Finished Object: Yes, I have Made Another Kielo...

It's hotter than hell outside and I LOVE it! So easy (if sticky). I went for breakfast on a patio, natch, then for espresso on another patio. Then walking to the grocery store. When we got home, Scott and I did a really lively yoga practice - the kind where you sweat so much that you have to be careful.

Brief side-note: I find that yoga is most exuberant when it's hot out, even though I'm not into classes where the temp is artificially raised. Natural heat is organic - as one's body adjusts to the temp in the outside world. Piped in heat, when it's freezing and/or damp outside, is quite another - and it's not good for my biochemistry. Makes me feel sick. The kind of energy you generate in a hot class, because it's actually hot outside, is distinct from that which is foisted upon you. Never mind that fake heat is dry and often includes undesirable particulate matter (in older buildings). This is why I can get with the "hot" nature of Ashtanga or fast vinyasa - you make that heat for yourself - and not with Bikram. (Well, there are so many reasons why I can't get with Birkram...) Every summer I'm reminded of how easy it is to be a yogi in a warm climate.

Yesterday I did make my latest version of the Kielo Wrap dress, tie-free:

It's an interesting story: I did not have enough of this bamboo fabric to cut it on the grain (so that the little knit stitches form vertical wales). Having said that, I had more than enough to cut it against the grain. Given that it's a 4-way stretch fabric with good recovery (and of good quality), I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a go and cut against the grain. And, except for the fact that the back on this version is hanging differently and slightly longer than the front (I fixed it while hemming), it's ok. Whether this dress keeps it shape in the long-run remains to be seen.

Of course, I'm driven by order so the fact that this fabric sits horizontally, rather than vertically, drives me a bit nuts. I suspect, no one else will be able to tell and, natch, it's a design choice. But I'm still rule-bound.

It's a bit observable below, if you know what you're looking for, mainly because of the slightly marled nature of the fabric.

On the plus side, I do think my top stitching is improving - largely because I've slowed the fuck down. I used a single needle on my sewing machine for the neck and armholes, but I did coverstitch the hem. Ever since I started coverstitching "correctly" my stitches seem to want to fall out when I finish, despite my careful stitching over the stitches made at the beginning of the hem. Gotta look up ways to avoid that because re-sewing over those stitches, with a sewing machine, to secure them, is time-consuming, a bit ugly and perhaps not the most stable technique. I should also get one of those clear presser-feet but I'm not spending money on gear 3 seconds before a reno and, really, the coverstitch accessories are not cheap.

I lowered the neckline (and next time, I think I might go a bit lower still). The arms fit better since I scooped them out slightly, to account for the bound armholes, but I think I can go scoopier still.

You can see my Hudson pant fabric cut out in the background. I've got 2 pairs ready to go but I cannot bring myself to sew them in a heatwave!

This was not a quick process and I did encounter a few blips, albethey fixable. Took me 5 hours to make the dress, though that was from start to finish - threading my machines with the right colours, altering the pattern again slightly, cutting and marking the fabric and then sewing. Just hemming takes a good 30 minutes when you want to achieve a really nice finish.

I wore it out this morning and it works quite well. And it'll be perfectly fine for the office too.

What do you think of my off-the-grain strategy? Would it drive you nuts? Do you think I'm merely practical and not crazy? Whatcha think of the latest version? I swear, I won't inflict any new versions of this on you any time soon. :-)