The High Rise Dress, or, McCalls 8960

I sewed up a very unseasonable project this week, but I saw this fabric from my stash alongside this 80s pattern from my stash (McCalls 8960 c.1984) and they came together like peanut butter and chocolate. I was obsessed and had to make it immediately! 

I had pulled out this fabric because I was looking for anything in my stash that resembled this year's Pantone colours. I've had it for a long time -- picked it up on the ends table as "unknown fibres". But it feels like a rayon twill to me. It's a little too lightweight and cool to wear at this time of year, despite the subdued colours. But the fabric is so soft and smooth and feels great to wear. It also reminds me of lit-up windows in a high-rise as viewed at evening...so it's now known as the High Rise dress. 

This was a pretty easy project, aside from the shiftiness of the fabric. It's a typical 80s pattern, full bodice with dolman sleeve, elastic waist and straight skirt. I like the way it fits although I might take a little bit of the fullness out of the bodice if I make it again. As it is, the only changes I made were to cut the sleeves in between the lengths of both views so they're a bit longer than the above-elbow of View B, and then to shorten the skirt  by 2". I didn't like the original length, which falls right in the frump zone. Not knee length or midi length - ugh! So I shortened it to knee length. (of course I am 5'2" so shorten most things anyhow). 

The only pattern matching mishap I had was on the centre back seam; I got the fabric shifted slightly when cutting out, so the yellow squares aren't exactly matched across the seam, but once the skirt was gathered you can hardly notice. 

The flaws in the pattern were few. The back walking slit was hugely long and would have been way too high for my short legs. I don't even think it's that necessary in the shortened length, but I did leave about a 2" slit there. The other flaw was that there were no side seam pockets included! What! Thankfully that's easy to remedy with my favourite pocket template. I sewed them right at the top edge of the skirt so that they'd be attached to the waist seam and stay put. The only thing to note about pockets like this with a gathered skirt is to be sure to gather the skirt first and then pin the tops of the pocket bags to the waist seam over the gathering before sewing them together. You don't want to gather your pockets. 

Narrow hems on both sleeve and skirt, a quick rectangular sash sewn and pressed, and the dress was done. I needed to press it carefully as it is heat sensitive and quite wrinkle-prone (yes, pretty sure it's rayon!) 

But I love the final effect. It feels quite subdued and quiet to me, like a rainy day. I feel calm in it! Unfortunately I'll have to put it aside until the weather warms up, but it was just one of those projects that I had to make immediately upon envisioning it. Now on to more seasonal wear...

Grey Checked Button-Front Skirt

I've been taking some time this week to follow the Black Lives Matter events and posts, and look into some learning opportunities, and some organizations that may need support. I will be continuing to do so as part of my daily life, and will always support anti-racist groups and activities.

This is my sewing blog, so I'll be returning to mainly talking about sewing, but I'll also be remembering that anti-racism is more than just a one week flash, it's a lifelong practice. And so I'll be examining how I share and do my best to keep these issues current as I blog, even about my sewing.

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And now for the second project I made using the grey checked cotton I made my first Cielo from! I thought that this fabric would be perfect for a button front 80s/90s inspired skirt like the patterns I've been seeing everywhere lately.

So I went back to the source, a 1992 pattern in my stash, Butterick 6222. This is a wardrobe pattern which includes a pleated/gathered button front skirt among other items (including an interestingly seamed cami top).

Like other patterns from this era, the waist is quite small. I had to add 2.5" to the waistband, but found that it came out a smidge too big -- I didn't account for some fabric stretch, I guess. I only had access to buttons in my stash when making this, and found these clear ones that I think look good on this fabric, but my buttonholer didn't like them much and I find that the buttonholes are a bit bigger than ideal. It still works fine, it's just the waistband button with its extra stress that shifts a bit. I added a snap to the waistband button overlap to keep it a little less shifty.

There were no pockets in this pattern -- bonkers, as a full skirt is the perfect place to hide some side seam pockets. So I added some, using a very lightweight poly from my stash (an old microfibre sheet I thrifted and use for things like this).

I like it, but remember now why I don't really wear this style of skirt much any more -- I used to wear this style ALL the time in the late 80s/90s. There is a lot of volume, and my height and pear shape don't exactly work with this style the way I'd hoped. But it's a comfortable wear, and when I took the pictures in the evening of a hot day, I found that this fabric is so very cool.

I can wear it with a matching top for a real 80s throwback - boxy top and full long skirt -- or with a much less voluminous top like the black linen tank top from New Look 6035 that I made about 6 years ago now!

I only had a smidge of trouble with this one -- I somehow put in a buttonhole near the top in the wrong spot, closer to button four than button two! And I had already cut it before I noticed. I decided to try a spot of mending, and unpicked the buttonhole, fused the edges to the facing and then 'darned' it with a mix of white and grey threads. You can't notice it unless you're looking for it, so I think it worked. I'm quite pleased that I now have symmetrical buttons, after restitching the buttonhole in the correct spot. Just when you've think you've made every possible sewing error, another one pops up! Always a journey.

Sunny Days with a Grey Cielo

Even though I hadn't put the Closet Case Cielo pattern on my monthly to-do list in May, I have it on my yearly list. And I decided to try it out this month when I was looking through my fabric stash and found the perfect cotton to use. Despite trying to make plans I really am mostly a mood-based sewist.

This windowpane check is woven into the fabric and the hand of it is just lovely. I cut the Cielo top in just over a metre of it (leaving plenty for another project, which I'll be sharing soon). I tried to cut the back inset panels on the diagonal but didn't get the angle quite right. Oh well, it still looks very nice!

This pattern is quite easy, though for some reason it intimidated me. I'm glad I finally went for it because it is a nicely put together top -- it sewed up well, fit as I'd expected, and it's really comfy and light for warm weather.

I'm actually surprised at how easy it was. Maybe it was partly the choice of fabric; this grey fabric was so malleable and did exactly what I told it to do. I didn't get the side stripes matched up, just not enough fabric for that, but I think it looks good anyhow, and will be a summer staple.

I used size 14 at the neckline/bust, grading out to 16 at my hips. I also added a couple of inches of length, as I am not a fan of a really cropped top on me. I prefer my tops at my low hip rather than high hip most of the time. I think that at this length the top still has the right lines and proportion to look like a Cielo should.

I also really like the cute sleeve cuff, though wish I could have fit that on the diagonal as well!

As a first try this was a big success in fit. I'd like to make another in a drapier fabric to test it out, and I'll definitely be trying a Cielo dress -- that is why I bought the pattern in the first place. This is a great design that I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of use from.

Silver See & Sew

I picked up this 1992 era See & Sew 6454 pattern while thrifting a while back. It is made up of a cocoon-ish dress and a matching long jacket, both colour blocked very carefully to have a matching line running across both pieces. Plus big shoulders!

I didn't want to attempt the colour blocking and matchy nature of the whole outfit. But I really liked the lines of the dress.

And then while I was cleaning, sorting, reorganizing -- whatever you want to call it -- I came across a piece of silver-shot suiting fabric in my stash. It's soft and has a slight stretch. And when I started cutting into it, I realized it also frayed like mad. Lots of seam finishing required.

But for some reason, the idea of making this dress from this fabric got into my head and wouldn't let go. It has a subtle stripe in the weave, and so I cut the top crossways to change the direction of the stripe, which also changes the way it reflects the light. Then I cut the body lengthwise. I also lined the entire dress with some of the massive stock of silver rayon lining I have in my stash. Instead of facings, I just fully lined it, since I will most likely always be wearing it with tights. The only adjustments I made were my usual shortening the bodice between bust and shoulders and shortening the skirt by an inch or so.

 I had to rejig the back slit a little to tack the lining down so it wouldn't get popping out at the back, but it worked quite well overall. Also, looking at the photos I realized that the back seam is a little puckered so I might just be unpicking that and redoing it soon.

It wasn't a very difficult make, except for the fiddling around with the touchy fabric. I just gave the sleeves and hem a turn-up and stitch finish, and it seems fine. The outer fabric is a bit "bouncy", in that it doesn't like pressing too much. It was fairly bumpy before a careful steam press -- the edges soft and more rolled than smoothly creased. But because there is clearly synthetic fibre in it I didn't want to use too much heat. Thank goodness for a press cloth.

I like it, and hope that it doesn't read as too late 80s for regular wear. If I popped in some gigantic shoulder pads and a power jacket it might overwhelm but modernizing it with choice of fabric and the jettisoning of huge shoulders has, I hope, worked out. I do enjoy making up older patterns and seeing what can be done with them. Good thing, as I have an awful lot of them!