Indie Pattern Month is in full swing around the globe. For The Monthly Stitch’s IMP Hack It contest, we were challenged to transform indie patterns and actually encouraged to frankenpattern! Though I’m not much for frankenpatterning, I do love to … Continue reading
I’ve gotten my sewjo back and I’ve been cranking out projects. Unfortunately the 2 year old grabbed my camera off my desk and messed with some settings so you’ll have to forgive a whole lot of funky photos as I slowly mess with settings trying to fix what she’s done!
Anyway… this quick little summer dress was just what I needed to get the sewing machine’s motor roaring again.
This is New Look 6096, view A in the short length. I chose this pattern because I have several old, cheap RTW dresses that are exactly this style that I’ve worn to death so it’s time for some new (ethically!) made replacements.
The fabric is a drapey chevron knit from the mill ends bin at my local fabric store. It seems that the best knits are always hiding in there because they come from factory remnants or seconds and they’re fabrics people actually use to make clothing rather than a store full of quilting cottons and terrible sparkly denim. I snapped up this piece the second I saw it with this exact pattern in mind. You’ll just have to believe me that this print has black, white, tan and brown because you certainly can’t tell there’s any tan or brown, thanks to the terrible pic.
Straight out of the envelope, major pattern companies tend to add way too much ease so I always check the finished measurements to the sizes, especially when I use a knit for a woven pattern like this one. I was actually shocked, however, to find that this dress includes 11.5″ of ease above the body measurement. WHAT!? Who needs an extra 1/3 of their body width added to a dress bodice? It’s not like I picked up a mumu pattern. I’ll nearly guarantee that those models in the photograph don’t have 11.5″ of ease in those dresses. They were certainly pinned up in the back to make them look more fitted. In any case, I chose the smallest size 4 for a 30″ bust when with a 37″ bust I should have been a 10 or 12. That meant I had a finished garment measurement of 41″ still! Oh well. That’s supposed to be “blousy,” right?
I also hacked off about 4″ from the bottom of the smallest size to suit me. Other than that, I didn’t have to adjust anything.
I stitched much of it on the serger which meant it was super quick and easy. I will definitely be stitching up a few more of this bad girls in the near future.
Thanks to a hasty decision to snatch this fabric from the bin and the simplicity of the pieces in the dress, I had plenty left for a bonus camisole without even having to use any creative cutting layouts.
I cut it out at the same time as the dress using Butterick B4989 as a base but in the end it’s not even recognizable as this pattern. The camisole that comes with this pattern is intended to have fabric straps, bust darts, and use a woven fabric. I cut the smallest XS size for my knit and omitted the straps. I swapped them out for fold over elastic from my stash. I finished the entire upper edge with the elastic and extended it up to create the straps. I’m not thrilled with the place where I chose to join the elastic on the back but I’ve figured out a better way to do it next time.
To give a little better fit through the waist, I added waist shaping darts on the front and back, cleverly disguised along the chevron lines. You really have to search to find them.
I’m quite pleased with the changes I made to this and have plans for a few more of these camisoles as well.
You lovely folks told me I should make Butterick 9975 in March, so I’m plugging away at it. I started out with a 34″ bust pattern which should be about 3″ too small around for me but thanks to the generous ease that … Continue reading
It was clear from the very beginning which wool would win for March. Out of 56 votes, the Butterick shirtwaist dress took 53.57% of the vote with 30 individual voices saying “Make it! Make it!” How could I resist? However, … Continue reading
I have FINALLY made a little black dress (LBD)! This has been on my “must sew” list for aaaages but I never had the perfect occasion to kick myself into making it until now. Last weekend my alma mater art … Continue reading
I present to you The Monthly Stitch’s Frocktober challenge. The challenge was left a little open ended without a true definition of “frock” but when I hear “frock” I think fancy party dress. This pattern, Advance 7973 from the 1950’s has … Continue reading
Here’s that purple knit fabric that was part of my haul from the Expo. It’s my third Cake Patterns Tiramisu dress. Like the second one, I omitted the pockets because I found in my first Tiramisu that my phone is too … Continue reading
I’m back from the Expo with a trunk full of goodies! Let’s start with the fabrics: On the top we have two coating fabrics, one red, one black. They are the same fabric just in two different colors. I purchased … Continue reading
I have joined a group of lovely ladies from around the globe (I think many are from Australia and New Zealand) in a new sewing collective known as The Monthly Stitch. Each month we are given a challenge theme to … Continue reading
I’ve been working hard on my Something in Silk Dress and I’m pleased to say that it’s currently hanging on my dress form, Ena (EE-na), who is named after the woman who so kindly gave it to me when she … Continue reading
Vint Hill Knits 