Megan Nielsen Amber dress, though maybe it's hard to tell...

 Paulina requesting breastfeeding dresses and we settled on this, with the caveat that the cross front should be underneath, and a tshirt panel over top.  (As designed I'm self-censoring my opinions on how sickly this dress is...) But THEN she texted and said sleeveless please!!  

So, I cut my size - XS (though my hips are slightly larger) since it said go by pre-pregnancy size, and other people said it was very oversized.  I had 1 meter of the birds, which are DIRECTIONAL fml, and you know "very oversized..." so I cut 2x the back skirt instead of a front skirt.  Used the Deer and Doe Givre, which was handy, to recut a tank top armhole and some bindings, as well as the front overlay panel, I think I just overlapped the two patterns to get a tshirt front piece.  I made the tshirt overlay as long as the front waist panel, then added a binding of the same length so it wouldn't really be snugger. 

Got the top bit put together on one side and though I had best try this baby on...and hm, it really doesn't fit below the waist, oops.  I luckily just had the one side sewn together and I had ONE triangle of leftover fabric, so I stuck in that entire triangle from the waist down to the hem and sewed it in.  Whew, dress goes onto ME now and looks a bit like designer post-partum wear.  I hope Paulina can get it on!  

Sent it over and the verdict - PERFECT! It's really snug on her, as you'd expect just having a baby, but she doesn't need a bra with it, and luckily the front is roomy enough for the post baby tum.  She has requested another so now I'm stuck trying to recreate my skirt-saving fix again...(might just add a few cm to the waistband and skirt...) 

I would say this is TRUE to SIZE though I can't comment on the exact front as designed since I hacked it quite a bit. I do think it's reasonable to size up if you aren't in the market for a snug designer look breastfeeding dress, and of course use the skirt as designed with pleats if you want it to be a pregnancy item as well as functional post-partum.

Vogue 1821 - Rachel Comey dress review

I really thought hard about this project before I started.  My friend Tam had made it and sent me the pattern, recommending I leave off the pockets.  I thought this kind of fit might suit me very well indeed, but I did want pockets for my first attempt.

On size: because I was tempted to size down in the Merchant & Mills Box box dress, and the problem with the slightly dropped shoulder is that it actually needs to be oversized to hang straight down, when I sized down, the entire bodice fit poorly.  I was considering that when I evaluated which size to make here, thinking long and hard about oversized vs too oversized.  I checked the measurements of the sleeve to make sure they'd fit and I think that's why the size XS seemed ok, as I knew it wouldn't be too snug on my biceps.  I think maybe the hang of the dress would be better in S, but it's such a huge tent that I'm not sure that would change how I feel about it.

I was really excited prior to sewing this and was willing to commit this silk - woven in Nepal - because it was a big enough piece with the recommended weight (oops, I was supposed to give half of it to Tessa...)  There's a shop in Kathmandu willing to sell me these pieces of silk yardage, the factory is outside Kathmandu and although I haven't toured it to report on the conditions I am making the assumption it's not a huge or crowded factory.  

For some reason once I started sewing I lost all the enthusiasm.  Maybe because the order of sewing didn't feel very neat.  The fabric is a rough weave, and it's not that much fun to sew.  The pockets hang kind of straight down, going out to the hips, rather than hanging to the front as usual pockets do (it makes sense when you look at the pocket/hand angle) and I didn't like all the weird extra instructions for them - I followed the instructions, but I think I got a worse result than if I had just stitched and undersewed in the standard way.  It's been a long time since I made a big 4 pattern, and in my memory the instructions always taught me things, and had really clever ways of doing stuff.  Now, however, I disagree.  The pocket method is crap.  Once you understand how the pockets will hang I do like the fact that they are there, and I like their position.  If they were a bit bigger they would turn this dress into a nice purse, with big handy storage areas...they definitely, however, add a lot of extra work to the pattern.  I have read in some comments that they are valuable in balancing the weight of the skirt in the back to keep the dress hanging straight, so that's interesting (also a good reason to make them larger and put lots of stuff in them.)

The sewing wasn't particularly onerous after that but I felt like I was slogging through at that point.  I skipped the extra sleeve detail and just created little cuffs.

I tried on the dress as I went along and felt very meh.  It feels like a huge, heavy tent.  The pockets are flapping all over the place.  

 

Then of course I took my blog photos and I have to say I like the way it feels when I'm out and about wearing it.  It's not a seasonally appropriate item and because of these conflicted feelings I decided to pack it away for winter and see what happens.  When I leave things sitting out I tend to donate them if I don't wear them right away so this way I can give it a break and see what I think when I pull it back out in the autumn.

I did think that I might like this as a sleeveless dress. I know others have said a heavyweight fabric suits the style better but I would be tempted to make it from linen, and sleeveless, and see what I think. (Very tempted!)

time for the yearly tshirt binge - and surprise shorts addition -

 First tee is the most important, the long awaited: Elbe Staley, view B, size B, and about 2" shortened - I thought my longer version was too long but the short version was a tiny bit too short, so this was the compromise.  And yes, this is the designer fabric I was considering, and yes, I've been considering it for a LONG time.  It was really scary to make this!  From the 1m of Versace knit I don't even have scraps left to make underwear.  Everything behaved, and I'm really happy with the result.  I wear the short one running all the time.  With the side curve, this one being slightly longer works well with most of my clothes and I love the design. I didn't put a pocket on it.  I thought that it just wouldn't look great and the pattern is busy enough without it.

Made for Mermaids Logan - take 3 - size purple

I had made a linen version of this for a friend, which I do think I blogged, but I can't find it.  I wanted more linen knit to make one for me.  Finally had the knit, which is a big heavier than the original black.  I wasn't sure whether in the past I made this longer by both using the full length (crop) tee pattern PLUS the band, or the banded tee.  (The first version adds an extra inch.)  Anyway, this time I did the longer option and I think it's too long.  Maybe after thinking about this for so long, my vision just couldn't match reality.  Or maybe now as cropped things are coming into fashion my tolerance for shorter has increased.  Either way, I didn't quite like this and have given it to a friend.  

The new Closet Core tee came across my radar when I was browsing their site. I was just in the mood for something a bit loose and cropped.  Perfect timing!  Went with size 4, crop version, no other mods, using this great blue fabric, I think it might be part bamboo. It has a fantastic feel but is not particularly drapey.

 

I was really happy with the result, although it does continually sit on top of my bust like you see in the photos, why?  That kind of makes me like it less.  I'm also annoyed with my stitching, since this was where my coverstitch machine pretty much gave up.  I hate my coverstitch machine and when it's not working I really don't have the bandwidth to deal.

But anyway, I decided to experiment and make a swimsuit fabric tee from this fabric.  The inspo was something I tried in a shop which was similar.  The tee was just as easy to make (swim fabric does NOT behave like sportswear fabrics and I find it relatively easy to sew.)  Amazingly, I had matching coverstitch thread but sadly, the coverstitch machine is a mess these days so who knows how long that hem will hold, as it's got a lot of gaps on the back.  Having tried this new tee, I'm really not sure my wardrobe needs clothing items made of swimsuit fabric, (I tried it running and I was overheated immediately) but it's a fun fashion experiment.  Maybe I'll try to wear it when I have the chance to get wet in it. -- I'll try to get some photos of that eventually.

Around the time I made the Core tee I decided to finally make these Pattern Runway paper bag waist shorts from Peppermint Magazine (free pattern!)  I think I downloaded and printed this pattern about 2 years ago.  I made size 10.  I was willing to do a quick job on these to see what would happen, and the results are what you would expect from that attitude.  These have the look, on paper, of a veeeery long crotch which is too flat.  And?  Same in person.  It's like being a middle aged American man with no fashion sense.  Since a mere 30 min of redrawing the crotch would have given me possibly a way more wearable result, it was kind of stupid to skip that.  These feel hugely oversized in the leg, and the pockets are oddly small considering how much room there is for pockets.  They were pretty fun to make though!  I might come back to them but I have a few other shorts ideas I want to test out before summer ends. 

The free Elise tee pattern 

Came across this recently and I actually had a vision for it involving aqua coloured, loose merino.  Found the dream fabric in Otara and went forth!  I made size S. 

 My friend Tessa had made this and wasn't very keen, she said on herself it was too short.  Because of that I didn't shorten the pattern.  I could have - it's too long and the dimensions are a bit weird on me.  It is very wide across the shoulders, and very narrow at the hips.  Good if you want it to fall off your shoulders and you are narrow in the hips, and long waisted.  I was thinking of what to do with it and so I left the hem raw while I thought, and then a friend said she wanted it as is.  So off it's gone - but truthfully I don't think I'm interested enough to make this again. 

I also made about a million versions of the Strathcona tee for friends and for my partner, but I can never be bothered sharing stuff I make for other people.  Reports have come back that everyone is happy with their new tops!  I only make the Strathcona because I have it - I do not really like the pattern and I'm considering an upgrade to the Sage tee by Elbe textiles.  The Strathcona has a weird cut line for the short sleeve, and a bad sleeve fit on most people.  Though of course it's nice that it is cut flat, it's also a pain because the pattern pieces are huge, and why cut it flat??

Republique du Chiffon Lucie dress v.2

 I made this dress many years ago. I was so confused by things - a lined dress, with a gathered lining!  I really worried about how floofy it would be.  I therefore used silk for the skirt lining and that dress was oddly one of the most amazing things ever, despite quite heavy initial misgivings.  Eventually I gave it away thinking I could surely improve on it...(?!) and I landed on this heavy textured viscose as the victim of such high hopes.  It has languished for a long time in the stash, vaguely united with this pattern.  

Finally got around to it, and realised I didn't have enough fabric to self line the bodice.  I found some black poplin and used that.  Size is 34 and this time I didn't line the skirt, that was the whole point of using a heavier fabric. 

Here was the original.  It is oddly anticlimactic to pull out the pattern pieces that caused me such angst, and see a super basic lined tank dress.  I guess I have learned a LOT in my self-taught sewing journey since 2015.  

 

No thrills in this construction.  I stay stitched, I burritoed, (I did NOT do the Vogue method that caused me trouble the first time around)  I overlocked all the skirt bits, and added pockets, of course.  The only drama is that the poplin is a weirdly stable feeling fabric in comparison to the viscose so the bodice feels like too much.  Hopefully it will calm down with wear.  I like this, I really love the low cut of the back, and summer was a good time to try it out - but after a couple of wears I just wasn't feeling this one so I gave it to a friend who loves it.  Weirdly I think I prefer the full silk lining, gathers and all.  It adds something.  I also don't really like the solid feel of lining the top with a different textured fabric.  I could see myself making this again but I would do a full silk lining as on the original dress (shocking!)  though of course still with pockets.