Snoop Shoppin: Modcloth

Did you know Modcloth had extended their selection of larger sizes recently?  Every time I visit their website, the number of pieces they carry increases!  (You can also now search by size, which is pretty handy).  For a website that used to feature mostly smallish clothes for smallish people (the largest bust size for most items is still 38"), that's awesome.

Some current favorites...

Red-y for my Closeup Dress

Ear Grey-tful Dress

Sweet on Stripes Dress

City Sailing Dress

Social Club Socialite Dress

Deco Diva Dress

Streetcar Commute Dress

Irresistible Enchantress Dress

Pine All Mine Dress

Awards Show Stunner Dress

Happy to Homemake Dress

Aren't they gorgeous??  These dresses are all offered up to at least a 48" bust. Even better...I think I've shown one or two of these previously when they were only available in a 38" bust and below. 

The last dress, the Happy to Homemake Dress, looks very similar to the Favorite Things Prairie Girl pattern.

Which I've made here and here.  And possibly once more, but I can't find the link.  I love, love, love this pattern.  And I could totally knock off that Modcloth "homemaker" dress in a pretty rayon.  (What an odd name, although I think it's supposed to be an homage to a '40s housewife?  Maybe?)

As a sidenote, I would invest in more Favorite Things patterns, but I found a discrepancy in the Hip Skirts pattern and I emailed them about it (just FYI if you have that one, the length of a couple of the skirts in the Hip Skirts pattern is really short, despite what the pattern cover photo shows).  I got a super snippy reply in response and unfortunately  that has colored my view.  Whenever I reach for another of their patterns at my local quilt shop, I remember that email. 

Four years later.

There's a lesson there. Somewhere.

In any case, I still love the Prairie Girl pattern and may have to dig it out and see if I have any suitable fabrics.  (haha.  That's funny.)

ps.  We will NOT speak of Once Upon A Time's Sunday episode yet. 

$!@#$

Favorite Things Prairie Girl

A fall/winter variation on a summery, cotton dress/top pattern. Sorry, it's a headless picture day. My hair is a MESS. Sadly, I'm wearing my new riding boots too, but you'll have to wait til later to see them I guess!


While I was snoop shopping the other day, I ran across this Nanette Lepore:

and noted that the bodice shaping was very similar to this Favorite Things Prairie Girl pattern:


Remember, I made this one before this year, in a cotton print:


I'm always excited to get to make a pattern again, especially in a very different fabric choice or look! That gives me more bang for my buck! Why don't I do more of this??

For my plaid version, I made the dress length and kept the sleeve frills. I didn't have enough fabric to try to duplicate the very cool drape on the Lepore dress, so I thought another little 'extra' oomph would be nice. I actually like the little frills, even if I feel just a tad Daughter Judy.


I got the fabric at Hobby Lobby last fall, and it's a poly blend. It didn't press easily, but it wasn't impossible to get a crease eithier. I like it because that "red" stripe is actually hot pink! And the coloring of the plaid is such that I can go black OR brown with boots/tights/etc.

The bodice shaping is just a dead ringer for the Lepore dress though:


Construction was easy since I've made it before. The only snag I ran into was that the sizing was off. The first time I tried it on (only needing hems. OF COURSE.), it was about 2 sizes too big! I didn't realize I'd lost that much weight since summer, but apparently I've lost a little. I had to basically take the dress apart at the shoulder seams & side seams, and also take up the bodice seam in front too. I shortened at the hem about 2.5" too, since I prefer knee length and this is below-knee as drafted.

Now, back in the summer I did have some sizing issues, especially with the bustline being too low (no FBA for this, not even lowering the empire seam!) but I had adjusted the pattern at that time, and thought the next one would be perfect. I'm just writing down all my changes on the instruction sheet before I forget, so maybe the NEXT one will be perfect!

Here's one more peek!


My grass is still really green in the back yard, but all my pretty leaves are gone. Sniff. Next thing we know it will be snowing! Eek!

Favorite Things Prairie Girl

My yellow bird Prairie Girl top is finished! Ifinished serging & hemming just in time to race outside for pics before the sun went down. Barely.


I guess I like it well enough to wear it, but to be honest, I'm not totally in love with it. Truthfully, it kinda reminds me of a scrub top. (albeit it a fancy one.) It fit pretty well with minimal work out of the envelope, with no FBA on this version! And the bustline fits extremely well. No gaping in the neckline whatsoever! This is a really crappy picture, but I think you can tell how smooth the neckline lays against my chest:



I started with a size 18 and added some extra length at the bustline seam and some extra at side seams for "insurance". I ended up removing all of the length plus some, and all of the "extra" at the side seam too. The under bust seam was WAY too low...it was at my waist at the side seam! I had to remove alot from that seam, and I did so just by basting a deeper seam allowance, then checking the fit before stitching.

This little top has optional ties, and it pulls over the head. I definitely added the ties because I didn't want to emphasize the boxy, scrub top appearance. I can't decide if I like the ties or not though. They seem to pull at that seam and make me feel maternity-toppish. Ugh.

I like the idea of a pullover, cotton top in theory. Dangit. I do think I'll make it again in a softer fabric, maybe a voile or maybe a lawn like a Liberty. Still debating the length too. I'm kind of into longer tops these days, but this one might need a deeper hem. It's hitting me at the widest part of my bum. Yay.

Here's a saucy arms pose:


The sleeves fit great! Overall I'd say I'm pretty happy with the pattern. I think if I were happier with my figure then I'd be ecstatic with it! I'm not so happy with the bod these days. I'm surrounded by people who look wonderful but are dieting and it confuses me & makes me think there's something wrong with ME because I'm not on the diet bandwagon.

And yes, I know this makes me a little looney. I can deal.

As for my top, I think it will have to sit in the closet for a few days and marinate.

You know, these aren't the greatest pictures. I've screwed up the settings on my camera and I'm getting mighty aggravated! I can't get the resolution correct. Grrr. Well, there's that and try taking a self-timed photo with this going on:


Camera hog. :P

Hip Skirts - Fin.

Favorite Things Hip Skirts

I have bitten the bullet this morning and finished the Pleated Skirt from the Favorite Things Hip Skirts pattern. I'm still not completely happy with the length, but it is wearable now at least.

The discrepancy between the pattern photo and the finished skirt length was really not in my imagination either. Here's the pattern photo:


and here's my finished skirt:


I ended up not adding a contrast band as suggested by several of you, which I would normally do to add length. But I already had this contrast yoke and I felt that another print would be "too contrasty". Instead, I changed the yoke dimensions.

The pattern calls for the yoke (6" wide approx) to be seamed at the side seams and then folded in half lengthwise creating approx 3" depth for the yoke. I skipped this part and left the yoke 1 layer of fabric, making a casing at the top and seaming the bottom edge to the skirt. This added 3+ inches to the finished length. And it was STILL a bit too short!!

Obviously I'm not 20 anymore so I'm not wearing it way DOWN THERE on my hips, but even if I were I don't think the skirt would be as long as it appears in the photo. And I barely turned up 3/8 inch to hem this. Teeny hem.

I'm also not fond of my yoke fabric choice. I didn't think it would show with a top since it was only (supposed to be) about a 3" depth, so I wasn't worried about the print. However, by increasing the yoke depth to 6", I created a solid light-colored band of fabric right across the widest part of me. Not terribly flattering.

I'm just glad its finished so I can move on! I might wear it out and see if I like it. It's probably not going to be my favorite thing though. No pun intended.