The good, the bad, and the dreams

The Good: Black Dolman t-shirt

This is a straight copy of a RTW shirt of my sister’s, made in a 4-way stretch black jersey. It stretches out to be HUGE, but luckily it drapes forgivingly when worn. There is a band at the bottom, and turned hems at the neck and arms. It’s nothing special, but it’s handy for wearing under cardigans! I made my mom one too, so now all three of us can dress to match! :P

The Bad: Long-sleeved Dolman Top

This is the same pattern - but what a difference fabric makes! This narrow navy and grey stripe is rather eye-boggling, and has much less stretch than the black. As a result of some hasty cutting, I made the hips narrower than I meant to… and it didn’t fit! I patched in the vertical strip triangle, so it technically “fits” now… but it sure doesn’t flatter! I was hoping it would add a bit of interest under cardigans, but I haven’t found a combination that works yet! I don’t like how the dolman style means the stripes are vertical on the sleeves, and the neckline is too wide. Boo. I guess it’s a pyjama top now! 

The Dreams: Washi Dresses in Liberty Lifestyle and Washi Fabric

I’m planning my first Christmas dress…and the shirring in the back makes Made by Rae’s Washi dress the perfect choice! 

I’ve bought the PDF pattern, so now I just have to bite the bullet and tape it together. I’m inspired by Crozette’s beautiful version in Dear Stella Gilt Trip, and Miss Matatabi’s Nani Iro winter dress.  The only drawback of this pattern is that it calls for 3m of fabric… Where’s it all going? I’m hoping I can squeeze it out of much less. 

I have two versions planned… a practice version knocked up in the floral print from Rashida Jones Washi line, for which the pattern was named, and then my Christmas version is this beautiful Liberty Lifestyle print. 

I ordered it on Thanksgiving from Marie Madeleine for $13/m… and they are still offering that price, so I just bought some more! It’s much finer weave than I expected. I can’t wait to sew it up!

I’m looking forward to putting more time into a project, and hopefully having it turn out well! I’ve been doing plenty of sewing-for-sanity this fall, so now it’s time to shift gears and really take my time. 

Anyone else sewing something special for the holidays?