May 25, 2016

SPRING DRESSES // TESSUTI RUBY x 2

So I realize that I still haven't shared my spring/summer wardrobe plan - but it is firmly in place, and maternity friendly. It consists mainly of dresses like the ones below that can expand as I do (by removing the belt!), and things that streeeeeetch. I even have so much of it completed (surprisingly for me) that I'm about ready to fully move on to baby clothes, without too much more personal sewing for awhile.
 
A few weekends ago, Jeremy and I spent some time in King City, CA with his nana and took these pictures around her beautiful yard - filled with really pretty flowers and birdhouses made by Jeremy's grandpa.

Pattern: Tessuti Ruby Dress
Size: 14
Modifications: None!
Fabric: Shibori rayon (sold out) from Blackbird Fabrics

To start, I've really been loving the swing dress silhouette recently - but I wasn't quite sure if it was right for my body. Being an hourglass shape, I generally do better with defined waists and flowy fabrics. However, being pregnant and wanting clothes with room to grow, mixed with the idea of self fabric belts (along with inspiration from Sarah's versions of this pattern: 1 & 2), made the Tessuti Ruby dress a no brainer.

The first version I made with my pre-pregnancy measurements, with no alterations - and it still fits great. I used some fabric I picked up from Caroline at Blackbird Fabrics, and hemmed and hawed a bit about pattern placement on this really pretty shibori rayon. I opted to keep the pattern horizontal and with the grain, but I really love Katie's vertical placement.

I really love the shoulder shape on this dress, as well as the back neckline detail. The only sort of mistake I made here was using serger thread to make a loop for my button... You actually can't get the dress over your head as-is without unbuttoning the neck, and the serger thread is fiddly enough to get around the button that it takes me a few tries to get this dress on. I'm also not crazy about necklines being too high, so I made some changes for my next version!

PatternTessuti Ruby Dress
Size: 14
Modifications: Lowered the neckline 2", lengthened by 2"
FabricFloral rayon from LA Finch Fabric

For my second dress version of this pattern (I made a knit tank in between the two), I lowered the neckline by 2" and graded to nothing at the shoulders. I feel like it still keeps the general shape, but gives my neck a bit of breathing room. Plus, I can now slip this dress over my head without unbuttoning! I also wised up the second time and used self fabric to make a button loop on the back... just in case I actually do need/want to unbutton it.


The only other alteration I made for this version was to lengthen the pattern by 2" to accommodate my belly as it grows... my first version starts to creep up a bit high now that I'm in my third trimester (!!!!!). Doesn't stop me from still wearing it though (albeit belt-less). :D

The fabric for this version is from LA Finch Fabrics. They stock really beautiful rayons and knits at super reasonable prices. This floral rayon has such a beautiful print with a crepe-like texture that made cutting and sewing this dress a total breeze.

Both of these dresses are currently in heavy rotation, and I love that I can always just belt them back up after the baby is born... so these should last me well into fall! 

April 29, 2016

ME MADE MAY '16

So I was totally not going to make any kind of deal about this, but there's something in me that can't keep out of the fun...

Even though I'm pregnant this year (and less and less of my clothes are fitting every day), I wanted to participate this year for a few reasons... One is that I think it'll be a fun way to document what's working for me (and maybe what's not!) when it comes to my maternity wear. Secondly, I just really love seeing what everyone is really wearing everyday, instead of something styled for a blog post or a pretty Instagram pic.

The only real pledge I'm making this year is to just try to wear something me-made every day, but realistically that might only be 5 or 6 times a week, rather than every day. I only have two RTW maternity dresses, but they're both super cute (and made in the USA, which is awesome) - so those will definitely be getting some rotation.

I'll most likely post some kind of rundown at the end of the month here on the blog, but you can follow along every day (if you so desire) with me on Instagram - @keday.

Are you participating in Me-Made May this year? I can't wait to see everyone's posts!

April 19, 2016

NEW SPRING FABRICS! // THREADBARE FABRICS

Spring has sprung, at least here in Southern California, and I could not be happier to wear dresses and bright colors. I have so many things on my spring to-sew list, ranging from dresses, tanks, skirts and colored jeans! I have plans for all of our new fabrics, and I cannot wait to cut into them.
We have three new fabrics in all, one of which has almost infinite possibilities! You can read more about each fabric below.
I get a lot of questions about colored denim, however, it seems to me that colored denim tends to be lower quality. This fabric is the same Cone Mills S-Gene denim like some of our other denims, but has its natural color and is prepped for dye. While it's beautiful on it's own, you can totally make a pair of jeans (or skirt, dress, etc) in any color you like! You can use natural dye methods (it might be time for me to actually read my copy of The Natural Modern Dyer), or simple store bought dyes - the possibilities are endless.

I made the colors at the top of of this post using RIT dyes, and they even have a cool color library for mixing custom colors (including Pantone seasonal colors!).

Product info >>
12oz S-Gene Cone Mills Denim in Indigo
First up is our newest S-Gene weight: 12oz S-Gene Cone Mills denim in Indigo. Many people have inquired about our sold out 11.5oz weight, however, we are currently unable to restock. This new denim is officially our replacement! The weight difference is unnoticeable in person, and it features the same great quality and spandex content everyone loves in the 11.5oz.

This denim also features a broken twill weave, which helps prevent leg twist in skinny jeans (if you're an avid wearer, you know what I'm talking about!).

Product info >>
We're very pleased to offer a new shirting weight fabric, eco friendly 4oz Tencel Denim Shirting in Light Blue. This tencel is soft, with good drape and would work well for dresses, shirts, pajamas, and even soft woven pants like Luna or modified Hudsons. In fact, I recently made a pair of Carolyn Pajamas from this fabric, and I need to get them posted before I grow out of them!

This fabric is made in the USA from cellulose fibers and is similar to rayon and bamboo fabrics.

Product info >>

As always, please feel free to email us with any questions about these fabrics or our other products!