Simplicity 2177

Thank goodness for Thanksgiving break! I really needed some time to relax and recuperate from a very busy semester that followed hard on the heels of a very busy summer. How busy? Well, I've racked up over 50,000 actual flight miles over the past 9 months, including 4 trips to Europe, if that's any clue. Even though I had grand plans to start working on the new class I'll be teaching next semester, instead I slept a lot, played some Wii with my husband, knitted and watched movies, and started and completed a new sewing project --- Simplicity 2177.

The fabric is a cotton shirting from Fabric.com that I picked up quite a while ago for $1.95/yard. I only purchased 1.5 yards, which was just barely enough for this dress due to the 44" width of the fabric. I couldn't fit the pockets in, so I cut those out of cotton voile (also ensuring that they wouldn't add bulk to the skirt). And I lined the entire bodice in voile to keep it neat on the inside and add a teensy bit more opacity.

The front bodice pieces were cut at a size 8 and graded out to a 12 at the waist. I cut a 6 graded out to a 10 at the waist for the back bodice pieces because I've realized that my back is a bit narrow and a size 8 has the tendency to gap. The skirt pieces were cut at a size 12.

I only used parts of the directions and mostly ignored them for the bodice. Instead, I used this tutorial combined with the instructions from Simplicity 2638 to line the bodice. The quick summary is that you assemble and sew the darts in the front and back for the bodice and the lining, sew the backs to the fronts at the shoulders only, then sew the bodice and lining together at the neck and the armscyes. Finally, you pull the bodice backs through the shoulder straps to the front, leaving all your seams enclosed between the lining and the bodice. It was a bit tight pulling the backs through the shoulder straps to the front, but it did work and I love how clean the result is. I don't have a serger, and lining the bodice looks much more professional than just pinking the seams or zigzagging them. It also provides a convenient base for anchoring seam tape or lace, which I use to enclose the waist seam where the skirt is attached.

I have gotten in the habit of using french seams for skirt pieces, but I wasn't sure what to do with the pockets in the skirt side seams. Luckily, I found this tutorial and realized it was no problem to have my french seams and my pockets too.

Finally, I installed an invisible zipper rather than the lapped zipper that the instructions call for. I like how neat and professional the invisible zippers look and I've been installing them in everything lately. Here's the back, with the invisible zipper truly appearing invisible.

All that's left is to wash it to remove the markings (I use Crayola washable markers) and then get some pictures of me wearing it. Hopefully I'll do both in the next few days. I was running out of steam by the time I got to hemming the skirt, but the cotton pressed so easily that it was really simple and went quickly. I'm just happy that I managed to finish the whole project this weekend. It actually only took me two days and I certainly was not sewing all day long.

A New Simplicity 5914

This is my third version of Simplicity 5914 (first version is here and second version requires some adjustments that I've been putting off). I LOVE this version of the skirt. Everything seems to have come together so well -- the fabric choice, the invisible zipper, the sewing, the fit -- and I will have to restrain myself from wearing this skirt every other day at work. It has this lovely little swishy effect at the hemline when I walk that I just love. I also really love the way this outfit came together, with a white cotton 3/4 sleeve cropped cardigan that I just got from Target, a black camisole, and my black boots. Although it appears I should remove the tag from the cardigan, since I can see it in the photo below.

Pardon the wrinkles in the pictures, I had worn this all day at work before getting James to take some pictures in the evening at home.

This is the a-line version of Simplicity 5914. I used about a yard of charcoal wool/rayon blend suiting from Fashion Fabrics Club that I picked up quite a while ago on sale for $5.75/yard. I cut a size 12, since that's what I need to fit my waist and the rest of the skirt didn't require fitting. In addition to changing out the lapped zipper for an invisible zipper, I had to shorten the skirt by about 3" (2.5" in the back graded to 3.5" in the front), I used french seams where I could because of the tendency of the fabric to fray along cut edges, and I hand stitched the hem with the help of pink seam lace.

The seam with the zipper was finished by slightly trimming the seam allowance and then zigzagging along the edges. I was originally going to blind stitch the hem, but the fabric was so nicely drapey that it was going to be a challenge, so hand stitching seemed to offer the most control while making the hem fairly invisible from the front of the skirt.

Everything seemed to line up just perfectly with the zipper placement and it truly is invisible. I managed to get the top of the zipper to match the top of the waist, so I skipped the hook and eye closure that the pattern recommends.

I've been restraining myself from immediately buying more fabric to make this skirt again and again. I need to plan the next version carefully so that I don't end up with 10 versions of the exact same skirt. I can already tell that this skirt is on the short list of things I've sewed that I'm really proud of and absolutely love to wear. Also on that list is this version of Simplicity 2638.

That's basically the extent of the list at the moment, although I'm hoping it will grow significantly.

What's next, you ask? Well, I think I'm going to try Simplicity 2614 with some leftover fabric I have laying around. I'm going to start with the middle view (basic top with cap sleeves). It looks like it will go together pretty quickly and it doesn't require any buttons or zippers.

The weather has been getting pretty chilly lately, although it's supposed to warm up a bit for a few days. Depending on how the top turn out, I may have a chance to wear it this week. I'm apparently one of those sewists who doesn't really care what the weather is doing but just sews whatever catches her fancy. Since this is just supposed to be a fun hobby for me, I'm fine with that and I see no need to plan out a wardrobe of winter-appropriate clothing. Besides, the weather will change soon enough to being hot and humid again, and I'll need plenty of clothing that I can wear during our long summers.

As a nod to the cold weather, though, I have started a new knitting project. I have a few others that I should finish up, but I hadn't felt much like knitting during the summer and I felt like starting something new the other day when I was snuggled with a blanket on the couch, so I did.