Revenge of the Cinco

I hate when I have to many projects planned and for some reason I decide to work on a completely unplanned project. For some reason, those planned projects don’t have the same appeal as an “on the fly” project. Probably because those planned projects have the whole planned element. I thought them out so perfectly and when I make them I expect perfection. On the fly kind of projects are completed with the “let’s get it done” mentality.

Okay, that was a lot to explain that I’ve been working on “on the fly” stuff rather than planned. I’m proud to say this post is about one of those neglected planned projects. You’re probably wondering what finally got my ass into gear. Well it’s Revenge of the 5th my friends. Yesterday was “May the 4th” and I realized I have the perfect project to complete for the following day.

Last project (Sleep Shirt) was my first try with an appliqué. Granted, it is not fun to sew those guys on but I’m not one to be deterred. I decided to cut an AT-AT Walker from the remaining Star Wars fabric I have from JoAnn’s. For non-nerds, the AT-AT Walkers are used by the bad guys and they look like big mechanical animals.

I drew up a tank top. I decided not to use a pattern. A simple tank should be easy enough to create.

I used more leftovers as the top of the tank. I didn’t want a full black shirt with an appliqué. I wanted something with a little more matching. The front and back both have the Star Wars fabric at the very top. I had to get creative for the back since I was using leftovers. I used four pieces to create the back. I don’t think it’s a big deal and it looks fine. I also cut strips of the fabric to create a trim on the arms and the neck for a nice clean look.

The bottom is a soft rayon/poly blend that I also picked up from JoAnn’s. I cut from the outside edge of the top pieces and down at a widening angle to the desired length to make the bottom nice and roomy. The bottom is also rounded and the front is a tid-bit shorter than the back.

I ironed my appliqué on the bottom and then stitched around the edges. It’s not perfect because there are so many angles around the Walker. Still no big deal. The thread blends pretty well with the fabric.

That’s it! I have a new Star Wars tank top. Pretty comfy and quick to make. I need to quick dragging my feet on things! lol

Star Warrior

What happens when you “accidentally” buy too much fabric for a friends gift? You take the rest of that shit and make yourself an awesome dress of course! I bought this awesome grey and black knit Star Wars fabric from Jo Ann’s. If you didn’t look too closely no one even notices it’s Star Wars. It’s like secret nerd fabric.

I honestly thought I overbought enough for me to make a shirt, not an entire dress. My friend made me a super flattering dress last year so I wanted to model this dress after it. The dress bodice has princess seams and a deep front scoop. I knew I didn’t have enough for the full skirt so I was going to need a solution for that.

To copy the dress pieces from the original dress, I laid my new fabric over the dress. With chalk pen in hand, I found the seams with my fingers and made lines 1/4″ wider to create a seam allowance. I wasn’t too concerned about it being perfect since its knit, it’ll totally be forgiving. I did this process for the entire bodice. The sleeves I made from a random sleeve piece I pulled from another pattern. Again, since it’s knit, it didn’t have to be too exact.

I have a serious love for ringer tees. It’s those shirts that’s have banding on the neckline and sleeve hems that differ from the shirt itself. I wanted to make this just like that. The rib knit I had came from Jo Ann’s too. I cut strips 3″ wide so I could fold them in half and attach.

Moving down to the skirt I sat for the longest time trying to figure out how to get the most out of what I had left. I finally cut 4 trapezoid shapes. To add inseam pockets, I split the two side trapezoids in half. The pocket pattern I love the most is the Darling Ranges Dress from Megan Nielsen. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough fabric for them! I had to cut them so much smaller. My hands fit but that’s about it.

The skirt would have been totally too short if I attached it to the bodice as is. At these moments, I always hear Tim Gunn. “Make it work!” I had leftover rib knit. I cut another 3″ strip for the waist. It helped to break up the print but also gave me 2 1/2″ extra inches of length.

To make a nice, small hem, I serged the bottom. Then fold it over twice and stitch it down.

I’m so happy that I overbought! I wear this dress so often. I always receive compliments on it. It’s so soft and comfortable. I wish I would have made a pattern for the bodice. I imagine I’ll want to make this again.