One Dress, Two Dress, Green Dress, Blue Dress

Actually I made the blue dress before the green, but the rhyme just didn't work quite as well. Both of these dresses are based on Karin from Ancien Nouveau's cowl dress/cowl top pattern, which you can download for free from BurdaStyle (where Karin is known as Ichigogirl).

This blue fabric has a bit of sheen to it, making it feel a somewhat dressy. The fabric is thin which makes it quite clingy and revealing of anatomical details. I recently wore this dress to a coworker's wedding (bride and groom obsessed with blue). I did add a cardigan both because I was a little nervous about degree to which the dress "showed off" my figure and because it was a brisk, chilly day.

The green dress is a thicker, softer cotton knit. It smooths over body topography a little better, but doesn't recover as well as I would like. After a couple hours of wear it starts to feel a little stretched out. I've worn this dress out to eat a couple of times (including for my birthday) and gotten compliments. It is very comfortable and easy to wear. I'm normally more drawn to neutrals and dark colors, but I've been having fun adding a bit more color to my wardrobe. My husband picked out the blue and I kept getting pulled back by the green, even though it was not at all what I originally had in mind.

I think I added about six inches to the length to accommodate my height. I also didn't want these particular versions to be as short as Karin's, although I plan to use this pattern in a variety of lengths in the future. I'm still trying to figure out what skirt lengths are most flattering on me. I feel frumpy in things that hit below the knee, but I am starting to feel like I can't pull off showing too much leg above the knee anymore. I love really long skirts, but still can't quite nail down that shorter skirt sweet spot.

I also added several inches to the hips...because I need to. I could work on perfecting the fit a little more, especially in the back (which I don't have pics of...sorry). I'm finding that I may need to make sway back adjustments. I never suspected that because I have a really flat butt. It is pretty much a straight line down from my back (even without much for seat padding my hip measurement is generally two sizes larger than the rest of my measurements...it's all in the width), but I guess my shoulders do stick way out in the back (at least partly due to poor posture).

Overall I am pleased with both dresses. They were very easy to make up, fun to wear, and fit into the simple, classic style that I like so much.

New to Knits

For a long time I was both very eager and very apprehensive to try sewing with knits. The easier fit is extremely attractive and much of my rtw wardrobe consists of knits so they are in my comfort zone. I heard so many horror stories, however, about sewing with knits. Finally I decided to give it a try. This fabric for this top is pretty cheap and crappy, but I liked the color and for a first attempt the price was right (not to mention that there is not an overabundance of quality fabric stores in my area).

For my first venture with knits I used the free minimalist cowl pattern from The Selfish Seamstress. (If you are not familiar with Ms. Selfish you must check out her blog. I've been seriously missing her snarky sass during her move to Europe).

Overall my first attempt went pretty well. The shirt is wearable, but as always I learned some lessons along the way. I used a twin needle to finish the edges. I need to do a better job of adjusting the tension next time to avoid the tunneling, but I'm very excited about the more professional/rtw look that it gives to the finished garment. Next time I make this top (and there will be many next times) I probably won't finish the edge of the cowl at all.

One of the biggest problems I had was adjusting the length. I tower a full ten inches over the Selfish Seamstress' mere sixty inch height. While I did add enough length, I added it all to the lower part of the garment. I really needed to add some of it above the bust. The arm openings are way too small and cause a lot of wrinkling in the shoulders and discomfort under the arms. Oops.

I love the Selfish Seamstress' style and she offers a number of patterns she has drafted as free downloads. Unfortunately I am not petite and don't yet have the confidence to grade more involved patterns up to my size. Her coffee date dress, which is available in a multi-size pattern, is going to be one of my upcoming projects. I even get the bonus of extra instructions because Grosgrain used it as one of her Frock by Friday projects.

Seersucker Sass

I love this skirt! It is about as basic as a skirt can get, but was an essential wardrobe staple during the hottest days of summer. There was a couple week stretch when I wore it nearly every day just paired with different colored tank tops and flip flops. (Too bad I waited until the temperature dropped almost 50 degrees to take any pictures.)

As the summer got hotter I kept being drawn to the many tutorials for simple gathered skirts. I wanted to try to wear skirts more, but didn't have a lot of sewing time. During a 50 percent off sale at Hancock I picked up this seersucker. The skirt is constructed from two large rectangles cut on the bias gathered along the top. Instead of using wide elastic for the waistband I used a doubled-over strip of black knit from my stash. And here is one of the best parts of the skirt...pockets!

Pockets!

I was a little afraid that this gathered style of skirt would be add too much poof around my hips, which are definitely the widest part of my body, especially since I can't stand wearing waistbands that sit at my natural waist (the waistband sits just above my hip bones). I don't think it ended up being too bad...need to stay away from bulky or stiff fabrics though.

This skirt is so nice and cool. It was easy to make and is even easier to wear. I work the overnight shift and have to wear black scrub pants and a drab green polo to work every night (bleh). I love having fun, simple clothes to pull on quickly for running errands, going out to eat, going for walks, etc, when I wake up in the late afternoon. I definitely need to whip up a few more of these for next summer.

Flowers in the Sun

I love boating and fun, easy clothes to wear over my swimming suit while out on the lake were actually a big part of my original urge to sew. I still haven't really sewed any of those project ideas, but this simple sun dress has seen a lot of wear. (Sorry for the bad inside photos, but I'm way behind on getting pics taken and it is so cold outside now).

Eventually after floundering around on my own for a while I looked for some online sewing resources. Freeneedle and BurdaStyle were some of my first big finds and have proven invaluable in my sewing journey. When I saw the tutorial for the eight dollar dress on BurdaStyle, I knew it would be a good project for me. It would be cute and comfy to romp around in during the summer and would give me just what I needed at that point -- time at the sewing machine that was interesting and rewarding, but not too complex.

The fabric is cotton with just a bit of stretch. I love the print. It reminds me of paper we used to use in elementary school art class. When we scratched the black paint off our drawings showed through in fun colors. These flowers are much more delicately done than any of my grade school scratchings ever were.

I knew when I chose this fabric that it didn't have as much drape as would be ideal for this type of dress, but I really wanted something that would be easy to work with and durable to wear. The dress needs to be able to withstand being pulled on and off multiple times on an when I water ski or swim. It has to handle getting showed in a bag, soaked with water, scorched by sunshine, and tossed through the laundry. The black is starting to fade a bit, but a little wear has worn some of the stiffness out of the fabric and reduced the poufiness around my belly. This simple dress has definitely earned it's keep. I may try to whip up another version or two before next summer so I can have a little variety.

More Experimental Oldies

Time to share a few more of my earliest projects. Please excuse the poor photos. It was just too cold to keep going outside for better light. I'll do better in the future when I'm not trying to play catch-up. 

I used this Dragon Dress tutorial (which I discovered through Freeneedle) as my reference for these next couple tops.

I think this is some sort of decorator fabric...another small, cheap remnant. This marks my first invisible zip, which I recall being instant love. :-) I have actually worn this one a few times (and gotten some compliments) despite it's poor construction. My biggest issue with it is that due to my very limited fabric amount and the fact that it didn't even occur to me when I was cutting the plaid is just off-center enough at the bust to make me look a bit lopsided. Oops.

Here is a second iteration, which I am actually less enthralled with. The pattern on the fabric is pretty, but the fabric (remains from one of Mom's half-finished projects) is much thinner and slipperier. It was a pain to sew with and, while it does have better drape, just doesn't quite feel right in this top.

Moving on. I love wrap skirts. A basic wrap skirt is not hard to figure out. I haven't made one in a while...might have to remedy that soon. I have definitely worn this skirt. The inside looks horrid, the fabric is a little stiff, and the whole thing is a smidge big, but it is still a long, grey skirt.

I also made one of my sisters a wrap skirt for her high school graduation shortly after I began sewing. The fabric was a beautiful fawn brown with loosely brush-stroked pink roses. Unfortunately the construction was horrible. I still didn't know a thing about finishing the inside of a garment and I can't imagine that ravely fabric is holding up very well. She claims it's surviving and that she wears it. I'm kind of embarrassed thinking about it. I guess I was just so excited about my new interest and wanted to show off or something. Oh well.

What beginner's collection would be complete with out the classic pajama pants? I didn't use a pattern or tutorial...just roughly traced the basic shape from a pair I already had. They get a lot of wear in cold weather when I live in soft pants and sweatshirts pretty much every minute I'm home. The fabric is flannel that Mom gave me, along with a pattern, for Christmas when I was still in elementary school with promises to sew it for me. Obviously I never got the dress, but Mom has sewn three beautiful quilts for me so I can't complain. I only used half the flannel for the pants. I'm still not sure what to do with the rest. I would like to try something besides another pair, but the only thing I can really think of is a skirt. I'm not sure I would ever really feel comfortable wearing a pink flannel skirt, though.

I must have had a gifty bug when I first started sewing because I also made lounge pants for my husband and wrap pants for another sister very early on. I still get urges to sew special things for special people in my life, but more recently I've been meeting that need with things like bags rather than clothing. Mostly the little time I have to sew are focused on making things for me as I improve my skills. And now I think that is enough history for today. 

Experimental Oldies

When I first started sewing I had no patterns, no instructional resources besides the internet, not much expendable income for tools and fabric, and no idea what I was getting myself into. I bought my Singer 5817C at a thrift store because I had a couple of simple things in mind that I wanted to try making (still haven't actually made most of them). I started out buying heavily discounted fabric remnants and trolling the web for free patterns and tutorials. I suppose it would have been better to start out more prepared instead of just diving in, but I learned so much from making lots of mistakes on cheap projects. I won't try to fool you into thinking that there weren't plenty of tears and tantrums, but the frustration didn't stop me and it prompted me to look for resources. The obvious lack of skill on my early projects makes their wearability questionable, but I am still quite proud of some of them because I didn't give up and I figured out so much on my own.

One of the first things that I made was a pencil skirt. I didn't use a pattern...just roughly copied a skirt I had. The fabric cost $0.25. The skirt was originally a bit big. (I used to always error way too big in my cutting because it's easier to make something smaller than bigger.) Unfortunately after I took it in a bit I trimmed off the excess before trying it on and now it's a fuzz tight and I don't have enough seam allowance left to fix it.

This was my very first zipper ever. While an exposed back zip probably isn't the best choice for this particular garment, I was still pretty pleased to make it through that first without too much trauma.

I even made a back vent instead of just a slit. I didn't even try to find a tutorial (didn't know what it was called to look it up)...just figured it out as best I could looking at the skirt I was copying.

Popsicle Stick Room

When my husband and I bought our house last year, we chose one with three bedrooms so that we could each have a room of our own to enjoy our hobbies. We had been dreaming and plotting what we would do with our space for three and a half years while living in a tiny one bedroom apartment. Before I started sewing, I wasn't really sure what I would use my room for. My husband joked that I could make crafts out of popsicle sticks and my room was, therefore, dubbed the popsicle stick room.

I like seeing where other people live and work. It helps me learn about them and places them in an environment. I also enjoy gleaning fun and practical ideas to adapt for myself when others share their methods for organizing their space. A little introduction to my room seems like a perfect way to get started.

My sewing area

It is so wonderful to have space dedicated just to sewing. I get so much more done when I have room to work and can leave in progress projects out. I still have some work to do getting my sewing area fully set up and organized just how I want it, but I already love it.

The view from my doorway.

I love having a big, comfy chair to relax in. It is handy to be able to work on my computer at my desk, or turn it around for easy viewing of sewing resources from my sewing table.

Part of my bookshelf. I love books!...especially used ones.

My piano and guitar also get their place in my room.

View from my chair...gives a little better idea of the layout.

My old sewing area. Yikes!

My sewing "space" in the apartment was in the bedroom. My sewing machine actually usually shared that little desk with a desktop computer. My piano, both our guitars, our bed, tons of other storage, and for a while my husband's easel (until we moved it to the dining room) also shared this space. I didn't even have an ironing board...I used a TV tray with a towel over it.

I started getting interested in sewing while in the apartment, but I never got much done. My motivation and skill level have both improved significantly since the move. Having a dedicated space for sewing gives me the freedom to plug away on projects whenever I have a bit of time. My popsicle stick room is also so welcoming and tranquil (except when some sewing brawl is driving me to hissy fits) that I am eager to spend time there working.