This post may contain affiliate links. Read my Disclosure Policy to learn more.
Hello everyone!
Hope you all had a lovely Easter holiday. The weather has been well behaved for once and we have been spending many hours outside :-). Given that its half term I havent seen much sewing action but I did finish up my 3rd Moneta before the break.
One of the first dresses I made was Colette’s Moneta here. To say it was a baptism of fire is understatement. It helps that I was completely naive to the intricacies of sewing with knits. The pattern pieces had jagged edges because the fabric moved while cutting – I did not use pattern weights! There was no checking of thread tension and I didn’t even use a ball point needle!!<Shock horror>. Back then my instant gratification monkey always won out! I wasn’t going to wait for a stupid needle to wear my dress!.
The fabric was a cheap £3/meter I got from a clearance sale.  Even though it was a cheap fabric it has held up well when washed – it has been washed a lot! Though not a bad make it wasn’t quite what I had hoped for.
But moving on to Moneta No.2 – my Xmas Moneta. I decided in December that what I really needed was a Christmas dress as we were playing host to 17 extended family members. It warranted a ……superhero costume of sorts. I quickly made this up in a green velvet.
This was my first time working with napped fabric and I didn’t do very well with directionality…but thats OK because well nobody noticed. It was lovely BUT the waist was too high!
I constantly felt the need to pull it down. And during one of the pulling down sessions I heard a nice sounding rip and yep the skirt was coming away from the bodice!
Umm I was too lazy and scared to change the overlocker thread…
Luckily it was under my belt that I wore it with all the time after that. I managed to get by with the intention to mend it but am yet to get round to it <sigh>. I think its coming away because the fabric isnt meant to be dress fabric, rather crafting fabric..or it may be I just did not handle it properly. I love the buttons at back though and got a lot of compliments.
My most recent Moneta was a labour of love. I was determined to sort out the bodice issue by simply adding 2 inches to the front and back bodice pieces, blended the side seams, trued up and shaved of 2/8 inch on the upper bodice to eliminate bagginess around the ribs.
The waist sits more comfortably on my natural waist.
Decided on a colour blocked one with the roll collar in deep brown. The fabric was lush and it was an Ebay bargain for £3.45/m with free P&P. So yes a great deal. I am very happy with the outcome.
I used the Moneta extras that come free available on the Colette website. This is the Roll collar Version. It looks and feel classy :-).
Hems finished with wondertape and zigzag stitch. Wonky elastic shirring
I had to use clear elastic as I ran out of braided elastic. The shirring is still something I struggle with and just wing tbh.
When attaching the skirt and bodice my gathering is not even. I still need to work on that but I have plans to make another variation of the Moneta without sleeves and a scallop neckline.
I still don’t like the way the sleeves are baggy under the upper arms. I need to shave of about 1/8 of an inch there to get rid of those drag lines I think.
Really need to get all threads off before taking pictures!
New technique used was hemming using wonder tape. Sewing with Knits Craftsy class recommends using that and I must say I am converted. Compare my hem with my previous one well…..the pictures say it all really.
um…yeah I have come a long way!
I truly feel elegant when I am wearing this dress lols. The other day I was in  a kitchen showroom that had mirrors all over the place and I swear I was ‘swanning’  with my head just that little bit higher. Don’t you just love it when me made clothes make you feel like that?
RED
April 9, 2015 2:24 pmI have my first Moneta cut out and waiting to be sewed. Your post just made me even more excited to get started! I didn’t think about the waistline being too high (I’m kinda tall and it’s a problem with lots of dress patterns), so I just cut the pattern as is. I hope it works out and if it doesn’t then it’s cheapo fabric anyway so not much of a loss. 😉
And I have to say I’m not usually one to love velvet, but that green dress! Ohhh it’s so pretty!
Hila
April 10, 2015 1:10 pmI am sure you will looks as fabulous as you always do in your makes! I cant wait to see yours 😉
RED
April 10, 2015 2:24 pmAww, thanks – how sweet! You’re pretty dazzling yourself!
DavyMade
April 9, 2015 3:11 pmI love this dress! It looks fantastic on you. And it’s so encouraging to see how far you’ve come. Gives me hope. 🙂
Hila
April 10, 2015 1:13 pmThanks Pamela! We get better with each item we sew, one little stitch at a time 😉
lovelucie1
April 9, 2015 4:02 pmYou can definitely see your progression. You look so much more at ease with your dress in this third one.
It’s lovely.
Hila
April 10, 2015 1:16 pmThey say ‘Practice makes Progress’! I am glad to see that I am improving though – my tendency is towards being overly critical of myself -_-.
navybluethreads
April 9, 2015 6:07 pmLovely! I really like the colour blocking of this, the brown works really well 🙂
Hila
April 10, 2015 1:18 pmThank you! I wasn’t too sure how it would look but I am glad I went with it ;-).
navybluethreads
April 10, 2015 8:16 pmOh, it definitely works 🙂
susan
April 9, 2015 9:34 pmAll of your moneta’s are fab! I am hoping to make one soon – once I get over my weird fear of starting it!
Hila
April 10, 2015 1:20 pmI totally get the fear of starting something. I was like that with the first Moneta I made. But seriously Susan just go for it! You have managed to make some kick ass Clover trousers so this dress will be a piece of cake for you! Cant wait to see your Moneta!
Stephanie
April 9, 2015 11:02 pmI love the effect of the green velvet, in spite of the seam mishap! 🙂 The third one looks great and you look lovely in it. I like the clarity of your photos and the attention to fitting. Really nice.
Hila
April 10, 2015 1:22 pmThank you Stephanie! I guess 3 times is the charm 😉 My husband takes my photos and he is fussy about light so he will only agree to take pictures when there is good light. SOmetimes that means waiting days before I can blog a new make 😉
springystitches
April 9, 2015 11:17 pmWow Hila, another amazing dress! I love the colour block idea and adding length at the waistband has really made a difference to the fit. It looks great on you and if I had this dress, I’d bee swanning around too! 🙂
Hila
April 10, 2015 1:24 pmThanks Becky! I am thinking of calling this my Swan dress lols. I do love how I feel in it and thats the best bit about making my own my clothes 😉
Beth
April 10, 2015 6:50 amI love your final paragraph!! You’ve done so well, your most recent looks amazing. The collar is perfect. Thanks for the wonder tape tip too!
Hila
April 10, 2015 1:27 pmThanks Beth! I think that Colette drafted that collar really well. The way it just lays flat is awesome ;-). You are welcome on the wonder tape – its not too expensive but its worth it for a neat hem IMO.
Geo P
April 10, 2015 9:42 amI didn’t know you only started sewing recently, or is that only with knits? The dress looks great on you, you have a talent for picking the right fabric for the right pattern and make it look good. I really love everything you make.
I think the sleeve head is too short and it’s causing that pooling at the underarm. Have a look at this wonderful resource, page 33 🙂
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/IR00000338/00001/37j
Hila
April 10, 2015 1:29 pmThank you so much! I am clicking through and checking it out! Will let you know how I get on 😉
SewSouthLondon
April 10, 2015 3:05 pmThey all look fantastic. Shame about the green velvet one, because it had a really ‘luxe’ look about it. Glad you’re happy with number 3.
Hila
April 10, 2015 8:11 pmThanks Rachel! I am learning with each make and I find that so invigorating and frustrating in equal measure! There is this part of me that is just dying to have as many me made lovely items in my wardrobe constantly fighting the instant gratification monkey that wants the short cuts 😉
SewSouthLondon
April 11, 2015 4:30 pmI know exactly what you mean, but sometimes the fabric just lets you down. my polka-dot moneta went like that around the waist.
Linda of Nice dress! Thanks, I made it!!
April 11, 2015 3:40 amThe green and the blue are beautiful colours. Sorry the green velvet didn’t work out for you. Don’t you love it though, how with everything we make we just learn more and get better and better!
Hila
April 11, 2015 1:08 pmYes! Absolutely the best part of making your own wardrobe is the sense of skill development. Its quite a high for me when I think about where I was a year ago and how much I have improved and learnt;-)
kathryn
April 12, 2015 8:39 pmI love your little extra details on these Monetas – the buttons & the roll collar. I’ve never tried wonder tape but keep reading about it, I’ll need to try it!
Hila
April 15, 2015 4:11 amThanks Kathryn! Wondertape is good stuff for knits 😀
EmilyAnn Frances
April 15, 2015 10:45 amVery informative post, Hila. Thanks for following my blog “Retro Glam”. I’m now following yours. I love when another sewista shares her experiences, good and not so good. The first Moneta in green was a start for you. I LOVE the color. With each dress you’ve learned more and grown your skills. Your persistence is paying off.
Hila
April 15, 2015 12:57 pmThank you EmilyAnn! I loved the title of your blog and enjoyed browsing through it! I look forward to seeing more of your fab makes 🙂
EmilyAnn Frances
April 15, 2015 4:02 pmThank you to you, too! I’m going to do the blouse over again this time in a solid color. Pussycat bows are so flattering to almost everyone!