Christmas Dresses

Happy New Year! Before the holidays get too far away from us, I thought I better post my creations for Christmas this year. The story on these dresses is kind of funny. I was in Joann Fabrics and came across this lovely fabric. It has a black lace effect over a nude base with some gold and silver shimmer to it. I end up buying 3.5 yards, imagining I would make it into some sort of party dress for the holiday season. 

We can't take a picture together where we both look normal. I must opt for the ones I look decent in- you understand. 

I got home, washed it, and hung it up to dry. Along comes my 3 year old daughter. As soon as she lays eyes on the fabric, she gasps and exclaims "Mama, I need a dwess (spelling intended)". Being the selfish mama that I am, I hadn't exactly planned on sewing her one as well. But I couldn't disappoint. I scoured my pattern collection for a mama and daughter duo that would fit into the allotted fabric length I purchased. 

For her, I used New Look 6205. I made view A. Her dress went together very quickly. I added some black ribbon to the waistline for a little something special. She wears a 3T in RTW, I ended up going with a size 4 on the pattern- glad I did because it fits her perfectly. I think a 3 would have been too small. 

For my dress, I ended up going with my tried and true Colette Laurel pattern. I've made it twice before- my first (and favorite) rendition is here. It's a basic shift dress that doesn't require a lot of yardage- perfect for my mission to squeeze two garments out of what I got from Joann's. I didn't make any changes except for adding a couple inches of length. 

I am very happy with the way the two dresses turned out. We wore these together for Christmas Eve. We got lots of compliments. I had spent $35 on the fabric- not bad for 2 "fancy" dresses! 

Posing with big brother!

No end of the year wrap up for me. If I posted my top 5 makes, it would be my only 5 makes!! I had made more, but I have a hard time getting all my makes posted. Maybe I can work on posting more frequently this year...

~Jenny 

Colette Laurel in Ponte Floral

Long time, no see! For those of you who missed the first story, or want an update... I've been scarce lately because I'm in graduate school to become a nurse practitioner. I still work full-time as a nurse, and have two small children. Studying means late nights, after the kids go to sleep. I'm about half way done with my program- a little over a year left to go.  I haven't been able to sew anywhere near as much as I want to. I've started to designate one night a week to sewing so hopefully I can be a little more productive now. And blogging the projects is a production as well. Right now the kids are parked in front of the tv while I ignore their demands distracted.

 

 

I first made the Colette Laurel in an underlined black eyelet. Still one of my favorites! I love the easy shape and always get compliments whenever I wear it.

 

 

I decided to make a second one in a floral ponte knit. I got this one through Girl Charlee Fabrics. Looks like this print is sold out but they have other lovely options.

 

I won't write a full review, just click back to my first one. For this version, I added an inch or so to the length. I also omitted the back zipper (only after sewing half of it in and then realizing I didn't need a zipper with the knit-doh!).

 

 

I really like how this version came out. It's perfect in the cooler months with boots and tights. I can wear it in Spring/Summer with sandals. And I don't think I'm done with this pattern yet! It's so classic, easy to wear, and can be done in many different fabrics.

 

~Jenny

Easter Ginger

Yep, I've turned into one of those moms. You know- the kind who match their outfits with their daughter's. At least it's only on special occasions.

For myself, I made the Colette Ginger skirt. This is a great pattern for a basic, A-line skirt. It went together super quickly. I like the high waist style. It is flattering and has a bit of a vintage vibe.

I used a cotton stretch sateen print from Gorgeous Fabrics. It's been in my stash for a while until I could figure out what to do with it. I originally intended on making a dress with it. I love the colors and large floral print. However, I thought it would be a bit overwhelming on me as a dress so I opted for a skirt. I think it turned out nicely.

One word of caution. I fell in-between sizes on the size chart so I opted for the larger of the two. I still had to let out the waist seam allowances by 1/4 inch on each side- 1 inch all the way around.

I am really happy with this skirt and received lots of compliments the first time I wore it. This is another one I could see making up in several prints for lots of options.

For the baby, I used Simplicity 3854 to make her dress from the same fabric. For such a little dress it was actually quite fussy! The instructions would have you finish the neckline and sleeves with bias tape. Despite the bias, I couldn't get the tape to stretch enough to lay flat after stitching. So after fighting with it, I ended up cutting a lining for the bodice and finishing it that way. I then preceded to sew the lining in incorrectly and having to rip it out- at least that one was my fault.

In the end, it did come out really cute. I love the poofy skirt! And, I made her the matching headband!

 

 ~Jenny

 

 

Lovely Leaves Laurel

Eek it's been a while, hasn't it? I have recently made a big decision... to return to school! I am currently in the midst of graduate school, working toward becoming a family nurse practitioner. Needless to say, that has eaten up some of my sewing time. Although I will have to slow down, I still hope to finish 2 garments a month. I need me some sewing to keep my sanity!

 

I can't wait until it warms up a little more so that I can wear this dress! This is the Laurel dress from Colette Patterns. I love the basic shift style of this pattern. It is easy to wear but still has a feminine shape.

 

I used a beautiful eyelet with a leaf design from Gorgeous Fabrics. I really wanted the eyelet design to pop so I underlined the dress with a white cotton lining. The sleeve hem and neck are bound with black seam binding.

 

This went together quickly and easily. I sewed the size recommended by the pattern based off of my measurements and didn't need to make any alterations. The only change I would make next time is to make the dress just an inch or two just out of personal preference.

 

 

 

I really like how this turned out! The black and white contrast looks really chic! The Laurel might just turn into one of my go to patterns. I could see this worked up into many different fabrics and prints.

 

~Jenny

The Albion

 

 

 

This was my husband's Christmas present and he finally agreed to model for the blog! We've been together for almost eleven years and I've sewn for him much less than that. The only other garment I've made for him to wear out is an ill fitting button down shirt. But he wore it and loved it! I've made him three pairs of pajama pants. And that's about it. I haven't sewn more for him for a couple of reasons. For one, he is a big and tall dude. He's about 6' 4" and it can be difficult to find clothes in the store to fit him, much less alter a pattern to fit. Secondly, there's only so many button down shirts and vests one can make a man if you look at what the Big 4 has to offer. Still, there is something special about sewing for the ones you love so I set out to make a jacket. I had planned to make Vogue 8842 a la Andrea's cameraman jacket. But I soon realized how much she had to change the pattern and was quickly discouraged.

 

Colette patterns then read my mind, knew exactly what I wanted, and released the Albion pattern just in enough time for me to make it for Christmas.

 

 

 

Although there are some harsh lows, the winter temperatures in this part of the world are on the milder side. I didn't think he would need a super insulated, heavy coat. So I went with a cotton twill shell and a flannel lining. It's just the right weight to cut the cool chill but not be too heavy. The cotton twill is not as formal as a wool coating but it better suits my husband's everyday style.

 

I was prepared to have to make several fitting changes but surprisingly, there wasn't much I had to do. Before he stumbled into the sewing studio one night and discovered what I was doing, I was trying to keep it a secret. I took one of his tall sized coats that I knew fit well and measured the pattern against the coat. The only place I was worried about fitting was the shoulder length. I lengthened the shoulder but later ended up cutting this back again after a fitting with my husband. I'm glad he discovered my secret because I was able to fit the jacket on him as I went. The one place I hadn't thought about being a problem was the arm circumference. My husband has large shoulders and biceps and the original armscye was a bit too small for him. I tapered out the seam allowance under the arm to almost nothing to give him a bit of extra room which at that point was about all I could do. He said it was enough to make it more comfortable. Other than that, the length and width of the pattern worked perfectly.

 

 

 

As for the construction, this went together relatively easy. The only part I think a beginner might have trouble with is sewing the inseam pockets. However, I know Colette Patterns is starting a sewalong which will be a great reference for tips and tricks and tutorials.

 

Speaking of the inseam pockets- they are huge! That is my husband's one complaint about the jacket. If he puts something in one of the side pockets, he has a difficult time finding it because they are so large and deep.

 

I have to admit, I was worried about my husband liking the end product. You never know if you are going to put in a lot of work into something, only to have the recipient not like what you have done. However, he truly loves his new jacket! He has worn it every day since receiving it. He has received several unsolicited compliments from people and is happy to show off my work.

 

 

 

I hope Colette Patterns continue to put out more patterns in their line for men. I am very happy that my husband has something made by me that suits him just right! I may later make him another version using a wool coating just so he has another style to go to.

 

~Jenny