Ikat Two Piece

A few years ago Ada Spragg was all about the two piece set. As much as I am influenced by her style, I just didn't get it. Well, I finally get it, and here is my two piece set in ikat. I am always late to the party.
 

I bought two yards of this cotton ikat from Joann a few years ago. I hoarded it, then earmarked it for this skirt, then took at least another year to make it. When I went to cut out the skirt I decided that it needed a matching top. I shortened the skirt and squeezed an Ogden cami (my second) out of the fabric too.



I am a new convert to crop tops and skirts and pants that fit at my natural waist.



I think the ogden wears and drapes better for me on my rayon crepe version. But I do still love this one and will wear it with high waisted bottoms. Or perhaps over a slip dress.





I decided not to go too crazy with the topstitching this time but did do a little on those awesome pockets just to highlight them.







The skirt is a vintage Mail Order Pattern that I bought off etsy years ago. It fit perfectly with no alterations. I don't know much about these mail order patterns but have always been drawn to them. I think they were big in the 50s and 60s. I chose view A because even though my machine and I hate making buttonholes, I do love wearing button front clothes. And those pockets are too good to pass up.



Speaking of buttonholes, I have a new trick up my sleeve. My mom told me to try a tear away stabilizer. I think these may be the best buttonholes that I have made on my machine. I have a vintage Bernina 831 and the 5 stop button hole maker is broken. It won't go backwards on the 3rd step so I have to start over at step 1 and rearrange the fabric to make the buttonhole correctly.



I just pin it in place, make the buttonhole right over it and then tear away.





How I actually left the house. I think this skirt will go with lots of tops and can be dressed up or down. 

McCalls 7774 or Secret Pajamas

This pattern (McCalls 7774) jumped out at me on a trip to Joann during one of their pattern sales. I have been drawn to patterns with these kind of cut in shoulders lately. I've always been self conscious about by under arm fat, but now that my shoulders and arms have gotten stronger I don't mind showing them off. I had ordered this Art Gallery Rayon Challis on a whim. When I saw the two together I knew what I had to do. And I HAD to do it before vacation because this dress needed to go on vacation to Santa Fe with me. Of course I neglected to get photos of me wearing this dress in Santa Fe. It was a perfect summer vacation dress, breezy and cool like secret pajamas. I made the mistake of waiting until the last minute to hem and stitch the bodice lining in place. Then I messed the bodice lining up and mom came to the rescue and fixed it by hand stitching while I finished packing for my trip. Thanks mom!

If I look miserable here it is because it was about 108 degrees when we took these photos, no lie. 

I had only ordered a yard and a half of the rayon so I made up the difference with some black rayon challis that I had on hand. I think it worked out pretty well. I made this pattern in a straight size 10 based on the finished garment measurements and the amount of ease that I prefer. According to McCalls I should be a size 14. I cut the front and back skirt pieces on the fold, omitting the center seams. When I first cut out the bodice I made the mistake of cutting it with a center front seam, even though I didn't want to do the bias cut for the chevron stripe effect. It looked silly with a center front seam for no reason so I recut it on the fold but that did waste a bit of my fabric, which was a bummer. I guess I was just so excited to get the show on the road with this project.

This dress has pockets, which I am looking for here apparently.

My favorite part of this dress is the back cutout that I improvised. Mostly I didn't want to put a zipper in this rayon challis, but I also wanted to add a fun feature, and I am so glad I did. 

Here is how I constructed the fully lined bodice with the back cutout. I wasn't sure it would work and did some serious contemplating on how to go about making it work. It did work out and I am so happy with the outcome!

 

I sewed the darts in the bodice and the lining, and I added some interfacing around the cutout on the wrong side of the bodice. I also sewed them together at the side seams but not the back, so that I had one big bodice piece and one big lining piece. I pinned them right sides together around the back cutout, neckline and armholes. I notched, graded the lining seams, and under stitched where I could.



I turned it and then sewed up the back seam and hand stitched the shoulder seams closed. I got a really clean result, even in this slippery rayon challis!



I also sewed some elastic cording and a button for the closure.

My Perfect Summer Dress

This fabric had a long journey, but clearly it is now living it's best life as the Jessica Dress, aka the perfect Summer dress. I dyed this silk noil four summers ago with my mom. I was inspired by Sallie Oh's silk painting, but hated what I had done to this fabric. My mom used thiox to remove the dye for me and then the fabric sat unloved in its (almost) natural state for some time. I'm not sure where the inspiration struck, but it did, and I knew what to do with it. Mom helped me fold and clamp the fabric with a million clothes pins, ok two packages from target. Then it sat for a while until I refreshed my indigo vat. I never, ever dip my indigo enough times, it seems I'll never learn. At first I was disappointed when it was rinsed and dried and was much lighter than I had envisioned. But now I love the muted, vintage feel that this fabric has.



If you haven't tried the Jessica Dress pattern from Mimi G, you really should. It is a straightforward and easy make with such a cute result. Right after I cut out this pattern, I realized that I forgot to make a muslin. I was just too excited to get started and had a plan to wear this out on a date with my husband. No worries, the XS fit me perfectly, my only alteration was to shorten the straps by about an inch and a half. I only had two yards of this fabric and really had to puzzle out the pattern pieces. I always forget that folded shibori creates such a unique pattern. I really wanted the darker blues down the center and luckily it worked out with the amount of fabric I had.



This was my first time sewing with silk noil, though I have a tank top that I cut out so long ago that I don't even like the pattern or color of the silk anymore. I need to alter and dye it because I adore this fabric now. It reminds me of an old terry cloth towel, but in a good way. By the way, Dharma Trading is a great source for undyed fabrics if you are interested in dyeing your own.



I ended up omitting the big patch pockets on this version. I sure do love the look, but the dye pattern of my fabric wasn't working for me with them. There are also no markings for where to place the pockets and I was having a hard time getting them lined up to drape properly with the skirt. My next version will have them for sure. I think next time I will fully line the bodice as well. I don't really mind the facings but a full lining would give it a much cleaner finish. The only other change I would make is to turn the button holes horizontally on the bodice to help with the pulling.



How perfect are these buttons that I found on clearance at Joann?! I found two sets but needed another. A sweet lady walked up and said, "is this what you're looking for?". She had a baby dress that she had made 49 years ago and was looking for new buttons to put on it. These weren't what she wanted and she gave me the set that she didn't need. It totally made my day!



Big thanks to Mimi G for sharing this pattern with the world. I made it and wore it out on our date and felt super cute and confident. It is definitely my perfect summer dress.