The unpublished 11 plus two

Happy New Year!  The last three months of 2015 were hectic, although my world is always hectic, but I did manage to get some sewing done - just no time for photos or blogging!  It's now January and I'm on holiday, so a bit of time to do some catch-ups :-)

I have a total of 11 projects that were completed between August and December as well as the two dresses I've been working on over the last couple of days (peek previews on Instagram). Oh as well as the two Butterick dresses that need a Part 2 post completing. Then there was the one remake because I lost my black merino circle top somewhere - I think I left it in a hotel room or a rental car!?! I wear that baby ALL THE TIME and was feeling really lost without it.

Some of the projects really do need a post of their own, like my first formal dress, but others I thought I would quickly summarise and move on.

MARFY TOP 1913
I love my first top so much I needed to make another. This time a simple black embossed silk. OMG this fabric was the worst to work with, resulting in an uneven hem line. It works fine if I tuck it in.

Keeping with the black theme, coz I was feeling that black tops worked with my jeans, is the GILLIAN WRAP TOP. I had previously made the Gillian Wrap Dress as a tester, and I absolutely love it. I picked up this cotton knit from The Fabric Store January 2015 and had originally thought I would make some t-shirts. Well this is just a fancy t-shirt right!

Knowing that the skirt of the dress doesn't have a lot of flare I needed to add some flare to the skirt back so it would 'poof' over my jeans rather than cling!  I set to with the slash and spread method in three places adding 3/4" each time. I also lengthen the sleeves by 1-1/2" and put a wee 1/2" hem on them with the cover stitch machine.

In September I tested the TAHI SHRUG for Muse Patterns using some knit remnants. I made a size 36 in the long sleeve version.  I didn't quite have enough of the purple for the entire sleeve so added some black merino to make it look like a cuff. I also stitched it up with black thread to give a contrast look, but you can't really notice it. I don't really wear this - I'm not sure whether it's the colour or the pattern ... I think I've a bit more of a bolero, cardi kinda girl if it's not a jacket.

MESA by Seamwork
I've already made Mesa twice before and both dresses I've worn constantly this winter just gone. So of course I needed a summer version! I picked up this poly knit, that feels like neoprene, from Spotlight specifically for this dress. I did however, make a few changes to the pattern.

1. Raised the back neckline by 1/2"
2. Lowered the front neckline by 1"
3. Shortened the sleeves by 3"

I wore it to work a couple of times, but come to the conclusion (through my own modesty) that it is probably too short to wear with bear legs to the office - I was feeling too self conscious! I wore it on Christmas Day and it was perfect, so maybe it's more of a BBQ kinda dress, or I could wear it with 3/4 leggings with some heals .... hmmm things to try.

The last on the remake list is this STRIPE MISSION MAXI.
I love the Mission Maxi pattern and have made it a couple of times before. I've been looking for the ideal stripe knit, with the right amount of body and stability. I was passing by The Fabric Warehouse in November (passing by means the car detoured off the motorway!) and found just what I was looking for.  This is a cotton, lycra, poly knit which I'm gonna say is a light-medium weight.

I feel like I have a tone of maxi dresses in the wardrobe, and while I love them, my legs never get to see the light of day. So for this version I shortened the back to be a middi length and added a curve to the front piece for a bit of interest. I am in love with the dress, the colours, the comfort, the length - it just screams summer to me and I've been living in it constantly.