Veronika!

Now that the Veronika skirt pattern is live on Megan Nielsen's website, I figured I'd give you guys a look at the two versions I sewed up during the pattern testing process.  The pattern includes instructions to make the skirt out of either knit or woven fabric, which is super-useful.  

Woven gray Veronika with narrow waistband option 

This is the first version I made.  I've had this gray mystery-fabric in my stash for years, and was super pleased to get to use it up while making a great basic wardrobe item.  I used a cream invisible zipper (and I really didn't do a very good job setting it in) and finished the waistband by hand.  I finished the hem using bias tape which is hand-finished on the inside.  I've gotten tons of compliments on this skirt - the weight and body of the fabric ended up being pretty perfect for this skirt - and I'm looking forward to wearing it more in the Fall.

Purple knit Veronika - elastic waistband

Since I did so much hand-sewing on my first version, when I decided to make a second one I went the turbo-easy route.  This is purple cotton/poly ponte de roma from Joann Fabrics.  I used 1" wide braided elastic in the waistband, and the guts are all serged.  I didn't even bother to hem it.  I've gotten a lot of wear out of this skirt so far this summer - it's less constricting and fussy than the gray version above and goes well with so many other wardrobe items.  

I didn't line either version because I tend to prefer to wear a half-slip under my skirts.  I'd rather mix and match half-slips than sew a lining on every skirt.  

This was a great pattern (and it's free: http://megannielsen.com/collections/womens/products/veronika-skirt-sewing-pattern) and the pattern-testing process was absolutely awesome.  I had so much fun getting to be part of the behind-the-scenes process and I hope I get the opportunity to do more pattern-testing in the future.

Morris Blazer II

The Morris Blazer is one of those patterns that I want to make over and over again.  While I loved my first version - made with ponte - I wanted something a little more structured to wear with my Myrtle dress to Asashi's wedding.  I had some black stretch poly suiting leftover from my Osaka skirt - just enough to cut a second Morris blazer.

Black poly Morris Blazer  

This blazer went together much the same as the first, though the suiting wouldn't hold a crease at all and was generally difficult to get to cooperate.  I had finished the assembly up to the part where the facing gets attached.

That is when I should have taken a break, gotten a snack and maybe some coffee, maybe watched a couple episodes of The Golden Girls.  But I didn't, because I'm still a somewhat foolish sewist and I like to get things done RIGHT NOW.

Somewhere along the way, the facing stopped lining up quite right.  So I spent a frustrating half hour unpicking black thread on black poly stretch suiting.  My poor eyes.  Then I quit.  And by quit, I mean I left the damn thing on my dress form for several days to a week.  I don't really remember how long, but I remember that we decided to leave a day early for the wedding since Josh was hastily added to the bridal party and like hell was I not going to wear this blazer at that wedding.

The morning we left, I attached the facing and finished the whole thing.  I made some missteps attaching the sleeve facings - I encountered the same problem I encountered with my first version where the facings were smaller than the sleeve - but so far I've left it the way it was when I finished it that day.  No one really seems to notice anyway.

Guts.

In the two months since the wedding, I've worn this more than almost any other me-made item.  I've worn it out to dinner, to parties, out shopping when I need a light jacket.  I love that I can wear it like a cardigan but that it looks structured, not frumpy.  Abundantly useful and super appropriate for all kinds of activities, this is one of my favorite kinds of sewing patterns.

Update - Fall Sewing

The mornings here in Toledo have started to get cooler - it was 63 degrees today on my way to work - which has gotten me thinking about what my Fall sewing projects should be.  Or maybe it was seeing the new plaid flannels at Joann's last night.  Or maybe it was seeing all the "pumpkin-spice-is-coming" posts on the internet.  

Sewing-wise, summer is down-time for me.  I rarely sew things that are hot-weather appropriate because I don't want to invest that much time in things that can only be worn a few months out of the year.  I rarely wear shorts, and my skirts are designed to be worn year-round with boots/tights/leggings.  There's frankly no point in having a separate summer wardrobe when you live 15 minutes from the Michigan border.  As I write this, I'm wearing a flannel top, jeans, boots, and a wool-alpaca scarf because my current work space is so heavily air-conditioned that I'd be freezing otherwise.

I've finished the first bridesmaids dress for my sister's wedding in September, and once I finish the second - and last - one I'll be done with "required" sewing for a little while (except the sheath dress my sister requested but hopefully that won't take too long).  

Top of the list for Fall sewing is an Archer shirt in flannel.  I bought the pattern on New Year's Eve (according to my Gmail - maybe I bought it after imbibing?  Who knows) after it sat in my sewing pattern wish list for a solid four months.  I read through the instructions and sew along this morning and feel very confident that I can put this together with a reasonable amount of work.

Also on the list: another Linden sweatshirt, another knit pencil skirt (I've worn my version of Gertie's knit pencil skirt to death), a cropped jacket (pattern tbd), a black circle skirt (Veronika, in a ponte knit), a pair of slim-fit sweatpants (probably full length Anima pants, since the Hudson's have an awkward crotch curve), and a Hemlock tee in off-white/cream interlock.  I'm a pretty plain person, and I'm partial to very few silhouettes.  

Finally, I'd also like to announce that after several months of searching and interviewing, I've landed a really awesome job with a great company.  I'll be starting there in a few weeks, and I couldn't be happier or more excited.  It's been a long, unpleasant road since I graduated two years ago, but I feel like I'm finally headed in the right direction.  :D

Three Mesas

I had an interview awhile back for a scientist position with the Department of Agriculture.  I woke up the morning Josh and I were going to leave for Columbus nervous as all-get-out.  It was 6 AM.  Josh wouldn't wake up for another several hours and I desperately wanted to fill the time with something productive.

Fortunately, a few days before Mesa had been released in Seamwork Magazine and I had already printed, assembled, and traced size Medium.  So I made myself a big cup of coffee (what could possible go wrong when mixing anxiety, coffee, and sewing?) and got to work.  

I finished assembling the dress around the time Josh woke up.  I wore it on the drive down to Columbus, changing into my interview outfit once we'd arrived at a friend's house.  There isn't anything quite as satisfying as wearing something you made that morning.

 Mesa version 1

I immediately noticed the neckline gaped.  This is sometimes a problem for me - especially with wide necklines like this one.  I chalked it up to fabric choice - this is a slinkier knit and the samples in Seamwork were made from what looked like a much sturdier knit.  

When I was informed that I didn't get the position I interviewed for (sadface) I figured that I could let off some steam by giving Mesa another shot in a sturdier knit.  

Mesa version 2

Unfortunately, same problem.  Not that a gaping neckline would stop me from wearing them. Both dresses are a little snug in the hips as well. 

I made a toile using my high bust measurement to pick my size, then grade out to my waist and hip measurements (small bust - medium waist - large hip) because sometimes that fixes my fitting problems when I'm working with knits.  I didn't make this third version full-length because I didn't want to waste more fabric trying to get this pattern to work.

Third version was worse than the previous ones.  The neckline is still too large and gapes, but now the bust is too snug and the sleeves/armscythe is too tight.  I never bothered to hem it, and I'm currently trying to figure out if I can salvage any of the fabric for something else.

I'm trying to work myself up to giving it a fourth shot.  If I pinch out about an inch from the front and center back, the neckline starts to behave properly, but since the front is cut on the fold I think I'd need to take a long strip out of the center front and back, then add that ease back in at the side seams.  I have no clue if that'll work, and it'll probably mess with how the sleeves fit into the armscythe.

I think I'm done trying with this one.  I love how easily it comes together, but the shoulders/neckline are just way too broad for me (and I don't consider myself to have exceptionally narrow shoulders).  I'm probably just going to go through my Big Four collection and find something that fits my shoulders, and frankenpattern my own version of this dress.  It's worth noting that I had similar problems with the Aberdeen top so it's probably due to how the patterns are drafted or the proportions of their fit model.

This weekend, I'm going to be starting on the bridesmaids dresses for my sister's wedding.  I'll be making Myrtle - which I've made three times before with decent success - out of some poly knit fabric that my sister picked out.  It's actually pretty nice stuff - good recovery and it doesn't go see-through when stretched, and it doesn't curl up too horribly when cut but also isn't super thick.

Unfortunately, I made the dubious choice to cut out my size the first time I printed the pdf, and the other bridesmaid is a size larger than me, so I have a bunch of trimming and assembly to do.  I'd also like to retrace my own size, because the shoulder pieces don't really fit together right and I wanted to check and see if that's changed.

Update!

It turns out that a straight size medium Mesa perfectly fits my little sister, so I gave her the black and white version.  I'm planning to make her another one out of some black knit fabric with cream polka-dots before the end of the summer.