Otter space dress

Hello in 2018! 

It's good to start the year right so I thought I would blog for a change. 2017 was a bad year for sewing - I lost my sewjo, went on longish holiday and when I got back I had to focus heavily on studying for my exams. I still made some clothes but took no photos and no blogging happened. This year I'm hoping on sewing more and hopefully also blogging regularly. Oh, and keeping better sewing notes so I know exactly what I made and when.

Anyway, back in October I needed something to keep me motivated - I was studying for hours and hours after work and my spirits were low. I decided that a new piece of fabric was what I needed! I visited our local craft store Made Marion and found the most amazing cotton print - otters chilling in space on teal background (fabric designed by Tula Pink). 

I had the perfect pattern for this fabric - the Chai dress by Itch to Stitch has been released few months before and I got it the moment I saw it. I have a weakness for shirt dresses and I really like Itch to Stitch patterns - they fit me very well and they come with different cup sizes which means no FBA required! 

The hardest part of making this dress was actually cutting it - I wanted the print to match across the bodice front which meant making sure that all 6 pattern pieces are cut the right way. Surprisingly this took forever! The front is pretty well matched - not perfectly but I can live with it.

I chose size 16 with a D-cup. I only made one change - I shortened the sleeves. Initially I wanted to make a sleeveless dress but after couple of tries with a bias bind finish I just couldn't get it to sit nicely, hence the sleeves. The pattern is designed well and the fit is pretty good - I could have sized down in the waist and I was contemplating making size 14 with a DD-cup but decided against that - mainly because I can always take the dress in but it's much harder to make  it bigger ;) The instructions were very clear and I followed most of them but I used Four Square Walls method for sewing the collar - I find it less fiddly and gives me nicer finish than the method suggested in the instructions.

I'm very pleased with this dress- I love the shape! The dress gets a lot of comments, especially when people realise the print is space otters :) I'm thinking about making another one, maybe in solid, drapey fabric but I need to search my stash first - I'm going to try to reduce the insane amount of fabric in my house!

 Photos were taken by amazing Emma :) Some photos of details to follow!

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 ;)

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?

B&W Cardamome dress

I've been wanting to try Deer and Doe patterns for a while now but I never got around to do anything about it. But when the new collection got released and some of my sewing buddies placed a group order I decided to join in. I went for  Cardamome dress pattern - pseudo-shirt dress with interesting details - shirring, curved yokes, two piece-collar and tower cuffs.

Originally I planned on making it in pinkish/brownish rayon I got some time ago but turns out you can't squeeze this dress out of 1,5m of fabric. So I grabbed black and white border print rayon that I got at recent fabric sale. It was only $4 per meter! I decided to cut the main top pattern pieces out of the border and it gives an impression of using two different pieces of fabric.

The yokes simply asked for piping! I have never used piping before but I'm always keen on expanding my sewing skills. I had black satin one and I really like piped yoke :) I also used it on pocket edges. Another new skill for me was shirring. I don't think I like this technique much but maybe I just need more practice. 

I cut size 42 and the only fitting adjustment I needed was 5 cm FBA. The armhole seems a bit low so next time I'll rise it by 1 cm. Oh, I also omitted the buttons as I never wear my shirts or shirtdresses buttoned up anyway. I made my Cardamome sleeveless as it will make it more wearable in Summer months :)

Do I need to tell you that I love this dress? It's very comfortable to wear and it's easy to dress it up or down. There will be more Cardamome dresses in my wardrobe for sure. The second one is almost finished already ;)

Excuse my silly poses - it was really windy today and I had to try to keep my hair off my face and my skirt down!