In the stars

Confession: I made a (admittedly noncommittal) new year's resolution to wear less black and, as you can see, it appears I've failed only three months into the year. Old habits die hard, don't they? But, but! It's glitter! Glitter should count as a separate color altogether. Yes, this is how I'll cheat the arbitrary rule I've set for myself.

Anyway, the stuff I made. This midi dress is a modified version of the Felicia sweater from Mood; it makes a great fitted, but not skintight base for a knit bodice. I lengthened the whole thing about 20 inches, flared out the hem and made an A-line starting at the hipline, and sewed darts in the back. I sewed these 25-inch waist ties in the side seams. I like how wide they are, but the material is thick which makes them heavier than I'd prefer. Otherwise, I'm fully satisfied. It is so, so comfortable.

I like this dress-with-side-ties trend that doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. You got your Named Clothing Kielo (2014), you got your Vogue V1395 (also 2014), to name some that have persisted over the years. The one I imitated most closely was New Look N6650 (2020) because it has the greatest resemblance to a regular t-shirt. I copied it right down to the side seam slit and back waist darts, although I think my dress is a lot less fitted than N6650 when left untied. Not that I would ever wear it like that, it looks pretty silly:

Summary of notes and modifications:

• Cut size 0
• Scooped out the neckline
• Finished neckline with a band
• Back waist darts
• Lengthened + flared out the hem
• Shortened sleeves by a lot
  

In the same fabric, this t-shirt is the Core tee from Closet Core Patterns. The pattern is free! I've been looking for a t-shirt pattern that's unfitted but not so straight and shapeless, and this works for my needs. I cut a size 6, full-length with short sleeves and a breast pocket, no adjustments.

  

I should have sized one or two down. I picked the size I did because I found the finished measurements comparable to those of one of my RTW t-shirts. The fit in the armhole isn't as generous as it is in those tees, signaling that the Core tee's armhole should sit further up on my shoulders than what I'm used to. I needed less ease in the bust to pull that armhole in. (Also, the RTW shirt is unisex, which I'm sure calls for a looser cut in all areas). It's not uncomfortable or hindering my mobility, but I do see that it pulls when I raise my arms. Not that noticeable, but not ideal. Keep this in mind when choosing a size.

   

I really enjoy the back neck binding as it's given me an alternative and better way to stabilize my shoulder seams. Normally I'd serge some selvedge or vertically-cut strips in the shoulders, but this feels sturdier because of the straight stitch. It never occurred to me that you could do it this way. I assumed that professionals achieve this finish with a coverstitch, something I don't own. Props to Closet Core for doing the work for me by providing a designated pattern piece and including how to insert it in the instructions.

Summary of notes and modifications:

• Cut a size 6, should have sized down
• No modifications
  

The fabric is a cotton interlock jersey from Joann. I like that the interlock structure makes it thicker, stable, and easier to work with than regular knit jersey. Because I bought it online, I had to buy a minimum two yards, and then any additional yardage in whole yard increments. I got three, and then I had to find some way to use all of it. Thus, I now have two more black garments in my wardrobe despite my resolution to not dress so gloomily. If I can make excuses for myself, to myself, I'd been on the hunt for this kind of textile years before setting that inconsequential, arbitrary rule last December. I had and still have a beloved black t-shirt from GAP with a specific glitter size and distribution. I call it my space shirt; the whole thing invokes the image of a starry night sky without the loudness of a full-on photorealistic galaxy print. (You know the kind: the cosmos was so hot on Tumblr back in 2012). I wanted to replace it with a handmade version because I've grown to dislike the slim cut of a "girly tee."

This kind of material is impossible to search for; if you search "glitter fabric" you get things like, stiff plain wovens that are completely covered on one side with glitter, as if it were sandpaper. Or spandex with lurex or something knitted in it, which is very pretty but not what I'm looking for. And "glitter jersey" yields bedazzled sports uniforms, which is in an entire other realm of product. When I came across the fabric, it had the exact look that I was coveting. It had just the right density of glitter, where it's evenly spread out but not sparse by any means. Ideally I would have liked a regular, thinner jersey but I knew I had to settle. I would never find it or anything this close again if I didn't purchase it at that moment.

I think I'm getting better sewing knits but I'm also running out of reasons to get better. T-shirts and tanks are really all I need or want out of jersey and I never reach for anything more complicated. At this point I don't need to write whole posts about garments if they don't have any noteworthy construction elements... but if they're projects like these, where I let the fabric do all the talking, I might still like to log the photos. Glitter's too fun and special to not show off.