third time lucky - named inari tee dress

this is my third attempt at a named patterns inari tee dress and it is definitely a case of third time lucky.  i bought the pattern when it was first released as i liked the slight cocoon shape and high low hemline.  my first two versions were disasters that never got finished.  the first one i made in merino knit but i cut it slightly off grain which meant it had an odd drape.  the second one i made in a stretch sateen but after sewing up the front and back i quickly worked out the stiffness of sateen is not great for this design. for this third version i used a lovely drapey rayon from the remnant warehouse and its a definite case of third time lucky.

i um'ed and ah'ed a bit over what size to make, my measurements best match size 40 in the size chart.  in the end i went with a size 36 making this decision based on the finished measurements chart.  the 36 would give me a couple inches ease in the bust and 3/4" ease at the hips.  i basted the front and back together at the side seams to check the fit and see if i needed to let the hips out a bit, but i was happy enough with the fit so went ahead and finished the dress as a straight 36.

now the dress is finished i am very happy with the overall fit - snug enough for a 'sack' dress, but still enough room to move.

i quite like the high low hem line.  the high hemline at the front and side splits are a bit higher than i would normally wear to work, but given the low back hemline i think overall the hemline is ok for my work place.

the dress does not have any closures and went together easily and quickly.  so beyond choosing an appropriate fabric and size there is not that much else to say about this dress.  it would be a great pattern for a beginner given the straightforward construction.

i am often tempted to put fish eye darts in the back of sack dresses to reduce sagging at the back and give them a bit more shape, but the back of this dress is pretty straight up and down so i wasn't tempted to put in any darts.

its a bit hard to make out the cocoon shape when the dress is being worn, but the photo below gives a good indication of the shape.

i must admit that when i was sewing up this dress and had the front and back basted together i tried it on and thought i'd made another dud.  but i persisted with putting the sleeves in and finishing the dress.  i'm so happy that i did as now i have worn it once to work i think its a great comfy dress.  again i must admit when i first tried on the dress i was thinking that i would be putting the pattern in the recycle bin, but i am now planning another in a black and white rayon i have in my stash.

third time lucky - winner winner chicken dinner!

til next time,
emma

double denim - decades of style 3s a charm jacket and megan nielsen brumby skirt

i've got a thing at the moment for denim and chambray so it was only a matter of time before i went for the double denim'ish look.

the jacket is the recently released three's a charm jacket from decades of style.  when it was released i was immediately drawn to its clean lines and fitted shaped.  i have been wanting to make a jacket for a long time, but have been waiting for the right pattern.  when i saw this pattern i bought it straight away as i thought it looked like a fairly straightforward make and a good starting point for jackets!

the sizing of the pattern is based on bust size and i decided to go with a size 34, being the size that most closely matches my bust measurement.  i didn't make any alternations and am very happy with the fit of the jacket. i am going to add a button at the front so i can wear the jacket open or closed.  wearing it closed eliminates the wrinkles you can see at the upper front area in the photo above.

the fabric is a stretch denim i picked up at spotlight durring a sale.  i got a metre of the 150cm wide fabric and was able to just squeeze this jacket out of the metre by piecing the bottom of each sleeve - you can see the seam in the photo below of the jacket inside out.  the metre of fabric cost $6.00, making this one cheap jacket!

the jacket went together beautifully and the instructions are very clear, although i only gave them a quick glance. one of the times i did look at them was before stitching on the facing - i love the instructions for turning the points by folding the seam allowance back over.  mine turned out quite sharp, even given the weight of the denim.  the only thing i would have liked to see is the wide point of the fisheye darts marked on the pattern like the big 4 do, but this is easy enough to work out for yourself.

 

oh yes i really like this jacket and can see me making several more - definitely a black one, but i am also thinking about bright colours too.

 

while the jacket is pretty clean on the inside unlined, i would also like to have a go at underlining and hong kong bound seams too on another version.

the skirt is the megan nielsen brumby skirt. i made version 1 in chambray that i picked up in fabric town on our recent tokyo trip. i made a medium as my waist measurement is spot on the medium waist measurement.  one of my sewing friends lee has made up this skirt and said she had got a perfect fit matching her waist measurement - thanks lee!

the skirt fits beautifully, although for the back seam i made the seam allowance the width of the zip - eg marginally smaller than the 1.5cm specified to give me just a smidgen more breathing room given my waist measurement was exactly the same as for the medium size. i am very happy with the fit.  the skirt went together beautifully.  i really love megan's drafting and the quality of her instructions - not that i really needed them really for this skirt - but they are so lovely looking you just want to have a look at them!

the  tee is the free maria denmark kimono tee - i have made this so many times i have lost count, you can check out a few of them here.  its such an easy tee to whip up consisting of only 2 pieces and bindings.  the fabric is a lovely soft japanese knit from the cloth shop.
 

 
 yep this jacket and outfit are both winners!

 til next time,

emma