Celeste Dress in Ikat

 I've been in a sewing funk the last few months. Well, an everything funk, really. 

That's why it was so nice to run across the new Celeste dress pattern from Itch to Stitch. Cool, breezy and slip-on-over-the-head. Just what I needed at this point in the hot mess that is 2020.

The last time I bought a PDF dress pattern I had it printed for me by PDF Plotting. I figured it was worth some extra bucks and some waiting time to avoid pasting together 50-some pages of pattern. 

This time, though, I was in a hurry. And as it turns out, the designer gives very clear instructions on which pages you need to print for which sizes, so the printing and pasting was not nearly as bad as you might think. 

I've been slogging my way through the nether reaches of the fabric stash while the COVID quarantine is in place. At the back of one of my shelves I found about 3 yards of an ikat fabric that my friend Molly's mother had brought back from Indonesia many many moons ago. 

Like the other vintage fabric that Molly gifted to me, this ikat was very nice to work with. Everything so smooth and on grain; a girl could get spoiled. It did have a wonky striped pattern going on, so I tried to be thoughtful about placing my pieces. I was just able to get everything for this dress out of my yardage. 

The pattern calls for a side zip, but the designer says many folks are able to omit it. She suggests you baste the side seams and try to slide the dress on over your head before inserting the zip, which I did. Huzzah! No zip necessary for me. 

As a brick body type, I was worried about the gathers below the bust on the center front. I played around and took up the fullness with a few small pleats instead. 

The princess seams both front and back give some nice, subtle shaping, which is especially nice in a slip-on summer dress. Boxy is cool but it's also, well, boxy.

Here's a back view, so you can see the princess seams there.

The cherry on top is the pockets, which are a very useful size and cleverly inserted between the princess seam and side seam. I shouldn't have jammed my hands in there quite so hard, or you'd be able to see that the top edges fall at a subtle slant towards the hips. Just another detail that adds to the flattering lines in this pattern.

When I tried the dress on for the zipper test it looked so cute without the sleeves that I've ordered some Brussels washer linen in a color called Ocean so that I can make a sleeveless version. And I can't promise that I won't make another version out of some gawd-awful novelty print sometime before the end of summer.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Bonn Top by Itch to Stitch

I'm always on the hunt for a good woven top. Knit fabrics are so darn comfortable that I end up wearing my tees most days. Easy to sew, don't need ironing. There's a lot to love there. But there are so many lovely woven fabrics. I get seduced by the prints and the colors. The trick is to find a few patterns that are not too finicky to sew and that give you a fit that lets you move without hulking out of your seams.

I'm thinking that the Bonn top from Itch to Stitch fits right in that category. The sleeve cap is shaped, which is probably why I have such a great range of motion in the finished top. I could row a boat to Alcatraz Island and not feel constrained.

Even though the sleeve cap has some height I was able to put the sleeves in flat. The nice drafting and the 3/8 inch seam allowances made that possible. For which I was very happy, because I do not enjoy installing sleeves in the round.

Used PDF Plotting.com to print out the pattern. I don't really mind taping and tracing PDF patterns, but I hate printing them out. Our home printer is kind of hinky, and printing out a bunch of pages is always an ordeal. PDF Plotting was easy to use and they delivered my pattern in 3 days. It added a bit to the cost of the project, but for a pattern with lots of pages it's worth it in my book.

I made the size 4 for my 35ish inch bust. I was a bit worried that the finished top might be too snug, but it's just about perfect.

Used an eggplant cotton fabric that I'm pretty sure I bought at Stone Mountain in Berkeley. I love the color, but the hand is a bit crisp, kind of like onion skin. I think it worked out fine, but next time I'll use something a bit softer.

The instructions were great and everything came together easily. The mandarin collar was the only finicky bit of sewing and the instructions walked me though that nicely.

I made the top up just as instructed. The only change I made was to do a pleat to fit the sleeve into the cuff instead of gathering. I pretty much suck at sewing even gathers and the pleat looks pretty neat.

I really like the mandarin collar and the cute V-neck. I did the 3/4 length sleeves, which ended up being more bracelet length on my short-person arms. Next time I'd shorten them by an inch or so. The pattern includes 3 other sleeve options though; maybe I'll do the short sleeves next time for a casual summer top.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Itch to Stitch Brassov

Now that the days have turned a bit shorter and chillier, I found myself hauling out the warmer tops. Even inside the house it's cozy to have something snugged up against the back of your neck. And though I'm generally a 3/4 sleeve kind of person, a long sleeve is really nice when the wind is blowing.

The Brasov top, from Itch to Stitch, fits all my winter criteria.

The Brasov is a faux-wrap top which features:

• Soft-draped surplice neckline
• High back neckline
• Curved surplice hem
• Shoulder pleats
• Side pleats
• Long sleeves

The neckline is high in back and in front, which I like a lot. Not only is it snug and cozy, I don't have to worry about showing too much chest when I bend over. 

Back view for you

I used an ITY knit with a brushed surface. Though it's light-weight, it feels soft and cozy. I liked the colors and print in the abstract; now that it's on me I think it veers a bit into old lady territory. But, heck, I am an old lady so it's all good.

The instructions were very clear. Construction involved some layering and flipping, making me feel like a genius, even though all I did was follow the nicely illustrated steps. Just make sure you mark your notches and keep straight about which is the wrong side of your fabric and you will have no troubles at all.

I'm toying with making version two for our upcoming holiday trip to Las Vegas. I can picture it in black, or maybe a jewel tone, with a pencil skirt and a pair of bling-y earrings.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Belize Shorts

More vacation garments! A few days ago I popped for a PDF of the Belize Shorts and Skort pattern from Itch to Stitch.

Front view with wet hair. Just took a shower.

Lisa, of Lisa's Carolina Handmade, has sewn up a passel of these shorts, each pair a winner. Her versions look so cute and cool, I had to get in on the action.

So I jumped in with both feet. I've made three pairs this week. That puts this pattern right up there with one of my all time favorites, the Kirsten tee by Maria Denmark.

back view

You will notice that I have my hands in my pockets in every photo. That's because these shorts have the world's most perfect pockets. They're nice and deep and set at just the right angle so that my hands are sucked in like the Millennium Falcon making the jump to light speed.

Side view

I can get a pair of these babies out of a yard of 45 inch wide fabric. They feature an elastic waist with a flat front. They're as comfortable as gym shorts, but they look a lot dressier. Or at least I think they do.

Trying to show the flat front on the waistband

They're also the perfect length for me as drafted. I'm 5'3", and no one would call me leggy, so if you are one of those tall, coltish gals you may want to add a few inches.

Version 1

This was my first version, made up in a stretch twill remnant that I had knocking around the fabric closet.

Version 2

This is version two in a Japanese indigo print.

I'm actually trying to stop myself from going upstairs to cut out a 4th pair from a yard of beetle printed fabric that I originally got to make some love bug overalls for my grandson.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.