Tag: sewcialists

The 33rd Birthday Dress (Vogue 9253)

The 33rd Birthday Dress (Vogue 9253)

by Ashley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
So awkward

I’m getting old, folks. This year for my birthday, I did a low key dinner with some friends. I was in bed at a semi-reasonable time, semi-sober. I went to 0 bars. I love bars, you guys. What’s happening to me!??! I suppose it’s fine, though, because I did get to wear a kick ass dress. Silver linings.

Biiiiiiiiiiiitch

The pattern is the ever popular Vogue 9253. I’m generally not such a big fan of the big 4 patterns, but they really seem to be nailing it this season. The deep V on this one was just screaming my name. It appears I’m not alone in that, either, as she seems to be the pattern of the summer. 9253 is a fairly easy and figure flattering pattern, it’s easy to see why she’s so loved. For the most part I followed the pattern instruction with this one. I did omit the zipper as I can get it on easily without one. I bias bound the entire neckline, it was just easier for me. I found the V to be a little too deep on me, shockingly. In the end I stitched the point up about an inch to prevent a wardrobe malfunction. I made no other edits to this pattern.

This is blurry thing is best back photo I managed ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I used two bargain precuts from Fabric Mart for this dress, which I can’t seem to find at the moment. It’s a very light weight and breathable rayon challis. I’m obsessed with rayon, it’s the perfect warm weather fabric to me. This yardage sewed up nicely and was easy to work with. It is a bit sheer if the light is shining right through, but I didn’t have any problems with that. I got loads of compliments on this! I think the floral goes really well with the 70’s vibe of the pattern. I think a cotton lawn would be lovely for this also, if you’re looking for something with a bit more structure. It really is quite lovely, I highly suggest it. Happy sewing 🙂

That lazy eye though
The Delayed Dress (Seamwork Kimmy)

The Delayed Dress (Seamwork Kimmy)

by Ashley ♥ 2 Comments
Biiiiiiiiitch

Holy shit, it’s been awhile. I could tell you how busy life gets and make some excuses, but let’s be real, I’m kinda lazy and I hate photos of myself lately. Marie at A Stitching Odyssey recently posted about body issues and how it effects sewing, and oh man, I seriously relate. It’s hard to want to sew for a body you don’t like. I kind of had to force myself to start something, but finding a pattern wasn’t easy until…

The Seamwork Kimmy. I really wanted to switch from my usual super tight stuff to something I could feel comfortable in. Kimmy is a loose fitting frock with dolman sleeves and and an elastic waist. Seriously loved it from the moment I saw it. As it had been awhile since I’d made something, I really took my time with this one. All the seams (except the waist) are finished with single fold satin bias tape. I posted progress photos on my Instagram, I even seam ripped things I normally would let slide. I got back to really enjoying the sewing, folks. She’s still not perfect, but I had fun with it.

Awkward

I wanted to keep this fairly lightweight, something good for this beast of a summer. I didn’t feel like waiting for shipping, so I ended up with this floral from Joann’s. It’s not the great quality but it definitely fit the need. It’s a bit of a pain to sew poly satin binding to rayon, but it’s worth it I think. That said, the fabric had a defect (a hole) that I didn’t notice until I’d already finished the dress, so be wary.

 

The pattern itself was pretty easy to sew up, though there were a few things that kind of irked me.  The waist calls for braided elastic, but the pattern doesn’t give any insight on what size.   I just used what I had on hand.  It also calls for drawstring cording for the sleeves, but again, no size is specified.  I was going to make some just from my fabric, but I got lazy and didn’t.  I’m sure that’s not surprising.  While I did was a loose fitting garment, looking at the finished garment measurements, I didn’t want it to be quite that loose.  According to the size chart, I should have made a 10, but I opted for an 8.  For Seamwork members, there is a bonus wrap bodice option, which I really dig and will probably make next time.  I also think it would nice in a sheer fabric, as a swimsuit cover up.  I am planning to make more, and it’s great to be sewing again!  What do you do when you’re in a sewing funk?  Tips?  Tricks?

Whatever Pajamas (Closet Case Files Carolyn Pajamas)

Whatever Pajamas (Closet Case Files Carolyn Pajamas)

by Ashley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I started this project last year and then lost interest. It started to warm up here and flannel pjs were just not a priority. I’ve moved since then, and in that move I managed to lose the pattern and instructions. When I picked this back up a few Sundays back, I was straight up just winging it. Because historically, I’ve been sooo good at that. Right…

I think it’s pretty obvious why started this pattern. There’s no fucking way Harry Potter flannel was going to exist without me making pjs out of it. HOWEVER, I think snuggle flannel sucks balls. It’s crappy fabric that doesn’t hold up. Also it shrinks like crazy. Also I have an embargo on buying fabric from Joann. WHATEVER MAN.

For cozy pajamas, there could really only be one pattern, the Carolyn Pajamas. This pattern always seems so lux to me. Usually, I sleep in old tshirts and clearance section bottoms. To make a full on set of pajamas just seemed foreign to me. Which is exactly why I needed them. Piping, on something you sleep in! Wild, I tell ya.

PAJAMA POCKETS

Having never worked with piping before and not having any idea what size to use, of course I decided to make my own, like some kind of piping guru. This shit is HUGE, so big that it’s a pain in the ass to bend. I’ve gotta stop acting smarter than I am. So yeah, the piping looks like shit. Being honest, that’s where I lost steam here, really. I got sick of fighting with that, once I got to the top, and just wanted the project to be done. Seriously not my favorite. Grrr.

Brought in canine photo reinforcements.

I also think the bottoms are a bit too big, they sag and could just generally be better fitted. These are pajamas though, folks. For sleeping, when I don’t ever look cute anyway. WHATEVER. By the time it came to sewing buttonholes, I was not into it. Just wasn’t going to happen. There are buttons on this, but they are 100% fake. I stitched the button placket down and sewed the buttons on for show, this just slips over my head. Typing that, I realize you can’t even see the buttons in photos. Figures. You can, however, see the weird flippy outy thing the top does at the bottom. Enh, they’re for sleeping.

One last Albus photo for the day.

I know I should talk about pattern sizing, but truly I can’t remember what size I cut. Probably I could have sized down. From what I remember, the pattern instructions were easy to understand, I always find her patterns to be well drafted. Have you made pjs? Do you fuss with them or do you just take it easy? Happy sewing 🙂

The Velvet Muslin (Charm Patterns Rita Blouse)

The Velvet Muslin (Charm Patterns Rita Blouse)

by Ashley ♥ 2 Comments

I’m a super stubborn person. I get ideas in my giant head and I just can’t let them go. I’m always going to attempt it, even if these efforts are directly at odds with my insanely short temper. I may end up throwing a pin cushion, but damn it, I’m gonna make wearable muslin for a woven pattern in cheap stretch velvet? WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!?

Constant RBF

Turns out, not that much really. The pattern is the Rita Blouse from Charm Patterns, which I received in return for my Kickstarter donation. The instructions were easy to follow and beautifully illustrated, I found no difficulty there. The pattern sews up pretty easily and quickly, I didn’t add a zipper (because of the stretch fabric) so I can’t really speak to that bit. I also added my elastic to the neckline differently, I personally just hate feeding elastic. To accommodate for the fabric difference, I did size down one size, though I kinda wish I’d done two. I also thing I might go back and add some elastic under the bust. I think using such a weird fabric causes the seam not to hug the body as much as I’d like.

And untucked!

The fabric is a black stretch velvet from Joann’s, which is a thing I swore off. I’m trying to use better fabrics, and this isn’t it, to be honest. But it’s fun and I only needed about a yard, so I’m not complaining. The thing I’ve found with velvet, though, is that you don’t really want to cut on the fold. It can be a bit shifty. Cut slow and cut in one layer and you’ll be fine. As for the sewing, I really didn’t have any problems sewing with this fabric. It feeds through my machine easily and smoothly, though it doesn’t leave lint EVERYWHERE. Be prepared to clean out your machine afterward!

For some reason, these pictures didn’t upload well? I swear they weren’t so grainy originally. My tech skills are lacking here. Also, if you’re wondering about the skirts, those are both me-mades as well! You can check out the Audrey Hepburn skirt here and the pencil skirt here. Nothing like an entirely me made outfit, is there? Nevertheless two! Have you guys checked out Charm Patterns? I’d love to see what everyone did with them! Happy sewing 🙂

Maxi Sewalong-My Dress (By Hand London-Orsola Dress)

Maxi Sewalong-My Dress (By Hand London-Orsola Dress)

by Ashley ♥ 1 Comment

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but #maxisewalong2017 wraps up tomorrow!!! Get your makes in by noon Eastern time for a chance to win a pattern from By Hand London or a $50 gift card from LA Finch Fabrics. Speaking of those lovely folks, let’s talk about my dress…

I took these early in the morning, pardon the puffy face.

As I mentioned last week, I opted to use the Orsola dress pattern (lengthened) and some very lovely rayon from LA Finch Fabrics. I toyed with the idea of changing up the skirt portion, to kind of of give it a similar shape to last year’s maxi, but opted to keep the original shape. I’ve been sewing a lot of 70’s style wrap dresses recently (you’ll see those soon), so I kinda wanted to switch it up with a more modern look.

To get a maxi length, I added 23″ inches to the skirt portion. There are no guidelines for where to lengthen the Orsola, so use your best judgement. Anywhere between the notches and where the skirt curves should be fine I’d think? It was a bit difficult to measure myself for this, admittedly the skirt is a bit too long. I have on heels in these photos but it still needs to taken in a bit. I also opted to skip the skirt facing, purely out of laziness. Let me tell you, BHL put a skirt facing in this pattern for a reason. Getting this hem to lay flat was a BITCH, and in some places, it really doesn’t even do it. Whatever dude. I also opted to skip the stay stitching on the bodice, à la Elisalex, to give the back a bit more drape and flow. Thanks for the inspiration, lady!

My favorite part

I used two different rayons for this, a solid black rayon challis and a lovely rayon voile. I love love love these! The challis has a bit more structure and it isn’t quite as drapey or silky. While the voile has more drape and feels heavenly, it frays like crazy. The challis also presses a bit better than the voile. Both are lovely, luckily I have enough left over to make tops from each!

I really enjoyed this make, and of course, this sewalong. I really hope you’re all enjoying it too! Check out Instagram tomorrow around 3:00pm Eastern time, I’ll be doing a live drawing for winners. As a last reminder, submissions are due tomorrow, July 27th, at noon Eastern time. You can submit your makes by using the tag #maxisewalong2017 on IG, posting in the Facebook group, or e-mailing me directly. As a note, if I haven’t liked or commented on your maxi posts on social media, I haven’t seen it! Please make sure your account is public, and feel free to tag me, sewnbyashley. Happy sewing 🙂

Maxi Sewalong-My Picks

Maxi Sewalong-My Picks

by Ashley ♥ 1 Comment

 

We’re just 8 days away from the end of our sewalong!  I’m blown away by the submissions so far, you guys have some serious skills.  Last week we went over somefabric ideas, and the week before, pattern ideas. This week, I felt like it was time to finally talk about what I’m making, along with some options that were so nearly chosen. First off, pattern…

Surprise surprise, it’s from By Hand London. It may seem bias because they are fabulously sponsoring us, but if you follow my posts at all, you’ll notice the bias is nothing new. Orsola fits in so beautifully with my summer wrap dress obsession, it was really a no brainer. That said, Orsola does not come drafted as a maxi length dress. I will be lengthening the skirt, and maybe altering the shape a bit à la last year’s maxi. But then again, maybe not. I do think Orsola has a beautiful skirt shape, there’s something more “grown up” about it to me. What do you guys think? I have 8 yards of fabric, so definitely enough to do whatever! Speaking of fabric…

I opted to use two fabrics from LA Finch Fabrics, another fantastic sponsor. I had a really hard to choosing fabrics and resisting my natural urge to wear all black. As a compromise, I decided to do the bodice in a very nice black rayon challis and the skirt in the lovely rayon viole pictured above, which appears to be unavailable at the moment. Blargh! When I told you guys I was obsessed with rayon, I wasn’t lying!\.

Originally, I’d planned to do the Anna dress in the black rayon challis I mentioned above, with some neckline embroidery. Being totally honest, I decided against Anna because I was afraid of embroidering rayon. I’ve not done much of it, and I just don’t quite have the balls yet. I also toyed with the idea of doing Anna in a print, such as…

This blue rayon challis. I love the print and the geometric design, but in the end, blue + geometric was just too far out of my comfort zone. What can I say, I’m a creature of habit!

To see everyone’s makes so far, check out our Facebook group or Instagram, I’ll be sharing your makes all through out the sew along. #maxisewalong2017 wraps up July 27th 12:00pm eastern time, so get your submission in before then for a chance to win a prize from Finch Fabrics or By Hand London!! Stay tuned for the live prize drawing next week! Happy sewing 🙂

Maxi Sewalong-Pattern Ideas

Maxi Sewalong-Pattern Ideas

by Ashley ♥ 4 Comments

I am so excited to see your maxis already rolling in! You guys are killing it. For those of you who haven’t selected a pattern yet, no worries. I’ve got some great woven ideas for ya! If knits are more your thing, head on over to That’s Sew Amy for some inspiration. Enough chatter, let’s get to the patterns…

The Anna Dress from our lovely sponsor, By Hand London is an obvious choice. This pattern is mega popular with sewists of varying body types, so you know it would look great on you. Also, I would LOVE to see a sheer version of this. Seriously. Make one so I don’t have to 😉

I had to include the Charlie Caftan from Closet Case Patterns because it’s a stunner and I need one. Also the styling on this model is just everything.

My love for the Sewaholic Lonsdale is well documented (here and here), but I’ve never made a maxi length version! It’s on my list, perhaps it should be on yours too? The Saltspring , also from Sewaholic, is another great option!

Vogue has some great options this season as well. Pictured above is 9253, but I’d also love to see 9259 as a dress.

Picture is from clarysage

If vintage patterns are more your thing, maybe give Simplicity 7484 A try. I made it for last year’s sewalong and it’s one of my most worn garments! Several Etsy shops carry it, highly recommend!

Speaking of past maxis, McCall’s 7119 is super cute and such an easy sew. I’d definitely recommend this one to a beginner.

If you were stumped before, I hope you’re feeling a bit more inspired now! If deciding on a fabric is holding you up, stay tuned, next week we’ll talk fabric. Don’t forget, the deadline isn’t until July 27th at noon, so you still have plenty of time to stitch up your garment. I have to say, I’m jealous of whoever wins the prize fromFinch Fabrics or By Hand London. I’ll be sharing your makes on Instagram and in the Facebook group throughout the sewalong, so make sure you check there! Happy sewing 🙂

*this post contains affilate links*

2017 Maxi Sewalong is here!

2017 Maxi Sewalong is here!

by Ashley ♥ 5 Comments

Amy of That’s Sew Amy and I are super stoked to announce the return of maxi dress sewalong! We’ve got some great sponsors this year, and I can’t wait to reveal my fabric and pattern to you guys! SPEAKING OF SPONSORS THOUGH…

We are mega happy to announce LA Finch Fabrics as a sponsor this year! They’ve kindly offered a $50 gift card to one of drawing winners. How cool is that?? Free fabric is the best fabric, amirite?

The ever lovely ladies at By Hand London are also a sponsor this year. If you know me, you know how much I love their patterns. That’s why I’m thrilled to be able to give away a By Hand London pattern, of the winner’s choosing.

If you’d like to display a badge on your blog, use the above image or imbed using this link. Look for blog posts from Amy and I in the coming weeks, we’ll be posting fabric and pattern inspiration for ya! And of course, reveling our own selections, way stoked about that! Below are some rules and information, please do feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!

What is considered a maxi dress? A dress that falls to the ankles.

Will there be a winner? At the end of the sewalong, I will draw two winners live on my Instagram. No contest or judging, just sheer luck!

Who can participate? Everyone and everyone! You can submit your photos of your dress by using the hashtag #maxsewalong2017 on Instagram, by posting photos to the Facebook group, or you can e-mail me directly. Whatever you feel most comfortable with! If you do a blog post for your maxi, please let Amy or I know, we love to see your makes!  If you share your maxi on social media, please use the hashtag #maxisewalong2017 so I can see it!  Your account will also need to be public, for the same reason.  I can’t enter you in the drawing if I can’t see your submission 🙂

Time frame: The sewalong will run from July 1st to July 27th (my birthday), be sure to send in your picture by noon on July 27, 2017 (EST)!

Why? For the fun of it!  I love seeing all your makes, so much inspiration!

Rules: Dress must be for you. 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. I know taking pictures of your self can be uncomfortable, so you definitely don’t have to be wearing the dress in the photos – but it makes it more fun!

Social Media: Use hashtag #maxisewalong2017 on social media to see what everyone else is up to. Post inspiration and progress photos for everyone to see.

The Watergun Fight Dress (By Hand London Orsola Tester)

The Watergun Fight Dress (By Hand London Orsola Tester)

by Ashley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
I don’t know what to do with my hands. Again.

I’m deeming this the summer of the wrap dress. I love how comfortable they are to wear, and how easy they are to make. They’re super flattering, and can expand a bit if I go too hard with the snacks, which I absolutely will do. They can be fabric hogs, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Orsola isn’t such a fabric hog, she comes in around 4 1/2 yards I think, including lining. Not too shabby!

Plus, it’s great for jumping.

I was super stoked when I got the email about this pattern! The back is just the perfect little bit of sexy. Originally, I’d planned to make this with a sari I’d ordered of Ebay. HOWEVER, that thing was straight up hot garbage. The fabric felt like that Halloween costume fabric, if you know what I mean, and upon washing, the fabric dye bled everywhere. Straight to the garbage with that! Bless Amazon and this lovely Cotton + Steel fabric! In two days, I had a gorgeous rayon, though I kinda wish I’d gone for the dark blue. The only trouble was that I’d stupidly ordered three yards. There was NO fabric for the lining! Last minute shopper that I am, I had zero time to make it to the only store in my city to carry this fabric. Soooo I ended up at Joann, and boy was that a mistake. Somehow, they had no solid black rayon challis, weird, right? I ended up with a polyester crepe, much to my disappointment. Oh well, moving on…

That back, though.

Orsola sews up fairly easily, though you should be prepared for quite a few darts! I’ve never minded darts, but if you do, prepare yourself, because it has about 18. Orsola also features a fully lined bodice, and a skirt facing. I’ve never sewn a skirt facing before, and I was skeptical. I loathe facings, they’re floppy and annoying and should be avoided at all costs. That said, I actually like this one. It adds a bit of weight to the hem, and it seems to help it lay prettily. I opted for the tulip skirt version, which is really not much of a change for the straight skirt. I also failed to understitch the bodice lining, which was DUMB. DUMB DUMB DUMB. Bad self.

Side view, sans face.

I had some picture taking woes with this one, but luckily my friend Michelle and her lovely wife stepped up and shot them for me, some of the photos feature their absolutely adorable daughter, Tiger Lily, so don’t be confused by the child. She was so fun! Afterward, we had a bit of a watergun fight, my eyeliner was a bit worse for the wear lol! Photo dump below, I hope you enjoy Orsola, I’m looking forward to making many more. Happy sewing 🙂

The Return from Hiatus (By Hand London Poppy Dress)

The Return from Hiatus (By Hand London Poppy Dress)

by Ashley ♥ 2 Comments
Pre-haircut times.

Holy hiatus, it’s been awhile since I’ve shared anything with you guys. I’m so sorry! Between looking for a house and actually moving, things got a little crazy there for a bit. In my defense, I’d actually had this done for a bit, but (obviously) wanted to wait for the pattern release to talk about it. The pattern is The Poppy Dress and Top from By Hand London, and I’m super stoked to talk about it, let’s get into it.

Butt view

Poppy is a knit pattern, very much of the “secret pajamas” type. I’ve dressed it up for work and dressed it down to walk the dogs, it really is very versatile in that way. I made both the t-shirt (with the short sleeve option) and the midi version, but there is also a maxi version I’m dying to try out. The pattern features really lovely box pleats on the sleeves, and fish eye darts for waist shaping. As a tester, I omitted the fish eye darts on my versions.

T-shirt version!

For both the dress and shirt, I used this super soft, very cozy Merino jersey in Marsala graciously provided by The Fabric Store. Easily the most expensive fabric I’ve ever sewn, I can honestly say it’s worth it. Though it is a very lightweight knit, it sews beautifully and I didn’t have the usual struggles with it getting sucked into my machine. It seems to hold it’s shape, as well, without bagging out or “growing” as the day goes on. So nice!

Ok so maybe my jeans were a little snug.

Poppy is fairly easy to sew, but in full honesty, I struggled with the neckline. I’ve never sewn a neckband in knit, and just could not get it to lay flat! Talking to other sewists, it really seems like this is just my in experience. The current version is much better than my first attempts, but still not great. This pattern also marked my first attempt at using the double needle on my machine. I know that seems odd, but I’ve truly been terrified of it! I completely convinced myself I was going to do irreparable damage to my machine, somehow. Folks, I am an idiot. Using a double needle is super easy and gives a nice little bit of stretch to the hem. WHY HAVE I BEEN FINISHING KNITS WITH A SINGLE NEEDLE!?! Dumb dumb dumb.

The sun was SO BRIGHT

I kinda wish I’d sewn the fish eye darts, they’re what attracted me to the pattern in the first place. Maybe I’ll attempt to add them, but even without them, I seriously get comments on this every time I wear it. That’s high praise for a dress I’ve gotten drunk and slept in more than once! I hope you consider the Poppy, and I look forward to sharing more with you soon, maybe without a two month gap. Happy sewing 🙂