Mini Oven Mitt with Free Pattern!

December 19, 2022 trishstitchedLeave a comment

Looking for a quick handmade holiday gift? Look no further! This mini oven mitt is filled with handmade love and a great project that will only take a few hours to complete! Pair it with some homemade cookies, or the ingredients for your recipient to make their own!

Last year I fell in love with a mini oven mitt that I got, and I really wanted to make some more, in a fun pattern of course! So I set out to create my own!

Here’s the pattern:

miniovenmittpdf-trishstitched Download

Here’s the tutorial:

You will need: Exterior Fabric, lining fabric (I recommend both being 100% cotton or linen), batting, printed PDF pattern, along with general sewing supplies, serger optional.

Batting Note: I used Warm & Natural Cotton Batting to keep my oven mitts 100% cotton. These are for light heat use. There are many options for batting, including terry cloth, and old jeans! For more heat protection, you can use also use Insulated Batting!

I’m sewing using the Janome AirThread2000D Serger, and Janome Memory Craft 15000

Print out the PDF pattern pieces. Print at 100% and measure the included 1” square to check pattern sizing. Cut out fabric pieces. If using patterned or striped fabric, cut two identical exterior pieces for matching sides. (TIP: I like to print or transfer my pattern pieces on cardstock to make it easier to trace out on fabric!)

Cut batting with fabric pieces on top (I find this fits the pieces better than cutting from the pattern piece)

Baste each piece to batting at 3/8”.

Trim only batting on each piece, close but not through stitching. This will give the pot holder a better shape when turning right side out.

Pin exteriors main and lining, wrong sides together. Repeat for center pieces.

Quilt linings to main pieces on your machine. With the plaid design of my fabric, I followed the natural lines in the fabric. You can quilt in many styles; square, diagonal, etc. I started in the center of each piece, backstitched, and continued. After quilting each piece, if you notice your fabric has stretched, trim with pattern piece. (Optional: serge all raw edges. This can be done later, but it is much easier to serge now.)

TIP: Draw out your quilted design with a fabric marking tool and take your time quilting! Fabric can shift – but I find better results going slow and steady!

Using markings on pattern pieces, mark center points and side points. I use quilting pins at each point which is easier to see while sewing.

With mitt center piece right side up, lay one exterior mitt right side down matching top and side markings. (It’s ok if your lining doesn’t match up perfectly to your pieces, they will be hidden in the seam allowance.)

Stitch from side pin to side pin, reinforcing at each end. (3/8” seam allowance, following exterior fabric if lining isn’t perfectly matched)

Next we are making a hanging loop! Cut fabric piece 4.75” x 1.75” for oven mitt side loop. Fold long sides, wrong sides together and stitch 3/8”. Trim seam allowance and turn piece right side out. Press seam so it lays in the center of the loop. Topstitch both sides, and fold short edges right sides together. Baste.

Mark 1.5” up from bottom of second mitt exterior. Pin loop and baste.

Moving back to the sewn center mitt, pin side with loop to mitt center, sewing pin to pin. Be sure to keep extra fabric from other side out of the way while sewing.

With center mitt folded wrong sides together, and the two exterior ends free, stitch exterior mitt right sides together from pins to end. Be sure your stitching line backs up directly to your other sewn line. If you didn’t serge edges before, you can also serge here. Serge or zig zag bottom edge.

Turn mitt right sides out. Following original basting, fold bottom edge up 3/8” to wrong side. Stitch at ¼” seam allowance.

Finish mitt by removing any visible basting stitches.

And if you are looking for an extra quick gift, check out these reusable produce bags I made with the rest of my tablecloth!

handmade wardrobe · sewing

Quilted Kelly Anorak

January 21, 2022 trishstitched2 Comments

You may have seen this jacket on my instagram a few months ago, but I finally took some photos of it and wanted to share the details from this make!

Back in March I saw a tiktok of a woman wearing a blue quilted jacket with a bomber jacket neckline, and closed with both snaps and a zipper. One day, while in line at Target, I spotted a jacket that looked very similar to what I had been looking for, and sure enough it was the jacket! (Original jacket no longer on Target’s website, but I found a photo of it here) I really wanted to make an ever-so-popular quilted jacket, but I didn’t want to make a jacket from an actual quilt and this inspiration piece was exactly what I was looking for to get started on my own version.

I found the perfect secondhand fabric from A Thrifty Notion, a Sage Cotton Twill, and bought three yards. I had been looking at bomber jacket patterns but couldn’t find anything with the closure details I wanted. The only pattern I knew of (and made before) with the snaps and zipper close was the Kelly Anorak from Closet Core Patterns. Using this pattern would mean I wouldn’t have the same neckline as the inspiration piece, but I was ok with that change.

I previously made View A (view it here), and have used the pattern pieces in several projects over the years. The Kelly Anorak has been one of my favorite patterns, and I really enjoy the sewing process because of the instructions and sew-a-longs that are online. For this version I went with View B, and made different pockets to get a similar look to the inspiration piece.

I measured at a size 4, but cut a size 6 to account for the extra material and batting. It fits perfectly but a little tight in the arms if I were to wear a thick sweater underneath. (Closet Core makes a lining expansion kit for the Kelly with a new sleeve pattern, for those interested).

Going into this make, I knew I didn’t want a jacket with a seperate lining. The idea was to make the quilting on the front and have the interior look like a solid backing. It took much longer, and I removed and re-stitched basting stitches a few times, but I love the finished look.

The quilting was a very long process, and I spend a few days just stitching the body pieces of the jacket. I cut 2x the body and front facing pieces, as well as the sleeve pieces (more detail on this down below!) I cut 1x batting pieces for the body pieces, sleeves and front facings. Since the full back had batting, I didn’t think it was necessary to add more batting to the back facing. (I also added batting to the collar)

I marked the stitching on each piece with an erasable fabric pencil, and basted the batting pieces to each pattern piece. (Also, if you are looking for a fabric pencil, I’ve had the Sewline Mechanical Pencil for years and love it so much! You can get white, black, blue and pink lead.) I wanted to try to match the quilting lines as much as I could, so once one piece was marked out, I matched it up with the next piece to continue the lines. It didn’t work out perfectly, but I did create some pretty side seams.

After the quilting was stitched, I trimmed the batting seam allowances on each piece. This kept the bulk out of my seam finishing’s which helped during construction. Once the pieces were quilted, I basted the “lining” to each piece to create my final fabric. This took a lot of ironing, and a lot of patience at the sewing machine, but once the fabric was complete, the construction of the jacket was straightforward.

I finished my seams as the pattern recommended, with flat felting, (tutorial from Closet Core here).

I didn’t have enough fabric for the sleeve “lining” and I didn’t want them to be too bulky so I took apart an old make for the extra material! I made this raincoat a few years ago but never wore it and moved it into my refashion pile. I had to do a little bit of “franken-stitching” to get the full sleeve piece, but the color and weight of the fabric was perfect for my sleeves!

I only made one size adjustment and that was in sleeve length. I didn’t think about it before cutting and quilting my sleeve, but before attaching the cuff, I realized the sleeve was just a bit too long. Since I already did the construction for my cuffs (out of order on the pattern instructions), and stitched the sleeve to the body, and finished the seam with bias binding, I wasn’t able to alter the length anywhere else but the hemline. Instead of a 5/8″ seam allowance, I sewed the cuff at 1 1/4″. It makes the sleeve extension shorter, but left the sleeve intact.

My hem was finished with binding and hand stitching. And the last step was adding the snaps, which I made Drew hammer because I was terrified of messing them up! Cutting holes in a completed garment is so scary!

I am so proud of this jacket! I’ve already worn it several times, and can’t wait to keep wearing it once the temperatures get back out of the freezing zone!

Quick Links:

Pattern: Closet Core Kelly Anorak: View B, Size 6

Fabric: A Thrifty Notion: Sage Cotton Twill, Secondhand

Hardware: Wawak: Zipper and Snaps

etsy · handbags

Fall Floral Bag Collection

October 14, 2021 trishstitched2 Comments

Hello everyone! It’s been some time since my last blog post. Back in August, I shared a little bit of personal news over on Instagram and took a bit of an unexpected, but necessary break from posting sewing projects.

Over the past few years I’ve been dealing with headaches and migraines on a pretty consistent basis. The past several months they’ve been getting worse and I’ve been struggling with them. I’ve been seeing a Neurologist, and gotten blood work done, as well as had MRI’s and a CT Scan, which have all come back normal/clear. While this is a relief, it’s a bit frustrating to not have a more immediate answer.

I’ve been searching for a solution before going on any medication, and have spent the last month, to month and a half working on my health. I’ve been working on my eating habits and general nutrition, my exercise regimen, and I have been working hard on my mental health. While I don’t have an exact solution, I have been able to decrease many of my daily headaches by focusing on overall wellness.

I’ve been cooking, reading, cleaning, and exercising so much more that sewing hasn’t been my main priority. Although I did sew some new bags for Etsy, I didn’t work on any apparel projects. At first, I felt horrible about not having projects to share, but taking time to work on myself and a new daily routine has been preparing me to return to this space.

And now, I am so excited to get back to sewing! I have several projects that I’m ready to dive into – and a few to share here now! As mentioned above, I’ve been working on some new bags for Etsy, and here they are!

Fall Floral Backpack and Crossbody Bag

I’ve worked so hard on both my backpack and crossbody bag patterns over the years, and I am so proud of them! Each bag features a push lock (tongue lock) close, back zipper pocket, and side snaps to expand the bag. This is the first collection where I’ve used gold hardware and I love the look against this beautiful floral print. Each bag is made with secondhand floral upholstery cotton, and they are lined with reclaimed khaki cotton from FabScrap.

Here’s a little behind the scenes making the backpacks!

More new bags in my shop:

This bold floral collection is made from a secondhand 70’s print! (I also used this fabric for another project – a future tutorial to share with you!)

And some adorable zipper pouches made with reclaimed fabric swatches! Each bag is made with two coordinating fabrics, one print on each side, and are perfect for makeup, sewing supplies, toiletries for travel, etc.

Shop my Etsy here.

Speaking of fabric swatches…for anyone interested in sewing with swatches, my Swatch Shop is finally up and running on Etsy! I’m selling both pre-opened swatch books and complete swatch books, as well as curated sets of swatches.

Shop Fabric Swatches Here.

Can’t wait to share more sewing projects with you soon!

handbags · Janome Sewing · Tutorials

DIY Crossbody Bag Tutorial with Janome!

June 23, 2021 trishstitchedLeave a comment

I am so incredibly excited to share this post! I’ve been working on this tutorial for a while and am so happy to finally share it! I absolutely love making bags, and know that bag making can be pretty intimidating, so I wanted to create an in-depth tutorial for one of my favorite style bags to make!

This tutorial is for a small lined crossbody bag with a push lock (or tongue lock) close, with a flat bottom, adjustable strap and exterior zipper! This bag is similar in style to the bags I designed for my etsy shop, but much quicker and easier to make! I’ve created a PDF tutorial filled with photos and instructions, and there’s a video tutorial on YouTube!

One of the things I love most about this pattern is that it is totally customizable! Don’t want an exterior pocket? No need to include it, or use the instructions to make an interior pocket! Want to make the straps removable? Stitch the strap ends to swivel hooks! You can curve the front flap into a half circle shape, and if you want, make the bag bigger or smaller by adjusting the measurements provided! This is a great bag to introduce you to bag making, or to get some more experience with bag hardware and zippers! (If you are looking for online spots for materials, I shop most hardware at Purse Supplies R Us on Etsy, zippers come from ZipIt, and Push Locks from Pacific Trimming!) The exterior fabric used in this bag is a large upholstery fabric swatch from my collection, and the lining and pockets are cotton.

I hope you love this bag! If you make it, let me know! I would love to see your version! Any questions, I am here to answer!

Get the PDF here!

Trish Stitched for Janome Crossbody Bag Download

Follow along in video format here!

Find other amazing sewing project on the Janome Blog!

handmade wardrobe · sewing

Botanical Myosotis Sheet Dress

January 17, 2021 trishstitched3 Comments

For the past year, I’ve been obsessing over the “botanical” print t-shirts (like this one from Wholesome Culture) and started a search for one of my own. Last year they weren’t available secondhand since the style was still pretty new, so I turned my search to botanical print fabric, in hopes to recreate my own t-shirt. I came across this amazing bed sheet on Mercari, and when it arrived, the print was larger than I was expecting, so I thought it would look much better in dress form, to be able to show off more of the print.

I was going to wait until Spring to start this dress, but I kept seeing the fabric sitting in my sewing studio, and just couldn’t wait any longer! It is completely seasonally inappropriate but I had the motivation to make it so I went for it!

I decided to go with the Myosotis Dress pattern from Deer and Doe Patterns. It’s a silhouette that I think suits me well, and I really love the tiered skirt. I made Myosotis last summer out of fabric I bought in Paris two years ago, and love that dress! (I never got around to blogging it but I posted a photo over on Instagram.)

I made version A, without the sleeve ruffle. I tested the sleeve ruffle on my first Myosotis and wasn’t really in love with the look, so I kept it off of this version as well. I had a lot of fun with print placement on this dress, and since the florals were pretty big, I wanted to be sure they were showcased, and the different colors were sprawled all over the dress, not just stacked (i.e; yellow on bodice directly on top of yellow in skirt). I put some of my favorite florals on the bodice so the gathering wouldn’t disrupt the design. I loved the floral names on the sheet (one of the reasons I love the botanical shirts!) however I wasn’t able to keep all of them with all the florals, because of the seamlines, but they are sprinkled throughout so the detail I love is still incorporated in the dress.

The bodice is fully lined, but I didn’t line the skirt. This dress pattern doesn’t call for lining, so all seams are visible inside. I didn’t want to play around with adding a separate lining so before sewing, I lined each bodice piece. It is actually lined with old muslins, and whatever larger pieces I could find in my stash, so the back is lined with white and the front bodice is lined with natural muslin. A little patchworked but I wanted to use what I had! I also chose not to line the sleeves, so it looks a little strange from the inside.

I was thinking about lining the skirt but I would line it with cotton and I feel every time I line a dress with cotton, it gets static-y or clumpy and doesn’t fall properly. I have the option of removing the skirt and stitching each tier with lining before sewing them together, but I’m just not sure it is necessary. If anyone has any suggestions – I’m open to hear them!

A few more details on this dress include a couple of gold buttons from my vintage button stash and POCKETS!

A few notes on the pattern: I cut a size 38, and made no changes to the bodice or sleeves. This is a looser fitting dress, so while I could have sized down, the dress would have been harder to get over my head. This is one of the reasons I added the waist ties, so I could cinch in my waist a bit. I did cut down the skirt length to fit my shorter legs better. I made the tier skirt option and made the top tier 12″, cutting off about 1 5/8″. I left the length on the bottom tier. My total skirt length came to just over 19″ (with a 1/2″ hem). For reference, my inseam to the floor is 27″. Since this version is meant to be above the knee I didn’t have to alter too much, but if you are taller and looking to make this dress, that’s something you may want to note.

The botanical prints have become pretty popular and a google search produced multiple fabric options, as well as sheets. There are some stunning prints available on Spoonflower that you can get in cotton, although it can be expensive (and the mushroom fabric on Spoonflower is adorable!).

If you are on the lookout for some secondhand floral print sheets, I highly recommend checking sites like Etsy, Poshmark and Mercari. I have had luck at a few thrift stores for sheets (my favorite spot closed down due to COVID) but the more that people have been searching for secondhand sheets, the more there are being sold – it has become a huge selling niche in the secondhand market, much like quilts! Some keywords are “botanical” and “vintage floral”, these terms may help with results. Pricing can get insanely high, especially with name brand bedding, but with a little time spent searching, you can find a great deal – and with Poshmark and Mercari, you are able to offer a lower price.

The very last detail to share on this dress is the addition of one of my new labels! I was gifted these from Dutch Label Shop, and intend to use them for my handmade bags but this label is also the perfect finishing touch on this dress!

These labels are simply stunning. I’ve purchased from Dutch Label Shop before and am always happy with the quality, but this label goes above and beyond anything I was expecting. It is so cool to see my little logo on a label – and I am so, so happy to sew with them! (If you are looking to get labels for your handmade wardrobe or products, check out Dutch Label Shop and use trishstitched15% at checkout for 15% off!)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

#RefashionFriday · refashion · sewing

#RefashionFriday Colorful Stripe Dress to Shorts Refashion

May 8, 2020 trishstitchedLeave a comment

This refashion was intended to be blogged a few Friday’s ago during Fashion Revolution Week but day the just got away from me! If you follow me over on instagram, you will have already seen this refashion – but I wanted to share a few details here about it!

#RefashionFriday Colorful Stripe Dress to Shorts Refashion - Trish Stitched

I picked this dress up at one of my local thrift stores (weeks before lockdown started) with full intentions of upcycling it. I fell in love with the colors and stripes, and really loved the fabric. It was well loved, but still in good condition – making the fabric that perfect washed and worn feel. I didn’t know what to do with the dress at first, but knew there weren’t too many options because it was a pretty short dress! (This dress is size S, brand is Soda Pop. Based on fit and style, I’m guessing it is a junior department dress.)

#RefashionFriday Colorful Stripe Dress to Shorts Refashion - Trish Stitched

A fabric like this screams summer, and the first piece of clothing that comes to my mind when thinking summer is shorts. Now yes, my wardrobe also needs like, basic denim shorts, but a pair of colorful shorts would be a welcomed addition to my wardrobe! Since this fabric was so bright and fun, I wanted my shorts pattern to be a little fun as well. I used the Paperbag Waist Shorts from Peppermint Magazine for this refashion and cut a size 8 (the pattern is free, but donate if you can!)

#RefashionFriday Colorful Stripe Dress to Shorts Refashion - Trish Stitched

This was a refashion that required me to seam rip almost the entire garment. I removed the bodice and straps, and removed the front pockets. I seam ripped open one side of the skirt to work with the material, and let down the hem.

#RefashionFriday Colorful Stripe Dress to Shorts Refashion - Trish Stitched

In order for the shorts to fit on the fabric, I had to cut the pattern in half before tracing it onto my fabric, and piece together the fabric. Had the skirt been a little longer, or fuller (gathered or pleated skirt) I probably wouldn’t have had to do this. This part was frustrating, because I thought the pattern would fit without issue, and I needed to re-think my cutting. (If you have to cut a pattern piece in half, don’t forget to include seam allowance where the pieces meet!)

#RefashionFriday Colorful Stripe Dress to Shorts Refashion - Trish Stitched

I was able to use the dress bodice for the new waistband (along with a little extra from skirt leftovers). This pattern has you insert elastic and a little fake tie in the front so I used one of the dress straps for a tie! I also re-purposed the front pockets into back pockets! For the shorts front pockets and hem facings, I used a light pink cotton that was in my stash.

#RefashionFriday Colorful Stripe Dress to Shorts Refashion - Trish Stitched

I really love these shorts! I think I made them a little too early in the year but by the time summer rolls around they will be getting a lot of wear!

sewing · Uncategorized

Striped Anni Jumpsuit

April 16, 2020 trishstitched1 Comment

Happy Thursday! Over the past few weeks it’s been really hard to get motivated and stay motivated . I find myself having good days and bad days, but am fortunate to have a great partner who frequently tells me it’s ok to have bad days. We’ve been playing a lot of ping pong and UNO, making sure we take time to just relax and breathe.

At the end of March, beginning of April, I made 80 masks for friends who work in hospitals, and for family working in grocery stores. If you’ve made masks, you can know how time consuming it can be, but more than that, how exhausting. While it was hours of labor, it was also mentally exhausting for me thinking about who would be using them, and the guilt for not making more or not going fast enough. It became a little too overwhelming and I had to stop. Last week I took some time for selfish sewing and made a project that’s been on my list for a few weeks.

I picked up this stripe fabric on my last trip to Fab Scrap, and originally planned to make some sort of dress, but the more I looked at Pinterest, the more I was attracted to striped jumpsuits! I had bought the Anni Jumpsuit Pattern for a different project that I didn’t have enough fabric for, but I had just enough striped material to make this jumpsuit.

What really attracted me to this pattern was the unique bodice design. I fell in love with the diamond shape and the options that came with the Building Block Bundle. This pattern was a little pricier but with several options, it was a price that made sense to me, and a pattern I could see making multiple versions of.

Now, if you want to make this bodice option, I do not recommend this as a beginner pattern. I don’t consider myself a sewing expert but I do have experience, and I wanted to throw these instructions out the window. The instructions and photo representation for this bodice pattern were not enough for me. I spent hours sewing seams, then directly ripping them out. It was frustrating. But eventually I got it, and it was one of those “ah-ha” moments. Once it was actually sewn, the instructions made sense. I could see how it worked, but couldn’t explain it to someone else. While it was frustrating at first, I would make this bodice again in a heartbeat. I don’t say this information to scare you away from making it, but as a warning that it may be difficult to get it at first.

Pattern details: I made Anni Size 4, shortening the bodice by 1” and shortened the pant length. I forgot to save the bottom of the pants to confirm how much I cut off, but my full length pant pattern measures 37”. After sewing the pants, I shortened the top rise by 1.5” as the crotch was just too long for my torso. I also tapered in the pants by 1” as well. I spent so much time making sure my stripes were as matched as I could make them, the last thing I wanted on this jumpsuit was a poor fit.

The last step I did was insert the zipper – and then found another fit issue. After sewing in the zipper, it felt like the jumpsuit back was too long. I went back in and removed 1/2” from the center back, under the waistline to eliminate some of the sloping. Seeing the photos made me question what was actually wrong – and I figured it out. The belt is tied a little too tight causing the zipper to puff out and the butt to look a little more sloped than it actually is. I have since tried it on with the belt tied looser – and no belt- and the fit is great.

I had just enough fabric left over to make a fabric belt to complete look. The pattern does not call for a belt, but I really love defining my waist, and think this striped version looks cuter with the belt.

I love this jumpsuit! I’ve been spending a lot of time defining my style, cleaning out my wardrobe and re-thinking my look, and this fits right in with how I want to dress! Floral prints are definitely still my style, but I love adding in stripes as well.

For anyone interested, the pattern I used for my masks was from Instructables – for a nurse, by a nurse. For family I have been making the pattern from Mimi G.

sewing

Purple Floral Magnolia Dress – With Craft and Thrift Shop

March 15, 2020 trishstitched2 Comments

Happy Sunday! I hope you are safe and healthy wherever in the world you may be! Sewing helps to distract me, and calms me in times of uncertainty, so I hope my work can calm/distract you if only for a moment.

Part of my sustainable fashion journey is buying secondhand/sustainable fabrics, which can be difficult to come by. I’ve often talked about one of my local sources, Fab Scrap, but little online shops are popping up! They often have collections of deadstock, and thrifted fabrics, meaning there is a limited amount – and limited time – for purchasing. For me, this is the perfect way to shop for fabric because I love letting the fabric speak to me. That’s exactly how this dress came to be!

Deer and Doe Magnolia Purple Floral Dress - Trish Stitched (with Craft and Thrift Shop)

Amy from Craft & Thrift Shop on Etsy reached out to me a few months ago about making a piece with fabric from her shop. Amy’s shop is filled with some of the most gorgeous secondhand fabrics, and this stunning print jumped out at me!

Deer and Doe Magnolia Purple Floral Dress - Trish Stitched (with Craft and Thrift Shop)

I thought this material would make a great dress, and Deer & Doe Magnolia was the first dress to come to mind. I had seen such glamorous versions of this dress and have always wanted to make it. Having this fabric seemed like the perfect opportunity! My vision was View A with the full sleeve in midi length, since I knew I would be able to get more wear out of the shorter skirt. But, I realized I had plenty of fabric to go with the full length, so I wanted to test it out before making any final decisions.

Deer and Doe Magnolia Purple Floral Dress - Trish Stitched (with Craft and Thrift Shop)

I cut the full skirt length and full sleeves from my fabric – which thankfully juuuuuust fit! After stitching the bodice and skirt together (without sleeves) I took a progress photo and asked instagram what to do. It was a resounding yes to keeping the full length skirt. Quite a few comments also said to keep it sleeveless, which I was still on the fence about. But the comments that made the most sense to me were to keep the long skirt for now, and shorten it later if I want to!

Deer and Doe Magnolia Purple Floral Dress - Trish Stitched (with Craft and Thrift Shop)

I still had dreams of the dress with full sleeves, so I had to try it out. I made one long sleeve and kept the other side sleeveless. I tried it on in front of the mirror and for Drew to help me decide. The full sleeve was definitely too overwhelming for me, so I cut the flutter sleeve from the full sleeve. And I think it is the perfect touch! I have a lot of sleeveless dresses, but I don’t have one with flutter sleeves!

Deer and Doe Magnolia Purple Floral Dress - Trish Stitched (with Craft and Thrift Shop)

Pattern details: I made Magnolia in a size 36, I cut out view A with the plunging neckline but wound up stitching the neckline a little higher because the plunge was too open. The dress came together very smoothly, and quickly! Instructions were great, as was sizing.

Fabric Details: I chose this amazing purple floral print from Amy’s shop to make my dress. It was designed by John Kaldor, and is a woven polyester. Amy ships from Scotland so it was really cool to receive a package from overseas (and quickly!)

Deer and Doe Magnolia Purple Floral Dress - Trish Stitched (with Craft and Thrift Shop)

Shopping for fabric online can be tough. You can’t feel, you can’t see the true colors, all you can go on is the photos and description listed. What makes me thrilled to recommend Craft & Thrift Shop is because you get to buy from another seamstress, who knows what you want to know about the material. What’s the fabric content? What’s the best thing to make with the fabric? Bags or garments, a dress or pants? How about washing instructions? Amy has it all covered. Her shop is organized by fabric type, and she even sells notions, buttons and yarns! Here are some of my current favorites in her shop:

Vintage Orange Floral

Craft and Thrift Shop

Vintage Orange & Green Floral

Craft and Thrift Shop

Multicolor Polyester

Craft and Thrift Shop

Geometric Teal & Gold Upholstery

Craft and Thrift Shop

Oh, in case you were wondering why they are called flutter sleeves, the wind showed me why today!

Deer and Doe Magnolia Purple Floral Dress - Trish Stitched (with Craft and Thrift Shop)

{Fabric was gifted to me from Craft and Thrift Shop, but all opinions are my own}

sewing

My Wedding Dress!

February 7, 2020February 7, 2020 trishstitched12 Comments

I can’t believe it has already been 4 months since Drew and I got married! Our wedding day was perfect – as was our wedding reception two weeks later. A little background, Drew and I wanted a more intimate ceremony and we said our vows on the rim of the Grand Canyon! Before Drew and I met, I had wanted to visit the Grand Canyon and when we were planning our first big vacation together, I suggested this as one of our destinations. When we first saw the Grand Canyon, I fell in love. Pictures just don’t do it justice and it is such an incredible location. We spent a day exploring, hiking and taking in all the beauty that surrounded us and it quickly became my favorite place.

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

I have always wanted a small wedding. I would have happily been married at the courthouse, but after visiting Arizona, I knew that’s where I wanted to get married. I brought the idea up to Drew before we were engaged and he was more than happy to accommodate my request (good guy right there!). But Drew wanted to have a larger celebration so we also planned a reception back in New Jersey with extended family and friends.

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

Since I taught myself to sew, my dream has been to make my wedding dress- and I was going to make it happen! I wanted something easy enough to walk in at the Canyon, but needed something elegant enough for our reception venue. I started researching gowns and fell hard in love with this silhouette. This was exactly what I wanted and spent weeks searching for patterns to help make this dress a reality. Then I took a pretty long break from wedding dress planning. I thought I had it all figured out. Silhouette was down- patterns found, no fabric but that wouldn’t be too hard. I didn’t need to think about the dress for a few months!

Then June came around and I wanted to start fabric hunting. I knew I didn’t want to upcycle a wedding dress, and my dream was to find reclaimed fabric. Fab Scrap totally came through and I scored three yards of this gorgeous floral mesh. I really wanted beaded fabric, but it is pricey and heavy. This material gave a similar feel of the adornment of beaded fabric, but without the weight and price tag. But I only had three yards to work with. Not one piece extra – and no way to get more. I also picked up a few yards of silk as the underlining for the mesh at Fab Scrap.

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

Now with the extra motivational kick of having my fabric, I started on my first toile. First round went well, the top needed a few major modifications but pinning it in place on my body looked cute! Then I made another toile and it was miserable. I did the changes I had to make and they did not look good. Panic mode set in. I realized that the bodice silhouette was not meant for me. And I started scrolling through Pinterest non-stop to find something else I loved. A lot of the dresses I started pinning had this gorgeous slim and more modest bodice silhouette, and I loved the vintage vibe it was giving off. (inspiration here and here)

So back to pattern shopping I went! Thankfully it was easy to find a pattern for this, and I got back to work. I loved the skirt in the inspiration photo and built a similar pattern. After a toile of the bodice, I knew I was back on the right track and felt confident in the top. The skirt needed some tweaking. I made roughly three toiles of my dream skirt and perfected the fit. And then I realized that the florals on my fabric were not symmetrical- so I couldn’t properly fit my dream skirt onto the fabric. (I tried for hours to make it work- just it just didn’t). There was NO WAY I was going to get new fabric. SO it was back to the drawing board for my skirt.

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

The only way I would fit my entire dress in the material would be to make a trumpet style skirt with a seam line above the knees. I had no idea if this style would work on me, but gave it a shot with two more toiles. I needed a little less flare than the pattern was giving me to fit the pattern on my fabric, so I had to tweak the bottom circle skirt multiple times. In total, I made about 10 skirts before feeling comfortable cutting into my real fabric.

To make the final dress, I wanted to make a test dress using fabrics close to what I would be working with. I bought a floral mesh from JoAnns that didn’t break the bank and created my final toile. When I was finished, I went to look in my mirror and started tearing up. It was perfect. The fit, the style, it was everything and more than I could hope for.

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

Then it was time for the difficult part: cutting out the real fabric. It took two days to cut out my fabric. I would cut one piece, freak out a little, do some more measuring, take a break, and cut another piece. If at any point I got too nervous, I stepped away. There was no room to make a mistake. Here’s the fabric with my pattern pieces on top. The spaces without pattern pieces was where I could fit back pieces.

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

The last piece I had to cut was the back bodice, and I knew I needed to piece material together, but I needed to figure out where. I was able to make the seam line right where the sweetheart bodice ended in the back, so the seam line wouldn’t be as noticeable.

And here’s what I had leftover!

The dress was coming together beautifully. I had bought some material at Joann’s to make a test lining, and it fit so well I decided to keep that as my final lining (To go under the mesh and silk underlining). Everything was coming together, although time was getting short. I took my time with every aspect of the dress. The zipper gave me some trouble, as it was bubbling a bit. I took out the stitches and hand stitched the zipper in, and it helped with the back bubble. (Here it is before the fix)

The hardest part of sewing my dress was the hem. I had done a lot of research on horse hair braid and knew I wanted to use that to give my dress more flare. The issue with the horse hair braid was that it requires a very small hem, which scared me to death. I had to cut the bottom of the dress almost exactly where I needed it to fall. I had my mom pin the hem for me, but it didn’t come out even, so I had to pin it myself. Thankfully I had a dress form, so I put the height of the form to the height of my body. It took so many hours to get the hem right. It was literally perfect. I did let the dress “rest” before hemming, but it still grew just a little bit by the time I was wearing it for our reception. I finished my dress the night before we left for Arizona, although I had to do a little bit of hand stitching while we were there.

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

I am so in love with my dress, and am so SO happy I decided to make it. I am a true procrastinator, but every single step I took was the step I needed to take to end up with this beautiful result. I am so proud of this dress.

Pattern info: The bodice is McCall’s 6838, and the skirt is a modified McCall’s 7569. The skirt was a mix of pattern pieces from both of these patterns, I took the pencil skirt from 7569, and mixed both bottoms/tails to get the final skirt. I tried to remove as many seam lines from the skirt to keep it sleek.

(The following four photos are from our New Jersey reception with photographer Jenna Wilde Photography)

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

Extra Info: I wanted a little more bling and added a belt from David’s Bridal. The belt actually cost more than my fabric! I also wore a pin on my lining that was my Grandma’s. My “something blue” was floral hanger straps I sewed into the dress. My shoes were from DSW, rose gold to match my ring. Yes, I wore heels at the Grand Canyon, I didn’t want to be so short next to my 6’ tall husband!

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

And one of my favorite parts, feeding each other cheesecake at the Grand Canyon!

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

Everything was perfect, I’m so happy to finally be married to my best friend!

My Wedding Dress - Trish Stitched

Grand Canyon Photos from Jane in the Woods Photography.

handmade wardrobe · Make Nine · sewing

Summer Floral Rumi Tank Dress

August 1, 2019 trishstitchedLeave a comment

It has been some time since I’ve shared a finished project! And it certainly has been awhile since I finished something. I’ve actually been doing a lot of sewing, but a lot of projects haven’t worked out. Since I’ve had a few fails, I needed something easy, quick and “fail proof”.

If there’s one thing I’ve been wanting in my wardrobe for years it’s been simple “throw on and go” dresses in summer. I thought I found it a few years ago in the Ebony Dress from Closet Case Patterns – and while I love this pattern, it isn’t as perfect as a dress for me (the top fits well but the dress is a little too flowy). I’ve had my eye on the Rumi Tank Dress from Christine Haynes for a year! I actually found it while searching for a replacement for my favorite summer dress that got a huge stain on. This pattern features a fitted tent silhouette, with a racer back and a separate hem band.

I took a trip to the new Fab Scrap store in Manhattan last month with the intention of finding fabric to make the Rumi Tank Dress and scored this awesome bright pink floral print! Typically pink is not my color – but it’s been growing on me over the years. I snagged two yards of it and went to work on my Rumi.

Summer Floral Rumi Tank Dress - Trish Stitched

Rumi sizing made me a little nervous. I’m used to sewing a bigger size in commercial sewing patterns (I can range between a 6-8) but in indie patterns I usually cut a 0 or 2. I cut a size 6 in Rumi. Mostly because my fabric didn’t have as much stretch, but any smaller and the top would have been fairly tight. The only adjustment I made was in the dress length. To make it a little more petite friendly, I cut 2″ off the dress, but left the hem band the same length. This made it perfectly above the knee!

Summer Floral Rumi Tank Dress - Trish Stitched

Construction of this dress is quick – the longest step was attaching the neck and arm bindings! At first I thought the neckline would come too low, but it’s actually flattering where it falls. If you do want a higher neckline, that isn’t a hard adjustment to make.

Summer Floral Rumi Tank Dress - Trish Stitched

This fabric is beautiful. I don’t have an exact content, but it’s similar to a stretch cotton, with a little more weight. I had enough fabric for the hem but it would have more seam lines. I had some fabric from my Fab Scrap Yard Pack I bought awhile back, and it perfectly matched the dress!

I really love this pattern, and am excited to make more versions. I love that I can throw on a sports bra, sandals and this dress and look put together. I’m also looking forward to making some tank versions. Now that I know it’s a good fit, it’ll be easy to make a few for casual wear and a few for running! And I’m pretty happy to cross another make off my Make Nine List!

Summer Floral Rumi Tank Dress - Trish Stitched