Finished: Navy Knit Dress (M6319)

Pattern: McCall's 6319 - Misses Lined Knit Dresses

Mods:

• lengthened the bodice pieces by 3"
• lengthened the bodice lining pieces by 2"
• made view c without the asymmetry
• size 10 without an fba - in fact, I had to take in a bit at the underarms.
• raw hem

Fabric: textured cotton jersey from Nuttall's

I love knit dresses. I love knits in general, but wearing a knit dress is like getting away with wearing pajamas all day and it looks so put together. This pattern was easy to make with straightforward instructions and very few pieces. I'm SO glad that I checked a few blogs (like Erica's) for a pattern review otherwise I wouldn't have known to lengthen the bodice pieces (I didn't lengthen the skirt). This is one of the very, very few times I didn't make a muslin. I'm 5'9" for reference and the elastic hits right at my natural waist. Next time I'll try to omit the lining and see if I can eke a dress out of just one yard.

Obviously it's feast or famine here, folks! I've been sewing a lot, but not finishing things. Then my mom stopped by. She was appalled (horrified?) by my piles of unfinished projects. I think she seriously regretted asking what I had been making. "Look mom! This is the back left piece of a dress. I'm not sure where the rest is. WAY cute, right??" As soon as she left, I dug in.

Next-up: Renfrew top, Darling Ranges muslin, boxy tops and possibly some knitting.

Skirts!

At the beginning of the summer I had this great idea. I thought that if I sewed a few cute skirts then I would wear those instead of fishing shorts. Well, I made the skirts and still wore the shorts. I need some help with styling.

Pattern: McCall's 6333

Mods: Initially I added 4" to this pattern. When all was said and done, I lopped of two of the inches and took up a 2" hem. I'm 5'9" for reference. The instructions made me a little bit crazy and the only helpful thing I can say is this: Sew the elastic lines on the waistband accurately and don't serge/sew the elastic when attaching the skirt to the waistband. This will make you crazy. There will be weird, uneven bunching and you'll have to tear the entire thing apart.

Fabric: I used a linen (blend?) from Hancock Fabrics. I need to stop with the super-wrinkly cheap linen.

Because of the aforementioned stress and trauma, I sort of gave up when it came time to match stuff up. The pleated section does not match up perfectly with the flat waistband. Whatever. For the hem I just serged the bottom, then did a not-so-blind hem. I think it looks nice. Next time (there probably will be a next time!) I would insert the pockets into the side seam instead of the front panel. They are kind of awkward and I really like putting my hands in pockets. Otherwise I'm not sure what to do with them.

Pattern: Wiksten skirt
Mods: None! I think I made an XS because I wanted it to be high-waisted, but it turned out too small.
Fabric: Cotton chambray from Nuttall's - purchased during my brief stint working there.

The buttons aren't centered and I haven't sewn a tab at the top. I'll wear this more often when those things are fixed.

 

Pattern: Kwik Sew 3830 - View B

Mods: None. I think it's a size small.

Fabric: Lightweight denim

I really enjoyed making this skirt and think it's cute, but it's doing some really weird things at the waist. I think I need to take out some elastic. 

 

Pattern: Simplicity 2413 (OOP??)

Mods: None. Size 8

Fabric: Black cotton twill from Joann's

I love the idea of a tulip/pegged skirt, but this skirt does some weird poofing. The back is kind of a mess. Maybe because my hands were in the pockets? I don't think it's super flattering either.

Reading back over my post I notice a consistent theme - I don't like my skirts and they aren't flattering. Am I just not a skirt girl?? This fall I'm going to make pants and see how often those make it out of the closet. Sewing is so frustrating because even when I take my time and do a really good job, the fit could be completely off. Or the style all wrong. I started this blog in order to make better decisions about patterns and fabrics. It's already helping!

You might be wondering why my shorts are not done. I'll leave you with this: