Project! A B6453 in Holiday Plaid

Pattern: Gertie for Butterick - B6453. I LOVE this dress and after originally making it in 2019, I always intended to make a few versions. It's a TNT pattern, is so flattering and easy to wear. Somehow, I never got around to another, until NOW.

Materials: 5 yards of vintage lightweight shirting from Remainders Craft Thrift Store, my dream Christmas plaid. However, this fabric is *very* sheer and so I had to completely underline the bodice in white cotton. 

*thats* what my hair looks like from the back?

Cost: The fabric was $17 for 5 yards. I also purchased a vintage zip from Remainders for 50 cents. All other materials and notions are from Deep Stash and their monetary value has been lostttt to tiiiimmmeee. So we'll say the project total was $17.50. 

Timeline: I bought the fabric in November, but didn't start sewing until December, and finished around the second week of December. 

Funny story about why it took me so long to start: I thought this lightweight shirting would be PERFECT for this dirndl pattern from Gertie - B6322. Gorgeous and it looks fairly simple to put together. 

Except... I don't HAVE that pattern, I have THIS dirndl pattern - B6352. 

This pattern is, in my opinion, the superior pattern but it's also much more difficult and I didn't discover my mistake until about a week before I planned to wear the dress to a party (which was, of course, canceled). So I went back to my pattern stash and chose B6453.

Sizing, mods, changes and notes on fitting: Since I had already done the hard work of fitting this bodice in 2019, I used that as my starting point, which was possibly a mistake. I am slightly bigger now than I was then so I simply tried on my dress form 2019 and then approximated how much I needed to add to the side seams in order for it to fit. It was about 2", so I thought I could get away with it. I made a new bodice muslin and everything seemed to fit well, but I do not love the final product. The bodice is an inch or so too long and the overall fit of the princess seams is a little weird. The bodice could also be a bit off because, as I said, this was a very sheer fabric and I underlined all the bodice pieces with muslin. Since I wore it mostly layered this year, I didn't mess with it, but it will need some fitting tweaks before I wear it again next Christmas. 

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In terms of construction, I again followed Gertie's B6453 Sew Along on her old blog for this dress. I did an FBA on the bodice in 2019, and added 1/2" to the side seams this year. I also re-drew the facings to match. Other than that, I sewed the dress as written. Oh, and I cheated on matching my plaids by cutting the side bodice pieces on the bias. So the center back seam was the only place I had to match!

Feelings about this project: I love the fabric, I love the pattern, but the dress is meh due to fitting issues. There's always next year!

Feelings about the world: I'm feeling strangely optimistic about 2022, despite raging covid cases and increased restrictions. I guess I am just determined not to spiral out right now. 

Project! Charm Patterns Bryant Gown Goes To Hawaii

Pattern: The amazing Bryant Gown from Charm Patterns aka Gertie. I loved this one as soon as I saw it - the mermaid shape, the off-the shoulder neckline, swoon! 

Materials: A gorgeous floral cotton/poly from Hawaii Fabric Mart. Delightful to sew, so forgiving. I looked all over for a large print, affordable floral fabric for this dress, and I should have just looked at Hawaii Fabric Mart first. Noted for the future.

Cost: $36 for 8 yards of fabric, plus about $3 for a zipper and thread. Good thing I was able to find a decent priced fabric for this dress, considering the yardage, because the pattern was also $22 for the PDF version, plus another $4 or so to print it. That brings the total for this project to around $65. 

Timeline: I bought the pattern on September 9th, planning to wear this dress to a wedding on October 2nd. I hemmed it the morning of the wedding, so it all worked out juuuust in the nick of time.

Sizing, mods, changes and notes on fitting: I made a size 12 with an H bust for this dress. The beauty of these patterns is that they are drafted for a variety of cup sizes. Since I have to do a Full Bust Adjustment for every top or dress I sew, this is a HUGE win for me. Obviously there are still small fitting tweaks to make, but this, alone, saves me so much time and effort that I would consider the cost totally worth it. For this project, I did not start cutting and sewing until a week before the wedding, and I took the chance and did not make a muslin. AND LOOK AT THAT FIT! Again, 100% worth it for me and my body type. 

I went with the VERY dramatic lantern sleeves, and almost second guessed myself and cut the smaller cap sleeves. I'm glad I stayed the course! However, my arms are very thin and these sleeves ended up a little big, so I intend to go back and take them in. 

One big note about this dress is the length. I am 5'8" and I took a lot off at both the end of the bodice (aka around the knees) and then again off the bottom. Although the drafting was generally great, I did have to even up the bottom of the bodice after easing in the princess seam, plus an additional inch or so. And then another 3" at the bottom of the dress for hemming, for a total of 5" off. Honestly, I would rather have it this way, since I am on the tall side, but if you're a shorty, consider taking off length during cutting. Oh, and I am wearing the dress with flats, not heels. Secret comfort!

Feelings about this project: I absolutely love it, and I want to make a second one. I'm thinking the short version in stretch velvet with cap sleeves! 

Feelings about myself: When I decided I was going to attend this wedding, I knew I wanted to make a fresh dress. Since I have gained weight over the last year and a half, I didn't really have any formal dresses that felt very ME. This dress makes me feel amazing. I love it, it fits beautifully and makes me feel gorgeous and sexy! What more could I ask from a GOWN?!

Feelings about the world: This was an outdoor wedding of vaccinated people, and it felt so good to be out in the world again, celebrating the love of my friends!

Autumnal Project #2 - Halloween B5895

What's that you say? It's no longer Autumn? In fact, it's pretty much Summer Time!?

Fine, whatever, I suck at blogging. I, like so many of us, am completely, totally addicted to Instagram. I rely heavily on it to connect me to the online community of makers. But it's June, and that means I just finished Me Made May, an entire month dedicated to wearing one's home made clothes. This year, I dragged it all out - including this seasonally inappropriate shirt.

I finished this baby last October, and frantically wore the shit out of it for the month leading up to Halloween. Since then, it's been languishing in my closet, but I pulled it out for Me Made May, and here we are: older, wiser, redder-headed.

It's my third version of B5895, sewn in a quilting cotton from JoAnn's with no adjustments. Look, I'm not advocating sewing clothing out of quilting cotton, however: if you find an adorable novelty print that you just *have* to wear, buy two yards of it and sew up this pattern. 

I mean: LOOK at those kittens! They have pumpkin hats on!!

I got a few questions about B5895 on Insta, and I will say this: it's not a pattern for beginners. The way the collar goes into the shirt is very finicky, so you might want to start with something more straight-forward. 

I'm planning a fourth version of this top for summer-lovin', sewn out of a palm print with shorts to match. So stand by. I'll try to blog that before 2019.