squares

 

dress - burda magazine 08/2012/#115

 been knitting a lot this past year..

have actually finished 3 sweaters

and 4th one is half finished

(gonna blog about them one day, i guess)..

and i really enjoy every moment spent knitting

and how meditative and nerve soothing it is

..

so.. why am i talking about knitting 

and how is it connected to these pics and this dress,

that obviously is not knitted?

the thing is that i don't think this dress would have ever happen

if i haven't been knitting so much

as i would not have the patience to make it

because it required hours of hand sewing

..

i'm not a patient person by nature

and get bored easily

so i like things to be done, and to be done fast

which is how i usually roll..

but lately i've noticed that my approach to sewing changed a bit

and suddenly i wanna do things the slow way

and try out new techniques

and try to master new skills

and do them the right way, without taking shortcuts,

and i blame it all on knitting

..

it's not like i've joined the slow fashion team yet though

as you can see, i still find hand hemming big pain in the ass..

but slowing down a bit is still a plus, right?

  

after these pics were shot

i used clear nail polish to finish raw edges of squares

(there is no 'fray check' in stores here

so i tried experimenting with nail polish, and it worked)

so squares look a little bit more stiff now

and i actually prefer the new look

but i don't have a pic to share with you

..

loved hand sewing all the little squares

so i have few more dresses (and a blazer) planned

that are going to have similar embellishments

..

anyways..

wish you all a happy new year

may it be way better than this one was

..

mokosha

oitnb

dress pattern - burda magazine 10/2014/#105

new favorite dress

simple as can be..

not much to say other than that

..

plus i'm in a hurry

gonna spend next 4 days up in the mountains, with friends..

so i wish you all happy holidays and 

marry christmas if you celebrate

..

mokosha

gray drape dress

dress - gathered back dress (burda #109, december 2015)

i've made couple dresses from this pattern before 

and i wear my mocha version a lot

but there is something slightly off about those pleats..

maybe it's a drafting mistake

but they look kinda bulky in almost all the versions i've seen,

regardless of fabric choice, 

and pull in strange places..

and if you try wearing cardigan over the dress

gathers make it look like you have a back hump

..

but i love the overall fit

and actually like that extra fabric at the back,

just not the bulkiness of the pleats,

so, i came up with an idea to change the back

into a cowl drapey thingy

..

to achieve that, i simply cut fabric in straight line

from one high shoulder point to the other

while i was cutting back of the dress,

it must be easiest pattern 'hack' ever,

and then i finished that new neckline with bias tape

..

my modification also simplified construction of the dress

as pleated version requires hand stitching

(to secure neck facings to the dress)

..

bonus photo is shoulder seam, from the inside

i like how  bias tape and front neck facing look

..

next time i might try cutting convex back neckline instead of straight

i guess it would make for a better looking cowl 

..

mokosha