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.
If this was made out of a yellow fabric, I’d call it Lemon Drop, because it’s sweet in the front, and slightly sassy in back.
I modeled it after this dress I found on “The Stylish Geek” when I was searching for inspiration for the Monthly Stitch’s RTW Challenge that’s on next week.
1. Cut the front bodice pattern at the lengthen/shorten line. I think I cut it at the top one, since I’ve got a very short torso.
2. Trace out the full back, then draw new cut lines for the crossed back.
3. Cut out one front and two backs, and then the two sleeves. Also, I cut out a full circle skirt and two pockets.
4. Attach the bodice to the backs at the shoulder, attach bindings, sew in the sleeves, overlap and sew up side seams. Assemble the skirt and pockets.
5. Attach the skirt to the front bodice. Cut and sew elastic to the waist.
6. Decide not to hem the skirt because you’re already late for your weekend trip with your best friends.
The fabric is a lovely four way stretch jersey, which I believe is a rayon spandex blend, but there wasn’t a listed fabric content when I bought it, so I can’t be positive. I put it on immediately after finishing it, and refused to take it off, even though I’d be spending the next seven plus hours in a car. That’s how much I adore this fabric and dress.
This plum version is actually the second try, since the first one was out of a two way stretch in a peachy color. Actually, I consider that my Hamilton Angelica tunic, since the color matches her dress. And I’m minorly obsessed. The two way stretch created more folds and wrinkles at the underarm to bust, so I made itty bitty darts, which look weird but it’s still wearable.
It’s been over a month since I made this dress, and yet I’ve only worn it once or twice. But it’s special, cause it’s my birthday dress.
The week before my birthday I was finishing up the TARDIS sewing, so I didn’t get a chance to make the dress. The day before my birthday I got back from a ballroom engagement and didn’t have the energy or willpower to start. I think I got as far as retrieving the fabric before I gave up and collapsed on my couch.
This green lace printed polyester jersey had been in my stash for a couple months, after I picked it up because the print was so cool despite the polyester-ness. I knew I wanted something sleeveless (so my armpit sweat wouldn’t be cooped up {is that too much info? Sorry}), and I’ve been wanting a handkerchief hem dress for a while now.
So on my birthday morning I pulled myself out of bed and cut out a square for the skirt, and then used the Nettie shirt pattern I’ve manipulated to make a front and back. I remembered to cut out the arm and neckbands at this point, instead of having to go back and get them later.
I managed to get it sewn up, eat both breakfast and lunch, and get to campus for my class with caffeine in hand. And with time to make more caffeine for class, which is always a plus.
Wearing it that day, though, showed me that I had miscalculated the length I’d need in the bodice, and it just got longer as the day went on. It was too short to be dropwaist, and too long to wear without some sort of waist definition, so I have been wearing it with my life belt.
About a week ago, I added some elastic to the waist seam, which helps with the droop, but it’s still loose at the waist. Maybe I should take it in some more.
Anyway, the armbands instead of sleeves are definitely comfortable, and it looks nice sleeveless. I’m probably going to be making more this summer! And I have a nice amount of fabric left, so I’m thinking a short sleeve Nettie hack. I’m going to cut that out now, I think!
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!
