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Vogue 8379 Knit Wrap Dress

I’ve worn this dress lots! As with my other versions of this pattern, this is a very practical yet fun addition to my wardrobe. It’s great for work or for special occasions, depending on how it’s styled or what kind of fabric you use. I’ve also worn this particular dress in the colder months by pairing it with tights and a cardigan.

This dress has received some nice compliments, perhaps the best one being “That looks expensive!” from the cheery cashier at Pret A Manger. I’ll take it! I want to make a dozen more versions of this pattern…

Nicola Dress by Victory Patterns

I wish I could say that I wore this dress more, but I didn’t! I did manage to bring it out a couple of times, including a sewing meetup happy hour a few months ago.

My biggest challenge with wearing this dress was the way the front overlaps would slip off in either direction (all the way up) as I sat down. I also noticed you could see my entire leg as I stepped forward! I just can’t pull that off without being super self-conscious. To make it wearable, I sewed in some snaps at the skirt and that helped a lot.

The armholes are also a little tight so I would lower them if I made another version. Even with its issues I do love the pattern. I wonder if going for a wider waist size (or adding an interior waist tie) would help overlap the pieces even more. I could even use V8379 above as a guide.

Sorbetto Top by Colette Patterns

I definitely wore this last summer, though it’s a little more loose fitting/boxy than I’m used to wearing (even tucked in). I didn’t like the white bias tape trim along the edges so I turned it to the inside and top-stitched it down. This lets the Liberty fabric shine, I think. If I made this top again I’d go down in size to make it slightly less boxy.

If you’ve made these patterns up, do you find yourself wearing them a lot? Do you have any questions about these makes?

I’ve been trying to take photos of myself wearing my handmade outfits out and about so I can use them in these posts, so I’ll try to incorporate those moving forward if possible! Have a great Fourth of July for those here in the U.S. :)

Silk dupioni hanging from my apartment’s picture rail. That’s one way to avoid folding it up to deter the wrinklies! Three cheers for historic interiors.

Of Sew-Alongs and Sewing Meetups
Oh, and I’m also participating in the Sew Sexy Sew-Along being hosted by Clio of Clio & Phineas, Lisette of What Would Nancy Drew Wear?, and Wanette of Sown Brooklyn! My sew-along track record is the pits, but what the heck – why not?! I plan to make a Sewaholic Cambie/By Hand London Charlotte mash-up using red silk dupioni (seen above), which I have already dubbed “the Charmbie”. If I pronounce it with a French accent, will it sound sexier? ;)

Also, a meet-up happened! Lladybird was in town and a whole bunch of us gathered on Saturday to shop the day away in the Garment District. I feel like I should do a post about that, but how about I just officially endorse the wrap-ups of the day written on Peter’s, Aleksandra’s, and Lisette’s blogs?!

Anyway, I figured I could share a Wearing Yesteryear post for March 2013 (no finished projects for February 2013, alas). Yay, a freebie post for me! And this is one I’m very excited to share…

The Sabrina Coat

Blog Debut: March 25, 2013
Pattern: McCalls 5717
Worn In: Late fall, winter, early spring
Wearability Meter: Very much so!
Lessons Learned: This was fun, so make another one :)

Okay, so I really love this coat! The whole tailoring process was really fun and a great learning experience. I’ve found that I can wear this coat in temperatures ranging from the 30s to the low 50s F (~0-10 C). One of my favorite features is the length of the coat, which covers knee-length dresses and skirts. Makes for a nice clean finish I think!

Everything seems to have held up well over the past year. This winter has been COLD so I spent most of it in my goose-down coat, but I’ve definitely worn this baby enough times this season. I had used a flannel-back satin lining to give a bit more warmth to the coat. Originally I wasn’t sure if it was going to make me super hot, but now I know I could stand to add a layer of interlining if I wanted to make the coat even warmer.

I’d love to make another coat in a slightly more casual fabric. Oooo, temptation! But, for now, I have some spring projects on the mind. Are you getting ready for some spring sewing? Or autumn sewing for those down under?

(Random note: WordPress has changed the look of the smiley emoticons. The :-D one looks kind of strange!)

Intense! And this was just 9am. We still had a few more hours to go, and this evening the snow is back at it! I walked about 15 blocks in this and passed a bunch of shop owners shoveling outside their stores. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed my walk in the snow. :)

Anyway, back to the snow-free sewing world – here’s my lone graduate from January 2013:

The London Fog Skirt

Blog Debut: January 15, 2013
Pattern: Simplicity 5454
Worn In: Spring, Summer
Wearability Meter: Very!
Lessons Learned: When shortening the length of a skirt, true the seams properly.

I love this skirt! The color makes me sooooo happy and the pockets are fun to have around. I wore this regularly over the summer with a number of different tops. It’s a bold color, but it still manages to pair well with both prints and solids. Win-win! I typically wore sandals or flats with it.

The one thing I goofed up on was shortening the skirt. The original pattern is a straight skirt at about calf-length, and when I shortened it I came out with a fuller skirt than I had anticipated (I wanted to preserve the original silhouette). Next time, I’ll narrow the hem to account for the fact I’ve adjusted the length. My mistake wouldn’t have been as big a deal if I had used fabric with drape, but this cotton/linen canvas is a tad stiff.

Oh well! Can’t complain. I’m just a slight perfectionist. :) I’m still excited to wear this skirt and I’d like to make more! If you like this design but have a hard time finding it, you might be interested in the similar Hollyburn Skirt from Sewaholic Patterns.

That’s it from me. I have a new shirtdress done and it just needs to be photographed. Stay tuned! In the meantime,

Happy Valentine‘s Day!

Let’s take a look back at the world of sewing in October 2012 on today’s Wearing Yesteryear!

The October Issue Dress

Blog Debut: October 27, 2012
Pattern: Vogue 8397 Dress
Worn In: Fall, Winter, Spring
Wearability Meter: Ding, ding, ding – we have a winner!
Lessons Learned: Knits are the best

Okay, so I just LOVE this dress! It’s right up there as one of my favorite sewing creations ever. It’s easy to wear, it feels very much like me, and it’s something I’d definitely buy in the store. Ever make something and think that you wouldn’t necessarily have bought it had you seen it in the store? Is that just me?

I also like that, as a knit, the fabric stretches to fit my shape, which means I can do away with going one size up at the waist like I have to do with wovens. This fabric doesn’t wrinkle either – from sitting at my desk at work to traveling here or there, this dress keeps it together! The other kicker is that it’s easy to wash; I put it in the washer/dryer and go on my merry way.

The other nice thing about this dress is that it’s versatile. I’ve worn this to birthday parties, work events, regular days at the office, and so on and so forth. It can be dressed up or dressed down. Gotta love it, yes?

I’d like to make this pattern with a more slim-fitted skirt, especially for some thicker winter fabrics I have planned. But for now I have the Charlotte skirt to finish up so until then – trick or treat!

Okay, so now on to the third installment of Wearing Yesteryear!

The First Impressions Dress

Blog Debut: September 5, 2012
Pattern: Parfait Dress by Colette Patterns
Worn In: Summer
Wearability Meter: Wearable when I’m feeling particularly summery
Lessons Learned: Colette Patterns fit me just right at the bust – hurrah! (though I could probably reshape the midriff piece ever so slightly to conform with my shape)

It seems odd to be featuring this very summery dress as we move into the cooler days of fall, but let’s do this. Well, if I’m being perfectly honest, I’m not 100% sold on this fabric and pattern match, but I do think it’s a very sweet dress. I fell for this Nani Iro double gauze the minute I saw it in L.A. and I think it’s one of those things where you fall in love with fabric but don’t quite think about how you’ll feel in it in the final dress.

That’s not to say I didn’t get some wear out of this dress. I wore it to work and out and about on a wooden house walking tour (check it out!) – particularly perfect on that day as it kept me cool. I’ve paired it with a navy cardigan for a bit of a different look too. I did remove the red buttons since it ended up being a little too cutesy for me.

Have you made this pattern? Thoughts? I’ve seen it made in corduroy and paired with a long sleeve shirt underneath for winter, but knowing me I’m unlikely to ever wear it that way. Still, it’s fun to see what others dream up!