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.

Finished: The Sweatshirt Dress

YOU GUYS.

I kind of just made a dress out of my cat's blanket.

You see, I've had this fabric for a while now and every time I'd wash and dry it Binker would curl up into the warm fleece and take a nap. I'd move on to something else. The huge swath of fabric finally needed to be used. It took up a lot of room.

Pattern: Simplicity 2054 - by Cynthia Rowley. I cut out view B with the cowl in a size 12.

Mods: lengthened the waist seam by 1", swayback by 1", took out 1.5" from the back center seam, took an additional 1.5" from the top center back to prevent gaping, scooped out the neckline significantly.

Fabric: sweatshirt fleece that I bought years ago from Denver Fabrics.

I'm happy with the dress. It's comfortable and fits pretty well. As you can see, all of my stressing about the back fitting was for naught as there is still bunching and weirdness. Next time I'll just cut it on the fold. This was a blast to sew. It was super quick and I love, love, love sewing with a twin needle. Someday I'll get a coverstitch machine, but for now it's pretty satisfying.

Kwik Sew 3703 - The Maxi Dress

Earlier this summer I bought a jersey racerback maxi dress from Urban Outfitters and proceeded to wear it everyday. It drives me crazy when I buy things that are over-priced and easy to make! I don't know why I do it. Anyway, I wear it a lot, but needed to break-up my all-grey uniform. I remembered Amber from Confessions of the Pink Obsessed making some really cute knit dresses with Kwik Sew patterns, so I decided that's a good place to start.

For all three of these I used Kwik Sew 3703. I cut a size extra small, but added to the armholes and shoulder strap (picture below). They all have raw hems. I love this pattern. It fits beautifully and is extremely comfortable. You may think three is enough, but I'll definitely be making more. In fact, I was thinking of making one in white and then dyeing it with an ombre effect. Wouldn't that be pretty?

I added to the armholes and made the straps thicker.

Fabric: A cotton knit from Yellow Bird Fabrics that feels like medium weight t-shirt material.

Mods: I only had two yards, so I took out a lot of width from the skirt bottom. As you can see, there's still plenty of room. I also narrowed the neck and armhole bands to about 3/8".

Total Cost: I don't remember how much  I paid for the fabric and can't find a receipt. $20 maybe?

Fabric: A poly/lycra blend from Gorgeous Fabrics. (It's still there!)
 
Mods: Just the aforementioned pattern changes. I had a few yards of this, so I was able to keep the skirt width. I even did the neck and armhole bands correctly!

Total Cost: about $30

Eeeh. I probably should've tried to match the back seam.

Fabric: A rayon/ycra blend from Emma One Sock. (It's still there!) This is my most favorite fabric ever. I was sick about potentially ruining it, but I think it turned out really nice!

Mods: I only had two yards, so I narrowed the bands and skirt width, but was able to lengthen it quite a bit. I've been wearing it blousoned over a belt, but should probably take off some of that length. I'm tall, wearing 3"+ heels and it's still floor length.

Total Cost: around $35

The innards! Sometimes I sew, sometimes I serge.

It's taken me a long time to wear the things I sew in public, but all of these dresses have made it out of my house. Hooray!

Sorry about the blurry/grainy photos. Should I go outside next time? Find a neutral wall?