Home Stretch = Home Run

I’ve made two more creations using Wendy Mullins’ Home Stretch. The first (the basic dress pattern in the book) is a secretary-style rayon knit dress with an outrageously busy print (my favorite kind). I’m so happy with the style, fit and feel of this dress, I’m tempted to lounge about in it all day long, even on lazy weekends when I’m at home with nowhere to go.

The second is a 100% cotton jersey knit skirt with a jaunty pair of suspenders (“Sweet Suspender” in the book). I’ve been wanting to make this one since I bought the book a few months back and I’m glad I did! It was incredibly quick and easy — save for the multiple suspender length adjustments I had to make, but that’s just due to my own laziness for not trying it on enough times during the process. Pics were taken when they were still a bit too long which accounts for the slight sagginess where they cross in the back. It’s an easy fix, though. Overall I’m very happy with it!

patterned knits galore!

I’ve been so busy making a ton of these zippered purses (below) for a friend (who’s planning to use them as goody bags for a party she’s throwing) that I haven’t been able to touch the piles of fabric that have been lately trickling in via the post — the result of an online fabric shopping spree of mine last payday. 

But check out the yards and yards of gorgeous printed knits that I’ve got waiting for me! Don’t know about y’all, but nothing uplifts my spirit as much as beholding a colorful, busy (almost to the point of dizzying) patterned fabric. So once I finish up being a one-woman zipper purse factory, I’m grabbing my copy of Wendy Mullins’ Home Stretch and am going to town…

trouser disaster and the consolation dresses that followed

Here are two dresses I made for myself as a consolation for a disastrous attempt at a pair of corduroy pants (using the Anita skinny jeans pattern on Burdastyle). I worked on the wretched pair for about 9 hours straight and was doing alright before tragedy struck in the form of a badly done zipper. When I attempted to redo the zipper, I made a careless move and accidentally tore the fabric in a place that couldn’t be mended and that, as they say, was that. Here’s a pic of one bit that turned out decently, but I’m afraid that’s all I’m showing you of this cursed project before it ends up in the scrap pile.

Anyway, not to be discouraged, I took the leftover bit of that baby blue corduroy and turned it into a yoke for a mini dress. The beautiful Amy Butler fabric was a gift from my sister-in-law Jill and I’ve been waiting for just the right garment to use it for — and it turns out it matches the corduroy perfectly!

The second dress was inspired by this fabulous number as well as this one — both made by maryy at Burdastyle — a member whose creations I adore! No pattern was used so it’s a bit rough around the edges, but I’ve learned a few lessons for next time.

belle de jour

If you don’t have a copy of Wendy Mullin’s book Sew U: Home Stretch — what are you waiting for?!

Not only does this book come with all the patterns you need to make every single one of the stylish projects within, but every step is diagrammed and the written directions are super simple to follow, even for instruction-impaired people like me.

This form fitting number is the “Belle de Jour” dress from said book, and it was incredibly simple to make. The blue fabric is a rayon stretch knit (with a tiny hint of sheen) I got online from somewhere. Sorry, I buy so much fabric that I often forget from where I bought what. I don’t think the dress is supposed to be this body hugging, as I decided to make it x-small instead of the more-appropriate small. Anyway, I squeeze into it alright and as long as I can remember to suck in the gut, I think I’ll be ok.