Blue striped linen swing-y shirt dress

I just can't get enough of shirt dresses this fall. They are all variations based on the Kalle Shirt Dress pattern. 

The inspiration for this one was the Ace and Jig.

I would LOOOVE to get some gorgeous hand-loomed textiles like the ones Ace and Jig are famous for... but the best I could come up with was this lovely stripe from Fabrics-store.com. It is a soft, smooth yarn-dye linen, and the stripes are actually blue and black but the overall effect is a wide stripe. 

One of the things I love about the inspiration dress is how full and swing-y it is. I started with the Kalle shirt dress pattern, but I made quite a few changes. 

I added about 3 inches to each of the fronts to create pleats, and added an extra inch or so to the pleats in the back. I also added an inch or two to the back band, and extra to the side panels. I extended the back yoke 1.5 inches so that it would wrap around to the front, and removed a corresponding 1.5 inches from the front panels. 

I decided to stick with the inspiration and use a non-kimono sleeve, so I pulled out my Liesl Classic Shirt and borrowed the armhole and sleeve. I took out all of the taper to the sleeve and made it 3/4 length, cut on the cross grain so that the stripe would be horizontal. I finished it with a wide hem. 

To made the side panels made the front 3 inches narrower, and did the same to the back. I used those 6 inches to make the side panels, adding seam allowances and cutting on the cross grain. I made side seam pockets in the seam between the front panel and the side panel. 

I made the Kalle hidden button placket. The inspiration has a popover placket, but I like the versatility of the full placket... maybe I'll wear it as a duster jacket sometimes. 

The length of the dress was determined by the amount of fabric I had... with my 3 yards, this is the maximum length that I could manage. I went with a totally straight hem, finished with bias tape. The inspiration dress is longer, but I think this length will get more wear in my wardrobe.  

The inside is completely finished with french seams. 

The "proper" way to make all of these changes to the pattern would be to trace them out and make new pattern pieces. However, lately I've taken to making changes right on the fabric while cutting, folding the pattern pieces or measuring and marking on the fabric with tailors' chalk. It is quicker and allows me to be spontaneous. 

Of course sometimes I make mistakes, but most mistakes can be fixed with an extra seam or two. For example, I totally forgot I wanted to add a pleat to the front of the dress when I was cutting the front panels. So I cut the front panels vertically where I wanted the pleat to be, and added in a 3 inch strip of fabric. I french seamed both sides of the added strips. You can hardly tell the pleats are seamed in, stripes are so forgiving. 

With all this ease, I definitely needed a belt. I cut 3 inch wide bias strips from my scraps and seamed them together until I had enough for a belt. I folded the long bias strip the long way, wrong sides together, sewed a narrow seam, then turned the tube. I finished the ends by tucking them in and sewing, then tied a little knot just for fun. 

It is swishy and fun to wear! I think it will end up in high rotation for as long as my shirt-dress obsession continues. 

Kaufman Brooklyn Plaid Flannel Kalle Shirt Dress

As soon as the weather turned chilly here, all I could think about was the cozy piece of Kaufman flannel that I knew was nestled in my stash pile. The project I had already cut out got pushed back onto the wait pile as that flannel performed a leap to the front of my sewing queue.

Out came the Kalle Dress from Closet Case Patterns and away we went!

This is an almost true to pattern Kalle. Well.. just a few mods! A small rounded back/forward shoulder adjustment, extra ease on the side seams, extra 1 inch added to the pleat in the back, long sleeve expansion pack. Removed the exaggerated shirt shaping from the hem in favor of an even front hem and a very slight shirt-tail in the back. Side seam pockets. French seams throughout. 

Can you believe I've never sewn a plaid for myself? I made a pair of plaid pj pants for my husband, but that's the extent of my plaid sewing. I don't really see myself as a plaid-type of person... but that may be changing, because I love the way this plaid looks on me.

I did not manage to take many detail shots, but I did play a bit with plaid on the bias. The front facing of the button side is on the bias, as well as the back yoke, and that little piece on the inside of the tower placket.

I spent a ton of time getting the front properly lined up while cutting, but totally forgot to match the horizontal lines of the side seams. Fortunately I was able to finagle this into submission by shifting the side seams up .25 inches and just trimming a bit off at the sleeve. Disaster diverted!

I had four yards of Kaufman Brooklyn Plaid Flannel that I had bought at the end of year sale at Imagine Gnats last year. It's only 43 inches wide, so it was very tight, but I made it work. I ended up piecing together the back yoke and the bias front facing, and I made a pocket facing so that I could use some other flannel scraps for the majority of the pocket. The flannel scraps I used for the pockets are an incredibly soft rayon flannel, so the pockets are extra cozy! The inner yoke is also scrap flannel, and the bias tape for the hem was sewn together from about 8 different pieces.

When I was sewing this, my husband referred to it as "that thing you are making with pajama fabric." Which points out one of the hesitations I had about sewing up a Kalle in this fabric... would it just look like I was going out in my nightshirt? 

I decided a leather belt would help dress it up. This is not the first time the idea of a belt has occurred to me, so I just happened to have the perfect piece of 3/4 inch belt-length leather in my stash, purchased a couple years ago from Etsy. (OMG, they still have a listing for it...) I sewed one end into a loop. I probably could have managed this on my usual sewing machine by hand cranking a leather needle, but it just so happens that I have access to an industrial machine at work that sewed through this leather like butter. Well that was after I spent 30 minutes threading it... I obviously need some practice at that.

Hmmm... the photo above is less than perfect, it seems I've twisted the belt. But you get the idea. The sueded back actually is rather nice for helping the belt stay in place.

And.... do you see that missing button? I realized that I had forgotten it when I was getting dressed in the morning, and had to do a quick safety pin closure! There are 18 buttons on this dress, that was a bit of a chore. I put the buttons on by machine, but I hand tie the ends of the threads to make a little shank on each one. I've gotten pretty quick at that, it took me 20 minutes to do all 17 buttons (not including the missing one!)

I think this is going to be a favorite on chilly mornings! I wore it in 60 degree weather today and I was sweating, so I know it will be cozy. 

I am a little worried that it will stick like glue to my leggings. Only time will tell I suppose. I have yet to buy or make a slip that actually worked for me-- I almost always line dresses if modesty or drape requires. So if one is needed that will be a new challenge, any suggestions? 

Rainbow Striped Linen Closet Case Kalle Shirt Dress

Long time no blog! Quite honestly it's been a challenge just getting to sewing, never mind taking pictures of my makes. However, I just photographed my recent burst of productivity, so here comes the first in a short series of posts. 

I just can't get enough of the Kalle Shirt Dress. This is my 5th one, I think, not including the shirt and tunic length Kalles. Several of these are long sleeved for winter, some others are here and here. They are just the most easy, comfortable dresses to throw on, and I think the collar and buttons make them look classy. My favorite secret pajamas!

Early in the season, I was searching desperately for the perfect striped linen to make a great summer Kalle. When Sara from The Sara Project posted hers, that was EXACTLY what I wanted to make. I immediately ordered the same fabric from Joanne Fabrics and made my own. It was even in stock at my local store. I'm sorry to be a copy cat, but it really was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks Sara, I would NEVER have thought I would have found the perfect fabric at Joanne Fabrics! 

The Joanne linen was a great price with coupons, and washed up beautifully. It is soft and has a nice linen-y drape. The weight is just right for a summer dress. 

I'm happy with the stripe placement down the front. I wasn't too scientific about cutting this out... matching the stripes on a hidden placket was making my head hurt, so I just cut it out and hoped for the best. With a little finagling, it turned out just fine!

I played a bit with the hem on this one, cutting it almost flat in the front with a bit of an exaggerated tail. It's also significantly longer than the original Kalle pattern, since I wanted it to be appropriate for a broader range of venues, without wearing leggings. 

I cut the collar on the bias, and the back yoke and sleeve cuffs on the cross grain. 

These shots have a bit more movement in them thanks to help from my 7-year old photographer in training! 

And, did you note the shoes? These are my first Hasbeen Sweedish sandal/clogs. When I saw that these gorgeous yellow ones were on sale on the Hasbeen site, I had to see what all the hype was in the sewing community over these shoes. While I wouldn't want to walk miles in these, I have to say they broke in really fast and are great for long periods of standing and short walks. 

And they look great with all of my me-made dresses and jumpsuits!

Pucci Dress turned Classic Shirt

I've always admired Emilio Pucci patterns, so when I found this one I bought it up right away!

I made it up into a hybrid Liesl Classic Shirt/Kalle Dress. This was made as part of my entry for the Pattern Review Sewing Bee Finale, you can read the details here. The challenge was to design a "superhero" outfit, so this dress was for a supermom, and is embedded with sayings about patience-- something moms can never have too much of!

I added a few details to make this dress extra special, in honor of the contest and the lovely Pucci print. I added volume to the sleeves by slashing and spreading, then gathering the excess at the cuffs. I made a hidden button placket and piped with a solid fusia sateen. And I added a deep border trim with mitered side slits. 

The border fabric (which is also used as the cuff facing and, collar stand, and inside yoke) is linen with hand painted script on it, done in colors to match the print, with sayings about "Patience."

The pockets have a little something extra... one has "Patience" embroidered inside, as a tactile reminder, and the other has an embroidered daisy, a reminder to "stop and smell the flowers."

In practical wearing, the dress ended up having a few major flaws. The first is that the cotton shirting sticks like velcro to all of my tights! In the pictures above, I'm wearing knee-highs to alleviate that problem.

Second, which is related to the first-- the short length was chosen to work with leggings! I love the proportions of a long sleeve dress that falls mid thigh, but for modesty, I would almost always wear leggings of some sort with a dress of this length, but due to the velcro problem stated above, this is not practical.

What about a slip you say? I've always found slips to be incredibly fussy, and if I sew something that I think I'll need a slip for, I tend to just line it instead. I've since thrown away all of my old polyester slips, and making a few natural fiber slips is on my long list, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

There is also the problem of drape. I generally don't mind a slightly crisp drape in a shirt dress-- it is a shirt dress afterall. Somehow, though, the drape on this dress just didn't feel right to me.

Soooooo... after it sat around in my closet unworn for a month or so, I CHOPPED IT! Made it into a shirt. And I love it.

I left a long, dramatic tail, and finished the hem with bias tape that matches the piping.

There is something about this bold print that just works for me in a shirt. Sedate lower half, dramatic upper. And the crispness is perfect for a shirt.

I'm wearing it here with linen True Bias pants, showing all of the wrinkles of having sat at my desk for too many hours this afternoon. I've worn it twice in two weeks since making it into a shirt, the colors fit the spring-y weather!

Striped Linen Dress: Liesl and Co + Closet Case Kalle Mashup

This is one of those projects which took far longer than I expected. It took the first taste of the fall chill to compel me to finish it, and I'm so glad I did. 

Actually, in the photos, I feel like it doesn't look like much. I suppose I could have freshened up the ironing, but this level of rumple is probably much more representative of the look. This linen doesn't hold a press like most linens I have worked with, it reverts to its textural state almost immediately. However, it feels wonderful on, the fabric is substantial and the fit is very easy. Perhaps most importantly, the details subtle details in the striping make me happy. 

For this particular make, I had a very specific idea in mind. While browsing for inspiration I came across this dress by Poetry Fashion. I just loved the use of stripes with the faux princess seams and yoke, in a loose fitting shirt dress. 

It is the most lovely shade of blue, but sadly I could not find any striped linen in just this shade. I did however find a lovely black-brown mini-stripe linen at Fabrics-store, so I went with that. Black is really my color anyway!

For a pattern, I merged my two favorite shirt patterns-- the Liesl and Co. classic shirt and the Closet Case Kalle. If you want to see previous versions, the Liesl is here, and the Kalle is here, here and here. While the Kalle does have a sleeve option, I have not yet been able to get the sleeved version to work as well for me as the sleeves on the Liesl, and I wanted a classic set in sleeve anyway. But the Liesl has no real options beyond the basic shirt, so I used the Kalle to determine the shaping of the dress.  I added a faux yoke and princess seams by drawing and cutting those lines on the resulting pattern and adding seam allowances. 

I used the hidden button placket from the Kalle. This was so fun to sew, I've never done a hidden placket before. The Kalle directions were impeccable as usual. Why doesn't the Liesl have this option?

I usually go with a tower placket on my shirt sleeves, but I decided to go a bit more informal on this one and do a bias bound sleeve placket. Neither of my patterns had this option so I relied on tutorials from several blogs. I also narrowed the cuff on the Liesl to make it a bit more elegant, and went with bracelet-length sleeves.

For the hem, I drafted a facing, and I went with a slightly curved shape with sharp points, longer in the back than the front. Lately I've been feeling the Kalle's exaggerated shirt tail is a bit too informal. The cropped Kalle was the first shirt pattern I ever saw with a faced hem, and while I didn't use that pattern piece, I love the idea of it. 

All seams are frenched, including the in-seam pockets.

The finished dress has two minor disappointments... first, the pockets are a little too low. Doh! I always have such a hard time figuring out where pockets should go. I pinned and basted and pinned again, but in the end they were still to low. By the time I figured this out, they were already french seamed into place, and I was not going back. They are not tragically too low, just a touch lower than I would like. At least they are in matching fabric... the white pocket bags are one of the main complaints about the inspiration dress. 

The second minor point of irritation is the finish on the slit. I still feel there must be a better way to transition between french seams and side slits. I clipped and tucked in all the raw ends, but I still feel it doesn't have the finish the rest of the garment has. Probably a facing for the slit would be the next step towards a cleaner finish. 

This is how I wore it today... with a Lisbon Cardigan and the cuffs turned up over the sleeves. It will be lovely with tights when it gets chillier!

Cow Skull Kalle- Closet Case Files Kalle with Long Sleeve Expansion

Black shirts are the basis of my fall wardrobe, so when Heather announced sleeves for the Kalle Shirt, I couldn't sew one up fast enough. 

This one is made in black tencel from Threadbare Fabrics. I'm okay telling you that it is AWESOME fabric because I've already purchased some more for my stash. It is thick, smooth and silky and presses like a dream, sort of like a high quality matte silk charmeuse without the price tag. The tencel I've bought has varied widely in its qualities-- this one is by far the nicest I've seen.

I've already sewed the Kalle several times, you can read more about it here and here. To make this Kalle, I used my shortened tunic pattern in size 12.

I didn't muslin the sleeves, but I did baste on the sleeve and cuff to check fit. It fit perfectly. The sleeves might be just a tad on the long side, but I decided I liked them that way. So I removed my basting and sewed the sleeves in properly. The armhole and sideseam are finished with a faux flat fell, as suggested by the pattern.

In typical Closet Case style, the sleeves are an understated but cool design-- they have a super wide cuff with traditional tower plackets. I decided to put a double button on the cuff so that I could turn it halfway up.

I used some more of my favorite smokey mother-of-pearl buttons. With the double cuff and extra-long length of the Kalle, I used one whole shirt set and the leftovers from another set.

I sewed the inside yoke with a piece of silk from a roll end from Emmaonesock. I totally didn't realize this fabric described as a "rorscharch pattern" had bull's skulls on it, but when I noticed this I knew it would be the perfect secret detail for this shirt.

The jeans in these pictures are, of course, my black Closet Case Ginger Jeans.

I guess I should also say that purchasing the expansion pack makes this the most expensive pattern I've ever bought- $14 for the original pattern, and $7 for the expansion, no discounts. But this is now the 4th Kalle I've made, and I'll probably make more, so that is in its favor. Since the Kalle was the first shirt pattern I ever sewed, the sew-along was like a sewing course filled with super-useful tips for fuss-free shirt making, so that also is in its favor. Finally, this pattern fit my body without a single change (I didn't even make a muslin for the first Kalle)... and that's pretty invaluable. Of course, this last item won't be true for everyone, but this pattern does seem to work for a wide variety of body types.

I know it is such a stereotype for artists to dress in black... but I just can't help myself. Lately my self-chosen uniform has been black collared shirts with black jeans. Occasionally I wear a white shirt. Somehow I don't find it boring at all, and getting dressed has never been easier. This Kalle is a fun addition to my very small (but growing) shirt wardrobe-- just a little bit different, but still very classic and understated.