Two spring outfits

I made these two cowl neck tops a few months ago, but felt compelled to create some cute skirts to wear with them as the weather warmed up.  Shazam!  Two new outfits for spring, which can be mixed and matched!

The cowls are both a mash up of Sewaholic's Renfrew top (view C) and an elongated waistband from Seamwork's Astoria top.  I sewed the teal version first and the neckline is a bit narrow, so I slashed and spread the cowl pattern to make it a bit wider for the pink one.   See, bigger!

As for the skirts, the first is a super simple knit dirndl with an elastic waist.  Nothing fancy, except the pretty fabric :)  I didn't even put in pockets (poor decision, as usual).

The second is a City Stroll wrap skirt from Liesl & Co.   I've made it once before (in cashmere!) and really like the simplicity of the pattern.  This version is in denim for a more casual look that coordinates well with lots of tops.

I topstitched the skirt with a light gray thread (sorry, no super close ups!), but it is not lined like the wool one I made previously.

The photos I have of this garment are not great, but I DO have some action shots!  While the skirt can be a bit indecent in certain situations, it does cover under most poses:

I typically wear a skirt pin my wool one for work, but I like to play fast and loose on my days off.  

Now the weather actually needs to warm up for real, so I don't freeze without tights!  

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!

Bowline sweater 2.0

This is another repeat, but it's been over a year and a half since I made the first version.  I'm always on the lookout for a different pattern--something that is interesting and unusual, but still wearable.  The first time I made the Bowline sweater from Papercut Patterns, I wasn't sure I had constructed it properly, so I wanted to give it another go.  To tell the truth, I'm still not sure I've sewn the pleat over the shoulder correctly again! 

The fabric is a nice medium weight cotton/ lycra  (on sale right now, and no, I'm not an affiliate!) from Girl Charlee.  I originally bought it to make a bodysuit, and it would be a good weight for that too, and I may have enough leftover for a short-sleeved version.  

I sized down to an XXS from my first version and the fit is a bit better.  I still feel like I look a bit pregnant (I'm NOT!) from the side because of the excess fabric from the pleating, but it's not too terrible.  Actually, this top would make an awesome maternity shirt in the early months!

The top is comfortable and comes together pretty quickly (after studying the instructions for a while!), but I'm not sure I love it.  The pleating doesn't lay in a way that is pleasing to me, but if it's on my body and I'm not looking in a mirror, I guess I don't care so much.  Has anyone else had better luck?

I've been on a knitting kick lately (easier to do while vegging on the couch in the winter!), so you can spot one of my creations in the photos here.  I have to block a second hat, but then I'll give the details of both.  :)

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 totally casual tops (Burda 6590)

As always, it was literally impossible to make only one of these tops.  When a garment takes 1 hour, tops, to make and is this comfortable, I need many of them in my life.  This time around, I was filling a void in my casual wardrobe where I needed a long-sleeved, comfy top under which I could wear some kind of base layer.  (Even in Northern California, I am constantly cold!) 

The pattern is Burda 6590 and it couldn't be easier.  Front, back, neckband and waistband.  No separate sleeve piece!  For alterations, I reduced the length of the sleeve part of the bodice and added a wide wristband.    

The first here is this textured poly-cotton sweater knit (unfortunately no longer available here).  Despite being a sweater knit, it's a bit on the airy side, so an undershirt or cami is good underneath.  It's comfortable and pretty, I think, and I love the scallops.  

The second is a cotton sweater knit fabric from Style Maker Fabrics (though also sold out!).  It's a really good weight--not too heavy, but nicely substantial.  Again, I added wristbands to make the cuffs and shortened the overall length of the sleeves, but otherwise sewed the pattern as designed.

I think I might have enough versions of this style, but it's such a great pattern that I know that if I see some fab fabric I'll definitely whip up another.