McCall's 7745...ish.

I might be smiling here, but don't let it fool you, THIS DRESS TRIED TO KILL ME.

This is McCalls 7745, which I've made before in leopard rayon jersey. Funny that when I made it in a fabric it wasn't meant for, it turned out great--I just sized down 2 sizes to account for the negative ease you need in stretch knits, and BOOM. DRESS.

This version, not so much. I used the proper size for wovens, and the neck came up as wide as the political divide in this here country. Gaped all over creation like I was aiming to be crowned Queen of the Tata Parade.

(I don't know which party would hold a Tata Parade, but it ain't the look I was going for.)

After skimming that July 2018 leopard print post, I realize I actually ALREADY SEWED THIS in a woven with the same tata trials. That tribulation was abandoned completely. Nice that I left myself a trail of breadcrumbs! Buuuuuut that only works if you REMEMBER THE CRUMBS.

With only the pros of that story in mind, I sewed this bodice up again, in the correct size for wovens. And I mean SEWED. IT. UP. Fully lined in fashion fabric, seams graded and understitched, cut sleeve treatment added, ready to rock!

Exhibitionist style. 

I was FUMING when I tried it on. With only 2.5 yards of this fabric, I couldn't afford to lose an inch of it, so I shoved it in a bag to wait for inspiration. Then Brittany popped up in my feed with an off-the-shoulder beauty, in the sunshine, and it was June in NY, and we were stuck behind bars, and I decided I WAS FINISHING IT OR IT WAS FINISHING ME

Smackdown: Sewist came by way of center back-- I took a whopping 3-inch dart out of center back, tapering from a giant chunk at the neck to nothing at the waist. Not easy, or pretty, to do once the bodice is fully lined, but luckily, my penchant for busy prints saved me. Pro tip: A busy print can hide all manner of wonkiness, y'all.

Once I took that ginormous chunk out, the open sleeve treatment needed some help. Gone were the fluttery, romantic wings I'd given myself. So I made a coupla spaghetti straps and tied them closed. With a bow. To save the romance. Though I was feeling VERY LITTLE LOVE at that point.

Having zero desire to use the rest of the pattern, I draped the skirt with what I had left! This is a border print, and I just needed to adjust my brain to let the floral border lie vertically to get the most out of what I had left.

Although it is a wrap dress, it isn't a true wrap style-- I added a few small pieces of twill tape for interior ties, and then attached the main tie belt down at the "wrap" edge of the outer bodice, at center front. I just tie it shut on the interior, and wrap the belt around myself on the exterior. Way better than buttonholes in rayon, especially when you're ready for a garment to be done-zo.

(I'd show you the interior tie situation, but without a dressform, I'm not sure how to do it without throwing my biddies back in the Tata Parade.)

She's swishy enough, and I'm glad she's DONE! But I might start writing my breadcrumbs right on the pattern envelope from now on...

Dress For the Day: All Temperature Cheer.

It’s so beautiful outside this week, my maxi dresses have come back out to play. Mind you, they’re never really benched, they’re just confined to indoor costume changes during the colder months. But today. TODAY. WE WAX PRINT.

BOOTY SHOT, TIMES TWO.

This is one of three prints picked out by MomNDadInc for my birthday prize, from House of Mami Wata. And it is the print I never knew I wanted! Lookit these beautifully saturated cool tones! Apparently, my parents know the technicolor gaps that need filling in my closet, and they know how to pick the hue that will FIT, cuz when I held this up to my face (and Rob’s, to be honest)...fireworks. Under-the-sea, blue and purple fireworks.  

If I hadn’t made this bodice two times before, I would have been shaking cutting into this print. Why yes, yes, I am fearless (dare I say, caution-less?) when diving into yardage, but it’s very different when it’s a gift. Especially a parental gift. You want to do them proud, y’know? You can’t just shove a UFO in a pile to be fixed at a later date--not when the people who gave you fabric also GAVE YOU LIFE!!!

Yes, it IS still an all caps situation around here, and no, we did NOT consider that a creature was showing ALL OF ITS ASS in most of these shots WHY DO YOU ASK

With the bodice fit secure and my hands steady, I added a couple tweaks, to give it a different feel from my previous versions (here and here).

I get a lot, and I mean A LOT, of inspiration from Instagram. Let me clarify, I get a lot of inspiration from our fellow sewists on Instagram. Then IG tries to tempt me with poorly made Amazon fast fashion. I’M NOT BITING, INSTAGRAM.

But I’m completely biting on two sewists here: @keechiibstyle and @kateevadesigns. These supersewists having me throwing hearts down on the regular. There's Kate Eva on the gathers, and Marcia on the drop shoulder! 

And the pom poms are me. BECAUSE POM POMS. 

Finishing it off with a half circle skirt and a small gathered tier was all she wrote out of this yardage. I have enough left for maaaaybe a mask. But I might start saving up my wax print scraps again for a quilt...

Don't gimmie that look. I COULD QUILT. In 2020, anything’s possible...

New Video: How to Sew a 3D Face Mask with ONE Pattern Piece!

Making light of a dark situation is how we try to roll around here. If you gotta make a mask, you might as well make it FUN.

After wearing this 3D face mask in a "Dollar Store Video Haul" on my YT Channel last week, I received a ton of personal requests for a tutorial on it. Apparently, like me, a lot of us are still looking for that perfect DIY. Lemme tell ya, I wish I'd known about this style when all this ish began, because as far as masks go, it is the bomb diggety. So, I whipped up a step-by-step for ya! With some...intriguing assistance from Rob.

This is our favorite mask. No center seam, no darts, and easily adjustable for all schnozzes. Marie at A Stitching Odyssey hepped me to this style via her Instagram. I changed it up to include an all-in-one elastic casing and an optional nose bridge. One pattern piece, and so easy to make! I just wish I'd known about it before sewing up the other 999 masks I've made.

Watch the step-by-step (with the usual hijinks) on the channel! Just click here:

How to Sew a 3D Face Mask: With ONE Pattern Piece!

Stay safe, and keep smiling, y'all. Or smizing. See you later this week with a garment post :)