This post is going to be short! In late October I went on a cutting spree where I cut out a tooooon of garments, some of which have still not been sewn up…
This was one of them. I took my altered Nettie tshirt pattern (standard versions of which don’t even get a mention on the blog because its my go to for daily t-shirts), and just extended the hem as far as I could. I gave it a flat hem, so the sides do hang down a little lower than the front, but I kinda like that.
This fabric is one of my last pieces from a Hancock Fabrics going out of business shopping spree.
When I was getting it cut, the lady blanched and said, “I don’t know who would ever find this an attractive piece of fabric.”
And I replied, “Well it kinda matches my hair.” I think she realized that she had said that thought out loud and didn’t say anything after that… For four more cuts.
It’s a polyester textured lace pattern in a rust brown. Which does mean that it has holes in it, so I have to use a slip. This one is made from a cotton broadcloth, and is cut on the bias. It peeks through just a little, and I love it!
Oof, the drag lines make me look pregnant… “Contorting” to get this picture made those, I promise!
Simple sweet dress, easy to sew, easy to wear, I wish it had pockets, but I still haven’t figured out how to make that happen for this design…
I count four TnT’s in my arsenal. And my trusty circle skirt. Though that’s more of a formula than a pattern.
I count a TnT as a pattern that I’ve played with and probably altered to fit me better, and that I’ve made over and over with no intention of stopping.
So first a quick overview, and then I’ll do some more explaining.
The Nettie bodysuit pattern is my go to t-shirt pattern, though I do like the bodysuits too. I just wear them less. I’ve been playing with it for about 3 and a half years now.
The Onyx woven shirt pattern is much newer to me, but I made just a couple of alterations to it, and I’ve made so many since! I think I’ve been playing with it for about a year.
The Ginger jeans pattern has given me four pairs of great jeans, and I’ve now got an idea on what I like in jeans fit, and I have an idea of what options I like best for what type of denim. I’ve had the pattern for about three years.
The Belladone dress pattern is so chic and comfortable for me, and I’ve made about 5 variations, with others planned out. I’ve been using it for about 10 months.
So starting at the beginning…
A small selection of the Nettie’s I’ve made
When I was a newbie sewist at the end of college/beginning of grad school, I spent a summer unemployed in an unfamiliar new city/town and basically learned how to live with myself. And living with myself means I made a fair amount of clothes. But because I was unemployed, I treated myself to one pattern, and otherwise drafted my own. And that one pattern was the Nettie bodysuit from Closet Case Patterns.
I made two bodysuits, then a t-shirt or two (after I saw someone else hack it into a shirt and fell in love). And then another bodysuit, and then some more shirts. Most of them didn’t even make it to the blog. Then there were the hacks. I hacked it to be colorblocked, like the Little Mermaid corset outfit (twice!). I hacked it into a cross-back, semi cut out dress. I hacked it into a sleeveless dress with a handkerchief hem circle skirt. I hacked it into a tunic for my Nausicaa outfit with a high mandarin collar neck. I then hacked that last hack into a sleeveless mandarin neck shirt for my TARDIS costume (2016 DragonCon MVPattern). Last summer I hacked it into a Kiki’s Delivery Service dress for a friend, and recently I hacked it into basically the same dress for me, though I don’t have pictures yet. I do have another hacked dress cut out, though.
Basically the Nettie has been such a powerhouse pattern for me that my friend (with a keen eye for detail) realized that most of the things I wore to my first DragonCon were made with the Nettie pattern in some part.
After spending time making so many knit tees, I knew I wanted to try out a woven pattern, so I compared every boxy woven tee pattern that I found on the internet, and chose the Onyx one. I had made the tutorial Jade skirt from Paprika right before she made the company, and loved it. Though I loved the act of making it more than wearing it, since I had forgotten that I don’t wear tight skirts, especially out of knit. I made one out of lace last fall, but I had sized up since I was worried and it didn’t fit nicely. Lace ones will be revisited in the future.
The first real one was made out of the skirt I used for Ariel at my first DragonCon, once I realized that was not the proper material for a skirt. I altered the pattern to take in the shoulders, and then I made another. (And then there was the fail). And then I cut two identical black Onyx’s and embroidered them both (pictures of the second to come when I really finish the embroidery). I also hacked it to have longer and slightly fuller sleeves for my update to my Ariel costume, with embroidery. For my updated TARDIS costume this year, I also used a hacked Onyx for a more boatneck front with a deeper back, and long sleeves with ruffles. And when I made a costume for the Moment from Doctor Who, I used the Onyx pattern. So I guess this year’s DragonCon MVPattern was Onyx.
Then the Ginger Jeans pattern. I’ve always struggled with jeans, going straight from kids to misses, because I’m petite and curvy. So making mine seemed to be logical. I’ve learned which type of denim will work best for me for the super skinny (thinner) versus my favored bootcut look (thicker).
My first pair was terrible, due entirely to the lack of stretch in the denim. RIP. The second, third, and fourth pairs still serve me well, and I have plans to make jean shorts with it too!
Belladone is a pattern I received from Deer and Doe as a prize for a Monthly Stitch contest, which I was excited about because at the time it was only available printed. I had been wanting to make it, and being unable to afford the cost plus shipping, for almost four years.
It is the newest of my TnT’s to me, but I’ve made two versions with the cut out back and a skirt version out of my favorite (and only up till now) wax print. Then I hacked the solid back version into my Peggy Carter dress (though I only have a post of my muslin). I already have the fabric and plans to make the skirt version in one or two fabrics, and really, I could wear this pattern nearly every day.
Much like every pattern talked about thus far.
Circle skirts, though not a real pattern, make up the other segment of what you might call my “daily uniform.” If not wearing jeans and a shirt, then I tend to be wearing a skirt and a shirt, and that skirt is either a circle skirt or a Belladone skirt. So mostly 3/4 to full circle skirts. I think I have about 4 of them, and they’re my favorite thing to add to bodices for dresses as well. Because swingy skirts are my jam.
I’m never going to say that again.
That’s a lie. I’ll probably say that again, but each time I’ll regret it immediately. Unlike making any of these TnT’s probably ever.
I love Miyazaki films so much, and one of my first introductions to his and Studio Ghibli’s works (other than My Neighbor Totoro which I rewatched over and over on VHS as a kid) was the Nausicaa graphic novels.
And then I was introduced to all the movies. But Nausicaa is still one of my favorites…
So when my friends and I decided to do a Miyazaki day, I jumped on the chance to make a Nausicaa outfit. For one thing, Nausicaa doesn’t wear heels, so I could get away without such silly shoewear, and also I could make her outfit out of knit fabrics.
Yay for knits!
And then I realized that her full outfit would be really hot, and way too much work with about a week free before the con. So I decided to remove some items. And by some, I mean a lot.
The first item I made was some leggings using Cake Patterns’ Espresso pattern. I got this white rayon spandex knit from Joann Fabric’s. It doesn’t have a lovely amount of recovery, and its definitely translucent, but it worked well enough at the time. They certainly are warm and comfy!
Then I made the belt, mostly because I was not really looking forward to making the tunic. I got out some wide navy blue elastic, and this belt buckle I got from a trimming shop in New York City, and made the belt for my natural waist.
At some point in the last week pre-DragonCon, I decided to just go for it, and I created this new Closet Case Nettie hack (I made a muslin first, I promise!).
The neckline was adjusted to swing upwards to create that cut-on collar look, which I estimated from the crew neck version of the pattern. Then I created a “slit” down the front for a few inches. This necessitated a lining or facing of some kind, which I ended up doing as a half lining (so a kind of glorified shelf bra without the elastic) to give it a clean finished edge.
The sleeves were one thing I debated over. I originally thought short sleeves because of summer, but if I ever wanted to reuse this costume for a more comprehensive Nausicaa outfit, the sleeves needed to be longer, so I went with elbow-3/4 sleeves.
You might remember (from a long time ago) that I wasn’t sure which version of Nausicaa I wanted to create. I ended up going with “normal,” where she has ammo holders where shirt pockets would normally be, rather than trying to applique a bird emblem, for which I just took rectangles of fabric and sewed them to the proper places with spaces for three tubes on either side.
When I realized that I needed to make ammo to put in the ammo holders, I stalled. The night before I left I pulled out some dowels that I had bought with other projects in mind, cut some pieces about chapstick size in length, and then glued three together at a time. When they were dry to the touch I mixed together some cheap red and yellow acrylic to create a nice orange and I painted all of them. I made six, but when I wore the costume I used an orange chapstick in one place, which is what is sticking out a bit… It was handy but also slippy and kept slipping out of place.
I’ve worn the tunic a few times now without costumes in mind, and I think it’ll get a lot of wear in winter. The leggings have gotten a few less wearings, but I am not the biggest fan of white clothing so it isn’t surprising. And Teto has been looking down on me from a bookcase, keeping me company!
Stay tuned for more on my Ariel costume, as well as some more TARDIS stuff! And some of those regular clothes things too. Lots of that.
I figured I’d get the backup costume done as quickly as I could, but realistically this has been mulling around in my brain for awhile.
The flightsuit/jumpsuit got to me in April, I think. Maybe March, but a long time ago. I actually went to my local surplus/costume/knick-knack store, and the owner sized me up and said that I would probably fit well in the child’s extra large. Which worked out nearly perfectly!
Realistically though, when I found the adult flightsuits at the back of the store they were as tall as I was. So the child’s size made sense.
It’s a lightweight poly-cotton, and straight from the package it fit well in the shoulders, and the chest, etc. Even the length from the crotch to the hem was good. The problem was the four inches of extra torso length. Four inches!
It did take me three or four months to actually fix this. And to be perfectly honest, I might have gone a little too far, but it looks great when I’m standing. And I can deal with it pulling a bit when sitting. There aren’t sleeves to deal with after all.
The patches are wonderful! I got them from Ebay, and here’s the teddy bear, and the heart/flower combo. You can get the combo of all three here…
I sewed them on using a normal back stitch, but around the teddy bear I also added some fake blanket stitching. Then I took a normal marker to draw on some Chinese characters. Luck and love, if I remember correctly…
I made the top using the Nettie pattern from Closet Case Files, like I do all my t-shirts, and this weird stretchy fabric. It’s rather plastic-y even for polyester… But it is very Kaylee!
The sandals are not nearly the same as Kaylee’s but I did make them! There will be more on those later this week though.
Add in some pigtail buns and my parasol, and it makes a pretty smashing Kaylee!
This may be my favorite shirt. I may say that a lot, but this time it is more likely to be true…
It’s also a Nettie hack. Or really, I guess its a hack of a hack. It’s a hack that I’m making t-shirts from the bodysuit pattern, and then taking that pattern to make the new hack with the fake corset appearance. Really its just a colorblocking option that is vaguely shaped like a corset
Starring in this shirt is a black drapey knit that I used in a shirt Nettie, and some kind of cream colored tissue knit. To be honest, I forget where I found both of them.
So I took my altered tnt version of my Nettie shirt, shortened it slightly (and perhaps a smidge too much), and then drew in the hack.
I pulled on a Nettie version, and traced out where the seamline should be. I took this and transferred it to a traced copy of the pattern. I then added seam allowance to the top and the bottom of the new pieces, shown here.
Then I managed to squeeze the lower portion out of the remains of the black drapey knit. It’s amazing what you can do with 1 yard of fabric if you’re super (painfully) thrifty. In this case, I’d like to say I made 2 shirts out of that yard.
And the rest of the fabric was minimal, but luckily I had plenty of that fabric!
I sewed together the top and bottom of the front and back, and then sewed it up like normal!
To be honest, I sewed this up the week before Halloween in about 3 hours, and wore it that night to a costumed swing dance.
I like to think of it as a Disneybound level Ariel. Definitely got lots of compliments on it that night. It would also work nicely for an Aurora one as well.
Subtle cosplay is my jam!
Also, I am definitely out of tune with slang these days (which is ridiculous because I’m still kinda the age to get the slang, I think, maybe…). Do people still say that? Or is it just me?
Regardless, I love this version, and it will probably not be my last!
At least for midseasons, so Fall and Spring, I have fulfilled my wearable blanket dreams.
Meet Syrah, version 2.
This fabric is fuzzy, and yummy, and just barely stripey. It was also free, since my parents gave it to me as a gift. Actually the same gift as the green one, so I got two maxi skirts for nothing as basically a gift. Did I mention its fuzzy?
I just want to pet it.
Forever and always.
I made this Syrah in nearly the same way as my green version.
I changed up the pockets in theory. I tried to make them flatter, which I did succeed at. They’re a bit too small now though, so I’m not sure it worked well. I can still fit my keys and phone, but my hands don’t fit.
The waistband is also the flat one. I like the ruched one, but I can’t wear a shirt over it, if I’m having a large tummy day (because isn’t food wonderful?). The flat one works much nicer for this purpose. I like wearing shirts tucked in with it, but its nice to have the option.
It’s just such a comfy skirt!
Plus, it works really well with my new Nettie shirts!
I’ve had this black thin t-shirt from Forever 21 for years. It never fit very well, but it was necessary for my first job, and I’ve had no reason to get rid of it… except for the holes from acid and a few little stains.
But if I was getting rid of it, I needed to replace it. So when I went fabric shopping a few months ago, I tuned into the black jersey fabric. I actually found two, one that was very t-shirt stable and opaque, and one that was super drapey and silky with a hint of sheer. I couldn’t decide which was better, so I bought both, and they’re super comfy.
The pattern is the same as my turquoise one, and construction and everything are the same. By now, I can churn one of these out in just over an hour, if I set my mind to it. I am getting some wrinkles from the underarm, which I’ll try to fix on future Netties, but overall, these were a great choice!
Comfort is key, and all three of these makes are fantastic in that department.
This fabric is one of the softest I have ever worn. Especially for a jersey.
I want to live in this fabric. Forever!
Unfortunately, I only have a finite amount, since it’s a mystery fabric find from a discount fabric store in New England.
So knowing that I only had a bit to work with, I wanted to make sure I used it well!
And I made a Nettie. Not this Nettie, which I still love dearly, and should remember to wear more often, but a Nettie shirt.
After seeing Lauren’s Nettie shirts, I had a plan to make a few for layering shirts once winter showed up, so I’m glad I started early.
Knowing that I wanted to use the higher back, I printed out a new copy of the pattern, and glued it together. I’ve begun to glue-stick my patterns, so I can easily take them back apart for better storage. Gone are the days of folding bulky taped patterns, at least for future pattern buys!
For sizing, I ended up using a slightly odd combo. I sized up one (from my mid-back pattern) at the shoulders, and through the armscye, but cut the sleeves a little skinnier to my original size, and after the waist I swerved out to two or three sizes up. I cut the bottom off around where the front turns into the bodysuit, and I attempted elbow-length sleeves, which is what all my long sleeve shirts turn into anyway, after I push the sleeves up!. In the future versions, I might even lengthen it, but this is perfect for this version!
I sewed it up according to the directions, but I left both the bottom and the sleeves unhemmed. I’ve given myself a policy that if it doesn’t need a hem, it shouldn’t get a hem. Most people around me already know I make my own clothes, and those that don’t will mostly not even notice!
There might even be enough fabric to squeeze out a Yellowtail, in conjunction with some other fabric, so I’m quite pleased!
I thought I’d be cute and pose with candy, related to my new garments. But then I’d have to buy some candy. I’m currently on a Starburst kick, and they just wouldn’t fit the bill.
Plus, gas is expensive, and that whole I don’t currently have… employment, thing.
So anyway, here are my two new creations!
Netties!
So my first one, Chocolate Bar as I like to think, is a lovely cotton-lycra (probably) simple version. I made it up just like the sewalong says to, except for the snaps… I finished it hours before the snaps sewalong post was uploaded.
It fits like a dream, and is comfy and cute, and though there is some room in the butt, I find that weight for me likes to transfer between stomach and butt… So I believe that when it’s the butt’s turn, that extra room will be helpful.
To add some drama, I made a cute little bow and attached it to the center back. I’m not sure if you can see it… I promise it’s cute up close, and even a little off kilter, which matches with my personality!
Ahem. I love making excuses for minor mistakes, I’m sorry I got carried away!
My second Nettie is a deep chocolate brown with peanut butter dots that’s a polyester lycra blend. It was too good to pass up, even though it was polyester! The only problem, it was not exactly 4 way stretch. It only has a bit of stretch in the opposite direction.
So I thought to myself, how would I fix such a problem… ooh, add in extra fabric periodically through, to account for the lack of stretch! Well, it looks like I shouldn’t have exactly bothered, because I ended up cutting that much off, but I like to think it helped in the bustage region. A little extra space to account for the drop underneath.
I love my Netties, if only because they’re comfy to wear on their own when I’m alone in my home… which is a lot since the whole, you know, unemployment. But I’m sure when I do venture into the world they will get a lot of use too!
How many people do you hear say they can’t wait for school to start?
Perhaps I can waste time getting better patternweights…
And for my costuming fellows, never fear, I’m working on some stuff to show you soon!
