Ikat Moneta

You would think after having made 4 Monetas (2 for myself, one for my mom, and one for my Nan) that I could make them in my sleep.  And while this could be true (operating a sewing machine under drowsy conditions could make for a precarious situation), I have to admit that this last Moneta sucked.  Pour quoi?  The fabric.  Ugh, this fabric.

I'd ordered it from Girl Charlee as soon as it came back in stock.  A gorgeous ikat knit with lots of drape, it felt so wonderful when I removed it from the packaging the day it arrived in the mail.  But then I tried to sew with it, and my dreams were crushed.



This fabric stretched and swished and draped and moved all around, which hardly made for an enjoyable sewing experience.  It took me several sessions to get this dress sewn together, which is nuts. My frustration level rose even higher when the bodice shell was stretched and sewn askew onto the bodice lining.  I spent several weeks playing with the bodice trying to come up with a solution.  In the end I simply folded the front neckline over toward the lining and hand stitched it, hoping to account for some of the askew-ness.  Best solution I could come up with.


























This is hardly indicative of my best work (I was so fed up with working this fabric that I didn't even hem the skirt),  but if you don't look too closely it still manages to look kind of cute.  And bonus: the dress is super comfortable due to the fabric.  Touché fabric, touche.

And here are a few pictures of my mom and her dog, Jackson:

Pattern: Colette Moneta

Fabric: Ikat knit from Girl Charlee.  I don't recall what type of knit fabric this is, which is the real issue. I've sewed joyously with other knits from Girl Charlee.

Size: Medium

Alterations: None, until the end when I had to make some fixes.

Photos of me taken by: my mom.  <3 p="">

Moneta Sleeveless

Second Moneta is done.  

After work Tuesday night, I spread out my Swedish tracing paper (thanks, Nicole!) and traced the pattern pieces while watching a documentary about the infamous escape from Alcatraz (nerd alert).  Wednesday morning I had some time to sit and trace the pattern pieces onto my fabric and cut them out.  Come Wednesday night, I finished working around 8:30, and Jon had to work late as well, so I brought my machine downstairs and started stitching the bodice together.  Thursday morning, Moneta #2 was complete and I was a happy girl.  

Her debut was Friday night at the Finch for Friday Night Sewcial, and little miss Moneta and I received tons of compliments.  As flattered as I am, let's be honest kids - it really has less to do with my novice sewing skills and more to do with the beautiful dress pattern Sarai and her team at Colette Patterns have created, as well as the beautiful knit fabric Nicole helped me choose.  

Again, this pattern (and finished dress) gets a standing ovation from me.  So easy to make, and thanks to the knit fabric, so damn comfortable.  This lazy girl can get on board with knit dresses, let me tell you.  I'm not kidding when I say there will be more to come.  I might have to name my future child Moneta.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I can't be trusted with a child.

Stats:

Injury count: 1.  My arm had a run-in with the iron.

Broken needle count: 1.  I am down one jersey needle.

Because I spent all of my free time actually creating the dress, I didn't have much time left to actually get pictures of myself in it.  So this morning, Jon and I went up to Brunswick to get coffee before coming home to do big-kid stuff (i.e. yard work), and I tossed on my dress and grabbed my camera before we headed out the door.

Are you kidding me with this collar design?  Love!

Girl, you better WORK.  Sashay, shantay.

And a few other pictures of our morning:

Thanks to Jon for taking pictures of me. :)

Colette Moneta

I am relatively new to garment sewing, but oh, how I love Colette Patterns.  Not just the finished product, but the physical pattern packaging itself.

How cute is this?!

In the weeks leading up to Easter, Jon and I once again agreed that we didn't want candy-filled Easter baskets, and so one of my not-so-subtle hints was "oh, some fabric or yarn from Finch." Incidentally, that was his plan anyway, given that my one-track-mind is all about crafting these days.

He sought out Nicole's help to fill my basket with some sweet goodies, including the brand new Colette Moneta pattern and a beautiful chevron print cotton knit fabric.  Swoon!

So on Monday I got started.  Mind you, this was, I think, my first real garment pattern experience (not including the free sundress pattern I printed from the internet a few summers ago).  I got to work reading, cutting, tracing, cutting again, and then it was time to sew.
Just a few hours later I had completed the bodice and the skirt, minus the hemming and the elastic waistband; I'd have to wait until Tuesday to complete the dress after buying the rest of my supplies (a twin needle and clear elastic).

The rest of the dress didn't take long at all!  Colette's clear elastic tutorial helped me understand how in the world to shirr the waistline without using elastic thread, and then I quickly hemmed all of my edges with the twin needle.  Done!  Sure enough, despite having a little doubt that the dress would be long enough for my long torso, it fit like a glooooove.  I'm in love with this dress.

The super awesome part about the Moneta pattern is how versatile it is.  I made the short sleeve version, but there is also a 3/4 sleeve (which I plan to make very soon in stripes) and a sleeveless version with a myriad of collar options (free!).  The printed pattern is sold out right now on the Colette website, but you can always download the PDF version, or purchase a printed copy from a retailer like Finch.  It's a great beginner pattern, a perfect introduction to working with knits, and results in a seriously comfortable dress.  I plan on making a ton more, just because I can see myself whipping them up quickly and wearing them often.

A few more photos:

Testing... too bright!