a winter maxi

Hello and welcome to another instalment of Really Not Prioritising the Plan at All! I blame January. I don't know why I'm so bad at January. This one's been better than most because I've been incredibly socially active and going to a bunch of new classes (including my first pattern cutting weekend, which was... mixed, but I don't want to do a full review until I've tried to apply the techniques myself), but I'm still not able to function like a proper adult. I'm having to sew what my brain will allow me to sew, and this time it's something that wasn't on my list at all.

 

In a sense, this has kind of always been on my list. In summer I wear literally nothing but jumpsuits and maxidresses and I feel great. I often think about making winter versions and sometimes I even try to do it, but so far nothing has worked out the way I want. My ideal cold weather jumpsuit still eludes me, and most maxidress patterns I see at the moment are knee-length dresses with a massive ruffle whacked on the bottom to bring it down to the ankles. Nope. I've also historically had a bit of a static problem when trying to wear maxis with tights. But I kept thinking about it, and when I came across this fabric a month or so ago, I knew I wanted a long-sleeved Kielo dress.

I got this fabric from Walthamstow as usual, and if he has this in a different print the next time I visit, I'm going to make the exact same dress with a square neckline. It's a super-light sweater knit that's thin enough to drape nicely but substantial enough to keep me warm, and it is the absolute perfect thing for a winter Kielo. I was really pleased to find an actual horizontal print for once; I've been burned so many times by buying prints online only to find when it arrives that they were displaying it at a 90 degree angle and the stretch actually goes the other way. Of course, I then realised that the Kielo has a centre back seam for the vent and I would have quite a pattern matching job on my hands.

It's not perfect, but it's good enough.

The colour palette is pretty muted for me, and though I like this dress a lot it's not an experiment I'll be repeating much. If I wear this with my beige coat and my standard not-doing-much-today lipstick I look like I got very sick at a hempen crafts festival.

Embarrassing confession time: I made this dress with sleeves a few times in 2017 and it was great. I then misplaced that version of the pattern and had to redo it when I came to make it again last year. Both times it felt weird in the bust/armhole area. If I position the dresses just right I can still wear them, but they're annoying and uncomfortable to put on. I assumed it was something to do with my fluctuating size and decided to make another copy of the pattern. When I got everything out and ready and looked at the new armhole curve, I realised something: my bust is still the same size, and my last version of the pattern had the armscye drawn on upside down. D'OH. So now I've done it again properly, and it's really comfortable. 

(I take this photo literally every time I make one of these dresses and I'm sure it can't be useful anymore, but here it is nevertheless.)

On this version I scooped out the neckline and added wide cuffs. I only decided on the cuffs because the sleeves came out at a weird length, but they actually make a huge difference to the overall look and feel of the dress. I don't think I'd like it as much with a plain stitched-down hem. I really enjoy the two sets of spikes pointing in towards each other.

I adore this dress. In the last two weeks I've worn it as often as I can get away with, which is the number one way for me to tell I've made an unqualified success. It's super comfortable, it works for pretty much everything that isn't either the gym or a gala of some description, it's warm, and it doesn't stick to my tights! Perfect. I really hope to make another one before winter ends, assuming I can find the right kind of fabric. 

In terms of what's next, I feel like everything I have left on my list is pretty involved, and I've also given myself an overly ambitious plan for one of my Minerva projects this month, so we'll see how we go. I'm definitely not getting it all done by February, but I want to prioritise the coat and the shirt. Chances are I'll be skipping another week of posting, but hopefully be back with something I actually need and planned to make. Fingers crossed!