Tag Archives: Moneta dress

Sewing seconds or more…

If you read this blog regularly you know that I ask myself every time when I finish a garment: “Will I sew some more of this pattern?” Often I do but I never showed them to you. So now with December being the traditional month of overviews, I checked my sewing archives and found several second sewings (or even more…).

So, here are some of them.

The Moneta dress from Colette patterns

Moneta Dress

I sewed my first Moneta dress for the Moneta party in February 2017 and the urge to sew another has always been there. Then, when I was sewing my Beryl Bomber dress I put the leftover fabric on Lola, my dress form, who was already wearing my Wren dress. It was then that I noticed that the two fabrics worked together. Luckily, I had enough leftovers from both fabrics to cut out a new Moneta dress with 3/4 sleeves.
I made no alterations to the pattern and the sewing went super smooth. In hindsight, I should have made the bodice a little wider because this fabric has not the same level of stretch like the one of my first Moneta. It’s a little on the snug side but I’ll leave it this way.
I did not use clear elastic—I hate sewing with clear elastic—for the gathering of the skirt but a small, regular white elastic which I had in my stash. It worked out perfect.
One small sewing secret: I didn’t hem the sleeves and the skirt. I wore the dress already several times and the fabric doesn’t fray at all. So I am just going to leave it this way!

 

The Ali Sweatshirt from Sew DIY

Ali Sweater DIY

When I finished my Ali Sweatshirt,  E., my daughter-in-law, was very enthusiastic about the pattern. So it wasn’t hard to find something to sew for her birthday! I used two brushed sweater fabrics from Chat Chocolat: Mackerels for the bodice and Mackerels- the essential for the yoke, sleeve and cuffs.
The birthday gift was a huge success. She likes the sweater a lot and that makes me very happy!

Ali Sweatshirt DIY

The Kingfisher top

Kingfisher Top Sewing Revival

When I finished my Kingfisher Top I knew without a doubt that I would sew more very soon! I proved to be right.
Here again, two things came together. My other daughter-in-law’s birthday was nearing and there was a sale of Lotte Martens handprinted fabric in my neighbourhood. I love Lotte Martens handprinted fabric. I used one of her panels for my plisé skirt last year.
When I saw this panel with the copper birds I knew immediately that it would be perfect for a top for L. There was only a minor problem: the panel was 60 cm by 150 cm.
To make it work, I divided the sleeve in two and cut them on the bias. As you can see in the photo I only have some small pieces of the fabric left.Kingfisher Top Sewing Revival

Just like with the first Kingfisher top the sewing was a walk in the park. For the binding of the neck and the sleeve cuffs, I used some peanuts brown rib I had in my stash.
This birthday gift was also a huge success. And seeing somebody being very happy with something I sewed makes me (again) very happy.

Kingfisher Top Sewing Revival

 

The Burda Turtleneck Top

Burda Turtleneck Top

I loved my Burda Turtleneck Top so much that I immediately sewed another one the same week. I had this soft jersey in my stash for about 3 years so it was about time to use it. Again this pattern proved to be very easy to sew. One of the joys of sewing a pattern for the second time is that you already know all the tricks.
I am so enthusiastic about this pattern that I have cut out the third one. Alas, this is one of my WIP’s. I cut it out in April but I have to tackle it soon. Like I said: ‘It’s an easy sew. Just a few hours work!’
Burda Turtleneck Top

 

And you? Do you have sewing seconds??

 

 

What I sewed in February – What I want to sew in March

Wow, February was a short but such an intense sewing month! As I told you before the theme of the month seemed to be secrecy and that made the sewing really thrilling. Even more thrilling was the grand finale of the month: the Moneta Party! Read all about it below:

February sewing
  • The 2017 Secret Valentine Exchange

    reversible tote bagFor my Secret Valentine I made a reversible tote bag and a coin purse. I wanted to sew both for a long time and I had a great time doing so. The tote bag came together very easily but I struggled more with the coin purse. Even after making one for practice I kept struggling with attaching the fabric to the frame. But a handmade gift can afford some imperfection, can’t it?

  • The Daphne Day Dress from Sew this Pattern

    Daphne Day DressI consider myself lucky that I could test the latest pattern of Sew This Pattern. It was a bit challenging but I like that because you can use your skills and the result gives you a lot of satisfaction. I used some vintage cotton fabric I had in my collection. When you live in the Northern hemisphere and you test a pattern from a designer of the Southern hemisphere then you have to brave the cold to make some pictures. But I’m really looking forward to wearing this Summer dress in the Summer!

  • The self-drafted skirt for the pattern drafting class

    I’m so enjoying this pattern drafting class that I’m taking. Our first homework was to draft a block for a straight skirt. Mine turned out to be a bit too small so I have to make some alterations for next class.

  • The Moneta dress from Colette Patterns

    The sewing community had a blast of a Moneta Party. Sewing together a Moneta dress was really very stimulating. I had great fun. Read all about it here.

  • The Saunio cardigan for the SewMyStyle project.

    The second project of SewMyStyle was the Saunio cardigan of Named Clothing. This pattern is a little out of my comfort zone but I accepted the challenge.
    I made it in a loosely woven linen with a woven print and lengthened the bodice with 13 cm. It came together very easy except for the sleeves. The front of the sleeve cap needed easing in and it shows.  Also, for me, the sleeves were a little too narrow and I widened them as much as my seam allowance let me. But I still think there is something not really right with the design of the sleeves.
    At first I wasn’t thrilled with the result but after wearing it a day it grew on me.

  • WIP’s

    Did I finish any WIP’s? No! Did I create new WIP’s? No! So the score remains 6 WIP’s.

 

March Planning

What are my sewing plans for this month?

What are your sewing plans for March?

My Moneta

M-m-m-my Moneta

At this moment the Moneta party* is in full swing and it really fantastic to see all the beautiful Moneta dresses everybody is showing.

* The Moneta party is an Instagram party hosted by The Triple Stitchers and you can only go to the party dressed in your self-made Moneta dress. Here you can read more about it.

Moneta Dress-Colette Patterns

Me too, I engaged myself to sew a Moneta. I already had the pattern from Colette Patterns a few years but I never managed to get started on sewing one. So this party was a great spur into action!

Going through my fabric collection I thought that this Orange Red Faux Snakeskin spandex knit from Girl Charlee would be suitable and it was.

Moneta Dress Colette Patterns

I’m over the moon that I picked it. It has a good stretch and is easy to sew. More, it has a funky design that reminded me constantly of Nicolas Cage in ‘Wild at heart’!

I don’t want to elaborate much on the pattern because so many others did that before me. Here are some thoughts about sewing the Moneta dress.

  • I went for version 2 with the 3/4 sleeves.
  • Being a #sewingtall girl I lengthened the bodice with 6cm and the skirt with 4 cm.
  • I also graded the bodice from L at the bust to XL at the waist.  In the future, I would give even more ease at the waist because it is kind of small.
  • It was an easy sew and the instructions from Colette patterns are very clear.
  • For the gathering, I used clear elastic and it went rather easy—I have some experience with this technique due to the fact I sewed some Wren dresses.
    Also Abigail—one of The Triple Stitchers—wrote a very helpful tutorial about it.
Conclusion

I am extremely happy with my Moneta dress. The pattern has a very neat design and if you experiment with the fabric you can really get a stunning result. Check it out on Instagram! Will I sew more Moneta’s? I’m positive I will.

Moneta Dress Colette Patterns