Dixie DIY: Ballet Dress

Wow guys… two makes in one weekend. I think that’s a record for me. I’ve been so busy having fun every weekend that I really wanted to chill out and spend some QT with my sewing machine. I made this sweet little knit dress using the Dixie DIY Ballet Dress Pattern. I really love this dress. It’s comfortable, skims the body enough to show you’re a lady, and easy to make.

I was going to add a skirt to my Maria Denmark t-shirt pattern, but then felt lazy. Dixie already did the work for me, it’s only $4, and (this is really why I didn’t buy this pattern sooner) Etsy now allows *instant* PDF downloads. Also I wanted to help a sistah out.

I cut a size medium, but ended up taking the side seams quite a bit. Next time (and there will be a next time), I’m going to start with a size small and go from there. I didn’t make an changes to the pattern, other than shortening the sleeves. I really wanted to see how this was going to fit and wear before I started going crazy with the one billion hacks and variations I’ve got swimming in my brain.

I need to add about one inch to the front bodice piece. It pulls up on account of my bosom. It almost feels like an empire waist dress. Marie had the same issue when she made the dress, so I’m going to assume this would be a needed adjustment for somebody with a full C-D cup bra size. Also the sleeves are pretty loosey goosey. When I make  a long sleeved  version I’m going to slim them down quite a bit.

I love the drape of the skirt. It flares out in the most flattering way and moves and swishes with you as you walk. This photo isn’t the greatest but it shows how it skims, but doesn’t cling to my figure problem area, known affectionately in my house as my pizza pouch. I eat the shit out of pizzzzzzzzzzaaaaaaa.

I changed the order of construction, because I like to work flat with knits as much as possible. I work in a production studio for a knitwear line so I can do this in my sleep. If you’re interested here is my usual order of construction:

(1) Sew shoulder seams, apply twill tape for stability. (2) Sew sleeves to shoulders. (3) Attach elastic to the top edge of the skirt pieces on the wrong side. Be careful to not stretch out the elastic. I used my walking foot. (4) Sew skirt pieces to both the bodice front and back (5) Sew the side seam in one long continuous seam, matching the underarms and waist. I like to start at the sleeve hems because I get to the match points sooner. (6) Apply the neck band (7) Hem, I used my twin needle for this.

xx, Cynthia

 

 

Laurel…. and Some Tacky Underpants

I’m finally blogging my Colette Laurel. I was able to squeek this one under the deadline for the Laurel sewing competition.

I entered this into the self designed fabric category. I had been wanting to hand stamp a dress with french bulldogs for over a year. I had seen the cute pony dress over on the blog A Beautiful Mess and really wanted to make a version for myself. When I saw the Colette competition, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try out this technique. I found a bulldog silhouette on the interwebs and used it to make a stamp with craft foam.

I cut a size 4 (which is my standard size in Colette). It came out HUGE. I ended up shaving this down to a size zero right under the bust to the hem. I’m still able to pull this over my head without a zipper even though I shaved so much off of the side seams. I omitted the sleeves and drafted a Peter Pan collar.

It didn’t came out as cute in real life as it did in my head. It’s a little *too* homemade looking. I don’t want to look like I’m wearing something made by Patricia on Project Runway… LOLZZZ. I think this is going to end up in the never worn part of the closet. I’m not ready to give up on this idea yet. I want to try screen printing some smaller scale bulldogs on a future version of Laurel.

In other news, I made my first pair of panties (ewww…. I know that’s a fairly universally hated word). This is the most ridic item of clothing I’ve ever made. These are made from an old T-shirt that was thrifted and destined to be underpants. I used Zoe’s free pants pattern. I finished the edges with fold over elastic and these are very comfortable hipster panties.

 

I’m currently working on making my first bathing suit. I hope it come out cute

XX, Cynthia

Aztec T-Shirt Mini Dress

This was a super quick and easy T-shirt dress made with a funky aztec/ ikat jersey found in the remnant pile at my local fabric store. Do you find that you want to make something easier after a more involved project? I used the *free* ( holla!) T-shirt mini dress pattern by the adorable Dixie as the basis of this make. This is so comfy it feels like pajamas, in fact *cough cough* I’ve already slept in this.

I wear the heck out of a hoodie dress I bought from American Apparel a couple of years ago and I was looking for a summertime alternative. With the addition of tights and my grandpa’s old Levi’s jacket, this dress can take me through three seasons.

I made the size small, and finished the hem and sleeves with bands. I feel they give me  a neater finish. You can hardly tell though, because this pattern is so busy. I drafted a kangaroo pouch based off of the pocket on my original hoodie.

 

Hahahaha… this last photo is what spring really looks like in Portland. #allergies

xx, Cynthia

SRSLY <3

SRSLY… I love this dress!!! This is my first version of Cambie by Sewaholic Patterns. I just know I’m going to make a metric shit ton more. This pattern is my dream dress. Tasia is a diva queen of thread and I’ve gotta give her major props for designing this sweet little number. I didn’t buy this when the pattern first came out because it’s a little spendy, but I found it for 50% off at Modern Domestic, and I pounced on it.

This dress swishes like magic when I walk. I can’t help but twirl and preen while wearing it. I’m a vain little thing in this dress. Gush, gush, gush

I made this using some stashed cotton sateen, it’s really thin and airy too (could it be a lawn/ voile and a sateen… is that a thing?) I dunno. I bought the cotton a little over a year ago and I love the graphic print on it.  It’s lined with rayon bemberg. Man that shit’s expensive… I need to find a cheaper source. I added almost $30 to the price of this dress just on the lining. Yeah, I’m not one you thrifty stitchers that can brag about your gorgeous ball gowns made out of thrifted sheets and love for only $3.99.

I made my  muslin in a size 6 and it looked good, but had zero ease. I cut this dress out in a size 8 and increased the seam allowance to get the fit where I wanted it. Tasia shows you lots of tips and tricks to make the insides as beautiful as the outside. I even took the time to hand sew the hem using a slip stitch., since I already loved this dress so much.

The only thing I don’t like is my zipper installation. I used a vintage metal invisible zipper, and the teeth were too large to use my invisible zipper foot. I had to use my regular zipper foot, and I wasn’t able to get as close to the teeth as I wanted to. A quick question for you: How do you keep the lining on a full skirt from getting caught in the zipper? I have to be careful to avoid chewing up the lining. Anybody else have this happen to them?

I think on my next version I’m going to drop the neckline down a little bit, but that’s not a criticism. I love this dress to pieces. I’ve demanded my mister take me out on a proper fancy date this weekend so I can wear this. I’m thinking dinner and Jurassic Park in 3D. A quick tangent: Did you know it’s the 20th anniversary of Jurassic Park? Yowzers, that makes me feel old.

xx, Cynthia

Simplicity 1873 v 2.0

I made another version of  Simplicity 1873. This time I made version A. One thing I’ve learned from my other version is that I’m not short-waisted like I thought I was. My other version hits into my ribs. This time I added 3/4″ to the bodice and it’s more comfortable. I also made this a little bit larger and now after looking at these photos I think I might want to go back in and take it in a wee bit.

Originally I drafted a peter-pan collar that I hand-beaded (here’s a photo from Instagram). I decided after it was on that I didn’t like it. I felt that it looked a little homemade (because I couldn’t get the curve smooth) so I decided to remove it. I have two vintage beaded collars, so I can have the look when I want it or not. The bow at the waist is detachable also. I used my hot glue gun to attach it to a pin back.

The sleeves on this pattern are so cute. They feature 5 darts to create the puff shape. I fully lined this dress with some black rayon voile. I finished with an invisible zipper and a machined blind hem.

This is a great pattern if you love the classic “fit and flare” silhouette