Springy Top

DSC_5775

Just in time for spring, I made the Peppermint Magazine / In The Folds Peplum tank. It was very quick, yet satisfying, as I completed it from start to finish in one morning. I am especially happy with the insides of the tank: I used a pretty mint green bias tape to bind the raw edges (except I used self-fabric for the neckline bias, because the back V was a teeny bit tricky and I wanted to follow the instructions to the letter for that part).

DSC_5776

DSC_5763

DSC_5769

I am a little sad that I made it a little bit too big; every bra I have tried on with it shows at the armholes. My horrible confession: when I got the pattern printed at FedEx, the scaling was a bit off and the test square printed big. I stubbornly cut it out anyway (WHAT???) and proceeded to make the top with these off-scale pattern pieces!!! My rationale was it was only a little bit off… I am not proud of this, and I am making a promise to myself to not do this again.

Other than that glaring and preventable error, I love this top’s swinginess, and the drape of the linen (from Mood) is fab. I am excited to wear it when the weather gets warmer, right now its swing is squelched by needing to wear layers over it. I think I’ll make this again (at the correct size!!!) soon. The pattern is super-well written, and I especially like the shoulder seam details.

Jacob snapped these pics on our way out to get some new terracotta pots, one of our plants has grown so many pups that its time to transplant!

 

DSC_5760

Should I make the Jumpsuit next?? I don’t know if I can pull it off…. eeEEeee!!

Acton Dress

I made an Acton dress! I’ve been eyeing this pattern up for a long time, and finally decided to go for it… with some lovely gray “luxe” linen and some super-fun Liberty I bought during our LA trip at The Fabric Store.

acton_dress_front

acton_dress_front_2

I rode my bike to the Phipps since it was so nice out (!!), but I think it made the dress extra rumpled for these photos, especially in the bust and waist.

acton_dress_back

I was pretty meticulous about lining up seams and making sure everything looked perfect, but was in a rush to finish sewing the straps, so I neglected to realize I did not line them up correctly. The top back also didn’t line up! Wow what a miss. It was surprisingly easy to perform surgery through the lining to fix it this morning, though.

acton_dress_detail_3

acton_dress_detail_1

acton_dress_detail_2.JPG

… see? All better now.

The instructions for this pattern were GREAT!!! I loved the technique of sewing the lining to the center back seam, it was so easy and looks really professional. I usually hand-sew the lining at the zipper, but this looks better and is more sturdy. Speaking of the zipper…. my local fabric store didn’t have a grey zipper, so I went purple, and I really like it. It peeks out a tiny bit when I am wearing it, but its so fun! Overall, this is a great pattern… it is a tiny bit unflattering in the waist area, but I think I made it a skosh too tight. I made a bodice muslin in a straight size D, and then ended up taking in the side seams by 1″ on the final fabric’s side front and side back bodice (and as a result,I had to take in the skirt side seam 1″ in at the waist and grade out to the size D). Next time, I think I will take it in 1/2″ or so instead, so there’s more wiggle room.

acton_dress_back_2

Thanks to Claire and Kelsey for taking some impromptu photos at the Phipps yesterday!