Washi Dress ++ Fleet and Flourish

As part of Made by Me May and for the May Aurifil Artisan Challenge, I decided myself to make a garment.  As most of you know, I am a garment novice, preferring to stick to the mostly straight lines and two dimensions of quilt making.

I actually made a Washi dress back in 2013 (yes, 7 years ago!) using some cheap fabric I got from JoAnn's as a wearable muslin.  I have actually gotten a lot of wears out of my old dress, so I figured that it might be time to revisit the pattern and make a new one.

I had originally gotten this Fleet and Flourish print by Maureen Cracknell for Art Gallery Prints for a quilt backing, but I loved the design so much and the fabric felt so soft and light that I kept it because I knew that I eventually wanted to make a dress or shirt out of it.  (I was able to find the print still available on Etsy right here and on Amazon here.)

Here is my Washi Dress:

I made a few alterations to the pattern this time around.  I lengthened the torso portion of the pattern by 2 inches because in the first version, the waist seam was actually located on my bust.  I also lengthened the dress by just a couple of inches so it would hit me at my knee.

It is starting to get hot here in South Carolina so I opted for a sleeveless version, which also had the benefit of making the sewing go that much quicker.

I had a great time sewing up this dress, the inside is not pretty but the seams are finished so it won't fall apart in the wash :)

And just to revisit 2013, here my younger self in my original Washi...

Have you made any garments this May?

May is for Makers

I am a little late for the May is for Makers campaign with May being almost over, but I wanted to get in at least one pattern purchase to support a fellow designer.

If you are not familiar with May is for Makers, it is a campaign started by Lindsey Rhodes who blogs at LR Stitched to support all of the pattern makers and their hard work.  You can read more about the campaign here on Lindsey's blog.

I was not sure which pattern I wanted to buy until I say Rae from Made by Rae's new Feather Washi dress.  I have the Washi dress pattern (and have made one Washi with it, you can see it here) and have been considering buying the extension pack which contains a bunch of other necklines, sleeves, and construction options.  When I saw the fun tie neckline on the Feather Washi I knew that the extension pack was going to be one of my May if for Makers purchases.

I am hoping to use a some yardage I have of a Fleet and Flourish fabric by Maureen Cracknell for Art Gallery Fabrics to make a similar dress...hopefully before summer is over!