The Monthly Stitch Miss Bossy Patterns March Challenge

There is a twist on the March challenge over at The Monthly Stitch and I need your help! The normal process is for the collective to vote on the theme then stitch whatever theme the majority chose. I haven’t had a chance to complete any challenges since my Date Night dress entry for the Frocktober Challenge but that hasn’t stopped me from cutting out the dresses and getting them ready to stitch.

This month requires each sewist to have their blog readers choose between three patterns in their stash that are new to them. I have A LOT of patterns I haven’t sewn but actually want to complete one of my never sewn “hibernating” projects so my March Monthly Stitch entry will be one of the following. Please post a comment and let me know which one you think I should stitch up for the challenge and the pattern with the most votes will be my entry!

First up is Vintage Pattern 9387 which is a sleeveless, princess seamed dress that I originally intended to make for the September Vintage Patterns Challenge. I chose an emerald green marbled fabric and have all the pieces cut and ready to sew.

The second option is the Licorice dress from Colette Patterns Sewing Handbook and was supposed to be my November From a Sewing Book Challenge entry. The fabric is the lovely Liberty of London Tana Lawn Alma in black and red. This one is also cut and ready to sew.

The final option is Simplicity 2017 which is a sleeveless shift dress with a square yoke. The fabric was a prize from Anneke of Annette Tirette.  This fabric is an African wax print and should suit the pattern quite nicely!

Sewing Mojo, UFOs & a Giveaway!

I had a few days off at the first of July and spent the time organizing my sewing space. I went through my fabric and pattern stash, happily making plans to get both under control. After completing several items though, I feel like I really should finish all of my UFO’s before starting something else. I am not looking forward to fixing all of the issues that prevented me from finishing each garment in the first place so I keep putting them off. The pile is growing and at my current rate the UFO pile will be bigger than my fabric stash soon! Any ideas on how to keep my sewing mojo (or sewjo as  Lizzy calls it!) going while also reducing the UFO pile?

As an added incentive for both you and me, I am going to give away a pattern of your choice from my “willing to share” stash to the person with the best idea for keeping my sewjo going and conquering my UFO pile. The giveaway will close on next Wednesday, August 14 and I will announce the winner next Thursday so get those ideas coming!

My current UFO’s include:

Colette Crepe in vintage navy dotted swiss. This dress has been in the UFO pile since early 2012. I got as far as adding the piping then got stuck. The dress has a sweetheart neckline so it requires some finesse to get the piping and facing to lie flat. After trying a couple of times, I got frustrated and tossed it. In order to finish the dress, I would need to unpick the neckline and restitch the piping then sew the sides seams and hand hem.

Colette Ginger in embossed suede microfiber. This was my second attempt at this skirt and has been in my UFO pile since mid 2012. The first one is a tad too tight in the hips so it rides up. In an effort to correct that issue, I cut a larger size expecting to simply add a few back darts so the waist would fit appropriately. Unfortunately the fabric is so thick and stiff I can’t get the waistband to lie flat and get all these weird puckers. In order to finish the skirt, I would need to unpick the waist darts and figure out how to get the waistband to fit properly. The skirt also needs to be hemmed.

In House Patterns Blossom in Amy Butler sketchbook voile. This blouse has only been in my UFO pile since early spring but the fabric is so lovely it is a shame to have it languish. There are a couple of issues with getting this one finished. First the back neckline gapes so somehow I need to find a way to “tighten” it up without removing fabric from the shoulder area. I also didn’t have enough fabric to grade up the sleeves as the pattern is written so I opted for a tulip style instead. I got the first side on correctly but struggled with the other sleeve so much I put the whole blouse away and never came back to it.

Colette Hawthorn in minty green eyelet. Not so much a UFO as a hard to get started. I have all of the pieces cut out but can’t seem to wrap my head around how to line and add the facings. The fabric is scalloped along the button edge instead of the hem so any ideas on how to get the facings and lining stitched without losing the scallops would be most appreciated!

The Sew Weekly Reunion

Mena Trott’s The Sew Weekly site was the first blog I found when I started sewing in 2011. The premise was simple…sew each week and document the finished garment. Mena’s site quickly expanded to include 4 other sewists then in 2012 The Sew Weekly had over one hundred contributors posting their garments. Unfortunately Mena did not continue the challenges in 2013 which left many sewists, myself included, without ongoing inspiration.

Luckily the original 4 ladies that sewed along with Mena in 2011 have decided to host a reunion. Instead of having a challenge every week, there will be yearly reunion where everyone can join along and sew a similar challenge for one month. The Sew Weekly Reunion 2013 challenge theme requires the Pantone Fall 2013 colors to be the inspiration for the garment. Everyone has until the end of August to submit their makes and the winner receives some beautiful silk chiffon fabric.

Along with the reunion challenge is an optional pattern and notions swap. Kat from Modern Vintage Cupcakes is hosting and participants received an email with the person’s interests, blog site, and address. As an added bonus, there will be a prize for using your swap items during the Pantone challenge. I sent a package to Z from Gladys and Viv. She recently posted her goodies and I am so glad she liked them. I can’t wait to see what she makes!

I received a package from Amanda and I absolutely love it. Not only did she include patterns very close to my size (which is rare to find in vintage patterns) but one even included a pattern for a knitted jacket meant to coordinate with the dress pattern. Even though it is running about 90 degrees every day this week, I couldn’t help myself and have already cast on. I hope to finish both the dress and knitted jacket in time to submit before the end of the month.

Are you taking part in the challenge?