Today it’s officially just ten short days until my birthday celebration…and I haven’t even cut my pattern yet. Also I plan to heavily modify this bodice. My apologies if I’m not as active in the coming days, I need to do some serious sewing! Cross your fingers and hope I’m not totally fucked 😳
Have you ever had a dress that looks great in the mirror, but in pictures, makes you look like a lumpy ham? That is this dress for me. I swear, I thought it was flattering. Whatever, I’m still going to wear the hell out of it anyway!!
The pattern is McCall’s 6956, and the fabric is some random Robert Kaufman tulip quilting cotton I’ve had for ages. I opted for version B of the pattern, with the a/b cup sizing. I love a good strapless dress, but I hate pulling up my dress all night. Since this dress has tons of boning, you actually DON’T have to do that, it kinda stays up on it’s own. I added cups, just for extra stability, and I also added some ruching to the bodice, just to help adjust the fitting a bit. Other than that, it pretty much fit straight out of the package.
Top is fully lined, while the skirt is unlined. With that, boning, and the heavier weight cotton, the dress still felt cool and comfortable, even in yesterday’s heat. The boning gave me a bit of grief, but that could have just been me misinterpreting the instructions. As I understood them, the boning was to extend past the pleating, which was a headache. I decided to just end it at the pleating, and from there it was smooth sailing. I left off the bottom band on the skirt, only because it made no sense with my fabric pattern.
Honestly, I love a well fitted dress and I think I’ll wear this one quite a bit, even if it has reminded me to lose 20 pounds 😉 It’s such a fun party dress! I hope all your summer sewing is going well, happy sewing 🙂
I hope everyone had a fabulous July fourth!!! I got to enjoy mine with a few friends and some beers. And my maxi dress challenge wrap dress! The pattern is McCall’s 7119 and it was an absolute breeze to sew.
Since I was out with friends and enjoying some adult beverages, my picture quality is a little lacking, for that I apologize. I’m not sure what happened to my hair, either, because I swear I started out the day with cute, curly hair.
Back to the dress. I used a mystery fabric from a Joann clearance sale. I think based on the way it wrinkles and a burn test, it’s a cotton or cotton blend? No stretch at all, though I did make a knit version for my friend Amanda, which is coming to the blog soon! I sized the pattern down and cut a 10, and the fit is pretty perfect. I added Saltspring pockets, because always pockets. Turns out, Lladybird uses the same trick, glad I’m not the only one who is pro-additional pockets. I also added two inches to the length, which works out great with wedges. This is a true wrap dress, so…beware of strong breezes and make sure you wear full underwear, if you want to avoid a wardrobe malfunction!
I really, really love the way this bodice fits. The cut is absolutely perfect, and once tied properly, it fits well and stays in place. The pattern instructions were clear and simple, I actually followed them, for once. Though it is a full length dress, it’s comfortable and cool, even on a hot summer day. It’s also a pretty quick sew, which I clearly love. If I had time, I would for sure sew the shorter version of this, but I have 283749387 planned to sew currently 🙁 If you haven’t selected a maxi dress pattern yet, I’d recommend this one. It really lives up to it’s “easy” label.
I have one last picture for you, which I present to you without comment…as there are no words for what my friends are wearing. Sometimes, it’s just fun to let loose and be ridiculous 😉 Happy sewing! 🙂
Let me tell you a short tale of a girl and a concert. Last year, I saw on Instagram that two of my favorite bands (Jimmy Eat World and The Gaslight Anthem) would be doing a limited amount of shows together. Noticing that one of these shows was in Philadelphia, I immediately purchased two tickets. Here’s a fun fact: Philadelphia is not 4 hours away from Cincinnati (that would be Pittsburgh), it is NINE FUCKING HOURS AWAY! That’s fun to find out after making a commitment 😕 However, my friend Kendra is a trooper and agreed to make this voyage with me.
Since I knew I’d be walking around/driving a lot on this trip, I wanted something comfortable. Enter the Sewaholic Saltspring. I had sewn this up with Amy shortly before that, I think in one day. I always find Sewaholic patterns easy to sew, the instructions are great. I opted for the shorter version, but the longer version would be great too (especially if you were doing a maxi dress challenge hint hint wink wink nudge nudge). The fabric was from the Joann “silky prints” sale, even though it’s clearly not silky at all! My best guess is that it’s a crepe de chine?
I added a belt to the dress, because I just like a more accented waist. I still wear this dress all the time, so I think it’s definitely work a make. Also…driving nine hours for a concert is definitely worth it, do it!!!
Unrelated, but I’m finally getting this Bloglovin thing together, so follow my blog with Bloglovin Happy sewing 🙂
Sometimes in sewing, shit just does not work out the way you planned. Sometimes you accidentally make mom jeans. I should point out that this is not really the fault of the pattern, in this case, rather just the fault of some lazy, lazy sewing.
I was blessed with a naturally hourglass figure, and some longer than normal (for my height) legs. However…I have an absurdly short abdomen. And no shoulders. It’s weird. When making high waisted items, it would be smart to take that into consideration, wouldn’t it? I did not do that. I just went full steam ahead, cutting and sewing a straight 12. I am such a smart girl sometimes!!!
This is Butterick b5895, a Gertie pattern, and as such has tons of reviews. Most of these reviews are good, so…this was a sewists error. I had also intended to make the crop top that goes along with these pants, but honestly, I just lost interest in this pattern. Perhaps one day I’ll pull this out again and revamp it? For now…I move onto my maxi dress . Don’t let that discourage you from giving this a go, though. They actually came together crazy fast and the instructions were way easy to follow. Go on with your normal-sized abdomen and make some adorable capris! Happy sewing 🙂
I’ve really been making an effort to sew from my stash. I bought this fabric last year when Joann had a sale on their “silky prints”. While I do love polka dots and red is one of the few colors are wear…I had almost immediate regret after buying this fabric. It’s just too shiny, too red. It looks like clown costume material! I thought about doing a solid black something with the clown polka dot skirt, but I just imagined that as worse…
Enter McCall’s 6952. Originally, I had envisioned this in view C, for my maxi dress sew-along but I really just think the print would overwhelming. Instead I went with view A, I love the back detail! Also I’ve been looking for some light weight, flowy dresses for the humid Ohio Summer.
All and all, it was a pretty quick sew. I opted to skip the elastic band, using some ribbon as a belt instead. I also added pockets, because I just really like pockets. I cut a straight 12, but I really think I could have done a 10, even without a zipper. Being entirely honest, I don’t think I’ll be wearing this dress as often as some other garments, but I still do like it. If you’re looking for a quick summer dress, this could be sewn in a day, though I’d suggest sizing down and maybe not using such a blindingly shiny fabric 😉
As for the maxi dress sew-along, I wanted to give you all a peek at what I’m sewing! I’ll be using McCall’s 7119!!!
I know I’m all about McCall’s lately, I swear I have other patterns on deck! I’m really excited to sew my first maxi dress, and I can’t wait to see what my fellows sewists come up with! Happy sewing 🙂
Summer sewing is upon us!!! I’ve always been a huge fan of maxi dresses, but have never really been able to find one that’s quite long enough 🙁 So this summer, I’ve teamed up with Amy from That’s Sew Amy for this maxi dress sew-along! This is our very first time hosting a sew-along, so please join and help us make it a success!
What is it? Group sew-along. All participants make a maxi dress during the allotted time frame.
What is considered a maxi dress? a casual dress that falls to the ankles.
Examples: Here are a few examples:
Who can participate? Anyone! There is no need to have a blog!
Where do I join? Just leave a comment below that you would like to join us. You can also join our Facebook group to discuss the sew-along, post progress pictures and make new friends! Join the private here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/maxidresssewalong/ (note: you do not have to join the Facebook group in order to participate in the sew-along)
Time frame: Start sewing now and the deadline will be July 31, 2015. We are giving over a month because of vacations and other commitments.
Why? sew-alongs help motivate and push you to try new things. Also, you get to make new friends and have fun at the same time! Win/win!
Rules: Dress can be for you or someone else, any age. It has to be made within the time frame above. You can use any pattern you wish or draft your own. Adding embellishments to a current maxi dress will not count. The dress can be as formal or casual as you want. You have to submit pictures of your finished dress. You don’t have to be wearing the dress in the photos – but it makes it more fun!
Social Media: Use hashtag #maxisewalong on social media to see what everyone else is up to. Post pictures of your inspiration and progress for all to see. (You can also post your progress in the Facebook group.)
Prizes: There are no prizes, sorry. We are having this sew-along without prizes because it’s just for fun and no pressure. The whole point of a maxi dress is to be lazy and comfortable, no sweat and pressure – so the sew-along will be the same.
If you have a blog you can post this:
After everyone submits their dress we will need a few days to setup a showcase post. Have fun and enjoy! Any questions just post them below or email me.
When I first started sewing again, I made my first garment with my dear friend Amy. After the nightmare that was that dress, I thought I would try this simple knit tank. Easy, right? WRONG! At this time in my life, I was sewing on a base model machine, with no knowledge of how to work with knits. What’s worse, I had no clue about pattern fitting. I was hopeless.
I remember when I was originally sewing this, the fabric kept getting sucked into my machine. The stitching just seemed off (zigzag stitching and a ball point needle MAY have been helpful 😉 ) The bust darts were too pointy. Using bias tape for the first time, I found it to be wavy and unsightly. In my frustration, I shoved this thing into the bottom of my scrap fabric tote, never to be seen again. That was until I stumbled across the pattern, while browsing the McCall’s site. I’ve sewn plenty of knits now! My machine is much improved! I have ballpoint needles! I HAVE A SERGER! Out came the old tank!
The pattern had been lost long ago, so this was all improvisation. First things first, take in the sides. I was on my way to Amy’s to sew on this particular day, so I did this quickly and without a second thought. I quickly pinned the sides down, turned it inside out, and ran each side through the serger, using the furthest seam line guide on my machine. It fit!!! Perhaps not in the way the pattern intended, but still in a way that I liked. My second step was was to fold the bias tape over, on the inside of the garment, to give it a stable, less wavy finish.
That was it, folks! Just a few alterations and this garbage tank is in regular wardrobe rotation. Originally, I had intended to use this embarrassingly simple pattern to make old band shirts wearable again. Now that I’ve conquered it, perhaps you will see a few embarrassingly angsty but modified band shirts on the blog (looking at you, extra large the Get Up Kids shirt).
Happy sewing 🙂
I really need to get better at this me-made photography. At the very least, I could post the full outfit instead of just waist up photos 🙁 I promise to improve!!
For week three, I opted for my anchor dress. On this particular day, it was hot here in Ohio and my air is still out, so easy, comfy clothes were the way to go.
My second outfit was yet another McCall’s M6754. For some reason, the solid green was a huge hit at work, even though I think the floral is a much better fit. The one was a very early make, and it shows in some of the extremely wonky stitching! Oh well, I still wear this stuff with pride.
I have to say…this challenge is a lot easier than I expected. As an added bonus, it’s really driving me to finish/mend some old projects I have lying around! I’m looking forward to sharing week 4 🙂 Happy sewing!
So I must confess: I only wore one me-made item the first week of May 🙁 In my defense, that week was only two days long, though…
Week one I opted for the lace tank from the Back With a Peplum post. At work, I cover up my half sleeves, so…also features a rtw cardigan. You’ll notice, I finally got around to finishing the neckline and arms with bias tape. Also, I have spectacles now! Though I don’t really need to wear them all the time, you’ll be seeing them often, as I’ve always wanted glasses.
For week two, I opted to wear two versions of McCall’s M6754, my go-to pattern. Expect to see more of these in the future, and probably a blog post about them 😉
The hardest part for me has been getting decent photos, obviously! My apologies for the low grade cell phone photography, I need to recruit someone to take photos for me. I hope you’re all having as much fun with this as I am! Happy sewing 🙂