Tag: two

Vogue 9313: Ruffled wrap dress

Published on by ellegeemakes12 Comments

IMG_4968We’re experiencing a heat wave in Oregon, and the humidity is so high, my hair flips and frizzes, no matter what I do :). When it’s this hot, only a cotton dress will do, and this wrap dress is perfect for these sweaty days.  I became a fan of wrap dresses when I made this one last year. It was so cool in high summer.

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My pattern is Vogue 9313, a wrap dress with lots of “easy” options.  It has custom fit options with A-D cup sizes so it’s pretty easy to get the fit right. I modified the pattern a bit after trying on this dress at Anthropologie.

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  1. I re-drafted the shape of the full skirt to make it take out a bit of the fullness. (Too much fabric makes me hot in the summer). Also, I modified the two front skirts by rounding them into a tulip skirt shape so that it would work better with a ruffle.

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2. Instead of finishing the skirt fronts with bands as the pattern suggests, I added a 3 inch ruffle to each skirt front where the band would be and extended the ruffle into the hemlines as well. The ruffles are folded strips of fabric that are 1 and 1/2 times the length of the skirt fronts and hems. I gathered each ruffle with a long stitch then sewed them to the skirt fronts with a 5/8 inch seam.

4. I eliminated the front and back waist bands and lengthened the front and back bodices by two inches to make up for it.

5. The sleeves were too wide for me, so I added a tie instead of a hem. I cut a 4″ opening in each sleeve to accomodate the tie, then finished the openings with narrow hems. For the tie,  I cut a narrow strip (5″) of fabric that was two times the circumference of the sleeve. I attached it to the sleeve hem as though it was a sleeve band or cuff.

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I came pretty close to my goal with this make. It’s casual and comfortable but can be dressed up with a few good accessories. This cotton fabric from Fabric Depot is perfection. It has a bit of texture, but isn’t too heavy so it drapes really well and doesn’t seem to wrinkle much. Another travel dress?? Hmmm – – time will tell. I’ll know after I wear it a bit more.

Cotton and linen are my go to fabrics in the heat – and I wear dresses all the time. My Kalle shirt dress is in heavy rotation right now. What do you prefer to wear in the heat?

Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by.

 

Jersey and Fall: Two Variations

Published on by ellegeemakes15 Comments

There’s nothing like Fall to get the sew-jo going, is there? At this time of year, fabric choices are at their best for me. The color palattes tend to be richer and more intense, which works best with my personal color palatte and there are more knits to choose from too.

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This jersey knit is great to wear, but the print is a bit out of my comfort zone.  For one thing, it has alot (!!) of circles all over it, which makes layout a bit tricky around the chest, if you get my drift. And it’s sort of…busy? But I loved the colors, so in a fit of inspiration, I drove back to Fabric Depot and took the plunge. I’m glad I did, because this print goes so well with the long cardigan I made last Spring (here). This cardigan is not a closet orphan, BTW. I wear it all the time.

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The dress above is simply a lengthened version of this tunic, made from jersey. IMG_3210

This cotton jersey is so fabulous to wear! And I love this Art Gallery print (Fabric Depot).

I’m such a fan of tunics because they’re so easy to throw on with jeans or leggings. When I finished this tunic, I decided I needed another version, pronto, so I lengthened the pattern by 8 inches and made a dress . The pattern is a new favorite: New Look 6435.

I wasn’t attracted to it at first because I don’t like the way it’s made up on the envelope – I’m not a big fan of the print on the bottom/solid color on the top. Somehow though, the pattern came home with me….

The fit was great without any adjustments, always a plus for me. New Look runs a bit big, so I always cut the smallest size. The shoulders fit me perfectly, even though I’m on the narrow side. It’s a fairly loose fit, so there’s a bit of wiggle room, making this an easy-to fit style for most figures. I modified the sleeves on both my dress and tunic by adding a bell cuff.

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Although I love the dramatic look of a big bell cuff, I chose a smaller version here so that the sleeves would fit easily under a cardigan. To add the cuffs, I just cut a seven inch swath of fabric, as wide as 1 1/2 X the width of the sleeve. I seamed it to make a circle, gathered one edge, then inserted it into the sleeves, right sides together.

This was a fast and fun sew and I love a pattern than can have two identities as both a top and a dress. I think this pattern is a winner!

I love how statement sleeves change up a style. But I worry that they’ll go out of fashion quickly and my closet will feel dated. Hmmmm, what do you think of sewing to a trend? Trouble, or true love? Future plans – – I’ve been loving all the denim on the runways this fall, so I’m going to attempt a Maisa jacket (Named clothing) and a Helmi shirt dress to wear with it. Stay tuned! What’s in your queue?

Happy sewing, and thanks for stopping by!

 

One is good, but two is better!

Published on by ellegeemakes14 Comments
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One peplum shirt is good, but two is better, right? Of course! That’s why I’m making a second version of one of my favorite Tried ‘n True patterns – Butterick 6097.
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There’s a reason I’m sewing two versions of the same pattern back to back. Not only do I LOVE this pattern, but the Monthly Stitch August Challenge is Two is the magic number. So, if I’m going to obsess over a TNT pattern, what better time to do it?

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 Just like my last version, this shirt uses two contrasting prints. The truth is now obvious. I Love mixing prints! I cannot get enough of it. Even Mr. ElleGee has noticed my new found love. When I wore this shirt a couple of nights ago, he looked at me, tilted his head thoughtfully and said….”Oh. Well, that’s nice. But hey. Umm, aren’t you making a lot of those shirts now with the different fabrics up the front?”
 Well, yes, as I matter of fact I am.  How nice of him to notice :).
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 The print I chose for this particular shirt is from Cotton and Steel, purchased at Fabric Depot. The texture of this cotton is so yummy, I love wearing it.  The fabric is so light weight, I expected it would wrinkle, but it doesn’t. How great is that? These photos were taken after several hours of wear, yet the shirt still looks pretty crisp. (The contrast fabric on the front band and the collar band is from my stash, purchased long ago from who-knows-where.)
 There isn’t much I can say about this pattern, since I’ve made it before ( see it here).  It’s all about the box pleats in the front and back, you know? This version has three quarter length sleeves without a cuff. They’re rolled up a bit in these photos because it’s so hot and muggy today. In spite of the heat though, this shirt is comfortable. And this print is a bit easier on the eyes than the last print I used (see it here), so I’m sure I’ll wear this a lot, maybe with jeans or a skirt.
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Now, that I’ve made this shirt twice in a matter of only a few weeks, is my obsession over? Hmmmm, not sure I can guarantee that as I seem to have another version percolating in mind…..Oh no…….help me out of this horribly deep rut!
Please. Tell me I’m not alone, that you become obsessed with certain patterns too…?
Happy Sewing! And thanks for stopping by!