Sweater knit skater dresses

It's been a while, yeah?  Between a busy teaching quarter, broken sewing machine, and a newfound obsession with knitting, I haven't been sewing as much as usual.  Which isn't to say I haven't been sewing (there will be several upcoming posts of my past garments), it's just slowed down a bit.  It's actually a little ironic, since I made a loose "resolution" to not purchase any clothing that I could sew (which is *almost* everything) for the year. 

Anyhow, for my winter work attire, I thought some sweater dresses would be useful.  I absolutely fell in L<3VE with these jacquard sweater knits from Hamburger Liebe (navy & pumpkin and wine & pink fabric, purchased at L'oiseau Fabrics) and a skater dress felt like a good way to showcase them.  Both fabric are the same type of knit and both are thick and lovely, with good drape but not too heavy.  They wash beautifully, too! 

I made the navy & pumpkin one first.  It works well with tights and boots, and I have a cropped cardigan that I wear when it's chilly (which is always in my teaching lab). 

Here's a closer view of the fabric.  Isn't that pattern the best?  And the colors?  Faves.

Both dresses were sewn using the same pattern, a personalized version of the Bronx dress from SBCC.  I've used this pattern a ton and just love the simple, yet flattering shape of the fit and flare.  It's pretty ideal for work and non-work.  

The second version feels a little "flashier" with the bold herringbone geometric, but I love it just the same.  

I did my best to match up the vertical lines at the waist seam, but the same is curved on the skirt, so it's a bit sketchy toward the side seams.

Since the hems aren't really stretched much when wearing, I went ahead and sewed a straight stitch, which worked just fine.  I definitely didn't feel like busting out my coverstitch machine for these quick projects.  

While the fabric has some stretch, it's not quite enough to use like a rib knit, so I topstitched the neck band, to ensure it would lay flat.  

Alas, no pockets on either dress.  They are definitely missed, but it would just be way too bulky/ lumpy.  Trade-offs!

Party skirt in silk gazar with drapey wool top

Back in Paris, I had the opportunity to visit a special Balenciaga exhibit at musée Bourdelle.  The theme was black: the garments were primarily black, usually displayed in black boxes, and some were even behind black curtains that you had to lift to view the dresses.  The pieces were stunning, naturally, but what was particularly intriguing to me was that many of them were made of silk gazar (a fabric invented by Balenciaga).  Despite taking two Fabric analysis course and have decades of sewing and touching fabric experience, I had never even heard of silk gazar.  The instructor in Paris described the fabric as being "silent".  Whether that was a translational issue or truly the fabric made no noise when the wearer moved, I didn't know at the time, but I felt compelled to find out.

A quick search at Mood revealed some options and I chose this deep navy blue silk gazar.  The fabric reminds me entirely of fine linen with it's crispness and hand, though it doesn't wrinkle quite as badly.  It was slightly translucent, but the structure and body of the fabric was lovely.  Apparently, it softens considerably when washed, but I wanted to keep the stiffness for my garment.

Originally, I had planned this outfit for Christmas, but when that didn't happen, I hoped to sew it for my husband and my anniversary on the 28th of December, which also didn't pan out.  I ended up sewing the skirt the day before New Year's Eve (and the top on NYE) for that night out and then for my brother's wedding a few days later.

I went with this simple box-pleated middy-length skirt from Just Patterns.  I sewed a size 36, but I should have cut a size 34 (or maybe smaller).  I ended up omitting the pockets when I had to resew the side seams (poor decision, especially when I had to carry tissues at the wedding!).  Since the fabric was a bit see-through and lightweight for the winter,  I made a simple straight lining (with some tucks at the waistband)  with what I had around that matched, which was a 4-ply silk I've had for a while.  Kind of a decadent lining, but it worked perfectly well.   The pattern was well-drafted and for only $3 for the digital copy, it's a complete steal.

For the blouse, I've recently become a bit obsessed with the color emerald (you know, 5 years after it was the "Pantone color of the year" :) and found the lovely stretch wool jersey.  The fabric was ideal for a drapey top, so I used the draped bodice of the Bronx dress pattern by SBCC, extending the length to hip-level.  I should have made the top a bit more form-fitting, but it works well enough.

I'm pretty much ecstatic about this outfit.  It feels fun and fancy (especially the length of the skirt with some kitten-heel booties), but not too frilly, and the colors are so festive.  One issue though, I can't do a whole lot of eating while wearing the skirt--that waistband is *quite* fitted.  

Oh!  In case you've read all this way to find out if silk gazar is silent....well, it's definitely quieter than you'd expect for a fabric this crisp, but I'm not sure I'd call it silent.  It's still pretty rad, though, and I'd happily work with it again!

Two fit + flare dresses

Again, I couldn't help but make two of the same pattern!  This time the pattern is the Bronx dress from SBCC, with some fit alterations (armhole redo, back width increase, sleeve redraft).  As I'm sure I've mentioned on this blog before, I just love the fit and flare shape.  What I especially love about this dress, though, is that I can sew it in way less than 2 hours, from cutting the fabric to hemming.  Plus, it only takes like 1.5 yards of fabric, so it's kind of a stash-buster, too.

I made this wallpaper floral knit dress first, just because I adore the fabric. It might be a little bold for Paris, but I like bright colors and patterns, so I guess I'll just stick out.  Plus, the poppies will remind me of California when I'm homesick.

Looks like I could use a it of a sway back adjustment, too, but I don't see back there too often :)

Simple and comfy, yet a bit dressy.  My kind of travel outfit.

So the second dress came about because I got my schedule for school in Paris.  The first three official days are going to be spent working Paris Fashion Week!  Backstage, we'll be assisting the models into their haute couture garments.  Holy crap, guys, I will be able to touch and see the insides of haute couture dresses!

But the catch is that we have to wear black.  For three days.  Clearly I don't really *do* black clothing (my dark neutral is navy, obviously).  In fact I've only made two black garments (I believe, though my memory is pretty crap): this black skirt, which I made for a funeral, and a pair of black pants that wasn't properly blogged about and no longer exist in my wardrobe.

Of course, I immediately ran out to buy a few yards of black stretch knit and whipped up another Bronx dress.   With the leftovers, I made a simple black tee to go with some RTW black pants I already owned (to be blogged about shortly).  Two outfits is going to have to be good enough for three days....hopefully no one notices.

A black dress is definitely a useful staple item in a wardrobe, and perhaps more appropriate for Paris, so I'm really pleased with the addition.  Plus, I can make it more colorful with accessories!  I'm in NY now visiting family, but a little over a week until I make my flight to France!

Textured check Bronx dress

I have a thing, apparently.  If I like a pattern, I make it at least twice, in quick succession.  There are many examples, but this is the most recent instance; the Bronx cowl dress (see first version, here).

Clearly, I love this pattern.  More specifically, I love this silhouette and look for me.  A fit and flare dress just works with my every day life.  And again, for those that think dresses are fussy, count the number of garments I have to coordinate and put on my body.  Yup, that number is 1.  Easy-peasy.

Let's talk about the fabric, though; it is the true star of this garment (at least that's my impression based on the number of approving comments I received when I wore it!)  I purchased it last month with an allowance from Britex Fabrics and unfortunately, it's not available anymore.  I normally wouldn't pick a polyester knit, but I just adored the raised square texture!   The fabric is on the thick side--not quite a scuba knit, but with a good heft.  I don't think I'll enjoy the poly knit in the blazing heat of the summer, but it was very comfortable for our early spring temps.

Here's a close up of the tiny raised squares.  It's really fabulous!

Knowing that the fabric was a little thicker than my last version, I expanded the cowl a bit to help it drape better.  To do this, I slashed the pattern horizontally across the bodice at the bustline.  Then, I cut the remaining upper part vertically and expanded the cowl arc.  This expands the cowl while leaving the bust and waist measurements the same.  

I did want to break up the fabric print with  belt, so I added some belt loops at the side seams.  I just ran my serger while pulling the 4 threads to create a "chain" and then attached them to the dress on the inside.  If I don't feel like wearing a belt, I can pull the belt loops inside the dress to make them less visible from the outside.

I suspect I have a couple more of these dresses in my future, though perhaps using the scoop neckline and short sleeve variation for the summer.

I'm also realizing that my last bunch of posts have all been navy garments (and there is one more, I'm afraid!)  Navy is the new black :)

Sewing Indie Month: My SBCC/Britex outfit

Despite popular belief, it really isn't that bad being short.  At 5'1", I've got step stools all around the house and I can manage just fine, thank you very much.  My biggest beef with being petite is that non-petite clothing just doesn't fit.  It's one of the main reasons I sew my own clothing: with some small adjustments, I can shorten bodices, rises, sleeves, and pants to suit my size.  You can imagine my excitement, then, a few months ago, when I did a search for "petite Indie sewing patterns" and stumbled upon Skinny Bitch Curvy Chick!  So when given the chance to participate in Sewing Indie Month with Britex, I immediately knew I wanted to make a whole outfit from SBCC.  What fun!

For my petite-centric outfit, I chose the SB310 blouse in silk chiffon from Britex (sadly, no longer available) and the Manhattan Trousers in lightweight stretch wool.

This is my second version of the trousers (first pair here) and again, I lengthened the rise slightly (after two babies, I prefer a slightly higher rise!).  The fit is spot on and they feel just right--amazing!

The fabric is very lightweight, but I chose not to line the pants so I could wear them in more seasons. I did have to shorten the front pocket bags, since the outline was visible on my thighs (not very attractive!)

The pants are a modern, sleek shape with great design details.  I chose to make the length slightly cropped to balance the blouse, but these trousers could be easily widened or lengthened.  The two piece waistband is contoured as if it were drafted to my body--it's incredible.  Truly, these are my new go-to pattern for all my trouser needs!

One thing missing from this otherwise incredible pattern were back pockets.  Over the years, I've added welt pockets to any pants, shorts (and sometimes skirts!) that lack them, so I went ahead and sewed a pair of welt pockets to my Manhattan trousers.  And since I love welt pockets so much, I went ahead and wrote up a tutorial (with free downloadable pdf pattern!) so you can make your own!  Wahoo!

I am so proud of my zip fly!  If only it were socially acceptable to show people the inside of my pants. And that perfectly matched metal zipper?  From my stash.   

For the top, I went out of my comfort zone on all counts.  The pattern is not my usual fitted blouse, with its trapeze shape and drapey overlays.  And I have never in my life sewn silk chiffon.  But while choosing patterns and fabric, both just kept calling to me, so I decided to go with the challenge.  The blouse is definitely not perfect, but because it's all flowy and loose, no one would be the wiser!  

When the chiffon arrived, it was about as sheer as possible, so I quickly purchased this ah-mazing white silk for a lining to make it decent.  

All seams are of the French variety, so there is an awful lot of sewing in this relatively simple top!  But aren't they lovely??

It's pretty decadent to use silk bias tape to finish your neckline and armholes!  For this top, I chose to secure the tape to only the lining on the inside, so the seaming isn't visible from the outside.  

For all hems, including the overlays, I used a narrow rolled hem foot.  It's still a bit tricksy and definitely not perfect, but other than hand-rolling the hem (no thanks!), it was the only way to go.  With a little more practice, it may yet become my favorite machine attachment.

You see how sheer that is?  It was like sewing cobwebs.  

All in all, I love my new SBCC outfit!  A huge thank you to Betsy at Skinny Bitch Crazy Chick for the patterns (and all the helpful exchanges over email!) and Britex for providing the fabric.  I love Indie patterns and am so happy to have been able to participate in the Sewing Indie Month!

Resewlution 2014, May garments #3 and 4.