So how was your January?  Mine was kinda crazy.  Not a lot of sewing happened in the beginning of the month due to some completely unexpected and expensive plumbing issues.  The water pipe in our house used to run along and exterior wall in my sewing room and froze.  As a result I had to move all the stuff out of my room so that pipe could be removed after we put a new water line in the correct way.  My sewing room was in chaos for two and half weeks.  That killed my mojo for a bit.  But once I got my room back in order I dove right into Jungle January.

First up I used 2 yards of leopard print challis to make version D of Simplicity 1280.  To be honest I wasn’t sure how I felt about this tunic when I finished it because I was envisioning it about 7″ shorter than it turned out.  Once I put it on with my leggings I knew I loved it!  I love the neckline detail and the shape of the hem.  I probably could have done to make a size smaller though. I am planning on making a couple more versions, view B and C.

Then, on the last day of the month, I made a second Jungle January garment.  I used Kitschy Coo’s Lady Skater Dress pattern.  I used 4.75yds of leopard print jersey from the stash.  This dress did not turn out how I wanted at all.  Let me start by saying this is a fantastic pattern and the issues I have with the dress are purely because of my fabric choices.  I envisioned this as a maxi dress and lengthened the skirt accordingly.  I chose NOT to put a more stable knit as a lining in the bodice, because I am stubborn.  I knew I should have done it but I didn’t want to take the time to cut it.  I just wanted to sew!  This jersey is so stretchy that once the skirt was sewn on the bodice could not support the weight of the skirt and therefore just stretched out the top.  If you look at where I am pointing in the the picture, that is where the waistline stretched out to and it is well below my natural waist.  It was so low in the back that it was almost at the fullest point of my rear.  So, I set it aside last night with a plan on how to refashion it today.  I still think this pattern is great and I will be making many versions of this dress this year.

The other thing I did for January was to cut out the wool for Eric’s Albion coat.  The pattern calls for 4 1/8yds of 60″ wide wool, but I got the coat cut out of 3yds of 60″ wide wool.  Score!!  The wool I used I bought from Mood Fabrics late last year.  I am super excited to make this coat for him.  Today I got the lining cut out.  I used 4 1/2 yds of a plaid shirting flannel from the stash that was bought specifically for this project.

Wondering about those refashions?  Well I am much more pleased with them than I was the dress. I used up the the last 1 1/4yds of this stash fabric for these refasions, which feels great!  When I took the bodice off of the skirt, it was a few inches shorter than I would prefer.  The solution…attach a 3″ band at the waist like the cuffs on the sleeves.  Much better!

For the skirt I decided I wanted it to have a faux yoga pant waistband.  I made the waistband 7″ tall and added a 14″ tall piece over top that I ruched down at the side seams.  I underlined the waistband in some scraps of gray ponte knit to add more stability.  I think this skirt is going to get a lot of wear this spring and summer.

For February, I have a lot of sewing for others planned.  Now that I have all the pieces for Eric’s coat cut out, I will be making that first.  Then I have some alterations to do and a couple of Wild Kratts costumes.