Bioluminescence

Sorry for the over exposure! Doing this post between assignments

Banksia meet Hollyburn, Hollyburn meet Banksia :) At my university, we do faculty wide formals at the end of the year, this year's Biology Formal theme? Bioluminescence! I knew I wanted to make a shirt/skirt to get more wear out of each piece than a dress, so I paired together my favourite top pattern, and my new exciting skirt pattern! 

This Banksia version took me not one, not two, not three, but four muslins to fix the problems I had the first time I made this top. I started out with making a medium again, but found the loose style quite big for my tastes (I really need to learn to take pattern notes so I know what sizes I have already made!). Going to a small and then an x-small I was finding that I could NOT stop the neckline from gaping! Eventually, after trying unsuccessfully to take away fabric from above my bust, I realized that my bust was actually pulling the fabric out and causing this above boob tenting/tension/gaping situation. A quick FBA and voila! Almost all my gaping problems vanished! 

 Additionally I had to cut the arm scythe much larger to accommodate my arm-body-attachment area (I have to do this on a lot of patterns, perhaps I naturally just have a large arm-body-attachment area... maybe that's a good thing though...). 

Okay soo... I don't own a zipper foot, let alone and invisible zipper foot, so I hand picked the zip in! I actually did a pretty good job on physically stitching side... but that whole covering the zipper itself thing apparently did not occur to me. Oh well haha! Learn something new right?

Inside Waistband

I really took my time with this project though! For example I fell stitched (catch stitch? haha I can never remember which is which!) the waistband down by hand!

Outside waistband

Hemstitching

I also hand did the hem, which took forevvvaaaa (due to my dearth of experience in the area), but I think is so worth it whenever I look at (or I guess don't look at..) than be-a-utiful blind hem! 

 I also did both the top and the skirt in french seams! The woven cotton I was using wasn't bulky at'll so they came together nicely! The fabric I used was from a fabulous Canadian retailer, www.flarefabrics.ca! 

Also, you may have noticed all the up close photos are plagued with hair! Sorry about that, they are a result of this little angel losing her winter coat! 

Keller, so innocent, so hairy

Super happy how these projects turned out! Sadly I didn't think to take pictures the night of, so I will give you the best ones I could find!

Some pals in my program who I also work with!

Evil Gremlin Spicegirls Shot

I want you to know, from me, to you, that I usually don't look as stone-cold faced creepy as I do in this photo. It is literally the only full body shot taken of me all night. 

P.S. note the glow sticks, bioluminescence done right.