Monkey Around: KS2257 and O+S Bedtime Story PJs

Thank you for all of the kinds words after the last post. My absence here wasn't so much due to the fall, but having a crazy week after the fall, being on vacation for almost two weeks after that and then the mad catch up that comes with such a vacation.

Even before I took a header off the retaining wall, we had planned to celebrate Father's Day with my in-laws the first weekend in June since prior plans would keep us from getting together until way after the fact. While I feel like this Father's Day doesn't *really* count for Jim, I still wanted to do something to mark the first unofficial one since he was quite generous to me on Mother's Day.

My husband looooves monkeys. It's his favorite exhibit to visit at the zoo (especially the crazy awesome enclosure they have for them in San Diego), he has t-shirts depicting their likeness and several stuffed versions in his home office. So when I saw this fabric about a year ago from Moda, I grabbed several yards - some in flannel and some in the regular quilting cotton. I figured it would come in handy eventually.

As soon as we found out I was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to finally cut into it and make a pair of pajama bottoms for Jim (in flannel) and matching pajamas for the little one (in quilting cotton). I figured the print was gender neutral and would work for either a boy or girl. To keep things simple, I re-used the Kwik Sew pajama bottom pattern that I first tried 2 Christmases ago and my TNT baby pajama pattern from Oliver and S. Nothing difficult in the construction here and they both went together over the course of several days, doing bits and pieces a little at a time. The lucky part to this was I finished them about an hour before I took that nasty fall, so I still had something to bring for Jim to dinner that next day. Whew!

We found out for sure what we were having a couple of weeks before I completed these, which made the construction even more fun. What can I say, the idea of matching daddy and son pajamas just makes my heart melt. ;) It was nice to see I wasn't the only one though, as my in-laws about melted into a puddle of goo after Jim opened them.

Jim loved them, even though the print is totally silly. This also marks the first garment that I've made for *my* baby, which is pretty much awesome after making a ton of clothes and stuff for everyone else's babies.

Happy very belated unofficial Father's Day to Jim! If his excitement and enthusiasm during the pregnancy is any indication, then I'm willing to bet he is going to be one awesome dad. :)

KS 3703 + 3561: The throw it on and go dress

The older I get, the more I love wearing dresses. Not only for work, but on the weekends as well. But, my big caveat is I like my dresses comfy, but still cute. For some reason, this seems to be difficult to find in stores. Yay for sewing! ;)

I loved the little racerback dresses I made last summer from KS 3703 so much and wore them to death. I wanted something for the fall/winter that had the same basic shape since it was so flattering for my pear-shaped hips, but that had a plain scoop neck and long sleeves so that I wouldn't freeze in my icebox of an office. Oh, and it had to look cute with boots. Quite the list, eh? I'd like to say that I used a bunch of fancy pattern skills to combine KS 3703 (the bodice) with KS 3561 (for the neckline and sleeves), but the truth is that I totally winged it and somehow wound up so very happy with the result.

The pattern pieces that I wound up with consisted of a fitted scoopneck dress with an a-line skirt and long sleeves. I knew that I wanted to make this out of relatively thin jersery knit fabrics, so I also added a full lining, using the dress pieces. Each shell was sewn together separately and then they were attached at the neckline, right sides together with clear elastic sewn in to provide stabilization. The sleeves were then added to the dress. I left the jersey lining unhemmed, but cut short enough to not show at the bottom and hemmed the sleeves/outside layer of the dress with a twin needle.

My inital test dress (which has since been packed away in the "Yeah, this isn't fitting until after baby" box) was a smidge too short and too tight. I mean, it fit, but it needed a little tweaking to be perfect. I adjusted my already crazy frankenpattern accordingly and cut out the next version in some Missoni look alike fabric that I grabbed from Michael Levine. I lined the dress in a nice, beefy bamboo jersey, which not only added warmth, but also smoothed everything out. It is also so comfortable against the skin - an extra bonus. Sure, I paid more for the lining fabric than the fashion fabric, but in my opinion, it was totally worth it.

To finish off the look, I made an infiniti scarf in some teal jersey using the instructions that came with the Hot Patterns Uptown/Downtown dress. After I finished this one in December, I have since worn it no less than a dozen times. I love the colors, I love the style and I especially love the fit. Oh, and the best part - almost 22 weeks pregnant and it still fits pretty well. Oh sure, it's getting shorter as the bump gets bigger, but it's nice that I'm still able to wear it since our weather is showing no signs of wanting to warm up any time soon.

And a comparison - the same dress at 10 weeks and 21 weeks

I finally got around to making another version of the dress in April out of this crazy loud floral sweater knit, also from Michael Levine.

I didn't realize just how much less stretch this fabric has compared to the teal dress though and really should have added a bit of room in the sleeves and the bust, since it's a bit more snug than I normally prefer. This was my Easter dress this year since it was so chilly and it still fit over the baby bump, so I guess the fit isn't awful. I'm guessing that (eventually) after baby it will be even better.

Kwik Sew 3611 - Mini Tunic Dress

I've been trying to expand my wardrobe options a bit by making some of my warm weather pieces work for cooler days. I have a mini dress from Velvet (purchased a few years back at Anthropologie) that I love and wear often during the summer. Last week I decided to pair it with leggings, a long cardigan and tall boots and it was a perfect casual outfit for the office. Not only was it cute, but it was so incredibly comfortable, that I decided to make a few more for my closet.

Kwik Sew 3611 was a great base pattern as it already had the right general shape and the upper bodice section was perfect.

I took measurements from the Velvet dress and added a narrow midriff band to the bodice and re-drew the skirt pieces to more closely match the inspiration dress. Instead of the skirt pieces being just plain rectangles, they are now an a-line shape with some gentle shaping at the bottom.

I was able to eke out a wearable muslin using the leftover fabric from this DVF dress I made last year. I forgot how stretchy the fabric is, though, and the midriff band stretched out a bit more than I had planned. While the dress generally fits well, for the next version I will add about a half inch to the length of the upper bodice and will decrease the width of midriff band by about an inch.

All in all though, I really like it and it's great to have another tunic-type dress that will work with leggings and boots or flats. Even though this version is a bit looser than I had hoped, I figure that won't be such a problem in the next few months as my expanding belly fills in the extra space. ;)

Yup, we're expecting a new member of the family this fall! We're very excited and are still in a bit of disbelief that it's actually happening. After a couple of shopping trips this weekend where I started looking at maternity stuff, expect a lot more posts like this. I think I'll be making a lot of my clothing for the next few months - it'll not only be less expensive, but I think I'll have a higher likelihood of actually enjoying what I'm wearing that way, too. ;)

KS3703: Preppy, Stripey, Summery

A few months ago when I was trolling Gorgeous Fabrics, I stumbled across this navy and pink rugby stripe cotton knit. I had no idea what I would do with it, but I needed it! Not only am I recently obsessing over all things striped, but the color scheme was made for me. After it arrived, I still hadn't figured out what in the world to do with it, so it's been sitting in the stash ever since.

Last month, it finally dawned on me - I could make a t-shirt dress! I think t-shirt dresses are so cute, particularly the striped ones that Lacoste releases each year, but I've never found one that fits me well. This was my chance to make a version that fit ME. I trolled the pattern sites and found Kwik Sew 3703.

The reviews from Pattern Review were good and specifically mentioned that it was more of an a-line style, which I thought would be more flattering for me than a form-fitting style. Based on the size chart, I needed an XS in the bust, but more like a M in the skirt. The online reviews mentioned this dress had a lot of extra ease through the waist/hips, so I opted for the S in the skirt. I know KS says not to blend sizes, but oh well. I used my grading rulers to make a smooth transition from the XS to S around the waist area and prayed for the best.

Guys, I LOVE this dress! It sews up in no time and the changes I made gave it a perfect fit! Nice and slim through the bust and waist with some extra room around the hips so that the skirt skims the curvy parts. This dress is so full of preppy goodness, I could just squeal.

Oh, and can we talk about how awesome my stripe matching is on the side and back seams? It was my first time working with a striped fabric and it went much better than I was expecting. I cut the bindings on the cross grain to add some visual interest, but I wish it had either been more random or matched up better with the stripes around the neckline. Live and learn, I guess.

This is such a great "throw it on and go" kind of dress that I knew I needed at least one more for Hawaii. I picked up some gorgeous rayon jersey at Mood that reminds me of the brillant sunsets we're treated to each night in Hawaii. This one went together even faster than the first dress as the pattern was ready to go and there was no stripes to be matched. This is going to a perfect casual dinner dress.

I know the pattern photo looks a bit meh, but this is the perfect t-shirt style dress for all of you hippy gals out there. Seriously, go grab this pattern and make yourself a fun and effortless little dress before the last bit of summer disappears. I just can't promise that you'll be able to stop at just one. ;)

KS2911 and M5740: Go Bruins!

Anyone who has tried to find cute and interesting baby/toddler boy patterns knows that it's damn near impossible. While you can find 275948759723 adorable little dress patterns, the boys typically get a basic t-shirt, collared shirt, shorts and pants. Okay, maybe there are a few others thrown in, but the pickings are slim. So shortly after T-dogg was born, I started scouring the pattern bins, looking for gift ideas for his 1st birthday. Yeah, it was early, but I wanted to make sure I came up with something good.

T-dogg's parents, MoP and Tre, are our travel and sports buddies. We share Lakers and UCLA tickets, we've traveled to Peru, Vegas, Hawaii and Palm Springs together and we really hope that our children (theirs real, ours theoretical) are good pals. Since we had already given T-dogg some Lakers gear, I thought it was time for him to start supporting our other favorite team - The Bruins.

I picked up some UCLA argyle fleece which I thought would be fun for a sporty zip up vest. In all honesty, this print is a tad big for a toddler garment, but I liked it and really, there are only so many years in your life that you can get away with wearing a bright blue and yellow argyle fleece vest. Heh. ;)

KS 2911 features 3 unisex fleece outerwear garments for toddlers that looks pretty much identical to things I've seen from North Face. Gotta love patterns that closely mimic RTW garments. This was my first time trying to match a large repeating pattern and after getting a few tips from my local sewing shop, I think it turned out pretty well. I made sure the UCLA was centered on the back and then again on the front upper right-hand side.

For the collar, I specifically cut the inner band so that "UCLA" was in the center - I thought it made for a nice touch.

This was such an easy vest to put together and the finished result looks like something you would find in a store - with a large price tag on it. To me, the swimwear binding is what really sells it and it was remarkably easy to attach.

To complete the outfit, I made the fleece pants from M5740 (now out of print).

I used a mid-weight polar fleece that I found at Michael Levine Loft. The fabric washed up well, but I wish I would have made the front pocket bags from a very light jersey instead of the fleece. As it was, when the waist was folded over to make the elastic casing, I was sewing through up to 6 layers of fleece in some areas. Ugh, not fun. Other than that, I really like the pattern and the resulting pants are basic, but with some fun details. I did leave off the side cargo pocket because I didn't think the fabric would lay well.

Paired with a long sleeve white t-shirt (thank you Baby Gap!) and some snazzy trainers, T-dogg is all set for evening football games this fall!

KS3758 + KS3523: Mixed print tank dress

I've said it here before, but man, do I love a knit tank dress. I mean, I'd live in them if I could. However, when I was pattern shopping for my idea of the perfect tank dress, I didn't find one that had everything I wanted - a nice scoopneck, something that I could wear with a regular bra, fitted through the bust, a nice empire or waist inset and a lightly gathered skirt. Sounds simple, right. I guess not, since my search came up empty handed. Lots of things came close, but nothing was a clear winner. So, I decided to create my own using the top from KS3758 and the bottom from KS3523.

I actually first used this combination of patterns in January. I made a long-sleeved dress out of a really lightweight navy wool jersey. Make a long story short, I fought with getting the pattern pieces right and while I liked the final dress well enough, it was a pain in the arse to get to the finished product. I got busy and never blogged it and by the time I was ready to write about it, the poor dress, which was already a touch on the too big side, was much too frumpy to photograph well. Here it is on the hanger. Looks kind of pitiful, doesn't it? :(

It looked much better on. Well, at least it did several months ago.

After the first go round, I knew where I needed to make changes and was excited to make a sleeveless version for summer. But, what fabric? Enter the Bold Boho Panel Print from Gorgeous Fabrics. I'm trying to experiment more with printed fabrics and working with a panel print would prove even more of a creative challenge. I retraced all of the pattern pieces so they could be cut as a single layer and started playing around with them, eventually deciding on a layout.

I had originally thought I'd use plain black for the neck, arm and waist bands, but right before cutting, I happened to place the waistband piece over the border of the panel print. It was the perfect width and that is when this dress became a mixed print design. :) I have a RTW BCBG dress that I just adore and it uses some really cool placement of a border print - it became a reference of sorts.

On my first version of this dress, I wasn't very comfortable with the idea of negative ease and this dress really needs it to fit right and not droop in odd places. This time around, I embraced negative ease and lo and behold, it fits so much better! This dress is pretty simple to put together, the hardest part is re-engineering the original bodice and skirt pieces to get the correct lengths that will play well with the rest of the dress. You have to remember that the bodice will stretch down a bit once the skirt portion is attached, so you have to play around to see what works the best for you.

Here is a summary of changes I made to the original pattern pieces (in case anyone wants to recreate this style at home):
* I cut the bodice of KS3758 at the line for View B and then still had to shorten it about an inch or so. This left the inset band from KS3523 sitting just above my natural waist. This style could easily be turned into an empire waist dress just by shortening the bodice length even more.
* I stabilized the shoulder and both waist seams with clear elastic. In RTW garments, you'll often find seams stabilized with clear elastic, but it's often enclosed within a serged seam. I don't own a serger, but using the "lightening" stitch on my regular machine does a good imitation of the serged edge. I found the first few times I tried this technique, it was a hot mess, but with a little practice, I think my poor sewist's version looks good. Not only that, it's functional and makes the garment feel more secure.

* I made the "skirt" portion from KS3523 much longer than the original pattern piece - the final skirt being 22 inches long or so. Again, this is something you just have to play around with and see what works best for you. For the hem, I used my twin needle and after playing with the tension, it doesn't seem to be tunneling anymore.

This version of the frankenpattern went together very smoothly. Well, with one glaring mistake. Can you spot it?

Doh! In case you were wondering, ripping out the lightening stitch is a real pain, even for such a small area. Otherwise, this dress was void of the crazed hair-pulling moments that characterized the first version.

Carolyn has referred to some of her more subdued, basic dresses as "whispering pieces", which I love as a descriptor for a garment. This dress, however, is a shouting piece. It's loud and kinda crazy, but I love it. Cool and summery, perfect for the office or running errands on the weekend. I'm so glad that I didn't go with the black bands - I think the border print keeps the dress light and fun.

Will there be a version 3.0? Oh yeah!