A Real Green Dress, with Burda May 2023

 

I feel so thrilled by the fact that I have actually made something else on my 2024 MakeNine list! And I even used the fabric I had intended for this pattern :) I cut this Burda 115 from the May 2023 issue from a linen blend that's a bit heavier than I'd recalled. 

This fabric, from the sale table at Fabricland, was just okay -- when I washed it and laid it out, I realized had a few discoloured areas where an almost shadowy bluer dye was splotchy on the surface. Thankfully I was able to cut around most of these bits, but it did mean I used more fabric than technically required, and oh boy does it crease quickly. Lots of pressing ahead!

But the colour, when clear, is wonderful & I really enjoyed making this. The front tucks were what first caught my eye about this pattern & I had fun with that detail. I have been wanting to add some extra elements to some of my projects, and these tucks convinced me to try this pattern. 

There are also integrated pockets in the side panels, which are nice. Pay attention to the pattern pieces when you are cutting this out though, to be sure to connect the pocket bags to the body and cut together, or you'll have to add an extra seam.

I cut it at my usual Burda size of 42/44 but think I could have done 44 all through. It's much closer fitting at the shoulders and bust than the cover image on the magazine makes it seem -- I think the model may be wearing a size larger than her measurements might call for. Or maybe it's just my fabric choice.

Overall I feel like this was a good project, and I'm happy with the results. I don't like how to darts are fitting - they are not pressing firmly and giving a weird crease. But other than wanting to fix up the darts a bit I do like this one. When I adjust the darts I think I'll like it even more! 

Linen Santa Rosa Top

I made another Santa Rosa! Actually, I made this top before the dress, to test out how the unfamiliar placket worked. You can also see this project on the Liesl & Co blog now, as well. 

Here I made the top view only, but it's very similar to my dress version, in that I left off the pockets, as I'm not a huge fan of breast pockets. The main difference with this (aside from length of course) is that I left the placket loose, no buttons at all. 

This linen blend is a stiffer fabric than called for in the pattern, so the interfaced placket is quite sturdy, in the sense that it will hold its shape and place - I don't have to worry about gaping and sagging with it. So it works out well just leaving it as is. It's not too low, and the way it sits means that unless you are doing some active moving about, it's not going to reveal anything.

I left the length of the top at the pattern lines, and quite like it. I was worried it might be too cropped for my tastes, but it really isn't. I have a higher waisted skirt in my closet (Butterick 5466) which is perfect, as it removes any concern that my midriff would show when I raise my arms. 

This top was such a quick and simple project. I really like the way the placket is constructed on the Santa Rosa, it made it easy to get a good result on the first try. And the standing collar is a little different and gives this top that extra flair that makes it a good addition to the wardrobe. Also, this fabric is a remnant that I've used in two previous projects, and is now mostly gone. It's also very light and cool for these summer days. A win all around! 

A Zoe Top from Simple Sew

I just made this Zoe top, from Simple Sew -- I have had this pattern for ages and always thought it would be a fun project but you know how that sewing queue goes. 

In any case, the PatternReview Fabric & Pattern Stash contest got me looking through my stashes to see what I had, and this one caught my eye again. I decided to make the dress view, using a crisp linen blend that a friend gave me a year or so ago. There was 5 m. of this fabric so plenty to experiment with! 

Well, spoiler -- I ended up cutting off the dress to a top length before even finishing it. I was nearly done and tried it on, well, it looked like a hospital gown! Not sure if it is the plain colour alongside the loose fit that caused it but it was inescapable. 

The dress is fairly basic. It's a front, back and facing, along with sleeve cuffs and a pocket. The front and back have a centre seam, and the pattern is designed to have topstitching along the seams for a little extra touch. I started out with this plan, and found a thread that was very similar in tone to the fabric, as I didn't want strongly contrasting topstiching. There is one pocket on the dress view, attached over the right side side seam. I even got that on, and it had beautiful topstitching, I was so proud, lol. 

The dress came along very quickly, even with the topstitching, and before I hemmed it I decided it was not going to work as a dress. So I unpicked the perfect pocket, and recut the dress to a longer top length. I pressed up the hem and there it was. SO much better as a top to wear with fun skirts. I actually really like it as a top and think I'll be able to wear this quite often. 

The neckline is a lot wider than I had realized when cutting it out, however. I don't usually wear a boat neck style, but fortunately I picked up some lingerie guards at the thrift store recently. These are very convenient - they pin onto your shoulder seam/facing, and the ribbon goes around your bra strap and snaps. Easy to keep your bra straps up and yet out of sight, and also you can quickly move them to any top as they are just pinned in. Great find. 

Anyhow, from the dress I had envisioned, to a top I will actually wear, even before leaving the sewing room for the first time ;) This colour is a delight and it's something I don't already have in my closet. I love the clear tones of the colour, and am really pleased it could be easily rescued to be wearable as a top.

Highlighter Yellow Athina Top

Last week I decided to make an Athina Top from Tessuti, inspired mainly by the #SewFrugal23 challenge on IG. I always enjoy sewing up free patterns & have had this one for a long time, but never made it. Now I have! 

The Athina top is a boxy, oversized tunic kind of top, and I decided to make it from a bright highlighter yellow linen in my stash. I have a lot of this particular linen, and decided it would work nicely for this project. Looking online at some examples of others makes of this pattern, I noticed that quite a few people had added one angled patch pocket, apparently inspired by an Elisabeth Susann piece. I really like the look so copied it, freehanding a pocket slightly smaller than some of the other ones out there. It's my favourite thing about the top now! 

This is quite oversized - I cut a medium, and added some extra width at the hip. But when I sewed it up, I ended up taking 3/4" out of each side, sort of narrowing up the sides until the underarm point. And I think that next time I make it, I will most likely take an inch out of the centre front and back, just to reduce the billowy effect of it! Made it a drapier fabric and a little bit smaller, it will look a bit more like the sample photos. But overall I like this, and despite the linen wrinkles I think I'll enjoy wearing it. I love yellow and this will go with so many of my current pieces. 

The sizing on this free pattern is limited, there's only a range of XS-XL, and as I noted, I fall into the Medium range (although with the generous fit, I could probably make the S). I love their free tee, the Mandy, and now have a similar woven style that I think could also be a new stalwart in my closet. 

Rush Hour Dress in Cobalt

I recently made a Rush Hour Dress with a special feature for the Liesl & Co Advisors Circle. The pattern includes both a sheath dress and a blouse with a distinctive asymmetric peplum. I decided to make the dress and create a detachable peplum for it to get more wear out of the pattern. 

 To find out all about how I made the peplum as a separate piece and made it wearable, check out the post on the Liesl & Co blog. I was amazed at how it changed the look of the dress, and really enjoyed the process of creating it. 

Today's post here, however, will talk a little more about the Rush Hour Dress itself. This was the first time I made this pattern, and I used a cobalt linen blend from my stash. The pattern is for a closely fitted sheath dress, with a bodice that includes princess seams and Dior darts. I knew from reading other reviews and from the look of the pattern that I was going to have to do some alterations. 

First off, I did my regular shortening steps; here I took up 3/4" above the waist and nearly 2" out of the skirt length (I took this out above the back walking slit and didn't change the length of that at all). I then measured up the bodice and ended up shortening the dart by 1/2" and then dropping the point by 1/2" as well. I think that worked out all right. 

To test everything I first made the lining - I used a poly lining for the skirt and some lightweight cotton for the bodice lining - I didn't want poly lining in the bodice. I love the colour contrast a lot; I was worried that it might peek out at the neckline, but made sure to press well and then understitch to keep the lining inside. It doesn't show at all but I know that the beautiful yellow contrast is there! 

When it got the the hemming stage I wasn't sure what I wanted. I didn't want a visible line of machine stitching 2" above the bottom of the dress, so I considered both a blind hem and hand stitching. Hand stitching made me think of using some seam binding as an edge finish to reduce the bulk, and when I was sorting through my shoebox full of thrifted seam bindings and bias tapes, I came across this one: it is an iron on hem binding. It has 2 strips of adhesive, and you just press it until they look clear on the right side. I tested this old packet on a scrap, and the adhesive was still good and didn't leave any marks on the fabric's right side. So I went for it! Another hidden yellow contrast :) 

The lining is then stitched down at the back slit, and it's lower than that hem edge level, so you won't see the flash of yellow when I'm walking. Again, just something that I know is there. It was really easy to apply and it's a great way to cover a fray-prone linen edge without the bulk of a turned edge. I'm going to have to see if they still make this product. 

Another change I made was to add some side seam pockets. I made the skirt slightly less fitted than the model image, so there was room to pop in some pockets. I can't wear a dress without them! I just used the same fabric again for the pocket bags and my favourite pocket template. 

I'm really pleased with the fit of this dress, although I might take a pinch out of the back neckline if I make it again; it's just a little drafty near the back zip. Otherwise, I love the style and fit of this one, and the extra add-on peplum is just a bonus to extend the wear. It was a fun project to tackle and I'm happy with the results. 

Worn work style!

Basic Black: a New Look 6598 blouse

I realized as I finished my malachite green suit that I didn't have a good basic black blouse to pair with jackets. Lots of t-shirt styles but I wanted a blouse with collar. So I looked through my pattern stash and came up with this classic New Look 6598 blouse, with a wonderful collar option. 

I recently found a linen blend from my local Fabricland; it's semi-opaque and has a subdued shimmer to it. It was nice to work with although I had to be careful not to overpress. I bought enough for this blouse specifically, and I ended up making View A, the yellow long sleeved one on the cover, although I did change the sleeve length to 3/4, my preferred length. 

It was pretty easy, even with the unusual collar construction -- at least I wasn't familiar with the technique of insetting the back facing into the bottom of the collar facing piece. It turned out nicely, though, with some careful stitching and pressing. 

It's a short blouse, and I might lengthen it a touch if I make it again. As is it will be nice untucked with a blazer, which is what I was making it for. I was lucky to find some very lightweight black buttons of just the right size in my stash; this fabric couldn't sustain anything heavier. Fortunately for me, all my buttonholes went in smoothly, since I don't think unpicking would do this fabric any favours! 

The only thing I'm not entirely happy with is the width of the shoulders. The sleeve caps drop off my shoulders a bit; I think I could take 1/2" in on either side to narrow the shoulders. I don't know why I didn't check this - New Look has such wide shoulders in most of their patterns! Because of this I'm not fully satisfied with the sleeve caps either. My husband suggested taking the sleeves out and altering it -- which I probably should do. But will I? The eternal question.

I do like this blouse, though, and think that the fit and construction of this one will make it one I'll return to. I see a nice summer blouse with the cute notched short sleeves too. And that collar shape is so pleasing. 

Celeste at Summer's End

I've been working on a few summer dresses to finish off my summer sewing, and now I can share them with you! My favourite so far from the queue has been the Celeste dress by Itch to Stitch. It's a simple shape, with nice lines and a good fit -- and I love the pockets. I made it in a busy floral linen so you can't really see the lines of it but I love the feel of it. Definitely making this one again. 

I didn't deviate much from the pattern. I graded from one size at shoulder to the next size up at hip (8/10) while tracing the pattern, and that is about the only real change I made. Oh -- also, because of my shape, I was also able to leave out the side zip - it pulls on over my head no problem. It fits really well and I found it really easy to sew. 

I popped down to the public garden in the middle of a traffic circle near me to get these photos in the lovely evening light. What a great spot. And makes for a nice evening walk too.

I was using a linen blend from my stash, and so I finished all the seams with zigzag stitching to prevent fraying. Because the princess line seams were all pressed to one side, I finished most of the seams together. It's very tidy. 

The front yoke is supposed to be self-lined but I didn't want to use the linen in two layers. I had some black cotton broadcloth in the stash that was lightweight and smooth against the skin so I used that instead. The inner yoke is supposed to be attached via stitch in the ditch but I find that when I'm doing something this shifty, I always miss an edge somewhere and the topstitching gets messy, even with the edgestitch foot in use. With this fabric I wanted to do a nice clean finish, so I hand-stitched the yoke down on the inside. It didn't take much longer than setting it up to machine stitch, and I love the smooth and even finish. 

The pockets that are built into the side panels are perfect -- not too big or small, and in just the right spot. They are big enough and sturdy enough to hold my phone :) 

I found this a really easy sew and enjoyed the process. The pattern is clear, the linen fabric was a dream to work with, and I love the final fit. I can see making this up in a variety of colours/fabrics. 

Huge flowers or tiny person? You decide...

Floral for Spring in Butterick 6655

I've been slowly working away on this cheery spring dress for a couple of weeks, in between other things. I've had this floral linen-rayon blend for a while, and have had Butterick 6655 in mind for it. So I finally got moving on this plan!

I loved this pattern as soon as I saw it. I've been meaning to make it ever since it first came out. I like the button band element, it adds something extra to a basic sheath dress. It's actually a faux button band -- the flap is sewn into the front centre seam and buttons are stitched down through all layers at the end. I do love a good button so this one was calling my name.

The pattern is rated as easy, and it is. There are two long darts in front and two in back. There's also a centre seam both front and back, and you attach the button band into the front seam, and then topstitch to keep the seam allowance nice and flat. There's a neck facing and set in sleeves, and a back lapped zip. All good beginner basics to practice if you're just starting. The fitting would be the hardest part. It can be worn with or without the included fabric sash, I think either way works.

As for my fitting issues, I shortened it about 3/4" above the waist but didn't below, since it's pretty short for me as designed (for my tastes anyhow) and I am short! I actually added 2" to the short hem line marking on the pattern, when I cut it out. I graded out from 14 at neck to 16 at bust and 18 at hip. A frequent tweak I make with closer fitting items. And I shortened the length of the front darts by 1/2" at top and bottom to adjust for my figure better; the back darts only needed a smidge of shortening. 

As for design tweaks, I only made one big change -- I changed the back zip to an invisible zip. That's my preferred style, and I had a perfect lightweight invisible zip in moss green in my stash that matched nicely. The only thing I didn't change was the lack of pockets. I just didn't think I could get away with side seam pockets in the fitted shape. So I'll have to learn to live without pockets with this one, argh! 

Otherwise it was a straightforward sew with basic techniques. I really like the fit, and the neckline is high but sits well and doesn't choke at all. I love the fabric and am really happy with this project. I ended up harvesting the perfect buttons for it off of my yellow jumper I made last spring, as I'm planning on refashioning that anyhow. I think they work much better on this project! 

I'm happy to have something so cheery and bright to wear as the weather starts getting lighter and brighter as well. Happy Spring to everyone.