Hand-Sewn Accents On An Early Spring Color-block Jersey Dress

I have confession, I felt a bit guilty about sharing this early Spring make.  I see my friends blanketed in snow, making Blackwood Cardigans and Toaster sweaters with no promise of the weather changing for the better. I wondered if it is impolite or bragging even, to bask in the sun with 60 degree temps? I considered waiting to share this until the national forecast improves.

Then my brain kicked in. None of these friends were complaining about the weather! They were not sulking in their cozy beautifully made clothes! They are not policing whether (hahaha!) I, or anyone, is making seasonally appropriate clothes! I totally projected my miserable Midwestern winters onto people! I would resent happy sunshiny clothes if I were freezing, but I can be petty when I am miserable. I am trusting that you reader, are more adult than I and will enjoy this dress regardless of your temperatures. 

I bought the Mccalls 7894  pattern as soon as it was released! I fell in love with the seam lines and saw the potential for color-blocking and hand-sewing in organic cotton jersey.   

                             

I love the wide assortment of colors of jersey available at Nature's Fabric. I am working my way toward using all of them in time. Figuring out the combination of colors to use with this dress was the hardest part.

Laser-cut pattern weights available in my Etsy Store

In the end, I chose Coral (1 yard), Mustard (1.5 yard), Sea Blue (1.5 yards) and Off White (.5 yard).

         

The pattern is designed for woven fabrics and with a side invisible zipper. I wanted the style of A with the length of B. I made a few simple modifications to adjust it for sewing this jersey fabric.  I sized down to account for the stretch of the fabric and body skimming, but not clinging, ease. In the interest of time, I used my serger for the internal seams reserving hand-sewing for the visible seams. 

Here are the changes I made:

1. Sew the bodice darts on lining back
2. Stitch bodice lining front to back at shoulders, press seams open
3. Using a wide zig-zag stitch, sew clear elastic to the wrong side of fabric along the length of front and back neckline  
4. Stitch sides together from seam top to bottom ignoring zipper opening  
5. Repeat steps 1,2 and 4 on bodice front 
6. Continue construction for view A from step 5 to 22
7. Sew skirt panels together, ignoring the zipper opening
8. Using a wide zig-zag stitch, sew clear elastic to the wrong side of fabric along the waistline top 
9. Continue sewing per pattern instructions

I love the look of hand-sewn stitches and with this color-blocking I could not resist adding them here. I folded the seams to one side and with button and craft thread and a hand-sewing needle, stitched them down. I used a double strand of button and craft thread because of its strength and weight.  I did not apply these stitches to the waistline or neckline because it would reduce the stretch.

Brace yourself, I am giving you a close booty shot next. Not a normal angle for me, but the lines of the blocking work really well in the back.

Because the jersey does not fray, I left it raw to curl in time.  

This turned out exactly as I expected. I am on the fence about how I feel about the sleeves, however. I have a baby face and I am often mistaken for much younger than I am. The gathered sleeve cap and elastic casing with these crayon colors feels a bit "sweet" to me. I may remove the casing  and let them flow loosely. What do you think?

This dress is very comfortable to wear, it is like wearing my favorite t-shirt with a twist. I am thrilled with this final color combination and see the potential for another, maybe in maxi length, on the horizon.

Happy Sewing,
Bianca

Old Fashioned and Futuristic At The Same Time? Vogue 1576

                                                                                                                                                                     

Have you ever seen a pattern that touches a special part of your brain, resonating? I always feel that way when I see a slightly weird, unusual or wonky pattern.

Vogue 1576 touched that bit of my brain the moment I saw it. I love the retro '80's feel of the sleeves with the mini length. I was a kid when this look was trending back then. I wasn't in charge of my clothing choices, so I never had the big sleeve clothes. Deciding to buy this pattern when it was released, felt like childishly cheeky rebellion.

I love the color-blocking and seam lines of these fancy secret pajamas. Upon seeing it. I knew immediately it would be a candidate for a hand-sewing project. There are no finished garment measurements for the bust on this pattern. There is also no indication of ease. My rule of thumb on making these jersey projects is to cut based on the finished garment measurements of the bust. When that is not given, I cut my ready to wear size and tweak the seam allowance to decrease or increase where needed. 

I made a stencil featuring mod circles and semi-circles. I chose Black and Natural cotton jersey from Nature's Fabric. I airbrushed gold fabric paint on the top layer of the center panel. (If you do not have an airbrush, Tulip Color Shots, applied in thin coats works well.) 

Next, I put the top layer on the right side of the bottom layer and sewed them together using a running stitch. The button and craft thread is twisted off the spool. I smooth it out with my fingers before stitching. I like to use a sashiko needle because it allows me to load many stitches at a time. After finishing a shape, I tie the ends off with a double knot on the wrong side.

Once the embellishment is sewn on the center panel, I created the applique texture. I separated the top layer from the bottom layer and cut away all but about 1/4 inch outside the painted area.

For garment construction, I deviated from the pattern slightly. I sewed the internal seams on my machine (3.5 stitch length) and after, I topstitched them down by hand, felling them toward the sides. I began with sewing the side fronts to the center front, then stitching the center back, followed by sewing the front to back at the sides. 

The sleeves are hemmed with a simple edge turned under and topstitched. 

All the stitching is time-consuming, but very satisfying. I love the tone-on-tone look on the Natural fabric and the contrast on the Black. 

The dress hem is left raw and will curl slightly in time.

The neckline is finished with a simple bit of bias, folded and stitched to the right side then, flipped inside. The seam allowance is hand- stitched down to keep it from rolling and add interest. 

My husband is my biggest supporter, sometimes to a fault, failing to see issues because all he sees is me. He is usually immediately effusive with praise of all my creations. When I came downstairs to show this dress to him, he was speechless; absolutely dumbstruck! When he gathered his thoughts, he expressed his fascination with this one (and my legs). He felt it was old-fashioned and looked like it was from the future at the same time. He would not have pegged this as a style for me, yet he could see my style all over it. He likes it and is confused at once. I love that!

This pattern is not for everyone. At the time of my writing this post, there are no photos or reviews of anyone having made this. I hope this dress changes a mind or two and someone else makes it. It is comfy, kooky and I think classy. My hand-sewing took a relatively short  two weeks of intermittent stitching. If you want to give it a try, this stencil and my drops stencil are available in my Etsy store and the fabric is a good deal at Nature's Fabric.

I am curious to know your thoughts on this pattern and my interpretation of it. Please be kind! 

Happy sewing,
Bianca