A New Dress from Casual Chic Clothes/ きれいめカジュアル服

It has been a while since my last post. I hope you all had a great summer. You might be asking what I have been up to and here it is... In the beginning of summer, I was planning to sew many clothes using my stash of fabric. I did sew a couple of things for myself and did some charity sewing, after that the desire to sew sizzled down. It was not gone, but sizzled down, way down. I was wondering why that was and I analyzed myself. I was busy working to finish our basement, I just wanted to spend more time with my kids as much as possible while I could instead of sewing or quilting. My kids are older now and my oldest is currently serving a two year church mission in Japan, and my middle child has been getting ready to go to Japan as well for two years. He is leaving this week. My youngest just turned 16 this summer, driving, more time with friends, extra curricular activities, dating etc. she is ever so busy. I realized that the gate with a sign saying "empty nester" is getting closer and closer by the second. Yup, the realization is setting in. I cooked their favorite meals, we went out together, played games, watched movies, just sat and talked and sometimes I hung out with their friends too! I have no regrets how I spent this summer. I am going to get back to a normal schedule soon and start sewing more and I am excited about that now. Meanwhile, Let me share a dress I made at the end of June from the Japanese sewing book "Casual Chic Clothes"

There are many things I want to make from this book and the first thing I wanted to try was this dress. I love the design so much and I happened to have shirting fabric in my fabric closet; there is no reason not to try!

As I am getting old... I mean matured in my age, I say "nah" to somethings that are "too cute" or "too fluffy"; but I felt like the sleeves are exceptional and I really love them. I also think using gray and white thin striped fabric instead of pastel color helps tone down the cuteness of it.

When I looked at the pictures, I realized that the waistband is sitting lower than the natural waistline. I have a short torso, and I wanted the waistband to sit on my natural waistline, so I shortened the patterns close to a couple inches.

Also I added a thin liner for the skirt; that added more volume to the skirt than I wanted, but oh well.

I love how it turned out and I wore the dress several times this summer. I would definitely go back to this pattern someday once I make other things from my "to sew list".

New Dress and New Favorite Seam Guide Foot

I have been an ambassador for Baby Lock for the last few years, and every year, I was given an opportunity to attend Common Thread; where we can reconnect, take classes, and learn about new products. I always learn something new and it gives me motivation to do more and try something different. One of which is this 5/8" Adjustable Seam Guide Foot. I couldn't wait for the package to arrive and start sewing with it!

5/8" is the seam allowance most commonly used for garment sewing, but you can simply slide the white plastic and adjust the seam allowance to 3/8" (10mm), 1/2" (12.7mm), 5/8" (16mm) and 1" (25mm). I also sew with Japanese sewing patterns where the most common seam allowance is 1 cm, which is 3/8" I already know I will use the width a lot too! It was so much easier to keep the seam accurate with this foot than trying to see the lines on the sewing machine. I. LOVED. IT!! When I was sewing the double lines to gather the fabric for the bottom ruffle for the dress, I adjusted the width of the seam, and the gather came out more even and nicer too. Also, when I was sewing curves, I used the edge of the guide to follow the edge of the fabric and it was so much easier. This foot is definitely a game changer!

*Note--- I stopped to take this picture and to remove the pin.
The sewing pattern I used for this dress is Batterick 6451 version C. I used version D in the past and made a dress with magenta pink fabric. It is fun to use the same pattern and create a different dress and compare the two.

I used a linen blend fabric and I love the color and weight of the fabric. It turned out pretty much the way I envisioned.

I can wear it with ribbon to emphasize the waistline as well.

I need to sit down and play matchmaker for the patterns and fabrics I already have, so I can keep sewing fun things this summer. Right now I am psyched about using the adjustable seam guide foot with 3/8" for Japanese sewing patterns. I am not dropping hints or anything, but maybe my next project will be from one of my Japanese sewing pattern books...

Burda Style 6414 Dress

I wanted to participate in #mymademay or #sewthatpattern during the month of May. I thought I should be able to create several outfits, and I quickly realized that I underestimated my schedule or how busy I will get just before the end of the school year. I finally found the time to sew one dress for this month!

I used Burda Style 6414 pattern and modified it a little. The original pattern had two options for the shoulders: one with drawstrings to adjust how much of the shoulders are covered, the other one is simply a no sleeve option. I decided to go with the drawstring design, but instead of following the pattern, I added thin elastic to loosely gather up the openings. For the skirt, the original design was a straight skirt with a slit on the side, but I slightly extended the sides diagonally to have a flare skirt.

The dress is made out of a soft and stretchy knit with elastic waist, this dress is so comfortable to wear. I especially love wearing it during the summer. It is perfect to lounge around the house or for going out. I have a feeling that I am going to use this pattern again. :)

Light Weight Denim Dress with Simplicity 8910/R10183

I had this light weight denim forever and there were a few times in the past that I almost sewed something with it and then changed my mind. When I had Simplicity pattern 8910 in my hand and was revisiting my stash, I felt like they were a great match. There are many reasons why I adore the design of this dress pattern. I love the simple shoulder with modest puff on the sleeves little above the wrists. I also love the thick pleats in the front and the back. I feel like these pleats have a slimming effect compared to other similar dresses. Another aspect I love is these unique slash pockets and how they compliment the pleats nicely. The only change I made for this pattern is that I brought the neckline up higher.

 

After I tried on the finished dress, I realized that I wanted the top portion of the dress slightly shorter; if I am going to make this dress again in the future. You see, I have a short torso and long arms. That is why I normally don't buy petite clothing even though I am a short girl. The sleeves will be too short for me. One of the greatest aspects of sewing your own garments is that you have some control over how the clothing fits you. I already made an adjustment to the pattern and made the top front/back 1/2" shorter.

 

The air is getting cooler, so I decided to do a fall coordination with a shawl. Because of the nature of the fabric, I feel like I could wear this dress pretty much all year round. I also think that my daughter might even be willing to wear a shorter version of this dress if I sew her one.

 

I sewed quite a bit during September; mainly light weight dresses, I still have some similar dresses I want to sew lined up, but part of me wants to start working with thicker fall material. Well, you might start seeing a mix of these posts in the future! :)

Pale Pink Linen Dress...

Remember this linen dress I made last year? I really liked how it turned out so much that I wanted to revisit the pattern with different fabric. I had pale pink linen fabric I purchased at the same time I bought the purple fabric and I decided to use it for the same dress...

But the thing is; I had a little less fabric so I had to make the skirt shorter and I couldn't make the belt. I thought it would still be fine, but I like the longer length much better. I think that would make me feel more "me".

The air is getting a bit chilly around here, so I also wanted to take some pictures with a cardigan and a scarf, but when I was looking at the pictures before writing this post, the white cardigan and the pink dress reminded me of the nurses when I was in the hospital in Japan growing up! Ugh!! Well, to be honest with you, this is not my favorite dress I have ever made... but, you live and learn, right? I also know that when you are in a creative endeavor, they can't all be winners even though that's what we strive for. Isn't it so interesting how just a few inches off the skirt length or less than a quarter inch of difference could change the whole look of a piece of clothing? 

 

I wish I could turn back time and make something else instead... I will still wear it around the house, but this was a learning experience for me. I hope my next project will be something I could say "I love" and share with you!

Brown Linen Dress

About a week ago, I was looking through my old Japanese magazines and came across a dress a model was wearing that caught my eye. I was looking for inspiration for some design ideas and this particular one lingered in my mind. I decided to try drafting my own pattern. I wasn't sure it was going to work, but I had a pretty good idea of what each pattern piece needed to look like. I chose the brown linen that had been sitting in my closet for years. I thought this dress style and the linen would go together. 

 

The finished dress is a bit different than the dress in the magazine, but the concept and the feeling is pretty close to what I had in mind. I love how it turned out! Only thing is that 100% linen wrinkles so easily. I am looking forward to making the same dress with a more light weight fabric such as lawn, crape or voile next spring.

As I keep going with my own "sew my stash challenge", I feel like more ideas are flowing into my mind and I am more willing to take risks. Sure I might make mistakes, or my plan won't go as I hoped, but I won't improve my skills unless I try, right? Thank you for visiting to see how my projects are going and leaving comments, I appreciate them very much! I have more sewing projects lined up and I can't wait to continue to share them with you!

Kaffe Fassett Shot Cotton Blouse & Skirt

I must say that my most favorite material to sew is hands down, cotton. Maybe because I am a quilter too, and I am more familiar with the material; better than any other fabrics. Also, I wear cotton dresses like this daily even when I am just staying home. Some people might think I am over dressed and being funny, but to me, I feel comfortable in them and they are all washable! I found this dark navy and blue stripe shot cotton by Kaffe Fassett at a local store and immediately fell in love with it. I was going back and forth trying to decide whether I should make a dress or separates. It looks like a dress, but it is actually a blouse and a skirt!

I just used a pattern from one of my posts Liberty of London Top & Skirt for the skirt. Revised a little to make it into an elastic waist instead of a zipper. For the top, I used Esme Top pattern from Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style. I used this pattern to make a tunic a long time ago, but I really like the fit and I thought this would make a lovely top to go with the skirt. Speaking of the skirt, I even lined it! Fun thing is that I can wear this top and skirt together like a dress or separately. I know I will have fun fishing things from my closet to coordinate. :)

What is your favorite material to sew with and why? I would like to get out of my comfort zone and try new things during this sew my stash challenge, there are some sitting in my closet... I guess I will get my hands on them when I run out cotton (or maybe sooner!).

Summer Dress/Pattern review

I was going to sew something else next, but when I was going through my fabrics, I found this light cotton fabric in my stash.  I just LOVE this soft color and light weight cotton and wanted to use this for the next project.  I remembered that I had a pattern that I wanted to try and thought that the fabric and the pattern would be a perfect match.  The pattern I used is McCall's 7969. 

 I changed the neckline a bit; I made it higher to my liking, but everything else is the same. I love how the dress turned out, especially the sleeves!  The dress is a bit baggier than I imagined around the waist, but I like that style too, so it works for me! :)

Did you know that September is a national sewing month?  It gives me more encouragement to keep sewing from my stash! (hehe)  I still have a bunch of fabrics lined up to sew, I am just over here trying to match the right fabrics to the right patterns.  It is one of the most exciting and difficult processes in sewing garments, in my opinion.  As I keep sewing from my stash, I am learning a lot about myself;  for example, I have a fabric buying habit where I buy without specific plans, lack of skills/knowledge, and so on and so forth. But one thing I always knew and has been confirmed with the recent sewing challenge is that I really do love to sew.  when I am thinking, planning and sewing something, it makes me happy. It gives me solace when my soul just needs the extra strength. It helps me to connect with who I am without being distracted by outside noise. I consider myself blessed to find such things in my life. Hopefully, I will keep learning and improving my sewing skills through this sew my stash challenge (not to mention all the newly sewn clothes!). 

Have you been sewing anything new lately?  what is your favorite part in the whole process? 

Versatile Summer Dress

Over the last few month I have been going though my fabric shelves and closet and reorganizing them. I felt like my problem before the pandemic was that I buy fabrics faster than I could turn them into something, but I bet I am not the only one with this problem! I decided that I need to put a stop to that and actually start sewing more. I bought a couple fabrics you see in picture above and below about 3 years ago at a local quilt store but they were lost in a pile and forgotten. I was originally planning to sew a skirt, using a bold Kaffe Fassett fabric as an accent somewhere.

After looking at them for a few days, I really wanted to turn them into a dress instead.

I am a big fan of fabrics designed by Kaffe Fassett. His design consists of bold gorgeous colors and the quilts made with his fabrics are all so stunning. I thought using such large scale fabric for a clothes might be a bit too much, but I really like the combinations and wanted to showcase the fabric rather than cutting it up small. Wearing bold prints under the Summer sun seems desirable, right?

I only had a 1/2 yard of bold print to work with for the top portion of the dress, so I knew I didn't have many options design wise. I looked though all my books and commercial patterns and didn't find any that jumped out at me. Then, I remembered that I designed a simple top several years ago, that would be perfect for this project. I made bias tape with solid fabric I had and used that to finish up around the neck.

I didn't have a solid plan of how this dress was going to look like when I first started. But for the bottom portion, I was going to use a skirt pattern (See & Sew 5840) and modify it. Then an idea popped in my head and I changed course on the design. I added fabric on the wrong side of the fabric to put a fabric string through. So, now I have the option to wear this dress as a drop waist dress, or pull the draw string to make the waist more defined.

I love how it turned out!

I love the drop waist style when I am just lounging at home, doing house chores or reading. The dress feels very comfy and flowy, perfect for a summer day. It is also fun to transform the dress with draw strings to define the waist line. I am thinking about making the same dress with solid fabric, if I use thicker fabric, it will be nice to wear during the fall with a cardigan.

Remember I said I am going to do more sewing from my stash earlier in the post? Well, I am so excited; I am working on a blouse right now with Anna Bond's fabric. I will see you at the next post.

Magenta Pink Summer Dress

I was looking at some clothes I made in the last few months and I guess I have been really drawn to deep pink or purplish colors. I made a skirt with similar color to this dress and a lavender color linen dress. When I found this magenta pink light weight fabric I immediately pictured a summer dress.

I decided to use the pattern Butterick 6451. I love relaxed flowy style to wear around house and I noticed that tiered style is back. This was a perfect pattern.

The original pattern showed sleeves with elastics in them, but I decided to leave it as is (I left the openings just in case I change my mind, I have an option to put elastic through).

I think it would be cute to cut the sleeves short to make a short sleeve dress.

Magenta pink is a bit of a strong color, but it sure is fun to wear! What are you going to sew this summer?

Purple Dress

I have been participating in a sewing challenge called "Sew that pattern now" during the month of March. Emi, Olga and Mijke encouraged people to sew with the patterns and fabrics that have been sitting in your closet or sewing room forever and just get it done. I am totally guilty of having such stacks and I decided to join the fun and knock some projects off my list. It is actually really motivating and fun to go through my stash of fabrics and patterns and finally do some. I made other garments, but this dress is the only one that I took picture of with a real camera and I decided to write a blog post. I promise that later I will upload pictures from my phone and share other clothing I made.

I used linen blend I bought years ago in San Jose. for the longest time, I couldn't decide what to make with it, but I am really happy with how it turned out. The pattern I used is from one of my Japanese sewing books.

I love the pleats and V-neck on this dress and I am thinking about making it with different colors (yes... I have more fabrics in my closet. This is what happens when you shop faster than you sew!).

I was suppose to have surgery done at the end of this month, but last Friday, the doctor's office called and they needed me to reschedule my surgery to the beginning of next month. To be honest, I was pretty annoyed about this at first because that would affect everyone's schedule around here. Also, I thought I wuold be recovering, I didn't plan our Spring Break trip, otherwise we would have been on the road. :( But, now I am thinking I can sew a little bit longer before the surgery and organize my house too. Do you think I can squeeze in some more projects??

Summer Day Top Pattern and My Dress

Hello! I hope you are having a great summer. Seems like some people I have talked to are having a hard time finding the time to sew (or anything else for that matter) between family vacations and all the other activities with kids at home. If you are itching to sew something simple and quick with satisfying results, you should try Summer Day Top by Dana of Made Everyday. I was given a chance to play with her pattern and I was blown away. She pays close attention to detail and guides you through from choosing the right fabric and size to other sewing tips.

This pattern gives you five different versions of tops. I had a hard time deciding which one to go with and I almost made the tunic, then I found fabric in my closet I bought a year ago. I decided to extend the tunic a wee bit longer and make a dress.

I am in love with this dress and I wore it on our anniversary date! Ladies... It conformed what I knew all along; I have the best husband when he doesn't mind taking some pictures of me for my blog as part of our anniversary date!

I love this dress so much and I am thinking about making a top next. Check out Dana's pattern shop for Summer Day Top and other great patterns!

Have fun sewing everyone!