The Lane Raglan Zaaberry Style

A few weeks back, Adrianna of Crafterhours released her first pattern for women, The Lane Raglan.  I've been a huge Crafterhours fan for years and even got the opportunity to pattern test when The Greenpoint Cardigan pattern was in the making.  

So, when on the day of the pattern release Adrianna said that 100% of the proceeds that day would go to charity, I absolutely couldn't say no.  

This yellow version was the first one I made, and in typical fashion, I put my own twist on the pattern.

 I wanted a shirt that was a little more tunic-like and made an asymmetrical hem.  The fabric is a heavyish weight knit. It's super comfortable, but the fabric isn't my favorite.  You can't see it so well in the picture, but the face of the fabric is kind of fuzzy and not so great looking.

 I do like the way it looks from the back.  Guess I'll just have to walk around backwards.

My next Lane Raglan I did a pattern mix-up and used the Lane for the top of a Lady Skater.  If you're a frequent Zaaberry reader, you know how much I LOVE the Lady Skater Dress Pattern.

This version is nice, comfy, and very wearable.  I think I shortened the bodice a bit, and didn't use the elastic at the bottom.  The fabric is heavy enough that it didn't need it.  And though it does help stabilize the seam, I found that it's kind of pokey on the my other dresses.  So I was glad I didn't need it this time around.

I'm going to need to learn about a swayback adjustment.  The back puckers on all my dresses...

Any good tips?

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!

Boatneck Lady Skater and French Cuff TUTORIAL

Well, I couldn't restrain myself.  I had to make another Lady Skater Dress.  I've worn my previous, ahem, 3 dresses quite a bit.  I've had my eye on this dress, but the fit isn't the most flattering on me.

I happened to find almost the exact same color ponte knit at Joanns, so why not another Lady Skater?

This time I made a boatneck.  In a nutshell, here's what I did for the neck.   

 I brought the scoop neck up and widened it, making it dip a little bit lower in the front.  Before sewing the shoulder seams, I applied some Steam-A-Seam Lite to neck.  I turned the neck to wrong side, sewed the shoulder seams, then top-stitched all the way around.

Okay, now for the fun French Cuff. Measure the circumference of the sleeve you want to add the cuff to.  Cut a shape like below using the circumference and your desired cuff length being sure to add your seam allowance (SA).  My cuff length was about 4 inches.

Apply a lightweight interfacing to the wrong side of half the cuff.  With right sides together, fold the cuff in half and sew the sides.

 Turn the cuff to the right side and press.

 This step is really important, so follow along carefully.  Turn your dress sleeve inside out.  Fold your cuff in half, matching the angled side. Align the fold of the cuff to the seam of the sleeve.

Pin the cuff to the wrong side of the sleeve, all the way around, so the angled sides end up directly opposite of the sleeve seam.

 Sew the cuff to the sleeve.

 Turn your sleeve to the right side.

 Fold the cuff back, press and add a cute button.

 Hope this tutorial makes sense.  It's really pretty simple once you sit down and actually do it.  And, it's adds a really nice touch to a simple dress.

My Favorite Lady Skater Dress

 And probably my last....for now.

 The fabric is a medium weight cotton lycra that I got from the Fabric Fairy a while ago.  I've been trying really hard to use fabric from my stash before buying anything new.

 The weight and stretch of the fabric is perfect for this dress.  Though I did end up having to redo the skirt.  The original was too full and the fabric didn't drape properly.

 Sewing for myself has been really fun.  At first, I really hated taking photos of myself.  But truthfully, the more I do it, the more at ease I feel.  I still don't love looking at photos of myself and wondering why I'm making silly faces.

But, it can be fun to play around with the kids and the remote which sometimes spurs some cute candid photos.  And, the boy is still wearing his Flip Vest from February.

Now that I'm done with sewing for myself for a while, I might have to make him a new one.  The next Kids Clothes Week Challenge is coming up in a few short weeks.  Are you joining in?