This Spring and Summer, I Have Made:

Four of my Spring Make-Nine

• Vintage 1970s McCalls M8492 Blouse
• Miss Make Clava Quilt 
• Studio Sadoe Foxglove Slipdress 
• Started: A Quilt Inspired by Barbara Brackman’s Lincoln Museum Quilt 

Plus

• Liberty Scarves and Pocket Squares
• Nine Me-Made Dresses Mended

Vintage 1970’s McCalls M8492 Blouse

I made the blouse version of the McCalls M8492 in a Liberty Lawn from Toronto’s Riverside Fabrics. I found the pattern fairly easy to follow, except for the portion where the front collar meets the back facing, which I decided to hand-stitch. While I cut my size according to the pattern standards, the arm-holes s ran quite tight around the lower bicep.

Modifications:

1. Interfacing the front collar, back neck facing, and the corners of the front bodice.
2. Lengthening the top by 3 inches.
3. Hand-stitching the front collar to the back neck.
4. Keeping more length in the sleeve by cuffing shorter.

Studio Sadoe Foxglove Slipdress

I made this Studio Sadoe Foxglove Slipdress dress for my daughter in a lovely deadstock Reformation fabric purchased from the most fabulous @sewsyntax, who also happens to be part of a local low-no-waste buy and sell group. Modifications to the pattern include the designer’s recommended sleeve lining, and a neck facing I traced from the bodice pattern and boldly added towards the beginning of the sew, because I didn’t want to use or create bias tape, nor did I have enough fabric to just add/hack a full bodice lining. The design/end result itself is gorgeous. But do be aware this pattern is described as intermediate/advanced for many reasons. The instructions for key steps and basic modifications, such as inserting an optional side zip, include click-only links (no urls or qr codes, so you have to be in the pdf, not the print-out, for access) to generalized but helpful content and tutorials not necessarily produced by the pattern’s designer. Tracing paper or double printing is also helpful, as the pattern includes several half-pattern pieces which are not to be cut on the fold, and which are much better retraced as full/mirror pieces to produce a clean result, especially when cutting on the bias. Lots of curved/angled pieces to match up, but they do indeed match up. We cut the larger of the two bust-cup options, and cut two sizes larger than the recommended sizing to achieve the right fit and to have some decent wiggle room at the side seams and shoulders to play with when doing an expert custom fit. And we didn’t end up needing that invisible zip. We did do a test-run of the top 2/3 of the dress using an old bed-sheet which was very helpful…. A lot of work! But it’s gorgeous, and she loves it.

Liberty Scarves & Pocket Squares

Feeling energized by my first scrap-project with Liberty Lawn, I picked up the last quarter yard of a gorgeous Paisley “Lee Manor” from Toronto’s Country Clothesline. And I made a second Spring Scarf inspired, once again, by the Hermès Twilly and by several scarves they had hanging around the shop from a beginner sewing course. Since the fabric is a full 54 inches wide, I was able to make this scarf a generous 53X4.25. I say it’s a Spring Scarf, but this burgundy paisley extravagance will be cruising right into my fall wardrobe….

Mending

As part of my spring sewing goals, I promised to take part in #memademay by spending some time mending my wardrobe pieces and by making my me-made garments fit their best. I used doggie bath-tub and tons of oxygen bleach to whiten several old favourites of my own as well as several of my daughter’s favourite items. Then, in addition to taking in a few pairs of pants and jeans, (jeans!) and adding better belt loops on a store-bought dress, I took in a total of NINE me-made dresses, a few of which had linings and all of which had pockets. It was a bit of a headache, but now I have garments I’m no longer swimming in! I’ll do my swimming in the lake, thank you!