Alabama Chanin Short Fitted Tank Dress with Random Ruffles

I am slowly and steadily stitching away at my Anna's Garden fitted tank dress that I airbrushed months ago. It has four panels that need to be extensively stitched. I work on it every now and then, but then I get impatient; I want it done now! More specifically, I want more Alabama Chanin pieces in my wardrobe. To that end, I step away from it to and work on a faster project
This time it is the Short Fitted Tank Dress from the book Alabama Chanin Studio Sewing and Design. I decided to make it using random ruffles for embellishment on the front. I chose to add a neck ruffle and a strip of contrast to the neckline. I found that pinning the random ruffles onto the dress front easier, than ruffling it as I went along. I got a few more pin pricks that way, but it went a lot faster.

 

I felt the neckline was too low for my liking so I added the gathered  ruffle to give more coverage. It did the trick in the front, but I think it made the back too heavy and it doesn't lay as flat as I like. I folded the ruffle in half before stitching it in place. Next time I will use a single layer for the ruffle. Not a wearing deal-breaker, but good to know for next time.

Here are is the finished garment as well a review of the pattern.

Be careful in marking the center front and side seams on this one! I am pretty certain I didn’t do this and sewed them wrong. Look! I think the side seams should be center and the center seams on the side! Grrr! I am glad at least that I made this mistake on this dress rather than another, with more embellishments. Lesson learned. I plan to resolve this issue by paying attention next time and wearing this one with a bolero I plan to make. Regardless, I like the dress and will wear it happily!

The problem seems obvious now!

 

Pattern Description:
Four panel tank dress from Alabama Chanin Studio Sewing and Design
 
Pattern Sizing:
 
S,M,L,XL I made a medium and sewed it with a 1/2 inch allowance.
 
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
 
This dress is a combination of multiple elements from the book brought together in one piece. It looks like I intended.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
 
The books give very clear instructions and inspirations for creating multiple garments.
 
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?     

I love everything about the patterns in this book. I do not like the depth of the neckline on the dress however. This dress is muslin to test increasing the modesty level with the added ruffle.
Fabric Used:
 
Jersey Cotton in Tan and Brown

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
 
I made the fitted tank dress in the short length. I added four strips of brown random ruffles on either side of the center seam. I added a brown gathered ruffle to the front and back neckline. On top of the ruffle I added a 1.5 inch strip of tan jersey that I secured with a herringbone stitch. I bound the armholes with strips of jersey using a parallel stitch.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  

Yes and Yes!

Conclusion: Great books and start to an awesome addiction. 

Happy Sewing!

Romper for Little Man Using Simplicity 7616

It is summertime in the great state of Texas. Actually, it feels like it has been summer for the last two months. This fact makes my making rompers for Little Man woefully delayed. I hunted my stash for a pattern that would do justice to his adorableness. I found this easy romper in my pattern cabinet and decided to  challenge my nemesis, the buttonhole.

As per usual, when making this garment, my buttonhole making went screwy and it made a wonky first button. I don't know what does wrong in consecutive buttonhole making, but today, by machine thought two were enough. The third didn't work out, but it is at the top, so I made it work.

Here is my review and the photos of the finished garment worn by Mr. Man.

Pattern Description:
Baby romper and dress I made the romper.

Pattern Sizing:
Size A 1/2, 1, 2, 3

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, except I made it without the pockets.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very easy, I barely used them.
 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?                                    I liked that the pattern was simple and fast to put together.
 

Fabric Used:
A cottons seersucker with a boat motif.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I omitted the pockets, but besides that, nothing else.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes and Yes! I plan to remake it re-purposing a dress shirt.

Conclusion: Great pattern, easy to sew, great results!

Ready for summer!

Strike a pose!

 Happy Sewing!

Alabama Chanin inspired Swing Dress using Vogue 2976

Sometimes I need to branch out of my usual style and make something that is outside of my wheelhouse. To that end, I delved into my vintage pattern stash and found the lovely Vogue 2976. This vintage Vogue pattern has simple lines and just two major seams. I love the cut of the neckline and how it is fitted then spills into a full swing skirt.

 

The swing style of the dress reminded me of the Alabama A-line dress.The neckline is different, but they had a similar feel to me, so I thought I would make my dress in the Alabama Chanin style. I used a single layer of navy jersey fabric. I hand-stitched it with navy colored button and craft thread. I felled the seams to the inside with no knots visible. I omitted the facings and added bias bindings secured with the cross stitch. For the back split I used a hook and eye closure. It was super fast to stitch because it has only two pieces and I did not have to hem it. I decided to allow the hem to roll on itself. 

I made the dress shown in view B. When I was done, I walked downstairs to show my family and the look on my hubby's face said it all; Awful! It was billowy in the worst way and had no shape. He thought it was unflattering in its current state. I would be lying if I said I wasn't bummed by his reaction, but I couldn't  say I disagreed.

I put it aside and when I returned to it days later, it was with a sharp pair of scissors and my rotary cutter. I hacked at the hem and made it a quick and  dirty hi-lo version. I am very happy with it! I thought it gave a bit more style to what was an ordinary dress. Hubby returned from work and raved about the new look! He gushed about it without realizing it was the same one from a few days before! Go figure!

Here are the photos of the finished dress.

A.C style swing dress

Hi-lo hemline

Front neckline

Back opening detail

Happy Sewing!

Toddler dress from Daddy's dress shirt

I was putting some clothes into the "donate to charity" bag in the garage and saw that my hubby had tossed this shirt in the pile. I immediately saw the potential for transforming this into a garment for either Little Miss or Mr. Man.

 

For those who don't know, buttonhole making is my sewing Kryptonite. I don't mind making them or sewing garments that have them. Invariably when making more than one however, my machine loses its mind and goes insane! One or two of them refuses to go in correctly. After all the work on the garment, my project could be shot, due to poor buttonhole sewing near the end. I got overjoyed at the thought of not having to battle my machine to make four buttons for this project.

I decided that this shirt would work great as toddler dress for Little Miss. What was better was that I had a photo of her and Hubby when he was wearing it! I decided that the toddler dress in Simplicity 2907 would be the base for this re-fashion.

Below is my review and my project pics.

 

Pattern Description:
Toddlers' pants or shorts and dress, shirt or vest

Pattern Sizing:
Size A 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4 I made the 4.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes, except I made it without the collar.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very easy, I barely used them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?                      

I liked that the pattern was simple and fast to put together. It was also easy to modify the way I did.

Fabric Used:
I re-purposed a dress shirt my husband had in the donate pile for the blouse. I used a remnant of denim I had in my stash.  

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I used a dress shirt my husband was going to donate for the bodice. It had the buttonholes and buttons sewn. I omitted the collar on the neckline and applied bias tape to finish the v-neckline I cut. To the back, I added two strips of elastic to synch it in a bit as I thought it was too loose.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes and Yes! I especially recommend it if re-purposing a dress shirt.

Conclusion: Great pattern, easy to sew, great results!

 Here is the original shirt on hubby:

 

Here is the re-fashioned version:

I think she likes it!

Too cute!

I like the elastic detail on the sleeves

 

Elastic in back

 I love the way this turned out, now where is that donate bag?

Happy Sewing!

Lace Trimmed Maxi Dress

For a recent round of sewing lessons, I used some new patterns. I have a fallback set of patterns that I use and am familiar with, but my students missed the sale. I had to find some replacements that met the criteria of skills I want to teach. I needed something with a wide range of sizes including Plus and could be sewn with minimal supervision. The maxi dresses in McCall's 6558 fit the bill. My students chose the view they wanted to make and I guided them along when they needed it. 

The lesson was a success and the students loved their dresses. They made the top in view A, and dresses in view E. Here, I will review the dress in view E that I made.

 

Pattern Description:
Pullover tops and dresses have elasticized neck/raised (seamed) waist, and narrow hem. A and B: sleeveless. B: applied hem ruffle. A and C: purchased trim. C and D: front and back extend into sleeve (wrong side may show). D: side slits and purchased trim for shoulder strap. I sewed view E
 
Pattern Sizing:
8 to 24W  I made an 8.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, with the exception of the lace trim I added.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very Easy
 
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I used this pattern in a lesson and liked how easy it was to sew. My students followed it with no problem. There were no dislikes.
 
Fabric Used:
I used a cotton blend from the Lisette Line sold at Joann’s fabric.
 
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I added three strips of  lace to the bodice.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would definitely recommend this pattern and will make this again
 
Conclusion:
This pattern is great for whipping up a quick and stylish dress with little effort.

Happy Sewing!