Another "Boring" Basic Summer Dress

This is why ya'll never comment, isn't it? I just keep making the same two dresses over and over again. But this is what I love to wear. It's the bodice of Retro Butterick 5748, with a gathered skirt. It has pockets and a side zipper, of course.

This fabric is more interesting up close, some pretty colors.

I love it and I've worn it twice already. Right now I'm working on something more bold and interesting. I would say "out of my comfort zone" but I don't think my "comfort zone" has an "out of." It does involve one of my two favorite patterns but you can make any pattern interesting, right?

Just a T-Shirt

I like it and I don't. I like wearing it but I don't like the way I look in it.

I used a Butterick t-shirt pattern. (Can't remember the number; too lazy to look it up) I made a facing instead of the neck band because neck bands often don't work out well. And I lengthened the sleeves a little bit.

The fabric is a cotton/modal blend from Girl Charlee. I always feel like I'm taking a terrible chance when I order from Girl Charlee because some of their fabric is very poor quality but some of it, like this one, is very nice. I love the cotton/modal knit and I haven't seen it anywhere else.

OMG! Orange!

A while back when I was talking about how little I have been sewing for myself this summer Marcy practically ordered me to sew some wax print. Well, I sewed the dress in my last post first because that's what I really wanted to sew. But I did have a piece of fabric in my stash that has been calling out, "Hey! Sew me next!" It's not the only one calling to me but as you can see this one is pretty loud. (See what I did there?)

This came up on my Etsy search for "Dutch wax print" but it's different. It's not double sided and it's lighter weight and not as tight a weave as other wax print I have sewn. It's exactly like typical quilting cotton. But that's okay because I love quilting cotton too.

When I have a big beautiful print I like to keep the pattern simple so I used the bodice of Butterick 5748 and a half circle skirt (with pockets, of course) instead of the full circle that came in the pattern because I just don't want to deal with a full circle.

OMG! Orange makes me look so fat! I didn't realize until I saw the pictures. I don't really care much though. Let me tell you how much I love orange, especially with a little hot pink thrown in. Orange is such a happy, fun color. It has the hotness of red with the lightheartedness of yellow.

Just a little showing off:

Before, when using this bodice, I have cheated and made alterations on the fly which usually works out okay but could be better. This time I buckled down and did it right. I carefully measured and put the darts where they need to go and fixed the too high and wide neckline and the armholes that don't fit quite right. So it's not really Butterick 5748 anymore; it's my basic summer bodice pattern. The armholes still don't fit quite right. They're slightly gaping. I think it's because of my sloping shoulders and I think I know what to do about it next time. When I square up my shoulders in a way that feels unnatural to me the issues go away.

In the best picture of the dress I had my eyes closed but I'm going to post it anyway because this isn't about me; it's about the dress.

I'm going to wear it to a family get-together this weekend. Look out, family; get your sunglasses ready.

Marcy Told Me To

WARNING: The first part of this is a little bit political and possibly controversial so if you don't want to read that sort of thing just skip down to the good stuff.

There was a discussion a while back at Oonaballoona about African fabrics and whether it is okay for white people to wear them. Short version: Marcy said "Go for it," so I did.

I have been attracted to these fabrics for a long time - the bright colors, the bold, unusual prints - but I have been hesitating. In some situations being a white person (especially one from redneck country) can be a little uncomfortable. Yes, I know, I know... my life is good; I have nothing really to complain about. But still. I don't want to offend anyone or make anyone else uncomfortable and sometimes it's not completely clear what is right. I think the Internet makes us all a little more sensitive in both good and bad ways, or maybe "aware" would be a better word for it. Thanks to the Internet I have been made aware that there is a such thing as cultural appropriation. Sometimes it's clear what that means; other times it's a little more fuzzy.

As Marcy pointed out, the fabric in question, Ankara or Dutch wax prints among other names, has a very mixed cultural background. That got me to thinking, there are other, more commonly used fabrics, with designs that have been "appropriated" from other traditional cultures, batik and paisley for example. (BTW I came across this amusing page (at least it amuses me) telling us that we're all going to Hell for wearing paisley.) These designs and others have been popular for so long no one even thinks about their origins and whether or not we "should" wear them. We are nervous about African fabrics because they are new to many of us and we first became aware of them during the Internet era.

If you think about it, almost everything we think of as American originally came from somewhere else and that's somewhat true of Britain as well. I believe that incorporating elements of other cultures into our clothing and home decor can show respect and admiration. I know not everyone will agree and that's something else I wanted to address. One of the mistakes many of us make in regard to Others is thinking of members of any given ethnicity, religion or any other group you want to put people into, as being all the same, having all the same opinions, etc. Learning to think of all people as individuals first would help us in a lot of ways.

* * *

Okay, here's the good stuff:

The pattern is Butterick 5748, one of two that I'm currently obsessed with and can't stop making over and over again. (I was going to take pictures outside this time but it's been raining for two days and I didn't want to wait.)

Ugh. It is nearly impossible to hold one's face in a normal looking smile when taking timer pictures.

To be honest, only the bodice is B5748 and that has been modified. The skirt as it came with the pattern is a full circle but I used a self-drafted half circle with pockets instead. The bodice has a high, wide neckline, which I do not like so I always change the neckline and since I cut it freehand it comes out a little different every time.

Here's one more. I like this picture even though it's a little dark. You can see the actual length of the dress better in this one.

UPDATE: Oooo! I almost forgot the most important thing. I love it. Of course I love the pattern, obviously, but I really love the fabric. It has a nice lightweight but sturdy feel and the colors are great.

Soon to be Useful

A year or two ago (maybe longer; I can't remember) when the Hancock Fabrics in Tulsa had their going out of business sale I bought 3 pieces of cotton interlock knit. I originally planned to make t-shirts and only bought one and a half yards of each but later I decided it was too heavy for summer wear. Mornings have been cool lately so I was inspired to get out that fabric and make this:

I used this Butterick pattern, view D.

I wasn't sure I had enough fabric but I decided to lay out the pieces and see and it was just enough. It was very fast and easy to make, only two pattern pieces since it has kimono sleeves. I didn't bother with the button and loop because I doubt I would use it. I faced the neckline and front edges with wide bias tape.

Here it is with jeans:

The other two pieces of knit fabric are pink and orange. I don't know if I will make exactly the same thing with them but I'm very tempted.

My New Favorite Dress

It's another Butterick 5748. (I know... I keep making the same two dresses over and over again, but LOVE!)

With pockets of course.

And here's the back. I really kind of hate showing this pic because I hate my arms and also, on this one, because I didn't bother trying to match the pattern and it came out a little goofy looking but... oh well.

I love this pattern, obviously since I keep making it, and I absolutely over-the-top love this fabric. The colors are amazing. But can you believe I finished it over a week ago and haven't even worn it yet? It's been cooler than normal for August and when I get dressed in the morning and it's only 64F I just reach for something else even though I know it would be fine later. But I will wear it soon.