StyleArc Peggy Dress

I got one of those late-night emails about a big sale on StyleArc patterns on Amazon. Which means no shipping, since I have Amazon Prime. I flipped through the patterns on offer and decided to pop for the Peggy dress. 

I was sucked in by the envelope art. Don't they look ready for brunch in a nice restaurant, or shopping in the big city? Especially the polka dot lady. Is that a lap dog in her stroller?

Once the pattern arrived in the mail I started having second thoughts about that elastic waist. I'm a short brick and elastic waists often seem to emphasize my lack of shape. I decided I'd do a trial version with a hunk of what I think is cotton sateen that's been hanging out in my stash for nigh on 12 years. 

Then I checked a few reviews on PatternReview.com and started suspecting that the cute button band on the back was going to involve a lot of work and potential frustration. I figured I'd try to omit it on my (I hoped) wearable toile. I cut out the main pattern pieces and basted the seams and found I could wriggle in and out of the dress with no back opening - huzzah!

Changing the pattern meant that I had to re-jigger the construction, which meant my dumbed-down version probably took longer than the original would have done. It was OK though; it was an enjoyable mental jigsaw and it all worked out in the end.

The pattern was nicely drafted. It uses an all-in-one facing so the finish is much less floppy than separate neck and armscye facings are. And the facing pattern pieces were drafted just a smidge smaller than the bodice pieces so the innards just want to turn under and stay put. I used this Threads tutorial on how to do an all-in-one facing. 

There's also a kick pleat in the back there. I hadn't done one of those for ages but my good friend Google was very helpful and I'm pretty sure I got it done right.

There are two nice, roomy patch pockets that also form belt loops. I don't have a belt that matches this dress very well, but at least the black went with my shoes. 

Here's a shot without the belt. The pattern calls for 1.25 inch elastic, which gives the dress a bit of shape but doesn't give that floof-pinched-in-the-middle look that usually puts me off elastic waist dresses.

I tried the dress on without the elastic and it wasn't bad. In fact, in a fabric with less body it might be pretty nice, but I'm glad I decided to go for the elastic in the end. 

I would like to make another version with the button band, which is one of the details that drew my eye in the first place. Maybe in a nice linen? Hey! An excuse to hop over to Fabrics-Store and enjoy their fabric descriptions. I swear, they're more fun than reading wine tasting reviews. And their linen is very nice indeed.

This is the second Style Arc pattern I've done this month, and I've got another coming in the mail. Thorneberry did a review of their Fenix sweatshirt recently and I'm all in. Now I just have to find some nice sweatshirt fleece, which is easier said than done.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Rustic Linen Bob Pants

 Here is another pair of Bob pants, from StyleArc. I made these mainly as an excuse to buy 3 yards of natural, heavy weight linen from Fabrics-Store.com. Yes, I got one of those middle-of-the-night sale ads, and I couldn't resist. I have kind of a thing for linen at the moment and they have a variety of weights and some really dreamy colors. And their write-ups are so florid, I want to buy all of them. For example:

"Pale, hazy tones of dawn swept across Paul Nash's dreamy scenes, suggesting a place where all is hushed and still. The warm, pastel green of WILLOW linen was one of his recurring colors, invoking the cold light of frost-bitten grass, whispery strands of freezing fog or dreamy forms that seem to fade into distant, heavenly skies...."

I mean, come on!

Here's a close-up of the fabric. They describe it as "rustic." The weave is kind of slubby and there were even a few pieces of straw included. After a few washings, it still feels a bit rough but it's comfortable to wear and it has a heavy drape that's just right for this pattern. I'm new to linen, but if it continues to soften as it's washed and worn, as linen fans claim, this will be a favorite pair of pants for years to come.

The style reads a little bit "clown pants," but they're so darn comfortable. As a retired person who lives in a beach town with a big student population I can get away with pretty much anything. 

I made these up just as I did my previous pair, except I lengthened the legs an inch at the lengthen/shorten line. I'm only 5'2", so that's a rare alteration for me, but I like that they hit a bit lower on the ankle. I grew up in the era when a pants hem that didn't touch the ground was a fashion faux pas.

Well, off to look at more patterns that need to be made from linen. I really want that Willow color now.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Wee Wonderful Doll

 My granddaughter is about to turn three, which doesn't seem possible. Partly, in truth, because of the visits I missed during the pandemic. Thank goodness for FaceTime; my son was very good about pinging me often so I could talk to the kids. 

Since Gogo is now a big girl who can dress herself (more or less) I thought she might have some fun with a Mini-Me doll that she could be the boss of. 

I poked around the internet looking for ideas and ended up deciding to pop for a pattern. Given all the time and focus in the world I probably could have come up with something myself, but boy am I glad I didn't have to try. 

This is the Kit doll from a pattern by Wee Wonderfuls. The pattern includes a doll body, instructions for three wigs and patterns for a playsuit, two blouses, wide leg pants, a pinafore, a basic tee and basic leggings. Theres's even a pattern for little shoes you can stitch out of felt.

Gogo sometimes wears her hair in Princess Leia buns, so I made the Kit doll to match her style.

Here she is in the wide leg pants and the peasant blouse.

And here she is in her birthday suit, so you can see how she's constructed. This pattern has you make the arms and legs separately and tack them on by hand, which seems like an invitation for someone's 4 year old brother to dismember her. Next time I might add a few strategic seams to allow the limbs to be inserted and attached by machine.

The pattern includes clever instructions for making three different wigs out of yarn. I think the hair ended up looking great, but I worry a bit that the hand stitching attaching it to Kit's head won't stand up to toddler play. My neighbor makes art dolls and she kindly gave me advice on this project. She suggested I add a couple lines of glue to her skull to reinforce her hair, which I did. Fingers crossed.

Here she is in her jammies and slippers.

And here she is in a tee and skirt I made from scraps from a dress I made Gogo last year for her birthday (she's still trying to grow into that one). 

Gogo always wears shorts under her dresses, so I make a little pair of shorts for Kit, to preserve her modesty.

Gogo is currently pretty into mermaids, especially purple ones, so I pulled together a mermaid tail for Kit to slip on when she wants to have an undersea adventure, perhaps playing with some of my grandson's sharks. I actually made a toile for this, and I'm glad I did because I think it looks a lot more fish-like than my first effort. I also used one of the decorative stitches on my machine to add a hint of scales. My Babylock has 250 decorative stitches and this is the second time I've used one.

Here's the whole wardrobe. I just need to dream up some sort of suitcase for Kit's outfits and I'll be ready for the party next week. 

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.