Long Pink Linen Jersey Dress

 I bought this fabric online just because i thought it was awesome aesthetically as well as in terms of composition (linen+viscose). When it arrived, I was glad to see it combined perfectly with some Liberty cotton I had acquired in the same order, so I planned a wrapped jacket to go with the dress in changing weather. 

Then, one day I was breakfasting in a bar for rich ladies (I love to go there as a mole), and I saw a lady wearing a long pales ping jersey, sleeveless, long jersey dress. I thought it was nice, but some hours later, I was hit by sudden inspiration:I had the perfect fabric!

For the pattern, I used the "rub off" technique to copy an old dress of mine that I love. 

Since the fabric is too sheer, I used some pale pink thin jersey lining fabric to make a slip that, at the same time, served the purpose of  facings for neck opening and armholes. 

The result is stunning, I love it. After wearing, it three times, it has become longer, and I will have to take 3 or 4 cm off the bottom hem, it is too long. 

Homewear

 There are projects I make, and then I do not post about, because they are not glamorous, but they are still useful and make me happy in everyday life, as much as clothes, almost. 

In this post I reunite some of them that I have made the last months, between other bigger or clothing projects. 

Black & White Gingham Summer Dress

 

I've been seeing B&W gingham sundresses all spring and summer, so when I went to my local fabric store (Pepa i punt) and found a whole gingham collection (big, medium, small, red, blue, black, green), I had to buy some! It was not cheap, but this is the real cotton deal. 

I made the bodice hackering an old dress, simply transforming the back of the bodice, and converting the shoulder straps into long knotted laces. 

For the skirt, I cut 3 rectangles 22 cm wide, each of them being 1.5 times the previous one.

After some gathering and pinning, I sew them and finished the bottom hem with a zigzag to make it softer. 

I usually wear tight clothes, but this is a welcome change... and it goes well with my new sandals. 

I have doubts about the bodice, though. It could be fitted, maybe... I will reassess it next summer. 

Denim Mini Shirt Dress

 ...or how to get away with 1.5 square meters of fabric, haha!

Well, that fabric had been in my stash for a couple of years, with the idea of making some jeans... but then I thought it was too thin for that, and when I finally decided to give it a go and put the jeans pattern on it, I saw it was totally not enough, thanks to the unusual 1.5 m width instead of 1.70. No jeans, not even pirates could be made out of it... so I got the inspiration while wearing this other dress, which is a pattern from Burda Style magazine that I almost threw away at the beginning of the season due to lack of shoes-to-go-with-it inspiration. I literally rescued it from the waste bin when I mentally matched it with combat boots. 

I had to perform a massive hacking in that pattern. First, I transformed the princess seams into darts going up and down from the waist band, which I added. I then made a typical denim dress yoke, drawing it by hand in the paper pattern, both in the front and back bodices. Finally, I added a couple of cms in the armscyes bottoms to compensate to the lack of sleeves. I used the same collar and collar stand, which were perfect, and I made some belt loops for the waist band. 

I looked and looked in my remnants stash (the little pieces of fabric I keep after making a project) until I found this stripped red and white seersucker fabric, which became a perfect match. 

The final result was so lovely, I was surprised. The perfect fit. Very happy with it. 

Red Linen Zadie Jumpsuit

 I bought this linen online from a Barcelona shop without a definite plan for it. Sometimes, fabrics are so awesome you have to buy them, and they bring you the inspiration to be transformed into a 3D garment. You only have to wash it, dry it, touch it, fold it and leave it there in a visible shelf. (Mental note: careful here with excessive stash). Some time or other the inspiration will come, as it did in this case: the Zadie Jumpsuit that I had seen on Instagram, blogs and the internet in general, that had me intrigued as it how the crotch wrap fold was made... 

Seeing that I had not enough fabric (1.5 m) I had to make a second order (+1 m) and accompany it with some more must-haves that you all eventually see here transformed.

It became my project for my final student graduation act, so I was sewing quite frantically for the last week previous to the ceremony, and coinciding with a ton of work and stress to close the course the best possible way. Important things cannot be lived peacefully, it seems. 

Well, for this project I went down a size, paying attention, specially, to the final garment measures. This linen is crisp and structured, so I did not need excessive ease. It hit the target pretty spot on. 

As usual with these patterns, I took the seam allowance off the paper pattern, and cut it with a 2 cm seam allowance (except for the neck opening, 1 cm) all around. 

Having not much time, I sew it directly without marking or bating it. Kind of a crime in my book, but what the heck...

I made no adjustments at all in the bodice, but the pants were waaaay too wide. I realized that at the final fitting, with all the self-enclosed seams finished and all. It was quite easy to correct, though: pockets were also too big, so I decided to start at the waist and take 2 cm off along the outward legs' sides. I cut the excess fabric and remade the self-enclosed lateral seams again. There, perfect!

I decided to wear it with high heel shoes to dress it up, but it is quite sporty with flat sandals or sneakers. The red color is not very discreet though. 

I love it, and it was a success. My 12-year-old students told me it was cool. And they don't lie in their compliments, haha..

Flowery Viscose Long Buffet Dress

 In this case, the term came to me after the inspiration for the dress, which may have been the Amelia Dress, or longer versions of the Hinteland, the Mysostis or the Orla dresses... that is to say, I dreamed with a darted, fitted bodice, three quarter sleeves and a long gathered, tiered skirt. Watching The Sewing Bee, I learned the term "buffet dress", which according to Rachel, from The Fold Line, was their own invention! 

After searching everywhere for a pattern that suited my mental idea and finding none, I resolved to hack a previous bodice and sleeves, which I love, to make it open and buttoned and the center front. 

I left the back darts open, for it to be wide enough to pass on and off, and added a knotted belt of the sabe fabric sewn in the back waist. 

 As for the skirt, I used the Orla dress, or rather, I cut a rectangle 170 cm wide (all the fabric width) and 80 cm long, and finally added a two 170 x 25 cm tiers at the bottom, one for the front and another one for the back. 

I had to find the perfect give in the bodice, but with some trial and error found the perfect amount at the waist and bodice. 

I love this dress. It is absolutely perfect in all senses. It is going to be very wearable at my job in the school, specially during all those months between hot and cold. 

Organic Cotton Jumper and Dress for 1-year-old Twins

 

Am I becoming one of those old lady that knits tacky pieces of clothing for newborns? YESSSS!

It seems one cannot avoid becoming her own grandma! 

I now see it is a sign of deep love for the babies in question, who in this case are so gorgeous and sweet they deserve my three months of knitting!

This is a wonderful organic cotton from Katia and one of their patterns too. This Catalan brand has yarns and projects for them, published in a periodic paper magazine, and you can also buy the yarn and the pattern online. I love their projects and some of their yarns. 

See the project in Ravelry for technical details.