MOB Dress V1 is complete!

Live from the garden for a change! It has been so long since I took photos outside. But my patio and walks have been cleaned of  their rainy season mold, the air is lovely and cool, and the sun is staying just behind the clouds - perfect for the camera. 

Ms. Squirrel let me down, no doubt getting into trouble in the neighborhood with her buddies...

I finished this 'muslin' not long after I posted ideas for my MOB dress and showed the bodice of this dress.  I love it. And I love ITY knit. It's just heavenly to sew and wear. Once it's sewn, the iron goes away forever, and it travels like a dream. 

Clementine Floral ITY Knit - Fabric Mart

To reprise, it's a mix of two patterns:

Bodice and skirt - New Look 6936

Sleeves and bodice sleeve armscye redraft - Vogue 1315

I added a 1.5" waistband and casing (finished width), in which I inserted 3/4" elastic. The casing is woven broadcloth, which supports the weight of the ITY skirt. 

The bodice, skirt, and waistband are all 42" in width, so no gathering is required :-) The small gathers provided by the elastic are just enough to ease my full bust and allow the skirt to fall nicely past my hips without clinging.

I'm really pleased with the bodice - all that careful fitting paid off.

Ideas continue - I just finished the muslin of another dress, totally different from this one. And I like it so much that I ordered some fabric for a second version. Ashley's colors are pink and latte, so I'm keeping them in mind as I shop. I definitely will not wear orange!

Lawn - Fabric Mart, Cotton/poly sweater knit - Fabric.com

I also got the Vogue 8885 shrug pattern in the mail, and I've put it aside as too fussy. Instead I'm working on a muslin of View B of McCalls 6461 - it's one of my very favorite cardigan patterns. I've sewn it 4 times in various ways, and admit I've never blogged it.

It has a really cute twisted tee pattern thrown in. I've not sewn it, but I've seen some nice versions on the web.

A couple more pics - Ashley's bridal shower is the end of January, maybe I'll wear this dress!

Ciao! Coco

BurdaStyle 01/2014 #109 Peplum Skirt Top

Well, I've decided this is just one of those garments that doesn't photograph well - it's so much nicer than it looks in any of my pics. And I took a bunch!

This caught my eye on Kollabora, a pretty version posted by Tea. I love her creations - and she is very good about tips and comments on changes she makes. I also like her version much more than my own, I think because her fabric has a softer hand.

Cute pattern, with tricky sizing: it's sized in misses petites. I sewed petite size 21, which is more or less a regular size 16. And added 4.5" to the bodice and 4" to the skirt.

 Now that it's done and beyond unpicking...I should have sewn one size smaller. Sigh.

The extra length ensures that I can wear the top comfortably over jeans and leggings :-) Here I'm wearing Hudson Pants, my loose leg version, in ITY jersey.

The original pattern has a high rounded neck, a little too high for me given my not-so-young neck. So I lowered it a bit. A plus - I don't need the back opening/button, it slips over my head with no problem. 

I also used bias binding on the neckline, rather than do the 'fold in the seam allowance twice and topstitch' thing. IMHO that simply doesn't work well with a woven fabric. Or look very finished. 

Picky picky :-)

My fabric is cotton chambray from Fabric Mart, and it's absolutely the nicest chambray I've ever had. I loved being able to flat-fell the shoulders and armhole seams, as well as the top seam of the two-piece sleeve. So pretty.

The skirt/bodice seam is finished with serging - not a ravel in sight!

Having a two-piece sleeve on this pattern is really thoughtful. They are so comfortable, not at all constricting.

Ah - the camera caught me with my eyes closed - I miscounted the 10-sec timer and oops...

I'll definitely make another version, a size smaller, in a softer fabric, maybe challis or even a jersey.

Ciao! Coco

Mother of the Bride dress...first muslin

Now that the holidays are behind us, I'm thinking wedding...

I visited with Ashley the weekend after Christmas for some girl time...and a trip to David's Bridal! She found the most beautiful dress - it is just what she had envisioned for herself. Such excitement, a few tears, lots of happiness.  She also got an exquisite corset and shoes, as well as her gown preservation drop-off box.

Then we went off to lunch to relive it all. Such a memorable time with my girl.

Note: the original decision to make her dress was fleeting :-) Shopping for a gown and watching her face was such a wonderful experience.


Now I'm working on my dress! I've been thinking about it so much, trying for an idea that will work well with her venue and theme, while being comfortable and elegant.  I know I want a maxi dress with long sleeves, so I won't be at all concerned with scleroderma scars and so on on my arms and legs.

For my first idea/muslin, I'm using pieces of two patterns. The dress is based on New Look 6936, which I made as a maxi dress in matte jersey for Jungle January 2013...

And I'm using the narrow sleeves from Vogue 1315, another Jungle January dress!

Redrafting the New Look bodice with the armscye from the Vogue pattern was very easy - and I'm really happy with the muslin so far:

Clementine Floral ITY Knit - Fabric Mart

As with my Jungle dress, I've changed the waistline elastic casing treatment. The original pattern uses 1/4" elastic in a narrow casing formed from the bodice/skirt seam allowance. Instead, I've applied a 1 1/2" wide casing (finished width) in which I'll use 1" elastic.

IMO, the wide casing adds interest and finish to the dress. The lining on the inside of the casing is woven broadcloth, chosen to provide stability and support at the waist area. ITY knit in a long maxi skirt can be very heavy!

I also applied binding around the neckline edge, instead of turning it inside in a narrow hem. Again, I think it looks more finished with the binding. Another plus - the binding makes the neckline very stable, really important for a crossover plunging neckline! 

Speaking of which, I fit the crossover very carefully with my intended undergarment, so it will behave when the dress is finished :-)

I'm also thinking about another approach, loosely based on this pic, i.e., a maxi dress with a jacket or shrug.









Vogue has a beautiful pattern for a knit shrug, V8885, that includes a long sleeve option. The dress could be as simple as McCalls much-loved M6559.

And I have a luscious jersey that would be so pretty with a lace topper. The two fabrics don't seem to match here, but they do in real life. The lace, which I found at JoAnn's but haven't purchased as yet, has a very soft, dense, and drapey hand.

Lime/Grey/Multi Abstract Floral Burnout Jersey
Fabric Mart

Scroll Lace - JoAnn's

Back soon with more - Ciao! Coco

McCalls 6996 - A long cardigan at last!

I'm laughing in this pic - I don't usually open a post with shot of this side of a garment. But this cardigan has such a cute skirted back!

Cardigans are perfect for Florida winters and trips to the grocery (I get so cold in there). I have a favorite pattern for short ones, but finding a long cardigan has been hard! I just don't want lots of drapey folds or layered ruffles down my front.

I made View B, which has very nice clean lines, a lovely raised and gathered back neckline, and slim sleeves. The back skirt is slightly flared and beautifully curved right at the waistline.

I sewed a size large in a mini-rib ponte knit from JoAnns. It's almost a sweater knit, very light. The last of my grey fabric - yea! But I might keep this one, I really like it.

A note on sewing: I used the elastic/lightening stitch on all my seams, and cut/serged them to finish. The shoulders are reinforced with twill tape (I don't use elastane - allergy). And the hems are simply turned and topstitched. May I say I love my Juki F600 - it sews knits beautifully. I haven't used steam-a-seam to do hems since I got this machine. And the elastic stitch is perfect. Sigh.
 

My only alteration was to remove a little of the downward slope at the enter front, as shown by my red lines in the line art. The design is a little easier to see on the inside, on Emile:

More pics! I'm also wearing True Bias Hudson pants in black ITY knit - these are like my fuller leg version. They feel like silk, and the poly/rayon knit does not cling to them at all.

Fun project, interesting to sew, and a keeper. Ciao! Coco

Cali Faye Gardenia Dress - 3 times!

Oh, it feels so good to sew and take pictures and write a blog post!!

First, thank you all for the lovely comments on Ashley and Darrin's engagement. They are so excited. And her ring is exquisite :-) The wedding date is now February 21, firm, which is nice. More time to enjoy the engagement feelings and activities.

Gosh, I've been sort of absent for a while. But recovering from being unwell for 6 months has taken some time and lots of rest. But I'm so much better. Feels so good. I'll put a little info on what happened at the end of this post...

Meanwhile, what a super cute dress. I found this on Kollabora, just zipping along looking at projects. And ordered the PDF download right away (there is a version for girls as well). I can't find a line art pic anywhere, so I'll try to describe: the front bodice is two-piece, with a slight sweetheart seam below the neckline and a raised front curve. The back bodice has a dipped curve ending just around the waistline. And the dress has nice 3/4 length sleeves. 

The bust conundrum:

Incredibly for any pattern, this one comes in sizes XXS - XXL - but that is a little misleading :-) The associated bust range is 30" - 39.5".  Whose bust - that of the dress, my bust? What size to use? A clue from Cali Faye: the model's bust is 33.5", and she is wearing a size Small, bust 31.5". OK, I followed suit. My bust is 37.5", so I drafted the size Large, bust 36". And it worked - but I do wish pattern makers could be specific on this point.

(Before I forget, for reference, I'm 5'7 1/2" and wear a size 14/40 just about all the time).

This mid-weight cotton/spandex from Girl Charlee (love, love) is a great weight for this dress. I only made two changes changes on this first version:

• Added an inch to the skirt length. 
• Lowered the curve of the front bodice edge by 1" at center front, cured out to the side seams. It would be great for a baby bump the other way, but IMHO, looks nicer a little lower.

I was very surprised that the bodice, front and back, was long enough for me. I am accustomed to adding 1.5" inches for my height - might be a caution for short waists...

I love this dress! While in JoAnn's ages ago, I found a piece of camo cotton/lycra knit (and haven't seen it since, in the store or online). And I've wanted to sew it ever since Angela of Collected Yarns made her camo maxi in August. Voila!

On this version I removed the sweetheart seam from the front bodice, drafting it as one easy piece, and used elbow length sleeves.

And now it's jingle bells time! Again from Girl Charlee, a cotton/poly knit. 

This was fun. Ciao! Coco

A little info on what kept me down...