Space Invaders dress

Can you tell I'm super excited about this dress? It has Space Invaders! How cool is that?  I found this fabric at Levana in Levin last year. I only got a meter and initially it was going to be a hoodie or a casual top. The fabric is a bit weird - it was oddly stiff (luckily it got softer after a wash) when bought and the pattern is actually printed on white fabric! It doesn't look good when stretched. When at Levana I also got this green cotton jersey - it provided the best match for the space invaders fabric.

One evening, just after finishing my first Philippa dress I decided I needed more dresses like that in my wardrobe. After going through my stash I found several fabric combinations that would work well. You might see this pattern made up few more times ;) Since both of my fabrics are stretchy I omitted the zip and cut the back on fold. I finished the neckline and armholes with bands made of green jersey. And because I used the overlocker to put it together my new dress was ready to wear in about an hour! I love when that happens!

I wish I used clear elastic to reinforce the seams. They tend to sag a little bit. For that reason the pockets are not super usable. But it's not really going to make me stop wearing this dress - I love it! It also receives a lot of comments once people realize it Space Invaders ;)
Big thanks to Kat and Kirsten - we met to have brunch, took some photos, visited The Fabric Store and Wellington Chocolate Factory. Because one thing we love as much as sewing is chocolate!

Day in the office

Let me tell you a secret - every girl need a silk blouse! You put in on and feel like you can do anything! So when I know I'm going to have a tough day in the office this blouse is my secret weapon!

The blouse was made using the vintage inspired pussy bow pattern from the Great British Sewing Bee book. It is my second make using a pattern from that book - both are quite successful! The instructions are amazing, I didn't have any problems putting the blouse together. There are only two things I'd change if I ever make this top again - the instructions don't tell you to interface the edges where the buttons and buttonholes go. It looks a bit messy! The other thing I completely missed is the fact the blouse is designed to have drop shoulders. They never look good on me, so I had to adjust the armhole shape. It did affect my sleeve length and they ended up on a short side. I made size 16 with no alteration other than the shoulders. Size 14 with an FBA would probably be better - I was just too lazy to adjust the pattern.

I wasn't sure if the blouse like that would suit me so I chose to make it out of some dotted charcoal silk I got during one of the fabric sales. It was my first time working with silk but it was surprisingly nice to work it. Luckily it's not of of those super-shifty ones! Microtex needles helped a lot and kept the stitching nice and even.

I do like this blouse more than I expected I would! I usually wear the ties loose, I think it works better for me that way. I also learnt a bit about handling more slippery and delicate fabric that I'm not used to. So I guess it is a win-win for me - I got a nice silk blouse that cost me under $10 and learnt a lot during the process!

Sweet dreams!

First thing first - I'm not a pyjamas person to be honest. I'm more of a T-shirt kind of girl when it comes to sleeping. I can't ever remember last time I had a set of matching pyjamas! Although I think this might change soon!

During last fabric sale I spotted some cotton covered in pineapples and right away I knew it was going to become pyjamas. I wanted something classic -  buttoned top and cuffed bottom. I immediately thought about Carolyn Pajamas by Closet Case Files. Within a day the pattern was printed and taped and the fabric was cut. It's unusual for me, usually both patterns and fabrics have to mature a little bit in my stash before I use them ;)

I made size 14 but followed the lines for size 16 on the outside thigh seams. The fit is pretty good - my pyjamas are loose enough to comfortably move around in bed but not overly baggy. I wanted to have cuffed sleeves and bottoms but the length turn out to be just right without them and I just couldn't be bothered. Sometimes I am so lazy!

I am really happy I went ahead with piping. It was my first time using it and it turn out pretty well. I expected piping to be more fiddly to be honest! The biggest problem was caused by interfacing I used. It was super heat sensitive and there was a very fine line between the interfacing not sticking to my fabric at all and distorting and melting! So the facing and the collar are not as nice and smooth as they should. The other problem is with the facing not staying fixed in place. Next time I'll stitch it down.

I really like the finished pyjamas! Comfortable and they have pockets, and everyone knows that pockets are awesome! Pineapples are awesome too so double points for me ;)

T-shirt dress

The easiest dress there is! Take your favourite t-shirt pattern and just extend it by 30-40 cm -in this case I added 32 cm and it worked pretty well. This is another (third) version of Kimono Tee by Maria Denmark. I wasn't sure if the dress was going to be wide/stretchy enough to walk comfortably so I added splits at side seams.

The fabric is a relatively stable knit bought at the Fabric Warehouse during their 40% off sale at the beginning of the year. I was very sensible and came home with three pieces of various black fabrics and those stripes. It never happens - I'm always drawn to patterns and bright colours!

The fabric is quite nice but it's not really stretchy enough for this pattern. The armholes feel a bit tight and there are drag lines that annoy me! Also, I'm still debating adding darts - the idea was to have a loose dress but there is little bit too much fabric in the back.  As usual I finish the neckline by hand and used twin needle to finish the armholes and hem the dress.

Overall, the dress is highly wearable and paired with a jacket or a blazer is one of the most comfortable office outfits I have.

New favourite!

Philippa dress by Muse Patterns is definitely my new favourite dress to wear. If it was acceptable I'd wear it every single day! It's not a secret that I am a huge fan of Muse patterns. Kat is a brilliant designer and there is always something interesting and different about her patterns. I was a tester for Philippa and it definitely boosted my sewjo - having the deadline really made me push myself. 

Muse patterns always come with multiple options. My Philippa is collared with cut-away shoulders and pockets - because pockets are awesome. I also cut mini length. If you look closely enough you will see that my dress has a shoulder "design feature". Do you want a sewing tip? When using oddly-shaped leftover fabric from a different project make sure that you lay your pattern pieces over two layers of fabric! I only realized that one of my shoulders is missing after assembling side panels and stitching side seams. I needed a creative fix so I used black fabric to create mini-yokes to cover my mistake. But no one will know by by just looking :D

Since the sizing has changed for Muse patterns I spent a moment figuring out my size. My measurements put me between size 36 and 38. Since the dress is supposed to be fitted I decided to make size 38 with a D-cup option. I did end up taking the dress in around my waist - I deepened the front seams by 4-5 cm. That was pretty much the only adjustment I made*. Next time I will lower the bust point by 1-1,5 cm. And yes, there will be next time, probably many next times! 

* I lied, sorry! I completely forgot that the first change I did was shortening the bodice by 3,5 cm just above the waistline! I'm only 160 cm and Muse patterns are drafted for taller ladies :)

I used an abstract print cotton sateen bought at the fabric sale last year for my main fabric. I paired it up with some black polyester that has very similar qualities - slightly stretchy and with nice sheen to it. The design is perfect for contrasting fabrics! What I absolutely love is the collar. They usually make me look very top-heavy but not this one! I guess it is because the neckline is a bit lower that normally in the collared tops or dresses.

Anyway, if you can't already tell - I absolutely love this dress! And every single time I wore it I got compliments, including a completely random person on the street telling me that my dress was awesome! Not a bad outcome, right?

Tencel shirtdress

I can't seem to stop making shirtdresses! This time I went for McCall's M6696. It seems that everyone has made this one already! And I think I know why this pattern is so popular.

To be honest I made this dress back in November so I can't even remember the size I made! Since then I started a sewing journal where I note the size, the sort of fabric used, all changes made and potential future changes. It will make blogging easier, especially when I have a bit of backlog to deal with. The dress came together nicely, having an option for a D-cup meant no FBA needed which is always a good thing! Although if I ever make this dress again I'd add extra 1 or 2 cm as the dress gapes. After wearing it for the photos I stitched the button bands together so that solves the problem.

The dress is not perfect. While most of my dresses are sleeveless I did want this one to have short ones. Unfortunately the sleeves didn't work out, as I could barely move my arms. I wasn't in the mood of trying to figure them out so I ended up having yet another sleeveless dress. The other thing I don't necessary like is the back, or rather the fullness in the back. That's probably the reason I haven't really worn this dress much. But I think it deserves to be out more often and it could work as a casual Friday dress ;) While sewing the collar I followed the pattern, which meant stitching the collar and collar stand together and then attaching it to the dress. And I hated this method! The collar stand edge is not sharp and it looks messy. In the future I'll stick to my usual - stitching both collar stands to the dress and then stitching the collar in.

The dress was made with black, denim looking tencel. It was a dream to sew with! To make my life harder I decided to do some decorative top-stitching. Last year a family friend gifted me a huge bag full of zips and random spools of threads, including some viscose in several neon shades. Black was a nice background for fluorescent yellow and I'm glad I went through that extra effort! It made it a bit annoying to constantly switching the thread in my sewing machine but it was worth the trouble. Anyway, it's time to take this dress out of my closet because it's not fair to spend all that time sewing it up and not wearing it!

The perfect tee

I do love Maria Denmark's Kimono Tee. I've used this pattern four times already and I don't think I'm going to stop here. It's easy and quick sew even if you decide to finish the neckband by hand! Other than my initial 5cm FBA I didn't change anything else. There is nothing much to say I guess. Kimono Tee is well drafted and nice and easy introduction to sewing with knits.

I used lovely rayon knit that I bought from The Fabric Warehouse fabric sale last year. It's drapey, quite lightweight and very pretty. I still have 3 meters or so left so you will see it again sooner or later ;) I'm thinking long sleeved dress so I can wear it during the winter. It's starting to get cold here and I don't like it one bit! On the other hand my sewjo is back and I spent most of the day today cutting fabric and planning some winter sewing including a coat. I have chosen the pattern, I have the fabric, interfacing and notions. Things left to do is tracing the pattern and sewing a muslin which is not a very exciting task... But I guess if I want my coat to be nice I really can't skip this step...

Dress of a million seams

And I'm not even joking about the number of seams! Just look at the technical drawing ;) Melissa dress is super lovely and has many interesting design features (just check out those little pockets!) I was one of the testers for this pattern last year and I've been meaning to give it another go.

I made a huge mistake with my fabric choice... Poly-rayon suiting looked alright and had nice drape but frayed like crazy! It has also absolutely no give and I was too afraid of clipping it around the curves. All the seams are finished with a combination of black and mint bias tape which added a huge amount of extra work but super tidy finish. My poly-rayon wasn't easy to press either, there was a very fine line between pressing and melting the fabric.

As for the dress itself - the back V insert is a great opportunity to use scraps of lace or "statement" fabrics. I used some black lace generously given to me by Sandra. As for the fit - I chose size 40 with D-cup and there was no need for FBA :D  The first time I made Melissa I didn't change anything and the waistline was way too low. This time I moved it up by 7 cm (I think) and it's a too high! The other change I made was getting rid of a top V pocket. I almost always have to adjust shoulder line and scoop out a bit of the top of the shoulder princess seam and that pocket would make the fitting quite hard. And there was just one more change - I made my dress sleeveless. I couldn't face dealing with more bias bound seams! The collar took three tries to get it right - including me sewing the collar inside out *facepalm* By that time I was a bit over and the dress ended in a naughty corner for a few weeks.

When I got over the collar, the rest went nice and easy. I used black buttons with gold metal ring and I like the way they look. Overall I like the dress but I'm not crazy about it. Lower waistline and different fabric would make a huge difference and I suspect I might give this pattern another try ;)