Alice In Wonderland at Sea

First, it was the legs.

Then the arms wanted to come out, too.

 Pattern: Simplicy 1801

Fabric: seafoam green cotton batiste, underlined with ivory cotton

Notions: invisible zip, light interfacing

Notes:

Well, I really didn't derivate from the last time I made this pattern.  This time I chose a crisper fabric, and both seem to work well. This time I also left off the sleeves.  I kept the raised neckline and altered waist pieces, so it was a pretty straight forward project.  It's nice sewing with well-behaved fabric.  

Especially when it's so fun to look at!

I purchased this from Mood on a whim, and while it was really out of what I'd normally wear, I really liked all the random bright colors together.  They described it as an Alice-in-Wonderland print, which I didn't really get, but it is wild and crazy and fun, and kept me constantly amused.  Maybe if Alice went through the looking glass and under the sea?  Maybe more Little Mermaid-y? I don't know.

Don't those look like ocean-y blooms?  And tentacles?

Said the woman who lives about as far away from an ocean as you can get...

 Anyway, I was careful with the print placement so I wouldn't end up with one of those explosive coral things anywhere titillating, but that was about as stressful as it got.

(Which is to say not at all.)

And the back view.

The photo above is probably the closest to true colors.  Crazy and bright, and just what I need after a long, gray winter.  You can tell these were taken pretty late in the day!

Just like last time, I underlined the bodice for a bit more stability.  This time, though, I lined the skirt portion, too.  Mostly because I try to avoid students seeing my underwear.

Both are lined with cotton lawn remants--not quite a yard left of the skirt fabric, and only large scraps for the bodice.

All in all, yay for warmer weather, yay for summer colors, yay for sandals, and yay for lighter-later evenings.

First Signs of Spring

Today I bared my legs for the first time this year.

And no one died.  Or shrieked in pain. Or claimed blindness.

Okay, one person may have cried, but I really don't think that was because of my vampire legs.

Pattern: Sewaholic Harwood

Fabric: navy/white geometric cotton voile

Notions: 1/4" elastic, light interfacing, and buttons.  A lot of buttons

So, this dress may be proof of my busyness.  Or laziness.  Or both.

I've had this in the works for over a month.

It waited a while for buttons.

It waited a while for hemming.

It waited a while for me to iron away markings.

And it waited a while for me to move that bottom button an eighth of an inch down.

Guess who finally just wore it today, with the bottom button unbuttoned?

And guess who noticed pink frixion pen during pictures?

(Maybe that happened at work?)

Notes:

Mmm.  I cut a straight size 10.  

I would normally grade down for the hips on a Sewaholic pattern, but it's a flared skirt, and grading felt like too much work.  It's fine.

This is the longer length version, which is a little longer than I usually go for, but a good transition length for shy limbs.  No special construction issues; Tasia writes clear, concise directions, and everything went together neatly.

I was originally worried the neckline might be too high, but it sits comfortably, and I don't feel choked.  I could probably tighten the waistline elastic a little more--it sits comfortably loose--and the belt helps it feel a little more secure. You can see it slipping a bit in the above picture, but that may have been due to yanking the skirt down after a particularly wild gust and a slight overreaction to the idea of my underwear and my husband with a camera. 

 

My house is a mess, and these are crazy bad pictures, but at least you can see the shape.

The only other thing to mention is these buttons from Grandma's stash.  They were the only ones I could find that I had enough of. I tried scouting different buttons, but there's not a whole lot of pizzazz when it comes to white 1/2" buttons.  These are thick and chunky, slightly frosted, and stand out from the print. 

Now if only I can make myself move that bottom one, I'll be good to go.

April Showers bring Blue Flowers

I had originally intended this dress for the Project Sewn Floral challenge, but life got busy, we went on vacation, and ultimately, I'd decided I'd rather have a nice dress than a fast dress.  

And, let's face it, I'm not very fast with sewing.  

And I'm totally okay with that.  : )

The Details:

Fabric: floral cotton voile from Mood, ivory lawn for underlining

Pattern: Simplicity 1419, Lisette's Round Trip Dress

Notions: 22" invisible zip, 1 super special button, interfacing for collar

+ knit interfacing for zipper support, cotton twill tape to stabilize waistband, vintage flexi-lace for hem

Notes

First off, the pattern went together fairly easily, it just took me a while.   

In this one, I made a straight size 14.  I went up a size, because I'm kind of ashamed to admit it, but I think I've been measuring myself incorrectly.  I think the trouble I've had with uncomfortable shoulders and sleeves are related to sewing too small a size.   I would have previously grade from a 12 at the bust to a 14 at the waist.  That means for Sewaholic patterns, I actually need a 10 on top and an 8 everywhere else.  

(Mind blown)  

I don't know why I am totally okay with grading up a size to accommodate waist or hips, but never once considered grading down a size from bust to waist.  

This dress is not designed to be very closely fitted, which is actually perfect for a cotton summer dress. 

Who wants to be all sweaty in a dress? Well, in this kind of dress? 

I didn't think so.

Second, I added a bunch of extras here. 

 I underlined it, because the fabric was pretty sheer.  That meant I could invisibly slip-stitch the facing down to the underlining, as well as the bias finish at the armscye, and the hem. Jeezum Pete, though, they stuck together, and that was a trial in itself.  I also added twill tape to the waist seam allowance before serging the seam to keep the thin fabric from stretching out when I slump in my chair.  Third, I used zipper interfacing to supported the thin fabric for the weight of the zipper and make it go in easier.

The only think I had problems with was that button loop.  

I'll be honest, I gave up trying to turn a 1" by 1.5" bias loop (incl. seam allowance) right side out. 

I just cut another piece, folded it in half, then pressed the edges to center fold and topstitched it. 

Life's too short to spend that much time cussing an inanimate object.

Changes for Next Time 

For next time, though, I think I'll lower the neckline a smidge.  It's wearable, but still a hair high.  

Or maybe I just have a low neck, who knows.  

In any case,  I'll amend that on the pattern before putting it away for while. 

Also, I would consider using a scrap of interfacing behind the button, so it doesn't flap when open.

And, in the interest of photogenic honesty, my husband was out of town the day I first wore this, so my 7 year old kindly agreed to take a picture for me.

He did a good job, but I will admit that for every picture of me, there were three of the dog.

I can't complain, though; he is a pretty great dog. 

The Dress that Broke Me

So a couple of months ago, I was sewing along with the Project Sewn themes, and rocked my Twiggy dress.  And by "rocked it", I'm really saying, "I finished it."  Then came the pink project, and I faltered.

Pink and I, well, don't get along.

It's not pink, it's me. 

Don't get me wrong, pink's a lovely color.  On someone else.  Anyone else.

In anycase, I decided to TRY it, in the spirit of a challenge.
This is actually my second attempt.  I had one piece of pinkish/orchid-y fabric, and turned it into quite a brilliant pink wadder.

In a moment of interpretation, I decided that pink didn't mean 'all pink', and dug this out.  I had originally purchased this fabric with this dress in mind.

Amazingly, I had matching bias tape in my stash!

(Warning: notion porn ahead)

100% cotton!

Does your child sew?  How cute is that!

What is that?  If my bias tape fails, they'll reimburse me the cost of my materials AND labor?

*sigh*

I miss old notions.

And just in case you weren't tickled by the thread count information, they sneak in a free pattern for a bridge table cover on the back of the label.  You know, for when you play bridge.  As you do.

(Notion porn complete.  Remaining contents are notion-free)

When I could tell I wasn't getting it done for pink, I thought I'd just post it for shoes.  But when I realized I had no shoes for it, I was sunk.  

And then, the kicker:

I realized that I had added room at the waist, but moronically had added too much room at the waist.  

The thought of having to take out an absolutely perfectly installed lapped side zipper pissed me off.  

And so it sat, unhemmed, in time out, for about two months.

Until about 20 minutes before leaving for Easter lunch at my mom's, when I decided that was what I wanted to wear.

And hemmed it in my bra and underwear while everyone else waited.

Take that, stupid pink dress.

(That needs a belt.  And a different bra.)

The Details:

Pattern: Simplicity 2209--Lisette Passport Dress, with a gathered skirt

Fabric: Anna Maria Horner Mixed Signals voile, navy voile to underline bodice

Notions: bias trim, navy zipper

Time to complete: long enough