Jalie 2105

Also entitled, "How I avoided sewing a Rapunzel costume and instead sewed Spandex". No, really Myra did need a new leotard for gymnastics. Her class is early enough in the morning that it is still quite chilly and her thin Texas blood needed more coverage.

This pattern is Jalie 2105, which is actually for a ballet leotard. I love that it has long legs and 3/4 sleeves, which gives Myra lots more coverage, both for the morning chill and for the inevitable bumps and bruises.

The fabric is from SpandexWorld. Myra likes the sparkle of the hologram spandex, but it is a little itchy. the lilac sleeves are a heavier weight milliskin, which is very nice and was quite pleasant to sew, for spandex.

Her gym is pretty dark, but the flash did weird things to the fabric, so this is the best picture I managed (out of 160) that shows the proportions of the leotard. The sleeves are right at elbow length on Myra, and the legs are just below the knee. Size-wise, she is an F based on her measurements, but her length is in the G, so I lengthened the body to accommodate her long torso. Jalie provides a girth measurement that is really helpful in determining the length to use.

The biggest challenge I had with the last leotard was the neckline. I really appreciated everyone who chimed in with advice and help. I managed to get my hands on several Stretch & Sew patterns (Thanks to Mom and Debbie!!) and got some swim elastic in place of the knitted elastic I used last time.

I also decided to try out the coverstitch, since I coverstitched the hems. Boy, did it look like a hot mess when it came off the machine!

Fortunately, it lies nice and flat on Myra. Pardon the grumpy face. I think she was a little tired of the camera at this point. I really am happy with this neckline, but I sort of wish I hadn't changed two things at once, since now I'm not sure if it is the swim elastic, coverstitch or both that made it lay so nice and flat. I really do like the softness of the swim elastic though, and I think that was probably the major contributor. The coverstitch actually feels a little flimsy as compared to the triple zigzag. I guess we'll see how this wears.

I'm really glad that I'm taking the plunge into activewear. Although we're heading into our first real winter ever, I'm sort of excited for summer swimwear! Fortunately, gymnastics is year round and Myra is a clotheshorse. She's already requested a pink sparkly one.

So, today is the first day of Sewing Summit!! I am beyond excited!! I can't wait to hang out with all the awesome sewists. I even made a new top to wear. Hopefully i can get some fun pictures at the Summit!

Simplicity 2403 (finally!)

Between Mitch's crazy schedule and Salt Lakes' crazy weather (It SNOWED yesterday!) I'm afraid my pictures are indoor with flash, but it was that or nothing, and I really wanted y'all to see this dress.

The pattern is Simplicity 2403, which is a Project Runway shirtdress with several sleeve and neckline options. Unfortunately it is now OOP, which is really too bad, as it is a pretty darn awesome pattern. I'll definitely be using it again. There is this silk twill in my stash... But I digress.

The changes I made were primarily for fit. I did an 1 3/4 inch FBA (The details of that are here.), 1/4 inch broad back adjustment and added 1/2 inch to the back waist width. I also raised the waistline in back 1/2 inch. I think this is the most work I've ever done in altering a pattern. I even made 2 muslins! And I'm pretty happy with the fit, although the pictures are showing me a few places that I need to refine.

There is a teeny bit of pooling above the back waist, so I think I need to take off a little from the top of the skirt. I do like the way the back bodice lies. Sorry my hair is covering all the action back there! You can see a dress form picture here.

The other changes I made to the pattern were to line the skirt, change the back gathers to pleats and move the fullness to the sides. I used an invisible zipper, rather than a lapped zip in the side seam. I also hemmed it a little longer than the pattern called for. I was going for a below the knee length, which I think fits a bit better with the Med Men sort of aesthetic. The pattern calls for interfacing in the collar, stand, bands and waistband. I used Pam's new Shirt Crisp for the collar and stand. I totally love it. It seems very stiff while working with it, but it sews beautifully without bulk, gives a perfect amount of body while still remaining flexible. For the bands, I considered not interfacing them at all, but the bodice fabric is quite thin and I was worried that two layers wouldn't support the buttonholes well. I ended up using Pro-Sheer Elegance there and I like the teeny bit of structure it adds without making it stiff. For the waistband, I wanted more stability. I was really happy with the way the two layers of Pro-Weft worked in Mitch's pants, but for this dress, I simply interfaced both the waistband and the facing with Pro-Weft. I think it's perfect.

Here is the skirt lining. It is a rayon satin from the stash that is just yummy. The dress fabrics are cotton, calico broadcloth for the bodice and lightweight sateen for the skirt. Both are from Fabric Mart. The skirt fabric was part of a mystery bundle that I ordered when I ordered the calico. I couldn't believe how perfectly they matched. I really think the folks at Fabric Mart tailor the mystery bundle that they send to the fabrics you've purchased. This isn't the first time that my bundle has contained fabrics that coordinate with my order.

Here is the side zipper from the inside. I really wasn't sure how to attach the lining to it without handsewing, so I just slipstitched it down. It sure looks nice from the inside.

From the outside, it also looks darn nice. It also took four tries. It really just didn't want to line up, then when I actually got it aligned I had twisted the zipper. Yes, I said a swear word.

And for the finishing touch, I made a belt! How fun is that?! I used a belt making kit from A Fashionable Stitch, and Sunni's wonderful tutorials. It was super fun and not at all difficult. I think it's the perfect addition to this dress and I will definitely be making more.

New Look 6793 & Ottobre 06/2009-3

Baby showers are such a great excuse to sew up something quick and fun. This was a nice palate cleanser after my dress.

These are two of my baby favorites, New Look 6793 and Ottobre 06/2009-3. All the fabrics are from my stash, and all but the polka dot cotton are left over from other projects. 

Isn't the big button fun!? After I finished it, I thought it needed something. I considered making a fabric flower out of the interlock, but then I found this great vintage button in the stash. It's nice and big (therefore not a choking hazard) and it's actually a perfect color match for the tee IRL. Love it.

As I was putting on the band, I thought the contrast between the polka dots and the stripes was a little too stark. I hit up my trim box, thinking I would try to match the top, but I found this black jumbo rick rack and I knew it had to be. I'm usually not very good at that sort of extemporaneous embellishment, but all the stars aligned this time. I hope the new Mommy likes it. I don't really know her well, but there wasn't a shred of pink on either of her registries, so I thought this color scheme would be better. And I'll be honest - I love babies in black.

Monthly Roundup: September 2011

September has been kind of a slow month sewing-wise. Duncan's sleep has been seriously erratic (growth spurt + learning to crawl = nursing all night long), so my sewing time has been pretty minimal.

I sewed:
1) Vogue 8719 pants for Mitch

2) McCall's 5696 skirt for Myra

3) Simplicity 2738 PJ top for Logan

4) Simplicity 2290 PJ pants for Logan

5) Simplicity 2065 dress for Myra
6) Simplicity 2403 dress for me (promise, pictures coming soon!)

I also appliqued a bag for Logan to take to school. Total yardage: 12 1/2. 9 1/2 of that was from stash. The only non-stash garments were the PJs for Logan. I'm getting much better at shopping the stash! I'm not sure which garment was the most successful this month. Myra wears her skirt and dress constantly. Logan loves his PJs. Mitch's pants are wearable, although there is still some work to go before I can call them an unequivocal success.

For October, I have a baby gift that I need to knock out for a shower on the 4th, then it will be all costumes, all the time.

Myra is going to be Rapunzel. I've worked out the fit tweaks to the neckline and so real sewing can commence. Logan is planning to be Woody from Toy Story. I'm thinking I'll use the "Beethoven" shirt from Ottobre, as it has a nice slim fit. For his vest, I actually think I'll use his PJ pattern top, shortened and sleeveless. I'm planning to bind the edges as that is what it looks like was done to Woody's vest. I'm lining it with flannel for warmth and the shirt is a flannel backed homespun. Duncan is going to be Rex from Toy Story. I'm using Simplicity 2506, the dragon view but without the spikes. He'll be warm and snuggly in fleece. Logan insists that Mitch is going to be The Evil Doctor Porkchop and I am to be Lot's-O Huggin' Bear. We'll see about that...

Simplicity 2403 preview

I'm so close to finishing this dress, I can taste it!!

Here is how it looked this morning. It still needs a hem, and that's it! Hopefully my kids will sleep a little and I'll get a chance to finish it. I cannot believe how long I've been working on this thing. I don't usually have that much stamina for a project.

I snapped a quick (read - blurry and poorly composed, sorry!) picture while I was measuring the hem. I'm so happy with how the fit turned out. I'm so bad about skipping the muslin stage and just blasting forward, but I'm glad I put in the effort this time.

I'll post a better review and a summary of my alterations as soon as I'm done and can get a few good pictures. I'm also planning to make a belt out of the tangerine sateen to go with it. How fun is that?! I purchased a beltmaking kit from Sunni at A Fashionable Stitch. I think it will be a nice vintage-y touch.