This dress came together in a very serendipitous way. I didn’t realize that the fabric and pattern would be a perfect match. I had no clue how it would look sans collar and buttons. But daggumit I went for it. And I love it.
Tag: sewing
Grainline Studio Willow Tank
It was hot as the devil’s ding that day. Jorts were necessary. So was this breezy Willow Tank.
3 Things I Learned from Me Made May
Me Made May 2016 came and went in a whirlwind of Instagram photos. Daily pics aren’t part of the challenge—just a happy side effect. That #mmmay16 hashtag brings so many great sewing peeps out of the woodworks! And then the last week of May hits and we all commiserate about being sick of taking portraits. Solidarity.
A Swingy Plantain Tee and Another Use for the Magic Eraser
Before we get to the good stuff (another Deer & Doe Plantain Tee), let’s talk about a wonderful little household item: The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
Are you familiar? I mainly use ’em to clean up marks on the walls, but I recently learned of another amazing use: CLEANING THE IRON.
A stubborn mystery fabric had gunked up my iron pretty badly, and in a fit of desperation, I took to the rabbit hole of internet forums for help. Bless your heart, commenter DLM2000. Not only does the Magic Eraser work like a charm, but it’s also waaaay cheaper than toxic-smelling iron cleaner that runs $20 bucks a tube. Try it out next time your iron’s due for a cleaning!
Now for the main attraction. I bought this lightweight striped knit with the intention of copying a swingy, tent-like RTW shirt I wear frequently. But tracing a knit top with wonky design lines turned out to be a little more complicated than I’d anticipated, so I decided to go with a tried-and-true shape that I know works for me: the Plantain Tee. (See versions 1 and 2.)
This time around, I added fullness to the back of the shirt using this Grainline tutorial. I then cut the back into four separate pattern pieces and added seam allowances. I sewed the whole shirt up on my serger and used a twin needle for the hems.
As you can see, I love me some stripe interplay. For the sleeves, I went with this above-the-elbow length, which is great for this “transitional” weather we’ve been having in Chicago. #optimistic
I don’t have too much else to say that I haven’t already covered in previous posts. As far as free sewing patterns go, this one’s a winner.
Are you good at sewing basics? With Me Made May coming up, I could use a boost in the basics department. Speaking of Me Made May—who’s in?! I still need to pledge…
A Little Floral Number (Vogue 8904)
I should know better than to sew a dress the day of a party. You could write a mathematical proof showing that impulse sewing directly increases your level of stress. But sometimes (who am I kidding, A LOT of the time) your fabric speaks to you.
You have a serger now it says. I’m a thick, sturdy knit it says. You’ve already sewn this pattern twice it says. And so I listened. I listened and that meant I was sewing on a neckband and finishing sleeves and the hem barely 90 minutes before folks walked through the door for my birthday party.
It wasn’t all so haphazard, though. If I’ve learned anything in three-ish years of sewing, it’s that a little planning goes a long way when it comes to the finished product—and your sanity. Here are some tips for a speedy sew:
Cut out multiple projects at once. I don’t know how I had the patience to cut out several different projects in one evening, but I did and this ponte double-knit floral dress was one of ’em. If only I’d gotten to sewing it before the morning of the party…
Pick a pattern you’ve already used. I knew this dress would fit without much fuss, as I’ve used Marcy Tilton’s Vogue 8904 pattern four times now. A long sleeveless dress with panels, short sleeveless dress with panels, long sleeveless V-neck hack for Cruella, and now the short version with sleeves and no panels. (I’d link to it but the Vogue site gives a 404 error when you click through—it might be out of print…?!?!)
Choose a fast sewing method. Sorry French seams and Hong Kong finishes! We’ll meet again some leisurely day. I used my SUPER FAST WONDERFUL serger for most of the construction of this dress and used the sewing machine to anchor the neckband and sew the hems.
Don’t rush the finishing touches. Listen, I know that my hems look better when I use a walking foot. I know it. But I let my pre-hosting jitters cloud my brain into 1). using a regular foot and 2). not busting out the twin needle. I used a ballpoint needle (I’m not INSANE, y’alls) and a zigzag stitch, and my bottom hem turned out a wee bit wavy for my liking. Note to self: Take the extra 3 minutes to attach the walking foot and thread the twin needle. Le sigh.
Do you have any tips for speedy sewing? I’m all ears. And happy SPRING everybody! I’m embracing it with plenty of pretty florals and rosé wine. Actually, I drank rosé most of the winter, too. The gods of booze snobbery will have to pry my rosé out of my cold, dead hands.
Another Archer Button Up
When it ain’t broke, why not color block it?!
OR
When it ain’t broke, why not accidentally make a bowling shirt?!
Yes, I think this kind of resembles a bowling shirt. Or something that Zack would wear to seduce Kelly in Saved by the Bell. I did grow up in the ’90s after all.
Inspired by Grainline Studio’s post about color blocking, I sewed this Archer Button Up with some aptly named light blue and deep blue shirting from Denver Fabrics. It’s my third Archer, and I’m officially declaring this a tried-and-true pattern. I love the boyfriend fit and even the butt ruffle on view B, although this time I opted again for the classic view A, as I was already adding some interest with the kooky color blocking. (Check out that second link for my sizing and modifications.)
The side angles don’t match up perfectly, but I didn’t care enough to re-cut the pieces. I’d originally planned to do the whole sleeve in deep blue but ran out of fabric, hence the sleeves that look like they’ve been dip-dyed in bleach. I like ’em.
I finished all the seams with my new serger, which is like a child—one minute it’s acting like an angel and the next it’s throwing a damn hissy fit. I think we just need some more time to bond. I don’t understand its moods or what it likes to eat—yet. (If you’re wondering, I’m having the same problem as the person in this thread, entitled “I’m going to throw my serger out the window.” There are some good tips in there that I haven’t had the time or patience to try yet. I’ll report back on our relationship soon.)
Anywho, the light blue is much lighter weight than the dark blue, so I pressed those seam allowances toward the darker fabric so they wouldn’t show through (a little tip from Grainline’s tutorial).
The only thing I might go back and amend is the pocket. I like having just one instead of two (made using the alternate Archer pocket tutorial because I lurrrrve it). I texted a grainy picture of this shirt to my mom the night I made it and she suggested adding some sort of patch/crest to the pocket.
UPDATE: I just googled my last name and apparently we are all Gryffindors?!?! Obviously I am going to find a family crest patch and iron/sew that on. Problem solved.
Do you ever sew extras/accoutrements onto your stuff?
A Classic Clare Coat
It’s not perfect, and I love it.
And that will be the last apology, or ablogogy, of this post. I’m not going to point out all the imperfections on this coat, because GUESS WHAT it’s wearable and it’s warm and it’s wooly and I made it with my two bare hands! Which were sometimes ragged and bloody from hand-sewing those adorable snaps on for the umpteenth time.
Exact snap placement is kind of hard, y’all.
I had mighty ambitions to tackle a Burda military coat when Heather over at Closet Case Files released Clare. Clean, simple, classic Clare with a fun twist in the form of a big ol’ collar. I knew I wanted to sew this up in a solid-color wool, so I ordered charcoal, light gray, and red wool-blend swatches from Fabric.com.
The light gray wool melton blend won out for wearability and lint resistance. It’s not quite as soft as I’d like, but it’s by no means scratchy. Perfectly fine for a first attempt at a wool coat. Plus, the kasha lining is primarily what lies against my skin, and ohhhh is it creamy. Kasha is smooth-as-silk satin with a flannel backing. I picked this black kasha up from Vogue Fabrics in Evanston.
I know: gray coating and black lining is venturing into the boring realm. That’s why I obviously had to go a little CrAzY with the bar tacks, hanging loop, and Pantone-inspired topstitching.
I made a muslin with fleece, which I now realize was probably not the best choice as it’s pretty forgiving. I cut out my coat fabric in a straight size 10, adding length to the body and arms—the usual for me. I followed along with pattern directions and the Clare Coat sew along, which was especially helpful when it came to bagging the lining.
I have a pretty broad back, so I added width to the back sleeve and center back per the suggestions in the fitting post in the sew along. That meant adding width to the collar and neckline. The collar turned out pretty large in circumference because I also let out the raglan sleeve seams when I realized that the sleeves were a little too tight.
The sleeves fit fine now, but I think they’re drafted pretty slim. I personally like the streamlined look, but you might want to add inches if you want to wear a bulky sweater underneath.
Taking out the sleeves meant adding yet more width to the collar. Blah, blah, blah—not perfect, but still cute!
I took my time with Clare. She was quite the journey, from choosing fabric to using a clapper to press wool for the first time to sewing on those daggone snaps. And FYI if you’re a Northerner like me, the combination of wool and warm kasha is suitable for mid 30ºs F and above.
To me, Clare personified is a wizened old Irish woman, darning socks next to a fire as she downs pint after pint of Guinness. I like her.
Do you personify your outerwear, too?
Hudson Pants: The Perfect Athleisure Wear
You can sew knits without a serger. There are countless blog tutorials and YouTube videos detailing exactly how to do so. But OH MY GOD is it faster, easier, and so much more satisfying on a serger.
I’ve sewn so many knits over the past year that I knew it was time to bite the bullet and get a serger. And then Christmas rolled around, and my very generous parents gifted me this Brother Designio DZ1234 Serger (and this awesome The Complete Serger Handbook by Chris James!). I almost started crying. Thanks Mom and Dad!
I didn’t even open the box until well after holiday break, since I figured the thing might consume me. I was correct. It came prethreaded, so I pretty much started serging bits and bobs of scraps at will. So fast! So neat! So professional-looking! Full disclosure: I just flipped the machine on and started using the default stitch. I know there are plenty of stitches to explore, but I’m not kidding when I say that I went at this with reckless abandon. It seems intuitive enough, right? Hehe, hehe (*nervously looks around for whistleblowers*).
The Hudson Pants from True Bias seemed like a logical choice for my inaugural serged garment. I’ve made them twice already and absolutely love each pair. Kelli came out with this pattern well before I ever heard the term athleisure (thanks, Aria!), but I think it’s safe to say that the Hudson Pants fall squarely into this category. If you’re not familiar with the word athleisure, you’ve at least seen the trend out in the world. Think leggings as pants, cropped sweatshirts over tanks, floaty “yoga tops” that no one actually does yoga in but will gladly wear after yoga class. Preferably at bottomless mimosa brunch.
Hate it or love it, athleisure isn’t going away. (Just ask Forbes.) I’ve decided to embrace it, even if only at home on the weekends or after a workout.
Here are the details for these Hudson Pants:
- Fabric: stretch bamboo rayon jersey and an Art Gallery cotton jersey knit for the contrast
- Same fit modifications as my printed Hudsons: 1). slashed and spread to add 1″ to the front and back crotch 2). added 3″ of length
- Added a seam at the upper thigh because of fabric constraints
- Smaller waistband because of fabric constraints
- Omitted the buttonholes/drawstring
So… the color. I know. Kind of, very nude-looking. I didn’t buy this fabric (which is incredibly soft and comfy BTW) with the intention of sewing Hudson Pants. It was destined for a Christmas gift, but the color was just wrong for the Hemlock I wanted to make.
Enter these slightly obscene Hudson Pants. I’m going to spare you a butt shot for the sake of my own dignity. Strange fabric color aside, I love these pants and can’t recommend this pattern enough if you’re looking for some comfortable loungewear. Excuse me, ATHLEISURE WEAR.
Do you have any favorite athleisure patterns? My serger is looking for more work.
Sewing & Cocktails 