Sewing an Off The Shoulder Dress with The Confident Stitch

How blue you look today, I hear you cry! And yet, how joyful! How did you come to this combination?!

Well, my friends, this usually warm-toned gal has gotten a makeover once again from the marvelous crew at The Confident Stitch. Last time, I covered my mane in little swatch butterflies-- this time I thought it might be fun to pick a pattern and yardage from Kate's Swatch Experience to make a full-on garment. 

Of course, I figured I'd end up in warm tones...but I was surprised to find how many bits of fabric goodness complimented my kisser on the "cool" card (pictured on right). The floral was calling my name, but that sweet rectangle of tie-dye caught my eye in my mirror test, and I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to add a little indigo into my handmade closet...

This is a viscose knit, always a favorite for me. It feels so wonderful on, like you're enveloped in crystal clear waters, on some island shore, where the water is always the perfect temperature. And I like having someone doing the tie-dyeing for me. I'm the kind of crafter who ends up with clown-colored hands and sludge-colored fabric when DIY-ing it. (Apparently pouring *every* color on your fabric does not necessarily produce technicolor results.)

Kate's cards paired the Picasso Top from The Sewing Workshop with a different swatch, but I was encouraged to mix and match to my liking. An 80s lightbulb went off in my head and I was sure this combo would give me an easy path to an off-the-shoulder throwback. 

Adding a little length with a wide foldover hem band gave me another leg-baring sew. I swear, y'all. I am ALL IN on maxi dresses in the heat of summer, and hellbent on sewing shorties as soon as the temperature drops. I am definitely in denial. Winter is not my jam.

But our apartment is also Africa hot all year round, and this band gives me options. It's always good to have options. I've got an apartment loungey dress, and I can throw it on over leggings if I'm braving the elements sans leopard stilettos.

Another little pattern hack (which is not so much of a hack as a last-minute effort to save this project from my ham-handed print placement)...this top is worn back to front! I managed to give myself headlights, as I am wont to do. Whenever something's not going my way, I try flipping my sew around to kickstart a new path. All this fix needed was the flip, since I'd cut a roomy XL. Check out the "before" here.  

Of course I couldn't keep my cool completely--I highlighted the sleeve pieces with my trusty "neutral" neon coral zigzag topstitching thread. The construction of this pattern is very cool--I went off the map with mine, but Kate has videos on how to sew this baby up here and here.

I'm thrilled with this result, and I never would have considered adding this pattern to my stash, or this fabric to my closet, without seeing them in Kate's picks! I wore my new "dress" to our very intimate Thanksgiving dinner for four (we had thrice baked potatoes and NY strip steak. Because Steak.)

These cards are so thoughtfully curated, and chock full of information, it's like getting a mini-book of fabric in the mail. I honestly can't say enough good things about them. They'd make a great gift for a sewist of any level, cuz you know, 'tis the season...

Kate and Co will be packing up Winter 2021 Swatch card goodness to everyone who signs up by the end-of-day December 8 (tomorrow!). You can hone in on your sewing habit with two color-curated options: {gar}Meant For You or We Quilt This City. 

The wordplay. I MEAN. If I'm ever in Missoula Montana, I'm going to barge right into the Brick and Mortar and laugh for hours.

Wishing you a silly season full of swatches and sewing!💗

This is a sponsored post, but as always, I only holler about products and businesses I love, and I thank The Confident Stitch for supporting my own small business with these awesome adventures! 

A (Very Mini) Runway Inspired Look

Who's this hussy and what have you done with the chick that's usually stomping around here in maxi-length dresses?

Got some eye candy for you today, in this short and hopefully sweet post, in this short and hopefully sweet week stateside. WE COULD USE A LITTLE SWEET. I'm not referencing myself...I'm talking about this itty bitty jumble of technicolor that came together for Thread's Runway Challenge. The digital ambassadors were tasked with choosing a designer to inspire our own handmade looks, and behind the scenes, I fought it kicking and screaming ALL THE WAY. Because in order to get my required ambassador posts ready ahead of time, I had to sew with a plan. And I. HATE. Sewing with a Plan!!!! I like to figure out things as I go, and make lemonade out of lemons when things go wrong. Sewing outside of the box is my jam. 

But sewing inside-a-box ended up being a very good thing, because I stitched up something I never would have made otherwise. And it's good to get out of a rut sometimes, even if it's a rut of technicolor floor-length wax print! 

It also forced me to look at the current world of design. Although we could choose any designer from any era, I decided I might as well pile on the challenges and step outside of my Dior New Look comfort zone. Something a little more 2021. The design duo behind Romance Was Born was a treasure trove of inspiration, their output is the Willy Wonka of fashion. If you're into color, fun, and texture, check them out.

Speaking of checking things out, ya want a better look at what's under that shrug? Cheeky. Here lemme take it off for ya.

That zipper needs some help. And that is currently all I have to say about that.

She is SHORT! As is this post! Although I have a lot more to say about this ensemble, we're gearing up for a very small Thanksgiving celebration--so small, in fact, that it shouldn't be so time-consuming...but also so small that we've decided to go super decadent. I gots things to prep. But if you're in need of a break, you can see all three posts over at Threads, and I believe they're not behind the paywall!

  

Inspiration post: highlights the designer inspiration and my use of a digital croquis 

Technique post: showcases underlining with unconventional materials 

Garment reveal: is exactly what it says! Only, with up-close dress form shots that are maybe not as boudoir as these ones...

...okay mmmaybe definitely not as boudoir as these ones.

I'll be back later with more on this baby, I actually took in-process shots of the guts, like in days of yore when I used to share the actual making of things! I miss reading about people's sewing process, so you know...be the change you want to see.

Do you find inspiration on the runway? Dish! 💗

Catching Up: 9 Months of Sewing

Quite a few things got sewn in the past nine months, and only a handful made it to this space. It's easy to lose track, innit?! I keep thinking this past summer was our summer down South. Also, Christmas was yesterday. And maybe comes again before Halloween? LIFE IS A GAME OF JENGA AND TIME IS A ROUND OF WHACK-A-MOLE. Is it summer? WHACK. Nope, it's autumn. Is that murmur the sound of a gentle breeze in Fayetteville? WHACK. Nope, that's the dulcet tone of a New York City garbage truck.

This carnival game isn't helped by the multiple time-sensitive balls in the air. My creative life is one big piece of content, whether it's shooting for sewing, or film/tv/theater work. That might sound a little whiny--actually, I prefer holding the reigns on what goes out there. But when your main job is almost always ruled by an NDA, and your side gigs are a jumble of deadlines for future projects, the timeline gets a little blurry.

Some of these things might eventually make a proper appearance on le blog, but *just in cases*...I think it's time for a stroll down topsy turvy lane.

Pattern: Bootstrap Cinch leg jumpsuit

Fabric: @chicfabricsnyc 247 W 38th street, NY

Spring had burst out at the seams when we were gearing up to leave Fayetteville, much like this poor linen jumpsuit. Cut in March 2020, finished in January 2021, shot in April 2021, and promptly ruined when I accidentally washed it on hot. I loved this thing so dang much! It saw me through a sew-jo boosting video and several self-tape auditions--and got me into the final rounds on a few (one of which would have cast me as a rollerskating queen. Dream job). I might have to see if Chic has more...

Pattern: Half Circle Skirt

Fabric: NY's garment district (a store I don't usually frequent. Shopping there made me remember why.)

The merry month of May found us back in the city, and our return came with an avalanche of deadlines, one of which was the Sewing Weekender, hosted by The Fold Line and Charlotte Emma Patterrns. I taught a class on using wax print to make a half-circle skirt. Since everyone attending was there to sew, longer classes were welcome, and it was actually a relief to make a thirty-minute-long video and not worry about the usual YouTube attention span!  A shorter version of this tutorial lives on our channel. You see me use a half-circle skirt CONSTANTLY. It's got one seam, y'all. Fast track to drama. 

Pattern: Simplicity 9041. Muchly hacked. Muchly.

Fabric: @fabricsusainc

After two online galas, a demo recording for a freaking brilliant new musical, and some general malarkey (unpacking and busted pipes), the end of May found me hellbent on JUST SEWING SOMETHING FOR NO REASON AT ALL. Like in the olden days. But it took me until June to finish this yellow baby. I must have spent a full eight hours on the floor placing the print, which of course I loved every minute of. Come warm weather, she's getting a proper shoot.

It started out "as drafted," with sleeves--oh wait I'm lying, this was a trial run for an autumnal dress for Threads, there was a reason for sewing this. Why else would I be sewing sleeves with the promise of Summer around the corner? I am not that chick! The armsyce was hella tight, and the center front was hella frumpy, so sleeveless she went.

Pattern: Self Drafted & Draped

Fabric: @fabricsusainc

More June, more wax print, more sewing for the channel...this was my demo dress for the centered zipper tutorial, which includes a serenade from Rob. I cut the bodice of this one seven times until I got the print placement I liked. No exaggeration! I have evidence I'll share here someday...

Pattern: Self-drafted bodice + half circle skirt 

Fabric: Stonewall from the Love is Love collection (affiliate link)

June ended with this little baby-hued number, a collab with Matthew of Mister Domestic, to celebrate the launch of his fabric line. This pattern was designed in honor of Stonewall--I have it in the red colorway as well and am still considering a matching purse. Matthew unknowingly beat me to the punch on that one with a woven clutch, and I'm glad he did, because weaving a clutch would be waaaay more fetch than just sewing a few rectangles together. 

Although it's quilting cotton, it's quite drapey and worked well with this combo. I don't know what drew me to these hues, but I feel like a pretty pretty pastel princess, as can any human of any persuasion. Shout out to all my humans out there being who they are!

You can see the dress in action in this Baby Hem Tutorial.

Pattern: True Bias Ogden Cami

Fabric: Joann

The return to NY was a shock to the system, I'm not gonna lie, and shooting four tutorials in four weeks in four square feet of space had my brain over-easy. So we welcomed the chance to house sit in Connecticut for some of our oldest friends. Whilst listening to July birdsong and scrolling through my insta feed, I stumbled upon the Ogden Cami Hack month hosted by Kelli of True Bias. It reminded me that 1: it was JULY, and 2: I hadn't made my annual Ogden maxi dress! I found this butterfly fabric at Madame Joanns, and lemme tell you what, the Madame, she was maybe a little tipsy when she released this fabric. The print is obviously my jam. But the hand of it feels like a cross between vellum paper and popcorn. I refuse to do a burn test on it cuz I don't wanna know.

There's a decent chance I'll modify again, and hack this up into a floaty-sleeved top before I ever get a full-length snap of it....

Pattern: Camille Swimsuit by Sirena Patterns

Fabric: Stretch House, NY, 218 W 37th street

I guess my penchant for modifications is showing....in July, Makerist invited me to be a guest ambassador for their "Make It Yours" challenge. The brief was to modify a pattern and, you guessed it: make it yours. I was looking forward to jumping in a creek during our staycation, but ten thousand mosquitos had other ideas, so maybe next year she'll get wet.

(yes, that is what she said.)

Pattern: Pants, RTW Shorts Copy. Dress, Self Drafted

Fabric: @waxprintslacesnmore

WHACK! Suddenly it was the first week of August! I was in a race against time to sew for my birthday! Twelve yards of wax print arrived at our very temporary address, and I cut two dresses, one pair of pants, and a pair of shorts. In other words: MATCHING OUTFITS. Over the course of 24 hours, I sewed two out of four: this dress (another practice run for the bodice tutorial) and Rob's pants. Rob's pants suffered for my sewing delirium, that pose unwittingly disguises some very questionable print placement.

I didn't get the other dress and shorts knocked out in time, so we got...coordinating outfits? Cuz these prints so go together.

I got my matching outfit moment anyways, at the end of the long-promised bodice modification tutorial. This is also where I finally noticed, during editing, the unfortunate crotch area.

These might be #oonapants now.

Pattern: Self drafted bodice + half circle skirt

Fabric: Outdoor canvas from Madame Joann

Rob, probably seeking a break from all that matching, went away on a Rude Red adventure, and I was all tutorial-ed out. I spent a week eating like a frat boy and making this dress, for a stitch-to-finish video. I have to say I love doing these speed ramped semi-music-videos. I know they're not step-by-step, but they give me a little breather, and hopefully they're inspiring!

And now, it's time to sew something! Unfortunately for me, the "something" is hemming Rob's dress pants. Fortunately for me, this means we are about to dress up. Silver lining, baby. SILVER LINING.