Ruska Knot Dress

I'm alive! It's been an embarrassingly long time since I've posted. When I looked back the dates coincided with when my littlest two started preschool. You would think that would give me more time, and it does, but the time is mostly out of my house and away from my computer. But I'm here today with a new dress, the Ruska Knot Dress.

This pattern is from the book Breaking the Pattern, which was written by the sisters who run Named Patterns. I adore Named. I don't think I've ever had a failure with one of their patterns, and they're always so cool and different. I remember when they took a season off of online pattern releases to write this book, and it felt like an eternity of waiting. I think it was worth the wait! The book is packed with patterns and with variations on those patterns. The dress that I made is also the basis of a t-shirt, a tunic, and a plain dress, so with one pattern I can make 4+ things!

I was lucky enough to check this book out from my library, but it's been on my Amazon wishlist for a while. The paper patterns are included and there are also instructions on downloading them online. I didn't feel like tracing (the patterns are printed like BurdaStyle magazine patterns, on top of each other) and so I printed the pattern. I did end up regretting that choice as there were nearly 50 pages. They went together just fine, but it was tedious.

The construction of the dress was straightforward. There is a complete dress underneath the tie portion, which is a second layer on top on the front only. The edges of the ties are folded under twice and topstitched. I found this process, with my medium weight French terry, to be annoyingly tricky! I didn't want to go too crazy with pressing since it is a bamboo/cotton blend, and bamboo can develop a shine. My ties are maybe a bit wonky, but all the raw edges are contained and that's what matters.

The model is wearing a dress with positive ease around the hips. I graded out at the hips to achieve the same look and stick with the size chart, but I ended up taking it down to negative ease for a more fitted look. Baggy hips on the model looked a lot better than they did on me! Other than that, I didn't change anything about the fit.

The size chart was a little confusing only because of how it was labeled. The book calls the sizes 1-9, but when I printed the pattern it omitted those numbers and went with their more traditional UK/US/EUR sizing numbers.

Ignoring the tie part, this silhouette is not one I typically wear. Since having kids, I shy away from overly fitted knit garments, I almost never wear a neckline this high, and a long fitted sleeve isn't my jam either. Because of the overlay with the ties, I can hide my mom tummy and get away with fitted everywhere else. I felt sort of not-myself when I wore this dress the first time, but once I took photos and looked back at them I realized: I look good! There was no reason to feel awkward. And bonus: it's snuggly, warm, soft bamboo French terry, one of the best fabrics on the planet. Secret pajamas!

You can snag some of this fabric from The Fabric Fairy. I used the navy colorway, which I used once before for my first pair of Hudson Pants. That was five (!!) years ago, and those pants are in rotation so often I have to ask myself if I'm wearing them too much. I'm thrilled to now have a dress with that fabric!

I received a credit for my purchase with The Fabric Fairy in exchange for promotion. However, I have been raving about them for years without compensation. All opinions are my own! An Amazon affiliate link has been used for the book. 

Jamie Jeans version 2

If you follow me on Instagram then you already got a sneak peek (or ten) of these jeans! I've been working on them on and off for...an eternity. I had some fit issues and then Christmas...you know how it is. So I'm thrilled that they are finally done and, gasp, wearable!

Side note...Indiana weather is drunk right now. Earlier this week the temps were in the single digits, today it's going to be 64. So I apologize for the sloppy half-frozen backyard! And also my neighbor's unfinished-for-six-months shed roof.

After M was born I realized it had been two years since I'd worn regular jeans. I thrifted some and was more than a little aggravated at how poorly they fit. Because obviously, me-made is a million times better than store bought. I almost chose to make Jalie 2908 but decided not to reinvent the wheel and went with Jamie Jeans, from Named, since I've made that pattern before.

This time, however, my fabric was quite different. My previous pair were made from a super-stretchy denim that almost felt like a knit. This time I went with a more traditional stretch denim (from Mood, almost 4 years old!). Using the handy chart in my Sewist's Swatch Book, I determined that the stretch percentage was only about 10%. The pattern calls for 15-20%.

I went ahead and made the same size as before, 6, believing that I'd probably be able to make it work since I had removed a ton of fabric from the legs with my stretchy fabric. Thankfully it did work, but I had some fit challenges first.

Length: These are drafted with long legs. I'm 5'4" with short legs, an inseam of 28 1/2". Last time I cut off 6" at the bottom hem. This time, I removed 3" from the paper pattern at the knee, assuming I could remove the rest from the hem later. But a friend pointed out that having extra length at the bottom was distorting the leg during fitting, so I cut most of it off.

Calf: A shoutout to my husband for helping me diagnose the main problem I had. There was bunching throughout the leg, and I finally figured out the calf was too tight, pushing the fabric up around my knee. Once I let out the calf (from the 3/8" seam allowance to 1/8"), the wrinkles went away. I also consulted this jeans fit guide at Closet Case Files, so now I know how to correct the paper pattern the right way. Who knew a mother of three who never works out could have thick calves?

A few horizontal lines, perhaps a shallower crotch curve is needed. 

Waistband: I removed a wedge from center back for a better fit. I was still able to ease the waistband to the pants without changing them as well.

Not wrinkle-free, but better than it was. Possible low butt adjustment needed.

I did not use the pattern directions at all. I followed the sewalong at Indie Sew, which I highly recommend! You'll see below that I followed one of their tips, to NOT topstitch the fly, which I think was good advice.

Even though I was scared to do it, I opted for contrast topstitching everywhere else. I used my vintage Singer 15-91, which is a beautiful, efficient machine. I still don't have great control over the speed, it's hard for me to regulate with the pedal for some reason and it can go pretty quickly. There were times I had to rip out my topstitching and do it again. I think I sewed the waistband three times to get it just right. The results were worth it, though.

I also used my Singer buttonhole attachment for the first time! I watched some YouTube videos and it was surprisingly easy. I think I'll write a separate post about it later.

When I finished these up, I had a panic attack realizing that they were too short. Nothing like cutting off 3" and then ending up with short jeans to make you bang your head against the wall. But a quick Google search schooled me to the proper length for skinny jeans, which is apparently at the top of the ankle. A happy accident on my part! Now I just feel old and out of the loop about fashion.

I'm pretty happy with my first "real" pair of jeans. I have enough fabric left for another pair of pants, I'm considering some Thurlow Trousers since the low stretch percentage would probably work better with a wider leg pant.

And just for funsies, I used some leftover poplin from this dress for my pocket bags. Fun pocket bags, a customized fit, I mean really, why doesn't everyone sew for themselves?

Need your own Sewist's Swatch Book? Save 20% with the code RESOLVE20. Valid through Jan. 20th and applicable for all versions of A Sewist's Notebook!

Jamie Jeans fit help

Since I've worn my first pair of Jamie Jeans nearly to death, I figured it was time to make another. My first pair is made from a super-stretchy cotton/spandex denim, and I removed a lot of width to make them fit tightly, as intended. This pair is from a more traditional stretch denim, and I need a little help with the fit.

These *feel* okay on, when standing, but looking at the photos I see a lot of wrinkles. My biggest issue is that when I bend my legs, the fabric doesn't seem to stretch much. The pants become tight and uncomfortable. I'm wondering if I should let them out a bit? Finish them as-is and let time stretch them out and break them in? I've pulled out my two fit books but I'm looking for some additional feedback. I haven't made many pants, especially tight ones, so I'll take all the help I can get!

Cozy Winter Gear

It's been years since I've done regular shopping for myself. I sew almost all of my own clothing, and what I need to buy, I buy second-hand. But one piece of clothing has always eluded me: socks. A few years ago my husband got me a book about knitting, and I learned the basic stitches, but I haven't been able to devote enough time to it. I desperately wanted to learn how to knit my own socks. Well, while time was passing me by, an easier solution came along.

These are the Cozy Toes Socks by Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop (affiliate link). Now if I don't learn how to knit until I'm old and grey, I can still sew my own socks! And obviously, they require such little fabric that it's basically a freebie sew! Can you tell I'm excited! More exclamation marks!

These are stretched pretty tightly around my foot

so my stitching is showing.

This pattern has a lot of options. There is ankle cut, crew cut, and knee-high. There are multiple foot sizes as well as multiple leg sizes (slim, regular, plus). There are templates for making animal faces, if you're so inclined. Following the pattern directions and measuring my foot and calf, I was able to correctly pick my size the first time. I did make a single sock as a muslin before proceeding any further, but it fit without adjustments. This is the ankle cut, with slim width.

 Now for the bad news. I have been sewing Amy's patterns for four years and this was the most difficult to assemble that I have ever experienced. All of the options I noted above are great, but I got very confused trying to put the paper pattern together. The sock is three pieces and not intuitive. Normally Amy provides a diagram of how each piece of paper fits together but for some reason there was not a diagram in this pattern. Maybe I just have mommy brain, but it was very frustrating.  I also could not print pattern without color ink. No matter which options I tried, it refused to print grayscale  or black-and-white. If you do not have access to a color printer you cannot use this pattern.

Once the pattern was assembled, the directions do a great job helping you put the sock together. I think a sewing machine was recommended over a serger, but mine was eating my fabric. It worked fine with a serger if you're comfortable on one. And once you've done a single sock, it's super simple to make more. I will definitely be using this pattern over and over. The fabric I used here is modal/cotton/spandex French terry left over from my Irena. Soft and cozy!

The second me-made that's keeping me warm this winter is my Delia Beanie from Named. A month or so ago I suddenly felt the need for a hat like this, and scoured Pinterest for a free pattern. I found a kid's pattern, made my daughter one, made one for a friend's son, then enlarged the pattern to make myself one. And forgot all about it. Only to discover that I already bought the Delia ages ago. This is why it's a good idea to browse your Dropbox regularly!

There aren't a lot of Delias floating around the internet, but I love Named and their other patterns I've tried. This one didn't let me down. The hat is one-sized, self-lined, and finished with a small amount of hand-stitching. There is an option for an applique, which I left off this time but would be easy to do as it's clearly marked on the pattern.

There was some head-scratching going on here to make sure I did it all correctly, but if you make your fabric match the illustrations you can figure it out. It was a fast sew on my serger and I finished the hand-stitching in front of the TV.

This is my impression of a too-cool sk8tr grl.

I did not sew down the "flap" in case I wanted to make my hat taller and slouchier, or in case my 4 year old wants to wear it. She stole it right out of my hands when it was finished. The fabric I used is a cotton/wool/spandex knit leftover from these leggings. It's incredibly warm and I love those leggings, I knew it would be perfect for this hat. I had just enough left for it, and all the rest I can use for socks!

Side note: in these photos I'm wearing Named Jamie Jeans, my Hey June Lane Raglan hoodie, and my New Look 6216 dolman top. Plus a me-made hat and socks! Killin' it y'all.

Jamie Jeans

Remember a hundred years ago when I promised a post about my first pair of jeans? Apparently I didn't remember, since it's taken me until now to write about them! But you know how it is to post about complicated items. It's time-consuming, and I wanted to make sure I was accurate in my review. So here they are, Jamie Jeans!

All my favorite colors, pink, navy, black, and grey.

I completed these back in September, for the Momiform MAKEover tour. The tour was the kick (in the pants, as it were) that I needed to tackle jeans for the first time. I readily admit, however, that these ended up a bit more like jeggings than I intended, and I took plenty of scaredy-cat shortcuts like matching topstitching. But still, I made pants, from denim, with a fly. I think that counts!

I relied heavily on the Jamie Jeans sewalong over at Indie Sew. I found it to be an amazing resource and possibly more helpful than the instructions, especially when it came to fit. The sewalong uses a baste-and-fit method with plenty of hand-holding. The pattern itself, being made for stretch denim, is forgiving anyhow. It's the whole reason I chose this pattern for My First Jeans. Every pair I've seen end up looking great. I particularly like that there isn't any under-the-butt fabric pooling.

The fly/jeans button is pulling a bit, but oh well.

I'll never wear a shirt untucked.

I think mine also look great, but you must forgive the fading that has happened to the fabric in the last few months (I've also lightened these photos so you can see more detail). It's a black organic cotton/spandex denim from Nature's Fabrics. It's thick and super stretchy. Let's just say that you might confuse it with a knit until you turned it over to see the twill weave (the reverse side is the contrast on my front pockets). It's pretty much perfect for Jamie Jeans, though, so no fabric-regret here. The only thing not to love is that the jeans bag out over the course of a day, I can pretty much get one or two good wears in before they go back in the wash (probably why they've faded).

Here follows boring fit stuff...

The sewalong and other reviews mention sizing down. I sewed up a size 6 and I *think* this was either a full size down, or I was between sizes and went down. My hip measurement has changed a lot (thanks babies) and apparently I didn't write down the exact number, just the size I intended to make. In any case, sizing down is a good idea.

Seam allowances are 3/8" but I ended up increasing that to 5/8" below the hip on the outer leg seam, and all the way down the inner leg seam. The hips fit without changes, however I took wedges out of the waistband in various places. Luckily, following the sewalong made it easy to baste and check fit, and I had enough fabric to cut an altered waistband.

The biggest issue I had with fit was the length. These are ridiculously long. The pattern is designed for someone 5'8" and I'm 5'4", but I removed 6". I'm long-waisted so I guess I must also be short-legged? Unfortunately, I had to take it all from the hem, but it ended up looking okay anyway. I made a note to myself to take 3" from the upper thigh and 3" from the hem next time.

Here ends boring fit stuff...

The topstitching was done on my vintage machine, with black topstitching thread. This was my first project with this machine, despite having had it for (gasp!) a year, and I was not confident in steady stitching. Since my denim was very stretchy, it had a tendency to move around under the tiny presser foot, so it was a good thing I went with matching thread. I ended up stitching two rows along the vertical center-front seam because the two legs didn't match after my first pass. But y'know, "design detail" and all that jazz. I definitely want a different kind of foot for any further topstitching with this machine.

This was quite a project for me, I had three machines set up at once (regular machine, serger, and vintage one for topstitching) plus my ironing board in my somewhat packed sewing room. I actually quite enjoyed the luxury of three machines, not having to rethread for topstitching is *amazing*.

The only trouble I had with the pattern assembly was the pockets. I feel like the pieces could have had a few more notches to make it easier to tell how they all went together. I also left off the belt loops since I'm never going to wear a belt with these. They have a slightly higher rise than all of my other jeans and I'd rather keep a smooth line under my shirts.

I've been wearing these a lot because they're so stretchy and comfortable. There's nothing worse than spending a lot of time on something and having them sit in a closet or drawer. I might even be ready to tackle a more traditional jeans pattern (like Jalie 2908 which has been languishing in my stash forever). If you're afraid of jeans I highly suggest nabbing a copy of the Jamie Jeans and giving them a try!

Bridesmaids' Dresses In Action!

Who's ready for me to be done talking about these dresses haha? This past weekend I experienced something new--seeing garments I made being worn by other people. Well, other people who don't live with me, since I've previously sewn for my kids and my husband. I'm happy to say that the dresses turned out great, fit the bridesmaids well, and worked perfectly for the setting.

All photo credit goes to random family members...I didn't take a single picture! As you can see, the wedding was outdoors. It ended up being very humid and slightly overcast, it actually rained during the ceremony. It was so humid that I don't think anyone minded the rain, it felt like a relief! And it quit as soon as it was over, of course. I cannot tell you how awesome it was to be wearing a lightweight, breathable cotton dress. Aside from my strapless bra situation, I was very comfortable.

AB did an excellent job as flower girl. She can be clumsy, so I was positive she'd faceplant going down the stairs, but she went slow and steady ("like a turtle!") and did just fine. I wish I could say that I made her dress, but I didn't. It's from J. Crew (I bought it second-hand). And don't let her fool you, she's not always as angelic as she looks in this picture ;)

Green isn't a color that I have a lot of in my wardrobe, but I think I will wear this dress again. Just with a regular bra. I'm not crazy about how unsupported my boobs look in these photos. YES I know I picked the pattern (the Delphi Layered Maxi from Named), so it's my own damn fault, but so what. Maybe I can make a bra from the leftover fabric, so it matches the dress.

Sewing three identical dresses back to back (four if you count the muslin) isn't the most fun, but I'm happy I could contribute to my sister's big day. Not to mention that each dress came out to be around $60 for fabric, pattern and supplies. I have TWO can't-wear-again bridesmaid's dresses in my closest that each cost me $100+, so that's a big deal. I was also able to control the details and make sure I had a dress in which I could nurse baby H. The bodice of each dress is two layers, and on mine they are two seperate layers. The outer one lifts up, and the under layer is in two sections so it can pull apart for nursing access.

I drafted this modification myself, based on a RTW top from Motherhood Maternity. It was pretty simple, let me know if you're interested in a full tutorial.

It was an awesome weekend and lots of fun all around. My sister planned a great party and I was so honored for myself and my daughter to be a part of it!

One down, two to go!

This weekend I had the chance to fit my sister for her bridesmaid's dress, and I'm happy to say that her dress is now complete! The changes to the bodice and skirt worked great, and this actually came together pretty fast.

I had a moment of panic when she put on the halfway finished dress for her fitting--how do I fit another person?! But I guess my years of reading sewing books paid off, because my brain instantly shouted "fit from the top down!" First I adjusted her straps, then fit the waist, then checked the hem. 

It's interesting, our whole lives we've been able to wear the same size, but her torso is completely different from mine. I removed a few inches from the bodice because she's (apparently) short-waisted. I learned to not attach the skirt to the bodice until you're sure where the natural waist is...I had to seam rip a stretch stitch. No fun. The hem is a rolled hem done on my serger.

The tail is attached to the inside side-seam.

Despite the lack-luster hanger appeal, this was looking pretty cute on my sister when it was only halfway done. I can't wait to see how all three of them look in action!