First up is a pattern I am really in love with. Nettie!
Before we get down to the nitty gritty, I just want to say I didn't test this pattern, nor am I stroking the rather gorgeous backside of Nettie's creator, Heather Lou (although I wouldn't say no...) - I am genuinely positively pleased this pattern exists in my life.
I first made the bodysuit as a little test in early August to see whether I picked the right sizing. I used this awesome knit I picked up in New York in March. I can't remember the shop, but I think it was the day me, Lauren, Sonja, Devra and Trice hit the town in force. It's more of a knit than a jersey so has some lovely stretch to it to accommodate the expanding weeks ahead.
I chose the scoop front, high back version with long sleeves. For sizing, I cut the size 10 on top and graded out to the 12 on the bum-bum, as I can always do with a little room in that area, especially now (see next photo!). The fit was perfect and couldn't be more comfortable! I really love the design of the bum and hip area - it's not the vag-slicing cut of the 90s but more of a lean towards the 50s, not dissimilar to the Bombshell Swimsuit. As a result, it's very comfortable to wear under your chosen bottoms and you don't find yourself wriggling about or having to do a covert reshuffle of your bits and pieces.
Another reason why I like this pattern is that it's super fun to make up. With experience, I now really enjoy working with knits and stretchy stuff, especially adding neckbands. For this project I used only my sewing machine and a narrow zig zag stitch, switching between a single stretch needle and a twin stretch needle for top-stitching.
When working with stripes, it does take a bit more time as you need to concentrate during pinning the pattern to fabric to ensure you're matching the stripes correctly. I usually start by pinning a specific area on the side seam of the front, then matching the same spot on the back. I then pin almost each stripe to prevent movement. It takes some time but it's really worth it.
Say hi to the bump, but check out that stripe matching!This version of the Nettie will definitely last me for a while and will be nice and cosy with the colder months coming up.
Once I had the fit of the Nettie down, I could get started on what I really wanted to use the pattern for. Back in Spring, I had the dream of a white and navy stripe t-shirt dress for Summer. Luckily in March, I spotted Lauren buying the perfect fabric in Mood and I grabbed about 5 yards too. Didn't care about cost and weight, I wasn't leaving that treasure behind!
I also made this up in August to wear on my birthday. It was bit of an overcast day, but I did wear it to eat my super lovely breakfast made by Mama Delle. She even found me alcohol free bucks fizz!
Even though this knit was less stretchy, I still decided to follow the same sizing (10 on top, 12 bottom). I used Heather Lou's stretch guide and was confident this fabric would work. For style, I chose high front and high back and added short sleeves to achieve the t-shirt dress I had in my mind.
I worked with my sewing machine and overlocker for stitching and finish, using a twin stretch needle for top stitching. For some reason, the twin needle got fed up with the hem and started skipping stitches so I reverted back to the single needle. I wasn't prepared to put up a fight!
Again, I didn't have to make any alterations and am really pleased with the outcome. It's now a month later, bump is bigger and the dress is still a brilliant addition to my wardrobe.
I am thinking of making another dress version in a heavier black jersey or a ponte for the Autumn to wear with tights and boots. Yey for Nettie!
On a side note the following really made me chuckle. I saw on GOMI a comment that my Martini dress I tested for Capital Chic Patterns was too tight. I made that dress back in mid May pre-preggers to wear to a wedding, yet didn't get around to taking photos for the blog until July...well let's just say my body had started to enjoy some swelling in the belly and bewbs area already!!! I knew I was running out of time to photo that before Shrimp was like, nope, I'm not being squeezed into that, Mama! So, the dress may have looked a little more snug than intended, although I still think it looked good. Anyway, it gave me a good giggle. Jerry's Final Thought...don't judge a book by its cover people, that book just might be knocked up!
