Butterick 5794 Sweaterdress

Well, I just realized that this pattern is out of print, which is so sad!  This is a great pattern, and it's kind of unique, not the kind of thing you can easily engineer from another dress pattern.  It has a lot of great details.

The pattern is Butterick 5794.

I made basically the black version with pink's sleeves, but I raised the neckline a couple inches (for warmth!) and added long cuffs to the sleeves instead of finishing them with elastic.

I raised the neckline a bit, because I have a store-bought sweaterdress with a low cowl neckline, and I am always cold when I wear it.  I like the higher neckline for a dress that is supposed to be warm.

I am really happy with the sleeves and the gathers.  They are both such fun details that make this dress so interesting.  

The fabric is from the recently-closed Gorgeous Fabrics website.  It is a different color of the same fabric I used for my green Arenal sweater top.

The only thing I would do differently if I make this again is lower the waistline one inch.  It's in a strange place that's lower than empire-waist but higher than my natural waist.  

Let's end on one more shot of those pretty gathers!

McCalls 7429

This is version 2 of McCalls 7429, actually in the full-length dress this time.  The first time I made this pattern, I found the skirt portion too short and tight, so I modified it to be a tunic.  This time, I lengthened the skirt pieces and cut the sides more A-line shaped to compensate.  

I started out by cutting the sleeves long, figuring I could adjust them when the rest of the dress was finished.  I decided that with the long sleeves, it was just too much white, but I did like the look of longer sleeves, so instead of cutting them short, I went with 3/4.

The fabric is a white cotton ponte from Pennie Fabrics in Sarasota, but white ponte isn't hard to find online.  

I am not sure about the hem.  The knot pulls the hem all different ways.  Sometimes it looks like the outer wrap is too long, but a little adjustment fixes it.  I am leaving it as is for now, but if I find that I am constantly having to adjust, I will just redo the hem.

When I envisioned this dress in white in my head, I thought it would be so classic and classy, and it is.  I wanted it to hit at the bottom of my knee, which it does.  It is form-fitting, but doesn't show a lot of skin.  Then, the first time I wore it, I noticed THIS as I walked through a parking lot...

Yeah, there is nothing to be done.  That wrap is at the just the right spot to show a LOT of leg when walking.  :-)

x

Here is a closeup of the knot detail.

I constructed almost all of this dress on my serger and coverstitch machines that I received for Christmas.  It was awesome!  It goes without saying that you don't need either type of machine to make this dress, though.  In fact, I made my first red tunic version before I had either one.

I hope all the moms out there have a great Mothers' Day!

Vogue 1537 Dress in Silk/Linen

Hi there!  You may (or may not - it has been a few months) remember my excitement at Vogue 1537, a spring Kay Unger Designer pattern for Vogue.  Well, I finished it about two months ago, but with all the move excitement, I never got around to photographing and sharing it.  The coat is 95% finished as well.  It just needs a bit of hand sewing at the buttonholes (and buttons!), but once I missed the deadline on a perfect event for it, I lost steam.  It is too warm to wear now in Florida, but hopefully I will find the perfect excuse to wear it once we get to Pennsylvania.

So back to the main event - Vogue 1537.  I photographed this on a beautiful day, but I think the pale colored dress plus the white in the background was just too much for my camera and the photos are a bit washed out.  The detail photos at the end are an accurate representation of the fabric.  It is a silk/linen blend that I purchased at Penny Fabrics in Sarasota (sorry, still no website).  The lining is rayon from JoAnn fabrics.

The only shaping on the front is two french darts.  This style dart starts at the side seam around the waist and comes to a point at the bust.  This is a very flattering dart on my body shape.  It is easy to fit.  Here is another example of a dress with french darts.

The back has standard vertical fish-eye darts and a side invisible zipper.  I tried so hard to get that bottom band to be in the perfect position to cover my bra strap, but it always pops out, which totally ruins the look.  So far, I have only worn this dress with a little cardi over top, so you couldn't see the main detail anyway, but maybe I could look for a bra with a very thin band.  I can also envision some type of thread loop carriers like are used for bra straps, but that would be quite a pain to attach to my bra band and might cause strange bunching of my dress.

Here are the detail photos that show the fabric better.  After I wore this dress two times, I took it to the dry cleaner, and I kind of want to cry.  I was so meticulous with sewing and pressing this dress, and it came back distorted on the left side of the opening...

...and look what they did to the back left shoulder!  That isn't a sewing mistake.  The corresponding underside on the right is just as bad, but this is visible.  I don't know what to do in the future.  Just hand wash and press myself?  I like the crispness from the dry cleaner, but not at the expense of the shape of my dress!  Any ideas?  

Vogue 1257 by Alexander McQueen in Linen

When Tany made her version of out-of-print pattern Vogue 1257, it reminded me that I have been wanting to make this dress since I bought the pattern new!  The copyright on the pattern is 1998.  I am sure I bought it a few years later at JoAnns, and I am glad I did since it can sell for quite a bit now.

The thing that kept me from making this dress years ago was the fabric - the pattern envelope shows it in a slinky silk, which was a little intimidating combined with a bias-cut dress for a new-ish sewer.  When Tany made hers, though, I was determined to make this happen.  When I looked through my fabric stash, I found this linen I bought years and years ago and decided to give it a try.  I am really happy with how the fabric and pattern paired together, even though it is quite different from the original look.

This dress is really quite simple to sew.  It is only a few pieces.  The bias-cut design provides the shape.  I had to cut off some length from the pieces due to my fabric constraints, but I don't think it is very noticeable.  I am happy with the finished length.

The biggest challenge was getting the straps just right.  I steamed and stretched them first, as suggested by Tany.  The design of this dress and the weight of my fabric choice means that one side of this dress is pulled down much more than the other.  It took some trial and error to get each strap just the right length so that the dress looks even in the end.

I am very happy with the final product here.  I would still be happy to make a silk version, especially now that I know how easy this is to sew, if the perfect fabric presents itself.

McCall's 7319 Knit Dress

I can't decide how I feel about this.  I mean, I know I don't LOVE it.  I can't quite decide if I even like it.  One thing it has going for it is that it is SO comfortable.

The pattern is McCall's 7319.  My fabric is a very lightweight oatmeal-colored knit from JoAnn Fabrics.  I made a double skirt because of the sheer fabric, and that worked out well.  I left the hem and bottom edges of the wraps raw instead of hemming.  This knit fabric doesn't fray or curl at all, and it is so lightweight that the less I do with it, the better.

I do really like that the crossover detail continues on the back of the dress.  I find it really annoying, in both sewing and ready-to wear, when a detail on the front just stops at the side seams with nary a hint on the straight back.  My knit has only a little stretch, and it does make it challenging to get on and off.  Once it is on, though, it is super comfortable.  

I did a lot of tacking down at the neckline to keep everything just so, and now that I have worn it a few times, I think I need to tack at the waist as well.  The crossovers have a tendency to ride up and show the waist seam underneath.

So yeah, I don't know about this one.  I have been wearing it, but it's not one of my favorites.

McCalls 7391 Lace-Up Shift Dress

Hi there.  Remember when I said I wanted to make McCalls 7391 after I finished my lace-up tee?  Well, I did it.  The fabric is a navy linen/rayon fabric from JoAnn Fabrics.  The laces are a braided rope-like trim, also purchased from JoAnn, but I can't find it online.  I also stitched the trim right on top of my hem stitching, and I love the extra pop.  The eyelets are the exact same ones I used for my tee linked above.

Ok enough talking.  Here it is:

 I found the fit to be ok for me.  Of course I did not make a muslin.  :-)  I ended up adjusting the side seams a bit - taking them in at the bust and letting them out at the hips.  Taking it in at the bust made my armholes a bit smaller, and they are perfect now.  If I hadn't needed the adjustment, I may have found the armholes a bit low.

This design has a subtle shirttail hem.  Very nice.

This has a loose fit, but I don't think it is unflattering.  It skims the curves and is very comfortable on a hot day.

I machine-stitched the trim at the hem with a simple straight stitch down the middle.  I am so glad I didn't hand-stitch it on.  It looks just fine and was much faster!

McCalls 7429 Twist Dress shortened to a Tunic

This project gave me a bit of stress, but it all turned out well!  This is McCalls 7429, from the recent Early Fall collection.  I almost got this post up before the newer McCalls Fall collection was released, so I was almost on trend.  Oh well.

My fabric for this is a rayon/cotton jersey from Mood Fabrics that is now sold out.  That is very sad because this fabric is a dream, and at $7.99 a yard, the price was right.  I have decided that rayon/cotton blends are my favorite jerseys.  Just enough heft, just enough sheen, and just enough comfort.  The first picture in this post accurately reflects the color - a bright, rich red.

I made a few changes in the end.  I lengthened the short sleeves a bit to hit right at the crease of my elbows, and I shortened the whole dress to tunic length.  Truth be told, that was my plan at the outset, but I was concerned the proportions would not look right, so I made the dress full length first.  It turned out to be uncomfortably short as drafted (I am 5'6", so taller than average, but not too much).  It was several inches above my knee before hemming.  That's when I decided the tunic was happening, and I am really happy with the result.  I think the proportions are fine, and I could use a comfortable tunic top in my wardrobe more than a red dress.

I like the twist detail on this dress.  Twist tops were everywhere 5-10 years ago, and then they were less in fashion.  I kind of hope they are making a comeback.  I think they are really flattering and elevate a basic tee shirt.  This knot being at the waist is a bit different from the usual center bust placement.  As with many twist top patterns, the instructions had me scratching my head a couple of times.  I think there is just no way around it.  Interesting patterns will be a bit more challenging.  I just followed slowly step by step, and everything turned out fine.

There is a center back seam on this pattern, which makes for a great fit, and would make a swayback adjustment simple to do.  Mine fit fine, though.  Oops, you can see the back pockets on my ponte pants through my top.  I will generally wear this over leggings or jeggings, but I was going for a slightly dressier look today for my anniversary dinner.  :-)  Here is my whole look - leopard print pumps and all.

McCalls 7351 Shirtdress

Oh my.  The lengths I went to for these photos!  First of all, it is pretty much always 100 degrees around here until October, so I sit inside, camera-at-the-ready, waiting for a big cloud to block the sun for a bit.  Then, I run out and get set up in front of my favorite Mandevilla bush because - hello, giant, gorgeous pink flowers!

 But wait!  What happened to my giant cloud?  Oh well, press on.

The cloud returned... and then entered the biggest, most-territorial bumblebee I have ever seen.  No joke, this guy decided the bush was his, and he was doing patrols around it so that every time I set the timer for a photo, there he was waiting to scare me off.  I'm not allergic to stings or anything, and I don't even know if this guy could sting, but he was definitely intimidating!  Ok, enough about the bee.  Photographic evidence of that fiasco will come at the end.  First, the dress!

This is McCalls 7351, a popular shirtdress pattern from spring.  I made view D, with the circle skirt and which is used for the sample white dress on the envelope.  This is a fantastic pattern.  It definitely looks best worn with a skinny belt.  I also used this pattern to create my Liberty blouse.

The fabric is this cotton voile from Mood Fabrics.  It says it is "vintage inspired," but it also reads Liberty of London inspired to me.  I was pleased that this voile is substantial enough that it does not need a lining or slip.  The buttons are from JoAnn.  I can't find them online, but I think they were made from a nut shell or something like that.  I like the way they contrast with the flowers.

Ok, on to the funny ones.

Here is my personal favorite of the lot:  Hey, check out my circle skirt!  Oh wait, there is a disturbing-looking bumble bee over there.

Nope, I am not even going over there this time.

Even the dog sees it!

 However, despite multiple attempts, I could not get a photo of the actual bee.

Simplicity 1810 Dress in Rayon

I made this dress pattern last spring, and at that time, I said "This design is the dress of my dreams."  It still is.  Comfortable, breathable, Florida perfection.  However, it seems that it is no longer in print because I cannot find it on the Simplicity website.  Boo hoo!  Here it is on the Pattern Review site, though, for reference.  Why, oh why, would they put this out of print so quickly.  I mean, come on, it is the perfect dress, and I haven't even gotten around to making the top yet!

We have been having the most ridiculous rainy weather for the past few weeks.  Tropical storm Colin wasn't the half of it.  Before that, we had some crazy rain and wind for days.  Anyway, what this means for you is that you get crummy indoor shots of the dress.

There are two ways to wear this dress, which I find fun.  It is a subtle difference, but fun none the less.  You can tie it in the front...

Or wrap the ties around to the back and knot them for a more streamlined look.  I always wear my other version of the dress this second way, but this fabric is more drapey, so I can see myself going with the bow from time to time.

This fabric is a woven rayon border print from JoAnn Fabrics.  I fell in love with the color, the fact that it is not polyester, and the border print.  The only change I made to accommodate the border print was to change the A-line skirt shape to a straighter shape, starting about halfway down the skirt.  This makes for a  less swingy skirt, but it doesn't interrupt the border print.

Now, before this last pic, let me state that I AM NOT PREGNANT... but as I was taking photos, I decided that this would make a great maternity pattern with little alteration.  It's roomy in the bust, a bit high waisted, and you could easily make the skirt even bigger.