Bright floral shirt dress just in time for winter

I love shirt dresses.  They are comfortable.  You can make them super casual or dressy depending on your fabric choice and accessories.  I've had this fabric from quite a while.  I love the play of the brown floral print on the green.  Green is one of my favorite colors to wear. It also works well with this super comfy sweater I've had forever but still love!

I have a few patterns that I really like for tunics but this time I wanted to use a pattern that was longer and had something other than a super boxy shape like the Archer or princess seams like one of my favorite McCall's patterns.  In waltzes the Mara by StyleArc.  I think all of you know how much I love using StyleArc's patterns.

I sort of feel like the pattern line drawing and the description don't match.  I think the pattern looks loose-fitting however the description is of a close-fitting garment.  Not that I minded, but what you see is not what you get.  This dress has a fly front or concealed button front which was fun to construct although the directions are confusing for this.

The pattern has fold lines marked with the numerals one through three and to construct the button fly, you make a series of folds that create this cool fly feature. My advice is to mark the lines carefully, practice folding but for goodness sake! Don't over think the process but look at the drawings for what it needs to look like when you are done.

Also, there aren't any directions on what to do with the raw edge of the fly.  There ended up being about 1/4" that I folded under the fly and when the stitching is completed to secure the layers it works perfectly.

Another issue with the directions is that they weren't very well proof read.  In fact, it seems like they were pretty haphazardly put together.  There are lots of references to follow tutorials on the StyleArc site which I didn't do.  I've made many shirts with stand collars so I know what the process is and can put one together pretty quickly.

Drafting for this one wasn't up to Stylearc's usual standards.  I found the sleeves difficult to set it. Typically StyleArc's sleeves are BEAUTIFULLY drafted and seem to fall into place quite easily. These were a struggle!  I used about 100 pins to ease the sleeve heads in and that worked but dang....not what I was expecting or hoping for!

All in all, I do like this dress.  I will make some additional modifications next time i use this pattern.  I made my usual 1/2" swayback adjustment and I need a lot more next time.  I plan on wearing a belt with this so I think it won't be as noticeable.  I feel like I've complained about this pattern quite a bit but I do like it!

Likes:
Fit--not too boxy
Sleeve length is perfect and have nice shaping with an upper and lower sleeve
The button fly front is a nice touch
The button cuffs go together well and look nice
The collar and collar stand went together easily and eased into the neckline really well
I like the patch pockets with the flap and the box pleat
I like how this fits through the shoulders

Dislikes:
Sleeve head isn't drafted as nicely as some other StyleArc patterns I have used previously
Fit doesn't match the drawings on the pattern
There are a LOT of buttons on this dress!  Three for each cuff and I think 9 marching down the front. I used brown plastic snaps so the process was much faster than sewing on all those buttons and making all the button holes.

What do you think of this dress?  Is the pattern a keeper?

Thanks for reading!
Sue :)

A new dress! Oh, I love it! McCall's7092

Ever work on a garment and think it is special?

Is it the fabric, the quality of the fabric, the pattern?

Or is the perfect convergence of pattern, fit, and fabric?

Either way, I feel like I won life with this dress!

But, let's digress for just a moment...I didn't come up with the perfect pattern for this dress all by myself...

I purchased this DROP DEAD FREAKING GORGEOUS NEOPRENE FABRIC from Gorgeous Fabrics and it is BEYOND Gorgeous!

Ann, from GF, suggested this pattern for the fabric and SHE NAILED IT!  Sorry about so many caps but dang, it's perfect!!!

I used McCall's 7092, made view B as a dress with the length of C and the green contrast knit was from my stash.

I was just a bit worried as I read reviews of this pattern about how thick the bodice gets with all the layers but honestly, sew slowly and you will be just fine.  I used a size 11 Stretch needle, took my time but the entire dress took about three hours to create and I used my cover stitch to hem the sleeves and skirt.  Super easy, great results, all the fitting adjustments are built into the pattern with lines and all you need to do is follow the directions for super-de-duper results!

Also, this isn't a fabric hog like some patterns are.  I purchased two yards and have scraps left that I can't decide if I should keep or not.  When I have a pretty fabric I really love, it is hard for me to part with the scraps!

I love my new dress and can't wait to wear it!


Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
Sue

One fabric, two looks!

Don't you just love it when you purchase a fabric that is even prettier in person than the you thought it would be?  For me, that is this summer-screaming four way knit from Fabric Mart.  It has so many of my favorite colors in it: purple, various greens, blues, black, and white!  It is so soft on your skin too, bonus!

Garment one is Kwik Sew 3703. What took me so long to purchase and make this pattern up?  Such a classic style and who doesn't want to look comfortable and chic during the summer?

This image from SPR seems to have come straight from Kwik Sew's catalog!  

Obviously I made view B although don't be alarmed, the pattern is really that short, this is my wearable muslin and I opted to leave the contrast bottom band off.  

I knew I would wear this with leggings and I think it is a great tunic length!  

Sewing the neckline and armhole bands was a little futzy.  For one thing, I had decided my coverstitch had been in time out for long enough and I broke it out at a semi-private sewing class to finally master the thing or put it up for sale.  I knew I would have time to construct this on my serger when I was at the class.  I just didn't bring my regular Bernina so I could baste the bands before serging.  

The first armhole, I simply pinned it in four places around the opening and stretched until it fit.  The second, I pinned so I had more stretch at the depth of the armhole and less at the shoulder seam and this seemed to work better.  I did coverstitch the hemline and around the neckline and arms to give it a decorative element.  I won't show you a close-up as I still need some practice on getting this as perfect as I'd like but at least the coverstitch and I are speaking now, me much more appropriately to what I hope becomes a workhorse in my sewing room.  

My only regret is that I didn't use elastic at the shoulder seams...I had a tiny bit of puckering there...I think the elastic would have helped with that.  

This is a great little pattern!  I hope you'll try it.  I hope to make the maxi next. And, it looks like a need a slight FBA...I heard a very wise seamstress once say...the item you just made prepares you for the next one.  Very wise, right?   

Next is a little top that I was hoping to make a dress but cut wrong...I hate it when that happens but I do really like this little top and will wear the heck out of it, probably more so than another dress.  

McCall's 7064 is such a fun little pattern!  I wasn't sure about the ruching at first but now that I've made it, I LOVE the effect! 

It is simply close fitting--as if you can't tell by the photos, and has no buttons/zippers.  You can vary the sleeves, go without sleeves, or make it into a fun little drop waist, ruffly dress.  It really doesn't take much fabric either--less than two yards for the long sleeved dress.  

This went together fast and easy and I think it is darn cute!  I put a band at the neckline and made an FBA.  This pattern has negative ease and since I didn't want it that fitted, I went up a size.  Normally a 14 in patterns is just about perfect for me, but this time I made a scant 16 and am very pleased!  

I coverstitched the hems on the top bottom and sleeves and I think I am falling in love with that blasted machine!  

I hope to made dress D for fall and that it will accommodate tights and a jacket for winter.  I just love multi-purpose clothing!  

Thanks for reading!!!

Sue 

Summer white with a bit of black lace just for fun!

I. LOVE. white. summer. tops.  Yep!  I stood in front of my closet and wondered why on earth I haven't made many of them?  I gravitate towards them if I am in a department store such as Younkers, Macy's, and Target but when I was evaluating my creations as part of MMM I realized I don't have any white summer tops that I've made.  The time had come to change that...

In pops McCall's 7093 a cute little number that is basically a woven tee with some oomph and in a good way!  I love the color-blocking options, sleeve length variations, and hemline playfulness you get with this pattern AND at a recent trip to Hancock's it was only $1.49.  It was destiny, I had to have it!



I also purchased the white rayon I am made the top from on sale and the 1.5 yards I purchased cost me a total of 5 ish bucks.  I figured even if it didn't wash well, as a muslin it would work. Well, it washed beautifully, presses well and is perfect for creating a breezy top for the high humidity and summer temps that will hopefully eventually arrive!

I made a 14 with an FBA and no other adjustments.  I had the black lace fabric on my cutting board to use for another project and thought, why not?  I had enough to add to the front piece so I basted both pieces together and treated it as one.  Both are machine washable, and the black lace I've use in other applications and it washes beautifully so I took a chance on it with this top.

Construction is super easy.  There are five pattern pieces and if you include the pockets, six.  To create the sleeve shaping you sew darts where the shoulder seams would be.  My darts are much longer than the pattern originally called for.  I would have to make this again to figure out if the pattern is incorrect or if it was due to my fabric.  Guess I will have to make another one in order to figure that out!

One detail I LOVE is that with this new McCall's pattern you create a bias binding from the main fabric and sew that to the right side of the neckline, fold to the inside and topstitch in place.  The facing is now a design element, lays beautifully, and is so much easier to apply and make look good rather than using purchased bias tape.  Kuddos to you if you can make that application look nice!  Not sure why my eyes are closed but we'll roll with it...

I really love this top.  I am wearing it with black capris that are Not Your Daughter's Jeans that are awesome and one of the very last RTW purchases I've made.  I'd love to make a copy of them!

Thanks for reading!
Sue

Colette Moneta round 2!

I really love the feminine look of this dress, in fact, all Colette dresses are super girly and it's nice, know what I mean?



I've already made one version of this dress, but on the cover of the latest Threads, there was such a beautiful version made with a simply divine fabric from Marcy Tilton.
         


Marcy no longer had that stunning fabric so I searched high and low and found this lovely floral from Gorgeous Fabrics.  I think it is just about as pretty!

So I made pretty much the same version this time but used the elbow length sleeves.  I hope I don't regret those sleeves this summer!

I took so precautions with the collar, to keep it from stretching out of shape.  First, I interfaced with a sheer and lightweight version from Fashion Sewing Supply.  I really love this stuff!  Next, I staystitched the seam line and then I stitched stay tape to the seam.  This might be overkill, but this fabric was pretty stretchy.  Then I stitched the undercollar to the collar.

This kept everything from shifting and shimmying across my machine.  Since I didn't line the bodice, I stitched the undercollar to the wrong side of the garment.  I flipped the collar to the right side of the bodice, edge stitched to keep it from rolling to the wrong side and viola!  No neckline hem to deal with!  You can see how it looks in the photo below.

I really like the overall fit of this dress.  It is designed with negative ease, so measure carefully what size you need.  Oh and I almost forgot that I stay taped the shoulder seams as well.  

Just for reference, I made a medium, which in the Big 4 is my typical size.  

The cross over collar detail in the back is a nice little touch.  You could eliminate this if you wanted. In fact, on Colette's site, there is a free download for more versions of the little collar so you can be as creative as you'd like with contrasting fabrics and such.  If I remember correctly, there are eight additional versions!

This dress is very comfortable and with the right knit can feel like you are wearing ultra comfortable pajamas and who doesn't want to feel like that when you are working or at an event where you need a pretty dress?

I put this dress together in about 3 hours from cutting to stitching the hemline.  It helps I had made it once before but it is such a simple to make pattern that any beginner would have great success.  Even if you are experienced, this dress is just fun to make!

It was chilly today, so I am modeling it with black leggings.  I do like it with the belt! It was also very windy so of course I am having a bad hair day! 

I used my serger on all the seams and to hem, I used steam a seam and folded the lower hem twice to create a nice, neat edge.

 One deviation from the pattern I made was to eliminate the elastic at the waistline.  Why, well, let me back up a bit.  The cover of Threads shows an ultra gathered skirt and I couldn't get my first one to look that way with the elastic I used so I just skipped that step, gathered the skirt and attached it.  It is still pretty gathered but not nearly as much as the cover.

I am thinking they made the skirt extra wide so it gathered so much.  Oh, and I almost forgot, I eliminated the side seam pockets.  In a knit dress, I don't like them at the side seam as it seems to weigh the dress down when I put my phone, lip gloss, driver's license inside.  To avoid that temptation, I don't even mess with them.

Thanks so much for reading!  What are you sewing lately?
Sue