Lisette Attache Dress - Simplicity 1666

Before starting this dress, I stewed about it for a ridiculous amount of time.  Like thinking-about-it-in-the-middle-of-the-night ridiculous!  I worried about whether the style would suit me and, once I decided it might, about the best fabric choice and then how to get it to fit.  There aren't many versions online so I asked for some advice about what size to cut from the very helpful ladies on the Lisette forum.

And then I made a muslin with a zipper even (!).  But I wasn't brave enough to cut the size I should have from my real fabric (silly me!).  I cut size 16 at the shoulders, graduating to 18 at the chest with an extra inch at the bust then a 20 at the waist.  I ended up taking it in a lot at the waist and, after wearing it, I think I could have taken it in more.  I don't know why I worried about fitting this, though.  The princess seams make it really easy to take in a bit here or add a bit there.

Worrying aside, it was a quick sew.  And it fit the bill for what I wanted: a casual dress that I would be comfortable wearing.  I wore it twice on our recent holiday -- with a pearl necklace to an evening performance of Anne of Green Gables and then again when we went out for a lobster supper.  I felt slightly more dressed up than most people on those two occasions but still comfortable and not out of place.

Excuse the wrinkles, apparently I didn't do a very good job ironing it after getting it out of the suitcase and then this is after wearing it for awhile :).

Pattern: Simplicity 1666, bought at Fabricland $8.76
Fabric: Kaufman Cotton/Linen Chambray Shirting bought from Fabric.com, used 71 inches $35.50
Notions: zipper $2.08

Total: $46.34

Lisette Passport Jacket - Simplicity 2209

This jacket has been waiting for the finishing touches for about 2 months now.  It's made of the stretch denim I bought at DressSew in Vancouver last summer (the rest went to family reunion dresses here and here). 

The only reason this took so long to finish was that it was super short and I didn't know how to hem it to try to maintain all the length I could.  In the end, I bound the bottom in bias tape and slipstitched it.  It doesn't make for a very crisp hem, though, and is especially wonky where it meets the jacket facing.  

Souvenir Blouse - Take 2

After some helpful advice on flickr and the Lisette forums, I decided to try this top again.  I definitely needed more space across the chest and back so I cut a larger size and added an inch to the middle front (just the bottom panel, not the yoke). 

It ended up too big, like falling off my shoulders too big.  I took the sleeves off and contemplated taking the yokes off, too, (yokes? is that right? it doesn't sound right) so that I could cut them to the smaller size.  I didn't have the patience to do all that seam ripping though so in the end I just offset the sleeves in 1/4" in on both the front and back yokes.  Most definitely not the most professional alteration but it made the neckline fit better (and the neckline still lined up . . . after two tries).  I will still have to wear my "fancy" bra -- it has thin straps that wont show as easily but it also hoists my breasts up into a kind of shelf, which I find distracting.  My husband doesn't mind, though :).

The fabric is this 100% linen (hence the wrinkles) from fabrics-store.com. (Again Canadians don't choose the UPS standard shipping option -- you'll end up regretting it!).  It's very lightweight but not sheer so is perfect for summer. 

Overall I like this style and I think I will wear this quite a bit (might have to investigate other bra options, though) but right now it feels quite baggy, almost maternity-esque.  I can't see myself making this again but if I did maybe the larger size in everything except the yokes and only add 1/2" in the middle front?? 

Sorry for the crappy picture. My hubby only picks up my camera reluctantly so I take what I can get :)

Lisette Souvenir Blouse - Simplicity 1879

Some projects are just not meant to be, not through the fault of the pattern or the fabric but the mindset of the seamstress.   A few weeks ago, I had been having a really crappy day so I decided to take a break and do some sewing.

Things did not get any better because I made a million mistakes on this top.  Here are just a few:
~ I didn't mark the right side so ended up making two two left sleeves
~ I fixed one sleeve then I stitched the second sleeve on before adding the bias tape to finish the seam
~ when I was pinking the armhole seam I snipped a hole in the sleeve, right in the front shoulder so I had to cut and attach another sleeve.

Now that it's all together, I'm very unhappy with the ripples in the sleeves, especially at the shoulders, even though I ripped them out and redid them a couple of times (beyond the fixes I had to do above).  I now have a tailor's ham so that might help for the next time. 

(As an aside, when I went to buy the ham, I had to ask three (!!) different staff members at Fabricland for help finding it because none of them even knew what I was talking about.  When I finally found one, the package was dusty and it looked like it had been there for 30 years.  Does no one use these things anymore?)

Also, it's tight through the shoulders and chest and gapes like crazy at the front.  I know I didn't do the best job finishing the top as I made so many mistakes that I didn't think I'd end up wearing this anyway.  I'd like to try again as I really like the style of this top but I need to figure out if I should alter the front yoke before I make another version.  Looking at the photo, I think it might be too small.  Maybe a larger size would help with the gaping?  Also, the yoke looks a bit wonky on so sewing it on properly might help :)

I'm embarrassed to even post a photo of this because it looks so awful but hubby was kind enough to take a couple so here goes:



edited to add:  I did try this top again and had much better luck.  See it here

Lisette Market Skirt

I had some fabric left over from my Lisette traveler dress (which I've worn several times now -- I can't say that about too many of the things I've made for myself!) so I made Simplicity 2211 view A.  I do love pleats but I'm thinking that I should have stuck to the un-pleated view B version -- the fabric is a little too casual and the pleats don't iron very crisply.  I still need to tack down the tabs but I think I will forgo the buttons.  I used Sew? I Knit's tutorial to insert an invisible zipper.  It was super easy and looks way more professional than a regular zipper.  I think the end result makes it worth the extra cost (in clothes I make for myself anyway, maybe not for the kids!). 

Lisette Traveler Dress

I love Oliver + S patterns for kids so have been itching to try a pattern from the Lisette line.  With some time between contracts for work this week, I was able to make the Traveler dress (Simplicity 2246).  I wasn't disappointed -- the instructions are fantastic and the pattern well written.  I can't get over how professional this dress came out considering my lack of experience sewing adult clothes!

I wear a size 12 in off the rack clothes but cut out a 16 on top, graduating to an 18 on the bottom to leave space for my rather large rear end.  I think it was the right choice for my comfort level but it meant the dress was very sack-like in the middle and, when I added the tie, the material bunched up.   There was likely some type of alteration I could have done to avoid this when I cut the pattern but I don't have any clue what it might be. I added four fish eye darts (not sure if that is the right term) -- two in the front and two in the back -- it helps a bit but I would like to know the correct way to fix this for next time. 

The fabric is a linen-cotton blend I bought at 50% off from Fabricland.  My husband is not a fan, which is too bad because I ended up with enough left over to make skirt.