KCWC - Days 6 & 7 (the END)

Holy smokes! I made it to the end! But just barely...

Here is my Day 6 project, which actually went very smoothly. It ended up taking just about two hours to sew (after the pattern and fabric were cut), and I'm happy with how it turned out!

I'm not normally a fan of the super soft colours, especially the light pink, but this sailboat fabric totally caught my eye at the fabric shop (when I was supposed to be buying just bias tape and thread..). It was only $5/meter too (which is pretty cheap for quilting cottons in Canada..) The print made me think of a super relaxing beach day. And with the dark, rainy weather we've been having on the West Coast, I welcomed this thought. The fabric is from RJR Fabrics and it's called 'Little boats should keep near shore - Benjamin Franklin'. Sweet, right? The blue dot fabric was actually from my stash and was originally destined to be a part of a quilt project that just never got going. It's 'Honeycomb' by Kei Fabric. This soft blue fabric looked like water with bubbles, which is why it made it's way to this dress.

The pattern is based on a dress from a Japanese sewing book, and it was a very simple, satisfying project to sew up!

Day 7 did not go so well... I forced myself to crank out one last project, a pair of culottes also from a Japanese sewing book. 

First of all, I would not recommend sewing late on a Sunday night when you would really rather be zoning out in front of the TV or even sleeping. Secondly, don't do the above and try to sew from a Japanese pattern (when you don't read Japanese). These are really simple pants. REALLY. But somehow I managed to mess them up three times. I sewed the inseams of the pants together (not separate to create the legs). I fixed that problem then proceeded to sew TWO left legs... Luckily, this fabric, being a denim with weft and warp threads, is pretty forgiving since it looks the same on both sides (the right and wrongs sides). So, I just used one right side and one wrong side and, well, I can't really tell the difference, except by looking at the inseam. I did a French seam and sewed it flat (not sure what this technique is called), so there are no raw edges or seam allowance showing. Finally, as I was sewing down the seam allowance, I sewed part of the pants to the allowance and had to whip out my seam ripper yet again. Ugh!

But, I think I like how these turned out and think they would look super cute with a little red t-shirt or maybe even this top. So, I'm pretty sure I will try this pattern again. Maybe I'll do longer Palazzo pants instead. I also was very tempted to add pockets to the backside, and adorn the hems with crocheted lace or ric rac, but I figured I should quit while I was ahead. So, definitely lots of options for my future culotte makings!

Btw, the fabric for these culottes is a really lovely, lightweight cotton/linen blend. The colour is a bit darker than the picture shows, and I'm hoping these will be a nice, comfier alternative to wearing jeans when it gets warmer out. 

Whew! Thanks to Elsie Marley for organizing this awesome sewing challenge! It's been a blast! Now off to bed.