Made By A Fabricista: A Breezy Summer Birthday Dress

Happy birthday to me!! I try to sew a breezy, easy wearing summer dress every July in the loudest print I can find (like this one from a couple years ago.) This year I pulled out my BurdaStyle stash and found 5/2014 #117, the epitome of casual summer dresses!

I picked up this "palm trees at sunset" print rayon challis and it was on!! I cut a straight size 42. Normally I size up in the hip, but clearly this has a very full skirt and is totally accommodating to the pear shaped gal.

I added 1" to the bodice length, a normal alteration for me to work for me at 5'8"-- Burda's patterns are designed for someone who is 5'6". I excluded the pockets on the hips. Who doesn't love a pocket?!! Me. I find they add too much bulk exactly where I don't want it, so bye bye hip pockets.

I love those narrow, little straps. But I severely dislike the way Burda said I should sew them where you have to turn them right side out by pulling them through themselves, struggling, screaming profanity and nearly giving up 1/2 way through strap #1... blah blah blah. I just fold them in half a couple times, iron them and zip them through my sewing machine. I could care less if I see a line of stitches on the straps on this super casual maxi dress. If I had some cute ribbon, that would have been a great option for the straps and tie on the bodice, too.

Bras are an issue here, folks. A regular bra with straps can be okay-- if the straps are lined up right, they can blend in, appearing like another strap on the dress. But I opted to do a strapless bra. If you have a figure that can handle being bra-less, you're a lucky one.

I love the drape and weight of rayon challis, plus is sews up so well on both my regular machine and my serger. And it washes and dries nicely if you pull it out of the dryer ASAP-- no ironing for me. I don't iron ever, unless it's a special occasion or I am in the process sewing.

Hopefully I am eating cake and ice cream while you are reading this, not spilling my birthday yummies all over my sassy new dress.

Happy Summer Sewing!!

~Kathy

Kathy Sews

Made By A Fabricista: Coat Sewing Chronicles

Sewing a coat is not for the faint of heart, or for the sewist looking for a light project. It is possibly the slowest form of apparel sewing that exists. If you’ve made a coat, chances are, you know what I mean. No matter what you do, you can’t rush through it, you can’t skip steps or cut corners, you just have to roll with the punches. One minute you’re flying through assembly thinking “I’ll be finished soon,” and the next you’re running away from your sewing room because you need space. Are you guaranteed to end up with a bespoke wonder in your coat closet, most definitely! But heed my warning, if you are looking for a quick win, it is not a coat! My coat sewing chronicles began around Christmas when I fell in love with a black-and-white basketweave wool-coating fabric on the Fabric Mart website. I quickly placed an order for 3.75 yards to finally make the Seamwork Bay coat I’ve been dreaming of making for a while. In addition to my Fabric Mart wool, I also ordered Kasha Satin...

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Made By A Fabricista: Surgery, a pattern hack, and a hemming tip.

Hello sewing friends! I’m here on the blog today sharing a pattern hack I recently did to boost my wardrobe with a few pieces to wear during my recovery from surgery…and I’m also sharing a tip for those pesky rounded hems. So let’s jump in! I recently had surgery on my neck due to issues with my parathyroid glands. All went to plan and I’m doing well, but I have to admit, the scar was a bit larger and more prominent than I expected. I definitely want to cover it up a bit during the healing process, and I realized that I own very few tops that cover that area of my neck. I don’t really love wearing high neck tops, so I came up with the idea to sew a top that I could convert back to my preferred style once I recover. The pattern I used to do this is the Laundry Day Tee from Love Notions. This pattern is a fan favorite in the sewing community and has been around for more than ten years. I love the style – fitted at the bust but with extra swing at the waist, with lots of sleeve and n...

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