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Shy Bear dress (Ottobre 04/2017 12.)
The schools start on Thursday next week here in Finland and my first-grader is waiting for her first school day enthusiastically. I found some really nice jerseys at Eurokangas and wanted to make something cool and modern but still comfortable. I chose the Ottobre 04/2017 12. Shy bear. Shy bear is a perfect pattern to combine two different fabrics with its different top and bottom parts. Handy little pockets are hidden in the seam. The name of the pattern comes from a really cute bear face appliqué. I left the appliqué out this time but am planning to use it in some other version of this dress. The sleeves are 3/4…
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My moneta dress
OK. I am probably the last sewing blogger on Earth that makes the Colette Patterns’ Moneta dress. I have admired all the dresses others have made but it took some time for me to purchase this pattern, since I was more into woven fabrics. I have, however, a great need for comfortable clothes to wear at home and this dress seemed to be perfect lounging around dress. Moneta is a very versatile pattern with sizes ranging from XS to 3XL. It has sleeve options ranging from a completely sleeveless version to full sleeves. The pattern has one optional collar included but you can download Moneta Extras for free to get…
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A dress for my first-grader
Hello all! My little girl is not so little anymore and she is starting school this autumn. Although it is still July my thoughts are already in the autumn and I have started to plan clothes for the cooler months. S has grown several inches since the spring and I’m afraid that almost everything in her closet is too small. This has given me an opportunity to sew as much as I want! I couldn’t resist these wonderful geometric prints that I encountered at Kangaskapina fabric shop in Helsinki. (Btw. they say they also deliver also outside Finland. You’ll just have to send them e-mail!) I knew just the pattern…
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Blue and white Coco
Hello again! I was craving something easy and straightforward to sew for once, so I got out this nice cotton jersey and decided to make it into a casual dress for myself using Tilly and the buttons Coco dress pattern. Quite a while ago I bought the Coco and used it to make a dress for a friend. Then I forgot the whole pattern until I saw a very nice stripy version of it somewhere online. This image of a blue and white striped jersey dress was already on my mind when I bought the fabric and now was a good time of turning the idea into reality. Coco pattern…
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Yellow Rosie and how to add boning to a bodice
My recent trip to London resulted in a massive fabric haul. As I am a big fan of Sew Over It patterns I had to visit their Clapham shop and besides fabric, I also bought this pattern: Rosie Dress. I think it is a wonderful summer dress and I also love the skirt version of it. At Shaukat at Old Brompton road I picked up a perfect fabrics for it: Yellow and white floral Liberty tana lawn and white Italian lawn for the collar and the lining. At home I realised that the pattern called for some boning. I have never used boning before and was a bit taken back but…
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White cliffs and a white dress
Hello again! This McCalls’s pattern #6696 has been said to be one of the best patterns there is for a nice shirtdress. I was planning to make it for the #sewtogetherforsummer challenge but life and summer plans got in my way and I finished it a couple of days too late. Anyway, I can join for all the people that praise this pattern. First, there are several different views, both with sleeves and without and two different sleeve lengths. There is a lovely pleated skirt that I love but also a narrow skirt for the people that don’t like that much volume. And finally there is even a shift to…
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Penny for your thoughts
Sew over it published a new pattern about a week ago. It’s called Penny dress and it is another shirtdress and a gorgeous nod to the 1950s. What I really love is that this dress pattern turns into a blouse pattern with few simple modifications. What is even better, is that the women at Sew over it realised this and made a nice tutorial on how to do just that! As I was still pondering whether to make a dress or a blouse I found this piece of black and white polkadot cotton poplin in my stash. I hadn’t bought enough of it to make it into a dress but…
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Dress for special occasions
I have rarely occasions to dress up but last weekend I had a chance to attend to a party and I, of course, took the opportunity to sew up a new dress for it. I have been eyeing for this gorgeous cotton jacquard for ages but just didn’t have any project for it. I chose to use Burda dress #108 from the 4/2014 issue. It is a sheath dress with an unusual overskirt and a bateau neckline. I love the skirt part and I know that the bateau neckline suits me well. I had to make a toile of the bodice before cutting to the pattern since generally Burda patterns do…
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Vintage shirt dress by Sew Over It
Hi all! May I present the newest addition to my ever expanding dress collection: The vintage shirtdress by Sew Over It. The pattern for this dress is one of the two patterns I got a few days ago: I started working on this dress almost immediately since I happened to have a suitable viscose fabric ready. (Again a find from the factory remnants section…) I was between the sizes 8 and 10 and decided to cut the size 10 to be sure and add a bit to the hem to be able to adjust the length of the skirt (Note to self: The next time remember to add the extra…
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Back to the 50s with Bette dress
I found this wonderful free 1950s style Bette dress pattern when surfing for some vintage style patterns online. It is on British Sew magazine webpage and you’ll only need to log in to download the pattern. I spend some time on the Sew magazine pages and there are also tons of other great patterns offered for free. Bette dress is a classic 1950s dress with a nipped in waist and 5 panel skirt. If you want your skirt to have that 1950s volume and gathers this is a wonderful pattern for that. Although for the full 1950s look you’ll need to wear a petticoat to lift the skirt up. I had…
