built by me!

hello friends! welcome back to the blog. hope that your holiday weekend was much like mine -- filled with friends, family, fun and frivolity. in the spirit of all that is fun and perhaps a tad frivolous, this chickadee recently took some time out from craft show construction for some personal pattern play / wardrobe enhancement. simplicity pattern BBY-3835 has been at the top of the 'things to make for myself' list for an awfully long time. now it resides at the top of the 'things to make for myself again' list and rightfully so.

the pattern is one of a small series inspired and designed by wendy mullin, the glamorous genie behind built by wendy. built by wendy began in 1991 as a one-woman clothing design business that has since blossomed and now boasts several retail stores as well as outlets across the globe...not to mention a book (sew u) and simplicity pattern line (built by you) both penned by wendy. below is this chickadee's take on a timeless built by wendy classic.


there wasn't much need to alter the proportions of the pattern, the only thing added was the pocket on the front, trimmed with some lace and ribbon. instead of gathering the sleeves with elastic, i opted to sew them straight across - like the bottom hem. the dress version does call for darts on the back panels so next time around i may insert some to give the top a bit more shape. the pattern itself was simple to follow and calls mostly for straight stitching. my only struggle was constructing the channel for the elastic around the neckline, but practice makes perfect and i am ready to try again.