Rhonda's Draped Cowl Sleeve - A Few Notes and Pictures

All summer it's when a challenge to schedule photo shoots with my daughter photographer due to work schedules and other activities. But slowly and surely I'm trying to catch up with posting pictures of the garments that I've made this year.

Today I want to show Rhonda's draped cowl sleeve dress and top as I would wear them. For my dress, I used Vogue 1314. My fabric is from a shop that was going out of business in New York. I bought all that was left. This is a polyester crushed velvet knit. When I bought it home, immediately I flew it in the washer and the dryer. It washing beautifully. This was an excellent purchase. So here I'm wearing it in the park near my home. My earlier post of making the draped cowl sleeve is here.

Next, I'm wearing my paisley draped cowl sleeve top (McCall 6963) with Simplicity pants (Simplicity 8389). The fabric is a crepy two tone chocolate knit from Vogue Fabrics in Evanston. It's very stretchy. So instead on making the waistband using the same fabric, it's a smooth lycra black knit. I omitted the belt.

This is the end of my current showcase of my Rhonda Draped Cowl sleeve projects. More on the other sleeves later.

 Thanks for stopping by!
C

McCall 7445 - In the Orange

McCall 7445

These pants were made early spring, but I didn't get decent pictures of me wearing them until now. I first talked about them here and here.

This fabric is another winner!  It's a beefy polyester stretch woven suiting that is perfect for these pants.  I love the drape and how it slightly falls away from the body.

Trending now are pj's like suits.  Many celebrities are wearing them.  It's funny how "trashy" fashion becomes Haute Couture fashion in a matter of a few years.

Rihanna wannabees wore pj pants to the grocery store in a regular basis.  This year many designers are making fashion statement across the globe with their pajama like suits.

Anyway the top I'm wearing is ready to wear from JC Penny's.  It's light, airy, and floats with the slightest movement.  It has that "pj appeal", without looking like your headed for a good night's slumber.  So this is one way I will wear my orange pants this season.

Happy Sewing!
C

Tomato Red Bold - Vogue 9239 In Review

Red and Orange are two of my favorite colors.  Both are bold and vibrant. I love wearing these colors and hope to add more red and orange to my wardrobe during the fall and winter seasons.  So today, I'm happy to share my newest dress made with tomato red (red-orange color) ponte knit.  Here's my pattern review.

Pattern:  Vogue 9239

Pattern Description:  Fitted bodice dresses have front and back princess seams, full or slim skirt, and sleeve variations.  Separate pattern pieces are included for cup sizes A, B, C, D.

Pattern Sizing:  sizes 6 - 22; I used 14 neck/shoulder, 16 through bust area, and 14 skirt.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes, the design lines are like the drawing and the photographed dress.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions were typical; nothing confusing about them.  Some of the construction processes I did not do.  Later on those details.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?   I love the sleeve and skirt variations.  Having the multiple cup size option and the princess seams are great too.  It's easier to make fit adjustments.

Fabric Used:  I purchased this lovely tomato red ponte knit from Fabric Mart during the summer.  They may not have it anymore as I bought the last four yards of it.  The pattern recommends lighter fabrics.  I understand why.  The upper body has additional pieces for the front/back shoulder area which adds some bulk along the seam lines.  Also, the bodice is underlined and lined.  This became a dislike as I sewed the dress.  But at the same time, I felt the underlining helps stabilize along the neck and shoulder areas, especially when you use a fabric with some stretch.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  Yes, I made a few.  They are:

•  With my available cup size, I made minimum tweaks to the front bodice.

• Swayback - I made a small one, but think I needed to go a little deeper to remove the winkles across my back.
• No prominent should blade adjustment.  The many pieces to the back allowed me more adjustment options along the seams.
• I added about one inch to the length of the bodice, which I could have skipped; maybe not.  But it looks like too much fabric in the bodice.
• Skirt - Added an inch or two the length; rise the center back up by 1/2 inch.  My swayback causes the center back to rest lower than the rest of the back waist seam; and I didn't line the skirt.  This ponte knit is opaque.  

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  I'm going to make this dress again, view C.  I have a very nice black crepe polyester from Mood Fabrics.  The dress was a piece of cake to sew. 

Conclusion:  I wanted to make this dress all summer long and finally I made it Monday before last.  It's a good make and I'm pleased with the results. But I do hope that with a lighter fabric it will be easier to press along those triple layers of the bodice.  I want make view C early November in time for the holiday season.

Happy Sewing!
C