A Maxi Emery Dress

Tim and I just came home from a 2 and a bit week holiday in Vietnam. It was absolutely amazing and we can't wait to start planning our next holiday. Before we left I made a couple of summer items for the trip. First up, a maxi version of the Emery Dress pattern by Christine Haynes.

I've made this pattern quite a few times  (1, 2, 3, 4).  I find the bodice really comfortable and easily paired with various skirt styles. A few of temples in Vietnam require conservative dress and my summer wear is mostly sleeveless tops and shorts so I thought a maxi dress (with a scarf over my shoulders when needed) would fill a luggage gap of conservative as well as evening wear.

I made the dress up using some $2 table Darn Cheap Fabric Viscose that you'll have seen around the blogosphere (here and here). The fabric seemed perfect for the tropical weather - bright and summery but cool and flowing.

I made an unlined sleeveless version in size 6 as usual. I took 1.5 cm off the arm holes at the shoulders grading to nothing at the underarm, scooped out the neckline a bit and took another .5cm from the centre back seam which I'd already modified in a previous iteration. Viscose has more stretch to it than other fabrics I've used for this pattern before and unfortunately I distorted the fabric at the centre back seam a little when inserted the zipper. For the skirt I used all the fabric I had left from the bodice, including selvage edges. I simple cut four rectangles and sewed them together before gathering and attaching at the waist. The width of the rectangles isn't substantial so I including leg slits to allow more room to move.

Excuse the dark photos. These were taken at the Sky Deck in Ho Chi Min City on our last evening in Vietnam. We went just before sunset and stayed to see the city lights after dark.  I also wore this dress, along with a scarf over my shoulders, to Ho Chi Min's Mausoleum in Hanoi on what was one of the hottest days of our trip. It was a great dress to have on the trip and I look forward to wearing it again once summer comes around in Australia.

Emery - Elisalex Hybrid

Early in this year I bought the Emery Dress and the Elisalex Dress patterns from Indie Stitches. I've since posted three emery dresses plus two emery skirts. In contrast, I've posted 0 - zilch Elisalex dresses. I have actually made one Elisalex, which I've finally made wearable, that I'll post another time. I ended up loving the Elisalex skirt, but the fitting issues with the bodice just weren't worth the effort for a basic princess seamed bodice (more on that to come). Enter the Emery Elisalex hybrid.

I bought this amazing fabric from kinki gerlinki who sell a small amount of varied unidentified fabrics. I have know idea what this fabric is. The rose print is embroidered on with a soft (maybe silk) thread) and the peach background fabric is sheer, crisp and melts under a warm iron. It's quite sheer so it had to be fully underlined in a white cotton lawn (e.g. what I had around).

To make my Emery Elisalex hybrid I cut an Emery bodice in a size 6, grading to an 8 from the bust down. I made my usual alterations (see here). I cut the Elisalex skirt in a size 14 and shortened the pattern by 9" (I'm an average 5'5 tall). 

After underlining all the pieces I sewed the dress pieces together with French seams (except for the waist and back seam. I basted the skirt to the bodice to see how the seams, darts and pleats aligned from the two patterns. They were way off! I unpicked the skirt pleats and re-pinned the skirt to the bodice aligning the centre back and side seams. I then re-inserted the box pleats, making them the size of the left over fabric. This means that the back pleats ended up being slightly wider, and more similar to the original pattern, than the front pleats.  This isn't too noticeable while on and I'd rather it to unmatched seams.

I used the zip I had on hand, which was white. I regret it. moving right along. I finished the armholes and neckline with purchased bias binding. So that the shell of the dress was uninterrupted I hand stitched the binding and hem. It was really nice to take the extra effort with this dress and it does make it feel a little more special.

I'm really happy with how this Emery Elisalex hybrid dress turned out. I'll definitely be combining these patterns again.  It's just a little bit extra special compared my usual makes. I wore this dress to the Melbourne Frocktails event hosted by Oanh. There were so many gorgeous dresses in one room. In fact we got asked by a man in the restaurant who we were and why we all looked so fabulous? It was a lovely night, but of course we all wished we were attending the Sydney version.

A Grumpy Gathered Skirt

Last Saturday I had a lovely afternoon eating and fabric shopping with a great bunch of sewers. I picked up a couple of items from Clear It and also from The Fabric Store and was gifted a Cynthia Rowley pattern (S2250) from @suluswabi who was de-stashing (Thank you!). 

I was looking for something drapey to make another high waisted gathered skirt similar to my floral emery skirt hack. At The Fabric Store I was immediately drawn to this silk/cotton blend with a black background and pink, purple and blue dotty stripes.

As it was going to be such a simple make I immediately cut into the fabric and started sewing. I was happy-as-larry when I begun cutting out the skirt pieces but quickly turned into a complete grump. The main problem being that I kept changing my mind throughout this project and lost patience with it.

Here's what went down:
1. Started out with the emery skirt and pocket pattern pieces and a self drafted waistband piece. Added about an inch to one end of the waistband as I wanted to have a button tab closure. 
2. Looked up a tutorial for French seaming when using in-seam pockets and decided it looked a little messy and imprecise. Ditched the pockets.
3. Started sewing the skirt pieces together and came to the late realisation that the skirt should probably be lined as it was slightly transparent. Cut some more skirt pieces out of a skin coloured viscose which I'm glad to be rid off because it shifts around and stretches out while sewing.
4. Gathered the lining and main skirt pieces, attached them to the skirt, serged the S/As. Realised I forgot to leave the end on the waistband free of skirt fabric to allow for the tab.
5. Cracked it (the shits, not the skirt), and wondered whether my skirt was looking a little like a circus tent with these beautiful colourful stripes.
6. Unpicked the tab end of the skirt/waistband and re-gathered the skirt so that it ended where is should have. Changed my mind all together about the tab and just snipped off the extra 1".
7. After turning an incredibly simple make into a frustrating afternoon I sewed the invisible zipper into the skirt and simply serged the centre back S/A's, turned the waist band under and stitched in the ditch, and finally hemmed the lining and the skirt.

Nothing in the above is all that terrible and it was still a quick sew, but somehow I turned a simple project that should have been lovely and satisfying into a complete frustration. This skirt has taught me a lesson about thinking through a project before cutting into the fabric (no matter how simple it seems). Also, perhaps it's best to stop sewing when you start chucking a tanty over the smallest issues.

Thankfully the final product is quite pretty and exactly what I set out to make - a drapey gathered high waisted skirt. That's enough grumpiness for one day! Thanks to Jess for taking these photos at work today.

Emery Dress: A TNT Pattern?

I don't want to speak too soon, but I think the Emery Dress pattern, may be a TNT (tried n' true) pattern for me. This is my third version and while none of the three (see dress 1 and 2) are absolutely perfect they are pretty damn good, imo. The style is absolutely me and the fit is pretty darn lovely.

This version began when I found some divine navy Japanese cotton at The Cloth Shop. It feels like Liberty (but half the price) and is wonderfully light. The print looks to be a navy and brown abstract rose pattern. I'm a sucker for blue! I bought the fabric and decided on the Emery pattern immediately.

 

For this Emery I cut my usual size (6, grading out to an 8 from the waist down). I wanted this dress to be unlined and sleeveless. The cotton is so wonderful against your skin and the fabric breathes really well so I thought it would be a great summer dress. In the meantime,  long sleeves, cardigans and fleece tights are my friend.  I finished the neckline and armholes with Navy bias binding.

The Emery Pattern was not designed to be a sleeveless dress so I altered the pattern by taking 1cm off the shoulders grading to nothing around the arm hole curve on the back and front piece. I didn't do this for my Full O'Heart version and it worked out fine so I thinks it's just a matter of preference.

 

One fitting issue I had  in my previous two dresses was some back neckline gaping. I made a couple of changes in this version to combat that: 1) I took 1cm off the top of the centre back bodice grading it to nothing to just before the tip of the back darts. I then inserted the zipper normally - thus having 2cm less fabric at the centre back neckline. 2) I sewed the shoulder seams at 7/8" (an extra 1/4").  This seems to have taken most of the gaping out and the slightly raised neckline is now just from bias binding not laying completely flat.
 

 

I love my new Emery Dress. It's my style, my colour, and is trans-seasonal. Who could ask for anything more? I'm also really happy with the small alterations I made to the pattern. I know I'll keep coming back for more Emery in the future. Perhaps it's time to start adapting the pattern and trying a lower neckline, pleated or circle skirt etc. 

 

Floral Skirt Hack

On the weekend Tim and I visited the North Melbourne Market. Apparently one little old lady had won the sewing competition: "she who dies with the most fabric wins" and her family were selling her enormous and beautiful fabric stash at the Market. There were boxes and boxes and boxes. Due to limited space only a few (like, 10) boxes were opened at a time. I went with the goal of buying knit fabrics but there wasn't any displayed at the time. Instead, I bought two great floral pieces: a pink, yellow and mauve cotton/poly blend (about 5m) and approx 2m of a white blue, and green cotton which is much softer than the first. This cost me $6 total!!

I wanted to make something from the fabric straight away. I decided on a full floaty, high wasted and pocketed skirt. I didn't have a pattern that matched my idea, but it was so simple I knew I could improvise. I decided to use the pink fabric as I had more of it and it wouldn't bother me as much if I screwed it up.

I cut a waist band 31 1/2" long (my waist plus + 5/8" S/A plus 1/2"ease) by 5 inches wide. I finished one long edge with bias binding. I was going to just cut some rectangle pieces around twice the width of my waist and gather for the skirt pieces. Instead, I decided to use the skirt and pocket pieces from the Emery dress as I loved the shape on my first version in particular.

I sewed the the skirt and pocket pieces together, attached the waist band, attached a regular zip (because I had one in my draw), folded waistband down and stitched in the ditch to attach the waistband facing.  Finally I hemmed the skirt and that was it. A finished skirt in a few hours.

I'm starting to get more confident and willing to make up simple patterns with a mix of self-drafting and pattern hacking. It's lovely to have an idea and make it happen within a few hours. I love how it turned out. It's sweet but super comfy. It's probably not the most flattering look on me, but I'm  loving it anyway. Thankfully the sun has come out this week so I've been able to wear it. It pairs really great with my Modified Colette Hawthorn blouse. I probably wont have many more chances before it's put away for next spring/summer. I can see myself making more of these skirt next spring.

Apologies for the indoor pics! Daylight savings is over and Tim isn't around much in day-light hours during the week. Hopefully during Autumn/Winter I'll still be able to mostly post OK quality outdoor pics. But, every now and then indoor shots will have to do.

My Full O' Heart Emery

After making my first Emery I knew I'd be making another version up in the near future, especially as it's the perfect dress for the #SewDollyClackett sew-along! All I needed was a quirky print. A few weeks ago, on a lovely lunch and fabric shopping date with Oanh of Unique Shmuck, I found this fantastic heart print in Clear It (e.g. the Alannah Hill outlet). I'm not entirely sure what it is but I suspect some sort of poly blend. We each bought 2m at $5m (score!).

My first dress has some excess room in the neckline which the ladies at Social Sewing helped me pin out. We decided that an easy fix would be to take in the shoulder seams 1/2". So, like my first attempt, I cut a waist chest 6/waist 8 with no further alterations.

I changed my mind about this dress quite a few time as I sewed. First I cut a collar in the self fabric and planed to use piping for some visual interest. I sewed the piping and tried adding the collar but it was just too much. The print was OTT enough without adding cutesy details. This reminded me that Roisin always nails to balance OTT prints with simple lines.

I had planned on using bias binding for the finishings instead of a lining. I changed my mind about this too. The fabric doesn't breath well so I added a spotty cotton lining. Unfortunately I didn't decide to do this until I'd sewn in the back zipper and centre back seams. I couldn't figure out how to add the lining as usual without unpicking which I wasn't up for. I ended up adding the lining to the neckline and center back as usual but binding the arm holes. Other than  issues caused by my indecisiveness the dress sewed up as well and as quickly as my first attempt. 

The fit is a little better around my neckline but there is still some gape at the back of the neckline. If I sew the dress again I might just  increase the SA at the neckline Centre back easing into the 5/8"as I go down. I know this isn't a technical fix, but I'm a home-sewer and can do as I please. 

Now, while the fabric is amazing, it's also quite thick! Thick fabric and gathering aren't the best of friends. Where as the skirt on Emery number 1 just hangs, my Full O'Heart Emery skirt is incredibly fru-fru! So poofy that I considered not bothering finishing it. After some instagram encouragement I finished the dress and wore it out that same night where I received many lovely comments on it. The fabric while thick presses quite well. It would have been well suited to an Elisalex and can you imagine this fabric for a Robinson Trench coat?!

Overall, I 'heart' this dress, and I'm dotty for the lining! Too much? I'm so glad this fabric popped up for the #SewDollyClackett sewalong. Are you planning on joining in? If so, are you planning more than one dress? Roisin has such great dress, shoe, cardy combo's. This sew-along has definitely made me rethink my very small shoe collection so I popped on a bright jumper to make up for my lacking shoe department. You can grab your copy of the Emery Dress pattern here.

An Emery & A Date

There are so many incredible versions of Christine Haynes Emery Dress floating around the interwebs! Obviously I was inspired by them all and snapped up a pattern from Indie Stitches before they ran out of stock again. I knew the lovely Caitlan from Indie Stitches had been working on her version and we were planning a get together so we decided to have an Emery date! I'd also been working on convincing Caitlan to start her own blog for some time and she finally let up and Emery is the star of her very first blog post. Go check out Caitlan's BEAUTIFUL sleeveless version.

 

So, the dress. I traced a size 6 bust-8 waist and hips at a social sewing day where I was much more social than I was sewing. I knew that if I had any fitting issues it may be in part due to the poor tracing.

With the removable bow belt. 

I used a cotton form Darn Cheap, it's a little dark for my skin tone but I went with it anyway. I used a contrasting fabric for the lining. Note, if your not lining your dress or your using a contrasting fabric than you will only need 2m (maybe less) for Version 1. I used the contrast fabric for a bow and sleeve cuffs. I tried the bow that came with the pattern and it was super cute but I wasn't sure that it was me. So after some instagram advice I opted for a removable bow belt. I wear the dress without the belt most often

The Emery dress instructions are so incredibly detailed! My dress came together so neatly and quickly following Christine's fabulous instructions. I really felt well supported by them, not once did I feel the need to deviate to a preferred technique or check another resource. However I did machine stitch the hem because life's just to short for hand sewing imo.

I love the way the dress turned out but I do have some fitting issues. Again, who knows whether its the way I traced the pieces or not? Regardless, next time I need to take some fabric out the center top of the shoulders as the neckline isn't sitting flat. I thought about raising the waistline half an inch as its a little low on me but once I adjust the shoulders this shouldn't be an issue. I find the sleeves a little restricting but I'm not sure whether I need to increase the arm hole or increase the sleeve piece or both. I've already cut out my next version and it will be sleeveless.

So, back to the Emery date. I'm shattered that Caitlan and I didn't get a photo together (fools!). But here's one of her in her Emery. We had a nice long long chat, visited Clegs and Tessuti, and had lunch. It was so lovely meeting up with someone in real life after becoming such great cyber buddies. I can't wait to see what Caitlan sews up next!

(source)

*Talking Caitlan and her blog up is not part of my sponsorship with Indie Stitches. I genuinely think Caitlan is awesome therefore her blog should be on our blog roll and radar.*