Ottobre 02/2005-12 Easter dress

Easter is such a great excuse to make a cutesy dress! Naturally I had to embroider it too. It's just so fun!

Myra is such a cooperative little model. She works the camera. Anyway, the dress, right? It is Ottobre 02/2005-12, which I made for Myra years ago. It's a nice simple dress with basic lines, which makes it perfect for embellishment!

The dress itself has a peasant style bodice, with elastic gathering at neckline and sleeve openings and a basic dirndl skirt. Normally it would be a quick sew, but I complicated it in every possible way...

First, I added embroidery. For the bodice, a triple easter egg applique framing Myra's name. This fabric is a shirtweight stretch cotton woven. Really perfect for this dress, but the stretch made the embroidery challenging. I ended up stabilizing with mid-weight cutaway, and floating the fabric. For additional stability and body, I also underlined the entire dress with silk organza.

The trio of eggs on the skirt actually needed more stabilization, despite their similarity to the bodice motif. I doubled the cutaway and that did the trick, again floating the fabric to minimize stretching during embroidering.

As if the embroidery wasn't enough to add to the complexity, I also decided to fully line the dress. For the bodice, I actually ended up simply underlining the front and back pieces. My brain wasn't up to figuring out how to attach those cap sleeves and the elastic in a fully lined bodice. I did add the lining pieces after stitching out the embroidery motifs, so the back of the stitching is covered.

To give the skirt lots of pouf, I added a tulle ruffle stitched to the lining in between the skirt and lining, so it wasn't scratchy against her legs. The lining fabric is Hang Free, so it is very soft and comfortable.

Despite the challenges of embroidering this fabric, I'm really glad I went to the trouble of making it work. I feel like I'm learning so much about machine embroidery with each new project. It is so fun to have a new challenge!

Bow Girls!

A few years ago, I bought this cute bow print thermal knit from Girl Charlee. It took me forever to finally sew it up!

My original plan for this fabric was a sweatshirt style top for me. I wanted something comfortable just for hanging out at home, but even at home I like to be cute.

I wanted a sleek fit and I thought a dropped shoulder would be fun. I started with the Kitschy Coo Comino Cap top, which I love the fit of, and just drafted a semi-fitted sleeve. Instead of a band at the neckline, I bound it with my coverstitch, which made the neckline a little bit higher.

I love the slightly scooped back neckline of this top. It's so pretty. You can see the dropped shoulder a bit better from the back. I think it's a fun detail. It nods to the wide shouldered 80s trend without the linebacker shoulder pads.

Since the Comino Cap Top is so economical of fabric, even with long sleeves, I had a ton of fabric left over.

Myra got the bulk of the leftovers. I pulled out an Ottobre raglan tee pattern I've made for her twice before. It is from the 04/2013 issue and has a nice fitted shape with a bound neckline. I made the sleeves 3/4 length, as Myra has trouble keeping long sleeves out of messes. And because her cute baby-chubby wrists slay me.

When I showed Myra her new top, she immediately wanted to know where Teresa's was. Ooops. Back to the sewing room! I was initially trepidatious about this print on Barbie, since the scale is rather large, but it worked out nicely with a single motif centered on the front of the tee, and at the sleeve hems. Teresa got a bound neckline too. The pattern is a blend of Simplicity 4719 and 4702.

So, between sewing a trio of thermal knit tees, and this weekend's extremely pleasant weather, I think I'm ready to start sewing for Fall and Winter. Bring on the wool! I'm ready!

School Spirit Refashion

One of our neighbors has a daughter who has just moved up from the Elementary School (where Myra and Logan attend) to the Middle School. She passed down a couple of tee shirts to Myra, but they were a bit too large...

I considered just taking them in at the side seams, but the neckline was slightly off the shoulder and the logo was weirdly placed on her chest, so I decided to completely remake them.

I thought a baseball style tee would be cute, so I used Ottobre 04/2013-12, which I've made for her before. I accented with white to make the logo stand out.

For the main body of the shirt, I sliced the original shirt at the sides, then removed the sleeves and cut the shoulder seams. I did my best to get the fabric on grain, which was impossible in front since the logo has to stay level, but I think I got the back pretty close.

The white fabric is Chez Ami interlock. It makes great binding fabric, since it is so stable and has excellent recovery.

Since I didn't need the sleeve fabric for Myra's new top, I decided to use them to make Summer a tee, along with a tiny scrap of white rayon jersey so she and Myra could match.

Summer's top was made using Simplicity 4702. I lengthened the top 1/2 inch and slimmed it about 1/4 inch at the side seams. Summer has a Model Muse body, which is taller and slimmer than Barbie's Belly Button Body. I also made Summer's Bermuda shorts, using a tracing from the pants the Divergent/Tris doll wears. I shortened them to hit just above the knee and slimmed them slightly at the side seam, again to fit the Model Muse body.

Myra likes her new shirt very much, and especially loves that she can match Summer! She told me that she wants me to make all her dolls new shirts. Sadly, there are no more sleeves! We'll have to wait for the next Myra make.

Ottobre 04/2013-12 Raglan tee: Mermaid style

When I bought this Mermaid fabric from the Kitschy Coo shop, it was for ME. So naturally, here it is on Myra...

Smug, isn't she?

Not really. This is actually the scraps left over from a project I shall soon reveal. Fortunately, there was just enough of this adorable Mermaid fabric for a half sleeve raglan tee. The white is a nice Chez Ami interlock.

The pattern is Ottobre 04/2013-12, which appears in several variations in the magazine. Other than shortening the sleeves, I made no changes to this one. It's a basic raglan with a breast pocket and bound neckline.

The pattern included this cute little ribbon detail at the neckline and I happened to have this perfect pink fish ribbon.

The pocket is just the right size for important things like Princess Twilight Sparkle's magic book. I love that the Mermaid fit perfectly there.

A straight cut raglan could have very easily veered over into "boy clothes", which Myra doesn't tolerate at the moment, but an injection of hot pink, Mermaids and cute ribbons definitely makes this all girl, and Myra loves it.

Ottobre 04/2004-12 ruffle knit dress

While the serger was still threaded with red after making my sweater, I decided to finally sew up this sequined zebra ruffle knit that I bought for Jungle January last year.

Fabric with this much going on called for an extremely simple design with minimal seaming. I chose a basic a line dress from the 04/2004 issue of Ottobre.

The dress is drafted for woven fabrics, so I went down a size from Myra's usual. I've also found that the older issues of Ottobre tend to incorporate more ease. As you can see, this is a loose fitting dress, despite being a size smaller than she typically wears.

This was my first time sewing with ruffle knit, and I wanted to share a few things that I've learned so far. As I mentioned, it's definitely to your advantage to choose a simple design with minimal seaming. A simple one piece dress like this one is great. A skirt with an elastic waist or a basic tee or tank would also work well.

When laying out your ruffle knit, remember that you must use a with nap layout, making sure that all your ruffles are falling in the correct direction. You will also need to treat the ruffles as stripes, and match them accordingly. I found that if I cut out my pieces on the fold, I ended up cutting into the ruffles accidentally, so I recommend using a single layer layout. It is also ESSENTIAL that you baste the ruffles down in the seam allowances prior to starting construction. You do not want to end up with a ruffle going the wrong direction in a seam! I like using a zigzag stitch to baste them down, as it preserves the stretch of the knit.

For the neckline and armholes if you are making a tank, you'll need to consider an edge finish. I used a rib knit binding, making sure that my ruffles were basted in place prior to applying the binding. Another option would be a facing or lining, but you'll want to use another fabric, as the ruffles would add bulk. A soft tricot knit or swimwear lining would be perfect.

One fun aspect of sewing ruffle knit is that the ruffles provide a perfect easy hem finish! Just trim away the mesh underneath the bottom ruffle. The mesh won't fray, in fact, mine curls up nicely out of the way. The ruffles themselves are already finished on the bottom edge.

Despite the slim skirt on this dress, the ruffles give it plenty of movement, much like a flapper girl fringe. Myra loves twirling in it!

Since Myra's dress left a few largish scraps of knit left, I also made a dress for Myra's favorite doll. Myra insists that her dolls always wear floor length gowns. The ruffle knit drapes in a pretty little cape over her shoulders.

Myra and her Myra doll are both very happy with their new dresses. 

They are perfect for exploring.

Ottobre 06/2012-12 jacket

While I've been busily sewing totally unnecessary clothing for Myra, Duncan had a massive growth spurt. The most urgent need was a new coat, as his old one is now sporting 3/4 sleeves. Ooops. Not useful in the snow.

He's ridiculously cute. Focus on the coat. The pattern is from the latest issue of Ottobre, and I have to pause a moments and say what a great issue this is! I've only had it like 3 weeks and I've already made two things from it! And have plans for more. Myra particularly likes it and has requested the cover look and a duffle coat.

So, back to the coat - This is pattern #12 in the "baby" (62-92) sizes, but is repeated in the "school age" sizes (98-128) as #15. It is intended to be sewn from jersey, but I had this blue separating zip in the stash that was a perfect match to some blue corduroy I thrifted, so I decided to go with that.

Inside is fully lined with fleece and all of the bands and binding are cotton-lycra rib knit - all from stash. Ottobre's lining directions for the cuff are excellent, and you end up with a completely enclosed seam, but not having diagrams makes it a little tricky to decipher, so if you are making this, be sure to check out Amanda's reversible sleeve 'tute, as it is basically the same method, just with a cuff stuck in between.

With regard to sizing, Duncan is pretty much an 86 at the moment, but since this pattern was drafted for knits AND I was using a bulky fleece to line is AND I didn't want him to outgrow it before Spring, I sewed a 92. I think it is perfect. There is a little bit of growth room in the sleeve, but it isn't swamping him and he can play easily in it. I love how the binding (applied slightly stretched) snugs in the waistline to keep out cold breezes.

The hood is a particularly nice feature. It has a high neck and the binding cups it around the face, which keeps wee ears warm. Duncan refuses to wear all headgear, but it was easy to sew, and if he needs it, I know it will keep him super cozy.

I'm really pleased with it overall. It is cute, soft and snuggly. He seems to like it and is comfortable wearing it. As a bonus, it's perfect for eating playing in the snow.

Ottobre 02/2005-12

My little princess is starting preschool this year, and all of her summer dresses are too short! Time for some back to school sewing!

First up is this little dress from the 02/2005 issue of Ottobre. It is design #12, the "linen dress" featured on the cover. I mostly chose it for it's simplicity, and because we have always had good luck with peasant style, elasticated dresses for Myra.

The fabric is from Fashion Fabrics Club. It was billed as a cotton shirting, but it is definitely more poly than cotton and is very sheer. It's pretty though, and that is all that Myra cares about...

The bodice details show a little of the construction. I added a little ribbon trim to the front bodice, as it was a bit boring on it's own. I was surprised that the lower edge of the armhole isn't bound with bias, but the plain hem looks good and was really easy to do. In fact, the whole dress, from trace to finish, took just over an hour to sew. Win!

The fabric was really too sheer on its own, so I underlined the bodice and lined the skirt with Imperial batiste. It adds a nice weight to the dress and keeps it modest.

It twirls nicely and Myra really likes it. There may be another in her future, or at the very least, the top version. Cute and quick are a win in my book!

Can we go to school now?