House of Leaves

I'M ALIVE!

Phew, who knew moving took loads of time? I barely found a moment to sew, let alone make horrible photoshopped images to use in a blog post. We are calmly settling down in our first appartment together, and I finally have my own little sewing corner set up! (I can take some pictures if anyone is interested?) My sewing machine used to be on my one work table, meaning it had to share the space with the computer, all my drawing stuff and just general stuff. My notions and fabrics were sort of spread around the place as well. I now have my brother's old desk, with plenty of space to store things. So convenient!

So what was the first thing I made on this new workstation? Surprisingly enough, it was a project for someone else (gasp!). My friend's daugher just turned four and I made her a party dress, using this pattern. It was a quick make and her mum loves it, I hope to show you a picture when she convinces the recipient to put it on!

The second thing I made was a first in many ways. It's this crazy velvet knit maxi-wit-a-train:

See that smirk? That's me being smug about FINALLY getting over my fear of knits. I mentioned this fabric in my previous post, it was a bit of an impulse buy at a fabric market. It's a very stable knit, and I thought it would make an awesome Mission Maxi dress!

I'm not sure why I was so drawn to this fabric since it's not really 'me' at first sight (Black? Flocked velvet? Knit?). Maybe I'm just trying to fulfill my not-so-secret dream of being a Hogwarts graduate. Point is, I had this Jamie Christina pattern lying around for a while and thought this might be a good way to start sewing knits.

I made view C, which has a massive godet at the back, giving the dress a very dramatic sweep. The fabric is nice and heavy, but still has a great drape. I cut a straight size 14, based on my waist and hip measurements (I don't mind thing being a little tight in the bust, but I don't like things clinging around my stomach!) and it fits pretty damn well! Even the length was perfect for me, I have no problem sweeping around in an ultra dramatic fashion.

Yes. A train. Good.

I can even ride my bike in this! It's not the most elegant thing in the world (I have to hike the train up and drape it over the seat so it doesn't get caught in the wheels) but I thought this was worth mentioning.

Serious bling, you guys.

The whole sewing process was very straightforward, even for a knit virgin. My walking foot and me became great friends, I think it helped tremendously (especially on those long side seams). The fabric was very helpful as well, not being slippery and heavy enough so my machine doesn't want to eat it.

The neckline and armholes are finished with binding, which didn't cause any problems at all. I love it when that happens.

I'm just adding this because this is what happens when my boyfriend tells me to 'look goth' and it cracks me up. Excuse the bra btw, I suck at laundry.

Here's a closer picture of the fabric! I love how this makes it slightly more interesting than just a black knit dress. It looks pretty dramatic on its own, but I dressed it down with some boots and a jean jacket and thought it worked pretty well for the day's activities (lunch at my parents' and the laundromat).

I don't think I can say much more about this dress. I'll definitely wear this more often (not on rainy days though) and would definitely recommend the Mission Maxi to others; the pattern runs true to size and is well-drafted. I have green knit around that would be perfect for a summer version!

Ah, it's good to be back. I have some other things planned, including a costume, and some warmer clothes for my upcoming trip to Iceland (!!). So for now, I'll be leaving you with this picture of me and Jesus:

 

(For those who wondered: the title of this post comes from a book I read a few weeks ago, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. It was seriously scary and quite strange, and I tremendously enjoyed it! This fabric sort of reminded me of it.)