: : :Flowy and Feminine: : :

Butterick 5463

First of all, this chiffon was love at first sight for me--it is so soft and feminine...which is exactly what I like to wear. It drapes nicely, too, and the colors are gentle and sweet.

This entire top was made on a last minute whim. I had a much excitedly anticipated date :) the next day and wanted something flowy and feminine to wear...and just happened to wander into this fabric. Problem solved--it was meant to be. So I bought it and the pattern and rushed home to whip it out, haha.

The pattern I chose is Butterick 5463, and I made view A in a size 8. I chose it because it looked flowy. The top only took about 2 hours to make as it is basically two rectangles with a flounce attached to each sleeve. The most difficult part was hemming the chiffon. I learned to just go s.l.o.w. As difficult as it was to not zip along as I like to (hehe), I was happy that I took my time because my hems came out better than they normally do when I use chiffon.

The only gripe I have with this top is that when I wear a belt with it and move my arms alot, the sides pull up...but it's not a huge deal and I guess I can live with it ;) you can see this happening in the front view in the pictures above.

Altogether a simple top to make. I love how it came out--the chiffon is really what makes it just lovely :)

: : :Polka Dots: : :

I made this dress to accompany a friend to a wedding. I love polka dots, so I thought this dress would be perfect...and black and white is always a classy combination. So I decided on a jersey knit polka dot fabric, and then chose Simplicity 1612 because it looked fairly simple (am still new to knits!).

Simplicity 1612. I made view A, which is a knee length knit dress with a twisty tie front and cut-out back.My fabric was a stretchy jersey knit. I made a size 8.

This was a super easy dress to make. I had no issues with fit or construction. The only alterations I made were taking in the back seam and elastic about an inch and adding the black ribbon just under the bust. Oh, I also left off the sleeves because I wanted to pair this dress with the little black jacket (also made by me).

It can easily be dressed down by leaving off the jacket and wearing a black T-shirt underneath for a sort of jumper dress effect--which makes the dress more casual. So there it is! There's not much else to say, except that it's altogether a fun dress! :)

The wedding was lovely, and yup...everybody liked my dress. ;)

: : :Blue Floral Top: : :

I've had this floral blue fabric for about 6 years now because I was saving it for I don't know what. Well, I finally decided to dig it out of my stash and make something with it. I thought a lightweight overshirt sort of top would be nice for summer. I'm not sure what type of fabric it is, but it looks like chiffon and feels like cotton. It is see-through as well...and very soft.

I made view A in a size 8. It's a super comfortable top that can easily be dressed up or down.

Construction was super easy. I didn't make any changes besides gathering 2 inches on the sleeves and then securing the gathers with a button. I also added a button to the back tuck---but these are just aesthetic changes...nothing to do with fit. The fit of this top is not very flattering, but I don't really mind because the fabric I used is very flowy and sort of moves with me.

I probably won't make this top again, but I am overall satisfied with how it came out.