True Bias Hudson Pants with Hey June Lane Raglan

There you go thinking that I finish a complete outfit every. single. day. NOPE. I finished each of these items over a year ago, and I wear them so much, they haven't been photographed. But here they are! I wanted to share them because they are both such great staples, and oftentimes, I think sewing bloggers don't post about the "boring" stuff because they don't think anyone really cares. But I know I live in stuff like this, and maybe you do, too. 

So here you go.

You are looking at the Hey June Handmade Lane Raglan and the True Bias Hudson Pants. The top is in a triplex (rayon/poly/spandex) jersey fabric that I previously stocked at Sew Kinetic (now closed), and the pants are a beefy French terry from Mood Fabrics in Manhattan. 

For the top, I added a hood and bands around the sleeves and hem. Since I made this, Adrianna has updated the pattern to include these items as well as a thumbhole option and a full-bust adjustment. I *think* this is a size medium, but I am not sure as I made this quite a while ago. 

For the pants, I totally forgot to sew lines around the waistband to give that three-casing look. I might get in there and do that at some point. Maybe not. Who knows. I had also planned to do grommet openings for the drawstring, but I ended up totally botching them and had to kind of hand-sew buttonholes (and use a lot of Fray-Check) instead. They are a size 6.

This is a great outfit that (I think) looks semi-pulled-together, but it's still comfortable enough to wear around the house while doing chores and playing with the kids. Both are great wardrobe staples that I highly recommend!

McCall's 6559 in Indigo Shibori Knit

I recently purchased 2.5 yards of this beautiful knit fabric from Fabric Depot here in Portland, and I wasn't quite sure what I would do with it. It actually had a few tiny holes in it which I possibly caused from washing it in the machine versus hand-washing, so I had to be creative with my cutting to get anything more than a tee from it. I searched through my stash of patterns for a maxi dress, and this one - McCall's 6559 - fit the bill. It's not too voluminous, so the yardage was just right. And when I laid out all the pieces, I was about to work around the few holes. (Let's just hope that more don't develop after my careless fabric treatment!)

This pattern is a great, basic, sleeveless maxi dress pattern with a slight racerback. I am wearing a normal bra here, so it's a great middle ground if you hate wearing racerback bras as much as I do. (They just feel weird!) My armholes are actually a tiny bit larger than the pattern because I had a serger mishap. So, do as I always say (and not as I do) and baste on your armbands/neckband before THE BLADE! 

I cut a size 10 which was one size smaller than my measurements, but I still ended up shaving a little off under the arms after sewing the side seams. I probably could have gone down to an 8, but I like the fullness that I still have at the bottom. I also always worry that the armholes openings will get too shallow if I go down too many sizes. I have issues with pulling under my arms when that happens. 

The other modification I made was to do neck and armbands instead of turning under and coverstitching. I just think this is a nicer finish. I simply made some long bands, stretched them around the openings to fit, cut/sewed them and applied them with my serger. And again, I recommend basting them on first if you do this. Don't destroy your gorgeous dress! :P

I love this pattern and will probably make more of these for the warm summer months. It came together super quickly and doesn't take a super ton of fabric like some maxi dresses. What do you think? Are you a maxi fan?

Vogue 1496 Cocoon Dress in Black Nicole Miller Tencel

Today I am sharing with you one of my favorite recent makes - a cocoon dress from Vogue 1496. I have been seeing the cocoon shape popping up all over lately, so naturally, I became curious. I now want to make all the cocoon things. 

This patterns appears from the envelope to have two views, but it does actually include three lengths - a top (no view letter given), above-knee length (A) and below-knee length (B). I made View A (above-knee length) without the optional inset.

The construction is very simple, but it's interesting enough to make it fun even for an experienced sewist. I love the way the pockets are sewn, and the armholes are also pretty neat. I would have completed this dress in one night had I not tried to figure out some way to raise the neckline. The sizing, drafting and instructions were all very good. There is no closure. 

I made a size B which corresponds to my measurements almost exactly. I am 5'6" tall. I made no modifications to the pattern other than to use a slightly deeper hem which probably shortened the overall length by about an inch. 

As you can see, this dress is VERY low-cut. It's almost indecently low-cut on me. Perhaps if someone has a larger chest, it wouldn't be so bad? Either way, I suggest making a muslin if you do not want the v-neck to dip below your bra band. I tried applying the optional inset after-the-fact, and I even considered sewing kind of an asymmetrical dart in the front to close it up a bit, but ultimately, I decided it looked better to leave it as-is and just push the entire dress back on my shoulders a bit. This gives the dress the tiniest high-low hem effect as well. 

I can't decide if I like the rear-view. The arm openings just seem a little odd to me. My husband calls this my "Star Trek Bag" dress and kind of hates it. But overall, I love it. I think it's super modern and flattering in a Man-Repeller sort of way. 

The fabric is black Tencel from the Nicole Miller line at Joann. I love this stuff and have since bought more to make flowy tanks. It's on the expensive side for Joann, so definitely take a coupon when you go. 

When I showed some sewing friends this pattern, several of them commented that it looked super comfy and like something they would wear every day in the summer. Well, I wouldn't call it UNcomfortable, but without a neckline modification and perhaps some side slits, I wouldn't call it an everyday dress. You kind of have to stand up straight and keep your legs together to make this dress behave. The opening at the bottom hem is relatively small, but I like the really streamlined silhouette and opted to NOT create side slits. 

I feel like a million bucks in this dress, however, and I definitely need to find an expensive restaurant to wear it to...and a babysitter. 

What do you think? Are you into the cocoon shape?