Catfinity!

I don't know which of my Shirts No. 1 that I've sewed is my favorite, but this is certainly the most fun.

I made this with Alexander Henry's Catfinity fabric, which while out of print is not impossible to get a hold of on eBay. I had a yard in my stash and found more online so I could make the shirt. This is 100 Acts of Sewing again. There are other colorways in Catfinity- black and white, which is stunning, and a more autumn palette, which I'm not crazy about. If you go on Instagram and search for #catfinity you'll find a lot of garments and projects people have made with the fabric. My favorites are the smaller things- tops and purses- that show off the fabric really well.

I'm super chuffed with my shirt!

Dress Number 1

I finally made a dress!

This was actually a couple of weeks ago. I lost track of blogging- again! Anyhoo this is Dress No. 1 from 100 Acts of Sewing, made with Japanese linen I found on Etsy.

I bought two yards but they might have sent me a little more since I was able to cut the dress easily and the pattern calls for 2 1/4 yards. It was also wide enough that I was able to cut a Grainline Studios Willow tank out of it as well.

I really love wearing it. It's short- just above the knee- but so soft and swingy. I swear the fabric gets softer each time I wash it. I will say that next time I will cut the front neckline a little lower but other than that it's a great fit.

The fabric works just as well in the tank and I love the linen tank even more than the Tula version. The pattern seems to like a more drape-y fabric. I could wear either garment every day.

I have some Indian cotton to make a second dress and I can't wait. I've got a project on my machine that I need to quilt up, which should take a week or so, and then it's back to garments.

Grainline Studios Willow Tank in Tula Pink Seastallions

I think the title says it all but here is my Grainline Studio's Willow tank in Tula Pink's Seastallions fabric.

I love it! I had a little trouble with the darts. One came out great and the other is a little pimply. But overall I love this top. I made a medium which fits me nicely. I can see making more of this top and trying to dress version eventually. I think it looks nicer on me than it does in the picture- it looks a little tent-like and it's actually a nice fit in real life.

Next up I think is going to be another shirt, then I'll try my first dress. I love making clothes! Why haven't I been doing this for years???

BY Gets a New Dress

I finished another Shirt No. 1 (I'll show you later) and so of course I had to make my Baby Yoda a matching dress. 

This is the same pattern I used for her Kaffe Fassett dress, Frou-Frou's chemise scaled down. Turns out French seams are a great choice for double gauze! I had just about enough left over from 2 yards for BY's dress and even some scraps for face masks.

Anyway thought you might like to see Eugenie relaxing in her new summer dress. Have a great day!

I Made Another Shirt!

I am totally loving my new shirt.

I made this from 100 Acts of Sewing's Shirt No. 1 pattern, with fabric from the Ebb and Flow line from Moda and Janet Clare. I had the fabric in my stash for a while- I bought a yard which is the most I usually buy of quilting fabric- and when I was "shopping" my stash a few weeks ago I pulled it out and realized it had to be a shirt. Which also meant I needed more, so luckily I was able to find another yard on Etsy and thus could make myself a nice blouse.

I had originally planned to make my first Shirt No. 1 with a Tula Pink fabric but I'm still nervous to cut into that! Anyway I just love this so much. I love whales, and this will be perfect for summer and remind me of the beach, Nantucket, Salem, and Hawaii all at once. The most important places in my life are connected to the sea. 

When I made the muslin for this I made a medium which fits well but I thought it was too short. It's designed for a boxy fit (the muslin was practically a square) and fell at the high hip on me. I like my shirts to fall at mid-to-low-hip so when I made this version I lengthened it to a 3X length to give me lots of wiggle room then hemmed it to where I liked it. I'm super happy with it and I know it will get a lot of wear. 

Now I'm waiting for some more fabric to arrive from eBay for my next version of this versatile and comfy basic.

Momma-lorian and Me

I made a shirt!

For many of you this is not a big deal but this is my first finished handmade garment. And to be fair it's not 100% finished because I'm replacing twill ties with fabric ties just as soon as I have time. And I made Baby Yoda a matching outfit.

The pattern is by Frou-Frou and it's their "camisole" shirt. I made it with 2 yards of Kaffe Fassett quilting cotton I had in my stash. After doing a muslin I found the original length to be much too long so I shortened it in the second round. It's boxy and loose, and looks nice with slim-fitting pants. 

Baby's dress is a scaled down version of the pattern, made exactly the same way. She does not have shoulders so it doesn't fit her the same as it does me. But I used the same shape along with the same construction details- French seams and bias binding on the arm holes. I used the Rose pattern I have made before to get the basic size and shape of the dress. I don't plan to make fabric ties to her dress though, nor do I plan to make a matching bow for me. 

Frou-Frou's pattern was easy to follow and quick to make, even for me, a complete beginner. I would definitely make it again with another large-scale pattern but I can't see having too many of these tops.

Here is a closeup on Eugenie. Isn't she cute?