Chloe x 2 | Inspired by Victory Patterns

When it comes to my fave pattern designers, Victory Patterns is at the top of the list. There's something about all of Kristiann's designs that are so refreshing to me. Modern with vintage-leanings, complicated enough to learn new tricks and ways of looking at garment construction, but simple enough to pull off successfully.

This is the Victory Patterns Chloe, one of the first Victory Patterns dresses I fell in love with. I shortened the armsyces and took in the waist to suit my body, but otherwise this pattern was pitch-perfect.

As a testament to her patterns, I actually made the Chloe *three* times last fall. Add that to the the two times I've made the Lola, the tinkering I've done with the Anouk, and the three times I've played with the Simone. I just LOVE these patterns, they keep on giving.

My pal Jessica of A Yen for Craft had so much praise for the periwinkle version that I passed it on to her, as it was more her style and color anyway and it tickles me that it's in a good home. The green version was an attempt with a double knit, a poor fabric choice with the pockets as the seams just dragged. I might pass it on as well. The final one (not pictured) was made of a flimsy polka dot fabric and also a poor fabric choice. All were stash fabric, so no tears shed here.

But no matter! I had fun making these dresses and would like to make a lovely woven one in the fall to wear over tights. I'd also totally make another sleeveless knit sans sleeves if I find myself the right heavy fabric. I just love the shape.

Stay tuned for more Victory Patterns this summer!

Knit Stripey Dress | Inspired by: GAP

Continuing with my stripe love. Last year, I fell in love with this stripe dress from GAP. What a great basic-but-special piece to have in your arsenal.

So when I found some beautiful striped french terry at a local fabric store (on sale!) I jumped. I used the Sewaholic Renfrew pattern (lengthened) and I also lengthened and widened the sleeve to make it more t-shirt like, to match the dress above. Mine is black and white, though, on account of my don't-do-blue leanings.

On the French Terry: Hot damn, this stuff is divine on the skin, I feel like I'm wrapped in a blanket of cozyness. Also very easy to work with. Only downside? It's drape is so lovely but it also makes me feel this dress is two sizes too big. If I hadn't worked so hard on matching the stripes at the sides, I would take it in, but alas, I'll just let it be the comfy stripe dress that it is.

Tinkering with and adapting the Renfrew: I was a tester for this pattern and I didn't use it much at first. Part of me was still getting the hang of sewing with knits and using my serger. I like easy-peasy projects and I also prefer the way the knit seams lay when done on the serger, and wanted to eliminate the two-step process (sewing machine, then serger) so I did a couple things last fall to help me out.

First, I took in all the seam allowances on the Renfrew pattern and decreased them from 5/8ths to 1/4 inch, so I could sew directly on my serger. Then I used some stash fabric and thrifted oversized tees to teach myself to sew directly on the serger. It was scary at first, but I'm totally sold! So much easier. The only thing I work on my sewing machine is the neckline (to give me more control and a neater finish) and sleeve and bodice hems. (Note: When I sometimes adapt the neckband to be tighter, at 80% of the opening, I stitch it directly on my serger.)

After that I lengthened the pattern for three lengths: the original hip length, then a tunic length, then dress length. Three patterns in one!

So when I wanted to make this dress, all I had to do was pull out my adapted Renfrew pattern, cut out the dress length version, tweak the sleeves as stated above and sew. Everything came together in a single sitting.

Perfect dress when I was home visiting and my sisters and I had a tourist day in Waikiki.

Serger:  There's been serger-chatter in th blogosphere and I just wanted to say that I don't think you need to make a huge serger investment. I bought mine on Craigslist used for $40 from a man whose mother used it in her home sewing business in the 1980s. It's not a great machine but its served me well these past three years, and it feels great to have a nice way to finish my seams and now, rock the knits.

Stripe tank | Inspired by Zoe of So, Zo...

Zoe of So, Zo... has been such an inspiration to me from the start. When I first started sewing garments and blogging in 2010, she was embarking on her first Me-Made-March and I was utterly in awe of all the garments she made for herself. One of the ones I particularly drooled over was a striped, knit top.

Now Zoe is not only a trailblazer for me-made wardrobes and a favorite blogger mama-to-be, but she has waved the nautical flag far and wide. She's made stripey tops and nautical themed blouses and sailor shorts. As of late, given my love of casual, I've loved following her work with sweatshirt knits and all the creativity and variations of each garment.

So you can imagine, as I've embarked on sewing knits, I've had stripey tops on my mind. It was hard to find the right knit, I wanted something pure white to better match my skin tone, with thin black lines. And eventually I found it!

Yes, I *finally* cut my hair.

At first I thought I'd do a 70sesque tee with a high crewneck and boxy short sleeves or save the knit for a boatneck with 3/4 sleeves. But summer's on the horizon and I really love sleeveless tops. I decided to throw caution to the wind and attempt to finally nail making tanks. I've tried before but the armscye bands have always stymied me. That's the trickiest thing about sewing knits, in my opinion: binding.

Another Sewaholic Renfrew hack.

• Using Renfrew as the base (love the shape of that scoop neckline) and pattern adjustment instructions for adapting a crewneck to tank in Sew U Homestretch, I took in the shoulder seams by 3/4 inch on each side (neck and arm), blending it to the original lines with my French curve. 
• I shortened the existing Renfrew neckband so it was 80% of the opening, and drafted an armband to also be 80% of the opening.
• I straightened out the side seams, to assist with stripe matching. Also it's a drapey knit, so I wasn't worried about it having no shape. 

I've experimented with bands a lot in my knit sewing. From my measurements, the Renfrew band is 5% smaller than the opening, but the seam allowance is topstitched down, which helps it lay flat. I find the tighter the band, the more likely it is to lay flat on the body and no topstitching is required. I've experimented with bands that ranged from 10-25% less than the opening and I find 20% less is a good basic rule-of-thumb if I want to make it very sporty with no topstitching.

Anyway, another basic that I'll wear lots this summer. The hem was a bit of a pain, my sewing machine hated the fabric and kept gobbling it up, but it will do.

It's fitting on the final week of Me-Made-May that I share this with you. I haven't been participating this year, but that's partly because previous Zoe-hosted challenges have changed the way I sew and way I think about clothing. I just about wear a me-made item nearly every day of the week, every month of the year.

Here's to wearing the clothes we make, and making clothes we'll wear!

Work Wardrobe for the Casual Office?

Source

In my decluttering crazy, I've longed for a minimal wardrobe. And while I like having versatile pieces that can be worn often, I've also become really keen to the cues that signal my brain that I'm at work vs. at home. It's why I don't own a smart phone: I don't want my work life creeping into my home life. I have workaholic tendencies, so I need to use these barriers to find a bit of balance.

So the problem with having a minimal wardrobe, especially since I work in a very casual office, is that whenever I was at home or went out with friends or on the weekend, I felt like I was dressed for work. So I've been toying with a few ideas.

Silhouette: I'm trying to split my minimal wardrobe into two smaller wardrobes by silhouette/garment features. For example, at work I'll wear wide and straight leg bottoms, high necklines and longer sleeves, shorter cardigans. At home, it's slim/skinny pants, sleeveless or short sleeves, and boyfriend cardigans. A few things cross over, of course.

Physical space: I literally keep my work-designated clothes on one side of the closet and the home-clothes on the other.

Anyway, it's a small thing, but I think it's really helped maximize my wardrobe, rather than reaching for my favorite casual clothes every single day, I wear my "nicer" clothes during the workdays and indulge my love of casual and sporty wear every other time.

My sewing has also become more balanced: I might make a thing or two for work (maybe even a woven!), but my "home" clothes are really where I get excited: comfy but stylish knits that can take me from lounging on the couch reading to a drink with friends. What about you? Do you have a separate work wardrobe?  

Cardigan | Inspired by: Joan Watson

So it's no BBC's Sherlock, but I like watching Lucy Liu on screen in Elementary. She's got this great preppy-meets-street-meets-now look. And one of the things she wears often at the house is a big, comfy cardigans. Check out this one in gray:





At the beginning of the year, longing to knit but not being able to do much of it with my injured arms from computer work, I bought an Ultimate Sweater Machine (it's like an As Seen on TV-esque knitting machine for Sport-Bulky yarns). It took me a long time to get the hang of (read: I frequently wanted to break it into a million pieces), and it just does miles and miles of stockinette, but I think it'll be a nice addition to my arsenal, especially once the weather turns cool again. I can make individual pieces on the machine, seam them by hand, etc.

This is Coco Knits Katarina in Berrocco Vintage DK. Lengthened to low hip (about 5 inches). Definitely a learning project both in terms of the machine and knitting (picking up stitches, seaming etc). Imperfect, but my first wearable knitted cardigan!

Knit Dress | Inspired by: Shoshanna

So, while sick one week, I had a Scandal marathon. Totally fell in love with Kerry Washington. Internet sleuthing lead me to this dress she wore on Oprah.


It's by Shoshanna.



Don't know if you know this about me, but I rarely do blue unless it's denim or its breezy friend, chambray. And I don't do wovens at the moment. And red makes me so happy. So you see where this lead me: a striped, red knit dress, inspired by the Shoshanna dress above.

This is a frankenpattern: the neckline and sleeves are the Sewaholic Renfrew, the bodice shape is from the Sew U Homestretch dress (+ I drafted the waistband), and the skirt is Lisette's Passport dress. I had a lot of fun with the stripes.

This might be one of my proudest makes. I want to live in knit dresses. I can already think of variations to come.

Boyfriend Cardigan | Inspired by: iCandy Handmade

It took me a long time to jump on the boyfriend cardigan bandwagon. I worried that the length would dwarf my already androgynous frame. But then I realized that a boyfriend cardi would look so much nicer with my slim/skinny pants and provide a nice, casual counterpart to dresses.

I stumbled across iCandy Handmade and have been drooling over this pattern for months. Check out her site, she's got other free patterns to download.

Find the fabulous 6-page(!) pattern and tutorial here.

So I whipped one up in medium with some wool jersey, dangerously getting by with only 1.5 yards. In future iterations (and there will be more!) I might shorten the bodice by two inches and take in the sleeve width. This is my first sewn cardigan, and I'm over the moon. Cardigans are by far the most used garment in my closet.

Thanks, iCandy Handmade, for providing such a great, easy and modern pattern to all of us sewists!

Work Blouse | Inspired by: Colette Laurel

The Colette Laurel is my kind of pattern: Clean lines, super versatile. Only problem? I'm having a stand-off with wovens. It's all knits all the time in my sewing right now.

One commenter on Coletterie said that once you get the hang of it, knits are much easier to sew than wovens. I whole-heartedly agree. I think the sewing community should have a knit revolution. I really wish there were more knit designers.

Colette Laurel

Anyway, as part of calming my closet clutter, I'm allowing myself to replace donated duds with fab me-mades. A variation on one-in, one-out, this is one-out, one-in. A Laurel-like blouse would be perfect to replace that fugly work shirt that's moved on.

So I took the crewneck block in Sew U Homestretch, lengthened the sleeves to half-sleeve and whipped up this knit top in rayon jersey. Fabric is divine on the skin.

Perfect for work! 

Knit Dress | Inspired by: Madewell

I've always had preppy leanings, and had a brief romance with J. Crew (or at least, their catalog). Then I discovered Madewell, the seemingly younger sister to J. Crew. You know, the one that has more fun and funk. More whimsy. Less Nantucket, more city.

At the end of last summer, I was dying in the heat and fell in love with Madewell's Softshade Dress.

This is really a fall dress, but it inspired my lightweight summer dress. Weary about heavy pleats on my rectangular frame, I made a half-circle skirt. This was adapted using the knit bodice and skirt blocks in Sew U Homestretch. Neckline and arms finished in that snazzy facing-bodice-turn-way I learned in sewing the Colette Rooibos.

Simple, simple. Sometimes I think the silhouette feels too formal, especially when paired with a cute little cardigan (I'm having vintage fatigue), but in warm weather it's surprisingly versatile. It can be accessorized more formally (short cardigan with a scarf, of course!), or throw a long cardigan on, and it's a perfect lazy Sunday.

Jacket | Inspired by: Solvi of Delfinelise

Thanks for all your sweet comments! Today's post kicks off an experiment I want to try: Short posts that point to inspiration and share a finished garment.

I love Solvi's style. Check her out in this Burda jacket, 10-2010-113 cropped jacket, her Hudsucker Proxy Jacket.


See her post about this garment here.

Always a cardigan-person, I've been jacket-curious. And you know what? This little jacket has been surprisingly versatile in mild weather. A warm-enough extra layer, the cropped sleeve lets me play with pops of color and best of all: no buttonholes! Great for cool mornings or evenings walking to and from the train, or biking when I need to tear open a layer half way through the ride. Made with organic cotton fleece in black. 

Thanks, Solvi, for the inspiration!