New Look 6922 and a Wadder

This is one of those posts that should've been written... oh, say, a year ago? Oops.

I've made the top from New Look 6922 twice, now. It's quickly becoming a TNT for a 3/4 sleeve knit top. I have one in green and one in white, both of which I wear endlessly in the spring and fall. They are perfect on their own or for layering. (I haven't blogged about either top, but  I am wearing it under this jacket)

 Last year, when I went away to my Scrap & Sew girls' weekend away, I made the short-sleeved dress option.

The dress itself is very simple. It's only two pattern pieces with a neckband. The front neckline is slightly gathered, but otherwise there's really nothing to it.  This one is made in a floral print matte jersey, which is so soft and silky feeling that I love wearing it. It is a synthetic, so it's breathability is not ideal for very humid days. But since I was wearing it indoors, primarily to work or church, it was never an issue.

I have only two very minor issues with the dress. One is the faded fold line right down the front of the skirt. Everyone to whom I've pointed this out says it's not noticeable, so I guess I'll take that at face value and not worry too much about it. The other slight issue is the just-wonky-enough placement of the flowers on the chest. They aren't straight-up 'boob flowers' but since they're off kilter, I feel like that might be worse. It doesn't stop me from wearing it, at any rate. 

The same weekend, I made a Vogue 8593 in a heather grey wool jersey, just like on the pattern envelope. 

Man, I loved that look. Sadly, it was a horrendous mess that didn't fit anywhere. Too tight in the hips, too big on top due to the strange way those pleats lay, facings all bunched up and pulling in weird ways... it was just a complete wadder. Sad, but true. 

So, yeah. I have another New Look top planned in navy and probably another one of those super comfy dresses for after baby girl arrives this summer. I'll need a few loose-fitting but stylish dresses to wear while I'm 'recovering my shape', so to speak. Hopefully, it won't take me a whole year to post them, if I do. :)

Better Late Than Never

Well, it seems I have a bit of sewing-for-myself downtime.  It happens when you're pregnant and can't fit into anything you might want to make. *sigh*  So, I thought that in the meantime, I could get caught up on some of the posts I should have already written.

I made these dresses for my girls as Christmas gifts. Each of my daughters has a very different personality, so I wanted to choose something that they would love and know was made especially for them.

I made Lilly's dress first. It's made out of a really cute lightweight cotton print I found at Joann Fabrics. The bottom band is just a matching color broadcloth. Only the bodice is lined and I finished the seams just by pinking.

New Look 6927

I made Evie's out of an adorable narrow wale corduroy that I found it two contrasting colorways. I may make another dress for her out of the other color after she outgrows this one. I don't think she needs two dresses in such a distinct print at the same time. But I loved how this turned out.

New Look 6016

There is a very plain knit shirt pattern included with NL 6016, so I made one to go under each of the dresses.  Both were made out of a super soft rayon knit jersey; Lilly's was made in ivory and Evie's in chocolate brown. 

Christmas day action shot. :)

I have a few more things to post, which hopefully I'll get to this week. I'm going away for the weekend for an annual "Scrap & Sew" getaway weekend in Deep Creek Lake, MD. I went last year and made two dresses - one of which I wore constantly BB (Before Bump) and one that was a horrible wadder. I'll share them both and hopefully have some cute new things to show from this weekend. I have big plans for Simplicity 7113 in pink and white polka dots, for the girls' Easter dresses.

I'm going to try and take a few lessons from Miriam over at Mad Mim. She did some amazing things in her 'Sewing for a Belly' posts last year. I shall study hard and make you proud! Also, I won an amazing vintage maternity pattern giveaway from Mikhaela over at Polka Dot Overload a month or so ago. I might give one of those a try while I'm away this weekend, if I have the extra time. * fingers crossed *

And as a parting shot - here's me, about three weeks ago.

Baby Belly at 15 weeks, 6 days. Trust me, it's bigger now!

The Plan for the Challenge

I think I've figured out which patterns I'm using. I have a few fabrics that are definite and a few that may change, but this is the basic plan.

Are you participating? How's everyone else doing on their inspiration and pattern boards?

Kickin' it off

Okay, so let's get this started the right way. A quick, easy project.

 

My choice: New Look 6950 - Misses separates for knits. 

I used some red cotton stretch knit that was in my stash (a sale purchase from Joann's). In case anyone is interested, this one takes about the same amount of time as a 14-month-old's nap... very handy if you happen to be squeezing your sewing into about 2 hours. That even included layout and cutting time. 

I'm certainly no master sewist (yet!), so I don't have the all the great, fun gadgets and equipment I'd love to have access to. No serger means a ballpoint needle, walking foot, and zig zag stitching. I don't mind... I think it still turned out stellar, even if it is just a simple, solid color top. I have bigger projects in the works, but right now I'm trying to build up a versatile wardrobe to go back to work. That's right, folks. In a few weeks, I'll be rejoining the working world after nearly 4 years! (I don't count those part time gigs or the disastrous vet clinic I put my heart and soul into but was horrendously under-appreciated) I digress... Much needed easy-to-pair separates were first on my queue after I got back under the sewing machine. 

Here's how it turned out:

The neckband was quite a bit wider than I expected based on the line drawing. I still really like it, but every time I raise my arms it rides up in a major way. Cute enough, still, that I don't mind pulling it back down and adjusting the shoulders. We'll see if I get totally annoyed after having to do it all day.