What I'm Working on Wednesday Feb. 19

I'm still working on the same two dresses as my last WIWOW two weeks ago. For the Vogue couture dress, I still haven't been able to pick out a fabric. I'm leaning towards black with small white polka dots. In my vision, the dress would be work appropriate, as well as for a nice dinner out. A polka dotted LBD.

I have made some progress on the McCall's knit dress.  I have started to assemble the dress and it is now in four pieces.

Front facings

Skirt

Bodice with collar

I ran out of black thread while assembling the dress, so it's been on hold for about a week now.  I was able to pick some up on Monday, though, so I'll start working on it again soon.  Look for the final product in the near future!

Floral Teal Plantain

About two weeks ago, I made an adorable orange Plantain t-shirt.  When I made it, I wasn't thinking clearly, and cut a European size 34. Supposedly this corresponds with a US size 4, but it turned out more like a size 00.  

So, I decided to try again.  During my most recent trip to Joann Fabrics, I bought 2 yards of this teal floral knit fabric that was on sale for $5/yard.  The shirt didn't take all of the fabric, so I do have some left over.  I don't have plans for it yet, but I'll put it to good use. 

I had to reprint out the pattern, all 20-ish pages of it, and tape it all back together in order to cut out the size 38.  This was a little tedious and time consuming, but was easy enough to do while I was under the weather. 

I used the same techniques as my first Plantain: a zig-zag stitch for the side seams and armcycles, and a long straight stitch for the neckline, sleeve hems, and hem.  Again, I put the sleeves in flat and then sewed up the side seams.  This is the first pattern that has prescribed this order, and it is so much simpler than sewing the side seams and then setting in the sleeves.  

This time if fits!  And now the moment you've all been waiting for....a garment on a real live person! 

You can see that the shirt is fitted through the shoulders and then flows out to the hips.  I normally opt for a more fitted style, but this is uber comfortable. So comfortable that it begs the question: is this for going out or sleeping in? 

Abstract
Pattern: Plantain by Deer and Doe
Fabric: Teal floral polyester knit from Joann Fabrics
Cost: 2 yards at $5/yard
Time: 4(ish) hours

Baby Pinafores

This weekend I finished the 3 baby dresses I mentioned in my What I'm Working on Wednesday post. These dresses came together quite quickly, as each is just 3 pieces for the inside and an identical 3 for the outside.  It didn't hurt that I've used this pattern before, either. 

I made these assembly-line style.  First I cut out all of the fabric, then I put them all together, then I put in all of the buttonholes, assembled the buttons, and sewed them on (while watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics). 

Each dress, or pinafore, has an interior fabric that complements the exterior. I was fortunate enough to have some cute and baby-appropriate fabrics in my stash to use for most of the dresses. The purple gingham below was in my stash.  I have no clue where it came from.  The interior blue floral fabric came from a vintage pillowcase. 

Purple gingham with a vintage blue floral interior

The pink floral fabric here was leftover from a dress that I started in the summer.  It's hanging in my closet 90% finished. I think the print is adorable for a little dress, but am not so sure about how it looks on me.  Maybe I'll share more on that later. 

Vintage pink floral with tan interior

Back view

This orange printed fabric is leftover from a dress that I finished over Thanksgiving and absolutely love.  It is springy, so I haven't worn it out in public yet, but am looking forward to the opportunity to do so!

Abstract orange print with polka dot interior

And there you have it. I am back to making full-size clothing now and promise that my next make will have a picture of a real person wearing it.  

Abstract
Pattern: Smashed Peas and Carrot's Little Girl's Crossover Pinafore
Fabric: Various cottons
Cost: About $5 (mostly for the buttons)
Time: 1 week of sewing after work

What I'm Working on Wednesdays

This is my first post in a weekly Wednesday series on my current in-progress projects.  Normally I work on one project at a time, but right now I'm working on three different projects. Here's a sneak peek at each:

Couture Dress

As a Christmas present, my dad enrolled me in an online class on Craftsy called The Couture Dress.  This class teaches high-end couture techniques using a Vogue pattern (my first Vogue pattern!). By the end of the class I'll have a custom-fitted dress made "the right way" with no shortcuts. So far, I've gotten as far as making a muslin, a test-run if you will.  It's made out of plain white fabric and has markings all over it.  Here's what it looks like so far.

Front (Sorry, the lighting in my apartment is terrible)

Back

Wrap Dress

The second project I'm working on is a knit wrap dress.  I've had this pattern for a while now.  I made the shirt from the pattern before, but this will be my first time making the dress.  The fabric is an abstract print with black, brown, blue, white, and orange.

McCall's 6519

At this point, I've cut out my pattern pieces and need to put them together.

Cut-out pieces

Baby Pinafores

Last, but not least (except in amount of fabric!) I'm working on a series of dresses for little girls.  There are three different dresses, each with two complementing fabrics. The dresses are pinafores because they are open in the back.  The pattern I'm using is from another blog, Smashed Peas and Carrots, complete with tutorial. 

So many colors!

These dresses are for friends of a friend, and should be finished this weekend! 

So, that's what I've been up to.  I'm hoping to make a lot of progress on the wrap dress and baby dresses this weekend.  I'm a little stuck on the couture dress, because I just can't decide what fabric to use!