Tilly and the Buttons Coco Dress

How often does it happen to you that you see a garment pattern and feel ambivalent about it, until you see it on someone and immediately you change your mind?

The Coco Dress was one of those patterns.  Not that I didn't like the look of it - I thought it was adorable - but I didn't think it would work well on me.  Until I saw it on Lisa at the Finch Makers Retreat.  The fabric she used (Gust of Leaves in silver from April Rhodes' Wanderer collection) and the way she styled it was perfect.  So I copied her.  Obviously I'll have to coordinate with Lisa whenever I wear it to Finch events, but it's a small price to pay for a versatile, comfy dress.

It's kind of similar to the Moneta Dress in both look and construction, however the Coco has a less defined waist.  This is part of the reason why I didn't think it would work on me, however when Lisa styled hers with a belt, it was a duh moment for me.

The construction was simple, and Tilly's pattern was easy to follow.  The dress came together quickly the other evening after I had spent the night before tracing and cutting.  When I traced the pattern, I used the slice and spread method to add two inches to the length of the dress.  The original length would have been fine as a tunic but way too short for a dress, at least for a 31-year-old.  (Keep in mind though, I'm 5'10", so for a lot of you reading this, the pattern as it is will probably be perfect no matter what your age.)

The only other part that I changed was making the 3/4 sleeves a little shorter so that they are half sleeves.  I've come to learn that 3/4 sleeves are not flattering for me, but half sleeves are.  Funny how just that little alteration can really change the way a top looks.

As you can see in my awkward pictures below where I pretend that I know how to pose like those fashion bloggers do, I styled my dress with jeggings and boots, a belt, and a cardigan.  As it gets warmer this spring, I'll be able to wear it with sandals for a totally different look.  Also I apologize for my ratty looking hair.  It gets cut tomorrow!

Pattern: Tilly and the Buttons Coco

Version: Dress

Size: 5 (oh sweet baby Ray's, this doesn't mean I'm an actual size 5 - it's just the 5th size on the chart)

Fabric: April Rhodes Gust of Leaves in silver knit

Alterations: Shortened sleeves from 3/4 to half sleeve; lengthened (slice and spread) dress by two inches.

Photos of me by Beryl Young; Photos of the coffee shop by me

April Rhodes' Popover Poncho

Winter is pretty much halfway over, which is promising, yet we still have a fair amount of cold to get through before spring arrives.  But hooray!  At least I have sewn my first outerwear piece with plenty of time to wear it before the weather gets too warm for wool!

For my project at the Finch Maker's Retreat (more on that later), I chose April's Popover Poncho pattern because it was cute (I'd been admiring the shop sample for awhile), and because I knew I'd need something that didn't require a lot of concentration.  If the retreat was going to be anything like a Friday Night Sewcial or Sip & Sew, I'd be doing a lot of wandering and chatting.  Hard to get much done in that case.

Also bonus, because April Rhodes was the guest teacher at the retreat, she was able to help out when I made a few mistakes (like totally forgetting to fold the pattern in a bit before placing it on the fabric fold - this will probably only make sense if you've made this poncho).  

I was also glad I chose to make this pattern at the retreat rather than at home because sizing had me confuddled.  So remember: when measuring, instead of your typical bust-waist-hip measurements, you'll be measuring around your shoulders and then, keeping your arms at your sides, around your bust and arms at once.  

I am what Cosmo and Glamour and other women's magazines call 'pear shaped', meaning that my shoulders are narrow and my hips are wide and just right for birthing, which is a waste because I'm not birthing anything anytime soon.  So despite my waist and hips usually falling into a larger size, the point was moot as my shoulders are a solid size small.

However, I am tall and instead of having model-length legs, I was blessed (sense the sarcasm) with an extra long torso.  Like, when my husband (who has a few inches in height on me) sits down next to me, I look like an amazon.  It's... awkward.  Anyway to remedy that, I traced out the size small width all the way down to the plus size length.  The size ended up being perfect!

The pattern came together pretty easily.  If I weren't too busy popping around the room to see what the other girls were working on, I'd have probably been done quicker.  But start to finish - including measuring, tracing, and cutting - it was done within a day.  I chose this specific wool fabric because I felt like it was a bit more casual, which suited me well.  And although I toyed around with a fuzzy fleece for the cowl lining, I ended up with this soft knit, which feels cozy.  I think wool would have been too itchy, so keep that in mind when choosing your cowl lining fabric.

The only changes I would make next time would be to choose a darker binding, and to lower the pocket so it's in a more natural position since I lengthened the pattern.  But because I forgot to do that, the bottom of the poncho flips up when I put my hands in the pocket, revealing the (sloppily applied) binding underneath, which I made using Crocheting in Clouds from April's new Wanderer line.  It's a beautiful pafabric, but now I think a simple black bias tape would camouflage the flipping of the bottom when I use the pocket, which wouldn't have actually been a problem had I thought to lower the pocket in the first place.  A vicious circle.

Oh, and something I might do is hand sew a pocket on the inside because why not?  I'll update this post if I ever get around to doing that.

The Popover Poncho is a great pattern.  It's my first time using one of April's Patterns, and it's well-written and easy to follow.  I've been getting so many compliments on it, including some nice comments from two older gentlemen in the coffee shop as I write this post.  Additionally, April is a complete doll, and it was fun getting to chat with her at the retreat this past weekend.

Fabric: Wool print; coordinating knit - from Finch Sewing Studio

Pattern: The Popover Poncho by April Rhodes

Size: Small

Alterations: Traced out the size small with the length of the 'plus' size poncho

Photos taken at Finch Sewing Studio by me; Photos taken of me by Beryl Young.  Thanks Beryl!

If you're in the DMV area, take the Popover Poncho class at the Finch!

Girl's Night Clutch

Back in June, I attended Blog Brunch DC, hosted by Rebecca of A Daily Something and Joy of Mornings Like These at the Alexandria studio space of Sweet Root Village.  At the brunch, a few of us decided to arrange a ladies night at Finch Sewing Studio.  Our schedules through the summer were so packed that the soonest we could get together would be in September.  

So finally!  Our ladies night had arrived.  We would be making a clutch bag using two fabrics.  Some of the girls are not experienced at sewing, and Nicole assured them that yes, even they would be coming away with a finished clutch by the end of the night.

I arrived early and prepped my wine glass with a piece of scrap yarn.  Because this is how we do in a sewing/knitting studio.

The hardest part was probably choosing our fabric!  With so many gorgeous options, it was hard to narrow it down.

The photos stopped somewhere after my second glass of wine, and so my written summary of the evening is as follows: we ate, we drank, we laughed, we messed up, we fixed our errors, we planned another ladies night, we dreamed up all of the other things we could make, we ate more, we drank more, we finished our clutches and we ended the evening delighted over how wonderful our projects turned out.

DIY Knit Maxi

It seems like every time I am in Finch, someone else is either making or wearing a knit maxi skirt.  It's about time I finally decided to whip up my own.  And whip up, I did.  This was so quick to make, I feel like I need to go crazy before summer is out and make a handful more.

This project was self-drafted, meaning it didn't come from a pattern and instead used my own measurements.  If you're local to NoVA,  you should consider taking Nicole's class and she'll guide you through making your very own maxi skirt.  Her version features a wonderful folded yoga-style waistband which comfortably stretches to fit your belly, no matter how many ice cream cones you've eaten lately (guilty).

I used two and a half yards of this striped knit that had been hanging around the shop for awhile, and since I hadn't seen anything made from it yet, I felt bad for it. Far from being just fabric sympathy, I'd actually thought this fabric had a very beachy quality to it. (And evidently people had been buying it since I finished off the bolt.)

Simple to cut and simple to sew.  That's my kind of summer project.

Pattern: None; self drafted at Finch Sewing Studio.

Size: Made to size.

Alterations: None; custom made.

Photo credit: My husband.  ("Okay, now crouch down with me and come closer.  Frame me from here to here..." - the troubles he has when his wife is both the subject and a professional photographer.)

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="">

(Another) Everyday Skirt • Nani Iro

My trips to Finch have become something like this lately: Go in, see what new fabrics have arrived since I was last there, which was probably no more than two days ago.  Browse through my mental list of patterns I want to sew and try to look at fabric based on that.  Throw out mental list when I see a fabric that won't work for any of said patterns, and ask Nicole what garment I could make with this new fabric I hold in my hands and pet, yes pet, because it's so soft/silky/smooth/other adjective that probably begins with the letter S.  Realize this fabric I covet is significantly more expensive then regular cotton, and know my husband will read me the Riot Act if I come home with 3 yards of a $20/yd fabric.  He supports my hobby and all, but tends to remember more often than I that we can't pay our mortgage in sewn garments.  Decide to buy normally priced fabric with new sewing pattern, as well as enough of the expensive fabric just to whip out yet another Everyday Skirt.

So basically that is what happened here.  Only I had a gift certificate this time, and felt so joyous about buying myself some Nani Iro double gauze, especially this print with summery watercolor blobs all over it.

Oh, and my thoughts on Nani Iro?  Obsessed.