Upcycling to Reuse a pretty Rayon!

 

I made a couple of items in August, and cleaned my sewing room a bit. But I really did take a bit of a break! So here is the first thing I made last month. PatternReview was having an upcycling contest, and I had lots of ideas for complicated projects that would be really cool... but what I really needed was a light summer top. 

And, I had this old McCalls 7115 dress that I made way back in 2016 -- never wore it, but saved it because the fabric was so lovely, and had good memories attached. I bought this at my first PatternReview weekend in Chicago, and so really wanted to reuse it. I thought that I'd waited long enough so I found a top pattern in the stash that would fit onto the odd shaped pieces of the unpicked dress and just went for it. 

I chose Simplicity 2147, an easy pattern that I've had in the stash for a long time. It's a yoked top, which means I could fit it onto my fabric. It also has a nice pleat detail at the yoke, even if it's kind of hidden in this print. It does make the fit quite nice, though. 

I laid out the pleated part of the top on my remnant skirt & both front and back fit widthwise -- I just made the top the length of that original skirt & used the existing hem. It's a bit shorter than the "tunic or minidress" description of the pattern, but as I am also quite short, it's not that different! 

I cut the yoke from the dress bodice & so had to incorporate the button placket from the dress into the front yoke. After I finished I decided to stitch on 2 buttons from the dress to give it a little extra touch. They are nonfunctional.

So while I didn't get around to a complicated upcycle, I am very pleased with this one. It was great to finally reuse this dress, and I have worn this top three times since I finished it. It's light and comfortable, and I feel pleased that I finally made something from the disappointing dress. There are a couple of other items in my stash which could probably use the same treatment. Maybe I'll upcycle something else soon! 

Burda Knit Dress in 80s Style!

I finished the first project from my 2025 MakeNine list! Actually it's the first garment I have made for myself this year! It's a knit dress, Burda 121-11-23 -- I was drawn in by its 80s silhouette, with those great sleeves :) 

I had a lightweight sweater knit in my stash so decided to use it up on this dress, which I was hurrying to finish before the weather warms up. I made a few small changes to the dress, not many, mostly for fit and style preferences. 

I didn't shorten the length, as I wanted it to end around my knees, not shorter as it appears in the original. I did shorten the sleeves, however - I have shorter arms so always do this. This time I took an inch out, and made a 1.5" hem. I also adapted the neckline, as a super wide boat neck doesn't work for me, and also Burda necklines are usually wide for me to begin with. I took an inch out of the centre front & back width at the neckline, and I also added another inch to fill in the curve at the shoulder. It's still a wider neckline but won't be falling off my shoulders now. 

The other change I made was to add in some pockets. It was very easy to add in some side seam pockets (using broadcloth to minimize stretching). I added them first, and then when attaching the elastic casing on the inside at the end of the process, I made sure to catch the tops of the pockets in the stitching so that they would be held to the front and given a little more security as well. That should avoid any sagging in the line of the dress. 

I think this is a fun dress and because it's a lighter weight sweater knit, I can wear it longer into the spring and again earlier in the fall. Nice touch of print in it to relieve any solid black, but a more subdued look when I don't feel like wearing jewel tones. I do find I always like a Burda pattern. 

Black & White Butterick 6655

 

My latest dress fits into my black & white neutrals palette of my fall wardrobe planning colour picks. And I'm glad that my latest round of planning hasn't changed much because I cut this dress out a year ago! And it only took me two evenings to sew it up. 

This is Butterick 6655, which I've made before, but this time I changed it up a bit. I cut the front on the fold rather than including the front seam, because I wasn't going to add in the faux button panel here. I just liked the way this pattern fit and wanted a basic sheath dress to wear. I also added in side seam pockets as I knew from my first one (where I didn't add pockets) that they would work with the fit this time.

My first one was made of a linen blend, but this time I was using a stretch bengaline, which is less familiar to me. The thing to note about this fabric is that the stretch goes lengthwise along the fabric, so you need to cut out on the crossgrain. But there is quite a bit of stretch so I thought it would be suited to a closer fitting dress, for a bit more comfort in wear. 

I used some white broadcloth for the pocket bags, as I thought self fabric would be too bulky. I was worried that there might be some show-through, but when I tested it I realized that the gabardine is quite thick and not transparent at all, even being white. So I didn't line the dress, I'll just use a slip when necessary. 

I didn't want it to be any shorter for this view, and probably should have cut it a bit longer - thanks, year ago me. So instead of turning up a hem, I used some white bias binding and made a 1/4" hem. I decided to hand stitch the hem since this fabric does ripple a bit when hemming - the sleeve required some steam to get the wobbly out. Hand stitching the bias facing down was easy and didn't take long, and it has a much cleaner visual finish. I'm pleased with this neutral - it will go nicely with a couple of bright blazers I picked up at the thrift store recently. And with lots of me-mades in my wardrobe too! 

A Real Green Dress, with Burda May 2023

 

I feel so thrilled by the fact that I have actually made something else on my 2024 MakeNine list! And I even used the fabric I had intended for this pattern :) I cut this Burda 115 from the May 2023 issue from a linen blend that's a bit heavier than I'd recalled. 

This fabric, from the sale table at Fabricland, was just okay -- when I washed it and laid it out, I realized had a few discoloured areas where an almost shadowy bluer dye was splotchy on the surface. Thankfully I was able to cut around most of these bits, but it did mean I used more fabric than technically required, and oh boy does it crease quickly. Lots of pressing ahead!

But the colour, when clear, is wonderful & I really enjoyed making this. The front tucks were what first caught my eye about this pattern & I had fun with that detail. I have been wanting to add some extra elements to some of my projects, and these tucks convinced me to try this pattern. 

There are also integrated pockets in the side panels, which are nice. Pay attention to the pattern pieces when you are cutting this out though, to be sure to connect the pocket bags to the body and cut together, or you'll have to add an extra seam.

I cut it at my usual Burda size of 42/44 but think I could have done 44 all through. It's much closer fitting at the shoulders and bust than the cover image on the magazine makes it seem -- I think the model may be wearing a size larger than her measurements might call for. Or maybe it's just my fabric choice.

Overall I feel like this was a good project, and I'm happy with the results. I don't like how to darts are fitting - they are not pressing firmly and giving a weird crease. But other than wanting to fix up the darts a bit I do like this one. When I adjust the darts I think I'll like it even more! 

The Last of the Summer Roses: an 80s pattern

While I was taking a blog break, I did a bit of sewing. Not a huge amount, but I made a couple of summer dresses to add to my closet. The first one was this 1987 McCalls 3220, a pattern I thrifted a while back. 

The very trim dress is hiding on the pattern cover, you only see past the boxy dull jacket when you look at the line drawings. This kind of simple silhouette is one of my faves, especially the cut on drop sleeve, so I grabbed some rayon from the stash to try it out. I've had this fabric for a few years but heard that roses were in fashion again this summer so thought I'd better use it ;) 

This was quite an easy make. I had to make a few length adjustments, and I cut it at 14/16/18 like usual, which gives me most of the circumference adjustments that I need. The bodice and skirt are cut separately and an elastic casing added at the waistline. There is a back slit at the neckine but I find I can pull this over my head if I'm careful so may leave it off next time and just lower the neckline slightly. 

There are pockets, of course! This fabric is so soft and lovely to wear, and I really like the way it fits. It doesn't pull in any part of the dress, and yet covers the underarm area well so there is no bra flashing.

I like this length, and may just have to make this one again with more old rayon in the stash. It works well under a jacket as well, although a few wrinkles may appear at the shoulder. Even though I'm not as keen on florals as I used to be, the strong colours and larger print do it for me here. 

Anyhow, very pleased with this one. I really do love 80s patterns! And I finally got to take some pictures at a location I've been meaning to use for a while, the entrance to Upper Queen's park, near the theatre, where some old cast iron dogs were installed many, many years ago. They used to grace the entrance to a grand home belonging to a local doctor - you can find the story on the fascinating StreetsOfStratford.ca if you're interested in that kind of thing! 

Style 4037, Take Two

I first made a dress from Style 4037 in 2018. I wear it constantly - I think it's my favourite dress! It's comfortable, summery and I feel good in it. 

So when I was trying to think what to make with this precious fabric I won from Minerva in a contest, I decided to remake this dress. 

I love the print and it's uneven enough that I didn't have to worry too much about matching it up across the bodice seams or on the patch pockets. It's a flowy rayon, although this Minerva exclusive print is also available in other substrates (I'm eyeing some linen...). 

I always like a square neckline, and it suits this print well. I made this version longer than my first one, partly because longer skirts are in vogue currently, and partly because I love the flow of this fabric around my legs! 

There were not supposed to be any difficulties with this one; I made it the same as my last one, taking in a 1/2" at the front neckline and reducing the fullness of the back skirt by half. But it was a bit of a comedy of errors: the bodice was far too narrow, even though I thought I had cut it exactly the same as my last (perfectly fitting) dress from this pattern. I didn't want to waste my fabric so I inserted a 2" band in the centre back - due to the print it doesn't look like an insertion at all, thankfully! Then I stitched the bodice to the gathered skirt backwards, and since I didn't think patch pockets on my behind would be much use, I unpicked it and tried again! 

But I finally finished it and really love it. It took me a while to finish  - I cut it out and then stalled on it, due to my slowed down sewjo and also due to being distracted by clearing out my pattern stash (it had to be done!) And mistakes while sewing always make me put it aside for a bit, too. 

But the pattern is pretty easy if you don't make silly mistakes! I have been repeating patterns this summer as a way to get my sewjo going again. But after a couple of these easier projects, and a look through my entire pattern stash, I'm starting to feel like I want to sew more regularly again. I will still need to go through both my fabric stash and my current wardrobe to streamline those as well, and then I think I'll feel more on top of what to sew next. 

Do you ever feel stifled by just having too much and not knowing what to do next? I really want to be intentional about purchasing, making and wearing so that I don't get myself into these bouts of analysis paralysis! The good thing is that I absolutely love this fabric, and am so happy that I've made it up with a pattern I also know I love. 

Patch pockets on the front!

Butterick 6727: My Fabricville "House Dress"

For my latest Fabricville blogger project I've made myself a classic House Dress...well, maybe I'm stretching it a bit. I've made a faux wrap dress from Butterick 6727, in a fun cotton print covered in colourful houses. It makes me think of  Bergen or St. John's or Kyiv! 

This was a pretty simple project but it took a bit of time thanks to the special details. I made View B, with piping trim and a below knee length. The dress is a faux wrap, with the crossover bodice and skirt both sewn shut together at the waistline seam and then tacked down by the buttons along the front. Which are also faux -- they are stitched on through all layers at the very end, the closure is actually an invisible zip in the back. Although if you really wanted to you could eliminate the back zip and make real buttonholes in the front, as the crossovers are quite deep and all faced. I don't think you'd run the risk of flashing anyone with this pattern any way you chose to make it. 

The only slightly more difficult part was attaching the waist seam. This was because you have to be careful that the two piping ends on the bodice and skirt line up properly so it's a continuous line from neck to hem, and because there are a lot of layers there while you're doing it. With the crossovers on the bodice and the skirt both basted down, along with their facings, you are essentially stitching through 6-8 layers of fabric at one point. So don't choose a thick or heavy fabric for this one! My cotton is very lightweight and crisp, and I used lightweight interfacing, so it worked very nicely. 

This sewed up quickly once I got going. The only alteration I made was to shorten both the bodice and the skirt by 1" each.  I cut a 14 at neck, 16 at bust, and 18 at waist to make easy size adjustments for my figure, which usually works quite well. But, I find there is a bit of extra height in the shoulder area, which I could have taken in a bit so I might add some 1/4" shoulder pads to fill out that space later on. Otherwise, this was an easy sew, with a nice cotton that behaved beautifully. I really like the piping detail and feel secure in this faux wrap, which I never do in an actual wrap dress! My first dress of the season, to appear shortly on the Fabricville blog as well!

20s Inspired Talulah for The Blue Castle

 

I had many ideas for my project for The Blue Castle round of the Literary Sewing Circle - many of the suggestions I made in our inspiration posts were things I was considering myself. But as I was rereading some passages in the book, I came across this image from when Valancy and Barney were going to town to be married, and I just couldn't get it out of my head: 

Everything seemed more dream-like than ever. Valancy didn't know whether she felt happy. Or terrified. Or just plain fool. 

Then the lights of Port Lawrence were about them. Valancy felt as if she were surrounded by the gleaming, hungry eyes of hundreds of great, stealthy panthers. 

To me this felt like a dark rainy night with lots of blurred coloured lights shining and reflecting, showing Valancy's confusion at the life changes she was experiencing. And I had a fabric that made me think of this exact image, too. 

I matched up this light poly-blend knit with a dress that has a 20s inspired silhouette, the Talulah by Style Arc. I've been meaning to make this for a while, in fact it was on my 2021 Make Nine list! So I thought the 20s inspiration together with the quote made for a perfect duo.

So now on to the pattern! I traced off a size 12, grading out to about a size 14 at the hip -- I added on about 1/2" to each seam line, and bumped out the sections to be gathered by the same amount so that I didn't skimp on the gathered panels, which are the highlight of the pattern. It worked out well! I also shortened the sleeves by 3", so that they are full length, ending at the wrist. I have short arms. 

The neckband went in nicely, although do note that it is quite a narrow width; if you are thinking of making a contrast band as a feature, you might want to increase the width a bit. I basted it in first to be sure it was the right size and then attached it properly. Easier than picking out a zigzag to begin with. 

I didn't shorten this one at all. I measured the line of gathering so that it would sit right at my lower hip (although the stretch in the fabric has made it sit just a touch lower in wearing) and then measured down to where I wanted it to end. I didn't need to make any adjustments. The pattern as designed is fairly short, ending above the knee but I wanted mine to sit right at the knee. I don't think this pattern would look right if it was longer than mid-knee, the proportions would be off, at least to me. But I left it and it's mid-knee for me as is. I have quite short legs, so if you are making this be sure to measure your pattern well before deciding what to adjust. 

I really, really like this one! There's a shaped centre back seam to give it a nice fit and it really adds to the pattern. I like the fit a lot - in fact I think if I cut it to a length just above the gathers, this pattern would make a nice basic tee as well. I like that it's close fitting but not clinging, and the little swish of the gathered panels is just perfect. The fabric is light but also substantial enough to hold the shape well, and I think the print is such fun. 

I'm happy to be able to think of this as my Valancy dress, and will definitely enjoy it. The only tiny flaw with it is that there are no pockets -- not easy to put into this silhouette. But I will overlook that this time as it is such a fun and comfy outfit!

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