Upcycled Papercut Anima pants and Simplicity 8228 Madalynne bra

In order to not stand around in just a bra, I figured I'd show these two makes together.

I spend too much time trying to think up things to do with tshirts.  You know the ones I mean - those heavyweight, oversized, shapeless, screen-printed tshirts that we all get too many of for free.  A few of them work to sleep in but they last a long time!  So this pair of Papercut Anima pants was brought about as a trial run to use up some shirts.  Since the pants are sleepwear they are totally allowed to look silly plus I get to wear a bunch of tshirts which I do actually like - I spent six months working with MSF last year - and I've done a bunch of trips with the American Alpine Institute, so both of these shirts have some emotional value to me and I'm happy to make them continuously useful.

The anima pants pattern is my standard one, size XS - I didn't shorten the legs this time, but I have lowered the front waistband by removing a wedge that I tapered out to nothing at the side seam, plus obviously I got rid of the fly and pockets.

In order to use four tshirts for this pattern, I cut each tshirt apart at the sides and across the top, and then I sewed the bottoms together, like this:

Even with this magenta tee, which was a size S ladies cut, I had enough to make an entire pant leg with some room remaining.


I went kind of crazy with the waistband and it was bad, so I had to totally remove something like 5 rows of stitching (I measured my elastic wrong and it was about 5 inches too long...) and then I went for the minimalist waistband with no stitching in it.  The elastic stays in place so I'm content for now.  This version of the anima pants, seeing as it has no pockets, no fly and no string in the waistband - is a pretty minimal version and is easy to make.  It took a few hours including tshirt prep. 

So the bra top!  I bought this as soon as it came out.  After all, lacy bra thingies are so in right now!  I wanted one!  The lace is from merckwaerdigh's etsy store, the cream coloured powermesh is from tailormadeshop.  I used really bad fabric glue to stick the layers together and then the idea of making this bra top faltered.  It was a few months before I came back to it.  There was only one review which mentioned sizing, and the reviewer used her normal bra size rather than following the size chart, so I did that too and cut a 32C.  I marked each pattern piece with the side that should be along the scallops and I found cutting out easy.  Sewing was easy and quick too - just a couple of hours.  I found the instructions to be adequate and not confusing at any point.  However because of my crappy glue, I had to then zigzag all free edges (luckily this is invisible in the lace) because the mesh was flopping around otherwise.

The band is tight enough to be supportive, which itself, in non-stretch lace, is a problem because although I can get this top on, it's nearly impossible to get off.  The back is much lower than the front.  I was debating just removing 2 cm off the spot where the back narrows to see if that helps, although I suppose it's not too important.  Also,  the cups fit mostly ok, but I think I'll take a wedge off the center front piece for my next try.  The lace is also really itchy.

I have a nice kit from tailormadeshop to make another one of these, which I'll do with those two small changes, but I recommend using stretch lace, and not using powermesh on the band, especially if you have wide shoulders or a muscular back like I do. 

Ondee Skater Frankendress

I debated what to do with this beautiful fabric for quite awhile.  It is a batik terry cloth from emmaonesock.

Finally I decided to start by making an Ondee, and then making something else with the leftovers.
The repeat is a square with the blue border and I wasn't sure how to approach it.  I went for centering the pattern and placing the strips in a visually neat place (and the bindings) and I adore it.  I made a size 38, and as my previous Ondee, it was a very easy pattern with no news to report.

But...my caveat is that the waist is really tight and I was feeling like Houdini getting in and out of it.  Also, I wanted to make a skater with the rest of this fabric...and I didn't have enough.  So I decided it was time for my first Frankendress...an Ondee-skater.

I didn't have enough fabric to really plan how I laid out the skirt, but once I got the two attached they matched up perfectly...except for having the pattern in the middle driving me crazy!

I switched the front and back panels, which helped a bit.  The dress is cozy, and it's stretchy, and it's roomy - either because the Ondee was a bit wider than the skirt panels, or because of the multiple times that I ripped out the waist stitching.  The lightning bolt waist stitching.  Grrr...

So it's a bit more roomy than I'm used to.  I love the pattern, I love the fabric, but I can't quite escape that the Ondee was a better match for it in some ways.  The dress is comfortable to wear but everyone else likes it more than I do!  Not sure whether I'll keep it. 

Upcycling and fun with knits

I started to feel stressed in life and the result was a bunch of knit projects and stress-free upcycling.  It was great to get these things taken care of! 

#1: the success
Mission tank top with stretch lace binding.  I widened the straps a bit by eyeing my pattern (I've done this lots of times but never put it to paper) and just zigzagged the lace on.  The ribbing I used for this tank is really heavy, I think it's rayon, so I'm not sure it's going to last long before it stretches too much, but it's a perfect sized, comfy tank top.  I'll keep an eye out for thin rib knits to make more of these, because this is something I often buy to wear under other layers.  Because I'm nice, I sent it to a friend who also wanted some layering tank tops.

that's dirty camera spots, not dirty shirt spots

#2: The Mission dress upcycle:

This started out being a size XL Roxy surfergirl dress - with triangle top and an empire waist and it went on forever, because I guess Roxy surfergirls are all 6 feet tall...and I upcycled it into a Mission.  I wasn't sure how things would go with the ruffles - in fact, I started to suspect quite early that it would be a total fail.  I was curious if I could get the ruffle in the right place to add some volume to the skirt of the dress without it being right on my hips.  And in the end I rather like it although I'm not sure I totally succeeded - I went into this project expecting nothing, which can sometimes be really freeing!

#3: selfless upcycle:
My cousin asked me to upcycle some old sweaters into Plantains.  Here's the first one (the second will be for another Hawaii trip, I suppose...) It's a size 38, no modifications except to use the original cuffs and the neck binding is the original binding cut narrower.  I cut the bottom to the plantain pattern, and then hemmed it with a zig zag which created the ruffle - and my cousin says she loves it!  Here's to lucky design features!

#4: selfless tees x2.
These aren't too interesting as I cut them in Munich last April, so they are exactly the same as versions I made for the same two friends last year : )  I guess I'm on track to give my friends one shirt per year!  The men's shirt is the Strathcona by Thread Theory, and the girl shirt is a Briar, size S, with the high-low hem made more subtle.  In this interlock knit the Briar turned out super nice and I'm considering making me some!

Yes these are mostly fold marks from being packed for nearly a year...

#5: Desigual dress to skirt
I love this dress.  Of course I forgot a before picture.  Ebay has provided instead:

I got the dress in Barcelona when I ran the Barcelona marathon, and so my memories of it are tied up in the pain of that terrible terrible race course, haha.  But the dress, beautiful!  It also had this stupid overlapping triangle top, and it was really tight.  Like, I gave up wearing a bra, no matter how skinny I've gotten those green stripes under the bust were super tight.  And no matter how I tried, I just don't feel covered going out wearing two triangles over my chest, unless I'm at the beach. (In which case no problem, actually all my favourite swimsuits are nothing but two triangles...)  So what to do?  I decided to try and make it a skirt with a fold over waistband.

Lo and behold - it worked!!!  I cut it across just above my hips and left the zip in place, thinking it would help to get it on (doesn't) and made a tube of my green merino, and just sewed it on with a lightning bolt stitch.  I had to shorten the green initially cause my guess of the circumference was wrong, and I was mainly lucky that I can squeeze the dress over my hips - but I didn't want to cut lower and lose the pattern.  Anyway this is a magical save as I love the skirt. 

By Hand London Kim dress

I suffered with the BHL Elisalex due to fit problems and honestly, the Kim pattern isn't that much different.  Initially I only noticed the purple version with the tulip skirt and so it didn't go on my radar at all.  But I started to see a number of versions this year that had me fixated on it.  Plus I really wanted to do a Kim-Zeena frankendress.  So I started with a Kim.  It was a Kim marathon actually - my last day in Seattle and I spent the evening trying in vain to sew the entire dress.  It was near midnight when I had to stop prior to zipper insertion. 

Putting in zips late at night and tired is never a good idea.  Also I could finally see the dress coming together, and to my total shock, it seemed to fit like magic.  No WAY!! 

The details:
Fabric is from Tessuti in Melbourne. And I have had it for awhile.
Lining is lime green bemberg.  The skirt is not lined.
Size is 6/10 with no changes. Oh yeah except one.  I prepared the pdf pattern in Ukraine, and I think that I cut some length off the skirt prophylactically, since BHL patterns are for very tall ladies.  I think I cut off like 6" or 10 cm.  And then...when I cut out the dress, I forgot I'd done that and again removed about 5"!!  I held it up to myself and neglected to take the little pintucks into consideration.  So I was looking at the need for a hem facing. 

So I moved, and I couldn't bring incomplete Kim with me due to the usual luggage mess, and it was so tantalising because it looked like it might be my dream dress in terms of the fit.  So I concocted another Kim in my head while I waited for my mum to send me my boxes of sewing supplies/unfinished projects.  (Which naturally arrived before I got around to the second Kim, oh well.) I got a grosgrain ribbon in Munich to use as a hem facing and finally got moving on the last, hm, hour of labor on this beautiful dress. 

No problems with the finish, and I think I might continue to use ribbons as hem bindings - I read that it will stick to tights less!  And it means my hem is even!  Hurrah!  However, when I got to pinning the lining down, I realized I would have to sew it by hand or it would make the dress bunch out funny.  Also, although it almost fit perfectly, the straps were too long.  Like, really too long.  So I realized after alllll this work, I was going to have to open the shoulder seam and cut it and then blind stitch it back together.  Blah.  This dress has been lying on my couch for SO long. 

I took a few vacations to gird myself. 
Finally I think I was tired of seeing it sitting there and so I finished it - I hand sewed the lining to the bodice.  To make the shoulder strap shorter I opened the seam...and just overlapped and sewed them down.  Design feature!  Yeah...it's not perfect but at this point enough is enough, right? 

Sorry my photos are blurry, I have discovered that with my remote I can do an endless series of pictures but I haven't gotten the focus to work yet.  This does mean you'll have to bear with endless ridiculous poses but it was so much more fun than the usual photo shoot.


I have already cut the second one out so in order to get around these fit problems, I decided to just cut the straps (about 3 cm), and to cut a sliver off both the front and back bodice piece, tapering down to nothing below the bust.  This would bring the straps closer together and shrink the bust a tiny bit.  We shall see...hopefully it won't take quite as long as the first one.