Crafting Body Appreciation

The perfect time to share my June monthly makes is on the last day of July, right?!?

I finished four projects in June and you might notice a kind of double vision while scrolling through the pictures. Do not adjust your screen (or run to the eye doctor), I did indeed take a doubled-up approach to this round of monthly makes.

Montvale Dress

I finished up my second Montvale Dress (and actually 3 overall make of this pattern if you count the tunic that I didn’t love until I altered it). This round I used a fun Ikea duvet cover I thrifted (originally to make some curtains).

I made the same size as my previous two makes, blending from a size 18 at the shoulders to a 20 C/D cup at the bust out to a 22 at the hip.

The only alteration I did to the pattern was to make the arm hole binding hidden using single folded bias tape.. This was apparently my technique of the month as ever project this month I did the binding in the same way.  If I am being honest, I think I like the fit with the original binding style from my first dress. This version finished a touch tighter under the arms (I think because of the 1/8-inch difference from the single fold). Regardless the dress is a lot of fun to wear!

Luna Tank

In June I also sewed up my second Luna Tank, this time in a woven material. In fact the same woven material I used to make the Montvale dress. Eagle-eyed readers might notice the color seems a bit different. I decided to use the “wrong” side of the fabric as the “right” side for this make. I liked slightly muted and dusty colors, plus it gave a little extra variation from the dress.

The recommendation from Helen’s Closet to make the Luna out of woven fabric is to size up one. I decided not to and stuck with my size 20/22 pattern pieces. I did add a bit of extra length so I could hem the bottom. Let me tell you, sewing that curved hem is not for the faint of heart. I am curious to try a hem binding if I make another woven version to see if that feels like a cleaner finish. Have you used bias binding on a curved hem before? If so, how did it go?

Phoebe Linen Tank

Finally in June I am two Phoebe Linen Tank, neither was made of linen. I love the very simple boxy design of this top and how quickly it comes together, not even a bust dart to slow you down! I made this up in a size 20/22 at the bust blended to a 24/26 at the waist and hips.

The first version I made was out of a faded red cotton that I picked up at the Textile Center Garage Sale. Finished with some cute vintage blue floral bias binding (which I utterly failed to capture a picture of). Overall, I was into the top. I appreciate the shoulder and chest coverage which helps to minimize sun exposure while still being a breezy summer top.

I immediately decided to make another version. I made one small change and cut the neckline just a touch lower in the front. This time I used a double gauze I picked up for free from my BuyNothing group. The fabric came in pieces rather than a solid piece of yardage so I ended up adding a back seam to make it all work.

This is my first experience wearing double gauze and I can see why people love it for the summer. It is very breathable!

I did have one issue with this version, that I completely brought on myself. I did not stay stitch the neck and arm holes before getting started and used a method of adding the arm hole binding before sewing the side seams. This meant I really stretched out those arm holes without realizing it! I fixed it up by taking a little extra out of the top of the side seams under the arm holes which took just as long if not longer than just sewing the dang stay stitching would have taken in the beginning. Do you think I learned my lesson about taking shortcuts? Probably not.

Any bets on when I will get around to sharing my July makes? Also hoping to get back to a better lighting/photo set-up soon!