Making the Hey June Charleston and using my Ophelia fabric

Summer is gone, and our brief Autumn has arrived bringing with it crisp air, cozy clothes and comfort foods, along with my motivation. I'm really a winter person. Which is a good thing seeing as I live on the Canadian prairies where winter is the prevalent season. I love wearing layers, eating soup and curling up on the couch with a good book and a minky blanket.
September was an unusually busy month, with school starting and canning and such, so I didn't get any sewing done, aside from some mending. I was pretty excited for October to come and bring some more free time, especially now that my two girls are both in school full time.

I have been hoarding some Ophelia fabric from True North fabrics for a while, and was looking for good color blocking patterns so I could stretch the one meter I had as far as I could. I'm pretty frugal in my sewing hobby, and a bit of a minimalist, so my "stash" is really only a collection of about 8-10 meters of fabric, mostly woven, along with a couple of meters of cheap fabrics for muslins.
I also prefer to make clothes that I can carry right through all the seasons, just by adding or removing layers, so I only have a small amount of long sleeve shirts, tank tops, and shorts (two of each to be exact). But really, my wardrobe is really only beginning to take shape. Most of the clothes that are currently in there are in there because I can't walk around naked, lol. I have a select few that are actually part of my capsule, and the rest are just place holders until my nice clothes are finished. They are also clothes I've had for years. I'm not a shopper. Rtw clothes usually fit me horribly.

I bought the Charleston dress from Hey June last month, as my wardrobe was in desperate need of some dresses. I find that the pencil dress shape is one of the most flattering on my shape (in my eyes anyway, lol) and when I discovered that the Charleston had the pencil dress shape included in the pattern I jumped on it. Plus with all the pieces in the bodice and skirt it was perfect for color blocking!
I really enjoyed making the dress, and didn't have a single setback. I made the usual shorten adjustments that I make on all patterns according to the difference in the height that they draft for and my own height. I measured for the large, but when I muslined the top I found that since my fabric had a lot of stretch, I wasn't getting the fit that I was looking for. I sized down to medium and it was perfect. Everything lined up the way it was supposed to, and the drafting is superb. I love how all the piece work in the back gives it just the perfect shaping!

I LOVE the Ophelia fabric. The weight, the colors, everything about it is fabulous! I paired it with some black cotton lycra for a classy but very comfortable dress perfect for Holidays and wearing to church. Or just whenever I want. Which will be often. I need to find another print that I love as much as the Ophelia to make another. Or some fantastic stretch lace, or stretch faux leather.
I still have a decent amount of Ophelia left, and the Hey June Lane raglan has caught my eye. I've been wanting a floral sleeve raglan for awhile now, so it looks like that'll be my next project!
I was lucky to have my friend Jeanine come down to take some photos, but I really need to grab a mirror and practice posing, lol! Don't believe me? Check out this gem, I laughed so hard.

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