Flannel Alder Shirtdress

About two weeks ago I finished my first Grainline Studio Alder Shirtdress - it will definitely not be my last! Josh was in Mexico for a week, so we didn't have time to take photos until today. I love this pattern!! It was simple to put together and the sew-along on Grainline's website is sooo helpful! Also, as a Midwesterner (at heart) I was really excited to try out a Grainline Studio pattern  :)

This is a practice version - I eventually want to make the Alder in a floral chambray I have. Even for a practice version, this ended up very wearable! I used a wool flannel that I've had in my stash since I started sewing almost 5 years ago! I bought it second-hand from a shop in Iowa City  :)  It is very warm - perfect for these upcoming chilly months. I jazzed it up by cutting the pockets and back yoke on the bias, and making a chambray collar  :)  I'm 5'4" about 125 lbs and I cut in-between size 2 & 4, overall it fits pretty well. For future versions, I might lengthen it slightly - maybe I'll make the shoulders a bit wider too.

It's layer season!

Like I said, Grainline's sew-along is very helpful. They give you step-by-step instructions with photos for each step right on their website! Love it! The most difficult part for me, was inserting the gathered skirt into the dress. I didn't get the front corners perfect, so they ended up looking a little wonky. It's still super wearable - so I'm not too worried about it - I'll just try to get that better next time  :)  I highly recommend this pattern. Check out my instagram account (https://instagram.com/craft_rambler/)  for more in-progress photos!

My next sewing project is a pair of Colette Clover pants. I'm almost finished with my muslin version, so I'll know soon if they are close to fitting right! Aside from my sewing, Josh and I have been experimenting with making homemade cider with our friends! We've fermented regular cider, cider mixed with farmer's market peaches, and apple cider mixed with blueberries, ginger, and cinnamon! Experimenting with different flavor mixtures and fermenting times has been really interesting and delicious  :)

Brewing!

Treasures From Mexico

Beautiful Blouse From Mexico

Josh just got back from a week long trip to Mexico! He said it was one of his favorite places he's ever been to. He didn't forget about me on his trip - he came back with this lovely blouse and yards, and yards of beautiful fabric for me! I'm a lucky lady  :)

Can't wait to make some pretty things with all this lovely fabric! While Josh was gone I finished a flannel Grainline Studios Alder Shirtdress. I put some photos up on Instagram, but haven't taken proper photos yet. I'll have photos up on the blog this weekend :)

It's Still Summer In Richmond!

I did it folks... I made my first swimsuit!!! I'm thrilled, I was very apprehensive about working with the spandex and the tiny pattern pieces - but it all worked out  :)  This is the Reno/Dakota retro swimsuit from the August edition of Seamwork Magazine. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, there was some seam-ripping, but overall it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.

I've been wanting to make a swimsuit all summer, so I was thrilled when Seamwork offered this one. Although the instructions were really helpful, I struggled with putting the top together. My biggest issues were adding foam cups (which isn't required) and being able to tell all my little pieces apart (which they warn you about in the pattern).  I followed the cup instructions in Seamwork's Swimwear Basics article. The instructions were straightforward, but I started with cups that were bigger than my lining pieces (I found them randomly in my dresser). The first time I cut the cups smaller and sewed them in, I didn't leave enough room around them to stitch my lining to my outer fabric, so I ended up having to recut my lining pieces and cut the cups even smaller and then they worked fine. I also put them in upside-down the first time (oops!).

Pinning my cups to my lining (the first time - see how they're too close to the edges?) #mycupsrunover

My bright cobalt fabric is from the sale section at Jo-ann's. A few weeks after I bought it, I decided to color-block the suit - so I picked up this dark blue fabric. I'm really happy with the mixing of blues. I think they make the suit really pop! I made a size XS for the top and a M for the bottoms. The top fits pretty great, but the bottoms are very loose around my waist. At first I thought I cut the waist elastic too long, so I seam-ripped it out, cut it smaller, and sewed it back in. It still ended up too loose, so I should have graded down to a S at the top of the waist. Live and learn! At some point I'll seam-rip the waist again and cut it smaller, for now I'm just going to enjoy my new swimsuit  :)

Have you all tried making swimwear yet? Really, it's not as scary as you might think! The fabric is actually pretty fun to work with  :)  After this, I'm gearing up for fall - there's a Grainline Studio Alder Shirtdress in my future!

If you want to see more in-progress photos, check out my Instagram pics! https://instagram.com/craft_rambler

Sporty Sweater-knit Mesa Dress

I just can't get enough of this Mesa Dress pattern! It's so simple to sew and cozy to wear. Immediately after finishing my first Mesa, I was itching to make another one. I found this slightly-sporty lightweight sweater-knit at Joannes on sale, and it was ON! I decided to use some leftover black textured fabric for my sleeves. It's the same fabric I used on my first Mesa and on my Midnight Myrtle.

After already putting the pattern together once, I sewed this up really quick. It still took me a few days - I like to work on projects for a little, then put them aside, and then work on them again. My proudest moment for this project, was getting my stripes to line up! I didn't even try it on purpose (because I was lazy & didn't think I had enough fabric). Somehow when I was pinning - I noticed that I could match them up if  I just stretched the fabric a little - et voila! Lovely stripe matching  :)

Matching side seams!!! Yay!

I've already started cutting fabric for a swimsuit - hopefully I'll have it done for Labor Day weekend!

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Velvet Pencil Skirt

Self-drafted pencil skirt & my Seamwork Astoria sweater

The day has finally come my friends - I finally finished my first self-drafted pattern!!! A lovely and versatile pencil skirt! As some of you know, I took a pattern drafting class this past winter where we used our personal measurements to make a sloper. From the sloper, we created basic pattern blocks (fitted to our own bodies) that can be altered to make tops, dresses, skirts, & more! I didn't have to make too many alterations to my front and back skirt blocks for my pencil skirt, I just took the sides in (for a more fitted look) and narrowed the skirt as it got closer to my knees - to give me an hourglass shape.

Invisible zipper in back

Overall, I'm very happy with how the skirt turned out! It's hard to go wrong when you find stunning velvet like this! I picked this up at a fabric store in Charlottesville, VA. They sell a mixture of vintage and new fabric - I always find something I want. This lovely velvet wasn't on a bolt, so I'm thinking it's a vintage treasure  :)  I knew right away that I wanted to use it for a skirt. It ended up being a really close call getting it all cut out - there was no extra yardage whatsoever! I had to pull out some magic maneuvering for the pattern pieces to fit!

Found a friend on our photo walk!

I kept the skirt really simple, so the fabric could really stand out. I lined the skirt with some plain navy blue lining fabric. I had fun styling out a couple different looks with my new skirt  :)  I love how the rich velvet looks paired with my boucle-knit Astoria sweater! The mix-matched patterns and textures work so well together. It will be such a pretty outfit for fall. 

Next on my sewing table:

I'm cutting fabric for another Mesa dress! I was so thrilled with my first outcome, that I immediately wanted to start another one  :) Stay tuned for yet another color-blocked Mesa!

Color Blocked Mesa Dress

Hello friends, it's been too long! I set aside my sewing for a few weeks this summer, and replaced it with bike rides, weekend trips, and soaking-up the sun  :)  I've had a great summer exploring the east coast. Weekend trips included checking out the Blue Ridge Mountains, Washington DC, Rhode Island, Rehoboth Beach, and camping on the Potomac in Virginia!

This past weekend my friend Jessica visited and we sewed the Seamwork Mesa dress. We were both really happy with how our dresses turned out. They are simple and stylish, and they will be great for layering when colder weather comes.

Jessica & Melissa: Sewing Sensations!

We went to a print shop and printed the large format version, it's such a hassle taping all the 8.5"x11" pages together. The dress was really easy to sew - we cut, pinned, and sewed it together while watching the Wuthering Heights mini series with Tom Hardy. The pattern says it will take 1 hour to sew, but those estimates never seem to match up for us - haha, it took us several hours (including cutting and pinning). The only change I made to the pattern, was lengthening it. I like to wear my dresses closer to the knee, so I cut the pattern about an 1 1/2" longer.

pinning the neckband

I used some black textured knit leftover from my Midnight Myrtle dress, and a mid-weight grey knit with tiny pinstripes. Jessica helped me decide which fabric to put where for my color blocking. I love, love, love the color blocking! Now I need to buy more knit fabric, so I can make another Mesa!