Butterick 5744

I just finished another dress that I absolutely love!  And it was really easy to put together (and more importantly it is super comfortable!).  I started with an inspiration from Anthropologie:

I love the way the fabric hangs, the ruffled neckline, and that it's a mock wrap (I think).  I love the fabric too, but I wasn't married to it as the absolute only option.  When I saw Butterick 5744 I waited for a sale and I snapped it up because it's perfect (not so much the model, but the drawings).

I like that this is a mock wrap dress because the real thing requires an ungodly amount of fabric (and I am a remnant shopper about 90% of the time; more than 2 yards is like finding the needle in a haystack). I did find some fabric that I liked on sale for like $2.50 per yard (score!) so I was on my way.

I only put a ruffle on the front wrap piece because a) I didn't want too much bulk where the pieces come together and b) I cut the other ruffle out wrong and didn't have enough fabric to fix it (so, basically the first reason was born from the second reason...but I like it this way better so no biggie).  It's kind of hard to see the ruffle because the print is pretty busy, but it's more obvious in person.

Here's the dress without the belt.  The seam allowance between the bodice and the skirt is closed in to create a casing for the elastic.  The elastic makes this dress easy to get over my head (the neckline makes this possible too) and it creates some shape at the waist.  I really like this method for putting in elastic because closing in the seam allowance is very simple as long as you make it large enough in the first place.  I know I'm improving in my sewing skills when I actually thought about that ahead of time and made sure to leave enough room to add elastic!  Go me!  No rookie mistakes here!

Warning: the hemline on the skirt is already quite short!  I usually have to hack off a few inches to get this length, but it was basically already there!  I had to create a very shallow hem by folding about 1/4 inch. and then folding again about 3/8 in. for a total of about 5/8in.

The bodice is completely lined, which gave a nice, neat finish to the neckline and the armholes.  I used a lightweight muslin for the lining because it's very breathable and light.  I tried to understitch as best as I could, but since you sew the neck and armholes at the same time and then turn rightside out, it's impossible to reach some of the seams.  Oh well, I have come to terms with pressing and not hating my iron (which I used to avoid like the plague), so I can press the seams after washing.

Speaking of pressing, this fabric hated it, so I used quite a bit of starch to iron it into submission.  I'm almost positive that it's polyester of some kind so the rebelliousness is not surprising.  It's also quite sheer, so the lining was necessary.  I didn't line the skirt because I ran out of muslin, but I can just wear a slip under it so not a big deal.

I'm really happy with how this dress turned out, especially because it really didn't take much time and it didn't cause me any problems.  It is sooooooo comfortable and fits great, so I think it will get a lot of wear.  I also like the color because I don't have a whole lot of red in my closet, but bright colors look good on me in general because my skin is like a blank, pasty canvas.

Butterick 5474

My first skirt didn't quite inspire a high level of sewing confidence, so I thought I would attempt some smaller projects to build up my skills.  (Note: not all objects that seem easy, or are labeled as "easy" are in fact easy.  Just like when I tell my mother that doing something involving an electronic device is "easy" only to end up teaching her the first step for all eternity, like click on "send" to send that email).  Thankfully, aprons are actually fairly simple, but I was sooooooo wrong about making purses (blog post coming soon).

Enter Butterick 5474, an apron.  Aprons have to be easy, right?  And totally useful as something that I forget to actually use until after I'm covered in sauce or grease.  I did actually remember to use it last week when I was pitting cherries (score 1 for me, about 500 for food splatters), so i can vouch for its clothes-protecting skills.

I also want to point out that this was my first experience at a pattern sale at Joann Fabrics.  O. M. G.!!!  I officially have a problem now and need some kind of therapy for overbuying patterns, but from all of the blogs I read I have noticed that others also have this problem, so therefore I have decided it is NOT a problem because that many people can't be wrong!  Right?  Right.  (Don't mess with us. Our hobby involves sharp objects).

I chose to make the full-length option with the bias-tape around the edge, which brings me to my first lesson that I learned in the making of this apron: there is something called bias tape.  And if you google it, you find many links to tutorials for how to make bias tape, but you don't really find a whole lot that says "hey, you can buy this for super cheap at a craft store so you don't have to spend hours making it yourself."  Nope, must have missed those links because I thought bias tape was something I had to actually make.  So make I did out of some fabric that I thought was very complimentary to my main fabric.

Now I know that I could have spent about a buck and a half on plain black bias tape.  (*breathe, go to your happy place*).  I'm so grateful for the learning experience of making my own bias tape so that I appreciate more how it works when I buy it at the store in bulk now.  It's kind of a shame that I used this technique on an apron that I mostly forget to even use, but I know how to do it if I need a more unique touch on something I make (*cough won't happen cough*).

All in all, this was actually a pretty easy project after all and maybe if I leave post-it notes on all of my cookbooks saying "WEAR AN APRON, DUMMY!!" I will remember to use it more often.  Probably not though as I have a bad habit of ignoring things once I get used to them being there.  C'est la vie!