Lisette Travelers Dress

 Just when it seemed like Spring was in the air, we got a few inches of snow and the temperatures for the coming week are going to be way below normal, again.  So though I was thinking of Spring when I started working on this dress, it will definitely be sitting in the closet for a while.

 Ultimately, I'm happy with my final dress, but I don't love this pattern.  My usual problem with sewing with wovens and commercial patterns is that the sizing is tough.  Knits are so much more forgiving and jive better with my type B sewist personality.  

In an attempt to follow the rules, I took my measurements and cut a size 12.  Now I'll tell you that when I buy clothes in the store, I'm usually just about the smallest size you can get.  So, cutting a 12 seemed odd, but that's what my measurements dictated.  Well, my first dress came out gigantic!  It felt like a lab coat, which is kind of fun since I work in a lab.  Maybe I'll add the buttons and feel extra fancy at work.

This dress was my inspiration and I was pretty bummed that my first dress didn't work out.  And, the fabric wasn't cheap.  I might have to try to re-cut it and....make it work!

 I went back to my pattern and this time cut a size 6.  This is definitely the size I need, though I'll tell you there's no way my waist is 23 inches!

Though the size 6 did end up being the right size, I still had to make some adjustments.  The armholes and the neck were so teeny tiny and I ended up making them bigger.  In retrospect, I should have also used a bigger sleeve, so the dress is a tiny bit tight in the armpit region.

The other changes I made were to eliminate the lower pockets, make flap pockets for the top (used THIS tutorial), and I added a little button tab to the sleeves.

So, to summarize:

PATTERN: Simplicity 2246

FABRIC: lightweight cotton chambray

SIZE: 6 

RESULT: I'm happy with the dress, 

but probably won't make it again.

Sweater Knit Lady Skater

I'm finally getting around to sharing another dress made with my favorite pattern, the Lady Skater Dress.  This is my, wow, fifth dress from this pattern.  My others are here and here and here.

I wanted a comfy, sweatery (I made up a new word), warm, dress to wear in the winter.  This dress really fit the bill.  The fabric is a sweater knit from Joanns.  I made the skirt even less full than in my previous versions  and I'm happy with the result.  I had a little trouble in the back this time around.  It's a little looser than I intended, though I'm not sure why.  I still love it and wear it a lot. 

It's been a bit warmer here than is typical and is making me think about Spring.  So I started working on a new dress that's a little outside the box for me.  It's a commercial pattern and it's a woven!

 

 Hopefully I'll have dress to share soon!

Girls Tunic Dress - TUTORIAL

 I've had this tutorial in draft form for over a week now!  I've got a few variations that I wanted to add, but I think I'll share them in a separate post. 

In an effort to whip out some fast and functional back to school clothes, I came up with this sweet tunic dress.  It's super easy, so grab your supplies and let's get started.

You'll need:

a shirt that fits

craft paper for making your pattern

cotton jersey fabric

1/4 inch elastic

amounts will vary depending on what size you're making

 Lay your shirt on your paper and trace all the way around.

 Add your preferred length and angle the sides out a few inches.  Add whatever seam allowance you prefer to all sides, then cut out your pattern.  Fold it in half to make sure that it's symmetric.

 Cut the pattern in half to make a front and back pattern.  On the pattern piece you want to use for the front, drop the neck an inch or so.

 Cut one front piece and one back piece, with the pattern on the fabric fold.

 With right sides together, sew one shoulder seam.

 Since jersey knits often roll and can be a little tricky, I'm going to show you a trick.  There's a wonderful product called Steam-A-Seam.  It's basically a double sided tape that you can use on fabric.  It's sticky on both sides and you can choose to permanently fuse it or not. 

 So, to finish the neck, cut a strip of fabric that is 1.5 inches wide.  The strip should be an inch or so shorter than the length of the entire neck, front and back.

 Notice how the fabric wants to curl.

 On the wrong side of the neckband, apply the Steam-A-Seam.  Don't iron it, just stick it.

 Remove the paper backing.

 Fold the neckband in half, with wrong sides together.  The beauty of this is that if you don't fold it perfectly, you can unstick it and redo it.  Once you have it folded nicely, lightly iron it.

 With the raw edge of the neckband aligned with the raw edge of the neck sew the neckband in place, gently stretching it as you go.

 Press the neckband and sew the other shoulder seam.

 Hem both sleeves.

 Sew both side seams.

 On the inside, measure down about 3.5 inches from the sleeve.

 Draw a straight line across the front and back.

 Mark the center of the front and back.  As a side note, I use this pen.  The line disappears with heat.

 Cut a piece of elastic that is about 2 inches shorter than the total width of the dress front and back.

 Sew the ends of the elastic together to make a loop and mark the elastic in quarters.

 Pin the elastic to the dress matching the quarter markings to the side seams and center markings on the dress.

 Using a long zig-zag stitch, sew the elastic to the dress, gently stretching the elastic as you sew.  You don't want to stretch the fabric, just stretch the elastic so it is flat on the fabric.

 You should end up with a nice gathered waist.  Hem your dress and you're done!  My dress took me less than an hour from start to finish and taking pictures along the way. 

The dress is really easy to wear, light and breezy. 

Paired with leggings and a cardigan it transitions to fall really well. 

Like I said at the beginning, I've got a few little variations that I'll share in separate post soon.

Happy almost long weekend!

Dress Obsessed and a Tutorial Preview

I've been totally dress obsessed here lately and somehow, I just found out about the Summer of No Pants sewalong.  I didn't officially join, but all this time, I've been playing along and didn't know it.

Summer for me is all about skirts and dresses.

 While working out all the details of my Jersey Dress tutorial, I really came to understand basic, and I mean basic, knit dress construction.  I didn't realize it could be so easy.  I've made a few for the girl.

And a matching one for myself.  As an aside, she actually wanted me and her to wear our matching dresses when I volunteered for field day at her school.  How long do you think that will last?

 A fun black and white chevron version.

 Mustard stripes with a cool back cutout.

 I'm not gonna lie, there are a few more that I didn't have time to photograph.  It's really fun.  Once you've got the basic pattern, you can pretty much cut and finish a dress in 3 hours or less.

 And just this weekend, I figured out, POCKETS!  I think my life may be complete.  Dresses with pockets!

Tutorial coming soon.  

If you haven't checked out my Jersey Dress Tutorial, go do it now.  Then you'll be ready and can make yours with pockets too!

Summer Dresses for Me

It finally feels like Spring in W. Massachusetts.  The perfect weather for some new Spring dresses.

I had a vision and remarkably, it came together pretty easily.  

I used a simple scoop neck T-shirt pattern for the top, cut short for where I wanted the skirt to start.  The skirt I cut a little larger than the bottom of the shirt, gathered it with elastic, and then attached it to the top.  Really, it's pretty easy.

I didn't take any photos as I put these 2 dresses together, in part because I wasn't sure they would work out.  Not only did they work out, but I can't decide which I like better.  I'm definitely going to make more, and can hopefully put together a tutorial.

So, find your favorite T-shirt pattern and I'll be back next week with some instructions.

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Skirt Week Fun

 Have you been following Skirt Week over at Crafterhours?  So many cute skirts and great inspiration. 

My Chambray Pocket skirt is up for voting this week!  Such an honor!  I get so much mileage out of this skirt, definitely a favorite in my closet.

And while you're poking around on Crafterhours, be sure to download their Racerback Dress pattern, it's free, and a really great pattern. 

Channeling Spring

The other night I came across a blog I hadn't seen before and was instantly inspired.  Elle Apparel has some nice tutorials for clothing and though I didn't follow any one in particular, her ideas definitely got me thinking about making more clothes for myself.  
I'm not nearly as cute as Leanne and I really hate having my picture taken, so you'll have to bear with me.

First I made this cute shirt dress.  The shirt was $10 at Target and the skirt is fabric I'd had in my stash for a long time.  It's not perfect, but good enough for a first try.  I plan on making more, once it's actually warm out.  Despite it being about 34 degrees, my husband convinced me to go outside for these photos.  True blog dedication. 

Next, I made myself a skirt. I just bought this skirt from Old Navy.  I love the fit and style, so I just traced it and made another.

Once it gets warm here, this skirt will get a lot of mileage.  I made the shirt for our trip to Florida last month. 

 

 What have you added to your wardrobe lately?  Any great tutorials out there I should know about?  I'd love to hear from you!