McCall's 6923: The Running Errands in the Hot, Hot Desert Dress

On my apparently never-ending search for the perfect hot weather dress, I decided to whip up McCall's 6923 which is now out-of-print.

This is a very simple dress with a lined bodice and back zipper.

I used the fashion fabric for the lining and an invisible zipper.  The finishing work on the bodice was done by hand--I was babysitting one of my granddogs and wanted something to occupy me while he snoozed.  But then he woke up, so I topstitched the hem on my machine.

The fabric is a batik cotton from Mill End Fabrics in Reno, Nevada.  It's lightweight and opaque, but a bit stiff.  I had hoped a run through the washer with extra fabric softener would make it a bit less crunchy, but any improvements were negligible.

I don't know that this is the kind of summer dress that Mehetabel had in mind, but I think it'll work well when she just wants to throw on something cool--perfect for a trip to the farmers' market or other errands.

The dress went together quickly.  As I mentioned, this is a simple dress.  Two darts (four, if you count the ones in the lining 😉), a zipper, and a lined bodice.  As 6-year-old me would've said:  "Cinchy!"

For seam finishes, I serged the seam allowance edges prior to sewing the seams.  I  chose to use an invisible zipper which changed the sewing order a bit.  I also managed to have the dress twisted when I sewed in the invisible zipper.  What?!  How'd I do that??  Oh well, judging by the amount of time I spend with it, my seam ripper and I must be very good friends.

After Mehetabel tried it on, I wound up taking the dress in about one inch at the side seams, for a reduction of almost four inches.

The dress is high-waisted and not too fitted.  I hope that translates to loose and cool which is just what is needed in our hot, arid, high desert summer.

What's next?  I was going to make a shirtdress, but instead I'm going to sew another sleeveless sheath.  Perversely, what I really want to do is sew winter wardrobe pieces!

Summer Sheath, #1: Butterick 5768

I've been searching for the perfect summer dress pattern.  Something for my daughter, the not-her-real-name Mehetabel, who'd requested some cool and casual dresses for our hot, arid summer. After some discussion and a little trial and error, we settled on a sleeveless sheath with minimal shaping.  For the first try, I purchased Butterick 5768, one of their See & Sew patterns.

In years past, I'd sewn a number of McCall's 2401s for Mehetabel.  It's a great pattern which is now out-of-print.  I'd made a number of changes to that pattern to fit Mehetabel's slender, athletic, 6-foot frame, but unfortunately, I haven't found the altered pattern since my recent out-of-state move.  I'm sure I didn't throw it away, but it isn't in my sewing boxes.  Boo, hiss!  So, it was time to start over. This time, I knew Mehetabel wanted a looser and more casual fit, so I picked up a couple possibilities during one of Joann's pattern sales.  

Why, yes, it is easy!

The fabric is a poly/cotton broadcloth from Joann, purchased a couple years ago at great discount: perfect for (hopefully!) wearable muslins.  The underlining is white batiste from the late Hancock Fabrics.

This is another simple pattern, but as I often do, I managed to make it a bit more complicated.  The pattern calls for a lining, but I decided to underline this first version instead.

Most of the pattern's shaping comes from bust darts in the front and French darts in the back.  I could always add French darts to the front for a more fitted look.

To finish the neckline and armscyes, I traced one-piece facings from the front and back pattern pieces.  I interfaced the facings with a lightweight fusible from Fashion Sewing Supply, and finished the raw edges with the serger.

Instead of a standard zipper, I used an invisible one.

All seam allowances were finished on the serger, and I hand-stitched the facings and hem to the underlining.

So, what does Mehetabel think?  She likes it and will wear it, but would prefer a bit more room in the skirt and a little more shaping to the front mid-section.  I have a few more patterns to try!  

Vogue 9311: Another Summer Dress

There's a decided 70s flair to some of the current pattern offerings.  The last dress I made, Vogue 9312, is one such pattern.  This one, Vogue 9311, also fits the bill.  Maybe that's why I was so determined to make both dresses.  I came of age in the 70s (the late 70s!), and perhaps I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.

The changes I made to the pattern included adding a little more length to both the flounce and the skirt.  I also chose to line the bodice which gave it a nice, clean finish.  It also helped insure the bodice pieces were opaque.  But with such a busy print, that wasn't too much of a concern.

This is another easy-to-make pattern.  The hardest part?  Pinning the flounce on the skirt!  And that wasn't hard, it was just tedious.

The ties are long enough to tie in the back or wrap around to the front which is how Mehetabel chose to wear it for these photos.

The bodice is lined with white batiste.  I wanted to keep the dress as cool as possible.  As I usually do, I trimmed about 1/8 inch off the neck and armscyes to help keep the lining from showing.

The fabric is a very lightweight cotton sateen from Mill End Fabrics in Reno, Nevada.  It has sort of a batik-y look to it, and I thought that would work well with this style of dress.  When I pre-washed it, the black dye bled like crazy, so I suggested to Mehetabel that she use a color catcher sheet when laundering the dress.  The fabric came out of the dryer without any wrinkles, so huzzah for easy-care fabrics!

Mehetabel wanted some hot weather dresses, and this one does the job nicely!

She likes it!

Vogue 9312: Pretty Pink Summer Dress

When I saw Vogue 9312 in the pattern book, I had to have it!  It reminds me of a John Kloss design.  Kloss was one of my favorite designers when I was in college; I loved his style.  Well, Vogue 9312 would expose a bit more of me than I'd care to, but I figured it would be perfect for my daughter, Mehetabel.  She'd mentioned that she could use some hot weather dresses.  Coming right up!

This pattern went together quickly and easily.  The instructions call for lining just the front bodice piece and turning under the seam allowances on the back bodice.  I chose to line both bodice pieces instead and I'm pleased with the result.  I used stay tape on the shoulders and omitted the topstitching.  

All seam allowances were serged except for those covered by the lining.  The hem was done on my coverstitch machine.  I considered omitting the elastic (in a channel under the bodice), but I decided the dress probably needed a little extra support.

Twirly!

The fabric was purchased online from FabricMart at least a year ago.  It is one of their "Hawaiian Designer" ITY knits, so I suspect it is from Tori Richard.  It's a lovely fabric and has great drape.  I knew Mehetabel would like it too; we both love pink! 

Mehetabel was a high school teacher for years and there's no way she'd have worn this in the classroom!  But now she's a full time PhD student--and she still wouldn't wear this in the classroom!!  However, it is a perfect dress for sipping cocktails on the deck, going out for Sunday brunch, or myriad other activities.  It'll also be a great travel dress; just roll it up and throw it in a suitcase.

Tummy rub!

She likes it!

Playing Catch Up, Part I...

...Or:  

What I Made for Christmas

I don't know why I haven't blogged!  Lack of photos?  Lack of time?  Lack of--who knows?!  Well, whatever the reason, I'm back now.  I've sewn a lot since my last blog post, and I'm going to try to document as many of these projects as I can remember.  But not all in one post!  For this post, I'll just focus on what I made for Christmas presents.

I made a top for Mehetabel's mother-in-law.  Let's call her Carmelita (the MIL, not the top).  The top is made from a sweater knit purchased from Cali Fabrics.  For the pattern, I started with New Look 6412.  I straightened the curve from the bust to the waist, lengthened the sleeves, shortened the length of the top, and curved the hem slightly.  For the collar and neckline, I used the cowl neck pattern piece from the Sewaholic Renfrew.  The shoulders were reinforced with twill tape.  All seams were sewn on my regular machine and finished with the serger.  The hems were done on my Babylock Cover Stitch machine.  I love how this top turned out, and I think Carmelita likes it too! 

Speaking of the Renfrew cowl neck, I also melded that collar piece onto McCall's 6886.  I trimmed quite a bit off the hem to make it into a top and curved the hem (I think it's a more flattering line). The top is made from a double knit from Fabric Mart.

For Christmas, I knew Mehetabel would like some relaxed tunic tops to wear with leggings.  For these, I used New Look 6412, straightened the curve between the bust and hips, lengthened the sleeves, lengthened the top (she's 6' in height; we are a tall people), made a slight high/low hem, and curved the hemline.  These were sewn on my regular machine, the seams were finished with the serger, and the hems were done on the cover stitch, and the shoulders were reinforced with twill tape.

The wearable muslin was made from this red and white jersey print.  I think I bought the fabric from fabric.com.

The photo above shows Mehetabel trying on another one of the tunic tops.  This one is a sweater knit from deep stash--I bought it on sale years ago from Joann Fabrics.  It's a paisley print, in shades of green with touches of black and turquoise.  

The final tunic was made from a cream and ivory boucle sweater knit from Cali Fabrics.  I thought this piece would be quite versatile.  I made some coordinating Jalie Eleonores (shown below), although I think she'll wear it primarily with leggings.  I also made a pair of red Eleonores.  The fabric for both pairs was purchased from Michael Levine.  

In the past few months, I've sewn quite a few pairs of Jalie Eleonore jeans for Mehetabel.  So far, I've made the previously blogged about violet and white pairs, as well as red, navy, burgundy, cream, and sapphire.  I also made two duds:  hot pink and black.  These failures were due to not enough stretch in the fabric.

To round out my Christmas sewing, I made some doll dresses for some girls in my neighborhood.  They are really into American Girl dolls, so I thought it would be nice (and fun!) to sew a few things for them.  I made the pattern for these dresses 20ish years ago when I made clothes for Mehetabel's American Girl dolls.

But I wasn't the only family member toiling in the bespokeability factory.  Mehetabel made six pillows for her mother-in-law (Carmelita!) for Christmas.

Mehetabel's top is New Look 6150

And I have to mention the fabulous present Mehetabel gave me:  enrollment in the Susan Khalje  Classic French Jacket video course.  Wheeeeeeee!

I plan to blog about other completed projects soon(ish), although I'm not sure you should believe me! 😉

Happy sewing!

White Jalie Éléonores for Independence Day & Violet Ones Just Because

I'm going to add more width to the calf on the next pair to alleviate the wrinkles at the knees

Recently, Mehetabel and I were perusing the offerings at Old Navy.  She snapped up this navy and white gingham top--I don't remember how much she paid, but it was on sale, and the cost was pretty low.  She knew she had a block party to go to on the 4th and thought she could pair this top with a red camisole--and I offered to make her some white Jalie Éléonores to complete the outfit.

This is the fourth pair of Éléonores I've made.  The first pair was in violet cotton/lycra stretch twill (Violet, you're turning violet, Violet), and it is the same fabric as the white ones.  The fabric was purchased online from Vogue Fabrics; unfortunately, these fabrics no longer seem to be in stock.  I've also made Éléonores in hot pink stretch denim and black stretch gabardine--perhaps I'll blog about those at some point.

The photos of the white pants were taken late afternoon.  The light wasn't great!

This fabric does have the required 20% stretch, but its recovery is just so-so, and it wrinkles quickly.  It also unraveled quite a bit during construction which prompted me to finish all seams with the serger (in fuchsia for the violet pants, because, why not, and in white for the white pants), even those I topstitched with the coverstitch.  This created overkill in a couple of instances (inside leg seam, back yoke) but it should stop the shredding and shedding.

The photos of the violet pants were taken on a cold day in March.  Again, the light wasn't great.

The coverstitch made the topstitching process quick and easy for the most part.  

I used size V and added two inches to the leg length which left room for a scant 5/8 inch hem.  Sewing was a breeze, and all the pieces fit together perfectly.  

This is a better representation of the (violet) color and fabric

In addition to the added leg length, I shortened both pieces of waistband elastic by 1-1/2 inches each, and I'm glad I did!  Like me, Mehetabel has at least ten inches difference between her waist and hip measurements. 

The only other change I made was to eliminate the front faux pockets.  I figured Mehetabel's top would cover them anyway; if she wants them on future pairs, I'll be happy to add them. 

The directions were clear, and Jalie even has a video showing the construction from start to finish.

Mehetabel likes both pieces, which is great, because I have several pieces of stretch denim that should work well with this pattern.

Happy Independence Day to those of you from the U.S.  Happy 4th of July to everyone else :).