Black, Red, and White Striped Rayon Jersey Knit - Vogue 1314

After a mini purge of my closets, I noticed that there were huge empty spaces that need to be filled with more clothes made by me. ;-) I decided to start with a few tops. This is the second of many more to make.  My new toppers will fill the void were the worn tattered garments used to hang. So here's to beefing up my wardrobe with a simple pullover t-shirt made with Mood's Italian Pirate Black/Mars Red/Bright White Bengal Striped Stretch Rayon Jersey Knit.

This jersey is fantastic. It's perfect for keeping it simple. I used Vogue 1314 again. I wanted it to be a quick and easy project; I knew this pattern could deliver with no problem at all. So, here's to simple and easy with great fabric and a must have TNT pattern.

Parting Shot:  flowering bunches in my backyard.

 Happy Sewing!
C

Liberty on London Silk-Cotton Voile - McCall 7359

Do you want to make a breezy, floaty top for the summer? Well look no further, Mood has a slew of beautiful  Liberty on London fabrics that are perfect for light, airy summer tops.  It took me a while to settle on Mistral Golden Nutria Silk-Cotton Voile.  This beauty has a hint of transparency.  The finish is smooth and glossy. The drape is a perfect match for McCall's 7359. 

The pattern is described as:  pullover tops (semi-fitted through bust) have upper sections extending into sleeves with gathers, front pleated lower sections, and narow hem. A, B: Neck band. B: Shaped hemline, wrong side shows. C: Sleeve band. C, D: Collar.

It comes in sizes XS to XL.  I used size medium with modifications.  See my post here for the details.

With a few adjustments I was able to make it work for me.  It is a great complement to a nice pair of  leggings or slim pants.  That's how I'll wear it. ;-)

This little pattern is a winner.  I will probably make a few more before the end of summer.  My likes:

•  dolman sleeves and "V" neckline
• long curve hemline of view B
• easy to  make and wear

The fabric and the pattern are both winners.  Try them.  You won't be disappointed.

Happy Sewing!
C

Notes on a Pattern - McCall 7359

The minute I saw this pattern, I wanted to make it.  I like the length of view B and the neckband and sleeves of view C.

My challenge was to feature out how I could make it fit me across the bust area without drastically changing the style lines.  Good thing is the cut on dolman sleeves and the front pleat provide quite a bit of wearing ease.

After I made the muslin, it revealed a few minor fit issues.  I needed  my usual adjustments: prominent shoulder blades, sway back and FBA.

Note the pattern pieces below:

• I added a little more move at the shoulder and upper arm area.  This was done on the upper front and back pattern pieces.
• For my prominent shoulder blades, I slashed the upper back from the shoulder to the end of the pattern pieces spreading 3/4" at the top and over lapping at the lower section.  This process was carried out through the lower back section.

• Added length to the sleeve (1 1/2") on all four pattern pieces.
• Added width and length starting under the arm to the hem of the front and back.
• On the lower back pattern pieces, I made a small tuck just above the waistline.

These changes help make the top more suited for my size and shape.  My first top is finished, but I have to post it on the Mood Sewing Network first, then on my blog.  I will probably make a few this season.

The construction, overall is relatively simple.  The most difficult parts are:  the rolled hem and the neckband.  If you have a rolled hem foot, no problem.  But if not, follow the instructions in the guide sheet and take your time.  Second, the back neckband is much larger the the neckline.  So you may need to ease it in a bit along with slashing the neckline of the top.

So that's it for this installation of "Notes on a Pattern".  Check out the Mood Sewing Network tomorrow for the rest of my review and photos.

Happy Sewing!
C

Neglect..,

Hi everyone,

I thought about just posting something, anything, to get me back to blogging.  So this is my little perlude to return to sharing my sewing experience.

There were so many opportunities missed to share projects, notes, and pictures.   But for one reason or another I didn't.  Blurred pictures, unwearable garments, lost for words or just plan out of touch with blogging.

Many of my links are broken and I will try to address them as soon as possible.  And I plan to update the layout soon.  The blog needs an over haul.  It's out-dated.  So that's it for now.

P.S.

Next post is Notes on a Pattern for McCall's 7359.  I will publish that blog tonight.

Thanks and Happy Sewing!
C

Princely purple silk Faille with sparkling black jersey knit – Vogue 8980 and Vogue 1314

There is something magical about the color purple.  Yes, it’s noticeable, vibrant, and regal.  It’s a royal color worn by noble throughout the ages. The color purple is also associated with power, ambition, luxury, wealth, dignity, grandeur, peace, independence, and wisdom.  

 

So, you can understand why I am drawn to the color. It symbolizing many qualities that I am or hope to be.  Simply, it is beautiful and I love the many shades of it.  I paired this mysterioso purple silk faille with an audience high-low full skirt, Vogue 8980.

 

It’s not your typical box pleat skirt.  It is made of circles: full and half circles. I like how to circles come together to create beautiful drape and shape.  There are a few small pleats about the waist, but the majority of the fullness is formed by the cut of the circle.  To sum it up, this skirt is huge.  It took about 5 yards to make it.

. 

I only added a few inches to the length. Additionally, I used tulle to underline it and completely lined the skirt attaching it at the hem.

I could have used a stiffer interfacing in the waistband though.  There was some creases across the small of my back.  Not too, too bad as the cropped top covers it.

 

For my sparkling top I used  glamourous poly-lycra jersey with star burst all over it.  Very pretty, but the glitter was a little messy.  So I shake, shake, shook it until most of the glitter fell off leaving me with enough sparkle to make the top unique compared to the typical t-shirt cropped tops.  Underneath all the glitz is a lovely texture knit that has a fair amount of stretch. 

  

Initially, I thought I would complete the look with Butterick 6285, but after making it I didn’t like the outcome of it.  I ended up using Vogue1314 to create a little cropped t-shirt styled top.  It’s not what I originally envisioned for the fabric, but it was doable.  I did notice, though, some winkles in the bust area.  This knit does have more stretch than the previously used knit for this pattern.  I will see if I can tweak it a bit to remove the winkles. 

Overall, the outfit is very good.  It was my last garment modeled for the Haute Couture Club of Chicago fashion show 2016.  Although it’s not what I originally envisioned; it works and I will wear it.

Parting Shot:  One of my favorite music artists, Prince Roger Nelson, made his transition yesterday (April 21, 2016).  He was only 57 years old.  The world has lost a great musical genius.

Happy Sewing!

C

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.  People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see He's always trying to please us back."

Alice Walker, "The Color Purple"

Notes on a Pattern - Butterick Retro Dress 5209

I made a muslin of the bodice last spring, but failed to make the dress. Somehow I always manage to have more on the to do list than I can finish within a given season. So before I add more to the list, I decided to talk about this pattern in hopes of finishing the dress within the next few weeks..

This pattern is not new.  It was republished a few years ago. Many have made it with great success.   But, of course, we all come in many different shapes and sizes.  So I decided to go ahead with posting how I worked out the fitting adjustments for me.

The FBA was fairly straight forward. I always have to add width as well as length. At the fullest of the bust area is where I need the most length.  In the past I've added length evenly along the lower edge only to remove it later.  For this bodice I used a size 16; but could have used a 14. Using the 16 I did not make the width as wide. And I may have to shorten the neckline a bit.  I also added about 3/4 inch to the midriff in the same area. Most of the time I end up removing any excess in the side seams. It always good to have some extra just in case.

 

For the back, I made my usual prominent shoulder blade adjustment. This was pretty easy too. The resulting width requires me to add a dart to the shoulder seam.  So that the length of that seam matches the length of the front shoulder seam. Easing the excess in doesn't look as nice as the dart.  The same amount of width was also added to the back midriff in the same area.  A small sway back adjustment on the midriff to remove the excess fabric.

After looking at the finished bodice muslin, I decided to add an inch to the length just in case.  I almost never make the muslin for the skirt of this type of dress.  My hips are somewhat on the narrow side and my back side is on the flat side too. :-0   So there isn't much to worry about as the skirt is gathered.

 

Other than that I think this dress is very simple to make once all the fit areas are addressed.

More details on Katch.me:   

Parting shot:  I just received this beautiful Jason Wu orange, navy, tan geometric silk wool.  Isn't it beautiful?

Maroon Double Cloth Lace - Simplicity 1314

My eyes light up with joy when I see something beautiful.  And that was exactly what happened when I saw this Maroon Double Cloth with Lace from Mood.  At first, I imagined a high-waist pencil skirt.  But when the pretty cloth arrived to my surprise the yardage was more than I requested.  It must have been the last on the roll, because it included this tag.  No matter the circumstance, I was too happy to get a little more and couldn't let it go to waste.  So I decided to make Simplicity 1314 again.

There is nothing wrong with getting a little extra mileage out of your pattern.  Especially if you've spent time making fit adjustments.  My first look made from it was "Cookie Lyons" inspired, from the hit show, "Empire".  This time I wanted a more sophisticated look.  So I paired my maroon lacy double cloth with black neoprene from a local fabric store in Chicago.

All of the descriptive information is the same as before.  I made view B. For the most part the pattern was ready to use without more adjustments.  But I did want to bring the neckline closer to base of my neck.  With most patterns I find that the necklines are very wide.  This makes it difficult to keep the garment on the hanger.  Also, I had to take it in along the sides about three more inches.

My likes for this dress are, of course, the fabric.  And all the things I mentioned in the first review.  It was even easier to sew this time.  I consider this a sloper, a basic princess seam dress that is very easy to sew.  I definitely recommend it to others and will probably sew it again for myself.

That's all for now.

Happy Sewing!
Cennetta