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. 

2021: Everything I Made This Year (Almost)

Happy New Year! Ok, so I have not been great about blogging individual projects, but that doesn't mean I can't do an end-of-the-year round up, right? Here's everything I made in 2021 (almost):

1. Basic Stitch Bikini

2. Striped Pillow

3. Chartreuse Axis Tank & Maxine Undies

4. Fujiyama Mama Bolero

5. Long Granny Coat

6. Short Granny Coat

7. Seamwork Madhu Top

8. Baby Set

9. Red My Little Secret Crop Top

10. Poisonettes Top

11. Halloween Costumes - Prince John and Sir Hiss

12. Bryant Gown

13. Halloween Panel projects - Banner

14. Halloween Panel projects - Pillows

15. Hamburger Socks

16. Pumpkin Spice Benning Dress

17. Crochet Strawberry Bucket Hat

18. Vintage Sheet Benning Dress

19. Christmas Plaid B6453 Dress

20. Negroni Collared Shirt

21. Stockings for me and Chase

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!

Project! Seamwork Benning Dress in Vintage Sheets

Pattern: Another Seamwork Benning Dress, with a slightly shorter skirt and a collar. 

Materials: Vintage sheets! I have been collecting these sheets for the last 15 or so years, and this dress is made up of all the little bits of leftover sheet that weren't big enough for their own garments. They were all found at thrift stores or yard sales. 

Cost: "Free" aka I did not purchase any new materials for this project in recent memory, everything was from Deep Stash and it's monetary value has been lostttt to tiiiime. 

Timeline: Part of the bodice of this dress was actually the muslin for my Pumpkin Spice Benning, so I cut out the muslin in early November, and then finally cut out all the pieces during the last week of November and sewed it over Thanksgiving weekend. I used the back of the bodice muslin for this dress, cut the pockets out of the front bodice muslin piece, and cut a new front bodice based on my fitting. 

Sizing, mods, changes and notes on fitting: The bodice is the same as my Pumpkin Spice Benning Dress, with a weird 1" FBA that I ended up taking out of the front. I drafted a large collar for this dress, but honestly, it could be larger. I also shortened the first tier of the skirt by about 4", and added very long waist ties (they're probably like 50" long, extremely extra). 

Feelings about this project: I'm so into this pattern! Especially in the light, crisp cotton blends of the sheeting material, it's so easy to wear. I had originally planned to just use one different sheet per tier for the skirt, but I have so many fun sheets, I did a patchwork skirt instead with 8 different patterns on each tier. The design of this dress is heavily influenced by Physic Outlaw dresses - the patchwork, the tiers of fluffy skirts, the large collar! I am a huge fan of their dresses and the way they reuse vintage materials. 

Feelings about myself: I have worn this in public once and a hip youth complimented me, so I feel GREAT in this dress! I am slowly evolving my style, between aging and pandemic and not going to an office anymore, and this is a big step in the right direction. It just FEELS fun to wear. 

Feelings about the world: It's almost Christmas so I'm trying to stay positive. 

What I’ve been listening to or watching: I listened to the audiobook of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig while sewing this and cried a good amount, in a feel-good way. I think the big takeaway from this project is GOOD FEELS, FEELS GOOD! 

Project! Seamwork Benning Dress in Pumpkin Spice Plaid

Pattern: The Seamwork Benning Dress bodice, with a modified, multi-tiered skirt.

Materials: A Pumpkin Spice plaid from Ye Olde Joann’s, a brushed cotton yarn-dyed fabric. This fabric CALLED to me from the shelf. I was innocently shopping for Halloween Costume Supplies™ and it flew into my cart and demanded to be made into a maxi dress. After moving a few months ago, I am very aware that I do not need any more fabric, yarn or craft supplies, but this one GOT ME. 

Cost: $46 for 5 yards of fabric and $3 for thread.

Timeline: I've been eyeing this pattern since it was released in March of 2021. I bought the fabric early September 2021, and finally finished sewing it last week, early November 2021.

Sizing, mods, changes and notes on fitting: I cut a size 12 in this pattern, but my measurements would have put me at a size 16. There's a lottttt of ease built in, so if you want something more fitted, size down. My dress is still relaxed and very easy to wear. 

I did a 1" FBA, but after making a muslin, I ended up pinching out that same inch at the center front. This brought the neckline in on my shoulders and the darts closer to my apex, and meant that I had to redraw the center V, since I loved how deep it was drafted. Overall, I am thrilled with the fit of the bodice after making these round-about changes. I also added ties at the side seams for a versatile belt that could give me more waist definition when I'm in the mood for it (which is almost always).

The fabric also told me it wanted to be EXTRA and needed a LOT of skirt. So instead of the two tiers, I cut four, each 12" high and increasing the width by 1.5x for each tier. The last tier is only 6" high, and woah, is it kicky! Maybe a little bit country?

Feelings about this project: Gathering is so much work and I should have gotten a gathering foot before I attempted this project, but I'm all about using what I've got and not buying new equipment for every single project.

Feelings about myself: I loved this pattern from the moment I saw it – it is just so WEAR-able. I know that I’m not the only one to crave easier clothes over the last 18 months, but I also love getting dressed in more than pj’s or sweatpants. It helps my mood, and the more I make the effort, the better I find myself adjusting to working from home. I feel more like a ME, you know? So having this dress that fits well and makes me feel so extra is awesome and inspiring. I already have a second one cut out.

Feelings about the world: Katie, why are you resurrecting this blog (again)?? I'm feeling burnt out on the non-stop advertising of certain social media platforms, and I really miss having a cohesive record or diary or journal of my creative projects. So here I am again, writing a much-too-long post about the ins and outs of this project, if only so I can read it back to myself later when I wonder how or why I made this or that. Hopefully there's a little information here for anyone else that might want to know, too. And I'm using a template to make it easy on myself, so you'll see these same questions answered for each project.

What I’ve been listening to or watching: I listened to the audio book version of "Broken Horses" by Brandi Carlile while sewing this dress. Kind of a perfect match for a dress that's a little bit country! I love Brandi as a musician and this book struck me deep. I cried about every 20 minutes, and if you listen to the audio book, she plays the songs from each chapter as it goes along. Truly masterful storytelling, and I haven't stopped listening to her albums since I finished the book.

Icelandic Dreyma - A Souvenir Sweater

Here is is, the ultimate vacation souvenir: one you have to make yourself.

(This is gonna be a long one with lots of pictures, so buckle up.)

(Also warning: links to all patterns are Ravelry links.)

In 2018, my online knitting friend, Michelle, and I went to Iceland. You may know Michelle from her blog or podcast or Ravelry group, and we met years ago on Ravelry when she knit most of my knitting pattern designs within a year or so. We both love hiking and at some point, started talking about taking an epic hiking and knitting trip to Iceland. And then... we did. The internet is a magical place that brought two women together to road trip and leisurely walk (not as much hiking as we planned) around Iceland. True, her family was worried that I might be a man, but I am NOT a man and everything went fine. Here's a video breakdown of our trip that Michelle made and it makes me cry, so enjoy:

One of our Must-See stops was the Álafoss Mill Store in Mosfellsbær, where we both planned our knits and bought a sweaters' worth of Léttilopi wool. We spent a *long* time there, and it was well-spent.

Michelle chose colors that reflected the Icelandic landscape, but... I couldn't resist this gold color. I had already earmarked a few traditional-looking yolk patterns and while I was in the store, I decided to go with Dreyma by Jennifer Steingass and chose a grey to compliment the gold color. 

There's my gold in the wild, and the gorgeous colors Michelle chose.

We went to Iceland in April and I started my Dreyma in October of 2018... and then it languished for almost a year. I made a TON of changes to this pattern. I knew I wanted it to be a more cropped and vintage silhouette and I started knitting the pattern as written and then... went off the rails. After I separated the sleeves and continued to the body, I started making a slimmer and cropped look. Although I like the final form, I kinda love that in-progress picture where it's just a little cropped vest. Very cute.

Side note: Pickle LOVES this sweater and continually made biscuits on it while I was knitting it and has continued to love on it since it's been finished.

 

I finally finished this beauty in October of 2019 (shameful.) I looked forward to a winter of wearing it and reliving my glorious time in Iceland.

But... I just didn't. I think I wore this one time last winter. The neckline was *way* too wide. Since it's a rougher wool, I have to wear a tank top under it and the neckline was shifty. The vibe was way more 80's than I like and it just wasn't working for me. I finally accepted that I would have to pull it out and completely re-knit the sweater in a smaller size for it to get wear. Which really sucked, because Lopi is incredibly sticky and since it's not plied, I was worried I would lose a lot of the fiber while ripping it out, if not completely tear through the yarn. But an unworn sweater is a waste of space, so I accepted my fate.

UNTIL. One night during quarantine, I was scrolling through the ole Instagram and I came across Morgan's IGTV video about adding a tighter neckband to an existing yolk. LIFE. SAVER. Since I still had a bit of yarn leftover, I was able to follow Morgan's advice and carefully remove the rolled neckline and replace it with a 1x1 neckband that looks and fits much better. I am thrilled and very excited to wear this sweater in winter 2020/2021!

Also, side note: please let these photos be a teaching moment about how to fold your sweaters - not down the middle. Do y'all see that line? I'm cringing. 

Seamwork Joss Pants and Purl Soho City Gym Shorts: These are a Few of My Favorite Things!

The world has turned, hasn't it? To make myself perfectly clear, before I jump into the sewing: I believe that Black Lives Matter, and I am committed to doing the daily anti-racist work that I believe will move our society forward to greater freedom for all. I am incredibly humbled by the public, consistent dialogue and action that the last few weeks have brought, and I am committed to being involved.

Sewing and knitting and crafting doesn't happen in a vacuum. Outside events trigger changes within our internal worlds, and that effects how we express our selves. Crafting can be an activism all by itself, depending on your intentions and the mindful way you attack it. It can also be a way to center yourself and calm your anxiety, and that's ok, too. 

So here I am in a pair of shorts made from an old sheet. I've been spending much more time at home since March. Like, entire days in my apartment. Really unbelievable when you consider that my life used to take place almost entirely outside of my apartment. But come March 2020, I went behind closed doors to snuggle with my cat and work from home and flatten ye olde curve, as they say. 

I didn't have much to wear. I had one pair of comfy sweat pants and some pajamas but I didn't have a ton of options to putter around in. A few house dresses - I think this summer is really going to see the resurgence of the house dress!

But I did have time to deep clean my closets. That was when I discovered this pair of City Gym Shorts that I had cut out of an old sheet about two years ago. They were just missing a waistband and bias tape edging. I still had the sheet (which I found when I ruthlessly cleaned out my fabric stash), so cut out the missing pieces and I vowed to put together these shorts ASAP. Because I needed to wear them, like, now. 

This is actually my second pair of these shorts but I cut a smaller size for the first pair and they are tragically too small. I recently cut those tiny shorts apart and made them into a pair of face masks. But it's a delightfully easy little pattern, once you get past the inconvenience of making your own bias tape, and there are a million inspiring versions on Instagram, so this might not be the last pair of these shorts you see. 

It's certainly not the last garment made from an old sheet you'll see. Seamwork is clearly run by a coven of witches, because they released the Joss pants pattern just as we went into lockdown. Spooooky how they knew I would need a very comfy pair of pants for my days at home. This is a pattern intended for a woven fabric, and that would probably be awesome, but once again - I made them out of an old (jersey) sheet. 

I had this fitted sheet in the linen closet, which is also the fabric closet, and it just yelled at me that it wanted to be a pair of pants. And I have no regrets - I have worn these a minimum three times a week since I finished them in March. I used the pocket hack Seamwork lays out here, and they are truly a size too big. Which is totally fine in terms of lounge-y comfort, but because they are a knit cotton jersey, the fabric is heavy and I couldn't walk without them falling down.

So I added a waist tie! I actually really dig the look of the tie and I think it would be cute on a regular, not-made-of-an-old-sheet, pair of Joss pants, too. 

So there we have it: two old sheets, two new garments. And no fabric item in my house is safe from the sewing machine. I'm eyeing the curtains. 

PS: My cat, Pickle, LOVES crashing photo shoots, so please enjoy the two Pickle Bombs in this post, and if you need more of that, I made him his own IG hashtag.