One Week, One Pattern - aka the Week of Bathroom Selfies

Happy Sunday, all!  I just recently completed my first blog challenge, hosted by Handmade Jane (check out the link to see her week in action).  The challenge, in short, was to wear an item of clothing every day for 7 days from the same pattern.  Some people chose blouses, skirts, or pants/shorts - I, in my infinite wisdom, chose a dress.  Cause I'm smart like that.

Originally, I decided on the Anna pattern from By Hand London.  My decision was based solely on the fact that I adore the pattern and felt it would motivate me to crank out a few more.  Um.  Yeah.  Not so much.

Having only made 3 Annas at that point, I felt that I'd get funny looks around the office, even if I got incredibly creative with layering.  "Nice skirt, Kelli, but why the cable knit sweater?  It's 82 degrees out today"...  So I went back to Jane and switched up to Simplicity 2444.  I already had a few straight up ones made, and a couple of hacked versions, so over the course of the week I finished up a couple more and was off and running.  So without further ado, here's my week:

Day 1 - Saturday

I was in the throes of an awful flu, but managed to drag myself out of bed around 11am and get prettied up to spend a couple of hours at ManetteFest (a local neighborhood festival).  The weather was gorgeous, but I still only managed a brief stroll before I parked myself at the local watering hole and waited for John to finish visiting.  This is a hacked version of 2444 - my first Frankendress. After the festival I proceeded to spend the next 12+ hours in bed.

My "please hurry up and take the picture" face

Day 2 - Sunday

Sunday was a complete wash.  I was too sick and spent the day in pjs - here's a pic of the dress that I would have worn.  It's my first 2444 and is straight from the pattern, down to the skirt.

Accessorized with my comfy quilt

Day 3 - Monday

Monday I was still feeling poorly, but made it to work looking at least somewhat alive.  This is 2444 with an a-line skirt; I was experimenting with mixing fabrics.  The skirt is lined because the polka dot quilting cotton was pretty cheap and too see through to go without. I was working on finishing this up the week before the challenge (I had it most of the way done weeks ago and got bored).

Lots of filtering on this one so I look less frightening

Day 4 - Tuesday

Tuesday and feeling more human.  This is my second 2444 and some of my favorite fabric.  I love the colors and the Chinese parasols; it's a bright and cheery dress and I've worn it quite a bit.

Bathroom selfie - adds an extra touch of class to any photo

Day 5 - Wednesday

I waited until I got home to get a pic of Wednesday.  By mid-week I started to feel too blah again from the flu to really put much effort into the photo, but I love the dress.  This is a modified 2444 (I lowered the neckline quite a bit at this point) made with a gathered skirt.  It's Michael Miller Eiffel Tower fabric in the bright red color.  The shoes are adorable and I got them in a screaming good sale from Miss L Fire - I'll take better pics of them at some point.

Yeah, whatever, this shot's fine.

Day 6 - Thursday

Thursday was hair cut day - hooray!  I recycled the Frankendress and mixed it up with a different cardigan.  I also was up to wearing heels at this point in the week - these are also from Miss L Fire.

Post styling photo at the salon

Giggle fit

Day 7 - Friday

I managed to get a new, unblogged dress finished up for the end of the challenge.  I'll do a write up after I get back from my work conference (and get better pics), but this is my Red Riding Hood themed dress, made up in my 2444 based Frankenpattern.

Bonus dress - Friday evening

I donned the Monster Mash dress for Friday night.  Lesson learned, kiddos.  PREWASH YOUR FABRIC. In my zeal to sew up this fabric, I did not prewash, and it's now incredibly tight.  Not unwearable, but I certainly notice that 1/4" I lost in shrinkage.

There's a weird smudge on the mirror, hence the Vaseline-esque filter

And there we have it!  Thanks to Jane for hosting - this was a blast to participate in.  I'm looking forward to reading through everyone's successes.

Bride of Frankendress; Frankendress II, the Frankendressening; or... The Monster Mash Dress

Well it's another gorgeous Friday here in the Pac NW.  As a matter of fact, it's been SO beautiful for the last month that I think we're all getting twitchy for some rain and gloom!  But I'm enjoying the sunshine while it lasts; fall will be here soon enough and hibernation season lasts a hell of a lot longer than summer.  Note to self, start stockpiling tights....

I just ordered a new table for the Stitchery off of Amazon.  It's awesome, it's a portable folding table with legs that adjust up to 48" - at $40ish, that's the cheapest cutting table I could ever get my hands on!  And if the drums find a new corner to call home, I'll have it set up all the time, and my little studio will be complete (here's where I rub my hands together in anticipatory glee).

I also hit up one of my local Jo Ann's Fabrics on Thursday.  They are having an amazing pattern sale - $1.99 Butterick and 5 for $5 Simplicity.  I've been wanting to pick up a couple of different styles to round out my dress wardrobe (and get a backup for Simplicity 2444), so that's what I did.

The two Butterick I picked are retro reprints - I chose B5880 for the skirt pattern but I actually am getting psyched about trying the bodice.  B6582 is one I've been stalking for a few years, but was always sold out.  I want to try a version of view C (with the full skirt) in a plaid suiting fabric I've had forever.

I haven't spent much time at my machine this week.  I did finish one dress and have another about halfway finished, but I've been fighting back a summer flu, visiting a bit, and football season is upon once again (can I get an amen?), so other pleasant distractions have been taking my time.  Which is fine - I'm a bit on the introverted side, and if given my druthers I'll hole up for weeks on end, happily stitching away.  So it's good to get out, even if I'm drug kicking and screaming once in a while.

And without further ado, it's dress time!  I first saw the fabric online at fabric.com, but it sold out almost instantly.  Much to my joy, as I was wandering through Pacific Fabrics, I found a bolt with a few yards left.  Score!  I should have bought all of it, but I kept to 2 1/2 yards - at $12.99/yard, that's a hefty purchase for me.  Usually I stick to Jo Ann's, and only on sale.  But this fabric was a MUST.

Sooooo awesome...

I wanted to give the Frankendress pattern another go, so that's the one I used (Simplicity 2444 for the front, 1803 for the back).  As I had a lot less fabric, I grabbed a 1/4 circle skirt pattern and went to work.

The end result of just the right pattern placement

Construction was pretty much the same; I removed the excess from the arm on the back piece by laying 2444 over the cut 1803 and trimming, bias tape binding for the arms and neckline, standard zip, and the hem is serged, then folded once and topstitched.  Pinked the seams for finishing, and I think I want to try binding the waist seam on another day (or 100).

Karloff's face, front and center

The Creature's innards

close up of the bias tape finish

When it was finished and I zipped it up in elation, I discovered one big fuck up.  I used the wrong skirt.

Yep, I was hurrying and the one I grabbed was for a slightly flared A-LINE.  Fuuuuuuuck!  Now, I should have known something was wrong, because I have a hunk of fabric left over that is big enough to the half of the front of a man's shirt (which is what it's currently earmarked to be).  But no, off I went, in a helluva hurry to get this done and COMPLETELY FINISHED THE DRESS before I found out.  It wasn't bad, but not at all the shape I wanted.  So I pulled out my scrap pieces to see if I could piece together another section and maybe pull off a slightly gathered skirt.

Nope.  Not enough.  Engage pout. Briefly consider giving the dress away.  Pout some more.  And then some more.  Heavily consider the need for cider.  After all, this is traumatic.

Ugh, enough of that.  Man up, Nancy!

Solution #2 - godets.

Waiting for Godets

I had enough fabric to make 4 godets (gores, gussets, etc.).  However, because the skirt is a 2 piece, flared a-line, I would have needed to make splits in the existing skirt pieces for insertion points (too risky in a completed garment).  I didn't want to do that, so I just cut 2 fairly narrow triangles for the side seams.  I ripped the seams open - stopping just short of the waist seam - pinned them in place, and stitched 'em in.  Super fun, considering the existing seams were already pinked.  Sigh.

After it was all assembled, I tried it back on, and was much happier with the result. And here is the finished product - The Monster Mash Dress.

Monster Mash dress + the clunkiest shoes I own

Extreme godet closeup

My flushed-from-a-summer-flu-yet-very-pleased face

**The back is a touch more snug that I like, as I took out the extra 1/4" I used in the first Frankendress, which I now know I need to leave in.  I still adore this dress, though.

That's all for now - hopefully by my next post I'll have had a chance to test my newest purchase, the Janome 4030!  Mhuahahahahahaha!!!!