November Makes, Part 2

As I mentioned in my November Makes, Part 1 post, I decided to break this month’s post up into two – one about the tops I made this month and the other about the other things I made this month. If you missed part 1, click here! In Part 2, I’m going to talk about the skirts, pants and dresses I made.

• Alberta Street Pencil Skirt by Sew House Seven – Liberty Edition

If you read my Seamstress Tag post, you know I’ve had a Liberty disaster with this pencil skirt before. So I made one in the second yardage of Liberty Denim I bought but it was way too big and too long (yes, I realize I could fix that, but it hasn’t been done). A couple months ago I tried to make this skirt again trying to resolve all the issues – made it a size smaller and shortened it. But, for some reason, I wasn’t paying attention to where the lengthen and shorten line was. Guys, It’s above the kick pleat – so when you take 4 inches out, you have now raised the kick pleat to be very close to your rear end….let’s say, that skirt got trashed.

So here we are, in November, and ready to try again! There was this gorgeous Liberty Denim at Stitch and I was determined to make this work this time. I cut the fabric correctly the first time (wahoo!) and shortened it above the kick pleat 4 inches (wahoo x 2!). Already doing better. I had a couple issues in the actual sewing of making sure the waistband was put on right side up – I must learn to look more carefully! But, I am SO pleased with the final result.

Due to the busy-ness of the fabric, I decided to leave out the pockets and I think pocket-less versions of this skirt look more dressy so it’s perfect. You probably saw a spoiler in my November Makes, Part 1, but here’s the final look again:

paired with a Julia Cardigan + Union Street Tee + a fun necklace

Verdict: Will (and did!) make again

• Moss Skirt by Grainline

I have been eyeing this skirt for a while but had never gotten around to sewing it. Stitch was offering a class this month so I jumped right on it. I picked a grey charcoal twill to make the skirt out of and used a Rifle Paper Company quilting cotton for the pockets and the waistband facing. I love the way it turned out!

The only thing I don’t love is the pockets. It is purposefully designed so the pockets have a bit of a gap (bulge out maybe?) to allow your hand to get in the pocket, but it lies kinda funny on you then. I don’t hate it, but it’s not my favorite part of the skirt.

Following the advice of Kalle, from Stitch, I even hand sewed the waistband facing down. If you know me at all, you know I do not enjoy hand sewing. But, it does look better than edge stitching (which I did for my Alberta Street Pencil Skirt above).

 I think next time I might make it a tiny bit longer, but it’s a really great skirt!

Verdict: Will make again!

• Alberta Street Pencil Skirt by Sew House Seven #2

As I mentioned above, immediately after making my first successful Alberta Street, I made another one the next day. This time I used a stretch twill and included the pockets. To keep the Liberty theme alive, I used a really pretty Liberty print for the waistband facing. I did the pockets this time, but I think after adding the pockets, I determined I really like this skirt without them.

The fabric was kinda interesting – I thought it would be similar to what I used in the Moss Skirt – but this twill seemed to have a brushed texture on the right side. Not what I was expecting, but interesting.

Verdict: Will make another!

Liberty on the inside!

• Molly Dress by Sew Over It

If you read my other posts, you know I’m a huge Lisa Comfort fan. I have been loving all the Molly Tops and Dresses I’ve been seeing online and have been dying to make one in a stripe similar to hers in her Capsule Wardrobe ebook. Pattern matching kinda scares me a bit, so I thought I’d start with a solid.

I made the dress version in a double knit and really love it! I want to buy a belt to wear at my waist with it to give it a bit more shape but I think it’s such a great dress – perfect for work.

Verdict: Will Make Again + Want to make the top!

I like it so much with a belt! Ignore how large this belt is on me – need waist belts!

Pants:

• Anima Pant by Papercut Patterns

Let me preface this by saying that I wear these all the time – they’re pretty much on a constant rotation from my body – washer – dryer – back to my body. They are so comfy!

I decided to take this class this month at Stitch and I am so happy I did! I’ve made a couple pairs of pants in the past, but pants are a little scary for me. Something about the way they’re constructed and making sure you put the correct legs together makes my head spin a little bit. Figured sweatpants were a low risk major reward pant option to try to wrap my head around some of the basics.

I decided to do a hybrid between the shorter length and the full length pant because I like my sweat pants to fall mid-calf. I used ribbing on both the calf/ankle band and the waistband. I also omitted the ties because they’re for looks only and seemed like a step that I didn’t need to take.

So, let’s talk a little bit about the pants once I made them (see again paragraph at the beginning). I don’t think these are the sweat pants for me. A couple things I don’t love:

They are a higher rise than I would like – I think I’m the only weirdo that likes low rise pants still, so these were a bit on the high side for me.

The mid-calf hybrid length I did was the right length, but I didn’t make the calf band tight enough so they kinda just fall.

They’re a wider leg than I was looking for.

All that being said, SUPER comfy, no loss – great wear around the house pants. I would like to make the Hudson Pant as I think they’ll be a better fit for me and fit into all my weird preferences noted above.

Verdict: Will make Hudsons instead!