Seersucker + Neon Prefontaine Shorts

According to Instagram, I finished these shorts 8(!!!) weeks ago. First of all, AHH where has this summer gone?! I can't believe it is already August. Second of all, why in the world has it taken me so long to blog about them? Well, because for the past 8 weeks, if I haven't been wearing these shorts, they have been hanging out with the rest of my dirty clothes waiting for laundry day. As soon as they are clean again, I wear them to go do this or that or the other and they are right back in the hamper. It's been a vicious cycle that hasn't exactly lent itself to good photo opportunities, but the cycle has finally been broken and I officially have some non-iPhone pictures. Yayyy!

Speaking of pictures, I want to say a little bit about these. Usually I take my pictures in the morning when everyone else is at work. This typically works better with my schedule, and to be honest when I get home from work I'm not usually in the mood to get dolled up and smile for the camera. Because everyone else is at work, it's just me, my tripod, and the self timer. The whole process takes a while and I end up with a lot of super pose-y pictures. This session was a little different because I did wait until later in the evening and my sister was around to snap them. We had a blast and she saved me so much time! Some of them are kinda crazy and of course LuLu joined in on the fun. Oh and that barn I'm standing in front of and that field I'm standing in? My front yard! Good photo backgrounds at your doorstep are one of the perks of living out in the country on a farm.

But about these shorts... I freaking love them. You might recognize them as the Prefontaine Shorts for Women by Made with Moxie, otherwise known as one of my favorite patterns of all time. These were actually the first pair I made; the second I made for my sister and are unblogged (but you can check them out on Instagram), the third were this festive pair I made for the Fourth of July, and I might actually have a fourth pair cut and waiting to be sewn up. "Hi, my name is Sarah Jean, and I'm a Prefontaine Shorts-aholic." Seriously, I can not say enough good things about this pattern. But let's talk about this pair in particular.
When I saw these pants at J.Crew, I had one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" moments. To me, seersucker and neon are the perfect mix of classic and fun, and I just knew I was going to have to use this combination somewhere for something. Then the Prefontaine Shorts pattern was released as part of Perfect Pattern Parcel #3, and its like the sewing gods were telling me I had to have a pair of seersucker and neon Prefontaines. I got this black and white seersucker from Joann's. It is a little thin and the weave is a little loose, but it is light and airy, perfect for a hot and humid Virginia summer. The bias binding trim is handmade using a lime colored quilting cotton from Hancock Fabrics. It's not exactly neon, more of a lime green, but I think it works, and neon colored fabric that isn't nylon is really hard to find.

This was actually my first experience making my own bias binding, and I think it went ok. I used this tutorial from Prudent Baby. While in the end everything turned out fine, I still have some fine-tuning to do with the process, mostly with getting all the lines to line up right after sewing the two sides together. Anyone have any tips for making your own bias tape? I actually didn't fold and press the tape before sewing. Instead, I followed the pattern directions as if I were using the t-shirt bias tape. This saved me a lot of time and hassle and it worked perfectly.

As far as sizing goes, I made a size 2 with the short inseam. One of the things I love about this pattern is that it fits in the hips and the waist on me. I have, like, zero hips, but a normal sized waist, so most shorts/pants that fit in the hips are too small in the waist and if they fit in the waist then they are too big in the hips. Definitely not one of the worst problems to have, but the elastic waistband really helps these shorts fit me in both places without any alterations. Like I said I chose the short inseam, and I would say it is probably pretty short for most people. I like my shorts short so it works just fine for me, and it's perfect for pajamas or a swimsuit coverup.

I kept the front pockets on this pair, and went with the welt pocket on the back. Instead of using the neon for the back pocket trim, I just used the seersucker but cut it on the crossgrain so the stripes ran horizontally instead of vertically. I also took the time to match up the stripes on the front pieces and the pocket. I know it probably would have barely been noticeable if I didn't, but having control over little things like that is one of the reasons I really enjoy making my own clothes so I think it's worth the extra effort.

Per usual I used French seams wherever I could (still serger-less over here). For the pocket edges and the sides that didn't get binding I just used a simple zig-zag stitch. For the waistband I used the exposed sport waistband method from the pattern. This was also my first experience with such a waistband, and I wish I had more to say about it but I just followed the directions in the pattern and it turned out great.

I could seriously wear these shorts all day, everyday. They are super comfy without looking frumpy and they sew up so quick and easy, I really just can't get enough of them! So far I have worn them out around town, I've worn them to work (love our dress code), I wore them for a 4 hour car trip to the beach back in June, I sleep in them all the time, and I wear them around the house on a regular basis. They easily win the award for most versatile item of clothing in my wardrobe. I just wish I had the time and fabric budget to sew them up in all of the fabric and color combinations I've imagined. For now, I guess I'll just give the ones I already have cut out some attention :)

I'm entering this project as part of the Summer 2014 Shorts on the Line Sewalong. Be sure to vote for my project, and all of your favorites, on Kollabora! Just click the little heart icon on the right hand side of the page to vote.

More Culottes! - McCall's 6965 Refashioned from a Skirt

When I moved from my mom's house into the house I'm living in now, a lot of my clothes and stuff ended up in big black trash bags. Coincidentally, so did some of my mom's old clothes that were headed to Goodwill, and by some stoke of luck a bag containing her old clothes and this skirt ended up with me:
I know you're probably thinking it was a stroke of BAD luck that made me the owner of this seriously dated number, and you can tell by the look on my face in that picture that I knew I had some work to do. BUT THAT FABRIC! I immediately fell in love with the print, and it's a rayon challis so it has a lovely drape and feel. However, the elastic waistband, drop waist, and midi-length were not doing it any favors. No worries, I knew I could make it into something fabulous that I would actually wear. Enter McCall's 6965.
It's no secret that I have a major clothes crush on culottes, and when I spotted this pattern in McCall's spring pattern line, I knew that skirt was destined to become a pair of cute and trendy culottes. First, I needed to deconstruct the skirt to see how much fabric I had to work with. It's hard to tell in the before pic, but the skirt is actually pleated along the drop waist so there was a bit more fabric hiding there. It had one front panel and two back panels with a center back seam (not sure why since it had an elastic waist??), so after I unpicked all the seams I had one larger panel, two smaller panels, and that whole elastic/drop waist thingy. I didn't take a picture of this step (boo) but the larger panel was about 30 x 30 inches and the two smaller panels were about 20 x 30 inches each.
The front and back princess seams on the McCall's pattern meant smaller pattern pieces that were easier to fit onto the smaller pieces of fabric, and I had just enough fabric to cut out all of the pieces including the waistband. I folded the larger piece in half and cut the side front and side back pieces from it, then placed the two smaller pieces wrong sides together and cut the front, back, and waistband with almost nothing left over. I didn't have nearly enough fabric to even attempt to pattern match, but with this print the seams and zipper pretty much disappear anyway.
The pattern directions were easy to follow, and since it is one of their Palmer/Pletsch patterns there are a bunch of tips for fixing fit issues and making pattern alterations. I sewed view B in a straight size 14 with no alterations (ironically not using any of those fit tips). I think this size actually sits a little lower on my waist that it is "supposed to" but it's very comfortable. And I'm going to go ahead and say what everyone is thinking: they are SHORT. If they actually sat on my waist where they were supposed to then they would be TOO short. I like short shorts so this length is fine for me, but if/when I make this pattern again I will probably add at least an inch to the hem, mostly for more butt coverage when I sit down.
As far as construction goes, I used french seams on all the seams except the center seam with the zipper. I really do wish french seams and zippers could learn to resolve their differences (haha), but in the meantime I finished that seam by simply folding under the seam allowance and stitching it in place. I followed the directions in the pattern for a standard lapped zipper, but next time I will probably use an invisible one. The zipper is far from my best, but again the print on this fabric is super forgiving so I didn't stress it too much. The pattern recommends a blind hem, but I used a 1/4 inch double fold hem. The blind hem just seemed like a lot of work for a fabric that you can't even see the hem stitching anyway.
Of course I had to steal a picture with little Lu.
Even with all the french seams this pattern sewed up pretty quickly, and I was able to succesfully take that dated skirt and make it into a modern pair of culottes that are now one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe! And one of my favorite parts of this project? The price! Since I got the pattern at Hancock Fabrics during one of their $1.99 sales, the zipper during one of their 50% off notions sales, and I had thread and black interfacing on hand, it only cost me about $3!!
I'm entering this project as part of the Summer 2014 Shorts on the Line Sewalong. Be sure to vote for my project, and all of your favorites, on Kollabora! Just click the little heart icon on the right hand side of the page to vote.

I made a bathing suit!

Ya'll, I have a couple of confessions. Confession #1: I have had this suit finished since the middle of June, and I am just now getting around to blogging about it. Confession #2: I haven't blogged about it because I hadn't taken pictures. I even finished it in time for a short beach trip, brought it with me to take pictures, and then never even wore it! I know, it seems stupid to make a bathing suit and then not wear it, but we were only down there for a couple of days and I wanted to soak up as much sun and relaxation as I could (at least that's my excuse). Confession #3: It was really awkward for me to take these pictures of myself, in this bathing suit, in my yard, in the middle of a cow field, so there are only a few pictures and please don't make fun of me!

As far as the suit goes, I used the Bombshell Swimsuit pattern by Closet Case Files. The pattern came in Perfect Pattern Parcel #3 and is my second make from this bundle (fourth if you count each of the three pairs of Prefontaine shorts I've finished). I don't really have a lot to say about the pattern that hasn't already been said by one of the MANY bloggers who have conquered it, but here are some of my notes/thoughts...

--I sewed view B in a straight size 10 with no alterations. I did add some bra cups for modesty. Their purpose is mostly coverage and they don't really provide any support. Still, besides my really expensive bra-sized swimwear, I feel more secure in this suit than any of the others I own.

--I barely looked at the pattern instructions while sewing. Instead, I just followed along with the sew-a-long on Heather's blog. She has detailed instructions for each view and lovely pictures to illustrate each step.

--SO. MUCH. GATHERING. The gathering really is what makes this suit and it is super flattering, but it was one of the most time consuming parts of making the suit. It's not difficult, it just takes a while, so be prepared if you are planning to make it.

--The design of the suit is very clever, especially the front panel that is actually separate from the crotch (see below). In fact, the suit could actually be made sans-ruching by leaving off the front panel and using the back lining pieces for the main suit as well, which I think would also be really cute!
--There has to be a way to finish inside seams so they aren't exposed. I don't have a serger so my seams are less attractive than they could be, but even if I did I still think I would prefer encased seams of some sort. I might ponder on this and try to come up with something, and of course I will let you know if/when I do.
--I purchased both the fabric and lining from my local Hancock Fabrics. Another confession: I'm not in love with the color. I let my sister talk me into it, and while I don't hate it, I really think I've should have gone with a hot pink or royal blue, or even more boring classic black. Oh well, that just means I will have to make another one!
--I think the most challenging part of making the suit was actually just working with the fabric. Again, I don't have a serger but my regular machine behaves pretty well with knits. I always just work a little slower and when I feel myself start to get frustrated, I take a break and come back to it later. Patience is definitely the name of the game.

Overall, I really like this pattern! This is officially the only one-piece suit I own, and I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it when I decided to make it. But it is so comfortable and I feel so secure in it, I think it will be great for more active days at the river or beach without having to worry about "accidents."

If anyone has any good bikini recommendations for someone with a small band/large cup I would love to hear them! I don't know if I feel comfortable making major alterations to a pattern so I've been looking for something that will pretty much fit "out of the envelope" and support is always a major issue. I ran across this bra-turned bikini pattern from ohhhlulu that I think could have some potential, but I'm still searching and any suggestions would be much appreciated!