Red Remnant Skirt

I have been trying to use up my stash as much as possible in my recent sewing. And after I finished the red ponte dress for the Sewing Bee, I found I still had just over a metre of this fabric left. I didn't want to put it back into the stash to languish, so I decided to make a basic knit skirt to use most of it up. 

I chose New Look 6977, as I've made it previously and have worn it quite a bit. I like a good pull-on skirt that you can feel comfy in! I made it with the same addition as the last time I made it -- I added side seam pockets. I used some black broadcloth, and anchored the pocket bags into the waist seam. This time I followed the pattern and just inserted a thinner piece of elastic into the wide waistband rather than stitching one down; that just makes it easier to alter in future. 

I really like the fit of this skirt. It sits comfortably and securely at the waist, but also skims over the hip/butt area fairly well. This fabric is soft and stretchy, and it's a colour that goes with a lot that I have in my wardrobe. I was pleased with the way this went together without much struggle, and now I have one less piece of remnant knit in my stash, and one more useful basic skirt in the closet. This wardrobe pattern has a lot of good options, and I do recommend it if you can find it. 

Red Ponte Dress with a Twist

The PatternReview Sewing Bee is underway once again! The first round challenge was set as "Knit Dress with Twist". Since dresses are my most common project I knew this one was for me. 

I puzzled a bit over what twist to add to my dress -- should it be a physical one? A conceptual one? I came up with a number of ideas and sketched them out but they felt very complicated. And I wanted to only make something I could wear, no stunt sewing for me this time around. 

Finally I thought of an idea that would look nice and be wearable. I had some burgundy red ponte in my stash that I've been wanting to use for a while now, and some scraps of black ponte from a recent Burda dress. They came together with the simple silhouette of Cynthia Rowley Simplicity 2054 to make this dress. This was a perfect pattern to use as there were no bust darts or extra seams to worry about.

To create a "twist" for this project, I inserted a strip of black ponte into the front pattern piece. This meant that I traced off the front pattern piece and split it into 3 pieces, remembering to add seam allowance to all the newly created seams. I made the insert off-centre (one edge was centre line) and at a 3" finished width, and added my twist feature to the insert. The twist is made with strips of the burgundy ponte, simply twisted once around at one end, and stitched down. The funny thing is that they are kind of like a mobius twist - I discovered that they can change the twist direction without my input. 

The other changes I made were to add pockets, using a cotton broadcloth. Using a woven for pocket bags helps to reduce stretching in the pocket area, I find. I also added 1.5" to the hem-- and I am quite short. This is a shorter dress as designed but I wanted it at knee length. I'm not much for short skirts! 

I really like the effect of the colour blocking in this dress, and it definitely wasn't one I was expecting to have in my closet prior to the Sewing Bee! This dress was enough to put me through to Round 2 of the Sewing Bee...and the challenge is Collars. And that's what I'm focusing on this week. We'll see how it goes!

Burda in Red

I decided to participate in Pattern Review's September mini wardrobe contest, and so made two skirts to go with the black and white tops I was making. I had this red ponte in the stash and realized it was the exact red of the print in my Kirsten tee. So I chose a Burda skirt pattern from 1992 that I'd been wanting to try, and made it up. 

I made a few changes since the pattern was drafted for wovens. I cut a 42 instead of my regular 44, and I left out the back kick pleat. Not really necessary with the stretch in the fabric, and the length (I made it a touch shorter than intended by the pattern). 

It has slant pockets - my favourite kind - and an elastic waist. I used some random red poly lining material from the stash for the interior of the pocket, for its lightweight nature and how soft it feels. 

The waistband has two channels for 3/4" elastic and honestly it was the most aggravating part of the whole process. Pulling elastic through those small channels of heavy material was very laborious, and my safety pin opened halfway on the first go and I had to wiggle the whole thing out, arghhhhh! Anyhow, I finally finished it and think it's pretty good overall.

I am reminded that I don't love elastic waists like this, as they add bulk to my waistline which is already crowded into my short body. I like the skirt otherwise, and with a top over the waist (like the Rachel), or a belt added, I am happy with it. I love the bright colour and this ponte should hold up for a while. I think I will get some fun wear out of this bright project. 

Vogue 9022 x 2

Another repeat pattern! November is 'Nother month I guess ;) I first made this Very Easy Vogue 9022 in 2014, and really loved it. But my mom came to visit and tried it on, and looked so great in it that I gave it to her. But I started to miss the dress so have remade it -- exactly the same dress, in the same colour & material -- a red ponte that is similar to the original, but a little heavier weight. 

And the biggest change was that I had to adjust the sizing just a little more to fit right! My pattern only goes up to Medium, so I had to grade out to about a large in the hips; I added just a smidge more this time around. I also added a touch of shaping to the back seam to add a 1/4" more width across the posterior. I think it worked out. I also shortened the sleeve as usual, since I prefer a 3/4 length -- that also helps to fit it on to your fabric since a long cut on sleeve like this can eat up the width of a fabric.

I liked it so much the first time that I've also repeated the styling this time around: I am wearing the same necklace (bought when I was in Kyiv in 2008) and the same pair of shoes.

One of the best features of this dress are the pockets. They're made by folding over the lower part of the side panel (cut in two pieces) and attaching it to the upper half to form a pocket with only a fold at the top. It gives a nice soft rounded edge to the pocket which I think works especially well in a ponte.

This pattern really is as easy as advertised, at least in a knit. Because it's a stretchy fabric, I left out the neckline back opening that is part of the pattern when using a woven (yes, it's one of those patterns that tells you that you can use a woven or a stable knit). I also removed the walking slit since the fabric is stretchy and ends just above the knee. 

When you do it this way it is pretty quick! Just make sure your pockets are basted down perfectly even before sewing in the centre panel. This dress is honestly like wearing secret pyjamas. It's like a work appropriate Slanket. I really love it, and can't wait another 5 years to make another version. I think a different colour and maybe even fabric would be great ;)

Do you have a favourite comfortable pattern that you repeat, or are planning to repeat? What do you like to wear on these colder days?