Burnt Sienna Wren Dress

Here's my Wren dress!

Seamwork Mesa T-shirt

I've been in need of a simple black t-shirt to wear with some of my louder me-made skirts (for example: my yellow Veronika). A black t-shirt that is a bit dressier, though than some of the other, slouchier t-shirts I've been making of late. I wanted it to be appropriate for wearing to work and/or out and slim enough to be tucked in without too much bulk. 

Seamwork Astoria in Ponte

I've been getting Colette's Seamwork magazine since the beginning. I mean, I am nothing but a shameless pattern hoarder, and a subscription to this digital magazine comes with 2 patterns a month. 1 + 1 = 2.

Sorbetto and Prefontaine PJs: Cat Lady Sewing Challenge #1

When Erin at Miss Crayola Creepy announced The Cat Law Sewing Challenge, I was all at once feeling delighted, excited, and inspired about sewing with cat themed fabric, not to mention mildly embarrassed by those aforementioned feelings. I dove in headfirst, making two (well, three, really) garments for the challenge.  My two garments fall on either end of the cat-fabric spectrum.  Here's my first!

  

Back in Black: Moneta

Dooooods.  My first Moneta, the one made from fabric that earned me the scorn of the cutting lady at Joann, was so comfy, cute and easy to put together that I was destined to make another right quick.

This all-black Moneta is definitely not the most show-stopping or thrilling piece I've ever sewn... but I am pretty sure it will be among my most worn.  It's basically a blank slate for accessorizing.  Need a backdrop for an enormous necklace? a colorful scarf? a particularly loud blazer or cardigan? Solid black Moneta responds "Yes, please, choose me! Accessorize the shit out of me!"

Par exemple:

I won't say much about the construction of the dress because I did exactly what I did for my first Moneta, which is to say I followed the directions to a tee.  The only change I made was to cut out the 3/4 length sleeves, which was actually more of a pain than I thought it would be, purely because I had to sort through the PDF pattern to find the pages corresponding to the longer sleeve pattern in order to print them out.  Mayhaps Colette could make things easier on that front in the future by identifying the pages or making a separate file for the various sleeve options?

Myrtle Mania

I've been quite happy with Colette's recent patterns for knits, Mabel and Moneta, so I downloaded the latest, Myrtle, right away. And then our printer ran out of ink and we couldn't find replacement cartridges. Wah waaaah.  But there is a happy ending!

Fast forward a couple weeks and I finally got the pattern printed up, taped together and ready to roll! I decided to go the woven route after receiving an order from Fabric.com chock full of rayon challis (my new favorite fabric after making and wearing my lovely, flowy Summer Jazz dress).  They had a sale and I may have gone a little crazy... for my first Myrtle I went with this navy fabric printed with various blue and green roses (seems to be sold out). I'm not sure roses are my bag, but the colors totally are... plus they're kinda in keeping with Colette's whole vintagey-modern style, no?

I was gonna make Myrtle with a speckled rayon challis I had also ordered, but when poking around on the internet scoping out the other Myrtles, I saw that Leslie at Stitchin' in my Kitchen has already done exactly that and it looked awesome.  That might be my next Myrtle... imitation/flattery, etc.

Details:

- I went with View 1, the longer length with no shoulder tabs

- Size L graded to XL at the hips, just in case (although that was probably unnecessary)
- Cut the back skirt on the fold to eliminate the seam (not sure why that wasn't on the fold in the first place...to save fabric?)

- My back-of-the-neck bias tape didn't end up quite reaching into the shoulder seams... next time I'll make it extend past the edges and then trim afterwards

- After sewing the front and back together, I  ended up with some weirdness at the armpits: tiny points sticking out of the side seams. It's mostly unnoticeable with the printed fabric and because of the location, but I'm sure I screwed something up...

- I fed the elastic through after sewing the waist seam up so I didn't have to stretch as I went

Verdict:

I love it!!  The fit is great for me. The cowl hangs beautifully. I love how comfy the elastic waist is, but don't think it looks to elastic-y, if ya know what I mean. The skirt is a great length and width. Awesome, cute, comfortable.  I think it will look equally good with flip flops on the weekend as it will with heels and a cardigan or blazer.  I will definitely make another one before too long... I dig the shirt version over at Nicole at Home, too!

Have you made Myrtle yet?  Planning on it?

Rainbow Dots Moneta

I might be the last person on earth to make Colette's Moneta knit dress, but I am so happy I finally decided to go for it... I wasn't sure I neeeeded to buy the pattern when it first came out considering I already had another knit dress (the Lady Skater), but after seeing approximately 10,000 gorgeous Monetas spring forth on the internets and learning that there was going to be a sewalong, I pulled the trigger and bought the pattern. Glad I did, too, because Moneta is pretty amazeballs. It's a great blank slate, it's a comfy but classy staple, it can be made in just a couple of hours...

My favorite parts of this pattern:

The lovely neckline... when I tried on my finished Moneta, I couldn't remember which side was the front and which was the back. It looks pretty good both ways! Turns out the lower neckline is the back, which is fairly unusual.

The revolutionary (at least for me) waistline shirring method using clear elastic... mind blowing.  Mine is not perfect (I seem to have some ungathered areas where I held the fabric to stretch out the elastic), but I am confident that next time it will be. This method is easy and makes the waistline feel secure. I'm not worried about it stretching out with the elastic in there!

This fabric:

Did I originally buy it to make something for my nieces?  Yes. (There's a little leftover, enough for a t-shirt or something for one of the girls, so I don't feel that bad.)

Did the cutting lady at Joann make fun of me for buying the fabric since it's a bit eye-searing?  Yes.(Don't judge, lady, just cut. Preferably straight. I've got my eye on you.)

Do I love it anyway?  Yes. (It's so fun!)

I do love this fabric, although I noticed when cutting it that the dots are totally off-grain. I didn't bother with pattern matching for that reason.  Plus, if you try to look at the fabric too closely for too long, your eyes start to go blurry and you feel a little lightheaded.  So best not think too hard about whether the dots are running straight or matching, right? Right. 

Looks good with my orange belt, too, methinks. Hooray!

Mabel, Take 2

After my first Colette Mabel skirt came together so quickly and fit so nicely (until my fabric crapped out on me with its lack of recovery: be wary of french terry!), I was jazzed to sew up another one post-haste. Luckily I still had ikat ponte (care of Girl Charlee) left over from my Anita pants and there was enough for a Mabel.  Really, enough for two Mabels... this pattern uses so little fabric. Scraps, practically! 

Having worn my Anita pants a couple times, I knew this ponte was likely to be a better fabric choice for Mabel because it doesn't get stretched out of shape easily like the french terry I used for my first Mabel. This one worked out better than my last since the fabric has such awesome recovery... nice and snug. Snug enough that I felt I had to ask Tim if he thought it was still appropriate for work.  But I love it!  Keeps all my bumps under wraps.

I was going for pensive model pose.  Kinda looks like I need to vomit, huh?

The only problem is that the kick pleat would not lie flat.  After hemming the skirt with my twin needle, the kickpleat stuck straight out and this ponte refused to be pressed.  Sigh.  So I pinned the kickpleat down, walked around in the skirt to make sure I could (no problems there with the stretch fabric), and then ultimately chopped the kickpleat off, sewing the back seam straight up.  Worked out fine in the end!:

Mah butt.  Sans kickpleat.

I love this version of the skirt.  Comfortable, slick, animal-print-esque without being animal print... good stuff!

Black Mabel Pencil Skirt

When I made my Me Made May pledge, I knew in advance that my me-mades mainly consisted of tops, with a few dresses and scant bottoms thrown in.  Making more skirts and pants (beyond just elastic waist pants) is on my to-do list.  I thought I'd start simple: the new Mabel knit skirt from Colette.  Easy, basic, comfortable...

My new skirt is made from some black french terry that I bought at L.GEmini on Sampeng Lane in Bangkok's Chinatown (same place I got the cool grey knit for Tim's Strathcona t-shirt, which I aso used for the waistband lining).  I went looking for a stable knit as required by the pattern, but there was a little communication difficulty on my part, so I ended up walking around the entire store feeling and stretching each roll of knit fabric until I found this black french terry. Sewing with the french terry was great... stable knits are so easy to cut and sew!  Zip, zip, zip on the serger and I had myself a skirt within a few hours.

Unfortunately, in black, the details like the cool seaming, are completely invisible.

The skirt turned out pretty great!  I made the longer pencil skirt with the kick pleat (view 3), the one with the seams down the front of the thighs (like princess seams on your legs? is that a thing?). The fit was good in the hips, although next time I might make the waist just a tiny bit smaller... The only thing I noticed is that the bottom hem seems to have flared out a bit.  Maybe I stretched it out when doing the twin needle hem?  Who knows, it might settle back into place after a wash. Or it might not, because I don't have a dryer and knits with poor recovery don't fare well here in BKK. Hmmm.  

All in all, a great pattern and a great basic skirt, good for work or bopping around town. I definitely want to try making the version with the button placket in the front- so cute!  But I'd like to make it the length of the pencil skirt since minis are not my thing.  I could also see making the pencil skirt version with a fun contrasting front panel.  I've also got some ikat print ponte left over from my Tessuti Anita pants... that could be a fun Mabel, too!  Lots of options.

Polka Dot Hawthorn Peplum

I bought Colette's Hawthorn pattern months ago during some such sale or another (because I am cheap and refuse to buy patterns full price).  Since then I have been hemming and hawing over it, worried that the style was a bit too twee for me.  However, at the same time, I have been obsessed with some of the blouse versions I have seen on ye older internets, namely this one and this one, both in polka dot fabric.

I ultimately decided that maybe I could pull off the polka dot blouse version if I found some darker colored fabric to take the girly edge off.  Luckily I scored some super cheap black and teal polka dot fabric on Bangkok's crazy Sampeng Lane.  Because of the fabric's price I didn't feel too bad treating this first version like a wearable muslin; and wearable it is! I think it came out pretty cute!  Not without faults, but cute nonetheless.  Definitely has a vintage vibe to it without being old-fashioned.

The faults: I think my collar interfacing may have been too thick because I cannot get get it to lay flat... I've heard others had this problem, too, so maybe it's not just me.  I sewed it down at the shoulder seams, but may have to sew the corners down, too.  Also, the waist is bit messed up- somehow my button placement is off or my hook and eye insertion is faulty (or both), but there is a big ugly gap at the waist, so the top can't be worn without a belt.  The nips may be a wee bit pointy, too.

I skipped the sleeve bands out of laziness and just serged and folded up the hem to maximize length, but otherwise followed the pattern.  I made covered buttons for the first time using a kit I got at the Japanese dollar store here in Bangkok (might be my new favorite store)- fun stuff.  

I think next time I'd like to play with a lower neckline- a deeper V.  Not sure how to go about that, but I'll figure it out!

Frankendress

Buoyed by my success with the Meghan Peasant Blouse/Dress from Sis Boom, I also bought the Angie dress pattern and gave it a try.  I used this gorgeous fabric from Anna Maria Horner, Field Study Raindrops Poppies. 

After putting the dress together, I decided to make some changes. While the neckline and bust darts fit well (yay!), the bodice was way too wide for me- I ended up taking in almost an inch off both sides. I also found that with the fullness of the skirt, the simple tank top bodice seemed sort of skimpy/insubstantial in comparison.  I decided that I wanted to add some short sleeves to the dress, so I used the sleeve pattern from my dead-in-its-tracks Colette Peony dress. 

It definitely needs a belt to break up the dress, give it more of a waist and de-girlify it a bit... I was wearing Tim's hiking belt backwards in these photos because I didn't have the right belt yet at the time.  Ultimately I decided on a long, skinny, black fabric belt, which I wore with the dress at the Jenneth wedding festivities:

I have no idea what we are doing here, but the dress looks cute, eh?

Craftin': In Progress, In the Scrap Pile, In the Queue

In progress:

1. Knitbot's Spring Ribbed Cardigan (here's the Ravelry page) in Cascade Yarns Cotton Rich DK bought at Webs during their post-Christmas blow-out sale:

2. Colette Peony, perhaps in a beautiful blue Balinese ikat once I get the bodice fit right on this one-sleeved muslin (made from an old Ikea duvet cover, below).  I think I need to raise the waist a half inch, shift the bust darts slightly and take out a wedge of fabric from the back, as I am getting a massive bulge along the seam... I think it's called a swayback adjustment?

3. Diane Kimono Dress by Sew Serendipity: I have a muslin of this one made out of some crazy fabric from Martha... the top part only (below).  I'm having a little bit of a gap problem at the neckline, hate the facings, which keep popping out, and am finding the waistband to be entirely too fiddly.  When I make the tunic/beach cover-up version I am planning to make from some batik, I may skip the waistband and just sew some elastic on the inside.  We'll see.

4. Darling Ranges Dress by Megan Nielsen: I have a muslin in the works, but the bust darts are giving me a headache.  Trying figure out a) what changes I need to make and b) how to make them. 

5. Crochet wire and bead necklaces for the Jenneth wedding party... drafted, but still awaiting final instructions: 

In the scrap pile:

1. Ug, Butterick 5561, I shake my fist at you!  I'm not sure why I thought this top would be flattering, and maybe I made a poor fabric choice, but what I ended up with looked unfortunately like a hospital gown, both in shape and color.  What a waste of a pretty fabric (Lisette lawn, to be specific)!  I tried to salvage it by changing out the ill-fitting facings with some bias tape and gathering the front... no dice, neckline still wonky.  Then I decided give the waist some shirring for some shape.  That helped a little, but it still looks like a maternity shirt.  I did learn how to use elastic thread for shirring, though, which is exciting!

2. I started this "1 hour dress" well over a year ago, but it was a hot, lumpy mess for me...  I may try to turn the material into a pencil skirt a la Mimi G?

In the queue: 

1. Bubble Pocket Shorts and Ruffle Top from Elegance and Elephants... for Zoe, of course.
2. Jersey Knit Dress as seen on Prudent Baby (free pattern!), maybe from from an old t-shirt?
2. Layer Cake Skirt, also from Prudent Baby, a good use of scraps from other projects
3. High-Low Gathered Back Shirt from Cotton&Curls... maybe a modified Grainline Scout Tee or a Tiny Pocket Tank?
4.  Newcastle Cardigan from Thread Theory when it's released, maybe?  A cute hipster cardigan for Tim, a follow-up to his Negroni.
5. Victory Patterns Nicola: Perhaps using some batik rayon challis I have in my stash... 
6. Simplicity 2684: Batik ruffle pants and tank for Miss Zoe?  Or perhaps Miss Anna! Thanks for the pattern, Chazay
7. Ella Raglan Blouse from I Think Sew: simple and cute.

8. Many, many others!