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Blowball wrap dress (v8896)

I am completely obsessed with wrap dresses right now. I have a pinterest board with 35 pins and counting. I own approximately 10 wrap dress patterns. Now I have to make ALL THE WRAP DRESSES.

The wonderful thing about wrap dresses is there are no closures! And they are so very flattering. I made this dress before the announcement of the #sewtogetherforsummer instagram challenge hosted by, among others, Sew Sarah Smith. The rules are pretty simple: sew a wrap dress! Contest closes 1 June 2018. Go check out her blog post for more information about the contest rules.

The pattern I used is Vogue 8896. It features a bias bodice, gathers at shoulders and waist, and a flared skirt (I think it’s a half circle). What I changed from the pattern is that I added pockets, lengthened the bodice, and took out the center back seam on the skirt. I actually think my versions look better than the ones in the catalogue. I don’t have the same billowing at the front waistline. Maybe because my fabric is thicker, or maybe I could have made a size larger (I made a size 12, but according to the size chart I should be a 14-16).

This is actually my second version of this dress. The first was a wearable muslin. Very wearable. I mean, I’ve washed an worn it so many times the past few months that it’s pilling and not very pretty for putting on the blog anymore. The difference with this version is I lengthened the bodice by 2.5cm. I could maybe make it 3cm, but I think over time it’ll stretch out a little bit, as my first one did. Even the fabric is the same as the first one, just a different colour. I got the fabric from https://www.unistoffen.nl/ and I’m very pleased with the price/quality ratio. They sell the same fabrics at my local fabric shop for more.

I’m not sure I’ll add pockets to this pattern again. They don’t lay very nicely in my opinion. I really have to adjust them to make sure they lay right. I used the pocket pattern from Tilly and the Buttons. I might try to add pockets again in a woven fabric instead so that they retain their shape better.

Now if you excuse me, I have another wrap dress in my sewing queue…

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Top 5 Hits

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I shall be joining in on the top 5 lists for 2013. I have been experiencing a bit of a creative block as life has creeped upon me the last few months, so I haven’t really been sewing or blogging in that time. In October, I defended my thesis, then ended up having to hassle a few teachers to get my grades in by the end of the month, but missed the cut-off by a few days. I officially graduated on November 4th and went to the ceremony at the end november even though my diploma wasn’t ready, because my mom flew all the way from Canada to join in on the festivities. We had a lovely couple of weeks together hanging out, watching movies, and shopping. We even went to the infamous christmas market in Germany.

So on that happy note, I shall get into the top 5 Hits.

#5: Vogue 8651 tunic: I did not blog about it, and I did not take any pictures of it, but I made the sleeveless tunic for my sister-in-law and she wears it almost every time I see her since I made it for her birthday in August. I also made her a different tunic for her birthday last year and she wears that a lot as well. My brother-in-law tells me that she wears the things I made her ALOT, so I definitely consider this make a win.

#4: The Rebecca Taylor design dress (Vogue 1152): This dress doesn’t fit perfectly, and maybe I didn’t use the best fabric for the pattern, but I really like it anyway. I can wear it in the summer, or in the winter with leggings and a long-sleeved tshirt underneath. I am a big fan of versatility (and dresses!).

Jo13-1

#3: The retro-print, stash-busting Briar: This is probably my most-worn me-made make of 2013.  I absolutely love this top.  It is super comfortable and (imho) looks good too. I made two other briars in two different sleeve lengths, but I like the long-sleeved one the best because I am cold more days out of the year than not. There are also two more in my sewing queue – one for me and one for someone else. And I might just use up the rest of my knit stash for briars…

#2: Purple and green polkadot belladone: The Belladone from Deer and Doe is quite possibly my favourite pattern. Even though there are still fit issues (ahem, do a bloody FBA already, Joanne!), I love this dress! I love purple on me, and I coveted this fabric for almost half a year online before I bought it at a fraction of the cost at the bi-annual fabric fair in Leeuwarden. And don’t forget that green piping! I feel as though this garment was kind of an aha moment. It only took me 15 years to figure out that my torso is 4-6cm longer than commercial pattern bodices!

And the #1 hit of 2013: The not-so-retro dress.  It just goes to show how important a muslin is! I shall never make a fancy dress from a new pattern again without making a muslin first. This dress fits me like a glove! I got a lot of compliments on the dress, and had fun doing the crazy photoshoot with my best friend back home in Canada.

What were your hits for 2013?

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