Going to longer lengths

I decided to try out the maxi length skirt and dresses that are popular this year. I actually looked into buying one, but didn't find anything I liked. (except for one that I couldn't afford!) So I made my own!

I started with a simple skirt to try out the length and make sure I liked it. 

Voile fabric, simple a-line elastic waist skirt. Added a short skirt on the inside for a lining since the fabric is pretty sheer. 

This one is a skirt pattern that I really liked that I modified to be a long dress. I'm not really happy with what I did with the sleeves, so I might go back and change that. I wore this for the 50th wedding anniversary party.

Pattern: McCall's 6120 extended to dress length

Fabric from Girl Charlee

And lastly I made one out of the new Bianca shirt pattern from Made by Rae. This one is my favorite I think.

This one is made out of rayon and is so soft! I wasn't sure how the Bianca pattern would work extended this long, but I'm really happy with it!

With all three of these I took an existing pattern and extended the length to reach my toes, using the same angle the pattern already had. Each one above is with a different type of fabric and they all worked really well. 

Bianca Pattern from Made By Rae

Back in my March recap I mentioned that I got to be a pattern tester for the new Made by Rae pattern, Bianca. I was super excited to get to participate!

 Taping patterns together is more fun when you use washi tape!

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like the fit on me.

 But then I made it. And I like it a lot! For my first version I made the tunic and put the facing on the outside with a lace someone gave me. The fabric was a gift too, from Jennifer!

 I decided it was too much pink there on my chest and it needed a deeper V, so I seam ripped it back and made it a little deeper.

 Here's a close-up of the pattern as written...

 ...and my deeper v neck.

 Maybe a little too deep... but I like that better with the facing on the outside.

 My second version is the shirt length out of Anna Maria Horner voile.

I stuck with the pattern as written on this one and it turned out perfect! The cap sleeves are built right into the pattern. No extra sleeves to attach.

I used the elastic casing on the back for both versions. My elastic thread was all dried out, and the casing was easy to work with. The elastic comes around to the front and gathers the fabric instead of using darts for shaping. It's pretty clever, and easy, and COMFY!

Bianca is for sale over at Made by Rae and you can pick up a copy here.

Josephine Blouse/Tunic

The Josephine Tunic was released by Made By Rae a few days ago and I snatched it up as soon as I heard it was available! Those pleats were calling to me for months and I had fabric washed and ready to go and just waiting for the pattern. The pattern was so easy to follow and put together that I was able to print the pattern, tape the pieces together (much more fun when using washi tape, btw), trace the pattern, cut the fabric, and sew up the shirt all in one day!

Pattern: Josephine Tunic from Made By Rae

Fabric: Novella Rayon from Valori Wells

I really like the pattern a lot. I think it's a better fit for me than the empire waist of the Washi Tunic, even though I love that one too. My only complaint (if you can call it that) is that the sleeve cap is a little poofy. I think I will try to take out some of that next time so they lay a little flatter. 

Oh, and I used the pattern for the C/D cup and the pleat ended up under the bust... so I guess that was wrong. Whoops! I'll try the A/B cup next time and see if that puts the dart where it's supposed to be. It actually worked out fine because it looks a little like an empire seam. and it blends in with the busy fabric. So no harm done. 

This shot shows the pleats better but I was making a face because the sun was so bright. The weather here has been crazy! It's like spring even though it's still February. 

Oh, and those are purple pants I'm wearing with the shirt. Yep, purple. They are hand-me-downs from one of my really good friends. I was afraid with that much purple someone might mention Barney, but I made it through the day without any such comments! 

More self-stitched stuff

This is my basic weekend outfit. The shirt is the Ruffle Top from Made by Rae's tutorial. Jennifer gave it to me last year. I think she didn't like it on her... I've forgotten now what the reason was. But it's comfy and easy to wear and I love this cardigan, so this is my typical Saturday outfit.

This is Simplicity 9825 again. This is the easiest skirt pattern ever. The fabric is so cool. It's is a soft corduroy with a fuzzy variegated thread that has been sewn down in this swirly vine design and there are little brown sequins interspersed. I got the last panels of this from Hilco. I left off the waistband from the pattern to make it sit lower. Then I cut into the skirt to make a lower waistband and put the piping in. The home front wasn't too excited. When I tried to show it off Haven said "did you make the design on the fabric?" when I said no she said, "well, then you just made a skirt." I guess it's time to move on to more impressive projects, huh?