Queen of Hearts Gray Knit Moneta Dress

Yes… evidently the best way to get my sewjo back is to write about having lost my sewjo!  Almost immediately after making that post I decided I was going to sew a Moneta!  I had previously started what became a muslin version of this, so it was (seemingly) a good project to jump into….seemingly.

But I some how systematically made self sabotaging choices…. first on fabric choice, then on size choice!

This is an “Italian Heather Gray Cotton Jersey” I got on sale through Mood a few years ago.  It’s got a one-way stretch, but is SUPER stretchy in that one way.  It’s almost like a sweater knit…but not really.

And my machine LOVED to eat this fabric…. like seriously could not stitch more than a few inches without it getting sucked into the machine!  After consulting with my Charleston sewing compatriots I started sewing with tissue paper… which, while annoying, did help a lot.

However…. what really helped was my brand-new, was when my super fancy Bernina sewing machine FINALLY came in!!!

I feel a soft chorus of angels should accompany this picture.

Suddenly, 96% of the issues I was having were solved!  Now, don’t get me wrong, I have a special place in my heart for my Montgomery Ward- but there are some things the 40+ year old girl just can’t do and one of them was sew this fabric without eating it!

The Moneta pattern itself is really straight forward and had I not had all the issues with the fabric I probably could’ve easily finished this in a weekend.

I cut and sewed a size XL and had a heck of a time with the fit! I had to take the sleeves and bodice in by 1.5 inches!! I could not for the life of me figure it out…. til i realized I had based my size choice on finished garment measurements instead of actual body measurements like the pattern specifically tells you to do!!!  Facepalm!  So…. at some point this week I will be re-tracing this pattern in the correct size L

I found the Moneta sewalong to be pretty helpful, particularly when it came to doing the elastic gathering and using the twin needles.
Speaking of twin needles- I’m still not entirely convinced they are not the devil, but things did go smoother with the new machine (in that I didn’t want to throw things across the room).  If anyone has tips as to how you can avoid the prominent “hump” between the two lines of stitching I am all ears!

As I was sewing this up, I felt it was a bit plain…. so it being February, and Valentine’s Day and all, I added an applique heart to the skirt 🙂

So, there you have it!  I’m very excited to try to make this dress again…. in the correct size and with a less persnickety fabric!!  I think it has the potential to be a real staple.  I really want to experiment with the various downloadable collar options.

With my applique addition I believe this fits in perfect with Allie J.’s Date Night theme for the February Social Sew!!  Although, to be honest, the husband and I’s date nights are more likely to include PJs, Netflix and not leaving the couch 😛

I’m also posting this with enough time to coincide with the Moneta Party Colette Patterns is running…. although technically I guess you have to post on Instagram (…still haven’t set that one up yet)  But since I’m trying to be more active in the online sewing community I’m claiming both!!