My first new bathrobe in ~25 years!

The Stitchy Details:

• Challenge Theme: HabitRPG - UFO challenge
• Pattern used: Jalie 2567
• Fabric: Velour éponge
• Notions: -
• Did you make any pattern alterations or design changes? Added a loop for hanging 
• Total price: 60 €
• Time to complete: 13h

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I really wanted/needed a new bathrobe. I gave my old one away when I moved, because I wanted to have extra incentive for making a new one. The old one was really old. My mom bought it for me when I was a kid, so in the end of 80s... It was ok, but started to be not so comfortable as it was quite stiff from all the washing over the years.

I decided to do this for a challenge as well. In April, I joined the site called HabitRPG. This has improved my efficiency so much! I can make my life a game and all the annoying tasks give me rewards :) And I of course joined a sewing guild. And the April challenge is a UFO challenge. Which this one qualifies as I had started to trace the pattern...

This was an easy project to get back into sewing. With all the stuff with the move and traveling for work, I haven't had much time to sew and starting with something I need to really fit, was daunting. This was great as it doesn't really need to fit, just be big enough.

The fluff was everywhere

Well, I started cutting the fabric and suddenly me and my whole room was covered in little fluff... The fabric is something called velour éponge, I have no idea what that is in English (or in Finnish), but it was pretty much the perfect bathrobe fabric.

Well, I didn't let that bother me too much and once I actually started sewing this was less of a problem. This was the first time I actually really used my dress form! Who I named Jane, by the way (because that was the first name that came up when I thought about this and hey: Jane Austen). I didn't really need a lot of fitting, but it was reassuring to measure things against the form and pin stuff in place.

There are little details that I could've done better, but I think the skills only come with time and practice. I added a little loop in the middle inside, so that I can hang my robe in the bathroom. The sleeves are a bit long, but I did notice this in the construction stage and decided to keep them long, as if it's cold I can pull my hands inside. so that is intentional. All in all, I think this turned out very wearable.

Sewing Dare no. 1: My Jazzy Aristocats Circle Skirt

My happy picture: too bad you can't see the
 whole skirt and my shoes that I wore just
for the pictures...

The Stitchy Details:

• Challenge Theme: #sewingdares
• Pattern used: Self drafted 
• Fabric: My pretty Aristocats cotton, bought from Etsy and no longer available
• Notions: Zipper and 2 snap fasteners
• Did you make any pattern alterations or design changes? No changes, since there was no pattern...
• First worn/Wear again? Worn today to work. Will wear again for sure. Probably even dancing on the weekend, if I don't feel that the petticoat waist is too bulky.
• Total price: ~49 €
• Time to complete: 14h 15min

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Front view without
a petticoat

I decided to go for the Monthly Stitch format for all my finished project entries, although I added the time to make, which is pretty accurate, but I always round up to closest 15 min. I'm a bit anal of doing things in a consistent way... Maybe it's the scientist in me, or the accountant. Who knows. In any case, I thought it was a good one, so I'm stealing it for my blog.

So, I didn't have a pattern this time. I almost said it's my first time without a pattern, but that's not true. I've done self drafting before (from old clothes), like the top here. And I did sew a skirt in high school with the same method and that actually turned out quite well. But I've never done it on my own before. So, without my mother's help, that is. But I'm really getting more confident with my skills. I have a great machine that I pretty much know how to use (I used to have my grandma's old, which brought me to tears every time), and then there's the internet. And I know where my weaknesses lie (read: fitting).

So, I had made all these calculations as I wanted to make as long circle skirt as possible to have the more authentic vintage look. Well, I know Aristocats don't really fit into that as the film was made in the 70s (1970 to be exact: I just had to google...) but in any case. And hey: they liked jazz, I like jazz, I'm making a skirt for dancing to jazz... But I'm going on a tangent here. So, I actually calculated how long it should be and stuff and when I started actually making the skirt I realized that I did these calculations for nothing. Nothing wrong with the calculations themselves, but I didn't think that I have one way design on the fabric, which means I have to cut the both sides the same way and I can't use the sideways cutting...

Pockets - what a happy idea!

But after that it was pretty much a breeze. I wanted to have pockets, like I always do, but I just used the same pattern piece I drafted for my Réglisse. I even used the same fabric as in Réglisse, the one that was left over from Pastille that never came to be... I also am not a fan of an elastic waist. So, that meant a zipper and a waistband (waistband being the reason it has taken so long for me to get to this: I wanted solid black fabric for it). I found great help for this as I was wondering how to put the zipper in as I didn't want to add a pocket AND a zipper to the same seam. But Casey over at Elegant Musings has a series of circle skirt tutorials (it was a sew-along). I used her method to add a slashed zipper and also the instructions on the waistband. Well I did make some mistakes in the waistband originally, so I ended up cutting a new one. Luckily I had a bunch of the black fabric: it was super wide, from the home decoration side of the fabric shop and you had to buy at least 50cm. Well, there's a lot of it...

The hem finish

Only thing that really took time was hand stitching the hem. But I think it was worth it. I was a bit annoyed how that turned out on my Réglisse and I really wanted this to look good and not go wonky. And I think I achieved that, you can judge from the picture. I also used the bias I had left from Réglisse, so I could have a longer hem. I don't know about the hem calculations, but this ended up being almost as long as I originally wanted (maybe it's my waistband that lowers the hem). But I would've been finished a day earlier if I had stitched it with the machine (it took me like 4h to do the whole hem...). But as I said, in the end, I think it's worth it. And when it was all finished, I realized I had a problem with the waistband, so I changed it back to the original that I had already discarded and actually that one worked really well :) I actually wanted to put in a skirt hook instead of the snaps for fasteners, but I realized that the ones they sold me were for pants and they were huge. So, not really great for my kind of flimsy waistband. And the other hooks I have were too small. But luckily I have a lot of snaps... I always buy them thinking I don't have any, but I have a lot, even some black ones.

So, my pictures today didn't turn out so great, but at least you can see the skirt. In the side view pictures you can really see the difference when wearing a petticoat or not. I have one with a bit of tulle, my mom made it for me for a 50s skirt when I was in high school. It's a cheap version, but actually quite accurate for what was worn at the time (my mom still remembers).

Side view without a petticoat

Side view with a petticoat

Thanks Clare for challenging me to do this! And of course Gillian to arrange everything in the first place! It was fun and I'm really happy about my new skirt! Here's some compulsory swirly pictures where it's really advantageous to have a petticoat!

And on the giveaway news: I never reached the Colette Sewing Book winner, so I chose a new winner:

I will mail all the prizes this week. I hope you enjoy them!

Monthly Stich: August - The Cape

I'm still thinking I can take on challenges... So I signed up for The Monthly Stich. I think I can do this, though. First, there's one challenge per month, and I don't have to do them all, if I don't have time. Second, the first challenge is for August (the cape challenge), but the next one for September is already announced (vintage pattern). For me the biggest problem with the challenges over the summer were that when I finally got all the supplies, the month had almost gone. Now, I can make sure I have everything before the month begins and I can actually use the challenge month for sewing. Well, I still have lots of other plans, so we'll see what happens, but at least I've been planning on making a vintage pattern anyway. And I think I have the perfect fabric too. But I got kind of excited about the cape too. Especially since the winters in France don't seem to be that cold, so I could actually wear it at least for the next two winters.

Milano Cape by Papercut Patterns

I already ordered a pattern, since I pretty much fell in love with the Milano Cape by Papercut Patterns. They also have a lovely cape/jacket pattern: The Watson Jacket, but since it seems to require more skills, I thought I'd try the easier one first. So I guess I'll be fabric shopping on Saturday... I'm thinking of a wool fabric, which would be nice and warm. And maybe a bright color or chocolate brown or leafy green. Pretty much something from my color palette.

I took my sister fabric shopping last weekend when she was here with her husband and I realized how much choice I have here and how much nicer it's actually to go to a shop where you can feel the fabric and see the colors as they really are, although I haven't really been disappointed when buying from the internet. I also got some nice fabrics on my holiday in Sweden and in Finland, so after this Saturday I think it will be more sewing and less buying. Although, as I've been reading about people stash busting and buying more fabric than they need and I can totally see the problem, but I also think you need a bit of a stash. Especially when you don't live right next to a fabric store. When you have a stash, it means that you can actually start sewing right away, when you find the time and inspiration. This has been a bit of a problem for me. I also don't really have a notions stash, so if the pattern requires a zipper or something, I need to go buy that. What I'm aiming for is, that after Saturday I have everything I need for all my planned stuff. Which is a lot. So, then I can just sew, sew, sew :)

Anyway, this month, there will hopefully be more posts about actual finished garments and I will finally finish some of the challenges I started, but kind of haven't gotten past the material phase.

La Réglisse - finished!

Well. I'm finally done! This took forever, although I gotta say, it wasn't the actual sewing. I've had so much extra stuff to do, that I just didn't have time to sew. But still, it took me a really long time. I could've not lined it, but then again, I think I will wear it more with lining. Or I think I underlined it. I always get confused with lining and underlining. I know the difference, but in Finnish we just have one word for it and just different methods how to achieve it. So, I talk about lining, but it might be underlining...

Contrasting side pocket

Somehow the waist ended up being a bit high after all. It was exactly at the right place in the muslin, so I don't know how it happened. It looks ok, though, so I'm not going to try to fix it. Also the bust darts are a bit high (again correct in the muslin, so I guess the problem is with the upper part of the bodice), but again, not too obvious. But if I do the pattern again, I will definitely fix this. There are some issued with my topstitching and my lining doesn't look pretty always, but I don't think these show too much when I'm wearing it. I'm so happy how the pockets turned out. You really can't see them, but there they are. And having little pink inside as well makes me happy. All in all, I think this dress is a success. Especially, since this wasn't my favorite from Deer and Doe patterns, but I definitely warmed up to it.

Few words about the photos: I've seen so many blogs with awesome pictures and I really want to get better ones. I think I need to invest on a tripod. But I think these weren't half bad. I tried to use the posing tips Rachel from House of Pinheiro posted couple of weeks ago. And I  think they are working. Now, I suck at posing, I feel very self-conscious when someone's taking a photo, and I really want to improve this. Maybe taking my pictures for the blog will help... Although it's even worse, when you're taking them in your parking lot, where people walk by... But I kind of like the wall there as a background. We'll see. Maybe I try another place. Oh, and one more thing: I had these perfect shoes for these pictures, but my ankle is still swollen, and they didn't fit. So, that's why I'm wearing my tennis shoes...

Fabric: Dotted brown (100 % cotton), dotted pink (100 % cotton), and beige bemberg lining (100 % polyester).
Pattern: Robe Réglisse
Changes to the pattern: Added 1cm to the length of the bodice, so that the waist would be in the right place (it wasn't though, needed even more length). Added pockets and lining.
Year: 2013
Notions: Elastic for the waistband, pink dotted bias
Time: ~24h (this includes everything from tracing the pattern to finishing, a bit of an estimate, since I forgot to check the time a lot...)
Total price: 75,45 €*

*The cost is pretty accurate: I have a table of costs... I love statistics! Although I don't know if this reflects the real costs of my sewing, since there are always the Craftsy classes and patterns that don't get made in the end and books that are for technique and my dress form and pins and needles and stuff... I'm too much of an accountant I guess, and it bothers me that I don't include the fixed costs... anyway, this is my decision: I will include the fabric, pattern and notions for the project. Unless they are over 3 years old (except pattern books I keep for 5), which is when they become sunken costs... and I have some additional rules that might change - or not. Do I just think about this way too much? Maybe I shouldn't even calculate how much it costs, but I kind of like having a record of it...

#sewingdares

So, what's happening on twitter...? You can get your very own sewing dare! Basically the idea is that someone else challenges you to sew something you haven't done or are a bit afraid to try. Or think you dislike, but kind of need. It's all about fun and not stress and after reading about this from Gillian's blog, I decided I wanted one. I mean in addition to all the challenges I'm doing and being late with...

So, when I asked for a challenge, Clare from Sew Dixie Lou suggested I make a circle skirt for dancing. And Gillian suggested I sew one of my Sewaholic patterns. So, I decided I'd take them both up for a challenge. I have already bought a fabric that I thought I'd use for the Cambie dress and I have an idea about Thurlow trousers as well, I actually have some fabric that could be used for the shorts version. So, we'll see which one I tackle first. I also have knit fabric I thought I'd use for a Renfrew top.

My knit from Spoonflower

The Cambie dress fabric deserves a few words. I actually "designed" some of my own fabric with Spoonflower. I didn't really read all the instructions and just uploaded the picture and considering that, it turned out pretty amazing. I'm not sure about the fabric quality, I did order a knit fabric at the same time and it seems a bit more high quality than the cotton sateen. Basically I uploaded this Hubble image of the Orion Bar and made it a fabric:

Star Factory at the Center of the Orion Nebula
Credit: NASA, C.R. O'Dell and S.K. Wong (Rice University)

And why is this picture so special? Because this is what I study: The Orion Bar, the bar-like structure which you can see on the bottom left in the picture. Or that and the area towards the stars that can be seen in the middle of the picture. The awesome thing would be to make the dress for my thesis defense, but that will be like in 2 years. So, I think I will make this sooner. It can always be my presentation dress. The black looks a bit greyish, it's not so bad in this, but the black I ordered is worse, because the whole fabric is the same color. But I wanted the matching fabric since I thought I would only make the skirt part of this picture fabric. So, I hope I will get to this soon. I'm pretty excited to make something of this farbic! I also love the equation knit. I need to buy some color coordinating knit, though, for the hem and the cuffs. Well, there are a few choices in that fabric.

For the circle skirt I thought I would use a fabric that I just picked up from the post office yesterday:

Isn't it lovely? I think it'll make a perfect circle skirt for dancing. I kind of was thinking about dancing when buying this fabric, since Aristocats and swing sort of go together (just see Everybody Wants to be a Cat). So, I have a plan for the circle skirt as well.

Other fabrics I got with the Aristocats one was a Hello Kitty kimono crepe, which seems very slippery, but so wonderful and a dinosaur flannel, that I'm planning to use for some pyjama bottoms for the pyjama party this month. 

I mean, who doesn't love dinosaurs? Especially in pyjamas? Well, also in anything else, like in this dress by the Cation designs.

But why I'm not sewing and just planning, you ask? Well, I've been really busy with some actual life (we had Paris Lindy Exchange last weekend) and also with work. And I twisted my ankle, which kind of makes everything a bit hard. I did finish cutting all the pieces for my Réglisse today, but managed to growl in pain couple of times, since cutting fabric on the floor isn't the most ankle friendly position. And now, I don't have a sewing table or a sewing room. I have a studio and I'm lucky to have a table for the sewing machine. But, now it's cut and hopefully I will finally finish it soon. For the Great Gatsby dress, I think that will go on to the back burner for awhile. I actually could use some pyjama pants, so I will try to finish them on time for the pyjama party and I also have the SwimAlong, which I'd love to finish this month. But there will be a flapper dress. Hopefully by the end of the summer :)

La Réglisse - update

Well, this is taking longer than I thought. Well, what is taking longer was getting the fabrics. I thought I would have enough time to sew this all together and I would've had, but then I realized I need to line the dress, because my fabric was kind of thin and I would wear it so much more with a lining. But then it took me forever to get the lining fabric because they didn't have what I wanted in storage. And when I finally started cutting and sewing (I could've cut it earlier...) I realized that I don't have enough fabric to make my own bias binding, so I had to order that too... Except then I just realized that since I'm lining the dress I only need the bias for decoration... And then just plain life and work got in the way of my sewing. My parents have been here and I've had some deadlines at work. So, I didn't make to the sew-along deadline.

And in the end I don't want to rush, I rather make something I would wear. So, I waited for the lining. Also, I had some extra fabric from my Pastille Dress, that I have no decided to not finish. The bodice won't fit anyway and I'm just not sewing at all if I think about it. I do think the neckline and sleeves looked quite well, too bad the bodice didn't sit right...

Pastille - bodice, a photo by RankkaApina on Flickr.

I decided to use this fabric as a contrast, so that I got something fun to my otherwise very brown dress. And I decided to add pockets, because I love having pockets. And I found a good tutorial for adding the seam pockets to basically any pattern. But now at least I have all my fabrics. The brown is for the main part of the dress, the pink I'm using for the collar and sleeves, and the beige bemberg is for lining.

La Réglisse - fabrics, a photo by RankkaApina on Flickr.

Now all my pieces (except lining) have been cut. What makes life easier is this board I got while shopping with my parents:

Sewing board, a photo by RankkaApina on Flickr.

I've had a problem with my tile floor: I need carpets, because the floor is too cold, but I can't cut on a carpet. So, I've been using a clear quilting ruler, but it's way too small. This board is 120cm x 60cm. I really wanted a 120cm x 80cm, but there wasn't one ready and I didn't want to queue. Well, that would've been perfect. But this is good enough.

In any case I don't think I have time this week to finish my Réglisse (or the flapper dress for that matter). Weekend will be used for swing dancing, so I won't finish until next week. But I'm convinced that it will look good and it will have pockets (I think more women's clothes should have pockets, if this wasn't clear yet...).

Pyjama Party!!!

Karen at Did you make that? is hosting another pyjama party in June (starting June 3rd - yes, I'm taking a bit of a head start, although not with sewing - June 23rd being the big reveal). This was partly inspired by the release of the new Sewaholic Pattern: Tofino Pants. If you haven't heard of the last year's party, you can read about it here. I was so sorry to miss it last year, this was the time when I was getting back into sewing, but hadn't really found the community and my favorite blogs. So, I'm thrilled I can take part this year. Especially, since I really need sleepwear. I tend not to buy too many, usually sleeping in old t-shirts and stuff, but maybe I'm getting old or something, but I really want some cute pyjamas :)

And I have acknowledged this on some level at some point, since I have actually bought a sleepwear pattern!

Simplicity 3696

And I'm thinking of using this for the pants. Or at least making one pair from this pattern. I really would love to get the Tofino Pants pattern, but I really need to not use so much money and use the patterns I have instead... But if I make enough patterns I have, I can buy it for sure in the future. Although I kind of want to know how the Thurlow's look, my waist and hip measurements are not really in the same size with these patterns...

But, I was going to use the pattern above for the top too, until I saw this:

 Vera Venus Pyjama Top (1930s style)

How awesome that it's free. And a real reproduction of a 1930s pattern! And my size! I think I will do a muslin just to be sure... But I really don't know if the pants above fit with this top. Well, depends on the fabric choice of course. But the same site has also these French Knickers:

So, I might just do those for a bottom... We'll see. I really haven't thought about the fabric, but something slinky would definitely do justice to the pattern. And then there's always The Ruby Slip, although I don't know how comfortable it would be to sleep in... I think I will go for the 30s/40s style this time. Because for me the sleepwear is all about comfort and only a tiny bit about looking good.

I'm really excited about this! First of all, I this is something I really need in my wardrobe and second, everyone seemed to have so much fun last year. Unfortunately I can't jump up and down on my bed, since I have a loft bed (I hope that's the correct term: at least that's what Ikea uses...). Or maybe I can borrow someone else's bed...

Pinterest inspirational, challenge update, and inventory

Today I stumbled into this blog. I loved the style and I also found Ami's pinterest boards. Now, I've been using pinterest for awhile and I use it for all kinds of stuff, also for inspiration, but I found something in her boards I hadn't thought about. She would comment on which pattern it could be made out of. It hadn't occurred to me, mostly because I haven't been so familiar with a lot of patterns, but I'm starting to be. So when Ami suggested, that this one could be Laurel made from lace, I totally saw it!

Laurel from lace or Agata Swing Dress $420

I wasn't originally very excited about Laurel, but after seeing what people have done with it, I'm starting to see the potential there.

Then there was another pin for a trench coat, which made me think of the Robson pattern.

Robson or Topliner two-tone trenchcoat by Kate Spade $575, $202 on sale

Now, I'm not a black and white person (although I would so have shoes to go with this coat...). And I have a white trench coat, which is a pain because it gets dirty so easily, but I like the idea of the contrasting edges. I might use this at some point.

Yes, still need to wait a bit for my finished challenge garments: I still don't have the lining fabrics! And I got an update on my order that the lining for Réglisse will be late... So, I might not finish in time... Hopefully I get it for next week.

While I've been waiting for my fabrics and things I've done some inventory on my stash and realized I have more fabric, than I thought... and things to refashion and/or repair. Out of my 4 boxes (one contains mostly patterns) I need to get rid of 3. I decided I need to get rid of at least one box this year. And if I don't make anything myself, I can always offer them as giveaways... But there's no point in hoarding it if I'm not making anything. Hopefully there will be an actual sewing update soon...

SwimAlong2013

My sewing challenges are coming along, I did some fitting with my mother while I was in Switzerland. I didn't really have to change anything. Except keep the bodice with extra length for Réglisse. But I had forgot to order lining for my flapper dress (and the zipper!) and I realized that with the fabric I bought for Réglisse, I need to line it too. So, I'm waiting for some extra material now. But hey, I decided to go for another sewalong...

Katie at Kadiddlehopper and Leila at Three Dresses Project are hosting a swimsuit sew-along. I have a hard time finding swimsuits and/or bikinis I like, so I decided to give it a go. Also, it's on till the end of June, so I have time even if I don't start sewing before June... But I got my pattern already! I went for Mrs Depew Vintage's One-Piece Bathing Suit. I was looking at the lovely 40s pattern as well, but this has my size. So, if this goes well, I might try that as well.

I also ordered a fabric:

Fabric from Spandex House

I'm thinking of making the halterneck version. I think I will like the feel of it more. I'm quite excited, although a bit afraid as well, since this will look horrible if it doesn't fit well. I'm also really happy about the pattern, although I really wanted to make this:

Hollywood 1341

But I couldn't find where I could buy it. Or I did (and it was the right size!), but it was $85 + shipping, so I think not... I will keep a look out for this, however, since I'm totally in love with it. But I think I'll be happy with my current pattern as long as I can make it fit...

Réglisse trial run

Woohoo! The muslin for Réglisse is done!!! Well, it was done on Sunday, but I just hadn't taken any pictures of it.

I was too lazy to do anything to the picture... It was already a job to get a picture of me were I didn't look like I was drunk. And sorry for the mirror, the better one (without the butterflies & stuff) is currently occupied behind drying laundry...

It looks like there's not too much to change. It doesn't have the rubberband in the waist yet, so it will get some shape with that and I didn't bother doing the sleeves and collar. Those I think won't be a problem. I thought I would've had to do something about the waist length, since I cut out the size 38, but my waist is more like 40. But there's totally enough fabric and I think I prefer little bit less fabric there anyway. I did add 3/8 to the bodice length, but used the 5/8 seam allowance (I'm trying to get used to inches since I'm using the English instructions, the cm are in the French booklet... luckily I have a measuring tape with both measures in it). It's weird, even though I'm short my bodice still needs lengthening... But the bust looks good and the darts are exactly were they're supposed to be! I think it turned out pretty good, and I think the only problem is my scoliosis, so I will try to fix this when I fit it with my mother next week in Switzerland (sometimes you need to go far for fitting help...).

I decided to take this whole week off from work, because I have things to do at home and no one's at work anyway, since 8th and 9th are holidays in France. I got my flapper dress patter in the mail and I already cut out the muslin and I will sew it tomorrow. And I have one swing dress that I've the muslin (well, muslin sounds too fancy, I just use old sheets, hence the weird looking fabric) cut out like 2 years ago, and I try to sew that tomorrow as well, if I have time (I also need to clean a bit and pack and catch the train...). I will get my dress form tomorrow from the post office, so I should be able to do my own fitting when I get back from holidays :) I don't know how well it adjusts to the crooked spine thing, though, but it's not something people tend to notice (except when I'm tired, then they ask me if my leg is hurting...), so I think I'll be ok, even if the fit isn't perfect on that part.

In any case my challenges look pretty good at this point. I still haven't gotten my fabrics, though, but I expect to have them when I return from Switzerland. I'm getting a bit sick of sheets and would love to have some other kind of fabric...

Réglisse Sew-Along

When it rains it pours... But I need to take part in sew-along for May. I'm not sure if I'm going to finish both this and the Great Gatsby challenge, but then again two dresses in a month is not a huge commitment. And I think both of the patterns are pretty straightforward. At least I hope so. I've been trying to read sewing blogs in French, but it was hard for me at first to find any. Then I found Thread & Needles. It's like My Sewing Circle, but in French.

In France (in French blogs at least) the patterns of Deer & Doe seem very popular (not that surprising being French and all). When I first saw them, I didn't see the appeal. Now I don't understand how I didn't see how awesome they are! I mean I've must've been blind... But I think I first started to understand how awesome they are when I saw Paunnet's version of Bleuet. And also Sandra's Chardon just blew me away.

So, when I was looking at the patterns on the website, I noticed the blog and then I noticed the sew-along. And even though Réglisse wasn't my favorite of the patterns, I think it will be fairly easy as my problems lie in fitting and it's quite loosely fitted. And also it has the retro feel, so as long as I pick a right fabric I can totally use it for dancing. Well, and if the "winter" is any indication (winter in quotes because I think we had 6 months of fall), the summer will be long...

So I went ahead and ordered the pattern, and now I just need a fabric. I think I'll go fabric shopping on Friday. The sew-along starts today, so if you want to join, you still can! In that case, you can find the schedule here. It is only in French, but what a perfect time to practice :)

What bothers me a bit is the elastic waist. I'm not usually a huge fan of those, but it probably won't be as bad as I think or maybe I can figure out some kind of alteration for that. A cute bow belt maybe...