A Polka Dot Washi Dress for my Sister

This is the before picture.When I made my first Washi Dress last winter, I didn’t have enough fabric and ended up adding a strip of a different fabric as a border. I was really happy with the result. I was new to this sewing business and if you look closely you can see that I didn’t match up the seams on the main part of the dress and the border but to be honest, it doesn’t even matter. It is cute. I wear it all the time and I get lots of compliments. It is a tribute to Rae that even my first attempts at her patterns have turned out to be wearable and cute.I wanted to make the pattern again and decided to use some black quilting cotton from my stash to make a black Washi. I realized that I had enough black cotton to make almost two dresses but not quite so I decided to use a second fabric to make a contrasting band at the bottom of each skirt. I ended up making two versions: one for my daughter with polka dots and for myself, I used fabric leftover from my younger daughter’s grade school Invention Convention project, which was a “puppymobile”. Details of the two dresses can be seen here in my original post.I was really happy with the effect this little change made to a basic black dress and I was happy to be able to make two dresses using fabric I already had. My sister saw the polka dot version I made for Sarah and said she really liked it. I happened to have the polka dot fabric in a different colorway so I offered to make her one.When I made my own black washi with the puppy fabric lining, I must have cut the lining a bit bigger than the bodice pieces for the dress dress and when I went to topstitch the neckline, it shifted a bit. I ended up doing it on purpose to create the effect of piping without actually having to make piping. I did that for Madeleine’s dress as well. It is such an easy thing to do and I love the effect.Once again, I used the wonderfully clear Made By Rae videos to walk me through the sausage technique to get a clean finish for the lined bodice-finished dress inside out above. Sausage in process below.I used the cutting lines for the Washi tunic and added several inches to create my seam line for the main part of the dress. I sewed all the side seams and added the contrasting border at the end lining up the seam in the border with the side seams of the dress.After sewing on the border, I ironed the seam and then topstitched for a more finished look and for durability, something that is important to me as I machine wash everything. Dry cleaning costs are just not in my budget.I am really happy with the way it turned out. The polka dots add just enough cute to be fun. And here is the finished dress which was mailed out to Michigan for the birthday girl.The puppy version (slightly rumped) below. I wear it often.

Made By Rae Patterns, Sewing, Washi Dress Pattern

A Paisley Washi for my Mother

I decided to make a dress for my mother for Mother’s Day with one of my favorite patterns, the Made-by-Rae Washi dress. With so many amazing fabrics out there, I wasn’t sure what to use until I remembered that I had this beautiful paisley-like lightweight cotton that I bought years ago at the wonderful fabric store in Brooklyn where I learned to sew. I love the deep navy with the contrasts of yellow, green and red. It feels very French.This felt like the perfect fabric for my mother because she is a Professor of French Literature and has studied and lived in France. I made a medium and lengthened it by 2 inches because we are pretty much the same size. The fabric was a dream to work with.I lined the bodice using the sausage technique that Rae teaches in her videos.I shirred the back. Rae has a great shirring tutorial here. The nice thing about dark fabric is that you can use a chalk liner to mark your shirring lines. The top of the back is folded up out of the way with wonder clips.It is always a good idea to pin or clip the top part of the back before starting to sew the shirring so you don’t catch the top of the back in the shirring seams. (I learned this the hard way.)I lined the bodice with a pale yellow cotton that I had in my stash. The contrast is so pretty.Picture of the inside of the dress. I love the clean finish that you get when you line the bodice. I added loops of ribbon for bra straps, a little touch that makes a huge difference for those of us with sloped shoulders. (inside back view below)I used the navy fabric and made a hem facing. I generally use hem facings to get a cleaner finish as I wrote about here and here. I didn’t have enough of the yellow or I would have used it to make a contrasting hem facing as I usually do.I am really happy with the final product and hope that she will enjoy wearing it all summer. She actually has already worn it to the theater in New York. Check it out! Beautiful, am I right? I may have to make one just like it for myself! I will have to check and see how much of this fabric I have left. 🙂The Washi-such an awesome pattern! Next up, a polka dot Washi for my sister. 😉

Made By Rae Patterns, Sewing, Washi Dress Pattern

Nani Iro Washi Dress

I bought this beautiful Nani Iro double gauze fabric at The Cloth Pocket back in October when I visited my son in Austin. I had originally planned to make a blouse but I was inspired by this beautiful dress that Cherie made for her little girl. It is just perfect. I finally got brave enough to cut into the fabric and decided to make another made-by-rae Washi which is a tried and true pattern for me. I cut the sides a little wider to allow for french seams since double gauze frays. I had good luck with this approach when I made my Charm double gauze washi dress. I realized as I lay the pattern pieces out that I hadn’t allowed for enough fabric to match the stripes. It is actually a tricky thing to line up stripes on a Washi because the front of the dress is made of two separate pieces and the back of the dress has shirring which affects how things line up. Realizing that there was no way to do this easily with less than three yards of fabric, I decided to just line the pieces up with the darker stripes around the waist and hope for the best. I used chalk to mark the shirring lines but I usually end up just using one chalked line and then using the first sewing line to guide the rest of my seams. Shirring using elastic thread is actually amazingly easy. Rae’s tutorial here.I used organic natural colored cotton batiste to line the bodice using Rae’s helpful videos. The lining is understitched, a technique I learned from the Beatrix Sewalong.I added a ribbon with snaps for bra strap holders as I sewed the fabric sausage.A fabric sausage pinned and ready to be sewn.Finished shirring visible as I sew the bodice lining.Once again I used a lightweight quilting cotton in a neutral light pink for hem facing. I have used it for several garments. I have almost run out!Hem pinned and ready to be sewn.Hem.Finished dress back view. The stripes don’t line up on the side but I am happy with the way the back stripes ended up. The photo bomber is my sweet dog Sadie.Close up of the beautiful nani iro fabric.Shades of grey can be beautiful!

Made By Rae Patterns, Sewing

Drops and Dots for Spring

I have had this Cookie Drop Beatrix Tunic in my head since I made my Mochi version several months ago. I have always loved this green color. It reminds me of the greens used in so many of the depression era quilts and of my grandparents’ house in Louisville, Kentucky. The mirror below hung in their front hall for over 60 years.My grandmother loved soft blue greens and those colors predominated in their home. I had the idea for the pop of pink and used this fun fabric for contrasting facings.I don’t remember where I got this pink fabric but a friend recognized it. I think she may have given it to me years ago when I had an idea for a quilt with lots of pinks because it was my daughter’s favorite color. That quilt never got made because life got in the way. It may end up being a future project. I still have quilt sized scraps left over.An online friend on instagram commented that the pink fabric reminded her of Mary Poppins. I hadn’t thought of that before but once she said it, I could totally see it. I love Mary Poppins. Who doesn’t? I read all the original books as a child and with my children. I love the versatility of the Beatrix Pattern by madebyrae. I have made and blogged about several versions. It is relatively straightforward but Rae has a great series of blog posts that walk you through the tricky parts like set-in sleeves.This time, I modified the pattern to use the contrasting fabric just on the inside of the garment. I used Rae’s instructions as if I was going to do a contrasting button placket using the standard measurements on the side with the buttons and then on the side with the button holes, I made the green portion wider and the pink portion narrower adding a seam allowance to each, folding the fabric at the seam where the two fabrics are sewn together, a technique I use for most of my hems. I am really happy with how it turned out. I think the pink on the outside was a little bolder than I wanted to go but I love the way it peeks out. In order to make Mary Poppins and Bert upright, I had to piece the placket facing but I think it came out fine. Waste not want not! The people are sideways on the hem facing which was necessary given the long strip that I needed for the hem facing. This fabric is a cotton lawn so it drapes well but was really easy to work with. Although I originally planned to use these green buttons:I decided instead to use these slightly worn, older, cream colored buttons that I rescued from a button jar that I picked up at a tag sale when I first moved to Connecticut in 1995 (buttons seen below with all of my long threads after sewing button holes. I left the threads long deliberately in order to pull them through to the underside and knot them. It didn’t take that long and it looks so much neater.) I like the fact that the buttons have variations in their colors and aren’t exactly matching. I used a cream colored thread which is much softer looking than bright white. I like to sew the two rows of stitches on my button plackets because they help me line up my button holes and I like the look of the stitching.I used more of the pink fabric for the facing and hemmed the tunic using the facing technique that I explained here.In that same house where I found the button jar, I also found a little package of fabric held together with rubber bands in a pile of old towels in a linen closet. The price was less than $5. That package turned out to be 20 hand pieced quilt blocks. I later used them together with another 25 or so I pieced over the years to make a quilt for a very loved cousin who was going through treatment for cancer. My amazing teacher and professional quilter Judy assembled those blocks and figured out the best way to display them We used a lot of this same green color in that quilt. On the back, we created a collage of family photos and messages.Next up in my quest to finish the works-in-process is a shift dress in cotton and steel polka dots. Drops and dots. What could be better? The cotton and steel cotton lawn fabrics that I used for my Beatrix tunics are still available at fabric.com as of this writing. Happy spring!

Sewing

Nursebean Plans: Projects, Spring 2016

Flowers from the garden on April 1st.Last week I had an unexpected hospitalization. I am fine but in the process of figuring that out, I had a medical procedure that requires me to not bear weight on my right wrist for two weeks. Yikes! No ironing, no rotary cutting, no hand quilting, ergo no sewing. I was also told not to drive for 48 hours so am unexpectedly home from work. Extra time but not able to sew. Quite the irony. But I am trying to stay positive (having a health scare turn out to be just a scare definitely makes me grateful), do some more reading and think about all the things I will sew once I am back to normal. I definitely plan to make more versions of the patterns I have found to be tried and true for me but I am most excited to try out a new-to-me pattern by Christine Haynes, the Josie Sundress.

I love the lines of this dress. It is cute and classic and reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in Charade. What could be better? I am thinking that one or both of these Cotton and Steel fabrics will work well. The fabric on the left is Woodblock from the Mesa collection by Alexia Marcelle Abegg and the fabric on the right is Nine Pin in black from Kimberly Kight‘s Lucky Strikes collection. The green fabric is quilting cotton and the black is lawn. I have had good luck with both of these fabrics for summer sundresses.

I do buy fabric that is not Cotton and Steel but their designs are so fun it is a challenge to not BUY THEM ALL!

Next up I plan to make some more versions of the Pearl Shift by Green Bee Patterns.I am going to be honest and say that I did not expect to love this pattern. It seemed a little boring, a little sack-like and I did not expect it to be flattering but I saw this version by Rae in gingham and I decided to give it a try. I made a version in a heavy cotton flannel plaid that I got on sale at Joanne Fabric and gave it a little detail with a metal zipper (not completely exposed but visible). I used the technique that Dana uses in a really helpful video. It is actually a how-to on making a zipper pouch but it worked really well for me in figuring out how to sew the zipper and get the effect I was going for. I ended up wearing that dress/tunic all winter long and made two others. With warmer weather coming, I am thinking that a linen version would be perfect with leggings and sandals. I am also contemplating using this Allison Glass fabric to make a lightweight version. Right now I am trying to decide on zipper colors. I am thinking I may switch to a white zipper with gold metal instead of black for the spring versions but have been having a hard time finding them locally. If you know of any good online sources, I would love for you to comment.I am also thinking that this fabric would great as a Pearl Tunic, or really, anything. LOVE it.I have a couple of works in process. One is a second version of a shift dress I made by blending a New Look pattern with the Beatrix blouse by Made by Rae. When I saw this fabric-also Cotton and Steel- I knew it would be perfect. I am a sucker for polka dots.I am also working on another Beatrix Tunic in this cotton lawn from the Cookie Box collection. The pink will be for the inside of the button placket. I also have some unfinished Ruby Blouses which are weighing on me and which will be great for summer so I need to spend an afternoon getting those finished. I also expect to have a couple of new Washi dresses in my future and have one planned for my sister similar to the one I made last year for my daughter.

What projects are you excited to sew? Only one more month until May!

About Me, Sewing

The Perfect Valentine for Me

Drawn by my gifted husband.

About Me, Sewing, unplugged, Washi Dress Pattern

Sewversary and Goals for 2016

The view out the window of my sewing room on a recent unplugged Sunday.

One year ago on February 7th a freak snowstorm gave me an unexpected day off and I started on a journey of sewing garments that has brought me so much fun (and a whole new me-made wardrobe) over the past year. I had sewn some children’s clothes when my kids were little and had been a quilter for many years but work and life kept me too busy for hobbies for many years and it was just this last year when life calmed down a bit that I was able to think about sewing again. And this year, for the first time, I made clothes for myself. Specifically, I made 8 Washi dresses, 5 Bianca dresses and 1 Bianca blouse, 6 Beatrix blouses: 2 of them sleeveless and one of them in a tunic length, a Pearl Shift flannel dress, 4 Ruby dresses, 1 Ruby blouse, 3 Voila blouses and 2 Pocket Skirts and a New Look 6095 Shift Dress. Three of the garments were for my daughter and I made one pair of PJ’s for another daughter but the rest I have been wearing and enjoying all year. I have basically replaced my entire work wardrobe-slacks excluded although I don’t wear slacks very often- with garments I have sewn. Some favorites below:

When I started sewing again, I didn’t set out with any specific numbers or goals in mind. I made a Washi dress, a Ruby blouse and a Voila blouse and then it was May and I was so inspired by the posts on Instagram for Me Made May that I sewed several garments that month to be able to join in- which I did about half way through the month. I had set up an Instagram account in April because I wanted to have a place to keep track of my sewing life. I had no idea that there was such an amazing sewing community there. It has been wonderful to have experienced sewers give me advice and comment on my projects. It was totally unexpected and a wonderful surprise. One thing I did this year that I hope to do again is to rent a cabin in Maine and bring my sewing machine. I didn’t go just to sew. I went for a couple of days of R and R when I dropped my daughter off at college but how nice to have my sewing machine on the rainy day and have some unstructured time to work on some projects in a beautiful setting.I also made 3 dresses that were fails- all of which were for other people. I find it a challenge to sew for people other than myself and the one daughter who is close to my size. Two of my fails were made of knit fabric-I need to work on my sewing with knits skills- and one dress made of a somewhat stiff satiny party dress material that is hard to work with. I also sewed 2 felted wool sweater quilts that were not fails! These were inspired by a beautiful blanket I purchased over ten years ago in the Berkshires from Crispina. I followed the very clear tutorial by Catherine Newman and I was happy with the results.

As were the recipients.I used the leftover plaid flannel for facings on a Pearl Shift.

I finished these two early this week so technically first garments of the new year! They have already been worn to work. I bought some heavy cotton flannel on sale at Joanne’s before Christmas. I am so happy with my first Pearl and I know these will get worn all the time too. Great for those snowy cold days with leggings or skinny jeans and boots. So all in all 35 successful garments, 3 learning experiences and the 2 afghans. I am going to be honest and say that I am not sure how I did this but many of the suggestions that Christine Haynes makes in her blog post on finding time to sew are true for me. I sew in little bits of time interspersed with one long afternoon or evening a week. I actually work 2 jobs as a nurse and many weeks this year I worked 7 days a week, so I can’t stay up late to sew-it is just not possible. Other than when I had the deadline for a gift such as the afghans for Christmas, I only sew when I have the energy so it doesn’t feel pressured or like a chore. I don’t watch TV ever. I don’t exercise enough. So other than work and reading, sewing is the way I spend my downtime. On an average week I can generally sew one garment but I tend to sew them in pairs. It ends up being more efficient to cut out two of the same thing. More than two doesn’t work so well though. I still have several unfinished Ruby blouses that just need a bit of time to finish but doing more than two at a time ended up being overwhelming.

In the coming year, I will probably do more of the same. More Washi’s, a couple more Voila blouses and Pocket Skirts since they are great basics. Definitely will be finishing the Ruby blouses! Some more Pjs for my daughter and I would like to try to make a pair of cropped linen pants to wear with the blouses I have made. I am thinking of trying the new Cali Faye Hampshire Trouser. I also have another couple of Beatrix blouses, one in a tunic length planned. I am also hoping to make the Emery Dress and the Anna Maria Horner Painted Portrait dress. I am thinking about trying the Pearl Shift in a chambray or linen. I am also hand quilting a long time project and slowly making progress. I am hoping to quilt with friends so that goes a bit quicker. This year, my New Year’s resolution was to not work Sundays at all, something I haven’t been able to do in years due to jobs, finances etc. It has already made a difference knowing that I have that day off every week to look forward to. I have been able to go back to church regularly, something I haven’t been able to do in ten years-yikes! I also made a resolution to keep Sundays unplugged. I am not a TV watcher but I can lose a lot of time on the computer, phone, on Facebook and Instagram and while I value the community so much, I am definitely benefiting from that once a week 24 hour break from screens. I read more and I enjoy the peace. I am so grateful for my sewing year and I am excited to see what the new year brings! Wishing you happy sewing, beautiful unplugged moments and peace in 2016!

Made By Rae Patterns, Sewing

A New Look for Beatrix

Last summer, armed with new found knowledge of facings, buttons and sleeves from the MadeByRae Beatrix sewalong, I decided to tackle a basic shift dress pattern that I bought many years ago and never used, New Look 6095.

The pattern appeared to be very straightforward with one exception: I took the directions out at some point in the last year and misplaced them. Yikes! So I had pattern pieces but no instructions. This didn’t end up being a big problem although later this year I found the pattern online and bought it again so as to be better equipped before I make it again. The dress is a very simple shape with darts in the front and a neckline that is very similar to the Beatrix style and with two diamond shaped darts in the back to create shape and make the dress somewhat more fitted than the other styles I have made this year. I made version A but I took the sleeves from the pattern and added length to them using the Beatrix sleeve as my template.

The front is one piece cut on the fold and the back is two identical sides which I ended up cutting on the fold as one piece by mistake (I tend to do this) and then cut into two separate sides.

The advantage is that the pattern matching is awesome when you do it this way although I didn’t plan it. I used this beautiful Cotton and Steel fabric which I love.

I ended up making three muslins to get the fit right. Yes this was time-consuming but since the basic pattern was only three pieces it wasn’t terrible, although I did go through a lot of fabric making the muslins (I am now cutting them up to use as lining in other projects.) What I learned is that you sometimes have to play around with the fit for a while and just because your waist is smaller than the shape of the dress, it isn’t necessarily flattering to taper to the waist too dramatically because then your hips seem larger.Yes this should be intuitive but it was really interesting to make these tiny adjustments and see such a change in the shape which is why I ended up having to do it three times!

Based on the patterns measurements I should have worn a 14 or 16 which is not my normal size. I think I originally cut between the 12 and 14 lines. I ended up scaling back down closer to a 10-12 but I ended up using the dart placement per the larger size pattern placement as the darts placement is different depending on the size. When I sized down, I sewed the darts where the smaller size dictated but then found that the fit wasn’t as flattering so I ended up making a smaller size with the dart placement per the larger size. Now that I have the pattern adjusted the way I like it, what I need to do is to trace it onto tracing paper (on my long to do list) because it is currently a hodge-podge of tissue paper pattern pieces with some added paper with some of the lines re-traced. I plan to make it again at least twice starting with the beautiful fabrics below:

Sewing this pattern and playing with the fit taught me that that even small adjustments can result in a big change in the shape and drape of a garment. By experimenting, I got a nice fit for everything except the neckline which I should have adjusted as it does gape a bit in the end. I will fix it next time!

I drafted a facing for the neckline and sewed across the shoulder seam to tack it in place as Rae teaches in the Beatrix sewalong.

I used a Moda turquoise fabric for the neck facing and to face the hems.

My hem facing ended up smaller than planned because I used too narrow a facing strip. I used this Moda fabric all summer to face and line several projects and I was almost out when I got to this dress.

One could use a zipper but I decided to try a button loop because I had a large turquoise button that I thought would work well. I followed the directions for the hand sewn button loop in the Sewaholic book: Sewtionary which is a great resource. I am really happy with how it came out in the end. I drafted a little facing for the button opening. I just sort of made it up and it works.

I an happy with everything except the neck gaping but I know how to fix that using the hollow chest adjustment technique that I used making the Beatrix. I will be making this again soon and this time will have the instructions. Woohoo! I am interested to see if it makes a big difference. Changes I will make to the next version: wider hem facing, hollow chest adjustment and slightly longer sleeves. Otherwise I am really happy with this. It works well with sandals in the summer and with boots and tights in the winter with an olive green cardigan.

Sewing

The Pocket Skirt and the Voila Blouse by Cali Faye

Earlier this year I made two patterns from the Basics Collection by Cali Faye. They are both straightforward to sew and flattering to wear. I was inspired to make the Voila Shirt by Erin‘s versions on the Hungie Gungie blog. I made the first one in a navy blue Cotton and Steel double gauze. I cut a medium but took about 6 inches out of the width of the front and back of the shirt based on Erin’s recommendations. I was very happy with the fit. The neckline dips somewhat low and I ended up reversing it and wearing the back as the front which actually works. The shirt is comfortable and I wear it with skirts and jeans. (Somewhat blurry picture of the the blouse with my pocket skirt below.)I then went on to make two more Voila blouses with leftover fabric from my quilting days. I thought these cotton floral prints would work well with the shape for summer blouses. I made the two blouses at the same time which went fast. I lined the bodice of the cotton versions with white cotton muslin and I lined the navy double gauze version with the shirt fabric. I took 8 inches out of the width of the front and back of the floral shirts since the first navy blouse was still very full even after taking 6 inches of volume out front and back.

Shirt above prior to hemming. Shirt below getting bra straps added to lining of bodice.The shirts fit well and the neckline is flattering.I made the Pocket Skirt in a khaki green heavy cotton from Joanne’s. It worked well for the skirt and it has become a basic that I wore often all summer. I cut a large and added 2 inches to the length. Pocket detail below. The construction is very straightforward. Attaching the waistband.

I made a second version in a cotton linen-like print from Joanne’s. In the process of making the second skirt, I realized that I had reversed the front and back of the waistband when I made version one and so fixed that on version 2. Ironically, the second skirt did not fit as well because the front of the Calie Faye skirt is designed with more fullness than the back and my shape is the opposite. Luckily my daughter wears the same size but has a slightly different shape and it fits her perfectly so off it went to Florida where she wore it last summer.

When I made version two, I sewed the zipper a bit low leaving a gap at the top of the waistband so I made a button placket to hide the gap. I am happy with how it turned out.I will definitely be making new versions of both of these patterns. Things I will do differently next time: french seams on the double gauze versions due to fraying, reverse the waistband on the pocket skirt, add more length if I make it in another flowy fabric such as linen or rayon. It was fine at the shorter length in the khaki but I think longer would be more flattering in flowy fabrics. I would also do hem facings for future shirts and skirts to cut down on fraying.

Made By Rae Patterns, Sewing

A Week’s Worth of Rubies

A chain of Ruby bodices lined up and ready to be made into awesome shirts!

The Ruby pattern by MadeByRae is a relatively easy pattern to sew that can be customized to create many different looks. It was the second pattern I sewed after the Washi. I dug around in my stash to find the right fabric for my wearable muslin since I never like to spend money on fabric for my first attempt. (Interestingly, all of my first attempts have ended up being garments I love to wear, but habits die hard.) I had some fabric I liked but didn’t have enough for the main parts of the blouse. Most of the versions I have seen use a white or cream colored bodice with a patterned bottom. Surfing through my sewing blogs I came across this blouse by super seamstress Ada Spragg and I realized that I could do the reverse and use the pattern for the bodice with the white for the main parts of the blouse and that is what I did. As with all my MadebyRae patterns, I made a medium and added two inches to the length. It was an easy sew, done in an afternoon, but I love how finished it looks. Rae’s technique for lining the bodice is explained in her really easy to follow tutorials. Here is a picture of the (slightly rumpled) finished product which I have worn many times.

This is a great layering piece that I plan to replicate in many other fabrics. I love how it looks under a sweater, a jeans jacket and with shorts or a skirt. I love how flattering the neckline is and how the little bit of pattern peeks out.

I then decided to make some Ruby dresses and made four very different versions. Version one was made with chambray material from my stash purchased over 20 years ago in Brooklyn. I dug through my scraps to find good bodice material and found some unused fat quarters also circa 1993 Brooklyn. They were just enough to make the bodice. I loved the resulting dress which I wore all summer. It is really great with a jeans jacket. I played around with the two bodice fabrics because I could have gone either way in terms of which to use as the bodice fabric and which to use as the lining. Both worked. This is the final version.

Detail of bodice:

And here is how I wore it all summer:

Since my first two Rubies were basically free (fabric over 20 years old counts as free in my book!) I splurged to make some more versions. One was inspired by Rae’s version with a lacy top and a spring-like print for the main part of the dress.

I loved this fabric and enjoyed making this and it looks really pretty on the hangar:

I tried it on though and between the shape and my fabric choices, on me it looks like a nightie my mom would have worn in the 60’s when I was growing up, a really beautiful nightie but still evoking more nightie than work dress. I thought about using it as a nightie and contemplated cutting it shorter and making a top which would probably have been cute with jeans but in the end I sent it to my daughter who said she would wear it with the world’s most versatile belt and here she is looking as cute as ever.

I then made a version inspired by another dress that Rae made using her Lotus Pond fabric. I used a scrap of the attic chambray for the bodice and the orange Lotus Blossom fabric for the dress. This fabric is really soft when washed and this made a great dress. I like the more structured feel of the chambray which I lined with more of the orange fabric for a more casual summer dress (although this got worn to the office as well.) Also very cute with a little cotton sweater which dresses it up a bit. This is how I wore it to work.

Finally I decided to make a Ruby all in one fabric. I was inspired by Allie from IndieSew whose Ruby is adorable. I love this bright turquoise print with little birds. The name of the fabric is Tokyo Trees and I think it made a great dress. Wearing it made me happy.Once I realized that a fat quarter was all it took to make the Ruby bodice, I rummaged around in my stash and found several unused fat quarters to make a week’s worth of Ruby blouses. These will be great all summer and since I had leftover white cotton fabric, making these is basically free. Since I usually make two things at a time, I cut the fat quarters and chained pieced the bodices as one would a quilt.

Here are some of the bodices after lining them all ready to be attached to the shirt pieces:

They are still unfinished as of this writing but are high up on my list of WIPs to be finished in the new year. I know that they will be great come summer.