A scrappy shift dress

With all of this stay at home time, I find myself poking around in less traveled corners of the house just looking for a diversion.  On one of my weekend adventures nosing around up in the attic, I stumbled upon a narrow swath of fabric leftover from a shower curtain I made for Adam for his first apartment at University of Wisconsin Madison- more than 10 years ago.  The fabric is from Ikea. I really like the print (nordic cool) and even though the fabric is a sturdy home decorating weight, I started noodling around on a dress idea because – unchecked- that’s where my mind goes when fabric is involved. Shower curtain to dress!

The fabric remnant was 15 inches wide and over 70 inches long. I knew I would have to pattern block- I am not narrow enough anywhere for 15 inches in width- and the pattern must run up and down.  With those constraints, the dress options were narrowed.  I didn’t want to do anything with much piecing because the fabric is stiff.  However, I must note, I am very drawn to patchwork trend right now and am eager to do a serious patchwork project but that’s another day and not with this scrap. 

For this simple pattern blocking project, it was easy to land on a solid black to balance the dramatic print. I just needed to match the weight of the Ikea fabric so I looked for a canvas or twill weight fabric. This black twill was hands down the best option. I used the wrong side of the fabric for a smoother finish.

In order to keep the fabric (and pattern) largely intact, I chose a simple a-line dress. I used my favorite a-line shift pattern -a Cynthia Rowley Simplicity 2584 shift pattern - crossed with some features from Vogue 8945.  My tip for a winning shift dress is the old Goldilocks standard- make sure it’s not too big and not too small. This pattern is a “just right” fit for me so I only had to fiddle with pattern piecing dissection for pattern blocking.

I simply cut the front of the dress as wide as the fabric piece allowed and fortunately, that was a well placed asymmetrical line just after the neckline which made measuring and piecing a breeze.  I cut the remaining front from black twill – adding accommodation for ½ inch seams. The back piece was easily cut from the black twill. Two pattern pieces- easy.

The other little modification to this shift-is an easy dropped shoulder that I drafted at the armhole without adding fullness to the shift.  I simply drew an extended sleeve for this hack. There is a good discussion (including diagrams and guidance) about the range of dropped shoulder options here

The cap sleeve was a good design choice because it was easy to finish the armholes with purchased black bias binding. I also used this binding to finish the neckline. Staying home more than usual during this pandemic has it’s small silver linings. It was a bonus to discover this fabric treasure -and to remember it’s origin story. Best of all, it feels like a “free” new dress.

Sew this pattern: Sienna Shift dress

Although I am frequently out of step with popular culture- talk to my adult children- I try to keep up with fashion trends.  My favorite pursuit is tweaking and adapting a current trend to make it work for me- such as altering the style so the scale will work on my frame –read: I do not have model proportions- or modifying a style a bit so I feel “at home” in it.

I have dabbled in the ruffle trend- but haven’t found the sweet spot. It doesn’t help that every time I make a project with ruffles, the spouse looks it over and announces he doesn’t like ruffles- he says they look reptilian.  Nevertheless, I persist, because now it’s kind of a personal challenge to see if I can re-create this trend in a way that gets a favorable response- or at least feels more like me.  So, here is my latest interpretation of the ruffle trend that I find is more aligned with my style: the Sienna Shift dress from Sew this pattern.

 I was drawn to the pattern because the ruffles are not gathered which makes them more subdued.  I also like a shift dress to have some shaping.

This is my first go around with this pattern maker, and the drafting and instructions are excellent.  This was a relatively quick and straightforward make- the pattern download and cutting went smoothly and there are not many pattern pieces to keep track of. I am crazy happy with the fit. I cut a size 8 in the bodice –according to the pattern measurement instructions- and drafted out to a size 10 at waist and hips.  I got an excellent fit at the bust line, shoulders and arms. 

I used a dark chambray from Lakes Makerie- which is a fabric that I am comfortable in.

I love the ruffle finish on this dress.  I have had more than a few fails trying to achieve a clean finished edge on ruffled projects. This ruffle is finished with a self bias binding on the edges. I think this is genius and works fabulously.

I made only two minor modifications to this dress: I added fullness in the skirt after the hip drafting out to a size 12, and I lengthened the skirt substantially for ease of movement and wear-ability. 

In the end, the spouse still pronounced this dress’s ruffles a little bit lizard. But, I am comfortable in the result- which I consider a win.

Upcycling and Refashioning with Vogue 9004

I was cleaning/organizing the cupboards in the basement on Saturday – just living my typical best life weekend edition.  Among our silk screening supplies, there were several old men’s dress men’s (discarded from the spouse) that we wear to protect our clothes when silk screening.  Two of the shirts looked so nice together, I started plotting a refashion sewing project, and my life and outlook immediately improved.

 I am more than familiar with taking apart my sewing projects and remaking to get a good result.  But refashioning and upcycling, is a relatively new adventure for me.  With a refashion, the original garment gets a complete transformation into something very different. After spending a moment journeying down the refashion rabbit hole on the internet, I settled on using Vogue 9004, because I owned it, and because it was hot and a sleeveless blouse seemed a perfect idea.

First step was to disassemble the shirt.  After I took the sleeves off and separated the front and back from the collar, I played around with placing the pattern pieces.  I hoped to make use of the buttons or button holes for the back instead of using a zipper as called for in the pattern.  Love the fact that everything I need for this project can be found in these two shirts- except for thread and some interfacing.   In the best of all possible worlds, I would have preferred to make use of the button holes- button hole anxiety is real even after all these years.  But fitting front and back pattern pieces left me with the button side- which was better than nothing.  Although, note it was a little tricky when finishing to line up the button holes with the pre-sewn buttons.

The pattern actually calls for a zipper in back and you can see the back is a little bit nipped and fitted.  I cut the back straight to make use of the button up closure, so the top is a less fitted- which I prefer. That was the only change I made to the pattern.  I cut the bias strips for finishing the armholes from the sleeves.

The only tricky aspect to this project was negotiating the different weights of the shirts.  The white stripe is woven tighter and firmer (nicer) than the blue- I assume this translates to a higher thread count.  I had to fuse in some additional interfacing in the end to get a little extra body on the blue half of this top.

I had so much fun with this project and it was such a win to make a fun top out of something destined for the recycling bin. So, I promptly asked the spouse if there were any other dress shirts that he was ready to discard.  Stay tuned.

Nettie bodysuit for the lake

In Minnesota, we have more than 10,000 lakes and everyone has at least a few favorites.  Near the top of my list is Potato Lake where we spend our annual family summer holiday at the charming and rustic Northern Pine Lodge. When we first started going to Northern Pine Lodge 30 years ago, I spent as much time as possible soaking up the sun- happy to be outdoors and on the lake.  These days, I spend time trying to negotiate summer holiday activities while minimizing sun exposure.  I find if I wear long sleeves and high neck lines, I can significantly cut down on my sun block consumption.

Last year, I made my first long sleeve swimsuit- blogged about here.  Sewing swimwear is so satisfying.  You can get a custom fit- although to be honest, I am still working on the perfect adjustments to achieve that.   Swimwear also requires minimum fabric, and is surprisingly quick to make as most swimwear projects require just a few pattern pieces.  Most importantly, if you get creative with pattern selection and modifications, you can get exactly what you want.

For my maximum coverage swim set, I used the Close Core Nettie Dress and Bodysuit pattern. I used excellent swim tricot that I purchased from Blackbird Fabrics last year. I simply split the body suit in two and added contrast band at the waist.  

I followed the sizing guide based upon my measurements- size 6 on top grading to a size 8 at the waist and hip.  Swimwear is sewn with a negative ease which means the finished garment is tighter than your body measurements- this is essential so the swim suit stays put when you attempt your reverse two-and-a-half somersaults tuck. For example, the chest measurement for a size 6 in the Nettie is 34 inches, but the finished chest measurement is 28 inches  The Nettie includes gorgeous options for necklines and backs. I really love the deep scoop low back and I was momentarily tempted to use that for my swim set, but the whole point of this suit is easy sun protection- and if I have to get help with putting sun screen on my back, that simply defeats the purpose. So I opted for a high neckline in both the front and back.

Conveniently, the Nettie bodysuit includes a pattern piece and instructions for a shelf bra.  I also added foam cups for a little extra coverage and definition.  This was super easy by zig zagging foam cups onto the shelf bra lining. I use a plain zig zag stitch initially when constructing the swimwear- because it is easy to unpick if I need to adjust. Then, I resew the seams using the 3 step zig zag stitch recommended for swimwear construction because it is super strong and can handle all of your lake antics.

The bottoms were a good fit when I tried them on, but I discovered they are not quite tight enough when wet, and I had a bit of sagging and drooping.   In fact, it was when I was climbing onto the dock that my daughter -still in the water- observed swimmer’s itch on my bum! Sadly, I discovered that while this suit is a winner at sun protection, alas, it offers no protection from the nasty parasites that cause swimmers itch. For those who have never experienced swimmers itch- it is fairly common in Minnesota lakes. It is not serious but rather nasty because it is a red rash caused by an allergic reaction to parasites that burrow into your skin. Blame snails and waterfowl.

Although I wore these bottoms several days over vacation, I plan to cut them down one size.

I had enough material to make another top, so I used McCalls 7417.  This is my second go with this top and I find it super quick and easy.  If you follow the sizing guideline on the pattern, the top is not super tight fitting- but I am okay with that because I plan to use this top for kayaking and other lake activities.

Now that I have my mix and match swim sets, I am all set - approximately 9,999 lakes to conquer.

Kalle-luia

At long last, I can join the legions of sewists who made and adore the Kalle Shirt dress by Closet Case patterns.  

Despite being late to the Kalle party, I am tickled pink with my very wearable toile. I am also absolutely in love with this charming cotton print from Liberty of London with its life gives you pink lemons way about it.

 I made version C of the Kalle shirt dress with a few modifications.  The biggest change is I eliminated the pleat in the back which reduced the fullness of the dress substantially. I cut my dress with a straight and even hem.  With the reduced fullness it made sense to square the hemline.  It was also a design choice out of necessity as I didn’t have enough fabric for the curved finish.  I did squeeze out a self-fabric tie which I tied in a bow when wearing above. If the bow seems a bit too frivolous, I can simply knot the tie. This is my third go with Closet Case patterns and I find the instructions and drafting spot on.

This adorable cotton Liberty print that I used is a quilting cotton.  Quilting cottons are so plentiful and available in so many fetching prints.  I have no qualms about using quilting or home decorating cotton for making garments and have expressed my particular love of gingham in an earlier blog post.  Quilting cotton comes in different weights, but generally quilting cotton is medium weight and quite a bit stiffer than apparel cotton.  The finish is also a little more casual and home-spun which you can see below. Cotton shirting and other higher thread count plain weaves will provide a more polished smoother and silkier finish.  

I purchased this enchanting quilting cotton from Lakes Makerie. I forgot how easy and carefree it is to work with quilting cotton.  The fabric is so stable- no slipping and sliding -making sewing and cutting super straightforward. Also, because it is a natural fiber it is somewhat malleable- it irons up sharp and holds a crease.  All of these properties are perfect for a structured shirt dress.  Because this was medium weight, I didn’t need to interface my self tie. I used French Fuse interfacing for the collar and plackets which worked a charm. The other benefit of using quilting cottons is they are more affordable than apparel fabric which makes them perfect for making a toile. The only stumbling block with this fabric was figuring out which way was up- design-wise.  I may have gotten that wrong!

My shirt making skills are always improving as I continually learn more and more techniques (tricks) for better outcomes.  For this project I tried a new system for the collar stand.  I used a template for the collar as a guide to sew more perfect and even curves in front.  To do this, I traced the collar stand pattern on sturdy paper and then laid the paper template on the fabric collar stand and sewed around the template as shown below.