What We Made Vol. 2

Here are some of the projects we’ve been making and wearing around the studio this month.

Sarai’s merlot Savannah cami

Who: Sarai
Role: Founder, chief cat herder
Pattern: The Savannah camisole from Seamwork (buy it here)
Fabric: rusty wine-colored silk georgette, purchased locally at Mill End store.

What was your original inspiration for this project? How did it come to be?

It must be the 90s child in me, but I’m obsessed with silk camisoles. They’re so light in hot weather, and so nice to layer with sweaters when it gets cold. Ever since the Savannah came out, I’ve been squirreling away pretty silks to use. I just fell in love with this rusty merlot color.

I was originally going to add antique black lace trim, but after painstakingly piecing the lace on, zigzagging around all the little curved lace edges, I realized that it was way too fragile and was tearing! I spent over an hour ripping out the tiny zigzag stitches, probably more time than I spent making the rest of the top.

See also: My August sewing plans

How do you plan to wear it?

Right now, just like this: tucked into my black Mabel skirt. When it starts getting colder, I’ll layer on some luxurious cardigans (and the terra cotta sweater coat I’m knitting).

What did you learn?

• When working with antique trims, test their integrity before you apply.
• More important, I learned how helpful it is to set an intention before I sew. Before I worked on this, I made a conscious decision to not get stressed out if something went wrong, and to enjoy the process. When the lace incident happened, I was annoyed for a second, took a deep breath, put a new podcast on the headphones, and got out the seam ripper.
• Walking feet are magic! I finally invested in the Bernina walking foot, and it made sewing with this delicate, slippery, bias-cut silk a piece of cake. I love it!
• Baby hems can make a great neckline finish. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to finish the neckline after abandoning my lace, so I looked through one of my lingerie sewing books for inspiration. There was a brief mention of baby hems for edges, so I tried it using the method from our previous tutorial. It looks great! I’ll definitely use it again for edges like this on light fabrics.

What are you most proud of?

• Honestly, I’m most proud that I didn’t curse or throw anything when I realized I needed to undo all that hard work with the lace.

Sarai’s big floral shirtdress

Who: Sarai
Pattern: Vintage Vogue 7629, a button-up shirt from the 80s. I lengthened it to a dress. (Here’s one on ebay, ends today)
Fabric: Rayon challis from fabric.com

What was your original inspiration for this project? How did it come to be?

I love rayon and I love huge granny florals, so when I saw this fabric, I had to have some. I wanted a dress with clean lines, so I decided on a loose shirt dress.

I had this pattern from the 80s in my stash, which I lengthened to a dress. I used the sleeveless version and kept it short because… it’s a lot of print.

How do you plan to wear it?

While it’s warm, I’ll wear it just like this. Once it starts cooling off, I think it’ll work well with tights and a jacket. Being sleeveless makes it easy to layer.

What did you learn?

• Don’t underestimate what you can sew in small chunks of time! I made this over about 4 blocks of time here and there.
• Stop whining and start sewing! I wanted to finish this dress last night, but was complaining to Kenn that I didn’t have enough time. After a minute of this, I said, “You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to stop whining right now and just sew.” And I finished it. But even if I hadn’t, I would have done something, and it would have been a lot more enjoyable than wringing my hands about how busy I am.

What are you most proud of?

Mostly, I’m just proud that I made the two pieces I’d planned to make this month, and they are exactly what I want to wear and feel like me. It’s got me excited to plan my September projects.

Haley’s floaty Sorbetto

Who: Haley
Role: Managing Editor
Pattern: Sorbetto, free from Colette
Fabric: I used a lovely linen-silk blend that I bought from The Fabric Store in Los Angeles about a year ago.

What was your original inspiration for this project? How did it come to be?

Originally, I had bought the fabric because I was going to go to Hawaii and I want to pack really light. My plan was to make 3 simple woven tanks, and 2 t-shirts, to pair with shorts and a [Mabel](https://www.colettepatterns.com/catalog/mabel] skirt.

Like most self imposed sewing deadlines I didn’t quite meet the goal I had set a week before leaving. This fabric has been a glaring reminder of that failure, until last week when I made it into the breezy top it always wanted to be.

How do you plan to wear it?

I am excited about the versatility of this piece! I plan on wearing it with skirts and jeans, layering sweaters and cardigans over it as the weather cools down.

What did you learn?

• Cutting all of your fabric at once (including your bias tape!) is such a time saver, especially when sewing in a small work space.
• I straightened the waist of the Sorbetto a bit because I wanted a more relaxed look, but I would definitely add more shaping next time. This is a great example of things you like in theory versus what you actually feel great in.

What are you most proud of?

I love making dresses, the problem is I do not wear them nearly as often as I wear separates these days. I am proud that I stuck with my plan and made something that will get a lot of wear. I plan on making a few more out of some pretty silks I have stashed away.

What did you make this month?

Feel free to leave a link in the comments (even if it’s just a photo on instagram!) if you have one too. We’d love to see!