doing this?"
I usually remove length from the front panel as well (about 0.25"), however since I was working with a soft wool (wool crepe), I knew I could steam out any excess fabric if it became a problem. I do tend to walk my seams if I am going to use the altered pattern with an unforgiving fabric - I don't want any nasty "surprises" after the fabric is cut out.

Vicki said, "Will the new shoes (no 1 and no 4 from prior post) match? They look like they might."
Good eye, Vicki. The fourth shoe actually looks really great with the chocolate wool crepe!

Tara said, "I adore Jackie's style, particularly her "Lily Pulitzer" Palm Beach style. Any of that in the works...that's some pricey fabric!"
I was only slightly aware of Lily Pulitzer - I don't think these stores exist in Canada - so I did a bit of snooping around the internet. It's pretty nifty that the fabric is for sale. Unfortunately, the colours don't really work for me, but the prints sure are cute!

Johanna said, "I was born on that Easter Sunday- so fun to see your post about Jackie's special outfit for that day."
Well then, let me wish you an early happy birthday (just in case I forget on April 14th)!!

A Pleasant Surprise - Part 1

As part of my SWAP 2008, I was inspired by a pale mauve linen dress, created for Jacqueline Kennedy by Oleg Cassini. She wore it to mass on Easter Sunday, April 14, 1963, in Palm Beach Florida. It was one of the many "casual" garments that Cassini designed for her, in addition to most of her formal clothing. I love the simple lines of this A-line sheath, punctuated by a quatrefoil motif on the upper bodice. It is casual sophistication to the nth degree. She wore this dress with a simple pair of pumps, white kid gloves and a lace mantilla and of course, she looked exceptionally beautiful.

I wanted this look for myself (minus the mantilla - my students think I'm weird enough already!), so I set out to produce my version of this classic dress.

Rather than using linen like the original piece, I choose a very dark chocolate wool crepe for my version, as I wanted to add to my winter work wardrobe. I picked up 5 yards of this fabric during the wool blowout at Fabric Mart and I wish I had purchased twice as much - it has a gorgeous weight and hand. For lining, I decided to go decadent, so I used a chocolate brown silk charmeuse, which was another fabulous Fabric Mart bargain.

I started with a vintage sheath dress pattern that mimicked the lines of the inspiration garment, McCall's 7888. The date on this pattern is 1965, so it comes from the same era. The neck on this pattern sits very close to the base of the neck, so I scooped out the front and back neck to more closely approximate the boatneck line that Jackie Kennedy wore so often. Since this dress was to be a cold weather garment, I decided to use the 3/4 length sleeve of view A, rather than going sleeveless.

After flat pattern measuring, I found that the shoulder was just right, the bust and waist was too big and the hip was too small (nothing new there!), so some adjustments were necessary.

To address the bust, I did a quicky small bust adjustment (SBA) to the princess seam. This entails shaving off a quarter inch from the "bust bulge" on the side front piece and tapering to nothing above and below. See the pencil drawn line on the pattern piece to the right. To remedy the too-large waist, I took it in by a 1/2" on both the back and side front pieces, effectively removing 2" total in this region. Last, but not least, I add a 1/4" to the hip on the back piece only, as I need the extra fabric in back to go around my large caboose!

So, the fabric is picked and the pattern is primed. In my next installment, I will show you the finished garment (inside and out), discuss how I created the nifty quatrefoil embellishment and let you in on why the title of this post is "A Pleasant Surprise."

I Love a Good Shoe Sale!

Did someone say shoes? On sale? 50% off? You said it sister!

My local Nine West was singing its siren song to me the other day and I couldn't resist. Four pairs of shoes later:

Brown Leather Peep Toes - I'm starting you off easy - simple shoe - tasteful - elegant - sophisticated.











"Jane Austin Goes Goth" Lace Up Thingamajigs - I don't know watcha calls 'em, but I likes 'em.









Black Patent Leather "I Mean Business" Shoes - I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan...












Exceptionally Tarty (in a delightfully demure way), Sky High, Patent Leather, Animal Print Pumps - This shoe has just the right amount of tacky to be fabulous!












Pretty good haul, eh?

I'm home this week - can I get a big ole "WOO HOO!" for March Break. I am so behind in my SWAP sewing - I'm hoping I can make some head way over the next few days. At this point, I am completely done 4 pieces, almost done 1 more and I have made the muslins or cut out the muslin/fashion fabric for the rest. Bear in mind, I have to get 11 garments done by April 11th. I just can't seem to get motivated this year - where, oh where, has my SWAP mojo gone?

Orange You Glad You Asked? - Part 3

I finished the full skirt a while ago, but never got a chance to post about it. It went together easily - although all those pleats sure do require precise marking and measuring! You can see a section of the pleats in the photo to the right. I really like this skirt - it came together quite nicely. I had some concerns that that a full softly pleated skirt, made in wool, would be too bulky through the waist. However, the fabric was lightweight enough that my concerns were unfounded.

The only issue I had with this project was the hem. I choose to neither line nor underline the skirt, as I didn't want to add any unnecessary bulk around the waist. Although this was the right decision, it made the hemming a nightmare. The fabric is similar to a fulled wool flannel, with no distinct threads easily visible. This means that when the hem is turned up and hand sewn, it is difficult to pick up one or two threads as is the usual method. I actually hemmed this skirt several times - in the end, I hemmed around the entire circumference four (yes, four!) times and let me tell you, this is a full skirt.

The first hemming was done using the traditional method referred to above and the result was a disaster. The hem was clearly visible all way 'round the bottom - heck, it was a puckery mess! So, out came the first hem. I pondered the problem for a couple of days and finally settled on what I hoped would be a solution to this problem.

I decided to fuse interfacing to the hem, which was a bit nerve wracking as this fabric is a wool/nylon/cashmere blend. A hot iron had left irremovable marks on my earlier test pressings - but, with lots of moisture and a press cloth, it worked out fine. The hem is 3" deep, so I cut 5.5" wide strips of interfacing (a medium weight fusible weft interfacing) and fused it to the bottom of the hem. This way, the full 3" of hem turn up was fused plus 2.5" up the front of the skirt. My plan was to pick up one or two 'threads' of the interfacing when hemming, rather than the fashion fabric. However, I was still worried that the weight of the hem would pull on the interfacing and in turn, pull on the fashion fabric, causing puckers again. So, I hemmed three times - the first time at 1" from the bottom, then again at 2" from the bottom, both times using the interfacing as a buffer between the hem stitches and the wool. The third go around with hemming was at the 3" mark. Since the interfacing was 5.5" wide, it did not extend above the 3" hem line. This was intentional because I didn't want the interfacing visible inside the skirt when I was seated. This wouldn't normally be a problem with a slim skirt as it stays close to the body even when sitting, however, full skirts tend to drape over a chair and there was a possibility of the inside of the hem being noticeable. The hem at the 3" mark was now directly on the fashion fabric, which had been an issue prior to this. It was not a problem this time since the bulk of the hem was supported by the first two hemmings and all that was necessary was a light tacking up of the top of the hem. Although the hem is not invisible, as I prefer, it is pretty darn good, if I say so myself!

I did want to mention one interesting design feature. The side closure is ingeniously designed to blend in seamlessly with the rest of the pleats and there are no zippers or buttons holding the skirt together. The skirt is closed at the top with a hook and eye, as well as several strategically placed snaps. I love vintage patterns - there's always something 'new' and interesting to discover in them!








Last, but not least, thank you to everyone for the kind comments on my bound buttonhole tutorial. I did want to answer one question arising from it.

Marji asked, "It's all in the measuring and being really accurate. Do you count stitches too?"
I do not count stitches, although I suppose I really should just to be completely precise. However, I have found that I have a good eye for these things - I think it's from all my years as a scientist - I have good spatial abilities.

Orange You Glad You Asked? - Part 2

Bound Buttonholes
I enjoy a good bound buttonhole. It is one of the features that takes an ordinary garment into the realm of the exquisitely couture. Often seamstresses (and seamsters) are intimidated by the bound buttonhole, which is truly a shame. Bound buttonholes are not difficult - they simply require patience and precise measurements and sewing techniques. If you take it slow, you almost can't go wrong. There are several different ways to execute a good looking bound buttonhole. I have tried all the techniques out there and the one I'll show you today is one of my favourites for stable fabrics.

The top/jacket that I am working on right now for SWAP 2008 requires seven bound buttonholes - five down the front and one per sleeve vent. Thus, I wanted to use a quick and fairly simple technique. I didn't want each buttonhole to be a time consuming odyssey, so I selected what I feel is a quick and easy method. Below, I have outlined the steps that I followed:

1. First mark the placement of the buttonholes on the wrong side of the garment. I have done my marking on the underlining of my top/jacket.

2. Using a very long machine stitch, trace over the markings - this way they will be seen from both the right and wrong side of the fabric.















3. Either on the straight grain or on the bias (depending on how stretchy you want the lips of the buttonhole to be), cut one inch wide strips of fashion fabric.















4. Fold the strips in half lengthwise, press lightly, then stitch an 1/8" from the fold.















5. Trim a scant 1/8" from the stitching line.

6. Cut the strips into pieces equal to the length of the finished buttonhole plus 1".















7. Place the cut edge of a strip along the right side of basted buttonhole centre and stitch down using a very short stitch (I use 0.5 mm). Be sure to start and end precisely at the markings. If you over- or under-stitch, you must go back and fix the ends (by either ripping out or adding to the stitching). Leave thread ends that are long enough to be threaded onto a needle to be brought to the wrong side for tying off. (See the drawing below - I forgot to get a picture - oops!)











8. Repeat this process for the left side.

9. Carefully slit the buttonhole down the middle, clipping out to the four corners. Be careful not to clip the lips. I forgot to take a picture of this too, so I have drawn it out below. The solid lines represent the stitching and the dashed lines represent the cutting lines.








10. Turn the lips, from the right side, through the slit to the wrong side. Press carefully, pulling the lips taut to ensure they lie flat. In the picture below, I have already trimmed the ends of the lips on either side of the buttonhole opening.















11. Secure the triangle of fabric from the slit to the lips with a very short stitch.















12. Press on the right side (with a press cloth) and voila, a beautiful bound buttonhole!
















I also wanted to answer a query:
Juliane asked, "A question about the skirt...are you going to use the full gathered skirt, or are you going to modify it to look like the red one? Since you have both a slim skirt and gathered skirt in the wardrobe pattern, it would be very easy to combine the two to create the pictured skirt."
I decided to just use the full skirt as is for my SWAP pieces. However, I do have plans to make a another version of this, in dark brown wool crepe that will more closely resemble the BV inspiration suit. I hadn't even though of doing what you suggested (using the top of the slim skirt, as well as the full skirt), so thanks for the idea! Now, it's just a matter of finding the time (why, oh why, is there never enough time?) to actually try making the knock off.