Easter Outfit: Chasing Butterflies Myrtle Dress and White Wembley Cardigan

Last year when I was following the Wardrobe Architect challenge, I attempted to build a cohesive handmade capsule wardrobe by sewing a lot of basic clothes in a limited color palette. That was a worthwhile endeavor, but I panicked a little at Christmas and Easter, because I didn't have any special dresses suitable for those holidays. I ended up wearing the same dress for both holidays: my Dotted Boulevard Myrtle Dress. It was the first knit garment I ever made, and I feel comfortable and confident wearing it. This year, I was determined to not let another major holiday pass by without at least attempting a little special occasion sewing, even if it didn’t fit within my self-imposed style guidelines.

Chasing Butterflies Myrtle Dress

Since I get so much wear out of my first Myrtle Dress, I decided to use the same pattern again, making this my third overall Myrtle Dress. Lizzy House's Chasing Butterfly fabric was perfect for the occasion. The symbolism of the butterflies seemed especially appropriate for Easter. The purple coordinated really well with my daughter's store bought Easter dress, and at five years old, she's young enough to enjoy matching Mommy.

Last time I made a knit Myrtle, it was my first time working with the substrate, and I remember it taking forever. With a year and a half more experience under my belt, I whipped this dress up over a weekend. I could scarcely believe how quickly it came together! The only issue I had was cutting out a second back bodice so that I could self line it instead of hemming the neck and armholes. I bought the exact yardage that the pattern called for and that wasn't quite enough fabric for what I wanted to do. I ended up piecing the lining of the back bodice, which no one but me will ever see. Next time, I'll buy an extra quarter yard of fabric, just to be safe.

My two favorite things about the Myrtle dress pattern are the fit and the pockets. The drape of the front bodice and the elastic waist make the fit super forgiving. Putting pockets in a dress is a must for me, and I'll take the added bulk any day, for the sake of convenience.

White Wembley Cardigan

Since Easter in the Pacific Northwest can be wet and chilly, a coordinating cardigan was a must. I am really pleased with how well the Wembley Cardigan pairs with the Myrtle Dress. This is my second Wembley Cardigan and the fabric for this one is Robert Kaufman's Laguna jersey knit in White. While I still love the pattern, the white fabric makes the unfinished seams more obvious when the cardigan flaps open. After making this, I found myself yearning for a serger, just so I could make the insides neater. Even without a serger, it came together quickly, and I managed to figure out the neckband issue that I had with my previous Wembley Cardigan.

Overall, I am very happy with how my Easter outfit turned out. Since I used patterns that I was already familiar with, it came together quickly and stress free, with no last-minute panic sewing. I'm hoping to have a similar experience making a dress for Christmas. Stay tuned!

Note: All photos in this post were taken by my dad, Joe Jeske.

Dotted Boulevard Myrtle Dress

Gentle readers, I present to you my first ever knit garment! While I am quite pleased with the end result, I was very glad that I had made the woven version of the Myrtle Dress first. Even after reading The Colette Guide to Sewing Knits, working with a knit fabric was still quite challenging. However, I persevered and ended up with a garment that I enjoy wearing.

The fabric I used is Dotted Boulevard by Sara Lawson, a 95% Cotton and 5% Spandex knit made by Art Gallery Fabrics. I bought it sight unseen from Hawthorne Fabrics. It was thicker than I expected, but pleasant enough to work with. Since the edges of the fabric rolled, I had a hard time figuring out if the selvage edges were lined up when I was cutting out the pattern pieces. As a result, the pattern pieces might be a little bit crooked, but you can’t really tell when I’m wearing the dress.

The main change I made from the pattern as written was that I lined the back of the bodice as well as the front. I gleaned the idea from Crafting a Rainbow and Love-Teach-Sew and was thrilled that it meant I avoided hemming the armholes and neckhole. After that, I followed the sewalong as it happened. Even though I used a ballpoint needle, there were a couple instances when I messed up the stitching. I found seam ripping on knit fabric nigh impossible and so just sewed around those mistakes. Not ideal, but it worked. Speaking of seams, I started out using a lightning stitch, but found those seams to be a little bumpy and uneven. I switched to the zigzag stitch indicated in the pattern and liked that much better.

The elastic waist was easy enough and is quite comfortable. I prefer how the dress looks with a belt, though, which is why you see me wearing one in all of these pictures. The pockets were also easy, and I can’t imagine sewing this dress without them.

The biggest challenge I faced with this dress was sewing the hem. Even though my sewing machine came with a universal twin needle, I had never used it before. My local Joann’s didn’t have a ballpoint twin needle, and I was really worried about messing up the hem. I anxiously awaited the last set of instructions from the sewalong, hoping for some inspired insights about hemming, and was disappointed when the instructions were “sew the hem.” Luckily, there was a previous Coletterie blog post on the subject, so I learned to use Wonder Tape, which I happened to have on hand. The actual sewing of the hem went smoothly, but after the fact, I realized that I had sewn it in the wrong place. I sewed it 5/8” from the folded edge, but I should have sewed it 1” from the folded edge, in order to catch and secure the raw edge. In my haste to finish before vacation, I glossed over that part of the blog post. Oh, well. Making mistakes is the best way to learn, right?

Even with my mistakes, I really like this dress. It is super comfortable to wear, and I received quite a few compliments at the office. At some point, I want to make it again, possibly with a high-low hem or as a maxi dress.

Get a Clue Myrtle Dress

After making three Belcarra Blouses in a row, I was ready to try a new pattern. Then along came the Myrtle Dress. Now, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I haven’t had the best of luck with Colette Patterns. This is no fault of the patterns themselves. I think it’s a combination of my own inexperience, the fact that the patterns aren’t drafted for my body type, and the highly fitted nature of what I’ve chosen to attempt. When I saw that the Myrtle Dress had a looser fit and could work with either knits or woven fabrics, I thought that maybe, just maybe, I had found a Colette Patterns design that could work for me.

The fabric for this particular dress came from Drygoods Design, one of my favorite local fabric stores. I picked it up last fall when I was taking the Staple Dress class there, and I had intended the magnifying glass fabric for a Sherlock Holmes costume. (That fabric’s actually from a retired Moda line called Get a Clue, Nancy Drew.) The solid fabric is anonymous. For my first attempt at this pattern, I chose to sew View 1, which is the longer version, without the shoulder tabs. Now, I know this dress would look better in a fabric with more drape, but I was too scared to work with anything other than reliable quilting cotton for my first try. Call it a wearable muslin, if you will.

Because of the looser fit, my measurements fell within one size and I didn’t have to grade the pattern. (Whew!) Since I chose to work with woven fabrics, I used the alternate instructions. Working with 3/8” seams instead of a 5/8” seams threw me a bit. I tend to use 5/8” French seams whenever possible, so was a bit disconcerted when I came to the “finish seams” instructions. I used bias bound seams in some places, and a mock overlock stitch in others. The way the bodice is made encloses quite a few seams, which is nice. I think I did something wrong when it came to finish the back, so the shoulder seams are a little wonky. I don’t think you can tell, though.

For the pockets, I used the magnifying glass fabric and I love the contrast. I also love being able to carry my cell phone when I wear a dress. Pockets should be standard in all dresses and shirts these days, don’t you think?

The part that I was dreading was the elastic waistband, but I shouldn’t have worried. I made a couple of mistakes on the first try, but they were easily fixed with a bit of unpicking. The first time I made the waistband, it was too large, and I was pleased that I could adjust the fit on the fly by simply cutting a few inches off the elastic and sewing it again. The elastic waistband is actually super comfy. I prefer it over the elastic thread that I used on the Staple Dress.

All in all, I am very proud of how this dress turned out. I’ve already purchased knit fabric for my next version, and am optimistic about my first foray into sewing knits. If you’d like to make a Myrtle Dress yourself, they just started the sewalong last week!