Hallo. Hallo.

Up today…the Cleo Dungaree Dress by Tilly and the Buttons and the Rise Turtleneck by Papercut Patterns…a brief chat about my #2018MakeNine progress…and some love for another Canadian online fabric store.

In an effort to build a more wearable handmade wardrobe, I’ve been musing much. Which of my makes are getting  the most wear? Which ones are not getting any love? And…perhaps most important…why? What RTW garments are high in the rotation list? What is my ideal wearable wardrobe anyways?

Wearable. Curated. Cohesive. I admit, it can feel like work…trying to figure it out. But. I want to do this. My current love it; buy it; sew it system feels flawed.

I haven’t been following a method…no online programs or books…but #2018MakeNine has definitely been a positive first step.  The exercise of choosing nine things to sew….all from my fabric stash…kick-started my wearable wardrobe goals. So far my focus has been paying attention to what I reach for in my closet and being mindful about how I feel while I’m wearing my garments.

My Cleo Dungaree Dress is my second #2018MakeNine garment. I chose this Tilly and the Buttons pattern because I have a RTW dress/jumper that is similar and I wear it frequently. The denim fabric I bought a few years ago from a thrift store. I love natural fibers and denim has been ranking high in my winter wardrobe.

Above, a close up view of my Cleo pattern hack….I added button plackets to the side seams. Because…who doesn’t want to add more work to their sewing projects? To clarify, this design feature is not included in the Cleo pattern.

Not ignoring you…just taking in the view of False Creek and Yaletown.

I decided on two back hip pockets. Both the front bib pocket and the hip pockets have minimal contrasting top-stitching.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before but when I’m sewing slightly heavier weight fabrics like denim, instead of using top-stitching thread I double up on my regular poly thread; that is, I thread two strands of thread through the needle.

I also made my top, the Rise Turtleneck by Papercut Patterns. Although I don’t have any RTW turtlenecks in my closet, I’ve been coveting those made by other bloggers. I was a bit wary though….memories of when I was a kid and feeling slightly strangled all the time.  I ended up going for Papercut Pattern’s Rise Turtleneck and….whew…it isn’t tight, it doesn’t feel too high. In fact it feels just right.

As many knits go, this is a quick sew…honestly, it took more time to do the non-darted FBA. Not whining….I’m definitely getting better at doing full bust adjustments and the result is well worth the effort.

The fabric is from L’Oiseau Fabric Shoppe, the second online store that I referred to in this post.  L’Oiseau is a Calgary based business and they specialize in high quality European knits {the selvedge on this cut is labeled Stenzo Textiles, Netherlands}.  Like it? There’s 1.5m still available, here. I’ve only bought from them once, but I was pleased with the fabric and the service. I’ll be ordering from them again.

Oh hai. We’re at the end of my post.

But before I leave you….where am I? On Granville Island… looking across False Creek to Yaletown. It was a walkie kinda day for G and I and comfortable footwear was mandatory Actually…comfortable everything was on my wish list. And…lucky me….my Cleo Dungaree Dress with a long sleeve tee…is turning out to be just that.

Thanks bunches for reading. See you soon.

Wearing:

Cleo Pinafore + Dungaree Dress : : Tilly and the Buttons

Rise Turtleneck : : Papercut Patterns