For someone who’s not very good at using it, I am obsessed with Instagram. I am constantly stalking Doctor Who pages and envying the sewing skills of other sewcialists. During my cyber stalking, I’ve come across many a Moneta, each of them adorable, but I am not much of a knit sewist. Then Elle of Sew Positvitiy posted about the Moneta Party she helped start, and suddenly, I needed a Moneta.

I have a very hard time finding knits locally. I basically have Joann’s, and their knit selection always leaves me wanting. There are a few small local boutique-type fabric stores, but quite a few are exclusively quilting, or the hours are just impossible for me. So to the interwebs I went. I ended up on the Craftsy site, where they were having a fantastic clearance sale. I picked out this fun bird print that I used for my Moneta, plus two other knits, all at a steal.

Colette offered a 20% discount, and I used a random black swim fabric from the stash for the bodice lining and collar. I probably have $30 invested in this dress, including the reusable pattern. Making things even better, I probably only have three hours of work in this dress. I pieced it together in little bursts of sewing activity, max of an hour, most 30 minutes or so. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Moneta really is as easy as everyone says. My main frustrations were all fabric related. Cutting this slippery, drapey fabric on my glass kitchen table was no picnic. Also this fabric presses like shit, and by that I mean it pretty much doesn’t. When it came to stitching the bodice and lining together at the armholes, I ended up using wonder clips instead of relying on pressing. Just clipped it together, then flipped it, adjusted the clips, and stitched. I know that doesn’t make sense if you don’t have the pattern, but hopefully if you do, you can picture it.

The only thing I didn’t really love about the pattern was attaching the collar. The neckline seams aren’t really all tucked inside, just hidden under the collar. I have no idea how I expected it to be done, really, so it’s not much of a gripe. I also loathe sewing with clear elastic, but you can’t deny the benefits of it, so I’ll keep that to myself. I realize I didn’t get any decent photos of the collar, my bad. I really REALLY need to take a photography class or something. Overall, though, this was a fun sew and a really comfortable, flattering garment. Big thanks to the lovely Triple Stitchers for the motivation, and for giving me a new hashtag to stalk! Happy sewing 🙂