The Second Time Is A Charm - M6512

 

Yes, the second time is a charm if all the fit adjustments have been made.  Today I'm sharing one of my latest makes.  

When I received this lovely floral poly crepe from Minerva Fabrics, I decided to use McCall's M6512 again.  I have a few coordinates that really didn't have a good match.  So this blouse has filled another gap in my wardrobe.  

You may remember the first blouse.  It's part of my green wardrobe capsule and one of the UFO's that I finished last fall.  Once it was finished, I liked it even more than when I initially decided to make it.  And I like this second blouse just as much. 

It's perfect with my tangerine pants made a few years ago.  Actually, I can wear either blouse with the pants.  But I think the orange one looks the best.  Anyway, I am happy I have another pretty blouse in my wardrobe.

Stay Tuned more to come!

Cennetta

Notes On A Pattern - Vogue V8627 - Pattern Alterations

I decided to give Vogue 8627 a try.  This pattern has been in my collection for many years.  It is a very simple jacket.  The design lines are basic with an option to sew an asymmetric hem at the back of the jacket.  The front of the jacket has the bust dart rotated to the center front. I pondered how to make a full bust adjustment (FBA) and maintain the integrity of the style lines.  

Today I'm writing a Notes on a Pattern post to explain how I made the adjustments on the pattern to fit me. 

I started the process with just cutting my size, which was not included in this copy.  So I graded the size 14 up to size 16.  Next, I made a muslin just to see what types of changes were needed and to what degree those changes  would need to be made.  My "dream" was not to make a FBA.  HaHaHa.  Just holding the front jacket up to me, I could see that the bust dart needed to be lowered, the center front did not fall where it needed to, and the front waist dart was not in the same location as in the drawing.

I made a muslin using the pattern as is with the size graded up.  As I suspected, the front was too snug and the darts were in the wrong place.  So I definitely needed to make at least a FBA.

Caution - There are many changes to the front jacket.  It may look a mess.  But I'll try to clearly explain all of my adjustments.

Step 1 - I copied the front jacket just in case I "hacked" the pattern incorrectly.

Step 2 - On the copy, I first lowered the center front bust dart by 1".  The area is labelled #1.  This step was pretty painless once I figured out were to cut around the dart to move it down.  I did not want to cut into the area of the collar section.  You can see the slashes around the dart where I avoided the collar/neckline area.  Next, I filled in above where the dart was previously located.

Step 3 - Now, I could start the FBA.  First, I removed the sleeve so I could easily make the FBA.  See #2 slash from the waist up to the apex (which was also moved). The second FBA slash was through the bust dart and the third horizontal slash was made on the lower right side of the first FBA slash. I made a 1" FBA spreading each slash the appropriate amount of space, filling it in and taping it together. This adjustment changed the length and width of the front jacket. Next, the sleeve was reattached.  The FBA created an elongated triangle between the sleeve and the body of the jacket.  Now there is more space between the side of the bust and the arm. 

Step 4 - I didn't adjust the waist dart yet.  Usually that is done during the sewing process of the jacket or the second muslin.  

Step 5 - The sleeve is lengthen an inch or so. 

Below is a picture of the original front jacket placed on top of the adjusted front jacket to show the difference.

Step 6 - The next set of adjustments were made to the lower front and the front edge. These adjustments are made based on the width and length created on the front jacket.  

Step 7 - The final adjustment for the front of the jacket is on the collar.  Sometimes the fullness of the bust creates some gapping in the neckline.  I made a small tuck on the collar and the front jacket where the two are joined.  The small change reduces the possibility of a gapping neckline.

Step 8 - The prominent shoulder blade adjustment was made by slashing through the shoulder and waist darts, spreading the pattern  3/4".  And the sway back adjustment was made by creating a small horizontal tuck across the back as needed.  The added with is also made to the lower back.  The darts on both pieces are adjusted accordingly.  The back sleeve is also lengthen same as the front sleeve.

 

This ends my explanation of my pattern adjustments for this jacket.  Hopefully the next post will be the jacket reveal and my complete review of the project.  Until next time.

Happy Sewing!

C

The Shirt Project 2020 - Simplicity S1166 In Review

The making of these three shirts is the beginning of my second Shirt Project.  About two weeks ago, I found the shirts in a bag while inventorying my UFO bin.  Everything was already cut and marked.  All I needed to do was sew them.  This was the perfect project to finish while I wait for my button order to arrive.

I made this shirt once before, but I didn't do a full pattern review.  So today I'd like to share my thoughts on this pattern. 

Simplicity almost never gives a good description of the pattern views. For this one they just said, "Misses' blouse, skirt, and bra top.  How vague is that?

My description for view B - Misses' blouse with dolman like 3/4 length cuffed sleeves with wide collar and curved hem.

The pattern comes in sizes 6 to 24. The sizes are grouped: 6-14  and 16-24.  I used size 14 with modifications.

This drawing and the envelope photo do not match.  The drawing is the same silhouette as my blouse, but the blouse on the model is different.  Either the blouse she is wearing  is three sizes too big or the pattern design is for an all together different pattern than what is provided in the envelope.

The instructions were easy, and I didn't see anything confusing in them.  I did make some fit adjustments and minor changes for my versions.

My likes:

• Sleeve design
• Wide collar
• Cuffs

No real dislikes other than the misinterpretation of the design modelled on the envelope.

I used three different fabrics from three different sources:

• Iridescent Blue Kaufman Greenwich Chambray Cotton is from Fabric.Com. Love this fabric.  It has a teal undertone.  It is super soft.  I ordered this one two years ago.  And it was what I requested plus the end of the bolt pieces.  So they probably don't have this one anymore. Striped Cotton Blend is from Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, Illinois.  Beautiful fabrication: sews, presses, and wears very well.  This one has been in my fabric collection for years.  
• White 100% Pima Cotton Broadcloth from Mood Fabrics.  This fabrication is soft to the touch and great to sew.  But it does wrinkle easy, typical cotton shirting.  This fabric is available on Mood's website.

The pattern alterations are some of my usual adjustments:  FBA plus I lowered the bust dart; and I lengthen the blouse about a few inches.

Design/Construction changes:  I did something a little different for each blouse

• White - No top-stitching except for the cuffs.  I didn't do a rolled hem.  I serged, turned and sewed the hem.  Added darts to the back.  Stitched in the ditch of the shoulder seams instead of tacking the facing to it.
• Stripe - Followed the instructions except for the hem and tacking the facing to the shoulder seams.  The collar design change for this one was due to limited amount of striped fabric.  I didn't have enough for both upper and lower collars.  So I used some of the white pima for the under collar.
• Blue - Same as the stripe blouse. No design change.

So far I've made a total of four blouses using this pattern.  Why stop now?  I can see myself using it again.  And I do recommend it to others.  It's an easy sew.  All level sewists can enjoy making this blouse.

I noticed a few areas where I could tweak the fit a little more.  But overall I'm pretty pleased with how these turned out. They are good wardrobe staples and will be in high rotation.  Perfect pairing with jeans and pull-on pants.  

My tips:

Buttonholes
Collar

My first blouse made 2016.

Side Note:  Whenever I make shirts, I include at least one white one.  You can never have too many. ;-)


Happy Sewing!
C

Simplicity S8982 - The Great Wardrobe Builder

This Simplicity pattern can be used to build a little mini wardrobe.  For the SewYourView November Challenge, I came away with four new pieces:  three tops and one skirt.  They can be mixed and matched with other pieces I already have.

For now, this raps up my posts on S8982.  It's an easy pattern that you can get a lot of mileage out of.  Out of the four pieces that I made, my favorite is the hacked key hole top made of ITY polyester/lycra jersey.  You'll see this one again.

Anyway, this is more of a pictorial posts.  All of the pattern review notes are in the two previous posts.  Enjoy! More to come later.

Happy Sewing!
C


 

Simplicity 8643 - My First Knit Top of 2019

This top is actually the forth garment made in 2019.  I'll be posted the rest soon, but I want to get some picture of me wearing them.  Anyway, the pattern is  "quick sew" T-shirt "like tops.  The two differences are:  the asymmetric hem and the front pleating.  These are the two details that convinced me to purchase the pattern.

Simplicity describes this pattern as:  misses' knit top featuring asymmetrical hems with optional cold-shoulder, contrasting sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, or sleeveless view.  I made view D with sleeve from view C.  It's comes in multi- XXS to XXL.  I used between size M and L with some modifications.

My finished top did look like the modeled top, only a more fitted with sleeves.  It's winter, for real, in the mid-west.  So sleeves are the best optional.

The instructions are super easy to follow.  The pleating along the center front are just simple tucks with a line of stitches to hold them in place.  Nothing complicated about making them.  I traced the stitching and pleat lines onto the fabric.  Then pinned the pleats in place and stitched.  All done in less the two minutes.

There is nothing to dislike.  It's basically a modified t-shirt pattern with center pleats.  As I stated earlier, I like the pleats and the hemline. My other like is the neckband.  It looks great if I say so myself. ;-)

My knit fabric was purchased from Marcy Tilton online fabric store.  She really has some great knits.  This particular textile is no longer available, but there are other fabulous knits that you can purchase.  This knit has 4-way stretch with great recovery.  I can't remember the fiber content. Sorry.

I only made a few changes.  For this top, I skipped my regular FBA just to see if will with work/fit.  Instead I cut between M and L at the  half way mark on the front armhole and extended the side edges to the large size in the bust area. Then tapered back to between the M and L sizes.

For the back, I did do a swayback adjustment and created a center back seam.  This works well for me.

I forgot to lengthen the sleeves before cutting them out.  So I added a 1.5 inch sleeve band to compensate for the shortage.

Update - I forgot to add that I shorten the neckband by 2.5" to get it to lay flat.

I almost always fail to mention that I use stitch witchery or steam a seam to finish the hem.  Both of these notions are a must have in my sewing notion drawer.  I keep plenty of both on hand.

This is a good top to sew to help build your staple wardrobe.  I will pair this top with some slim knit pants or leggings.  To complete the outfit during these bone chilling days, I'll throw on a cardigan to fight back the cold.

I am very pleased with how my top turned out and may use this pattern again.  Yes, I also recommend it to others, beginners and advanced sewers.

Happy Sewing!
C

Notes on Two Patterns - Vogue 1498 and McCall 7775

Good afternoon everyone!

I wanted to share some thoughts on upcoming sewing projects.  Today's Notes on "Two" Patterns is about two dresses I plan to make during the spring/summer 2018.  Monday I spent time anaylzing and fitting patterns for my summer wardrobe.  So far, I'm working on two color palettes: one is black and white with a little color here and there and the two shades of green.  These are the basic colors for the wardrobe capsules.  I'm still trying to work out the garment types for each capsule.  So that's a work in process.

I bought McCall 7775 and Vogue 1498.  They have similar upper body style, right?  Yes and no.  McCall's 7775, views A/B are just one front pattern piece, but Vogue 1498 has a two piece bodice front and a front slim skirt.

McCall's 7775- I was skeptical about trying the views A/B because of the neck and bust area.  There is possible gapping at the neck.  The finished bust for size 16 is 40.5".  I need a little more width. I put the pattern against my body to see how it would fit my upper body.  The armhole area is low, the apex was close to the center front seam instead of the center of the pattern piece, and not enough width.  Definitely there are adjustments needed.   Then, I examined views C/D.  The fullness of the bust area for the same size was a few inches wider.  These views have pleats in the neck area, which gives more volume throughout the dress.  I like this view too, but was more interested in making view A/B first.    So back to view A/B.  Initially, I hated the idea of making a FBA.  But it was the only way I could have a dress that fits well.

My next step is to make the required adjustment.

• I slashed and spread the front dress the desired amount, which includes some wearing ease.
• The resulting change created a bust dart.  I rotated it slightly, because I think this location looks a little better than a horizontal bust.
• This change created width as well as length.
• I added to the armhole area to bring it closer to the pit of my arm.
• The front facing also required the same adjustments as the front dress.  I used the front dress pattern as a guide to make those changes.  The picture below shows the front facing over the front dress.

Back adjustments.

• There is a center back seam, which is great for me.  So I didn't have to add one for the swayback adjustment.
• No prominent shoulder blade adjustment as most of the shoulder area is exposed.  Will see how that works after the muslin fit.
• Swayback adjustment - tuck across the lower back area, slight curve out at the lower back, and add the amount of the back tuck at the hem (sorry, hem not pictured here.  The pattern was long and this was a minor adjustments).
• Update - I forgot to raise the armhole on the back dress pattern. I will certainly do that before the muslin fit.

My plan is to make a muslin sometime this week.  When the fit is right, I will make the actual dress.  So stay tuned for the final outcome of my fit of this pattern.

Vogue 1498

Love this dress. It's slimming, sassy and sophisticated all at the same time.  What do you think?  Anyway, it's a winner for me.  This number has a similar neckline of McCall 7775.  A plus is that the bodice is princess seam, which makes the FBA a little easier to fit.  No super wide bust darts to fiddle with.  The details in another post, though.

Coming soon McCall's 7775, View A/B dress.

Happy Sewing!

C

The Neutral Staple Coat -- Italian Tan Angora Wool Coating B6385

I have wanted a tan, wool coat since forever.   Last year I decided to move this coat to the top of the list after I stumbled upon this gorgeous Italian Tan Angora Wool Coating.  It is exquisite.  Perfect for the classic silhouettes as well as the oversized boyfriend coat.  I wish Mood had this coating in every colors.

Please forgive the frown, the sun was very high.

The surface is super soft with a brush-like hand.  The drape is a little stiff; but no matter, it is the perfect match for Butterick 6385. 

Tan is the perfect  neutral to wear with anything.  I wanted a simple, softly tailored everyday coat that was warm, soft, and beautiful, coat that could stand up to the harshness of the strong winds that jet across lake Michigan.

By no means should this neutral be restricted to a "tailored" look.  You can pair it with many styles:  wide lapels, double breasted, or a flirty peplum on your styled coat.  All would showcase the beauty of this Italian wool.

My journey to make this coat was a long one.  I started working on how to fashion it  December 7, 2017.  In the beginning, I was slow to start.  There were many things to consider.  First, the pattern to be used.  Then, how closely I would actually follow the pattern's style and construction.

Once I decided, I was good to go, ready to see if my plan would work.  Let me start with my pattern description and why I chose it.   It is fitted, with princess seams, back yoke with forward shoulder seams, two piece sleeve, collar and pocket variations.  I closely followed the style of view B.  I wanted to make minimum pattern adjustments.  This one included separate pieces for A/B, C, and D cup sizes, a big help with reducing fit time.  It comes in sizes 6 to 22.  I used sizes 14 and 16 with additional modifications.

My modifications did not change the overall style lines of the coat.  So my coat looks similar to the picture/diagram.  I made several changes to the construction of the coat with my standard fit adjustments.

Fit Changes:

• Skipped the FBA.  I added 1/2" to the length of the center front.  I don't like the marked distance from the edge to the button hole.  I like a little more room across the center front.
• Lengthened the sleeve by 1".  Most coat sleeve are not long enough for me.  I always add a inch or so to make sure the edge of the sleeve covers my wrist bone.
• Lengthened the body of the coat by 3".  I wanted it to fall below my knees.
• Lowered the pocket 1.5".  They were at an uncomfortable height for resting my hand in the pocket.
• Lowered the bust dart 1.5".  Too high in my opinion.
• Swayback adjustment.  I tucked about 1/2" access at the lower back.  But I don't think it was enough, though.
• The shortened the length of the shoulder seam.  I actually didn't cut the excess away.  It helped form the roundness of the sleeve cap.

Construction Changes:

•  Bound Buttonholes instead of regular ones.  Six button holes instead of five.  It took my a long time to decide on the size of the buttonhole lips.  BTW- bound buttonholes are on my goals list for 2018.  I've made them several times before, but each time I nervous about how they will turn out.  I always do a practice test before making them on the garment.  Such was the case with this coat.

• I interfaced the entire coat except for the sleeve.  I only interfaced the upper portion and the last 3" of the sleeve.

• I made my own shoulder pads. 3/4" instead of 1/2".  The sleeve fits easily around and under my arm.  

Even though I changed a lot of the construction of the coat.  I did read the instructions.  They are typical and I saw nothing confusing in them.  For #17  edgestitch and topstitch ends of flap to side front was difficult to do because of the thickness of the fabric.  I hand stitched the flaps to the side front.

I'm very pleased with how my coat turned out.  I must admit when it came time to finish the inside of the bound buttonholes, I decided to sew something else to give me a break.  That is, three something elses.  ;-)   

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.  I have a million buttons.  When it came to finding the "right" buttons from my stash, I only had sets of four or five.  So initially, I sewed some round button on the coat.  Nope..,  no go.  So I made a trip to a local store to get yet another set of buttons.

So let me point out my likes:

• Sleeves
• Princess seam and back yoke
• Buttonholes
• The tan angora wool

My dislikes:

•  The excess fabric above the bust area on the side front.  I tried eliminating it.  No luck.

I'm planning to make a coat for my daughter using the same pattern, but view A.

Overall, I am very pleased with my new tan (neutral) coat.  A perfect winter staple for the mid-west.  

Happy Sewing!
C