Megan Nielsen minimalist aboriginal Karri

So this is basically as minimalist as a dress can get but despite that it was a huge struggle to get it even close to done while moving.  It's really hard to focus on sewing when life is crazy.  Not to mention packing.  I'm so over packing. 

This Karri is again an XS and again has stretchy side panels. This time I went to the Goodwill on a hunt for three big tshirts in mostly the same colour family. I really wanted marled seafoam green but I couldn't match the color very well (can't imagine why not), so blue it is.

This Karri, being minimalist has:
-no sleeves
-no lining
-no back zip
-no pockets

In order to bind the neckline, I french seamed the bodice front and back and then bound the neckline with bias tape.  Because of that I did not cut the back bodice on the fold.  I did first consolidate the front pieces so I could cut the front on the fold though.  Any seams with all wovens were done with french seams and anything else was zigzagged to finish.

Not adding the zip was a tactical decision, based on the presumed stretchiness of tshirts when there are no sleeves.

I really was going to add the pockets but they added some additional stress because I need to actually follow instructions to get pockets on, so at the last minute I prioritised actually getting the entire dress put together, and skipped them.

The final order - which has something to do with the direction of max stretch - is to sew the front bodice and the front skirt together, ditto back bodice and back skirt, making the final seam be the vertical seam down the sides.  I think if the waist seam is the final seam, it is tight (when you are using a sewing machine), and so this method leaves the waistband stretchier.

I finished it (mostly) a few hours before leaving for the airport.  My luggage is a catastrophe and I unpacked in New Zealand to discover I have no pants but some luggage is being shipped so I guess I'll survive for now.  It means this dress didn't come with me, but I grabbed a few snaps before packing it away.  The sleeveholes are not bound and it's not hemmed.  I think I'll hem it quite a bit shorter - maybe 10 cm.  I'm planning to use some strips of tshirts to bind the sleeveholes, either leaving it as a binding or folding it inside.

Update: used bias tape on sleeves and hemmed the bottom:

Overall I am actually surprised because I thought I would love this version absolutely the most of anything ever.  I like it and I can get into it easily without the zip, but I miss the lining.  Without a lining it clings a bit too much and I think it's less flattering.  A part of this is that the tshirts are pretty thin and so they don't have much body and they show details - a thicker stretchy fabric would definitely be more flattering.  However, I wear sleeveless dresses a lot because I like to layer, so once I'm reunited with it and finish up those details I won't hesitate to wear it lots.

Megan Nielsen Cactus Karri dress

This was one of those projects that became an epic before it started and jumped the queue right away.  Because I bought 1. meter. of cactus fabric.  And 1. meter. of silk georgette stretch lining.  Whyyyy?

And why stretch lining, you ask?  Hehe that's because of my recycled black tshirt side panels, of course.
Maybe I should start from the beginning.

Pattern: Megan Nielsen Karri, size XS
Fabric: 1 meter of textured cactus "canvas" (it's not) from Miss Matabi, it's actually dressweight and has got the most amazing spongy texture.
Side panels: three large black tshirts donated by one of my nurses
Lining: 1 meter of Theory black silk stretch georgette from Mood.  I might need to buy more of this and put it on the exterior of a dress too.   This was supplemented by something very similar - a black stretch silk I was saving in my stash for something else.  Well, needs must.

I made an XS.  My waist is 27 ish, but with the stretch I was not worried.  Same about fit adjustments... I just decided all my jersey would save me the trouble.

First of all, don't plan to make it with just one meter of anything even if you are a size XS.  Second, for best pattern continuity, put the front pieces together and cut on the fold instead of cutting four little pieces. 

But after that it came together really well.  Because this was my dream dress, I spent a lot of time thinking about which seams needed to be finished, and where, and how, and wishing I just had a serger!  I didn't finish the seams of the bodice, but I french seamed the lining of the skirt and I bias bound all the skirt seams.  I was going to sew the waist to the lining but then I just decided not to.  I did hand sew the lining onto the sleeves, which was actually easy and left me with a real sense of satisfaction. I notice a theme lately in the projects that matter to me.  Maybe there's hope I won't be a fast-fashion-sewist forever?

So it took ages to make my blog post for this because I was determined to take pictures with some cacti.  (Naturally.)  But when I'm near cacti, which happens often enough in Arizona, I'm not generally wearing dresses, nor do I have photo opportunities.  So finally I gave up but I promise if I get near some cacti and take pictures I will update them!

Initially I freaked out because the black of the three tshirts is, of course, three different blacks.  But I got over it.

I love my cactus dress.  I'm going to make more.  (Karri dresses, not all with cacti).  This dress feels so luxurious because of the silk, and the stretch, and the jersey, and I think it's probably my favourite pattern of ALL TIME.  (finally!!)  I will lower the front neck next time, and I might make one without sleeves...I have ideas.  Just not so much time!

Here are some (ahem, phallic?) cacti pictures from the Cactus Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, where I sadly did not have my cactus dress along.