Sew Colette: The Pastille Dress

Wow! What an amazing start to the Sew Colette Sew-Along we had last month!! All the finished Meringue skirts are amazing, as well as the muslins. I spent the bulk of January in full-on skirt envy!

This month we tackle the Pastille Dress, which is one of the projects I have really been looking forward to. I have my fabric chosen already and I can't wait to get started. Our sewing schedule this month is as follows:

February 2nd: Sewing the muslin
February 6th-11th: Fitting techniques
February 16th: Choosing fabric
February 23rd: Sewing the final dress
February 29th: Pastille Parade

Colette Patterns' Pastille Dress
(Used with permission)

For this project, we will delve more deeply into fit and fit techniques, covering everything outlined in the handbook and more! In fact, the week of February 6th will be devoted to fitting the Pastille. If you have specific fit-related questions, please feel free to comment here, on Erin's blog, or email me directly.

Sew Colette: My Meringue Skirt

Oooh, I love my Meringue skirt so much! I love the fit and the style. I love how easily it came together and how quick and simple it was to add a waistband. This version is my wearable muslin, but it looks good enough that I am happy to wear it regularly.

Sarai Mitnik is a genius! She not only designs beautiful patterns, but she provides very straightforward instructions that clearly set you up for sewing success. Now I find that every time I sew, my Colette Handbook is always within reach.


I love how easily the dark denim fabric I chose coordinates with the rest of my wardrobe. It was terrific to sew with and had approximately 2-3% spandex for stretch. My ' final' version will be made from some fine wale cherry red corduroy, which I will share with you as soon as it's finished.


I adore the scalloped hem! It adds such a fun element to a wardrobe staple design. I love how it looks with my fun polka dot tights, too! (Have I told you how much I love fun patterned tights?) I had everything I needed to make this skirt waiting for me in my stash, too. I'm stash-bustin'!

Do you know what I like most of all? Being able to make this along with everyone who has joined in with Sew Colette (92 of you to date!). I want to thank you all very much for your patience and understanding when I had to take a slight step back this month.

Now it's full-speed ahead with the Pastille Dress! The sew-along schedule for February will be posted tomorrow!

Sew Colette: Marvellous Meringues!

Wow! You have really produced amazing garments and I am just tickled pink by everyone's efforts. It was really hard to narrow it down to a few favourites, let me tell you! Below are mine, in no particular order:

Alyssa's amazing bias cut plaid Meringue. I am a sucker for bias cut plaid!

I love Thread Carefully's black Meringue, which is anything but basic! She styled the outfit brilliantly, too.



How about What's Up Cupcake's awesome Meringue, which she's paired with a beautiful Jasmine blouse? Gorgeous!



Kitty Kitty Crafts had me from the start with her fab Meringue. I love how she's styled it (love her hair, too) and that she took her photos in a library!



Look at this lovely creation by our amazing co-hostess, Erin from Miss Crayola Creepy! She is so pretty and effortlessly chic, isn't she?



How amazing is LuckyLucille's two-tone Meringue? Red and aqua are one of my very favourite colour combinations.



I had to include another clever Colette pairing! I really love nicolatobin's Meringue and Sencha blouse. Well done!!



Last, but certainly not least, Toasty Knits and Sews completely blew me away with her amazingly piped Meringue. Fantastic!
(Not to mention that I am coveting her cool alphabet top. Where did you find that gem?!)



And I cannot forget to mention this brilliant modified version of Meringe: poppykettle's Pavlova!
Ah-may-zing!!!

* * * * *

I am so over-the-moon proud of each and every one of you!! I am just thrilled to see the amazing quality of garments that you have all made and the little ways you have personalized them.

It is especially nice to see so many of you offering up tips, tricks, and advice to those of us who have needed it. As I have said previously, one of the reasons I love sew-alongs so much is the incredible sense of community and that each person involved brings something special to the table.

Up next? The Pastille Dress!

Sew Colette: Inserting the Zipper

Up until recently, inserting the zipper into my garment was my nemesis. It involved much ripping, re-sewing, hair-pulling, and creative language! In addition to the fantastic step-by-step process outlined by Sarai in the handbook, below are a series of detailed videos showing how to install an invisible zipper that I thought would be helpful:





One of the best pieces of sewing advice I have received is to sew the zip in prior to sewing the skirt together. I know it may sound odd, but doing it this way allows you to move less fabric more freely. In the end, choose the series of steps that works best for you!

My personal favourite zipper insertion method is the lapped zipper and Casey's tutorial is outstanding. I dislike fussing with invisible zippers and prefer the slightly vintage look of a lapped zip. For those who like visual instruction, the lovely Lisette of What Would Nancy Drew Wear? has done a set of videos on the process.





Next Week: The Parade of Meringues! Post your finished skirts in the Flickr group so we can all admire your handiwork. Erin and I will choose our favourites to showcase on our blogs on January 31st.

Sew Colette February: The Pastille Dress. The sew-along schedule will be posted on February 1, 2012. Stay tuned!