Fall Sewing Continues!

Fall means plaids for me, at least that's one of my very favorite fabrics for fall so it is a must to make at least one plaid item this fall so here it is!  I completed another Deer and Doe Arum dress and I am loving this pattern.  The first one I completed was for my November Fabric Mart make and you can see that post here.  It was made from a rayon/tencel twill suiting and I love it so much, so easy to make, so easy to wear.  

This version is made from a flannel shirting from Joanns bought several years ago on a trip to Kansas City.  Part of the reason I chose this particular fabric was because I'd only bought 3 yards and the fabric was only 40 inches wide!  If you've ever sewn with a crazy plaid like this you know that you need a lot more yardage than that to pattern match.  The great thing about this pattern is that there are so few pieces that pattern matching is very manageable even possible with a small length of plaid! 

I love all things plaid in the fall and I love coral so this fabric and pattern were a match made in heaven.  I might even have to wear this for Thanksgiving as it is sooooo comfy.  

I raved about this pattern over on the FabricMart blog and I will rave again, I made so little adjustments to this pattern, just grading out for sizing and it fits like a glove in the back.  My usual adjustments for patterns include a small sway back adjustment and you can see I didn't need one for this pattern, miraculous! 

As far as construction, I serged all the insides and I topstitched the facings to the dress since I cannot stand facings flipping around.  The other option would've been to finish the neck with bias tape and I wasn't feeling that, so there you go, facings topstitched- I call that a design element. 

I wore this to church and put this cascade cardigan over it but also had to wear another layer since I find our sanctuary very chilly.  I hope to get some thicker tights for this outfit soon, maybe some of those fleece lined tights!

One thing I know for sure, this probably won't be my last Arum dress, its just a completely enjoyable make and so fun to wear.

Now on to the two cuties.  I made McCalls 7273 for the 4 year old out of sweater scraps from my previous projects.  I used size 3 for her since she is slim, and reviews on Pattern review noted that this pattern runs big.  It fits great, I did not hem it and the length is just right, if hemmed it might be a bit on the short side.  This girl is tall and slim.

For my eldest I made McCalls 7425 in size 8 for an 8 year old.  I did alter the back waistband.  The instructions were for a traditional waistband and a zipper on the side and truly, truly, my 8 year old will not be bothered with a zipper and traditional waistband.  So I redrafted that back waistband to accommodate elastic and it worked great.  Redrafting sounds complicate but it wasn't.  I really just retraced the back waistband and sliced it into thirds adding little wedges in three spots, spreading the pattern out like a fan that in the end is regathered by the elastic.  The back waistband is made in a contrasting quilting cotton with polka dots and you can see it in the bottom picture.

The skirt itself is a stretch denim from my stash, I am guessing from Hancocks.  The skirt is so cute and you can't tell from these pictures but I used gold topstiching and used this technique to finish the insides.  

I hope to make her at least one more of these in another "neutral" fabric since they are so great to layer over leggings.  

So there's whats been keeping me busy and happy lately and I hope your fall sewing is doing the same for you!  Until next time, thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

Split Hem Grainline Linden

Winning the Fabricista Challenge last fall was so much fun and so thrilling for me and one of the best things about that win was being able to pick out fabrics with my winning credits that I might not have otherwise chosen due, mostly, to a tight sewing budget.

I don't know how others of you budget for sewing (and I'd be curious to know- do you budget for your sewing?) but I *think* I try to be frugal, which might  or might not work out each month.  Since I was able to use my FabricMart credits through out this past year to off set my fabric budget I found myself splurging a little more on my pattern purchases.  So instead of spending completely out of pocket for fabric like the sweater knit I used here, I was able to use a FabricMart credit.  I can't remember how much this sweater knit was but I know that it is a nicer one, I think the content is rayon/spandex.  It is extremely soft and stretchier than I thought it would be. 

It is so snuggly that my four year old grabbed the remnant and declared it hers.  She has requested a sweater out of that remnant and I think I will have to oblige.  After all its kind of hard to say no to her cuteness and the idea of matching sweaters!

The ribbing for the hem, neckline and cuffs is from Joanns fabrics bought last winter. Its a nice, thick cotton ribbing with spandex.

I've made the Linden before and wanted it to look a little better than just a sweater so I used the split hem tutorial on Grainline's site and I think it upgrades it a bit.      

 

The pattern comes together very smoothly and I have a few observations about the fit and fabric.  My last Linden was made from a poly sweatshirt fabric that did not have a lot of stretch and I remember the arms were a little long but they weren't nearly as long as this one turned out to be.  So if your fabric is stretchy with not a lot of recovery consider that the arms may be a little long.  

Also I graded this sweater out from a 4 at the shoulders, 6 at the bust and waist and and 8 at the hips.  I think I could've just used a 4 and 6.  Not much more to say about this except it will be fun to layer with button up shirts and I know I will get great use out of it this winter. 

Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth