FINISHED: Swiss Dot Zinnia + Nettie Bodysuit

Me Made May 2014 taught me a few things:

1. I have a fabulous handmade wardrobe just waiting to be brought into the world.

2. I wear handmade 95% of the time. Yesterday was the first day I wore RTW shorts and a t-shirt and that was for the chiropractor. (Can't wear a skirt to the chiropractor.)

3. I need more separates in my wardrobe!

Enter the grey swiss dot Zinnia skirt. As you may recall, I have a Zinnia in a great polka dot lawn, which I wear all the time - I wore it three times during MMM. My pledge did not include a "no repeats" clause, but I was pleased with my overall results. Please excuse my Instagram photo.

This was my first entry for #1ppw, hosted by Kath of Bernie and I. We connected via Instagram for MMM. Some of us were actually sad to see the month go by, so she created 1 Project per Week to keep us motivated. Anyway, this Zinnia is paired with my second Nettie body suit.

I had 1 1/2 yards of this fabric, and I managed to fit size 14 of version 2 onto it without folding it on the crosswise grain. (You do need to fold on the crosswise for version 1.) I do, however, cut my waistband on the fold to reduce fabric - just be sure you mark the correct notched, which is easy to do once you unfold both pieces.

The pleats were marked with tracing paper, then stop-stitched down per the instructions. And you can see my stitching-in-the-ditch a bit. Oh well. It irks me when bloggers mention that their skirts didn't meet the waistband and perhaps this is a "drafting flaw" - I personally trust the skill set of the staff at Colette Patterns. Kristen and Sarai put their patterns through strenuous testing and reviews. So, if you have issues, check that you measured your pleats properly. 

I actually had a zipper to match this fabric (thank you multi-pack from Wawak.com)! I used thread that was more blue than the fabric and I like the result. I used kelly green to hand sew the button. I'm in the process of preparing a short zipper tutorial for how I manage even zippers since I haven't always.

I've learned lately that this skirt goes perfectly with the Nettie bodysuit. They go so well together that I now have 4 Zinnias in rotation for summer, and 5 Netties. This coral one was my second go at the pattern.

My first was a gorgeous bamboo stripe knit in a kiwi color. I used my machine for construction and I'm not 100% pleased with the neck binding. I plan on buying more fabric to make another. This one, though, I constructed using my serger (except for the crotch and sleeve hem) and I'm really pleased.

I'm not the type that has a million cones of serger thread on hand, so this was constructed with white thread. I didn't pin the neck binding, I just pulled along as a went. This is a straight size 16 to accommodate my bust - I have since graded down to a 14 waist/hip/leg opening/crotch. This one sags a bit, but the ones with the grade fit perfectly. 

This is the Coral Solid Cotton Spandex Knit Fabric from Girl Charlee. As I type there are 353 yards left at $6.50 a yard. I purchased the coral, Paris green, black, Kelly green, navy, peacock and heather charcoal and I can personally vouch for all of them. They are a true medium weight and the stretch recovery is brilliant. They are not slippery like some knits and are comfortable to wear.

I have since made three more: navy, Paris green and Kelly green. All of them are cut with the scoop neck, high back and 3/4 sleeves. I find this style to be very flattering on my shape so this is probably what I'll stick with for future Netties.

My only source of frustration with Nettie is the snap crotch.

Look at that hideousness! The lining fabric is from my polka dot Zinnia skirt. My machine was NOT having the edge stitching so this looks like crap - it's a good thing no one will every see it in the light of day. I bought a Grip It snap tool from Wawak.com which came with a few snaps, but my refill is back-ordered so my most recent Netties have snap tape. Anyway, I'll figure this out one day!

Pattern: Colette Zinnia view 2

Size: 14

Fabric: Swiss Dot cotton/poly lawn from Denver Fabrics

Needle: Schmetz 70/10 Micro

Thread: Gutermann Mara 100

Changes: None

Pattern: Closet Case Files Nettie bodysuit, scoop neck/high back/3/4 sleeve

Size: 16 

Fabric: coral cotton/spandex from Girl Charlee

Needle: 90/14 on serger, Schmetz Strech 75/11 for hemming

Thread: Maxi-Lock in white

Changes: grade to 14 waist/hip/leg opening/crotch for future versions