More Crepe Dresses

 I will keep this short, since I already blogged about the pattern here. I made two more last weekend. It is just the perfect summer dress.

Here it is in Anna Maria Horner's Diamond Mine in Sky Voile. I just love the quality of her voile fabric.

 

Back view

The tie is Free Spirit Voile in Heather. The same quality as the print voile.

In this version I only lined the bodice part.

 Anna Maria Horner Innocent Crush Sixpence in Maybe

 Back view

This one is fully lined

Messenger Bag

I was looking around for a nice Messenger Bag pattern, but I didn't really like any of the patterns I found. They don't seem to make messenger bags with inside pockets. But then I found the Lola Bea Diaper Bag from Sew Much Ado. I immediately thought it would make the perfect Messenger Bag. And I also had found the perfect project for 1000 Cranes fabric by Rashida Coleman Hale I fell in love with a couple weeks ago. An ode to New Mexico! 

The Sandhill Crane flies south for the winter. In their wintering areas they form flocks of over 10,000 birds. One place to observe this is at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 100 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. There is an annual Sandhill Crane Festival in November.

 Read more here

I extended the front flap and skipped the ruffles (I don't like ruffles), since I was going for a messenger bag look. I also lengthened the strap a couple of inches.

Another thing I would like to add if I was going to make the bag again is a zipper pocket on the front under the flap.

 And maybe another one on the back.

 Here the inside. A lot of pockets so stuff doesn't just fly around in there. It easily fits a laptop in there.

Abbey Coat

Here is my take on the Abbey Coat by Jamie Christina Patterns.

I made version A. The fabric is a wool blend from fabric.com. It was on sale and I initially bought it to make a muslin to check the fit. I was a little shocked about the intensity of the color when it first arrived, but it turned out to look awesome once it was finished. I made a size 8 and the fit is perfect. I can easily wear a sweater underneath with enough room to move. The only thing I changed was the length of the sleeves. Who the hell needs 3/4 sleeves on a winter coat??????

The buttons are from JoAnn Fabric.

By the way, I am also wearing my Thurlow Trousers. The fabric is from JoAnn Fabrics. A pinstripe suiting fabric with a very soft touch and wonderful drape.

I lined the coat with grey Ambiance Bemberg. I didn't interface the flounce. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow, with lots of pictures. It involved quite a bit of sewing by hand, but the outcome is totally worth it.

Meghan Peasant Dress in Chiffon

I blogged about this dress before, but didn't have a picture of me wearing it. So here it is. Just to give an idea of how the dress looks on a person and not just on a dress form. I like the pattern a lot. A very quick little casual summer dress. I have another version in quilting cotton blogged here. The chiffon version was quite the pain in the neck to sew, but it makes for a more dressy version. I should have added more seam allowance for this version to be able to make durable french seams. Oh well.

Meringue Skirt by Colette Patterns

Tada! The Meringue Skirt by Colette Patterns. I finally made it. Now that I have the book and fabric laying around for nearly a year. The Fabric is a linen blend by Valori Wells. I thought it would go nicely with the scalloped edge. Oh, and Hugo again walking through the picture. 

The skirt was really easy and quick to make. I made a straight size 2. The only change I made was with the hem. I used fusible hem tape instead of stitching the hem facing with a catch stitch to the skirt. I am not a big fan of sewing by hand. Hence the sewing machine ;)