Pindot Melilot

This is my wearable muslin of the Deer and Doe Melilot blouse pattern! 

Pindot Sylvie

Spurred on by #bpsewvember's UFO prompt, I finished my long-neglected Sylvie dress! Thanks for the push, Amanda!

Monkey Bar Skirt!

A productive sewing weekend!  Less productive on other things... oops!

 Using the leftovers from my rainbow dot Moneta, I whipped up the brand new (free!) Monkey Bar Skirt pattern from Hey June (remember I made Hey June's Greenpoint cardigan late last year?) as my first weekend project.  

Such a cute pattern and great idea... at first it looks like a simple skirt, but then, booyah!!!

Little built-in bike shorts underneath:

This sounded perfect for Zoe, who is spending the summer playing on her new (to her) swingset. Does the Monkey Bar Skirt count as a skort? I'm gonna vote no, because that word has bad '90s connotations for me.  Anyway, can't wait to see it on Zoe!  It's just not quite as cute when photographed flat as I'm sure it will be on her...

In any case, the skirt is crazy easy to put together. It took me several hours, but only because my serger ate the first skirt (tears!)... turns out if you don't change the needles on your serger, bad things happen.  Namely, knit fabrics start getting sucked/pushed into the loopers, ripping a hole in your project and making a giant tangled mess in the machine. Consider this a public service announcement... change your needles! Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.  Luckily the shorts and waistband part from the first skirt were undamaged, and I was able to fit another skirt out of my scraps by cutting it the non-stretchy way, which Adrianna reassuringly said in the instructions was fine.  Woo!

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!

Polka Dot Suzy Pants

After seeing so many cute and comfy looking versions of Tessuti's Suzy pants online (in particular, the pairs at True Bias, Boo Dogg and Me, and SallieOh... lovely!), I decided to whip up a pair myself.

Now, did I have an inkling that these might not be the most flattering pants on me?  Yes.  Did that stop me from making them?  No.  Was I right?  Yes.  Do I care?  No.  These things are so comfy that it doesn't really matter that they look like pajama pants on me.  Tim, on the other hand, had this thought that he said out loud: "Those are for around the house.... right?"  Ha.

I do kinda wish that I had done the flat front waistband alteration that Kelli and then Sallie did... I may go back and change that eventually, which might help the look a little bit and prevent the rolling elastic thing I've got going on.

I made them with some green polka dot rayon challis that Martha provided from her stash (thanks, Martha! also: what's with me and polka dots these days?).  I skipped the pockets, per the tutorial on Tessuti's website (let me explain... no, there is too much... let me sum up: don't add pockets, sew straight up side seams), but otherwise made them according to the instructions.

Everyone wants a photo of their butt in the interwebs, yes?

 Please note my attempt at the casual "partial tuck" for my t-shirt.  I am not sure I achieved the correct look... it looks so cute when I see it in magazines and such, but when I try it, memories of soccer practice in 4th grade flash through my mind: an oversized t-shirt tucked only in the front, just so, into a pair of multi-colored fluorescent Umbro shorts.  Anyone? Anyone? 

Josephine Blouse: A Wearable Muslin

I didn't jump on Made by Rae's Josephine pattern when it first came out, but for some reason this past Sunday I couldn't get it out of my head. Later that afternoon: an impulse purchase, a download, some printing, cutting and taping, a quick sew and ta-da! 

A wearable muslin Josephine blouse by evening's end.

I used some polka dot mystery fabric that Martha gave me (you might remember it from this Maggie Mae top or the lining of the plaid patchwork dress I made Zoe).  I think it's vintage stuff from her stash.  It's quite sheer (hence the camisole in these pics), very soft, and if you turn the iron on too hot it melts a little.  As such, it doesn't press very well and my pleats are not as crisp as they could be, but the shirt is really comfy to wear. 

I am really digging this pattern... it's super simple and quick to put together, but the pleats make it look really polished and professional.  It would go well with a pencil skirt or cigarette pants for work, but it could also be worn with jeans.  I can imagine it in lots of fabrics... I've got a pretty piece of batik silk from Indonesia that has Josephine written all over it!  I think perhaps next time I might go with sleeves that are slightly less... um... pirate-y. Maybe the straight 3/4th length sleeves from the Painted Portrait tunic?  

My methodology consisted of following the directions for view B with the exception of a few areas:

• I staystitched and sewed the binding on the neckline immediately after sewing the pleats and attaching the shoulders together (before sewing on the sleeves) because I didn't want the neckline to get distorted.  Also, I sewed the binding on the inside like a facing rather than have it show since I was using store-bought bias binding.
•  I basted together the side seams and tried it on without the back elastic to see if I wanted to add that feature or not...  I wasn't sure it would look good with the sheer fabric and I didn't feel it needed more shaping, so I omitted it for this version. 

As an aside, the slightly pink hue in all my photos is due to this pretty sunset in the other direction:

Polka Dot Blazer

I love, love, love my Victoria blazer.  I've had the chance to wear it a bunch recently since it's been relatively chilly here in Bangkok (check me rocking it on New Year's eve below. Also: hi Colleen!) and it's inspired me to take on another blazer project.  

This time I wanted to try something a little more fitted than the Victoria.  I picked out Simplicity 1542, an unlined blazer, because I liked the shape and simple lines of it. Plus it's not meant to be buttoned, which works perfectly for me since I never button my blazers.

I sewed up view C, with the pointed collar/lapel.  I liked the tuxedo-esque lapels on that version (despite the heinously '90s styling on the pattern cover), although I also think the military-esque version with the buttons could be nice, too.  I used some red polka dot fabric (heavier than quilting cotton, but not quite twill?) that I bought here in Bangkok at Hieng Yoo Huat fabric, which is conveniently right across the street from where Tim and I like to grab pizza before heading to the movies (although inconveniently right at one of this week's major protest sites).

I like this pattern and think mine came out really cute.  Here are the sewing details:

• There was 5 inches of ease according to the pattern, so I ended up going down 2 sizes from what the envelope told me and am pretty happy with the fit (although I think if I wanted to wear anything more than a tank underneath, I would have needed to go up at least one).  
• The collar/lapels are a bit stiff with so many layers, but it's not a big deal.  
• I didn't encase inner seams with bias tape; I just serged them. 
• I also didn't hand stitch the hem or add the decorative button band in the back.  
• For this version I am not too sure about the full-length sleeves.  I may shorten them to 3/4ths to be more casual since I plan on mainly wearing it with jeans, but in the meantime, rolling them up will do. 

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!

Polka Dot Mara Blouse

I know I promised that my next piece would be my wearable muslin of By Hand London's Anna dress, and it was next in the sewing line.  In fact, it's done but for a hook and eye and some action shots.  Coming soon!

Instead I present Compagnie M's Mara blouse: a cute little round yoke blouse for the kiddos.

I made it for Zoe using some fun BelleBoo fabric I scored on Sampeng Lane here in Bangkok: polka dots with a few hearts thrown in for good measure.

I think this pattern is really cute, although my implementation leaves a little to be desired... the pintucks got a little lost in the big print (they're right below the yoke if you can't see them) and my flat piping around the yoke is a bit of an uneven mess.  I'm not sure why I had so much trouble easing the yoke in, but I'm confident Zoe won't notice my shoddy craftsmanship. I changed up the sleeves a bit, tapering them a little at the ends rather than going for the fluffy, elasticized sleeve.

I'll definitely make another Mara blouse soon!  I am driven to improve on this one!

Polka Dot Knit Scout!

It's no secret that I have a mild obsession with Grainline's Scout T-shirt pattern...  I've made like 100 versions of the pattern made out of woven fabric and had always wondered what it might be like to sew in knit fabric.

Coincidentally, around the same time that I got my new serger (which makes knits easier to sew, woo!), Jen from Grainline posted a tutorial on how to sew up a Scout using knits.  Kismet?  Indeed. Thus, here's my knit Scout!

Vintage polka dot fabric is from Martha's stash.  I went down one size from my normal Scout size and lengthened it by 1.5 inches, but I think I could have gone down maybe even another 2 sizes because there is so much ease in the pattern.  It's definitely not a tight t-shirt!  My neckline is a little wonky, pulling a bit.  Maybe my neckband fabric wasn't as stretchy as I thought and thus I cut it a bit short? 

Despite these little kinks, I still dig my knit Scout and definitely plan on more in the future!

Maggie Mae Tunic

I'd had my eye on a couple of cute patterns at Shwin Designs for months now.  Recently they re-released all of their patterns with a whole range of sizes included, so I took the opportunity to snatch several of them up, including the Maggie Mae tunic/dress.  I love the curved seam on the bodice and the ability to easily do some fun colorblocking.

My first Maggie Mae is the tunic version, sewn in a beautiful leaf batik (scraps leftover from Colleen's Anda dress!) combined with some cute red polka dot fabric from The Real Martha.

I meant to add piping to all of the horizontal seams, but kinda forgot until the last step.  Thus I only added it in at the waist seam, but I think looks pretty cute in the end.  Don't look too closely at the sides of the tunic, though, as my piping insertion is not ideal at those seams.  Zoe won't notice, right?

I also skipped the pockets this time because the white polka dot fabric was fairly sheer- I thought they would show through.

Can't wait to make it again in more color combos!!  I also like the full button-front version shown on the Shwin and Shwin blog...