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