A couple of years ago I acquired 2m of this waffle-knit in my favourite muted blue colour
I then waffled (hah!) about what to do with it. I should maybe have gone for 3m as that would’ve given me more options for cozy-wrap-blanket-clothing, but it was full price and I’m cheap so I didn’t.
Anyway, since the twins started preschool this past fall, they and I have basically been sick the entire time. I think we have this in common with most of the country (don’t get me started on the great Tylenol shortage of 2022), but it really highlighted the limited nature of my casual/comfy wardrobe. I’ve run into this issue in the past, because frankly I’d generally rather sew (and wear) fancier stuff, and I haven’t really spent a lot of time at home lounging around in the last decade. Except for my maternity leave three years ago, but I didn’t have a lot of sewing time at that point.
So I was determined to get this fabric sewn up. To do so I finally caved and went the easy route—my much beloved McCall’s 7622. I have made this pattern at least five times before, and it does nicely straddle the line between cozy comfort and the drama that I crave in my wardrobe. Even if I almost always make the boring scoop-neck-and-long-sleeve version.
I should mention that my main hesitation in using this pattern for this fabric is that I already have a version of this pattern in a stretch velour of the EXACT SAME COLOUR. So technically I don’t need another one. But that version has some issues around the neckline that keep me from wearing it for much except bumming around the house, so, um, still justified?
Anyway, this pattern is a bit of a fabric hog and I wound up needing to add a narrow yoke to the back piece to get everything to fit. I also used a lightweight cotton spandex knit in a complementary blue to do the neck binding and make the pockets.
Pockets, incidentally, aren’t the best idea in a knit dress of this style, as they inevitably pull and drag on the side seams—but this is also clothing for function and I require pockets in pretty darn near everything these days. I did use 1/4” clear elastic to try to minimize how they stretch out the seam, which does help a bit but it’s pretty easy to go the other way and get wrinkly side-seams. So damned if you do, damned if you don’t. I shall wear it regardless.
I am quite happy with how the Euphoria handled coverstitching the hems, which I was a bit worried about. I just turned up the differential feed, and then the pressing after took care of the small amount of rippling. I haven’t actually used any seam stabilizer for hemming since I got the Euphoria!
Oh, and I had just enough scraps left to squeak out some matching Rosalie Stockings, cut down to knee length. They are cute and comfy, and adding more clear elastic to the junction of the cuff seems to keep them up. I could maybe take them in around the ankle a bit, but I probably won’t
So yeah, not much to say, but it’s warm and cozy and exactly what the winter has called for.
Last weekend, whilst procrastinating finishing my mom’s coat, I was kinda on a roll. I made the stripey almost-Jasper, and then moved on to some really quick projects.
A dress for Fyon’s birthday (who is eleven now, somehow), much less impressive but more practical, hopefully, than her present last year. I used Jalie 3349, a ballet leotard pattern, and morphed it into a tent-dress type shape starting about 2″ below the armpit. The only problem is that I decided to do just a half-lining in the upper body, to make the thin fabric a bit more opaque, and it doesn’t always lie flat. Maybe I should’ve done a full lining, but I thought 
the outer fabric would get caught up on it.
Which brings us to the other thing I made for myself, another 
Not that you can see anything much of it in the photos. Darned black.
Oh, look, there is a photo of my husband in his comfy Kwik Sew pants, because he accidentally wandered through my photos a couple of times.
Fall has been more or less glorious so far. We thanksgivinged. Our ridiculously big new dining room table got a workout. There was turkey, family, and good times aplenty. What there wasn’t was a lot of sewing time.
Maybe not my best idea ever, but it was definitely the feeling of accomplishment I needed!
This is my second attempt at a tent style dress. The first one 
This is essentially a T-shirt pattern, which means it was mercifully quick to sew up. Version one is a cozy French terry in a marled grey, which I feel like is a color that screams “curling up in comfort.” I made the basic long sleeve version, as you can see.
To my surprise, the pattern includes pockets! I’m not convinced they’re the best idea since I think they’ll weigh down the swishy side seams, but I included them in this version because I knew I’d enjoy having them, and this is the version meant for cozy comfort, not style.
Version 2 is in a very fun burnout velvet that doesn’t have quite enough stretch for the pattern. I let the sleeves out as much as I could, and I cut the neck band to the largest size (and then cut the neck hole larger to match.)
I went with the peep shoulder view because, fun. Although I confess I’m a little worried peep shoulder + tent silhouette are pretty trendy, in the sense that they’re probably both already passé. Screw it. It’s fun. And it’s not like I live in a fashion capital of the world.
I feel like it will be a very fun dress for the holidays.
Next up is Hallowe’en costumes. Though really what I feel like making are sweatshirts and cozy leggings. And that Vogue pattern. I just need to attach top and bottom halves and do buttonholes and other finishing details. I can do it.
Tanit-Isis Sews 