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.

Awesome Project of the Week

So this happened:

and basically made my day.  Or week.  Taking self portraits of yourself on a really windy day without makeup or doing much more to your hair than brushing it and putting it in a bun can really work out in the end.

Thanks to Sarai of Colette Patterns!

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!