Deer and Doe Sureau

You know how you go to the grocery store and when you're about to leave, you see something in line at the checkout and you're like 'eh, why not'?

For a sewist, sometimes fabric stores are like the supermarket, and patterns are like the Tic-Tacs by the checkout.  Which is a slightly convoluted way of saying that impulse buys can happen in the strangest of places.

Tuesday night, I went to The Finch for Nicole's first Knit-Together night.  Be it the thunderstorms that kept people from venturing out, or the fact that it was the very first of this particular gathering, but I ended up being the only person to show up.  Since I hauled my cookies 25 minutes to get there, I figured if she was willing to stick around, then I would, too.  So we sat and knitted and talked about fabric and sewing and her upcoming trip to Quilt Market, etc etc.  And as I repeated row after row of K1, KFB, K to end, my eyes wandered around the shop.  As often as I am there, I always enjoy browsing around at the shelves of fabrics, patterns, and notions.

As it neared 9:30, I started packing up.  While Nicole took a phone call, I sauntered to the cove in which a bunch of patterns are displayed, and I started picking some up.  Datura?  No, I'm not ready for an advanced pattern.  Hawthorn?  The instructional booklet is thick; I need something I can complete before Saturday.  Sureau?  Now we're talking.  Beginner pattern, only needs 2 yards of fabric, and oh, look: here's a blue chambray which is the perfect lightweight and slightly stretchy fabric for a late spring dress.  Ring me up.  I'll take 'em.

Like my last experience with a Deer and Doe pattern, I found the instructions a little too concise.  The original pattern is for a dress with sleeves, although the two variations listed are sleeveless, and as a top.  You won't find any information in the instructions for making either of those, however.  Thankfully, Anna of Paunnet hosted a Sureau sew-along awhile back and in her archives was a post on creating the sleeveless variation of the dress.  And lucky for me, I had an unopened package of navy blue bias tape which I used to finish the armholes neatly.  The only other alteration I'll  need to make for next time is adjusting the shoulder seams to correct the gaping neckline.  Otherwise, this dress turned out beautifully and when I debuted it at the Kinfolk dinner last night, I received tons of compliments!

Fabric: Blue chambray bought at Finch Sewing Studio.
Pattern: Sureau by Deer and Doe
Sizing: 40 up top, widening to a 44 around the waist and hips.
Alterations: Sleeveless variation.

Deer and Doe Chardon #2

When I started obsessively Instagramming my latest sewing projects (like pillow covers and knitting needle rolls), my bestie Alyssa texted me and said "Can you make skirts, too? Seriously. I want to hire you to make a bunch for me."  

Challenge accepted.

I made a few changes to the original pattern, like gathering instead of pleating, and folding the facing over halfway instead of all the way.  (Last week, I was all like "What's a facing?!" And now I'm all like, "Oh, I totally decided to fold the facing over halfway to accommodate for the gathers." like a damn pro.)

I apologize for the wrinkles - the light was pretty, and I was between editing sessions so I quickly took the skirt outside to photograph it.  It just seemed like a good time to take pictures. The fact that I just got a new lens today had simply nothing to do with it.  Nothing*.

*lies.

Today I leave you with two of my latest pottery pieces from when I learned to throw cylinders.  I'm going to eventually get some soy wax and make a candle out of the blue one, and the white one is yet another tea light holder.  

Fabric: Freshly Cut Hyacinths from the Leah Duncan Meadow collection.

Deer and Doe Chardon

Happy Derby Day!

I thought I'd get to posting about the Deer and Doe Chardon skirt that I made last week for my mom, considering she's wearing it today and just sent me a few pictures in it.  But first, pattern shots:

Deer and Doe is a French indie pattern company, but they include a second instruction packet for us non-French speakers.  Merci, mesdames!

Okay, so Deer and Doe have some adorable patterns.  French women are known for their fashion, so I mean, it makes sense.  Their instructions, however, leave a little to be desired, at least for beginners like myself.  I found myself more than once trying to search for someone who blogged their way through this pattern to clarify a few things for me, like "Turn the facing on the skirt." TURN IT WHERE?!  And how far?  What am I doing? Merde!

Looking back on it now that I've already done it, it seems pretty simple.  However for a beginner pattern, I suppose a little clarification on that (having never worked with facings before) would have been helpful.  Nevertheless, it certainly won't deter me from buying another Deer and Doe pattern in the (near) future.  Their designs are beautiful and frankly, I enjoy a little challenge every now and again.  I'll just make sure I have more wine in the house next time, you know, in case of emergency.

Chardon #1 (I have two in the works, both for other people) would going to my mom, and she asked me to pick out the fabric myself and surprise her with it.  I chose the Wayfarers print in the Palos Verdes collection from Cloud 9, a light and springy organic cotton voile (I feel like a real sewist when I use terms like "organic cotton voile".  It makes you think I know what I'm talking about.  Which I do.  Sometimes.) for the main fabric, and a light blue linen for the contrast.

Aside from my rookie ignorance - nothing that a seam ripper couldn't fix - the skirt came together relatively quickly and easily.  And so I present to you my mother modeling her Chardon Skirt on this lovely Derby Day.  I'm off to work some more, and then make myself presentable and go on a date with my husband, whom I have not spent much time with due to his hellacious work projects lately.  We shall sip on beer (him) and bourbon (me) and talk about typical grown-up things, like our house and our yard and early bedtimes.  Bonsoir!