an indie love affair with sbcc, bhl and tilly!

I wish I had been able to make more for Sewing Indie Month, as I would have loved to make another By Hand London Georgia Dress or tried something from DIY Dixie, but I guess travel and Me-Made-May got in the way a little. But don't be too disappointed! I do have something fun to show you to end Sewing Indie Month; playing with patterns and tutorials by Skinny Bitch Curvy Chick, By Hand London, and Tilly and the Buttons!

By Hand London Circle Skirt action shot! And in the background is my pretty fabric closet curtain. 

After my success with SBCC's Lemon Drop Top earlier this month, some folks suggested I try their Tonic T-shirt. And I thought, "how about pair it with a circle skirt? I've wanted to try the By Hand London Circle Skirt App! I could combine them to make a sleeveless red dress!" Well... that didn't work so well. The waistline would not lay right, and my added pleats to try to fix it only made it worse. 

It may look nice here on the hanger... but it's lying to you!

I was able to salvage the skirt using the waistband pattern piece from my Elle Pants, and learned that the Tonic T-shirt has a great fit, so I sewed a straight-up Tonic T-shirt in lovely black rayon jersey. I love this t-shirt pattern! But now my outfit needed something else.....

...like a matching Brigitte Scarf from Tilly and the Buttons! I was going to wear it as a cute headband, but once I added the shoes with this outfit I felt a ponytail bow was the perfect finishing touch! It has this fun 50's vibe! 

... or is it a little bit Drizella/Anastasia from Cinderella? :)

image souce:http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/File:Drizella-Anastasia-cinderella.jpg

a new lemon drop top

A finished piece to show you! This time it's the Lemon Drop Top by Skinny Bitch Curvy Chick. This pattern company specializes in patterns for petites, which is awesome for me! I'd been hesitant to try them, in part because their product photographs don't do much for me... I want to see what it looks like on real person, but for Sewing Indie Month I decided to give them a try. Plus I was looking for some easy basics to sew for my wardrobe.

The fabric is some silky, synthetic from Joann Fabrics, that actually sewed up well and feels nice on. I had bought it originally for some silky pajamas, and I think I still have enough for a set! And check out the proportions! I don't look like I'm swimming in it, or like a kid playing dress-up in their mother's clothes! The shoulders are not too wide, and the neckline not too big!

I like a bound neckline, even if this one doesn't lay perfectly. I sew bias strips to the front first on the machine, then hand stitch it on the underside.

I attempted a machine-rolled hem again. It came out a little uneven, in part because I had to cut off my first attempt, but for a casual top I'm not bothered.  I'll also need to snip off some shaggy bits that stick out from the tiny hem. I'm getting better at it every time, and still prefer it to traditional hemming with a fabric like this!

I will for sure try more SBCC patterns in the future! Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be too many SBCC makes around the blog-o-sphere to check out. Have you ever made one of their patterns?