Asymmetric Ruffle Tee with Free Motion Applique Flower

I made this cute t-shirt for Elena too long ago to remember for sure which pattern I started with, which really only means about a month ago. I want to say it's another CINO Nessie Tee. The Nessie has flared out sides and I wanted this swingy. The main fabric is a light coral cotton jersey from CaliFabrics. It is such a nice shade of pink/coral in my opinion and the weight and drape of the fabric worked out perfectly.

To get the angle at the bottom, I cut the full pieces out and then trimmed a triangle off the bottom making one side seam 3" higher than the other. Then I cut my ruffle piece twice the width of the bottom of the shirt and again cut a triangle off the top making one side 3" higher than the other. I think the strip was 5 inches high so that I could have one side 2" tall and have some seam allowances. Does that make sense?

Then I had some fun sorting through the scrap bag finding fabrics that would coordinate. Elena wasn't feeling it at all at this point, but I didn't care anymore because this project had become all about me being creative and trying something new. I decided not to turn under the edges and look forward (I think) to a little bit of fraying. It will add to the rustic charm of my sad scribblings. Free motion applique takes some practice I'd say, but it's fun to drop those feed dogs, hook up the darning foot, and just go wherever. 

Elena was having lots of fun taking pictures. What a relief it is when you can get some pictures and some giggles and be done in 5 minutes.

This top took quite a bit more time than a simple tee. From choosing the fabrics and flower design to gathering 2 ruffles and all that basting and serging and topstitching. This is the kind of slow sewing that makes me so incredibly happy though. It was fun, it produced a cute shirt that she likes in the end, and I know exactly what time and materials went into it. I have so much more appreciation for this top than any I could buy ready to wear. I don't have many friends that sew locally, but I hope to inspire a few to give it a go.  

Sew Straight & Gather Legends Dress Review

I wanted a new dress for Easter, but I wanted it to be a dress I would want to wear a lot so knit fabric would be a bonus, but I wanted it to be more than a t-shirt dress. The recent Legends dress by Sew Straight & Gather fit the bill perfectly.

What a beauty, right? You can make a dress or a top with all different sleeve options including sleeveless. This is not something I could dare try to hack myself so I happily bought the pattern, actually the bundle so Elena will be getting one soon too. I love the dropped waist dress version for kids. So for being a knit dress, this pattern brings elegance, comfort, class, and fun sewing.

Fun sewing? The clean finishes inside and that collar/neckline make this a fun sew. There is a video tutorial in case you need extra help, but the instructions are really very good. I loved everything about making this dress. I did make a crazy ugly muslin out of scraps of fabric. It was soooo ugly, but it served it's purpose in testing size and techniques. I think that the cotton lycra (the recommended fabric) I muslin-ed with was lighter weight with maybe a little less lycra content than my dress version. Not by much, but as a result, the dress is a little tighter across the shoulders/bust than I intended, but I think it's a pretty good fit (and I'm always hopeful I'll lose those 10 pounds).

I was worried that the gathered skirt wouldn't be flattering, but I like it. It hits high enough (at true waist) that it highlights the narrowest part and floats out over the not great parts below. I am 47 years old and getting so tired of holding in my stomach, but I will not give up the fight, I will not go quietly into the night... (anyone else excited for the Independence Day sequel?)

Back to the dress, I think I would add in seam pockets to the skirt next time. They aren't included, but would be a very practical addition. I look forward to a long sleeved top version for fall. And since the front of the bodice is 2 layers, I'm thinking that is the perfect canvas for some reverse applique. There was nothing bad about this pattern at all. I love it. Totally worth the money. 

Have you tried this pattern yet? I'd love to see your version if so. Leave a link in the comments. Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Capsule Wardrobe: Simplicity Culottes & a Plantain Tee

So a while back I ordered some fabrics from Cali Fabrics and was surprised to see that the organic french terry I thought was called camel was actually called caramel. Oops, thought I was a better reader and shopper by now. Turns out that I love the color caramel, but I wasn't sure at all what to do with it. 3 yards of it no less. It's pretty heavy weight so it would make a nice hoodie for sure, but I don't really need one. I experimented with these culottes figuring they could always be pajamas or just for the beach if nothing else.

The pattern is an out of print Simplicity 4237 from 2006. I really like this pattern and have used it for a couple of skirts in the past. I made only one change to view C and its the same change I've always made on this pattern to all versions. I don't like a fold down waistband so I just cut it half as high. Easy change. Especially in this thick french terry, a fold down would be crazy. I insert elastic as well because I like the extra tummy support and insurance against young ones pulling and hanging on me all the time.

They couldn't be more comfy, but I'm still not sure just how flattering they are. A soft fabric with drape would be very nice I'm sure, but I do think I'll wear these anyway. On Pinterest I saw this color paired with mauve and thought, "Hey, wouldn't you know I got some mauve jersey in that same order from Cali Fabrics." The colors feel very desert sunset to me. I'd like to go to southern Utah, Nevada, and Colorado this summer so I must be feeling the southwest influence.

The t-shirt is another Deer & Doe Plantain Tee. I changed the hem to a rounded hem because that is more flattering for me and also shortened it a couple of inches. This jersey fabric is thinner than I like so it is a bit see-through which doesn't work for me. I doubled the front and back bodice pieces and all is well. Now I can wear any color bra and no one will know it. 

This top will get a ton of usage in my capsule wardrobe coordinating with several other bottoms. In it's first version, I tried to raise the neckline a little and hand sew a binding with a fancy herringbone-like stitch. I had to take it out though because it looked really old lady to me and the binding was rolling inward too. Not good. So I took it out and cut the standard Plaintain neckline with the standard neckband and I love it. Sometimes, basic is good enough.

So the only remaining question is: are these pants a yay or nay? Please be honest and tell me if I can leave the house in this outfit. 

Capsule Wardrobe: Gray Granville Buttowndown

Doesn't every capsule wardrobe have to contain at least one neutral buttondown shirt? I didn't want blue chambray, but I went with a light gray cotton/tencel blend from CaliFabrics. 

The pattern is the Sewaholic Granville. I did one pocket with some decorative stitching on it and long sleeves. The other time I made this pattern I made it sleeveless, but I'm planning on using this one as more of a lightweight layering piece for the spring and summer so I wanted sleeves. They are long, too long really, but I think they'll mostly be rolled up anyway but something to be aware of with this pattern. It turns out a lot of people have this issue. I find it strange because I have pretty long arms and often add length.

The back has nice shaping and gave me a place to do more of the decorative stitching. It is unbuttoned in this picture if you think it's hanging funny. Sewaholic designs for pear shapes so I had to remove some width at the hip, but that is the only change I made. I could still take out a bit more I think.

I'm having a hard time keeping up with blogging lately. I just don't have the time to take the pictures, edit them, write posts, etc. You will probably see less and less of me here, although I hope to keep sewing most of my wardrobe. I have made a lot of pieces for myself lately and may just photograph them hanging up or something less time consuming. I'm getting so far behind that it seems impossible to catch up. And if I'm not going to take the extra time to link up and promote on social media, then it really is just not a good use of my time right now. We shall see...