Another Lola (this one is even better!)

Yes, the day after I made the first Lola, I went ahead and made a second.  I had some "spare" fabric lying around and couldn't resist!

The first version was a bit big at the waistline and middle back, so I altered the pattern to take in all of the princess seams above and below the waistline by about 1/4", tapering out to the original line about 3" below the waistline.  I also lowered the armscye by about 1/2".  The new fit feels and looks better, and I can still wiggle into it without any closures!  Oh, I also shortened the length of the dress by about 1", and then increased the width of the ribbing just for fun.

So this fabric!  It's quilted knit, (my color is no longer available, but this is the same fabric) with a bit of batting in between the two layers.  It's amazingly soft and warm, and really, it just feels like I'm wearing a comfy sleeping bag.  Admittedly, it kind of looks like I'm wearing a sleeping bag, but I'm kind of okay with that!

I am constantly cold, and it's just so cozy!  I could seriously live and sleep in this garment.

The quilting is so lovely!

The topstitching for each seam is really apparent on this fabric, and I think it adds a really beautiful detail.

This new version took a total of 1.5 hours to sew, so it's a quick and easy way to make an outfit, but I think a third version of this same style might be a little over-kill.  That being said, I'm not promising a version 3.0 won't happen :)

The Lola dress

Starting in January, I am going to be a full-time student to finish up my AS in Apparel Production! It's been a few years in the making since I've taken only 1 or 2 classes a semester while working part-time, but I'll be taking a leave from teaching to finally get it done.  So, instead of wearing my "normal" skirts and heels for work, I have to start dressing like a student!  Sweatshirts and leggings are what my college students wear, so this is my late-30 year old answer to that.

The pattern is the Lola dress, by Victory Patterns.  I've been looking at this dress pattern for a while, and when I ended up with a couple of lengths of sweatshirt-type material, I realized it would be perfect.  The pattern has some amazing style lines and giant pockets (I can fit a box of spaghetti in there, as I discovered at dinner tonight!).

The construction was super quick, even though each seam is topstitched.  This one took the same amount of time it took the rest of my family to watch Star Wars Episode 3 :)

I did make some changes after the fact (which involved unpicking some of that topstitching).  There are no closures and no side seams, so the princess seams are the main site of alterations.  The style lines had to be taken in a bit, especially at the back and I was able to alter it a bit, but a second version is needed to really get the fit right.

The fabric is speckled grey French terry, from Robert Kaufman, with plain black rib knit for the cuff, neckline and hem.  The weight of the French terry is ideal for this application so the dress feels substantial and warm.

Overall, this dress is AMAZING and like all other reviews of this pattern I've seen, I can't recommend it enough.  I want to wear it all the time! 

P.S. This necklace!  I bought it for myself from the SF MoMA store.  It's handmade from telephone wire!  

P.S.S. My 6 year old was "helping" me take photos and he suggested (with a demonstration, no less) how he thought I should pose.  Here it is:

Chloe by Victory Patterns: fit adjustments

If you're visiting from Britex, welcome to Nicole at Home!

There's a more in-depth post on the Britex blog today, highlighting some tips on working with napped fabric.  Here, I'll talk more about my fit adjustments for the Chloe dress by Victory Patterns.  While the final product fits well, I had some issues with the initial sizing of the dress.  I learned a few years ago that comparing your measurements to the size chart are only one step to determine the size to cut. Ideally, the company also provides garment measurements.  I like my clothes more fitted than the Big 4 design for, so using the garment measurements gives me the expected ease for a particular set of body measurements.  Victory gives final garment measurements and I consulted those to determine that I would cut a size 2 for the dress.  Unfortunately, at the first point I could to try on the dress, it was significantly too big and the bust dart was positioned an inch or two below where it ought to (bust darts should point directly at your bust apex).

I pinned the dress while wearing it to see what needed to be taken in to adjust the bust dart height and also take in the side seams to make it more fitted through the bust and waist.

The shoulder seams were taken in about 1 1/4" (front and back).  The yellow line is the new sew line. The back neckline was redrawn a bit to get the proper curve.

For the sides, I took in both front and back by about 7/8', tapering to 1/2" at the hips. (That's the armhole, at the bottom of the image.)

Here's the fit after those adjustments.  Much better!

Since I significantly changed the length of the armhole (mostly to bring up the bust dart), the sleeve also had to be redrafted.  All of the changes were made to the pattern itself, since the same pieces are used to create the lining.  Other changes made to the pattern are highlighted at the Britex blog post (using the lining to finish the neck and sleeve hems and making "faux-buttons").  After all the fit changes, I think the end product looks great!

Some details of the construction:

Button on the welt pocket

Snap and faux button

Invisible zip

Pretty buttons

Sleeve hem understitching

Overall, I love the shape and details of the Chloe dress. I would love to try it out in a more casual fabric, like linen or stretch trill. For me, the fit wasn't perfect, but there are few that don't require some kind of adjustments!  

In an effort to find an interesting backdrop for the Britex homepage photo, we did a "photo shoot" at one of the newer buildings on the Google campus.  Here's some of our various shots and backdrops that didn't make the cut (FYI, they are all the same size and shifted placement for the homepage image):

And then a goofy version set, where I try to look sultry on a swinging basket chair.  Not so convincing!

Yes, those are all shots from the same building (and grounds).  You should see the ones I didn't 'okay'! 

Thank you to Britex and Victory Patterns for the fabric, notions and pattern for this great project!  I can't wait to wear this to work!