The Monthly Stitch March: Miss Bossy Patterns

The clear winner of my Miss Bossy Patterns vote was the Megan Nielsen wrapped top. Funny story, I almost didn't include that one, because I just wasn't sure it would work as a post-natal look. It seemed like a lot of fabric and one thing I certainly don't need is more bulk around my middle. However, the collective has spoken and who am I to question their judgement?

This top has recently been released as a simplicity pattern, with a few variations that aren't included in my copy (although I think the hacks for this are available online). I have the original Megan Nielsen pattern, I love love love her sturdy pattern paper and really clear lines. I've had really positive experiences with her knit patterns. I haven't ended up making up the woven pattern I have, because I have too much bust to shoe horn into the pattern as drafted, but maybe when I'm a bit closer to my usual measurements, I'll have another go.

I had committed to make something to go with my top. I picked one of my purple bamboo jersey and some hot pink drill for a coordinating Colette patterns ginger. I actually think almost anything goes with hot pink, probably because in general people's eyes are so shocked by the pink that what you pair with it doesn't really matter.

For the top I used a really soft bamboo jersey from fabric.com. I have this is a number of different colours and I love it. It's soft, opaque, washes really well in the machine and dries fairly quickly on the clothes line or inside (I don't use the dryer for my clothes, ever, bad teenage experiences with favourite clothes).

Anyway, the top came together very quickly on my overlocker, except for the hemming. The hemming took forever. I find twin needling quite tedious, mainly because I find to do it and have a result I won't rip out, I need to take things slower that I would ideally like. I used a twin needle for the neckline and the ties up to the join and then used a single needle and I almost ran out of thread, so it was the right decision.  I did have some skipped stitches, because I went too fast sometimes and because my twin needle is a ball point, not a stretch needle.

Double needle on the top, stretch stitch on the bottom.

I did contemplate shortening the ties, there is a rough guide for doing this if you aren't going to wear it as a maternity top, but as I'm not sure the baby factory is closed, I thought it best to have as much top to work with as I could. Just in case.

Hemming forever and ever

Where I'm not sold on this top is that it is a bit of a pain to put on and you have to check that you are properly covered all the way around. I can see how I could be bothered up to a point, but probably past the halfway point of a pregnancy, I'm not sure the effort would be worth the pay off. But then, there comes a point in pregnancy (and immediately after) where changing out of pyjamas at all becomes something you only do because it is socially acceptable.

Exaggeration of wardrobe malfunction

The next photos are purely for people curious about how this works as a nursing top (don't worry my singlet stays on!), I find it endlessly frustrating when you can't accurately see how a top works in practice, but obviously this isn't something relevant to everyone.

The Easy Option

If you are feeling a bit more modest

The skirt I chose to match with my top is a Colette ginger. Assembly of the skirt was also fairly straightforward. I added lining (orange! Woo!).

Woo! Orange!

I also went with a regular zipper, rather than an invisible one, this was a stashbusting choice. I have about 100 regular zippers and then about ten ivory invisible zippers and I wasn't sold on off-white with hot pink and orange. Nothing fancy, I did the pointed waistband, which was probably pointless, because I'm not likely to wear it with tops tucked in, but you never know. It's a little tight, because, well, because cake. But that's fairly easily remedied (slightly less cake).

The day I finished this outfit, I sat down to watch a movie with my daughter and realised that I may have been channeling a Disney film my daughter had in high rotation throughout March.

What do you think?

Source

This is Madam Mim from the Sword in the Stone.

Source

The Monthly Stitch May: Sew Stretchy Razzleberry Skirt

Sew Stretchy is not a huge challenge for me, at the moment I sew more knits that wovens. Mainly because I sew a lot for my children, but also because I am on maternity leave at the moment, so comfort and clothes that don't add to the ironing pile are important to me. However, sewing to a deadline and in particular, taking pictures to a deadline is another kettle of fish.

Using Me Made May (which has otherwise been a fail) as the impetus, I pulled out a UFO and finished it off. This skirt is a triple threat - a Monthly Stitch challenge, a competed UFO and a 100% stashbust. Woo hoo for ticking many boxes.

Alas, pancake bottom

This is the Pattern Runway Draped Skirt. I have previously made their Easy Kimono Dress (pre-blog), which was easy and was a flattering shape to wear and lovely for summer. I thought this looked flattering as well and I liked that it was a bit different.

Sparkles!

In a stash-reducing attempt, I used a Fabric.com sparkle hatchi knit (my colourway is no longer available, but this is a similar one) and it's lined in a similar raspberry knit (but sparkle-less), neither are actually stretch knit, so while the fabric stretches, it has pretty poor recovery and it also a bit on the heavy side, but has turned out ok, if not quite like the pictures. I actually originally cut this out not long after my son was born, thinking that it would make a great post-baby skirt, because it is a forgiving shape and fabric and would be easy to wear in those early weeks and months. My son is now almost nine months old, but it is a nice skirt to wear particularly in the cooler weather and the sparkle means that if I ever have a life again, I could wear it out at night.

I didn't have enough fabric to properly pattern match, so I went with good enough.

At the time I cut this out, in those early post-baby days, I just cut the largest size, not really willing to measure myself, which I think probably accounts for a lack of gathering across the front and back of the skirt, but I can live with that because the stripes are pretty cool. If I were to make it again, I definitely use a stretch jersey and probably go down at least one size. 

Lining-hem all-in-one combo.

I sewed the side seams on my overlocker, and the rest on my sewing machine, using zigzag stitch. I also did a tiny bit of hand sewing (about 10 cm). The skirt assembly is quite cool. you sew the skirt pieces together, then the lining pieces, leaving a gap in the lining pieces. 

The gap - very important for the magic to work (it's also important to read the instructions)

The gathering is with clear elastic, which is sewed into the seam. You stitch in the waist band elastic in, so far so straightforward - unless you sew the elastic on to the wrong side of the skirt and then you have to unpick stretch stitches - blerk. Then there is a tricky thing where you sew the skirt to the lining to create the hem. I had to read the instructions  A LOT of times to get this right. My only criticism of the instructions is that it would have been helpful to illustrate this step, particularly when the  instructions acknowledge that it is a bit tricky to get your head around.

The magic loop of skirt all sewn together

I'd probably make this skirt again, I'd like to see how it looks in the recommended fabric and I think to make my life easier, I'd zigzag the elastic down the side seams and then overlock over the top. Mainly because when I overlock elastic in, I always end up feeling like I need more hands.

Go on - give it a sew!

All in all a very easy make - once I actually got around to making it and another piece of stash bites the dust.