Outfit Along

I decided to participate in the outfit along put together by Lauren and Andi. The concept of planning projects to work together is a good one, even if I didn't plan this project as well as I could have.

Who knits a worsted weight, wool cardigan in the summer? Me, apparently. I'm kind of scared of cotton for knitting. I've heard it can stretch out of shape easily (and won't spring back), and so so far I've stuck pretty much with just wool. Am I needlessly chicken?

This is the Marion Cardigan made from Cascade 220 Paints in Cherry Berry. I didn't realize how dark the blues in this yarn were until I had knitted a bit. I like it for the sweater, but it seems like a lot of color to go with the turquoise dress that I had also started.  I started with a small, and graded out to a medium to acquire more bust space. That worked out well, though I haven't yet resolved how the numbers make sense based on how many stitches I calculated I would need to add. I continued with the medium to the waist, so as to have some positive ease there, per Amy Herzog's suggestions in Knit to Flatter. It is too much, though. I don't know if that's an issue of personal preference, or that it's a cropped length.

I also opted to make the sleeves full length. Even before I got to that length, however, it became clear I wasn't going to have enough yarn, even for the length as written. Luckily I was able to get another skein in the same dye lot. I stabilized the button band with grosgrain ribbon per lladybird's tutorial. (Although getting the buttonholes to match up was . . . difficult.)

The dress I originally planned is the Sewaholic Cambie in a turquoise rayon/linen blend I bought a couple years ago. Being more hourglassy than pear, I had avoided this pattern for awhile, even though I really liked it on others. Gathered skirts aren't usually a good look on me, so I went with the A line. Even though linen is one of the recommended fabrics for this version, it strikes me as a little overly sturdy for this design. I may yet make the other view in a lighter fabric before really deciding how I feel about this pattern. I really like the designs of Sewaholic patterns, and the instructions, and techniques used, but on me, they leave something to be desired. (Also, I think the bodice here is a bit long - which is bizarre, because I don't often have that problem. Although I did with the Renfrew.)

So, I decided to make a second dress to go with this sweater. I settled on another Georgia dress, made from a navy blue ponte. It's a rayon, poly, lycra blend double knit. It's only 1% lycra, so it has very minimal stretch (more like a stretch woven than a knit). The color is very similar to the darker blues and purplish shades in the yarn. The bodice lining is a cheap nylon knit. I made the straps wider, and cut the piece down the middle to take about an inch out of the length. Then I took the straps up another inch in the process of attaching them. Otherwise I did not make any changes from my last version. I had planned to do a twin needle hem, but don't have one for knits right now, and couldn't get a nice stitch without skipped stitches. So I opted for a single line of stitching, with a longer stitch length, and wooly nylon in the bobbin. Since the dress has so little stretch, I think it will be okay. As before, I love this dress.

Georgia to the Nines

A year ago I never would have even considered the By Hand London Georgia dress pattern, but I really do love the Anna pattern. Also, I tried something similar on in a retro clothing store last summer. I hated the fabric, which was a weird orange and red print, but it really did look great on me. I was tempted to buy it, but knew because of the fabric I wouldn't wear it enough to make it a good decision. So, here we have a pattern for a similar dress - that I could make in fabric that I might actually wear.  (The rtw dress had some other issues too, like being too low in the neckline for it to get much wear.)
It started an idea though.

The fabric is a stretch cotton sateen from Mood. I really like big floral prints on sateen, but this is about as wild as I get.

I think, when dealing with By Hand London patterns, I need to put more thought into the FBA process. While I like that their sewalongs cover how to do a FBA for that pattern, they don't always work out so well for those of us who need a bigger FBA. For instance here I needed 5" total. Following their method, I wound up with something pointier than I'd like. Ultimately I graded down the curve some with a French curve, and got a better effect. I also added about an inch to the top of the bodice pieces all the way around. I stabilized the neckline with some staytape early on, and I think that was a smart move.

I cut the top based on a size 4 and the skirt graded out to a size 10. I probably could have gone down a size in the skirt (at least when using a stretch woven), but this works. I was planning to pink the seams, but haven't done it yet as I'm still debating taking the seams in some. I've tried pinching some out, but none of those attempts have really improved the way the skirt lays. I also had to shorten the straps, and may yet shorten them more.

I like the pointed join at center front, but the smaller point in the back was more trouble than it's worth. If/when I make this pattern again, I'll probably flatten that one out. I'm also considering hacking this skirt onto the Anna bodice. 

I do really like this dress. I'm not sure how much wear I'll get out of it, as it's not quite right for fancy work functions, but I'll just have to start inventing places to wear it. 

You know what I really like about this dress? It makes me look thin(er). Sorry for being shallow, but it does nice things for my figure. 

Gold and Green Anna

I had this gold and green brocade in my stash. Once upon a time I must have bought it for a specific project, but it was long enough ago that I have no idea what that was. Oh well. Free fabric, am I right?

It turned out there was enough for the midi length Anna, even with lengthening the bodice and needing to use a "with nap" layout. Hooray. It may be a little on the stiff side for the skirt to hang as it might otherwise, but I think it looks fine.

That white blur is my dog. He never slowed down
enough for me to get a picture that wasn't blurry.

Am I the only one whose pets decide fabric out on the floor to cut means it is time to go crazy? The cat started stalking the dog, and the dog decided he needed to play with the cat's pyramid bed. So yeah, cutting took a lot longer than it should have.

While I'm not a terribly fast sewist, this is a pretty quick project. In a portion of one afternoon, I got the remaining pieces traced, the fabric cut, and everything but the zipper and finishing steps done. (Well, and I decided I'd like this dress more if I lined the bodice, so I didn't cut/sew the lining the first afternoon, since that required a trip to the fabric store - as did the zipper.) Oh, and I serged the edges of everything too, since this brocade frays like crazy.

I'm short enough in my legs that I was able to cut quite a bit off to get a decent length when I hemmed this. I imagine in 60" wide fabric I could probably get away with 2 1/2 yards.

One thing I struggle with is getting my seems a consistent width. I don't know why this is so hard for me. I guess I need to slow down? Anyway, my skirt pieces were not matching up with the bodice even remotely correctly, so I had to go back and make some seems bigger, and others smaller. Even then my skirt section was a tad bit longer (er, wider?) than the bodice, but I figured I could even that up at the zipper stage. 

I did manage to find some bemberg lining at Joann Fabric, so that's what the bodice is lined with. (I didn't line the skirt - I'm one of those weirdos who wears slips.) For some reason I selected a creamy color, which maybe wasn't the best choice. (There weren't a lot of choices.)  I think this is my first item lined with Ambiance instead of the cheap poly or acetate junk so I'm interested to see how I like it after more wears. At the moment, I like it - it has a very creamy soft feel to it. I wound up stiching the lining down to the bodice around the neckline - not top-stitching it, but more like a modified blind hem stitch. It doesn't look amazing on the inside, but it's basically invisible from the exterior (while making the whole thing lay flatter and seem more secure.)

I realized after I finished sergimg the skirt panels together that I had been planning to add pockets. Oh well. Not going to unpick serging for it. I'm generally of the opinion that everything should have pockets. (I recently saw a shirt that had pockets. Want.)

There is some gaping in the front neckline. It can be pinched together in a huge mess, but is relatively unoticeable when left to its own devices. 

I wore this the other night for an event at my museum, and got a lot of compliments. My favorite was a woman who really wanted to know where I got it, and thought it had a great vintage look. 

Anna Dress Muslin

I'm working my way through an Anna Dress. Maybe two, depending on how the first comes out.

Muslin #1

I've been working on some necessary adjustments to the pattern. The principal thing I knew I'd need was a FBA. That accomplished, I realized I would need some other changes too. While I added an inch of length to the bust as part of the FBA, the bodice is way too short. While I am short (and particularly from bust to shoulder, which I did  shorten by 3/4"), my torso is actually pretty long from the bust down. I've never actually done a FBA before (which is funny, because that's a big reason why I sew), but am pleased with the result. While I have a couple fitting books, I do wish I could find a really good resource on bust-shoulder petite adjustments.

Version #2 

I added two inches to the gathered section of the bodice. I also had been debating on sizing. Muslin #1 was based on the US size 6, and was a little tighter than I'd like. If I were using a fabric with some stretch, I think I would have stayed with it, but I was getting progressively nervous so sized up a little through the waist. I also had to take some fabric out of the upper back, and did so following Ginger Makes' method.
(Is it me, or do independent pattern companies draft for broad backs? I don't think I have a particularly small back,  but I wound up having to invent some darts in the back of the Colette Jasmine, so I'm starting to wonder. On the other hand, it is more gapey on me than on the dress form...)

Planning

I'm planning to use a green and gold brocade from my stash for the dress. I think. If there's enough. I think I need to use a "with nap" layout, so I'm not sure until I actually get everything laid out.(And it's more green than the photo makes it's appear.)