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

Draped Cowl Sleeve - Rhonda Buss Sleeve

Top made by Rhonda Buss

Early summer I posted a blog on four sleeves designed by Rhonda Buss that I want to try.  This week I started with drafting the draped cowl sleeve.  I want to make a dress and top with this sleeve.  Rhonda makes it so easy to do.  I was able to complete my first attempt in less than an hour from coping a basic sleeve using McCall 6963.  I'll use the draped front to following the design of Rhonda's top.

I'm not going to trouble you with repeating the steps that Rhonda shared in her tutorial.  So here is the link to it.  

In pictures, here is how I did it.

I posted my test on Instagram and Rhonda gave me a helpful tip on enhancing the drape by spreading the cap of the sleeve.  I will to do that.  But for now, this is my first attempt.

Happy Sleeve Drafting!
C

Loose Ends

I have a few loose ends to tie up.  Many finished projects were never photographed with me wearing them.  I still have several reviews to write.   There are several summer project partially completed.  Good thing these projects can be layered and worn during the fall.  That's the summer sewing update.

Fall is here and I do have some projects in mind.  Included in the list is my test of  drafting a few of Rhonda's sleeves.  I already drafting two of them:  the shirred wrist sleeve and the cowl draped sleeve.  So soon I will post those tests starting with me drafting the sleeves using Rhonda's instructions.  Also, fringes and polka dots are on trend.  I like them and want to make something that includes them.   That's all I have for now.

Stay Tuned!
C

I Was A Presenter at the Haute Couture Club of Chicago - September 2017

Oops, I'm smiling too hard again! Trying one on over my dress.

I planned to blog that I was the presenter for the Haute Couture Club of Chicago September 2017 meeting the day after; instead, I waiting nearly two weeks before attempting to say anything.   My initial thought was to moved forward with finishing or starting other projects.  For most of the summer, I sewed mostly shirts in an effort to show different styles for the presentation and am ready to work on some different garments. But today I decided to do one last summer post on shirts. 

I am truly thankful to the HCC Board of Directors and the members for allowing me to present, sharing my shirt making adventure.  Indeed, it was an honor and privilege.  Close to the end of my journey, I questioned whether or not I had enough to talk about and if I was worthy to present to this very talented group of sewists.  So, of course, I was a little nervous.  But as it turned out, my presentation was well received; and the members will make shirts to wear to the Holiday luncheon in December.

So here are a few more pictures from the presentation, courtesy of Susan Gerbosi.

My shirts were passed around for closer looks

 Near the beginning of my talk, I showed this Cennetta creation from my very early sewing days (1974) when I first started sewing on a machine.

My shirts pile at the end of my presentation.

Now that the presentation is over, my palette is clean, and I'm moving forward with finishing some other projects and planning for some new ones.

Thank you to everyone who continues to stop by my little corner of the cyberspace.  I hope I didn't put you on shirt overload.  And a very special thanks to the HCC Board of Directors and members.

Happy Sewing!
C

Simplicity 8416 In Review - The Shirt Project

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.  Happily I spent sometime in my sewing room where I made two shirts, Simplicity 8416 views B and D.

 I can't believe it!  Fall is almost here!

A twist on a classic shirt design.  The shirt design is loose fitting like a camp shirt, but it has long sleeves, cuffs, and a collar band.   There is no center front band. Back options include vent with ties or lace, pleated back with or without tab. It can be worn like a camp shirt with jeans unbuttoned with a tank top or T-shirt underneath.  Of course, you can button it, tuck or tie the shirt tails.

These two shirts wrap up my shirt making project for the summer.  Initially, I planned to only make a few during the summer; then later make more.  But when Sue and Rhonda asked me to do a presentation, I needed a few more shirts to show and talk about.  My goal was to practice and learn, hone  my skills.  I chose this pattern to test sizing, fit, and drape trying to determine if it was loose enough to eliminate my normal fit adjustments.  At first sight, I was interested in trying some of the back variations.  So this one quickly fell into my shopping basket with several other Simplicity patterns during a JoAnn's pattern sale.

I made my usual size and determined that a slight FBA is still needed.  The sides seams are not perfectly perpendicular to the floor.

I also noticed that the cuff is longer and the spacing of the button is wider, beige shirt on the pattern envelope. The armhole seam starts below the ball of the shoulder. These observations are not a big deal, just things I noticed.

Of course I changed a few things.

• I squared the collar band at the end
• Plaid - I turned the edge to the right side of the center back hem then pressed.  Next the lace was stitched along the folded edge, then I sewed another row just before the scalloped edge of the lace to secure it.  This created a clean finish.
• Plaid - I added 1" to the length of the shirt.

• Plaid - I made the loops for the back closure instead of using elastic.  I simply cut a bias strip, sewed, turned, cut desired length, and apply to edge of instructed.  To make the loops narrower, I sewed a few stitching to hold the ends together.

Adding a little something, something -

• White - I copied the contracting design element from a article in "Threads" magazine.  The contracting fabric adds some color to what would be a plain white over sized shirt.

I literally made almost no fit adjustments.  The neck is a little too big for me (hardly noticeable).  When I tried the shirt on, I noticed the shoulder seam was not completely vertical from neck to shoulder.  At the ball of my arm, it is off centered.  So for the plaid version, I added 3/4" to the height at the end of the yoke and the subtracted that same amount from the front.  That resolved the issue.  You may not need the same adjustment.  Check it before you cut into your fashion fabric.

Fabric -

White - I used a tissue weight cotton from Mood Fabrics and a cotton blend print gifted to me by Andrea Birkan (Haute Couture Club member).

Plaid - A lightweight silk that I was gifted over 25 years ago.  The lace came from JoAnn's.

My dislikes -

• The construction process for creating the finished opening above the cuff.
• The lack of a front band. It's a little more work but worth it. 

 Finally, a few tips for making your own shirts.

• Press, press, and press throughout the construction process.  It makes the sewing easier.
• Trim (3/8") seam allowances of the collar and collar band.  It eliminates bulk, making the top stitching easier.
• Basing - I prefer basing over pinning before top stitching and finishing bands and cuffs.  Another option is to use glue sticks.
• One collar piece.  I like Sandra Betzina one piece collar method.  It can be found in her "Tool Kit" book.  My tutorial is here.
• Don't be afraid to change it up a bit.  Surf the internet and magazine for ideas.

Note: I'm no expert.  This is only my explanation on how I made Simplicity 8416.  Sorry no pictures yet. later..,


Parting Shot:  Last book read:  "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho .  This is a powerful little book.  Check it out.

Happy Sewing!

C

Notes on a Pattern - Simplicity Knit Top S8386 View A

View A is why I bought this pattern.  Why?  I love the collar band, "V" and the mock wrap style.  Cute..,  The other two views I've been in other sewing patterns.  It's a nice grouping of styles to sew.

View A

Notes on Fitting and Sewing:

• How well will the collar band fit?  Will it gap or lie smoothly against the neck? 
• Will a FBA affect the slight drape across the front of the top?
• Will the FBA make the front look frumpy? 
• Can I skip the swayback adjustment since it has a waist/hip band?
• What about the armhole band?  Is it visible or is it sewn to the inside of the armhole?

These are the questions I asked myself  before and/or during the sewing process.  Before I attempt to answer  them, let me provide some information about this pattern.

As always, Simplicity's pattern descriptions are vague.  But sometimes the pictures, if on a live model  along with the line drawing can express a 1000 words.  For view A; it is a sleeveless mock wrap knit top with a waist/hip band.  The collar band is attached to the "V" neckline that forms a tie at the back.  The armhole are finished with a thin band.  This pattern comes in  sizes 4 to 20.  I used size 16 with modifications.

FBA-

I started the with making a FBA.  The bottom of the front top has three small pleats.  The resulting FBA created more width at the waist.  I decided to gather the access to fit the lower band. I also added an extra inch to the length of the top.  It is a little hard to see, but right below the word Simplicity and the pattern number, I made a small tuck to reduce gapping at the chest area.  Still I hoped that the gathering or  easing would not make the top look frumpy.  See photo below for the FBA.  

Back Adjustment-

For the back, I chose not to make a swayback adjustment because of the lower band.  I added 3/4" width for my prominent shoulder blades and I added an inch to the length.  The 3/4" was eased in because I did not want to sew a dart.  The additional inch makes the side seams front and back the same length. Also notice, the center back has a "V" too.

  

Typically, I read the instructions before I make the garment.  But I forgot about how to finish the armhole bands.  So instead of attaching them to the armhole, I did an extra step of turning and stitching the bands to the inside of the top.  After completing the step, I looked over the instructions again and noticed the difference.  It's all right, though.  Next time I'll make the top with the band exposed.

The Collar Band -

I had to tweak it just a little bit to get rid of a small gap of the side of my neck.  I just made the length between the notches about 1/2" shorter.

Lower Band -

You may need to adjust the lower band.  Measure it and determine whether or not you need more or less width.  Also, take into consideration the length of the top and where you want the lower band to rest.

Fabric -

The fabric recommended are knits with at least 25% stretch.  I used a lovely bamboo knit from Mood Fabrics.  It's so silky and smooth.  Definitely a premium knit that was great to work with.

Happy Sewing!
Cennetta