Lemon Spice/New Look 6861
Oh hello, lovely readers! I'm here to show you my version (somewhat altered) of New Look 6861, my first foray into sewing with a vintage-y pattern. If I had to guess, I'd say this pattern made its debut in the late 90s, but it's hard to know for sure. Does anyone know if there is a resource for looking up publication dates on patterns? I wasn't able to locate one in my limited research... I bought this pattern from Ragfinery here in Bellingham, a lovely little shop that sells fabric remnants, as well as 2nd hand clothing and sewing patterns/notions.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about ways I can limit the environmental impact of my personal sewing and RTW shopping habits. I learned some new things about fabric during Fashion Revolution week this year, which pushed me over the edge with polyester, in particular. I've never much liked polyester; I consider it the smelliest of fabrics with it's odor-trapping characteristics. Although I disliked polyester, I still sometimes bought polyester yardage, if I found it in a good color or print. Polyester is also nearly ubiquitous in RTW women's clothing, so I grudgingly occasionally purchased it there too. This past Fashion Revolution week however, I learned a whole new reason to avoid polyester; it biodegrades at a much, much slower pace than natural fibers, taking as long as several hundred years. For these reasons, I have decided to stop purchasing polyester yardage, as well as RTW containing polyester. I will continue to use the polyester items I already own as I normally would, but it's not a material I am willing to propagate going forward. This is a small step towards improving my personal practices, and one I feel it is necessary for me to make.
So let's talk about this dress, shall we? I know I'm not the only one who thinks it's kind of unreal to watch 90s fashion make such a strong come-back. I was pretty young during the actual 90s, so my fashion choices at the time often revolved around adding as much glitter to my makeup routine as I could get away with, dressing like a Spice Girl (I'm Posh all the way, mmk?), or wearing bell bottoms with as much embroidery as possible. Since I'm
My creative process is one I allow a lot of mystery into. I tend to make things/patterns that I am drawn to (oftentimes inexplicably). I'll get an idea, sometimes for a pattern or a fabric, other times for something as simple as a color or silhouette, that I can't stop thinking about, and that's typically how I decide what I'll make next. This might sound like an erratic way to go about creating, but it's the only way I've found that keeps me engaged and interested. I will create a dress or piece of clothing so I can get it out of my head. All this to say, this pattern was stuck on my mind for a bit, and although I was perplexed about what fabric to use, I knew I wanted to make it up.
I ended up using this canvassy linen fabric I bought from Fabricland about a year ago. I ended up using the wrong, pale yellow side of the fabric for this dress. The right side is an aggressive dayglow yellow. It wasn't until I pre-washed the fabric that I realized while pulling it out of the dryer, the pale yellow underside rumpled and peaking up at me, that of course I should use the side I like. It feels a little counterintuitive, perhaps even naughty, to intentionally display the side of the fabric not meant to be displayed. One of my absolute favorite aspects of creativity is trusting myself to know when its OK, or even better, to break the rules.
This dress sewed up nicely. I ended up having to adjust the armholes to accommodate a bit more more movement. My shoulders are a bit broad from years of swim team workouts, which always seems to manifest as a fit issue in non-stretch woven garments with sleeves. I really appreciated the shape-enhancing back darts included in this pattern, which follow the curve of my back nicely. I initially sewed this up as an ankle-grazing maxi, and I wanted so badly to love it at that length. I have a pretty small frame, and some of the more voluminous silhouettes can feel really overwhelming on me. It's that feeling of being swallowed by fabric. Any way, I hacked off quite a bit of fabric to make this a more flattering knee length.
And that's a wrap! Ha! Fashion pun :) I've added a yellow, work-wardrobe-friendly, wrap dress to my collection. Not a bad day for my sewing practice.
In other news, my boyfriend and I are leaving to Europe in a couple days for a week and a half, and I am so freaking excited! We are going to Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands, for a couple days each. It's our first time in Europe. I am particularly excited to see Norway, as I have Norwegian ancestry, and my last name (which I have to spell back to people approximately 8 times daily) comes from there. I will be taking lots of pictures and sharing probably on insta :)
Until next time!
-Amy
PS. Here's a song I'm currently obsessed with. This has nothing to do with sewing, but most of life doesn't! What are we doing here anyway, ya know? lol
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