Pattern Review: Salme Patterns' Double-layer Camisole

Don't you hate how your favorite TV characters never repeat their outfits? (I'm not talking about the Sex and the City ladies; the most unrealistic thing on that show was the fact that New Yorkers would walk four abreast down a busy sidewalk. Everyone knows only tourists and middleschoolers do that).

Displaying my daily me-made wardrobe this May has me actually caring about week-over-week repeats. I could just wear what I had on yesterday (oh look! It's still here on the floor where I left it!) but I won't because it seems gauche to re-gram the same selfie. Looking at my grid of pics on Instagram is a good push to dig through the far reaches of my closet for those items I've sewn and then never worn.

Simplicity 1872 is one such project. Sewn at the behest of Kollabora.com when it first launched, I was never really thrilled with this dress. The flare on the skirt was unevenly distributed, creating too much fullness right at the sides (I have drafted many skirts so I could tell by how it hung that the flare wasn't evenly distributed). I have enough fullness on my hips, thankyouverymuch. I do like the bodice but that sleeve gathered with elastic is just two precious for me:

So in an effort to avoid wearing yet another Scout Tee or Tiny Pocket Tank, I turned this dress into two tops this week. Numero Uno, an easy peplum top, which retained the bodice and an underneath piece that had been attached to one layer of the skirt:

And Salme Patterns' Double-layer Camisole:

This is the first Salme Pattern that I have worked with though I've been lurking her shop for some time. I completely adore how it turned out and was high-fiving myself for the fact that I was able to squeeze this tank out of the remaining yardage from my pillaged skirt. Her guidelines suggest you only need 5/8 yard for this top, and she's right. I used even less, I think, because I raised the waistline by two inches (I had no choice due to fabric limitations — and also, I am quite short-waisted). 

This top comes together so easily: you sew the outer layer to the inner layer with the straps sandwiched between, which finishes the neckline all around. The little spaghetti straps are easy to make (though in this lightweight voile they feel pretty skimpy, which worries me that they will not last). The darts are nicely placed. The only change I think I would make is to pinch out some excess along the front neckline. It gapes a little, but that excess can be rotated into the dart the same way that I did it with Burda's Cap Sleeve Dress (another dress I never wear but that's another story!) 

 

One thing about Salme Patterns: you have to add your own seam allowances, which I am fine with. In fact, I think it's a good idea; depending on how you plan on finishing your seams, you may want a different size seam allowance. (Also, it makes it easier to edit a pattern when you are not also mucking around in seam allowances.)

But for a beginning sewer, I think that would be a deal-breaker. I can just imagine the blank stares I'd get if I told my sewing students that they had to add seam allowances.....(crickets).

So there it is: one unworn dress transformed into two wearable tops — and two more days of no-repeat Me Made May! How have you turned a dud DIY into something you can actually wear? And can you think of a TV character (other than Wonder Woman) who wore the same thing more than once?

Sew Sexy? Or Sew Hard to Wear?

Things are heating up in the Sew Sexy Sewalong challenge with Sown Brooklyn's ab-baring two-piece outfit in houndstooth. (Have you seen it? I love it). I don't actually have any clue when this sewalong wraps, so I'm posting my entry immediately lest I miss the deadline. So, I present to you a sheer striped Scout tee, made from pieced organza and cotton with a back in solid black shirting. Yes, that is a one-inch section of my midriff showing. Feast your eyes: 

That face I am making is in response to my photographer/husband, who is saying to me: "Why are you standing like that with your toes together?"

"This is how sexy women stand these days!"

"Pigeon toed? You look like you're hunching."

If looks could kill:

Here, again, is the inspiration for my top, in a much more demure white-on-white stripe:



I used the Scout Tee pattern because it has good bones: I've made it before so I know the neckline (which I dropped) is flattering; the side seams are positioned properly; the hemline is perfect; and the ease is enough to create the casual shape that I hoped would contrast the sheer fabric I was using.

I created the striped piecing by cutting wide strips of both fabrics, and then sewing them together. I then pressed and topstitched:

I then cut the front pattern piece out, taking care to place a non-see-through stripe across the bust:

I modified the back piece of the Scout Tee pattern to create an overlapped open back. Unfortunately, in this stiffish shirting it looks a little like a goth hospital gown:

Though I feel like this was a pretty successful experiment, I'm not sure the sexy factor is high enough. It is see-through in places...but the overall shape is pretty boxy. (That was purposeful; I thought it would be kind of mod/sexy.) I don't exactly look thrilled, do I?

Though sheer fabrics aren't likely to make their way to the top of my sewing pile again soon, I will definitely attempt making my own stripes once more. I really loved how easy it was to create a bold, graphic look with just a few scraps of fabric. It's definitely a fun way to make a tried-and-true pattern all-new again.

Have you sewed with sheer fabric before? How do you (pigeon) toe the line between sexy and trashy?

A Sheer Surprise

I quit coffee a few weeks back and other than the 36-hour headache the hardest thing has been losing that one thing I used to reward myself. Coffee was my carrot, encouraging me to make a deadline or finish a task so I could have a few minutes of enjoyment before moving onto the next thing.

Now what do I have for a moment of self-rewarding downtime? I give myself a couple minutes on Pinterest for some mindless scrolling through all the mason jar DIYs and nail art closeups. It's not invigorating like coffee, but it also doesn't give me anxiety like caffeine did so there's that.

The other day I was scrolling I saw this top pinned to a friend's fashion board:

I was still looking for some project inspiration for Clio, Sown Brooklyn and Lisette's Sew Sexy Sewalong challenge, and this seemed like a good way to push myself and try something new — and maybe add something sexy to my wardrobe.

So I rifled through my stash and found some silk organza and polka dot cotton I thought would be cool to combine in a pieced stripe:

I made my stripes wider and tried to place the opaque polka dot cotton over the bust area:

To make it easy on myself, I am using Grainline's Scout T-shirt pattern, which I have sewn multiple times. It has an easy, loose fit, so I shouldn't shred through the organza pulling it on and off. 

My next task is to figure out what to use on the back of this T-shirt. I don't want to have to match stripes on the side (plus the inspiration T features a solid back). I may have to cut something apart to find a good match. I'm not really willing to shop for this top, since it's kind of an experiment and might be an unwearable disaster anyway. 

What would you choose for the back of a sheer, striped T-shirt?

Sew Sexy Sewalong — If It Feels Good, Do It

In my long blogging absence I was pleased to see my legacy lived on in inspiring a movement to add a little sexy to our sewing tables (keep your feet on the floor, ladies and gents, I'm talking about sexing up our patterns not our privates!).

(I'm giving myself too much credit here, but I was linked to by the sexy ladies Clio, Lisette (What Would Nancy Drew Wear?) and Nettie of Sown Brooklyn so that's something considering how little I was participating in our little corner of the Interwebz). 

Anyway, to throw my hat in the proverbial ring, I'd like to add to the discussion on what makes a home-sewn garment sexy. My main criteria for judgement these days: would I wear it to a parent-teacher meeting? If the answer is "no," then I think it qualifies as "sew sexy." And this dress (from the Drape Drape 2 book; thank you, Gingermakes!) meets that criteria. Booty-hugging in the back and with long drapey folds that draw your eyes downward towards your, um, uh, bobbin casing, this dress is definitely something I wouldn't wear to Kindergarten pickup. (OK, I would, but only with a long cardigan on top and thick leggings underneath — because this thing is SHORT, and to think I even sewed the XL size!).  

And what I love about this pattern (which was the most difficult puzzle I've worked on since figuring out how to put together my kid's play kitchen one Christmas Eve) is how easy it is to wear. So you're not constantly adjusting or checking to make sure just the right amount of cleavage is showing, which means you can relax — the true key to feeling sexy in something you made.

I have a few weeks lefts for another addition to this project (which you can see more of in their Flickr group here). I'm hoping to sew up a dress with a back cutout, should the pattern arrive in time. 

Do you have a fave sexy pattern?