Goodbye Summer, Hello Pants

Well, with summer officially coming to an end, the Summer of No Pants is over!  I actually cheated a little, though, and declared it to be over after Labor Day weekend.  Here are my thoughts on the Summer of No Pants:

It was fun!  I loved picking out a skirt or a dress to wear every day.  And I liked the fact that most of the time I could either wear just flip-flops, or dress up the outfit a little with a pair of really cute shoes.

I found that, in the heat and humidity of a Delaware summer, skirts are WAY more comfortable than shorts!  Much, much cooler.

I learned that I like skirts more than dresses.  I can mix and match my favorite tops and skirts, and I just find skirts to be more comfortable.  Dresses are great for once in a while, but skirts work better for every day.

I now don't feel strange about wearing a skirt when I'm just going to be at home for most of the day.  Just call me June Cleaver, cooking and cleaning in a dress and pearls!

The transition back to pants was a weird one. First of all, I felt a little guilty, like I shouldn't be wearing pants (haha!). Then, I put on my jeans and they felt too tight (and I didn't gain any weight). They fit me fine, I guess, but yikes! How was I wearing them so tight?? I tried on a whole bunch of tops, and nothing looked right with my tight jeans. So, I bought some bigger jeans!  Much better, but still when I wear pants I don't feel quite as feminine, so I have to make sure I am wearing something pretty, too.

I also learned that I can make my own clothes to fit me, especially with the help of my fabulous dress form!  I think I will be making a lot more clothes for myself in the future, rather than buying things that just don't quite fit right.  I'm even going to try making my own patterns sometime soon.

I will definitely still be wearing skirts often.  I can't wait for the weather to get cooler so I can wear skirts with tights and boots. 

The Summer of No Pants was a great experience, and I'm glad I did it.   

Denim Skirt Re-Do for the Summer of No Pants

About a week ago I finally finished my last project for the Summer of No Pants, even though the challenge was to make four new things to wear before the summer actually started.  A camping trip and miscellaneous other things got in the way of finishing the sewing part of the challenge on time, but I have been successful doing the wearing part of it.  Since we returned from our camping trip, I've worn a skirt or a dress every day!

So, for this last project I decided to give a denim skirt a makeover. I bought this skirt for 85 cents at a thrift shop. I bought it with the intent to use the fabric for making tote bags, but I wanted a new denim skirt and I thought it had possibility. Here's the result:

Before, it was way too big, and WAY too long.  This thing reached my ankles, and I am 5'9"! 

Now it falls just above the knee.  I love the unfinished edges, the pockets, and the flower detail.



I also modified my t-shirt dress a little bit.  The neckline was choking me, and just didn't look right, so I made it into a scoop neck and added matching trim to the neckline and sleeves.  I made my own bias tape for the first time.  Making bias tape was so easy, I'm not sure why I haven't done it before! 

I think it's even cuter now!

T-Shirt Dress for the Summer of No Pants



For my third project for the Summer of No Pants, I decided to make a t-shirt dress.  I wanted something that would go together a lot easier and faster than the last project  I did.  I used a striped t-shirt and a green sheet for this dress.  I shortened the sleeves on the shirt a little bit and cut it off at the place where I wanted the skirt to attach.  I measured the bottom of the shirt and doubled that measurement for the waist of the skirt front and back pieces, and cut out those pieces in an A-line shape.  Then I cut out some pockets, sewed the pockets and skirt together, gathered the top of the skirt, sewed it to the top, and made a sash.  Cute, quick, and comfortable dress!

UPDATE:  The neck on this dress was too high for my taste...it didn't look right and it bothered me.  I felt like I was choking!  So I made some bias tape from what I had left of the green sheet, cut down the neckline, and finished it with the bias tape.  I also added bias tape to the sleeve edges.  Here's the result:

Summer of No Pants Project 2

 Yay, my second project for the Summer of No Pants is finished!  I made this dress using the pattern and instructions from the book Sew Serendipity .  I used Amy Butler fabric that I've been saving for a few months.  I got it on sale at Marie-Madeline Studio. 

I cannot begin to tell you the things that went wrong while making this dress!  It had nothing to do with the pattern or the instructions, it was just me and my inexperience, I guess.  I remember now why I sew mostly tote bags and other things that are not garments.  But, the dress turned out pretty cute in spite of all the problems I had.  It is SO comfortable, too!  I think I will be wearing it a lot this summer. 

Making a Muslin With My New Sewing Buddy

Well, I'm running behind on the Summer of No Pants challenge.  I didn't get my dress made this week. So, next week I will finish two; probably this dress and a skirt.  The dress I chose for this week is from the book Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt.  I did what the book suggested, and made a muslin. The first one I have ever made.  What is a muslin, you ask?  I didn't know either...shows you what a great "sewist" I am!  A muslin is a sort of mock-up of the garment you are going to make.  In order to get a good fit and not waste your fabric, you first construct the garment out of inexpensive muslin (hence the name) or some other fabric you don't care about.  I used an old sheet.  I decided to go ahead and make the muslin even though it seemed a little unnecessary.  I'm not thrilled with the time and effort it takes, but  I can definitely see the value in making one, especially if you have fitting issues or are using a complicated pattern.  This pattern I'm using is not complicated, but it did take a little tweaking to get the fit right for me.

My muslin is pictured here on my new best friend, my Uniquely You dress form.  I LOVE THIS THING!  I think it was made with me in mind.  The form is made of high-density foam.  It comes with a cover that you sew to fit your body tightly.  You then zip the cover onto the form and, voila! You have a dress form with your measurements.  When I put the cover on, it fit me almost perfectly!  I could not believe it.  I made just a few minor changes here & there, and then zipped the cover onto the form.  That was the most difficult part, and I needed both of my daughters' help to wrestle the cover on and get it zipped up!  I think we made it harder on ourselves because we were laughing so much.  It was...well...a little strange, and very hilarious.  But now it (she?) stands in the corner of my sewing room, ready to assist me in getting the perfect fit. 

Hot Pink With a Ruffle

I finished my first project for the Summer of No Pants! It took MUCH longer than I had hoped.  Here's why:

My first mistake?  Cutting one of the pieces too short.  Then, of course, I had to cut them all shorter to match, so the knee-length skirt I had hoped for turned out to be above the knee. 

Mistake #2:  thinking my ruffle attachment would work on this very thick, almost like denim fabric.  Ugh!  That ruffle took me forever.

On to mistake #3...forgetting that my hips are narrower than average.  I made sure the skirt fit at the waist, but didn't consider the hips so much.  So, when I tried it on AFTER it was finished, it was way too wide!  With this heavy duty fabric, it stuck out and looked ridiculous. I had a very nicely constructed skirt that did not fit.  So I did a lot of fitting, pinning, and basting until I got it to fit a little better.  It's kind of cute now, and it has pockets, which I love.

On a slightly different note: soon I will be a little better with making things that actually fit me; last week I ordered a dress form.  After looking at the ones at the fabric store, I decided that they weren't worth the money.  They seemed a little cheaply made, and I know they wouldn't come close to having my figure, even if the measurements were the same.  So, I did some research to see what other dress forms were available at a reasonable price, and I found the Uniquely You brand.  I ordered one, and I am so excited!  The form itself is made of high-density foam.  They send you a cover with it, which you (and some lucky person who gets to assist you) alter to fit tightly to your own body.  You then squeeze the cover onto the form, zip it up, and you have a dress form that looks just like you!  You can stick pins in it too, which will be nice.  Mine should be arriving in a few days.  I can't wait to get it!  Now...we'll see who I can get to help me with this.  Hopefully I won't have to bribe anyone :) 

My Wardrobe Revolution and the Summer of No Pants

I am officially tired of jeans.  Jeans, jeans, jeans.  Every day, everywhere, everyone.  They have become a uniform for people of all ages and walks of life.  Bo-ring!  So, since I can't go back in time to when people actually dressed with care, purpose, and originality, I have started my own little protest.  A rebellion.  My personal Wardrobe Revolution!  I have gone through my closet, pulled out all of my skirts and dresses, and I've begun to wear a dress or skirt at least 2 or 3 times a week.  I am loving it!  I like my skirt outfits so much more than my jeans!
I've decided to join Marigold over at her blog, "Hideous, Dreadful, Stinky" for the Summer of No Pants.  The challenge is to sew one skirt or dress per week for the month before summer begins (May 23-June 17).  Then, go the entire summer NOT wearing pants!  For my Summer of No Pants, I will only wear jeans for things like camping, gardening, and cleaning the house.  After all, aren't those the things jeans were designed for in the first place?  The rest of the time, I will be cool, comfortable, and feminine in my pretty dresses and skirts.   
Here is a simple A-line skirt I made for spring:

I love this skirt.  It has so many colors in it, that it goes with just about anything.  In the winter I can wear it with my black boots, and in the spring and summer, it goes perfectly with my pretty red polka-dot shoes.

Soon I will have four more skirts or dresses to show you!  I'm so excited about the Summer of No Pants!