Saturday, July 25, 2015

flutter sleeve renfrews

A while ago I realized what everyone else already knows, that knit tops are just plain easier to wear than woven, and that they are what one will generally reach for first when deciding what to put on in the morning. Which meant I really needed some fun/cute t-shirt type tops!


The thing was, if I'm going to have sleeves I want them to be interesting. So I took the sleeve piece from view f of simplicty 2364 and hacked it up until it fit into the armscythe of the sewaholic renfrew.


Yay for flutter sleeves! I made the first one up in a soft and drapey black rayon knit, and I wear it so often that a few days ago I made up another in a bright blue cotton jersey.


It has polka-dots! This fabric is a fair bit thicker and more stable than the rayon, so it will be interesting to see how it differs in fit and feel (I haven't actually worn it yet except for trying on).


My local fabric store has a decent selection of bamboo knits, and I will probably have to pick up a bunch and make more variations of this top. It's both cute and comfortable, and I do so love looking like I made an effort while feeling like I'm still in pajamas :P.

Also, knit tops are so easy to make! I made the blue one in the 4 hours it took my guy to have D&D night, and still had time to make three more pairs of panties!



The black ones are actually the scraps from that first top, omg soft!

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Formal sheet dresses?

...Is that an oxymoron? Because these two dresses both ended up being the kind of thing I'll probably only wear to events where I should really probably look somewhat respectable. My guy says they look like curtains, and I can't entirely disagree!


I made them both from New Look 6749 (picked up at value village for .99 cents, score!), and both from sheets that my mom gave me after she got a differently sized bed and couldn't use them any more.


Other than the pattern and fabric, everything else for them came out of my stash and remnants, so while these dresses may not get a lot of use, at least they were practically free! I used view D for this one, with short lengths of lace trim used instead of fabric tubes for the strap bands.


I predictably had to take a big wedge out along the centre back seam to make it fit my back, with caused the bodice/skirt seam to meet in a V at the zipper. I know that is probably considered a bad thing, but with the lace along that seam I think it looks quite pretty!


For the second dress I made view B (I would have done C, which has the narrow straps, to make it more distinct from the first one, but at this point I was still thinking I would wear them to work, and we have a 2" strap minimum). I used the same lace as on the first one, but around the hem to add a little interest to the bottom of otherwise boring skirt.


The patterns originally had a narrow shift-type skirt, but I didn't feel like trying to make it work with my swayback/giant booty, so I slashed and spread to make both the front and back about twice as full, and divided each side of the skirt back into two panels split where the dart originally went.


With the fuller skirt and empire waistline, the dresses ended up having a slight regency vibe. It isn't the most flattering thing for my figure, largely obscuring my waist, but it's got a certain elegance to it.


While I was a little disappointed that these ended up feeling more classy than I'm comfortable rocking on a daily basis, I can't argue with actually having something normal in the closet for those occasions when one can't get away with superheros and ruffles, hahaha.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Blue apple top

A few years ago I bought this fabric online on a whim, and then (as so often happens) had no idea what to do with it. So it sat in my stash until a few weeks ago, when I got Butterick 4132 in the post.

The very qualities of the fabric that had left me scratching my head before made it perfect for this pattern; light and drapey, fairly shear, strange pattern. I even decided that the semi-subtle stripes of apple/flowers and metallic silver thread just made the bias cutting easier! I used view A, because it is too bloody hot for sleeves right now.




The fabric is light enough that the facing used to finish the neckline/armholes doesn't bother me, and I was feeling lazy enough that I just pinked the lower edge of the facing, so it came together super quickly. In fact, I made the whole thing in the time it took to watch Batman Begins!



I cut a straight size 14, and the only fit issue I had was gaping at the back neckline. Really I should just make this adjustment as a matter of course, because Big4 patterns are always way too big for me across the upper back. Luckily with this one it was an easy fix of opening out the facing and making two long narrow darts; now it fits beautifully, and I think they even look intentional instead of like a last minute hack!




The only down side is that I managed to cut this top out of only half the length of fabric! Or is that an up side? I guess it goes back into the stash until I decide :P.

(oh, and it's kind of scratchy it you tuck it in, thanks to the metallic thread...)

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Unmentionable Canada Day

Happy Canada Day! I meant to celebrate by making a watermelon themed dress (more on that late), but got distracted making skanky underwear instead, hahaha.


I finally got around to making a pattern from my favourite rtw undies, and now all the lacy goodness can be mine!!!



With the stretch lace and lingerie elastic I had on hand, and scraps of jersey left over from other projects, I managed to make four pairs in a few hours. I have some more stretch lace kicking around that I just have to decide on a fabric match for, but I'll definitely be ordering more lace and making tonnes of these to replace my rtw ones that have seen better days. Then all of my undergarments will officially be made-by-me! I always feel slightly smug when I know I made EVERYTHING I'm wearing, hahaha.

Hope you guys have/had a great Canada Day!