Wrap This One and Tie It With a Bow

I’m sure you’ll recognize the Hounds scarf I am wearing from a previous post, and you got a sneak preview of this skirt in the video I made for Hounds – so now, here is the skirt in all its glory!

This project was satisfying because I finally did a waistband up to my standards. (Like most sewers, everything must be *perfect* or it Doesn’t Count.) I am already looking for more projects with waistbands, so I can keep hitting sewing home runs!

The other reason this project was satisfying was how pretty the end result is! My store bought wardrobe is fairly drab, and completely lacking in purely pretty pieces. So it’s a great joy to have such a lovely skirt in my collection, and that I made it myself makes it that much sweeter.

I used McCall’s pattern 5430 for this project. I added several inches of width along the center front and center back lines to accommodate my hips. I also combined the pockets from view C with the flounce-front in view A. I followed the pattern instructions pretty closely, and I am quite happy with their clarity and sequencing. I definitely recommend this pattern.

On to more sewing! I wonder what is next …

La Robe Paprique

I’ve got a new dress in the works!

It’s based on McCall’s pattern 5971, a pretty and simple dress with details that make it the perfect dress block for every body type to wear in every situation. I’ve made this dress twice before, making little tweaks each time. This time, I was inspired by Gertie’s version of this dress, to make the whole thing a little more fitted than my previous versions, especially in the waist and derriere.

Change up the fabric from a mid-weight woven to a sheer knit, and now you have something casual and slightly alluring; use a mid-weight knit in a bold color and wear leggings underneath, and now you have something funky and youthful. Make it in black wool and line it with silk (as I plan to, eventually) and you have the ultimate little black dress. The darts in back allow for shape over the derriere, and the box pleats in front easily cover a full belly or abdomen. The princess seams in the bodice make for a snug yet comfortable fit around the upper torso, and the sweetheart neckline is just defined enough to be sweet without being saccharine. Can you tell that I love this dress?

To finish the sleeves, I turned the edge under twice and laid ribbon on the right side of the hem as I sewed through the folds. I didn’t even cut the ribbon off the spool! I find that sewing ribbon from the spool minimizes waste. Anyway, I love the effect so much that I’m going to do the neckline and the waistband seams the same way.

The box pleat on this pattern is quite deep, as you can see in this picture. Isn’t this fabric fabulous? If I’d looked more closely at it when I bought it, I would have purchased more. I bought it almost five and a half years ago from Fabric.com, my absolute favorite online source for fabric. Now that I am sewing daily, I get to finally use the fabrics I spent years accumulating. New clothes and stash reduction! It’s exciting.