Another Girls' Butterick Dress

Are you guys tired of this pattern yet? It's Butterick 3350 and now that I've sewn all three necklines, I believe that I am finally tired of it.  Also, this is the largest size in the envelope, so once Daughter grows out of this, we'll need to find a new pattern anyway.

This is made in a pretty  quilting cotton that I bought at JoAnn's earlier this year.  Very nice and soft and easy to sew.  I love this fabric print, a little old fashioned and antique-y but still perfect for a little girl. The back tie is a double sided ribbon, also from JoAnn's but I'm not happy with it.  I thought for the added expense, a double sided ribbon would be a little more substantial than the single sided or the grosgrain.  It's not.  They made it thin and cheap and I really don't like it.  I'm looking for a source for decent ribbons.  Any suggestions?

I put an invisible zipper in the back of this version, too.  So much easier and nicer looking than regular zippers.  And as I get older and (I hope) wiser, I'm more inclined to enjoy the hand sewing aspects of making clothing.  I say this because I sewed the center back seam allowances of the lining to the zipper and the entire lining waist seam entirely by hand -- and I enjoyed it.  That would not have been true just six months ago.

Anyway, like I said, I've sewn all three necklines:
The plain rounded neckline

The sweetheart neckline

 And, of course, this latest one, which I'm no sure what to call. Which do you like best?

Rayon Maxi Dress-- Gotta Love it!

I thought I'd post this since I'm wearing it today and I really love the way it looks and feels.  Sadly, since it's in dark brown you really can't see too many details.

It's a simple pattern for knits that I drafted myself.  Princess seams for shaping the bodice and adding fullness to the hem, and a plain neckline.  It's a couple of inches shorter than ankle length and it looks good with boots or nice heeled shoes.  It ought to be a very boring dress, but I think the fabric is what makes it happen.

The fabric is a medium weight rayon/cotton jersey, and it's another piece I bought for my men that turned out to be too feminine for them.  This time it's heavy enough, but it is so drapey, the guys really didn't like it.  That's okay.  I score alot of fabric that I buy for them that they end up not liking.  It also pills, so I have to wash this inside out on the handwash setting.

The belt is gold colored medallions and I have no idea where I got it.  I like chain belts since they're one of the few types of belts that I can get that will actually fit.  Most are too big and I've seen some real beauties that I'd love to have if I could just make them a couple of inches smaller.  I'll probably end up making my own anyway. *sigh*

With any luck, I'll get my hour in today.  I can sew Daughter's nightgown in an hour or cut out her dress pieces or make some serious progress on Jordan's shirt.

I just realized I've got three projects actively going at once.  Do you guys do that too, or do you just work on one until it's finished and then move on to the next one?

A Note About Knits

I think I prefer to wear knits over wovens.  Most of time anyway.  I have  a giant stash of cotton and rayon knit fabrics, some with lycra and some without.  This dress is made from a medium weight cotton/lycra jersey.  When I bought it, it came in blue and black and I've made identical dresses with both fabrics.  I originally used Kwik Sew 2517, which is a dress pattern, and adapted it into a racerback tank top.  Then I added princess seams and used those to create the sweeping skirt style of this maxi dress.  I like ankle length dresses and I like them with only slightly flaring skirts.  It makes me look taller and at 5'2" I need all the help I can get  :)

Lots of people make garments with knits on a regular sewing machine using a tiny zigzag stitch.  I've seen some really beautiful projects.  I must confess, though, I almost never sew knits with a regular sewing machine.  I use my  single needle for details on knits, but for construction I'm strictly a serger-girl.  Maybe I'm spoiled.  My first job as a teenager was sewing sleeves into knit turtlenecks with an industrial serger.  I've never gotten over the thrill of sitting down at a machine and zipping through a seam.  I got my first serger in the early '90s and I haven't been without one since. That's not to say that I don't love sewing on my regular sewing machine.  Just not knits.