Notes on a Pattern - Butterick B6090

Way, way back in November of 2014 Rhonda  helped me fit Butterick B6090.  It was a workshop that she and Susan Khalje hosted in Chicago.  Oddly, I never made the dress, but I knew one day I would.  At the beginning of every year, I review my list of unfinished projects and decide which ones to add to my list of things to finish the first half of the year.  I pulled this muslin from the closet to try on to see if all the adjustments were still valid.  Luckily, they were. 

Prior to coming to the workshop, I made this muslin.  It was made with my initial pattern adjustments listed below:

• FBA
• Prominent Shoulder Blades
• Swayback Adjustment
• Lengthening of the Sleeve

FBA

Lengthen Sleeve

Prominent Shoulder Blades and Sway Back

My goal was to see if Rhonda or Susan could help me get the best fit for this dress and to provide my with the best approach for fitting a non-princess seam bodice. I love the way Rhonda talked through all of the changes as she made them and show me how the change affected the look and fit of the dress. 

Below are explanations of the changes.

Please note: this post is mainly to express the importance of making a muslin and to provide some explanation of the fit process.  Some of you may need similar adjustments. So these details may or may not help you with your fitting process.   By no means am I an expert, but this process helped me get the best fit for this garment.

• The full bust adjustment is usually the first thing I tackled. I start with examining the pattern and determining how much more width is needed to make the front bodice fit.  My adjustment can be anywhere between 1.5" to 2.5".  With this adjustment I decided to make two waist darts instead of one.  The FBA extended into the yoke pattern as well.  When I tried on the muslin, Rhonda saw a few more adjustments needed in the yoke, the side, and the armhole.

•  The yoke had to be adjusted above the bust at the armhole and on the side of the bust at the armhole.  So the front armhole was decreased by 1/2", 1/4" in each area.  See above pictures.  Next, the side seam needs to be taken in starting 2" below the armhole almost to the waist.  The front sleeve was fine.
• The prominent shoulder blade adjustment.  I made a 3/4" adjustment.  At the left shoulder seam I made a small dart and at the right shoulder seam I eased the excess to fit the front yoke shoulder seam.  This was a test to see which construction technique looks the best.  And the small shoulder dart was the winner giving a smooth seam and curve at the shoulder.

Left shoulder seam with dart.

Right shoulder seam with ease.

• As Rhonda worked her way around the upper back, she indicated that more room was needed in the upper back sleeve area.  She pulled out the stitches and re-pinned the upper sleeve to secure the change.
• Next, she said that the shoulder seam was not aligned and that I needed to add about 1/2"to the back along the shoulder seam near the armhole and reduce the same amount on the front yoke.  I think this is a forward shoulder adjustment.  The shoulder seam should be parallel to the ear.  You can see the marked adjustment in the picture above. 
• My initial swayback adjustment was not enough.  Starting from the right side front all the way around the back, I need to reduce the length at the waist.  So that the waist remains parallel to the floor all the way around.  The reduced length now needs to be added to the hem of the skirt so that the dress hangs evenly.

These changes were transferred to the tissue pattern to finalize the fit adjustments for this dress.  Now, this dress pattern is ready to make into my fashion fabric.

This process is so important.  Making a muslin gives you the experience of making the garment, testing not only the fit but also the construction.  You will be able to identify any challenges with making the garment.  Without the expense of cutting into your fashion fabric, you can determine whether or not you like the style. So many benefits of the muslin making and fitting process.

My next step for this project is to choose a fabric for the actual dress.  Hopefully, I can decide this week.  I think for sure I'll make two dresses.  A lot of work went into getting the fit right.  I'll be able to benefit from this exercise for future projects of similar style lines.  I'll use the muslin and the pattern as a point of reference.  That will save me some time with future adjustments.

I hope you find something useful in this post.

Happy Sewing!
C

Shirred Wrist Sleeve and McCall 6964

This is the second sleeve drafting project that I've done using one of Rhonda's "free sleeve Saturday" patterns.

What I like about this one is that it draws attention to your forearm without a lot of fabric.  That is, not to say that I don't like flounces.  It's just a different type of attention-getter.  I decided to take the shirring higher up my arm. You can see that in the pattern below.

This sleeve was just as easy to draft as the "Draped Cowl Sleeve" but it requires more time to slash and spread the small sections.

Black tops are scarce in my wardrobe.  This new one will be great to wear with jeans, slacks, and skirts.  For cooler days a nice 3/4 sleeve kimono jacket is the perfect topper to add warmth and still show off the cute sleeves.

Again, I won't repeat the tutorial for this sleeve.  Get the instructions from Rhonda's blog here.

Thanks and Happy Sewing!
C

Rhonda's Draped Cowl Sleeve with Vogue 1314 and McCall 6963

I'm delighted to post this blog.  Personally, I think my drafting experience was a success.  This weekend, I made two garments with Rhonda's Draped Cowl sleeve:  McCall 6963 drape neck top and Vogue 1314 dress.  As stated previously, the drafting process was so easy.  It took about an half hour to complete.  I posted the pictures on Instagram and Rhonda kindly indicated that if I wanted more drape, spread the top of the sleeve more.  For these garments I just cut it wider as seen in the photo below.

For the velvet dress, I used the lining pattern, front and back, of Vogue 1314 and the dress neck band.  For the sleeve, I used McCall's 6963 designed by Palmer/Pletsch.  My crushed velvet fabric was purchased in New York City during my little shopping spree with Carolyn and Andrea.

This Vogue pattern has already been reviewed on my blog here.  The construction of the sleeve was super easy.  I serged the edge of the top of the sleeve and the hem.   Then I sewed the long seam.  Next, I folded the facing under to the wrong side.  At the shoulder seam, the facing is slightly overlapped and the rest of the sleeve is attached to the armscye in the usual manner.

Paisley Draped Cowl Top

I wanted to emulate Rhonda's top.  So I decided deciding on a paisley print.  This fabric came from Fabric Mart.  It is a lycra knit with glitter and mylar dots on it.  I took a chance on buying this one, hoping that the glitter would not come off on everything and it does not.  But the mylar dots can be hard to sew on.  So I used waxed paper to help make the sewing easy and it did. ;-) This top is also a part of a blog tour sponsored by "Coats Thread".  So more on that later.

Finally, I used McCall's 6963 to make my draped neck and sleeve top.  This basic pattern has great bones and can be used as a sloper for creating other designs.  My another adjustments are the usual:  swayback and FBA.

Special thanks to Rhonda for your generosity.  Her instructions for this sleeve can be found here.

So that's all for now!

Happy Sewing!
C

Sleeves, Sleeves and More Sleeves

This spring there has been an explosion for sleeve designs to hit the garment market and the garment sewing market.  From cold shoulder designs to ruffles and multiple layer flounces, both marketplaces are saturated with interesting sleeve designs.  

Of course, this didn't just start.  I begin to noticed the focus on sleeves about five years ago.  One of my first recollection was when Rhonda Buss begin to post "Sleeves on Saturday".  Immediately, I was intrigued and wanted to try my hand at it; but felt a little intimated by the whole process.  So, I downloaded the instructed and stored them on the bookshelf for safe keeping.  I started feeling a little courageous a few days ago, I decided to take another look at what Rhonda posted in 2012. 

I belong to two groups on Facebook called:  "Pericrafters" and "SewMuchTalent".  For the month of June, our challenge is to hack McCall M6886.  Usually, I start early in the month deciding what I'd create for the challenge.  This month, I did not because there is such a saturation of sleeve design options available.  So why hack as if sleeves are the only thing to hack.  Anyway.

This brings my back to Ms. Rhonda.  She has created some very interesting sleeves.  Perfect for any sleeve hacking you or I may want to do. And I haven't seen her designs in any patterns yet.

Butterfly Sleeve

Rhonda - Cowl Draped Sleeve

Rhonda - Cowl Sleeve

Rhonda - Shirred Wrist Sleeve

So to share with all of you, here are a few sleeve options from her series that I am considering. No date in sight for doing these. I do plan to try at least one of them.  Join me if you please. ;-)

Happy Sewing!

C

I'm a Guest Blogger on Rhonda's Creative Life

Good evening everyone,

I wanted to let everyone know that I'm a guest blogger on Rhonda's Creative Life. A few weeks ago Rhonda asked me to write a tutorial on my fold over clutch for Fabulous Free Pattern Friday. Of course, I was delighted and welcomed the opportunity to be a guest blogger.

So please stop by Rhonda's Blog to read the tutorial.

Enjoy!
Cennetta

Thank You!

Good evening dear followers and friends,

Thank you for voting for me in the "Get Your Motor Running" competition. There were so many talented and skilled participants, who designed/created fabulous garments. I was truly surprised to win the competition.

I hope I can do the MotorCity Express (#222) Jacket justice.

Stay tuned and happy sewing!
Cennetta

Get Your Motors Running Contest - Vote Now!

Good evening everyone!

Thanks to all of you who have ready voted for me in the "Get Your Motors Running Contest". If you have not voted, please go to Rhonda's blog to cast your vote. Voting will end at midnight on Monday, February 9, 2015. The winner will be announced on the following Tuesday.

Thank you again and enjoy the rest of your day!
Cennetta

Black and White: Contest and Wardrobe Capsule

A few months ago, Rhonda asked if I would be interested in participating in the "Motor Running Competition". I was delighted and accepted her offer. Each contestant was given about a 2/3 yard piece of fabric to incorporate into a design of their choosing.

The fabric is a shirt weight barkcloth that feels like a poly/rayon blend. I didn't know the name of the fabric until Rhonda told me, but have used it in years past. I like the texture and feel of it, but hate the wrinkles. I thought it would be great to incorporate in a kimono style jacket or accent for a skirt or dress. I couldn't decide. So I turned to Pinterest to find inspiration.

I chose a black polyester crepe to complement the barkcloth.  Even though they have slightly different texture, they work well together.

A swirl design in this evening gown caught my eye. I like the waist slimming affect of it, and thought it would be flattering on my somewhat boyish lower half. The illusion of a smaller waist and curvier hips was perfect for me.

Looking through my pattern collection, Butterick 5147 was the perfect starting point for drafting the front of the dress. I used this pattern twice before; here and here.  No need to go through the long process of making my standard alternations. My concentration was more on the design and the placement of the floral print.

My first step in the drafting process was to make a copy the full front of the dress, one pattern piece. After copying the front for the left and right sides onto tracing paper, I free handed drew the design lines dividing the pattern in three separate sections for the front of the dress. I tested placing the pattern over the fabric to determine how to use the floral design in the dress.

Oops, forgive the wrinkles.

Next, I cut the apart the pattern pieces. I added the seam allowances as needed while cutting the muslin. Surprising, there were not a lot of changes needed to the muslin. One of my concerns was with the placement of the bust and the vertical waist darts. My hope was to use the design lines to absorb the darts. I achieved that for the bust darts, but the waist was a little more challenging. Some of the excess fabric of the waist was absorbed in the half circular area (in the middle) and in the side seams. That was not enough, so I found the least noticeable area in the floral print to make a shallow dart. You can see it here.

I used the same pattern pieces to create the lining. Because I only had an off-white lining on hand, I made a front and back neck faces. I didn't want the lining to show. Vogue Patterns sometime include facings and separate lining pieces. I'm going to make a point to create facings for similar lined dresses.

My construction did create a little more bulk, but it's not bad. Once I worked out the design, sewing the dress was not difficult. It went together as easily as the previous versions. This one just has a little twist to it. A fun project.

Thank you Rhonda for asking me to participate.

Wardrobe Capsule Inspiration:  Black and White

Happy Sewing!
Cennetta

PS -  This was all that was left of the barkcloth panel.