Clothing Hacker

Seamwork Skipper

The Skipper dress is a cocoon style silhouette, so I'm not overly concerned about the fit, since it should be bagggy.  I added inseam pockets, but I now think a kangaroo pocket would have worked much better on this dress.  The other thing I'm not loving is the size of the hood.  I get hoodies as gifts all the time from family and from work, so I know how I like my hoods to fit and this on is just way too big.  It sort of flops into my face when I wear it.  So I would swap it out for another hood, but I have yet to find one that I'm happy with, so finding the perfect hood is going to be a low-key goal of mine now.    

Overall, this dress is a solid choice for lounging around the house or going out to run errands, but I don't think I would wear it to a party or the office -- although during this time, neither of those things are even a consideration. 😁

Top 5 of 2020

Top 5 Hits

1. NYE Dress - This was actually made at the very end of 2019, but I had already published my top 5 for the year.  I used the Seamwork Kenedy pattern slimmed down below the hips to be more of a straight dress and a gold/black flip sequined fabric and I combined a gold and a black fringe to make a couple rows of rows of fringe at the bottom by just sewing them one on top of the other.  Everything else I wore was from Amazon.  
   
   
   
   
   
2. Greenstyle Clara - I did both of these for contests and I love them both so much!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Itch to Stitch Causeway Bomber - this reversible jacket is definitely among my top favorite makes of all time.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Pattern Emporium Palazzo Pants - these are flattering and fun.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Mom's Suki - I hacked the Helen's Closet Suki Robe to have a high/low hem and a band that goes all the way to the bottom.  I lengthened the sleeves and added fringe to the bottom.  I really love how it turned out.
   
   
   

Top 5 Misses 

1. Fab Forty Shirt - Early in the year I tested the Fab Forty Shirt from Annelaine Patterns.  I made 2 of them and the first one was pretty cute.  The second on I thought it would be fun to use glittery elastic for the crossed shoulder straps.  I also used a stiffer knit and the neckline just doesn't drape right and just bows out and looks strange.  Plus, the elastic is not comfortable.  
   
   
   
   
   
2. SSE Seattle Shirt - I just really don't like this shirt.  I'm 85% sure it's because of the fabric and not the pattern, but I just haven't given it another go yet.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Seamwork Skipper - There are a few things wrong with this dress, but the most annoying is the hood is enormous and just isn't practical to actually wear.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Sew Liberated Lichen Duster - This duster looks great from the back, but the front is a mess.  I don't like the insets -- they are just awkward to assemble an I'm not crazy about how they look.  I also didn't do well with the shawl collar and the entire front edge and so it doesn't sit right without me needing to constantly fiddle with it.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Paprika Zircon - I made this with a pretty drapey knit and I think it turned out better than it probably should have.  I also underlined it and the two layers don't hang correctly together.  So, at some point, I will probably undo the hem and let the dress hang for a while to settle out before re-hemming.
   
   
   
   
   

Top 5 Highlights

1. I got to go to the Sew Expo!  This was the very last scheduled event that I was able to go to before the world shutdown.  I remember vaguely thinking that it seemed a little risky at the time, but nothing had been canceled yet at that time. 
2. We finally had cabinets put into the strange alcoves in our living room and they already feel like they've been there forever.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Had deck refinished.  We let our poor deck go way too long without maintenance, so we needed to have several boards replaced and had the whole thing painted with a resurfacer paint.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Got back into crochet - I made 3 blankets and a few other random things and I'm in the middle of some blocks for another blanket.
   
   
   
   
   

Top 5 Goals

I made a Jumpsuit!!

There are so many popular jumpsuit patterns right now!  I've been avoiding them because I hate having to get completely undressed just to pee.  But the Rational Dress Society Jumpsuit is one I've been meaning to make for years now.  So I finally jumped on the bandwagon and made it. 

This is a free pattern is quite utilitarian, which I love.  It has 248 different named sizes that are categorized by "fitted" and "unfitted", and the generalized body shapes described by I A or V.  I made size Asteroid, which is a fitted V shaped pattern. For reference, my measurements are 45", 34", 45" and I'm 5' 9".

I performed a very hacky FBA which can be seen below.  I don't have a before photo, but you can kinda see the edits I made.  This alteration also required an inch to be added to the length of the front fly pieces and I needed a longer zipper than called for.  Luckily, the one I was using was already too long, so I ended up just shortening less than I would have otherwise.

The floral denim I used has no stretch and is quite heavy and stiff, but there is so much ease in my jumpsuit that the fabric worked great.  And I used a gorgeous batik for the pocket bags.

I used a lovely salmon colored topstitching thread and sewed it with one of my other machines so that I didn't have to switch thread for every seam.  I like the way the contrast looks.

The sewing instructions are given via a series of videos and a written transcript of the videos is also provided. For the most part, I could get away with just using the written instructions, but for some of the trickier parts, I needed to watch the videos a few times to figure it out.

Turns out, the pattern is way too long in the body for me! The size I made was supposed to be for a height of 5' 6" - 5' 9" and I'm 5' 9". There is at least 6" that I can pinch out of the body without even trying.  When I make it again in the future, I will shorten the bodice by a couple inches and an inch or two from the rise and maybe even remove a little height from the waistband, because it's a little wide.  But I do actually like the way it looks belted and the one time I wore it out, that's the way I chose to wear it.

And, of course, I made a matching mask.  By now I'm sure everyone who is making masks has already found their favorite pattern.  I tried several, but my favorite pattern is the zippy mask, using a zip tie boning to keep it away from my face while I talk or breathe hard.  Most of mine just use ear loops, but I experimented with various other strap schemes and I like having one big loop on one side and a button on the other and it's been fun finding buttons that match.  For this one I had these two little pink pearlescent buttons, but I didn't think one would hold well, so I used two.  I don't love it with the two buttons and haven't worn it other than for this photo shoot, so I may end up using a different button or just converting it to use ear loops. 

I have grand plans to make this jumpsuit again for myself and one for my husband at some point in the future, but I will be drafting long sleeves for those versions.

This was a project I've been meaning to do for YEARS and I'm very glad that I finally got one made!

Pattern Emporium Lounge Dress

After I made the Pattern Emporium Palazzo Pants, I got an email announcing the release of a new pattern, the Lounge Dress.  I liked the look and since I was so happy with the Palazzo Pants, I figured I'd give it a try and use it as one of the two allowed dresses for the Pattern Review Wardrobe contest.

The pattern has several different options.  I chose the relaxed neckline, regular hem, long sleeves with pockets, of course.

I made a straight size 16 based on the finished measurements because I didn't want as much ease as is built into the pattern. For reference, my measurements are 45", 34", 45" and I'm 5' 9".  I am pleased with the fit.  It's cute, comfy and easy to wear, but I don't feel like I'm swimming in fabric.

I used a scuba fabric from my stash and it wasn't quite wide enough to cut the long sleeves, so I cut them an inch shorter to make it fit and increased the cuff width by an inch to make up the difference.  I also decided to cut the cuffs on the diagonal for a bit of interest.

I will likely make a couple more of these.  The only change I would make is I would add another inch to the long sleeves.

Pattern Emporium Palazzo Pants

Someone in one of my Facebook sewing groups posted their photos of the Pattern Emporium Palazzo Pants and I instantly fell in love with the high waisted, swooshy beauty of those pants.  So, when I was planning my makes for the Pattern Review Wardrobe contest, this was first on my list. 

I used a lovely Black Polyester/Lycra Brushed-Back Scuba Knit from Fabric Mart. It has a gorgeous drape and swishing around in these pants feels quite luxurious!

The pdf pattern itself gets a demerit because it relies on a color printer to distinguish the sizes. So if you are like me and only have a B&W printer, you either have to carefully follow your size or use the layers feature. To be fair, there is some amount of coloration difference, but it's often hard to see in the areas that are busy with a lot of lines.

I wanted these to be at my natural waist, so I tied elastic around my waist and measured from the front of the elastic, between my legs to the back elastic and compared that to the pattern. My measurement was 4" greater than the pattern, including waistband. So I added 2" each to the front and back rise, below the pocket on the front and a similar position in the back. I also originally added 1" to the yoga waistband piece (adding ½" to the waistband,) but after trying the pants on before adding the waistband, I determined that I didn't need that extra height in the waistband and cut off that extra inch before attaching.

The sew was pretty quick. I made it in a day, with the bulk of my time in cutting and altering the pattern. I made the high waisted, "subtle" flair pants (it's really only subtle in comparison to the dramatic flare option.) The finished pants fit perfectly in the waist and flare out nicely. They are very comfy to wear and will look nice with a crop or close fitting top, which is probably the only way I'll wear them.  I already have one other fabric lined up to make another pair.

Named Asaka

Well, it's been a minute since I last posted.  Although I never promised to keep to any kind of regular schedule, I did actually intend to post a bit more often than I have been!

I lengthened the pattern by 5 inches because it is very short and I am 5' 9".   Although I didn't lengthen it any more for my 6' 1" friend, because I thought it would be funny for him to have a tiny short robe, like he was a 70s gigolo.