Trending: Junk Ties - Simplicity S4762

 

Good evening Sewing Friends,

Have any of you heard of "junk ties?"  Well, Bethanie (one of my friends from church) asked me to make her a denim tie using some jeans that she wanted to "upcycle".  She indicated that she had her own findings to decorate the tie.  

I have seen a few junk ties on Instagram, but I wanted to get a little more information on how to style them as well as what the price points for a finished tie.  What I found online was a wide variety of styles and price points.  Click here is see.   I think junk ties are another canvas to express your own personal style and creativity.  You can style it simple, chic or audaciously over the top.  The price $25.00 to $160.00.  

My challenge, if you will, was to craft a denim necktie for my client to personalize.  Good thing, I have at least ten different patterns that including a necktie.  I chose Simplicity S4762, view E.

This pattern may be OOP, but you can still find it online.  My copy to about twenty years old, and this was my first time view E.  The pattern consists of boys' and men's vests and ties.  The sizes include S - XL.  I used the men's tie, view E.

Before cutting into Bethanie's jeans, I made a prototype just to see how the tie would turn out.  It was exactly as expected and look like the tie pictured on the envelope.  It was a bit narrower then the desired necktie.  The next one, I made it about 1.5" wider, which was closer to the width needed.  (The first two tie were made using some denim from my fabric collection.)  Lastly, I cut into her jeans to make the final tie.  To finish it, I added one of the pockets to jump start the design process.  In total three neckties made to achieve the desire look. 

For some reason, I thought sewing a necktie would be more difficult than making a bowtie.  It was actually easier.  And the instructions were simple and easy to follow.  Definitely, a beginner could easily make a necktie.

I really like how all of the ties turned out, narrow or wide.  I considered making a few more "junk ties" to gift and/or sell.  So, I will definitely make more ties and recommend this pattern to all level sewists.

In conclusion, this was a fun little project.  Each tie took less than an hour to make from start to finish.  Great beginner project with great results.

Here is Bethanie's final design for her personalized "junk tie."

Happy Sewing!

C

Neutrals - Always Trending

Good day!

How about a little fashion talk?  Today, I want to share a few thoughts on neutral color fashion.  In my world neutral tones are always trending.  All of the colors are in my color palette (above image).  The brown and green hues compliment my warm dark brown skin and eye color.

Neutrals colors are not extremely eye grabbing but perfect for mixing and matching with other colors and prints.

Throughout the years, I've made it a point to up-date my wardrobe with several neutral pieces to fill in a grab or to update a look or styled outfit.  Sometimes my neutral garment is the main ingredient of my outfit like in my previous post. And other times I add a neutral to mix with a bold color.

In both cases, neutral are in important to my wardrobe and at times can save an outfit. My neutrals are like staple.  My wardrobe would not be complete without them.  So recently, I took a good look into my closets and noticed there weren't many neutral staples.  So this year, I decided to concentration some of my creative efforts towards filling in the gab.

So for the ladies and gents that share a similar state of wardrobe, please join me in my quest.  Or tell me how you feel are "being neutral".

In the meantime, enjoy the inspiration included in this post.

Happy Sewing!
C

Watercolor Floral - New Look 6322

It's clear that I love floral prints.  In recent months I've ordered several yardages of bright, bold floral prints.  My favorite, so far, for 2015 is Mood multi- color watercolor cotton sateen.  (Too bad it's already sold out.)  The colors warm my skin giving me a summer glow.   Mood has a huge selection  of floral prints to pick from if this is not your favorite color.  My dress is completely lined with Mood's mint -mechanical stretch polyester crepe de chine. 

I regularly surf  Pinterest looking for inspirational garments.  I found this dress early summer and I knew I'd make a new slim dress to complement my summer wardrobe.

The pattern used is New Look 6322.  It comes in sizes 8 to 18.  There are several things I liked about it:

•  pleating at the waist giving me a little more shaping through the hip area and minimizes the excess fabric below the bust.
• the 'V' neckline.
•  the option of a straight skirt or an a-line one.
• simple to make.

The finish dress is true to the photos and drawings including with the pattern.  My version looks like view D with sleeves.

The construction techniques are standard.  I've used similar instructions in other patterns.  So I just glanced over them.  I did fiddle with the pleats and darts until I was satisfied with the location of them.    More on the alterations and changes can be found here.

This dress has good bones, and I definitely will use it again to make one of the other views.  For this dress, the combination of the fabric and the patterns works well for me, and I recommend both to others.

Happy Sewing!
Cennetta

White Party in Jamaica - McCall 7048

One of the few things that I made for my summer vacation was this outfit for Anita's birthday celebration.  Everyone was asked to wear white for the party.  It was left up to each individual to decide to wear something casual or dressy.  I chose to dress it up a bit. 

Recently, I shared an inspirational post that featured sequins.  To my surprise, JoAnn's Fabrics has stocked a few sequins fabrications.  One of them happened to be ivory on ivory mesh.    Not to fancy, just rows of single sequins stitched onto mesh.

For my outfit, I decided to use McCall 7048, which is similar to an inspirational designed I saw in a fashion magazine.  There were only a few changes required to achieve the look I was going for.  With that being said, let me start the review of my two piece sequined dress.

Pattern Description: MISSES' TOP, DRESS AND SKIRT: Close-fitting top and dress have self-lined yokes and bodice with princess seams, and back zipper. A: exposed zipper. B: lined skirt with princess seams and side pockets. Purchased trims and flower. A and C: overlay. B and C: horsehair braid on hemline.

Pattern Sizing: This pattern is available in sizes 6 to 22.  I used between  12, 14 and 16 with modifications.


Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  My dress is similar to the drawing (views A and C).

Were the instructions easy to follow?  This is a Designer Joi pattern which includes some fitting tips.  The instructions were easy to follow. I omitted some construction steps though.  More on those changes later. 


What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  I selected this pattern because it was similar to the designer inspiration. Other likes:  princess seam top with yoke and full skirt.  No dislikes.


Fabric Used:   Sequins on mesh, Casa special occasion polyester crepe. and China silk from JoAnn's Fabrics.   I used tricot interfacing.  Use a sharp needle to sew the sequins fabric.

Fabric dislikes - handling China silk, but love the polished look of it.  I wish for better crepe.  The polyester gets the job done.  Does anyone sale wool or silk crepe anymore?

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  
Changes and Alterations-

Top:  Overlay added to the front yoke, back yoke, and center back; FBA; broad shoulder and swayback adjustments; lengthen the top an inch; hand picked the zipper; and omitted trim to lower edge of top.

Skirt:  Added nine inches to the length of the skirt and overlay; hand picked the zipper; omitted the trim on the overlay; and omitted the horsehair braid to lower edge of lining.

Fit Observation:  The bodice fitting across the bust isn't as smooth as I'd like.  The width below the bust is a little loose. Also, lengthen the top caused some pooling in the lower back area.  These issues can be easily corrected.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I may make this again.   The skirt is common and is the same in many patterns on similar styles.  It can be used as a slopers.

Conclusion: I enjoyed making this outfit.  Adding the sequins as the overlay gave it a little "bling".

Parting shot:  Here is a cropped head shot of me in a group photo at the party.  Sorry I don't have any pictures on my wearing the outfit at the event.

3-Dimensional Floral - Inspiration

Today's inspiration comes from the runways of D&G, Chanel, Stella to name a few. I love their interpretation of florals in their spring collections. Some are subtle and some are over the top. What do you think? Enjoy!

Notes on a Pattern - McCall 7057, View B

Today's installation of Notes on a Pattern is McCall's 7057.  This is a new fall Palmer/Pletsch jacket.  At first sight, I knew I would make it.  For some unknown reason, JoAnn's does not have the new patterns when they are first released.  When it was finally available in stores, I was lucky to find this one still in the box next to the cabinets.

Anyway.. What do I like about this jacket?  Several weeks ago, I pinned a similar jacket on my Pinterest board:  This Should be In My Closet.  I like the hood that doubles as a shawl collar; it is a comfy versatile wrap jacket that can be dressed up or down; and, finally, it's easy to make.

It's described as a loose-fitting, unlined vest and jackets have front extending into hood or collar and side front seams.  View B has a belt, self-lined front and pockets.  It has princess seams, which are not clearly illustrated in drawing.  The guide sheet shows the design lines more clearly.

This is a Palmer/Pletsch pattern.  Fitting and tips included. Because I really like this jacket, I'm moving it to the top of the list of things to make.  I'm still hunting for the right fabric for it.  Fabric.com has a  wool melton that would probably fit the bill.  Polar fleece is another option.
 

So, what do you think about this new pattern?

Happy Sewing!
Cennetta

Trendy Embossed Faux Leather Skirt - McCall's 6842-A In Review

Today's post is on trend with a little circle embossed faux leather skirt for my daughter. She loves McCall 6842 and has been asking for a skirt since I purchased this pattern several months ago. These days we are seeing fuller skirts in all types of textures and lengths. Also on trend for this fall are embossed leather minis. So for this project I decided to combination the two trends and came up with an embossed faux leather mini circle skirt. My DD is well pleased with the skirt and has already asked for another.

This isn't the first time I reviewed this pattern. I made it for myself last winter. So I won't take time to described it again. That information can be found in my first post. What I'd like to review is the sewing process and how I handled the faux leather. I purchased the fabric at Vogue about a month ago, thinking it would be a great fabric to make my daughter a skirt. It looks like some of the embossed leathers I've seen in stores. The feel is smooth and supple. The wrong side is knit. So the fabric has some stretch to it.

When sewing with the two wrong sides on the outside, I had no problems. But any sewing with the right side out was a challenge. I do not have a teflon foot. So I used waxed paper when sewing on the right side of the fabric. This made it easy to sew. Any holes made in the fabric are permanent. So it is important to take your time and know precisely where want to stitch.  Work out all fitting issues before starting.

When sewing the zipper, I used very fine straight pins to anchor the zipper until I sewed it to the fabric.  The pins were strategically placed where I would make the final stitching. It worked and there is no evidence of additional holes along the zipper. When top stitching with the right sides against plate and the foot, I sandwiched the skirt between two pieces of waxed paper having the edges even with the edge of the skirt.

Only minor changes were made: I used a size 12 (size 10 at waist) only adding 1.5" to the length of it. To minimize the stitching, I didn't stay stitch the upper edge of the circle. I carefully made 3/8" clippings along the edge as needed. I top stitched the waist for added security. No pressing; but I thought about top stitching where the yoke and circle are joined. No hem; I've seem this treatment on garments made with neoprene as well as other RTW faux leather garments. Besides I thought it would be a bear trying to hem this fabric in the circle.

This is a great project to start my fall sewing. The pattern is easy and the embossed faux leather adds a little interest to it. My daughter loves the new skirt. My too! ;-) I'm sure this will be a favorite skirt for fall 2014.

Happy Sewing and Have a Fantastic Weekend!
Cennetta

PS - I'm still reviewing some summer garments.

Get Earthy in Marc Jacobs Silk Twill Wide-Leg Pants

My second designer inspired garment actually encompasses two design trends, earthy tones and "big girl pants".  With Marc Jacobs silk twill I made the first garment of my earth-toned wardrobe.  This is the very first time I've sewn silk twill, but it will not be the last.  I love this fabric and would like at least two more pairs of pants out of it.  If you haven't try silk twill, you should.  You will not be disappointed.
 

It seems like earth tones are always on trend and can be anchor tones for any seasonal wardrobe.  I really like the fact that this trend never goes away and that many of the colors are in my color palette. Wide-leg trousers are on trend and many designers showcased them on the runway as part of their spring/summer collections.  The length does not matter; it's about the way the fabric flows around the legs.  This Marc Jacobs silk twill is fluid and feels great against the skin.  Designers that feature wide-leg trousers are:  Emporio Armani, Marni, and 3.1 Phillip Lim.

Previously, I made view A of McCall's 6515.  This time I made view  D.  This pair was just as easy to make as the last.  The difference are the pleats at the waist and the wide-leg.  As stated in my previous review, it's an easy pant to sew.  For the next wide-leg pair though, I will scoop out the back crotch hook a bit.  Also, I'll make them a tad bit longer.  Here they look a little on the short side.  Worn below with McCall 6042 jacket, and Simplicity 4020 top, View C.