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Remix the Stitch – the Capitol Hill Dress

Straight Stitch Designs is a year old which is a call for a big celebration!  Kimberly launched her first pattern last September and has been on a major roll since.  She’s put together a fantastic anniversary tour where bloggers were asked to add a twist to one of her already amazing patterns.  I’m an affiliate of Straight Stitch Designs which means if you click over from the links on this page and then purchase, Call Ajaire will earn a percentage at no cost to you.  All opinions are mine.

I chose to use the Capitol Hill dress since it’s one I had in my stash and was planning for fall anyway.  I took this opportunity to muslin the bodice since I knew I’d have to make a few adjustments for my measurements.  One of the great things about Straight Stitch Designs is that the patterns have size chart measurements as well as finished measurements so you know exactly what sizes things should turn out.  That makes altering the pattern pieces super easy.

via Instagram: first muslin

My measurements put me at a 10 on top, 16 at the chest, and 16 at the hip.  Instead of doing a full bust adjustment (FBA)  to get from the size 10 to 16 I decided to do the cheater FBA since that works well for me in knits.  The cheater way is basically to trace the 10 along the neckline, shoulder, and top of the armscye, but extend the armscy to the 16 mark at the underarm/side seam.  I do this with the front and back bodice and to the sleeve as well.  Sometimes the back piece isn’t necessary to change, but to keep things even I usually do.  

via iPhone: second muslin

So that gives me the width I need at the bust, but I also have a large bust depth which is a completely different issue and is addressed in a different way.  This only needs to be used on dresses or tops which have an empire or another type of underbust horizontal seam.  I needed to add 2 inches to the depth of the bodice so I did a 2″ deep bust adjustment (DBA) at the center front out to the second pleat, tapering to the original size 16 side seam.  The DBA increases the amount of fabric in the right places for the bust, but allows for the same side seam depth so the back bodice doesn’t need to be changed at all.

I decided that to “remix” this great pattern, I’d make it a cropped sweater to wear with a high waisted skirt or over a simple dress.  I love that vintage look so I’ve had my eye on a couple of other cropped sweaters lately and thought the Capitol Hill upper bodice would work perfectly.

I am super happy with how it turned out.  For the final version I used this lovely quilted jersey from Imagine Gnats (*affiliate link).  The black isn’t in stock right now, but there’s a pretty pink and a taupe available!  The quilted jersey is soft and even though it’s a bit thick it doesn’t feel bulky.  It’s like a sweatshirt weight I’d say.  

This cropped Capitol Hill is exactly what I was picturing.  I didn’t have to make any major changes to the pattern either.  I used the bodice top and sleeve pieces as is (except for my muslin alterations) and then added depth to the waistband so it would be a bit longer than the original.  I sewed the waistband pieces together at the sides, folded them in half so that the fold would be the bottom edge of the sweater, and then stitched the raw waistband edge onto the finished bodice.  Super easy and it adds an extra view to the pattern.  If the pleats above look bizarre, keep in mind it was almost 100 degrees when I was taking these pictures so this perfect-for-autumn sweater was literally soaked and started to sag haha.

The top pairs perfectly with this Hollyburn skirt I made a couple of weeks ago.  The green fabric bodcie I used for muslining is going to become a full capitol hill once I remove the muslin waistband and add a skirt.  I just need to decide which fabric to use for the skirt portion and it’ll be an easy finish.  It’s nice to have this one project produce two great pieces for my autumn wardrobe.

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Straight Stitch Designs is having a 50% off sale on all her patterns through the tour, which is an amazing deal.  Check out the rest of the tour dates and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below!

Tuesday, September 8th: Meg Cookin’ and Craftin’ | Jennifer Ginger Peach Studio
Wednesday, September 9th: Ajaire Call Ajaire | Heidi Handmade Frenzy | Stacey Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts
Thursday, September 10th: Melissa Rebel & Malice | Annika Nรคh-Connection | Abby Sew Much Ado
Friday, September 11th: Katie It’s Hard to Hear Up Here | Jane Buzzmills | Lisa Mabey She Made It
Saturday, September 12th: Elena Randomly Happy | Allie Indiesew | Jess If Only They Would Nap
Monday, September 14th: Jaime Made By Jaime | Lauren BASTE + GATHER | Sara Made by Sara
Tuesday, September 15th: Audrey Skirt Fixationy | Teri Fa Sew La | Hayley Welcome to the Mouse House
Wednesday, September 16th: Emi Just Add Fabric | Rachael Imagine Gnats | Teresa Dandelion Drift
Thursday, September 17th: Kaysie | KZJO’STUDIO Rita Conversas de Hermanas | Stephanie Swoodson Says
Friday, September 18th: Andreia In a Manner of Sewing | Nienke Pienkel | Abbey Sew Charleston

a Rafflecopter giveaway

September 9, 2015 12:00 pm Ajaire Leave a Comment Filed Under: Uncategorized

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callajaire

Mother. Wife. Sewist. Not necessarily in that order.

Ajaire Parello
Once again this baby surprised us. Yesterday morni Once again this baby surprised us. Yesterday morning she just started counting to ten on her own ๐Ÿ˜†๐Ÿ˜† She was star struck watching herself on the camera so she didnโ€™t go past five here, but in person she rolls right past ten and tries for 11 and 12 ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜
You guys, this girl is having a real hair moment. You guys, this girl is having a real hair moment. After waiting literal years for her hair to grow in, itโ€™s now turned into an 80โ€™s rocker look with how spikey it all is on top and the extra length in back๐Ÿ˜†๐Ÿ˜† 
But we LOVE this Journal Jumpsuit from @jennuinedesign and she LOVES wearing it to jump on the couch. ๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜Sheโ€™s a real talker these days so I had to use the Story Teller cut file, also from the Lounge Library collection.  Check out @projectrunandplay for the details on the sale on this pattern this week only!
Fabric is a lush French terry from @knitfabricdotcom and the contrast is a solid from @wolfandrabbitfabrics 

#projectloungelibrary #projectrunandplay #journaljumpsuit #jennuinedesign
Have you seen the mini season of @projectrunandpla Have you seen the mini season of @projectrunandplay details yet?  Iโ€™m super excited about everyone sharing more of the Project Lounge Library collection and the freebies weโ€™re offering!  First up is this perfectly sized book tote from @jennuinedesign. My girl LOVED the one I made from the second she saw it Christmas morning!  The cut file design is also from the collection as well as her nightgown ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜
Thereโ€™s a whole Percy Jackson collection inside there along with three other (heavy) books, so itโ€™s a nice sturdy tote that holds plenty!

https://projectrunandplay.com/product/book-bag/
#dbcanininoni #designsbycallajaire #jennuinedesign #projectrunandplay #freepattern #pdfpattern #projectloungelibrary
One of my favorite things is giving and receiving One of my favorite things is giving and receiving Christmas cards. ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•
Well itโ€™s not as many books as Iโ€™ve read in pa Well itโ€™s not as many books as Iโ€™ve read in past years, nor did I reach my (what I thought was an easy) minimum goal of 50, but then again all that was set back in January before I knew Iโ€™d have very little time to myself for 3/4 of the year ๐Ÿ˜†๐Ÿคช 
I read lots of different genres, including a few oldie juvenile favorites to preview for or read alongside my daughter. ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•
Some were book club reads and some were suggestions from Instagram friends, but I really enjoyed them all. Of course the new Louise Penny was my favorite ๐Ÿ˜

#goodreadschallenge2020 #goodreads #readingchallenge2020
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜
Just a reminder that 2020 wasnโ€™t all bad ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿฅฐ #topnine2020 #bestnine2020
We had a really nice Christmas with lots of cuddly We had a really nice Christmas with lots of cuddly fabrics and family. And this baby figured out how to ride her new scooter right away!  Looking forward to what 2021 has to bring! ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•
Happy Christmas Eve everyone! ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿฅ Happy Christmas Eve everyone! ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿ’•๐ŸŽ„๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿฅ๐Ÿฅ
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I've always loved making. At an early age I started cross stitching and sewing and I taught myself to knit and crochet during college. When our seven year old daughter Bean was born I was filled with all sorts of inspiration, so now I find ways to manage my crafty time and treasure those moments. Though sewing is what I'm most passionate about these days, there's something about the portability of yarn crafts and embroidery that keeps drawing me back in.

Watercolor Beach pattern capsule

Watercolor Beach – the pattern capsule you need for summer

The new Project Run & Play collaboration is finally available for purchase and – you guys!! – this pattern capsule[Read More…]

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