Ottobre 06/2014-38: the Black Rose dress

Myra has recently started learning to play piano, and this weekend she had her first recital! Obviously, such an important event requires a new dress.

Myra and I flipped through my pattern drawers and issues of Ottobre, and when she laid eyes on this pattern (#38 from the 06/2014 issue) it was love at first sight. I let her select her fabrics from the stash - that lace was SUPPOSED to be mine - and we went to work! She chose a lightweight double knit in a rayon blend, which feels just lovely, but did have a tendency to grow, particularly under the weight of the skirt.

The lines of the dress are simple, but the embellishment makes it shine. It has a long sleeve bodice with a high scoop neckline, bound with self fabric, and a double layered skirt. It is designed with a slightly dropped waist, but even after shortening the bodice, my fabric grew so much that we ended up with a more extreme drop waist style. Fortunately, Myra really likes it, so that was a win.

The feature that really makes the dress stand out though, is the lace insets. Each sleeve features a ruched strip of lace running the length of the sleeve. Ottobre instructs the sewist to gather the lace with elastic and then assemble the three piece sleeve, but I have found elastic gathering to not always have the most delicate finished appearance, particularly on finer fabrics, so I did it the old fashioned way, with two rows of basting. It was a bit fussy, given the large holes in this lace, but I think the end result was worth it.

The neckline also features a gathered band of lace. This time I did use clear elastic to gather, as it stabilizes the neckline nicely within the binding. Since the dress has to pull over Myra's head, the neckline needs to be quite stretchy, but with good recovery. The elastic achieves that with minimal bulk.

The skirt is particularly well designed. As you can see, there are two separate layers. The outer lace layer is a large, gathered rectangle, giving the skirt lots of volume. The underskirt is a half circle, which minimizes bulk at the waist, making the dress a bit more sleek. I was grateful I didn't have to do any more gathering! All that lace was a bear! Again I decided to forego the instructions to use clear elastic to gather, in favor of basting stitches. The skirt is twice the full width of the lace, so it's quite a lot of gathering, and I was afraid that elastic wouldn't give the precision and would add unwanted bulk. It was a bit of work, but I'm pleased with the outcome.

Myra and I were both very happy with her recital dress. It went together smoothly, and was graceful and pretty as well as age appropriate. She's already planning her dress for her next recital!

Ottobre 03/2009-38

I really am working on my Fall wardrobe plan. The first muslin of my jacket is done, and only needs a few adjustments, so progress is being made. Still, it is summer and Myra still didn't have a swimsuit that fits well.

Ottobre to the rescue, as usual.

The pattern is from the 03/2009 issue of Ottobre, the "Seahorse" swimsuit. The fabric is more Tactel Jersey from Chez Ami. It really is lovely stuff, and I'm glad I have quite a bit of it. For this suit, I decided to try rubber elastic instead of swim elastic, and I really like it! It was very easy to sew and apply. I also think it is a bit less prone to curling out.

For Myra, I sewed a 98 in length and a 92 in width and it is a very good fit. As you can see, her mobility is excellent. The only change I made to the pattern was to square off the front so that I could sew on a strip of binding across the front and then a continuous strip of binding for the straps and around the armholes and back. Most of my RTW camis are done this way and it is much easier, I think.

I didn't make the tie straps, instead I stitched down the straps in back, angling them in a little so they wouldn't slip off her shoulders. I'm thrilled with the coverage in back. Her little booty is contained! And she's comfortable; nothing needs pulling or tugging back there.

Myra is happy with her new suit, although she did ask me where the ruffles are. Next summer. I'm just glad we have a pattern that fits!

Ottobre 04/2004-38A, sweat shop style

I realized the other day that Myra has managed to explosively grow out of all of her leggings. Since her daily uniform is leggings and a tee shirt, this is a bit of an urgent need, so I pulled a few pieces of jersey out of the stash and went to work.

And made 7 pairs of leggings in couple of mornings.

Her favorite pair is this animal print patchwork pair made of rayon jersey from Fabric Mart. She's wearing it with Jalie 2794, the Sweetheart tee. Since I pulled the fabrics all from the stash, they are a wide range of fabric and fiber, although I did mostly stick to lightweight jerseys, with the exception of the Hello Kitty pair, which is minky. 

It was originally a pair of adult sized PJ pants she spotted on the clearance rack at Target. I used the original hems and side seams, so these were super quick.

The pattern is Ottobre 04/2004-38A, which I used once before as a Halloween costume for Logan. They are your basic one piece pant pattern, and I love them. Conveniently, Myra fits into the size I had already traced, so I didn't even have to trace a pattern - win.

So, now that I am seriously tired of Myra sewing, I'm ready to jump back on my Wardrobe Basics wagon. I am almost finished with my Tie Waist sweater, although I ended up going shorter, so really it is just a cardi, but definitely a useful wardrobe basic. 

It just needs buttons and buttonholes and it will be ready to go. I didn't have any in the collection that suited, so I'm actually going to have to go get some. I'm not sure when that is going to happen, so I think I'll start tracing my trench coat. You know, now that it is Spring and I don't need it...

Renaissance Costumes

Yesterday we took our trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival, and the kiddos all wore their costumes! Here are Peter Pan and Wendy. His tunic is Butterick 4632 and his leggings are Ottobre 04/04-38. Her dress was made from Simplicity 5695 by my friend Laurie. It was her first time sewing clothing and I think she did a great job!!
Another shot of Peter Pan. It was a little tricky getting a good picture of him...
Here is my little pirate lass. Her costume is Simplicity 2561, except for her peasant blouse, which is Simplicity 5695. She wouldn't keep her hat on, of course.
Here is our entire little band. Whew, was it tough getting a decent picture of all four of them!

Butterick 4632

As August (and birthday season!) comes to a close, my sewing room turns to thoughts of October. Here in Texas, that means both Halloween and the Texas Renaissance Festival! This year we are planning to attend the Pirate Adventure weekend with some friends of ours. We always like to dress up, so I am getting started on some costumes. The first is for Logan. He is dressing as Peter Pan. His best friend, Anna is going to be Wendy. Or Tinkerbell. She's still undecided...
The tunic is Butterick 4632 and the leggings are Ottobre 04/2004, #38. The leggings went together without a fuss. Yay, Ottobre!
I have to say, this tunic was MUCH more complicated than it should have been! The neckline/collar is all in one piece with the front, then faced with a two piece facing. There are CB and CF seams as well, but the pattern instructs you to construct the tunic, then add the facing, matching it fussily at the point of the front opening. I think that should I ever need another Peter Pan tunic, I will construct the two sides, including the facings, then seam them as a whole at CF and CB.

At least it is cute! But now what to do about a belt? Buy or make? I'm on the fence.

There is much more fun Pirate themed sewing coming. I think there'll be a project planning post in my future...