Getting free fabric doesn’t happen too often, and finding the perfect garment to make with said fabric is even more rare. I picked up this striped knit fabric at a fabric swap and I knew that as soon as I took it home, I wanted to try out a Collette Moneta with it. I remember this pattern was all the rage maybe 8 years ago, but I never got around to making one. As I sewed this one up, I wondered why I waited so long. It’s a great pattern, very simple to to follow and the dress sews up so fast. As with most outfits, the main challenge came from trying to match the stripes when cutting out the pattern. This fabric had many stripes to match up, but luckily not too many pieces to cut out.
I’m not the biggest fan of gathered skirts. I feel like sometimes they don’t look very flattering on me and can make me look bigger than I am, especially if not done right. This dress isn’t too bad, but it will never be my favorite dress because of the gathered skirt.
I made this dress in the dead of winter and had to wait several months before I could actually wear it, but it was worth the wait
While I love that this dress has pockets, I also felt like they added a bit of bulkiness to this hips on this. This could have to do with the type of fabric and maybe a less stiff knit would have a different look.
It was very windy in NYC where I took these photos, as I was visiting the city for the weekend
This being said, I would definitely make this dress again. It’s a great casual dress that sews up fast and looks pretty good on basically any body type. The full skirt is very easy to fit, especially with someone with larger hips like myself. I also like the way the back looks, the neckline a little lower to show a bit of skin.
A minor imperfection in the fabric in the back caused a small hole and had me wanting to throw the whole thing away. I stitched it up, so it’s slightly noticeable, but hopefully it’s not obvious to most people
I used a double needle to hem the neckline, sleeves and skirt. It always ends up being harder than I anticipate to keep the lines even all the way around. I definitely had to unpick and re-sew a few sections, but I had less issues with “tunneling” of the fabric than I usually do and I think it’s because this was such a sturdy knit.
All in all, a great new dress for the spring, and you definitely can’t beat the price!
Between winter illnesses and long vacations, I’ve been unable to get near my sewing machine. But as luck would have it, I recently realized I never got a chance to write about my vacation dress from last fall. This past November I got married in French Polynesia. This seemed to be the perfect excuse to finally make use of some fabric I had bought in Hawaii a few years back. I could picture it perfectly: a summer dress using Polynesian-style fabric for another Polynesian vacation. While I had some triumphs figuring out the semi-confusing instructions on this dress, the end result was not as perfect as I hoped.
When I saw the pattern cover of New Look 6557, I figured I found the perfect pattern, since my fabric looked very similar to the photo on the front (view B). The print does fit this dress style rather well, but that is not the whole story. The first issue I ran into was when I washed the fabric for the first time. The red color bled into the white, which gave the whole thing a pinkish hue. This happened despite putting a color catcher in the washing machine. I couldn’t believe the fabric bled so much. I guess the quality on this fabric was not as great as I thought. It makes me very nervous washing this dress in the future, but I guess it’s just something I need to be aware of.
I’ve been noticing that New Look doesn’t seem to have the best instructions and illustrations to go along with them. This was apparent when I made my wedding dress and there was a similar issue here. The construction of the bodice was a bit confusing, especially around the back facing piece. I had actually cut out a bodice with some test fabric because I was unsure of the size and I’m glad I did, because not only was the sizing off, but it took several tries to figure this whole thing out. It was a bit unclear as to where the back facing piece was supposed to connect after the sides were attached to the front. I finally figured out that you had to attach it to the seam and then to the top edge, keeping the front sandwiched in between and free so it’s not sewn inside. After this is sewn, it’s flipped to the inside.
You also had to make sure the back facing has a space at the top. This is where the straps are placed and sewn in. This was one thing I really liked about this pattern – sewing the straps after the bodice has been constructed, made fitting a lot easier. I’ve made other dresses in the past where I basically had to guess the length. No matter how many times I measured, it was very stressful to ensure the straps were the right length when you weren’t entirely sure where the bodice would land on your body. Here you could try on the bodice, then place the straps in the hole, pin the right spot where they won’t fall down and sew them in from the inside seam.
This was also my first time doing a lapped zipper. Although there were some basic instructions, I did some research to make sure I was doing everything correctly, as the measurements are very precise on each side. This is not my favorite zipper type, but I feel confident I could do this one again if needed. There is a lot of info on the internet, which is good because I wasn’t quite sure what a lapped zipper was at first.
The other issue with this dress happened when using my tailor’s chalk to figure out where the zipper would go. My mistake was using my red chalk, because obviously white wouldn’t have worked. I guess maybe yellow would have been better? Too bad I don’t own yellow chalk. Anyways, the red stained the dress, and all the brushing in the world could not get it out. No problem, I thought, I’ll just wash it again with some stain remover. Still there. I even tried using some baking soda to scrub the fabric, which lightened the stain a bit, but unfortunately I could still see it. Since I know it’s there, maybe I’ll always see it. Hopefully in time, it will fade, but another disappointment with this fabric from Hawaii.
All in all, I think this is still a great summer dress. It really fit in with my vacation wardrobe in Bora Bora. Despite this fabric being problematic (and possibly cheap) I do like this print a lot. It does remind me of my time in Hawaii and tropical vacations in general. I just wish I had anticipated the issues with the fabric before I worked with it. I guess there is a lesson here to test things out with your fabric. And always use a color catcher.
I’ve never been one of those people who hate winter and cold weather. But this year…I hate winter and cold weather.
The last few months have been a kind of emotional roller coaster for me. This summer, I actually got a lottery invitational to the Tokyo marathon, only to struggle this fall with nerve pain that made it extremely difficult to run. I tried to help it with injections and other exercises, but it just got worse. My dream of running another world major marathon was squashed. After I made the decision to forgo the training, it seemed like a giant black cloud moved in over everything. And it hasn’t left for months. The last few years in New England, winter has been pretty tolerable, sometimes even downright pleasant. But this year, it’s been unrelenting.
The constant cold and ongoing snow and ice storms have definitely not helped the depression that set in after the holidays. I haven’t wanted to do much of anything, the outside just seems too unforgiving and my current mood has killed any ambition I had in the first place. But this weather has caused me to pull some pieces of my wardrobe that I haven’t worn in awhile. One is my winter vest made with fleece that I got in the Southwest a few years ago. I made it last year, but didn’t get a chance to write about it. And now is the perfect time to do so, with all my current projects laying around, unfinished.
I call this one, perfection in design print matching
I had been looking for a pattern that had the style of a vest I would actually want to buy. I settled for the 5 out of 4 pattern, the Aspen vest. It even had zippered pockets, which is rare to find in these sewing patterns. My last vest did not have these and it’s tough when I want to anything remotely active.
This vest did call for several types of fabric besides the fleece – there is a knit for the lining, woven fabric for the pocket flap and zipper stop and other fabric for binding the arm holes and bottom. Plus all the zippers. Getting all these things to match was a bit of a challenge, but after a few shopping trips and online orders, I got everything I needed to assemble it.
Double sided stay tape helped keep the zipper in placeNow the zipper can be sewn in a lot easier to the top pocket
The result is great, I have a very warm vest great for winter activities or just hanging around the house. It’s great for that extra warmth when the sun doesn’t shine through the windows (like today).
Luckily I had this extra snap for the top pocket flap, so one less thing to buyI love the zippered pockets so my items can stay secure
The print style on the fleece is not one I wear too often, but it reminds me of my travels through New Mexico and Arizona. I love using fabric from my trips, because it’s like getting a whole new souvenir, months after the vacation.
I do love the design on this fleece, especially the bright colors
One thing I had been trying to do more of in the last year, is make clothes in line with actual fashion trends. I saw that bomber jackets were making a comeback, so I decided to try my hand at it. Especially since I already had a pattern in my inventory, the Seamwork Larkin jacket. It was great because there is a helpful sewalong video on the website, which helped me navigate making my first ever coat. What makes this jacket special was that I was able to attach a patch I received after running the Marine Corp Marathon in 2022.
I got a nice medium-weight woven fabric in green, so it would match the patch. I was able to use some yellow rib knit I already had in my stash for the cuffs, collar and bottom.
I think it all came together well, although I did have trouble finding a good zipper that matched the color. Speaking of the zipper, I also had an issue where the zipper was a bit too long for the jacket. I think partly it was the pattern, but also partly because I did shorten the length of the coat a bit. I’ve run into this issue before and with that garment, I just removed some of the teeth at the top of the zipper. Unfortunately since this was not a plastic zipper, no matter how hard I pulled with the pliers, I could not get any teeth off. And I really tried. I guess it’s good the zipper is strong and sturdy, but I basically had to just fold the zipper back into the seam, which looks a bit odd in that there is no real visible top to the zipper.
It’s still a functional coat however, and the patch on the arm looks really nice. It’s a nice way to commemorate a time where I could actually run a marathon, unlike now where I’m not even sure I can ever take part in a race again.
The most difficult part was trying to figure out how to sew the lining in via the sleeves. You need to pin it at this point and then figure out how to flip it around to sew the right sides together.I recommend watching the Seamwork tutorial on this as its a lot clearer than the instructions on how to ensure the seam is correct on this.
With my running future in limbo, the year feels a bit uncertain. However, I did decide to go ahead with my trip to Japan. Now that I have the added bonus of not having to worry about running a marathon, I am a bit more relaxed about the trip. I think it will be a good thing in the end – I’ve always wanted to go to Japan and I couldn’t just let that opportunity go by. And the fabric shopping should be fantastic.
With my running future in limbo, the year feels a bit uncertain. However, I did decide to go ahead with my trip to Japan. Now that I have the added bonus of not having to worry about running a marathon, I am a bit more relaxed about it. I think it will be a good trip – I’ve always wanted to go to Japan and I couldn’t just let that opportunity go by. And the fabric shopping should be fantastic.
It’s been awhile for me on this blog. I’ve clearly been busy in life, trying to keep my head above water with work and various life changes. I’ve lost touch with friends, my house is a total mess and I’m so behind on projects it’s not funny. I have done some sewing and even finished some great clothes, but every time I go to write something, I get distracted. I’m hoping to pick things back up in the new year to write about my backlog, but in the meantime I wanted to mention my one major project that was the ultimate challenge in my whole sewing life. I am talking of course, about making my own wedding dress.
Back when I was first sewing, I remember being proud of my ambitious (at the time) project of making a dress that I was going to wear to a wedding. That seemed scary enough. Making my own wedding dress? That seemed like something other sewists did, ones that are imaginative and innovative or can draft their own patterns. Ones who have a sloper ready to be used. Ones who actually know what a sloper is (still learning here). Could I, with my amateur sewing skills, actually make something I would be proud to walk down the aisle in?
Before I go into the details on the dress, I want to mention that my wedding was an elopement. Years ago, I got married and had the wedding with all the family. I bought a poofy dress that I loved and did all the traditional things. That marriage didn’t work out so for my second wedding, I knew I just didn’t have the energy (or the money) to plan a whole thing again. My husband and I decided to combine our wedding and honeymoon into one trip, to a place I’ve always wanted to go – Bora Bora in French Polynesia. I wanted to get married on a beach where I only had to worry about myself and my partner while we vowed to share our lives. An occasion like this calls for a more simple dress – or at least that is what I wanted. Something that was not too elaborate that would distract from the natural beauty around us. I found out it’s hard to find a dress that’s simple but still makes sense in wedding photos. I thought maybe if I made something, it would represent what I wanted more (however I did buy a back up dress just in case this ended up being a total disaster).
My skills may be a bit better than when I made that first dress for that wedding, but I still knew my limitations. This was too important an occasion to just go it alone, so I enlisted my mother to help me. It was great to have another person there to interpret the directions and bounce ideas off of. The first step was picking a pattern. I had a few wedding-like dress patterns in my collection and I settled on New Look 6401 (view B). I liked the simple design and since it didn’t seem to have a lot of pieces, I was hoping there was less of a chance of a screw up.
The first task was getting the right fabric. I thought maybe I’d be able to take a trip to NYC, since I wanted to actually meet the fabric in person and not just order online. Unfortunately fabric stores in New England are few and far between. I wasn’t able to get away, but luckily there is a local fabric business that is an online shop but sometimes will accommodate visitors if you make an appointment. This is Gorgeous Fabrics in Billerica, MA and it’s more than just a fabulous name. I wasn’t even sure I wanted something white, I was maybe thinking of pale yellow for the dress, but I ended up seeing something really unique that I loved. It was a cotton eyelet, but the pattern on it was different from anything I’ve seen and was told it was sort of a “peacock” print. It was an Oscar de la Renta fabric and I saw the potential right away.
I was able to pick out the perfect fabric for the lining, which I had to admit was very breathable in the warm weather. The only thing left was to figure out what to do about the bow in the back – the cotton was not flowy enough to create the right shape. The owner showed me some sheer organza that could work beautifully, with just a narrow hem.
Because I wanted to be as sure as I could be, I of course made a muslin. This helped me determine the best fit, which was lucky, because it made me realize we would have to adjust the top to be a bit smaller and expand the hip section out a bit. The seam allowances were generous so I had a bit to play with, but we did measure out a half inch to make sure it wouldn’t be too snug around my lower half.
My wedding dress, in lovely muslin fabric
I also noticed how low cut the top was. A bra was pretty much out of the question, so I decided on sew-in cups. Another thing I’d have to purchase.
Working with the organza made me a bit nervous as it was so sheer. I got some good advice from the fabric store: 1) Do not pre-wash it as it will lose it’s stiffness which will make working with it impossible and 2) Hem it using Ban-Rol waistband interfacing.
I had never heard of such a product, but I guess it’s something that is used in men’s pants waistbands. Sewists have discovered it can make a pretty nice narrow hem on thin fabrics like chiffon or organza. I just needed to review a few YouTube videos and was off and running. You basically need to remove a few strands until you get the hem size you want, then sew it to the edge, roll the hem and sew it again. Then the whole thing can just be torn out and suddenly you have a pretty straight narrow hem.
Now that I had the bow section ready, I could put together the final dress. Cutting into this beautiful fabric gave me anxiety, but my mom was there to make sure I did everything correctly.
The issue I have with dress patterns from New Look is the directions are not always very clear. It took a few tries to figure out the bodice correctly, but luckily all this was worked out with the muslin. I think what threw me off was this was the first dress I’ve made that didn’t have a completely sewn together bodice. In this case, the bodice was in two pieces, the left and right. Each side would be sewn to the skirt piece separately.
I added no real embellishments, as I said I wanted a pretty simple dress. I did find a hook and eye that had a small rhinestone, which you could just barely see if you were staring at the back. The bow with the organza came out great, however we did have to tack it more at the back than the pattern intended, in order for it to lay flat when tied together.
It may not have been the wedding dress of the year, but I am extremely proud of my accomplishment. I never in a million years thought that I could make a wedding dress that I would want to show off in photos. I couldn’t be happier with the results.
The wedding itself was perfect. The Four Seasons in Bora Bora really know how to make a day like this special and our wonderful photographer and videographer we hired through the hotel captured the day perfectly, as seen below. Although part of me missed having my family around, it was nice to just be able to focus on each other, as we started our journey together as husband and wife.
This coming year, I hope to share more of my sewing adventures, as well as my other adventures. They may not all be as exciting as a destination wedding in French Polynesia, but joy comes in all forms.
This spring, my sewing took a back seat to other, non-fiber related projects. That Larkin bomber jacket was really hanging over my head as the weather got warmer and warmer. The need for outerwear was gone, but I was determined to finish it this year and not put it off for the fall. I did eventually finish the coat. I like the result, but there was a slight issue with the zipper. I will go into that another time, as I don’t have any photos of this jacket as of yet.
This month, I was also able to quickly complete a dress for the summer, just in time for my future father-in-law’s birthday party. I had bought some colorful fabric when I was down in Key West in 2019 and I knew I wanted to make some sort of vacation dress with it. The store was called The Seam Shoppe and it was a cute little fabric store that had some great tropical themed prints. I failed to remember that this fabric wasn’t just colorful, but there was a big “fish” theme in the print. Oh well, it’s still very pretty and I love the feel of it. I decided on the Veronica Dress from Seamwork as I liked the simplicity of the style. The skirt ended up being perfect on it, but the top may be a bit too big. The fabric is probably rayon, so the dress will still feel nice and cool in tropical weather, but I’m wondering if I should have gone for a more strappy top. I still think this dress is a success and it fits pretty nice.
There is some elastic in the back, that gives it a nice shape. Matching some of the panels on this was pretty challenging, so it mostly matches in the front and sides, but the back is pretty mismatched. There wasn’t anything too crazy about this pattern, although I did find a video on YouTube that gave step by step instructions which I found helpful. The pattern directions didn’t have the best explanation for finishing the seams or installing the zipper, so the video was a great resource to follow along with to make sure I was doing everything correctly. The most confusing part was actually sewing in the neck facing, as these instructions were very confusing and the drawings didn’t really help too much. You have to sew the facing to the zipper tape at the top and then fold the sew allowances in when you sew the facing on at the top so that when everything is flipped out, it will be a clean seam.
I was terrified I was interpreting this wrong, and it took a few extra minutes of trying to figure out how it would work before I was able to sit down and sew this. Luckily I didn’t end up having to unpick anything and I got this stitching correct, but I was pretty anxious at this part. This sew-along was a life-saver, especially since Seamwork didn’t seem to have one on their website.
I finished the dress just in time for the birthday party and was able to show it off and try it out before I took it on a real vacation. I think this one will be coming with me to French Polynesia this fall.
Summer sewing is in full effect right now, as I just finished nice floral tank top for the season and I’m currently working on a retro-style romper! No real summer travel for me this year as I’m saving up for my destination wedding/honeymoon. I’m thinking maybe this summer I should focus on sewing up fabrics I’ve gotten on past travels, like this Key West fabric. It’s a good goal anyway!
I had a rather unfortunate day today, trying to figure out pocket welts on the Seamwork’s Larkin Bomber jacket. This is a time sensitive project, since I’m trying to get this done before winter is over, so losing a whole day with no progress really depressed me. For the first welt, I got confused at where I was supposed to stitch because the directions and drawings were not clear to me. Then the second side, I figured out what I did wrong, but somehow, it still ended up a puckered mess. I cut out all new welts and jacket fronts (and pockets) to start all over, but all I could do was draw the markings on the fabric. Maybe it’s for the best I take a break and take my time next time.
I have had some success lately with other items I’m sewing, so maybe I can’t be too hard on myself. My favorite is this new circle skirt I made from the Veronika pattern from Meghan Nielsen. The fabric is Dutch wax print I got from this small fabric store in Lowell, Massachusetts. The color is really something and I am hoping the weather gets a little warmer so I can wear this outside before spring. I have never made a circle skirt before, mainly because I never seem to have enough fabric. This pattern was very easy to put together, but the pieces are quite large, so laying it out on the fabric took some time. I was worried about hemming such a circular piece, but it ended up being easier than I thought. I think this is mainly because the fabric is so easy to work with and pressed so nicely.
Circle skirts are pretty flattering, so I’m really excited to wear this. Some of my other winter projects have already gotten some wear.
One is this buttoned shirt from Vogue # 9227 (view A). I made view B a while back and I was excited to revisit the pattern. The fabric is a little sheer, so I do worry about the durability, but I do think it looks nice. I like the way the stripes fall and the buttons on the top are really cute.
Even though I put interfacing in the collar, it’s still a bit flimsy with this delicate fabric.
I think I prefer the collar not buttoned up. It falls a lot better.
Not much to say on this one, it sewed up pretty fast. It was interesting sewing up the hem because of the mitered corners I had to create for the front pieces. The directions were pretty clear on where to stitch to get this clean look.
Another winter wardrobe piece that I got to show off at the office was this sweater dress from a vintage Butterick pattern, #5985. Getting the zipper right was some trial and error, but it was not too much trouble. I was also shocked to find out that the jumpers from this pattern were nowhere to be found. Maybe it was made known to me, when I bought it, I can’t remember (the note on the front is mine after finding out). I’m not sure where I got this pattern, I think at a flea market so I can’t really complain. The dress I made is actually the garment underneath the jumper pictured in view B. Even though I was disappointed I couldn’t make the jumper, this pattern did work well for a regular sweater dress.
This dress is so comfortable and definitely warm enough for these cold windy days we’ve been experiencing. I probably need to get a belt for this one, to give it a little more shape. But I also like it as it is. I’m mostly impressed by how well I was able to match the fabric on the sides back and even the sleeves.
It’s good to remind myself that I am able to complete some wearable pieces. Today was so disheartening when I couldn’t get to a good place on my jacket, but I’m hoping once I can figure out the secret to these welts, it will all just fall into place. I’m thankful for the ability to try again…and for extra fabric.
With the holidays in full swing and me being sick every other week, I have not had much time for my sewing projects. However, I was able to make some quick lounge pants with the rest of that knit I used for my Riley top. I knew I wanted some fun pants, but had no idea what pattern to use as I didn’t want to make just typical pajama pants. I found the Nusle Joggers from Itch to Stitch a great option, despite the fabric being just a thin stretch cotton. I liked the long split hem option for the look and it seemed like a fast pattern to sew up.
The Nusle Joggers come in two different hem options and some easy to assemble pockets
Everything was going really well and finishing the split hem on the bottom was a lot easier than I originally thought. But for the waistband, I realized the pattern was calling to add grommets for the drawstring to go through. Even though I could have just decided to sew buttonholes instead, I liked the idea of adding the grommets for a different look. I tried to use the metal eyelets I already had from some shorts I made. However, because the eyelets didn’t have a back, they weren’t able to grip enough of the thin fabric to securely fasten on to the hole, even with interfacing. I decided to purchase different grommets that I could put together and hammer in with a tool. It seemed to work well and I was very pleased with the metal holes for my drawstring. I put together the waistband and after a few tries, got the stitching around the waistband to a place where I liked it.
The split hem on the Nusle Joggers
When I finally acquired the drawstring, I went to use the trusty safety pin I usually use to install it into the waist. However, this pin was too big to fit through my grommet. I tried a smaller pin, but the head was still to big to fit. As I was looking for an even smaller safety pin, I remembered that I actually had a special tool that is used to thread a drawstring that had a pretty small loop at the end. It fit inside, so I started pushing the string inside. As I pulled it around, I noticed that it had somehow pulled the whole grommet off as well and I was left with a torn up hole in it’s place. The second grommet came off as well as I tried to get the string out the other side.
I couldn’t believe I had come this far with finishing the project now to have the whole thing ruined. There was no way to reinstall the grommet without taking apart the whole waistband and the fabric around those holes were so weak now, there was no way anything would be able to grip them. I knew I could probably hand sew around the edges, but I really didn’t want to do that. Plus it probably wouldn’t be too secure. I had the thought if only they made hole reinforcers for fabric like they do for 3-ring binder paper. I could iron on something that protected that hole and all the frayed material.
I couldn’t find anything that exists fitting that description, but I did find some iron-on cotton fabric that I thought I could cut out some holes to go over the fabric. I just need to figure out how to draw and cut out a decent looking circle. My attempt didn’t come out half bad…
Well at least these are just lounge pants and probably not anything I will be wearing too much out of doors. I’m guessing this grommet issue had something to do with this the fabric being so thin and not the proper material for the grommets to stick too. If I made these again in a thicker jogging pant fabric, it may work a lot better. Live and learn.
Besides this project, I have also been working slowly on my second sundress. The bodice is pretty much done and I was able to add some piping to make it more interesting. I’m trying to decide if I want to put more piping around the bottom of the midriff too – I will probably baste it on to see how it looks. I think I was able to get the straps right on this, but I probably won’t know until the whole thing is put together. Maybe one of these days I will figure out how to make adjustable spaghetti straps, but in the meantime, this will have to do.
It’s been a slow sewing season for me as I’ve had back to back illnesses in addition to some back and hip problems I’ve had to sort out. I have managed to make a few things though, I just haven’t had the energy to show them off. I was not able to finish my button shorts that I had cut out before the weather got too cold, so I thought I would go straight to my fall and winter sewing projects. Both happen to be re-makes of other projects I made years ago and tried to improve. I’m not sure I quite got it right this time, but these garments do work better than what I originally made.
The first is the Crescent skirt by Sewaholic. I made this skirt back in 2015 and I loved it. I used to wear it all the time to work. But I made it a bit on the big side and then I ended up losing weight and wasn’t able to wear it any more. I still have it around because I was really proud of how it came out and I just don’t have the heart to throw it out. I would like to give it a good home if there was someone who would want it, I just haven’t gotten around to figuring out how to do that. This first attempt was a size 12 and when I measured I decided I would need a size 10, which is what I cut out back in the spring.
When I finally had time to sew this I realized that this size would also be too big, so I cut it down to a size 8, which seems to be right for my body at this time. The first time I made this, I used corduroy so I knew this was a great fabric for this project. This version used a sparkly navy blue corduroy which I just love.
I also used bound seams for this one as well, since it seemed to work well the first time. I still have a whole roll of that Hug Snug stuff left so maybe I need to use this more often as I love the way it presses when enclosing the seam allowances.
Pockets too!
This skirt is a pretty fast sew. Although compared to other skirts, this one does have a few more pieces to sew up, especially on the waistband, which made more seams to bind. The only part I am not a huge fan of is you are supposed to gather the front and back. I always have trouble getting these even and not bunched up too much in one place. It’s hard to sew the seams without the fabric folding in which makes it look a bit unprofessional. I think this is mainly because I used corduroy which is a tougher fabric to gather. I think this skirt might look more streamlined if it wasn’t so full with the gathers, so I may look into adjusting this if I make this again. It still looks very nice and a great addition to my work wardrobe for the fall or even winter.
The next project was the Whistler Pull-Over by Love Notions, which was a remake of a sweater I didn’t even blog about. The original was a project I finished during the early days of the pandemic, using some great sweatshirt fabric I got in Amsterdam. I was so disappointed when I had sewed it up and realized that despite not making the “tunic” version, the top was waaaaay too long. I tried to shorten it myself after the fact, but it never quite sit right and I’m sure it’s because I didn’t shorten it the way you are supposed to on the actual pattern. Plus it was hard to figure out with the way the pockets were constructed as part of the front piece.
From the tutorial…the front is constructed in an interesting way.
Also the front seam was always a big crooked which always got on my nerves when I wore this.
I knew I could do a better job if I tried again, so I decided to use up some cool sweater knit I got on clearance at a fabric store in NYC. The fabric kind of has these fun dots in them that remind me of funfetti cake so I decided to accessorize with some fun pink buttons to give it some color.
Sewing up the front on this with the pocket panel flipping up to sew to the side front pieces were kind of confusing when looking at the drawings in the pattern. I honestly couldn’t understand what they were telling me to do and it even looked like I was supposed to sew up one section separately instead of sewing the whole section together. I didn’t actually get it until I watched the tutorial video mentioned in the pattern instructions, so I would recommend watching this before starting to sew up this section.
Using my serger, this also sewed up really fast, especially if you opt for using the bottom band instead of hemming. The drawings can be a bit deceiving on this pattern, which also caused the front button piece to not be the right width, but all in all it’s a pretty well written pattern. The videos definitely help. I think this one does look a bit better than my first attempt, although it’s far from perfect.
I finished this just in time for Thanksgiving
I also had a near tragedy trying to finish off a seam with the serger where the fabric bunched up and the blade cut a big hole in the front panel. I had to move the seam to fix that hole and so it still seems a bit crooked, just in a different way the first one is crooked. Still, it will work as a comfortable winter top that I’m excited to wear as the air outside gets more of a chill.
So what’s next? Well I’m still deciding what I want to make next. I’ve been wanting to start on my bomber jacket and I was happy to hear that bombers are still in style this winter. I’ve been procrastinating in anticipation of the effort it will take, but I don’t want another season to go by again. I also have another sundress cut out that I’d like to work on and I have an idea for a circle skirt that I just washed fabric for. I also want to start making some bags – as you can see I’ve been having trouble concentrating on a project which is stopping me from actually finishing anything. Hopefully the rest of this month as I focus on healing, I can settle down and figure it all out.
In order to keep my momentum going this season, I go by the rule of ABC – Always Be Cutting. I need a steady stream of cut projects so I always have something to work on. This summer I was cutting new projects out when I could, even before I finished my current project. I’m wondering if it’s just to distract myself.
Even as I struggle to get projects completed, I decided to cut out some shorts out of some scrap I had, to test out another pattern for myself.
I’ve been away from my blog for awhile. The month of September was a blur. I went on a pretty long vacation to the Azores, so obviously I was not sewing. When I came back, it was pretty hard to get back into the groove of things. However, I was able to finish my 2nd tie front shirt, McCalls 8620, in a fun lobster print. I finished it just in time to take on my vacation and was able to wear it a few times out.
The view from our hotel room on Pico Island in the Azores. This ended up being the perfect shirt to wear out to dinner on those warm nights.
I think making the first one with some practice fabric really helped me get this one right. I ended up shortening the shirt as I didn’t really care for the length on the first one. However, when this shirt is tied up, it does feel a bit short on the sides, so I just need to be aware what pants I wear with it. I like the fabric a lot though, and this shirt definitely works best with a softer shirting cotton than the quilting-type cotton I used for the first one. I was also able to perfect the collar. I had to adjust the size on the facing section on the front of the shirt so that the front came out a bit to a point on the “lapels” and was able to be tucked away more cleanly on the inside.
Pretty much perfection! I Love the way the collar came out on this. Finally, maybe my collar curse is coming to an end.
The other issue I ran into was when I ordered the buttons online, only half the quantity came and they were unable to send me the right number in time. Luckily I found some black buttons in my stash – they were a little smaller than what the pattern wanted, but it was fine for this shirt. Unfortunately, I think these buttons might actually be navy blue, but they are pretty dark so it’s hard to tell. I think it worked fine, at least my eyes can’t really tell.
I’m not sure if I mentioned before, but I love this tool to get the buttonholes even on my shirts. Because I had adjusted the length on the shirt, I needed to make sure I still had enough fabric on the bottom for the tie in the front, therefore I had to adjust where the buttonholes would go. This gage ensures that no matter where I place the top or bottom button, I can figure out the rest of the buttonholes evenly without having to measure each individually. It’s definitely a tool that has exceeded its investment.
Even though September was a bust for sewing projects, I did manage to get some great fabric while I was on vacation. I actually found fabric that had specific images from the Azores, so I had to buy it. I’m thinking this would be good for a housewares type project or possibly a bag. I also got this great sportswear fabric that was very colorful and some baby wale corduroy with a print that reminded me of the decorations on the churches out there. I also got a few pieces from a store on Terceira island that seemed to be going out of business. I got some knit and stretch denim for a really good price. I love getting fabric on vacation, because whatever I make always reminds me of that trip.
My haul from my latest trip to the Azores
Now that I’m back to my regular schedule, I’m super excited to dive right into my sewing again. I didn’t get to everything I wanted for this summer, so some of these projects may need to be put aside for now. I did end up sewing up a starter sundress and I think I’ve worked out what the fit should be on my next one. The hardest part was the straps and figuring out how short to make them so they didn’t fall off my shoulder. Unfortunately as soon as I got the straps where I wanted them, the fabric must have had a flaw because it had frayed really bad from where it connected to the bodice. There is no way to fix this without taking apart the whole bodice, so I may be trying to sew it up by hand. Very disheartening that this may not end up being wearable, as I almost got the fit right. I spent way too long on it as is, because I ended up sewing the middle section on upside down and had to take the whole thing apart (I may get into that more on another post).
But with fall coming up, I’m also finally working on this corduroy skirt that I had cut out at the beginning of the year. I made this skirt before in a size 12, but it got way too big for me that it’s basically unwearable (and I’m even looking for a new home for it). I cut this out at a size 10, but on further examination of the sizing, I realized I should have cut out a size 8, so I trimmed it down a size. Let’s hope I don’t gain any weight this holiday season!
Summer in New England does seem to go by too quickly and this year is no exception. It’s been kind of a strange season weather-wise, but I’ve been able to make the most of it with a beach day here and a hike there. I got caught in a few epic rain storms as well, ones where rain coats and umbrellas don’t seem to do much. I’m not going to get to do all the things I wanted to this summer, but I was able to finish my second Riley top. I am calling this one a success since I was able to lengthen it enough so it works with midrise pants and it looks good despite using the wrong type of fabric. The ties on these are a little wonky, but when its all tied up, I don’t think it will make much of a difference.
I even was able to make bias tape for this one with the fabric, although it didn’t quite press as well as plain cotton, which made for a very frustrating project.
There has to be a better way…I think I need a better tool to make bias tape if I’m going to be doing this more often…
Despite this, it worked ok for the facings. I extended the length of the top by 1.5 inches, so it still has a slight cropped look.
So glad to finally be able to use this fabric for something! And I have more leftover, so I may use it for some lounge pants or I may also make a pair of these great knit pajama shorts that I had self drafted a pattern for.
I was able to test out the shorts pattern on some leftover knit I had from a 1970’s style dress I made. All the pajama shorts I purchase seem to have ridiculously wide legs that tend to ride up in my sleep. I wanted something a bit more comfortable and these worked great. It could be a great way to use up leftover knit as well, which will help with my overall stash-busting project.
A very fast extra project for the month. I think this could be a great way to bust some stash and also give me more comfortable pajama shorts!
Up next for the month is making this cute sleeveless tie-top using McCalls 8620 (view C).
I’m trying out the fit on some lemon-print cotton I bought in Montreal. I had a feeling this pattern would need some adjusting and so far I’ve been proven right. The collar on it just doesn’t seem to match up to how it’s supposed to fit on the shirt. I think if I make it smaller it could work better. I may also have to extend the front facing a bit too so it can reach where it needs to go. It’s odd that the facings are cut along with the main shirt front. Folding it in the way the pattern described was extremely confusing. It took a few tries and 3 times unpicking the stitches before I figured out what they were trying to do. I was able to figure it out by actually pressing the facing in place first to see how it needed to land. Anyways, this one will never be perfect, but I’m confident my next one could be great if I take my time and figure it out right. I did shorten it a bit, but so far it doesn’t seem to need too much size adjusting, which is lucky.
I also started the bodice on my summer sundress, but I quit to cut out some button-up shorts out of some scrap denim. This is another test garment as I’m not sure I can get the fit right on the first try. I have some anchor print (I think it’s Chambray?) that I’ve really wanted to do something with. I think this may be the perfect pattern for it, but I need to make sure. I’ll get to the dress eventually, but it’s a high possibility it won’t be ready for this summer. But you never know.
Threading Lightly 