Two Knit Dresses

I completed two knit dresses for my Fabric Mart post this month and I have to say that I think I will live in these dresses this summer!  They are comfy and don't take an exorbitant amount of time to complete- win, win!

I posted all of the photos on that site that don't include the full extent of my two girls shenanigans, but for fun I thought I would post all of the outtakes here!

 Spontaneous hugs and floating fists often make an appearance in my pictures!

 We are covered in pollen during this time of the year and you can see a nice big pollen laden hand gave me a hug. 

 I have a model mimicking me in the background!

 Your arm is a perfect frame for my face and then Mom turns around to say "ok that's enough!"

So many bloggers seems to accomplish such professional pictures, for my part I am just lucky to be alone in a few pictures!! Ha!

Sewing details for those interested:

Black dress:

• The black dress is McCalls 7348 made in a gorgeous black rayon/nylon/spandex blend from Fabric Mart.  

• The changes I made to 7348 include narrowing the skirt portion of the dress so that it would fit on two yards of fabric.  I ended up removing 7 inches of circumference from the bottom edge of the pattern.
• I didn't hem the sleeves or hemline.
• I shortened the neckline binding pattern piece by about an inch. 
•  Used size 10.

Aztec blue print dress:

•  McCalls 6886 in a cotton/spandex blend from Fabric Mart, soft and so breathable. BTW this fabric is on sale on that site for just 4.00 a yard!  Here's the link.
• Graded pattern from 10 at bust, 12 at waist to 14 at fullest part of my hips. 
• Shortened neckline binding a bit, had to "draft" my own since this is not an included pattern piece.
• Miscut the sleeves therefore stripes don't line up but I'm ok with it since the pattern is so busy. 
• Did not hem the sleeves but hemmed the bottom hem.  

So happy with these two makes, two great fabrics and two easy patterns.  The end products are very comfy to wear and I know that there will be another maxi dress like the black one soon!

Mini Spring Wardrobe

Every time Pattern Review has a Wardrobe contest, I love perusing the storyboards of the participants and dreaming up my own mini wardrobe. It's so inspiring to see how other sewers interpret a pattern and fabric choice. And for me, there is something so fun about taking all of my patterns, spreading them out and then taking my fabrics and laying them alongside the patterns and matching them all up. I consider it the sewing person's version of Sudoku- at least that's how I try to explain it to my husband. 

I tried making my own storyboard this time by pasting the line drawings from the patterns to a Word document, it worked so-so and I'm sure there is a better way to do it, but its fun to see all the shapes in one spot. 

For this months Fabric Mart Fabricista project I chose four fabrics to mix and match and make a mini wardrobe. I noticed a lot of yellows on the Fabric Mart site and was enamored with a couple of prints that I found intriguing.  As I was choosing my fabrics I double checked with Julie at Fabric Mart to make sure that they coordinated as I envisioned they would and she was able to steer me toward some combinations that worked better than others, that's always soooo helpful when choosing fabrics online. I know that they would be happy to help you coordinate should you have the same questions!

Look Number One:

I am kind of an eyelet nut, I love, love, love anything eyelet so when I started planning my mini wardrobe I chose this yellow eyelet as the foundation of my collection. The eyelet is a Maggy London fabric and is available here. This a beautiful eyelet, great quality, and not only am I an eyelet nut I am also an eyelet snob, I will not sew with cheap eyelet. I made that mistake once with an Easter dress for my daughter and I was so perturbed when the eyelet pattern snagged on everything and began to unravel from the fabric. Therefore, if I detect a cheaply made eyelet I will just do without rather than spend my time lovingly crafting something only to have it poop out after one wear. This eyelet is the good stuff, no worries about snagging the pattern.

The pattern for the skirt is a Simplicity Cynthia Rowley, number 2215. This pattern doesn't include a lining piece so I jimmied one myself, can't say that I recommend my method, but it worked for me this time! Next time I need to properly reference a book on constructing a lining but for this one I folded out all the pleats and cut a front and back shape roughly the size of the skirt minus some of the pleat volume. It gets the job done and still looks decent on the inside. The pockets on this pattern are a great addition and the construction for the invisible side zip with the pocket are great.

The top for this look is McCalls 7285. The fabric is a really beautiful J. Crew cotton/linen voile. It is very sheer so lining it is a must- that is unless you make an awesome kimono from it or a shell top and pair it with a silk camisole! It is a very light and airy fabric- it floats like a voile, rather than puddling like a challis. I lined the bodice with a poly lining and left the sleeves without lining. I love the abstract botanical motif on this fabric and the print works great with this skirt. 

Look Number Two:

The fabric for this top is a poly/cotton Maggy London Jacquard print.  I picked some of this up awhile back for apparel and when it arrived I immediately ordered a bunch more for curtains! I love a floral jacquard and the coral color is one of my favorite colors. The beige is sheer so I used a lining for the bodice but left the sleeves without. The pattern is Butterick 6175.  I used the view with the bell sleeve and I love the way this top turned out.  

Does your photographer ever say "hey you have a long string on you" and then snap your picture?  Mine does, but its a great way to show off the shape of your sleeves!!

Look Number Three:

This is my husbands vote for favorite look. The fabric for this top is another Maggy London print, and is found here. It's a poly twill, which I wasn't quite sure what that would mean when I chose it, but it's a thicker fabric than the others used here and has good drape as well as a slight stretch. The cut edges do fray a bit so you will need to serge, zig zag or use pinking shears to finish them I did a little of it all when making two garments from it.

The pattern here is Vogue 9109. I've used this pattern before and was excited to envision this fabric as this tank. 

 

Look Number Four:

Now this is where I need the most help from all of you...I am not sure if this outfit is a success or a big old pattern fest...help!? Can I wear this out or is it just way too much for the eye? My husband says, "ummmm its nice." Which is sweet, supportive husband speak really means "oh dear me, please don't let her wear that on our next date, please God please." After looking at these pictures I like the look, I do think it might be a bit much for a small town- I'm not sure the twinset trend has made it down here yet, but I'm ok with looking a little different.  

On a side note I am teaching my dog, Buster, to talk when I say "speak" and I asked him for his opinion since he was so determined to photo bomb my pictures (and he's usually so camera shy!). The first time I asked he smiled at me, the second time I asked he refused to look me in the eyes....not sure how to take it.    

 

The culottes are McCall 7133 and I like them pretty well, I turned the box pleat into a single pleat, just a personal preference. I suspect they need a little more back crotch length because they pull weirdly to the front a smidge when I walk.  I am still working out how to make pants that fit, its definitely a longggggg and winding path.  But culottes are a safe place to start since the fit is more forgiving.  As far as a culotte pant, this pattern is a very easy pattern to sew and has center princess seams down the middle back of each leg. I also added pockets.         

I know when you're avoiding my gaze Buster! Are you pouting because you haven't been to the groomer's lately?  I guess thats a possibility!

Look Number Five:

There's not much to say here that I haven't already said but I love to print mix and although these two might not be a perfect match I'm good with them!

Look Number Six:

Again not much to say here except, I hope this culotte trend hangs around for a few years because they are really comfortable and easy to sew.

One thing to note, I'm planning to sew so many pieces in a short amount of time I purposely chose patterns that I felt were very easy to sew. So if you are a beginner I'd recommend each of these patterns. There aren't many pieces involved, probably the culotte had the most pieces and the shapes are pretty forgiving. 



 
Well that's my Mini Spring Print Mixin' Wardrobe and I hope I've inspired you to try your own! I am thrilled with the results. The fabrics were beautiful to work with and now I am all set for the Spring! Yippee!