M5974- What I Wore to the Fashion Show

M5974

Pattern Description: MISSES' AND WOMEN'S DRESSES: Dresses A, B, C, D have bodice variations with front pleats, neckline variations, self-faced midriff, pleated skirt front, back zipper and sleeves in three lengths; dresses A, B have scoop neck; dress A has short sleeves; dress B has long sleeves; dresses C, D have wrapped bodice, “V” neck and self-ties; dress C has three-quarter length sleeves; dress D has long sleeves; dresses A, B, C, D length is 1" below mid-knee.

Pattern Sizing: 8 -24W.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Nothing confusing.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the "V" neck, the tie, and the full skirt. Nothing to dislike.

Fabric Used: Jersey knit (Vogue Fabrics - I shop there a lot.)

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I need a FBA, prominent shoulder blade and sway back adjustments. Also added a few inches to the skirt and about an inch to the sleeve.

NOTE - I cut this dress at size 16. Palmer Pletsch side seam allowance is 1". I sewed at least 1 1/2 side seams. The dress was still a little big through the shoulder to the hip. It may be a combination of the stretch in the knit and sizing. I could have easily made the size 14. Wearing it, I noticed the shoulder seam was about a 1/4 inch too long. The belt is a little too short for me. Next time I'll add a few inches to it.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes and yes.


Conclusion: Nice mock wrap dress. A beginner can sew this dress with no problems.

V1250 - The Easiest Dress Ever

Vogue 1250

Pattern Description: MISSES' DRESS: Close-fitting dress.

Pattern Sizing: 6-20; I used size 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? A piece of cake. This pattern only had three pieces. Simple: 1, 2, 3 and it's done.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It was easy, attractive, and sewed together in two hours. No dislikes.

Fabric Used: Jersey knit; I think rayon from the remnant room at Vogue for about $10.00.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I added two inches to the length. Instead of machine sewing the hem of the sleeves, I hand stitched them. It was easier to control the fabric. I added stitch witchery to the hem of the dress to help control the movement of the fabric as it passed through the needle path.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? YES, and YES. Carolyn is my enabler. Lol After reading her post about her third dress, I couldn't resist. My next version, I will tweak it just a little. At the small of my back it stands away from my body. I want it to lay closer to me.

Conclusion: This is a great dress that is super easy and super cute. It's sews together within two hours time. Love it.

V1205 - Lady in Red

Pattern Description: Misses' Dress, Close fitting, tapered, above mid-knee, lined dresses. A, B have front gathers, shaped seams, back darts, back invisible zipper and back vent. A: gathered, contrast upper left front.

Pattern Sizing: 8-22. I made size 14 with modifications.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow? No problems and nothing confusing about them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Everything. The style and fit. I even liked that this pattern had a back facing that attached to the lining. No to dislike. This is a great dress.


Fabric Used: Moderate knit from Joann's (red), Contrast animal print from Hancock. BTW- It's swim suit fabric. Imagine that. It's perfect for the contrast.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I did my usual FBA, prominent shoulder blades and lengthen it a few inches. For the contrast, I made the lining from the same fabric instead of the tricot lining. I liked it better.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Not for myself. My sister wants one. I do recommend it to others. It's a super cute dress that sews together with no problem.


Conclusion:

I love, love this dress. It easy dress to sew with great results.

Alvin Ailey Dance Troop - Chicago May 2011

On May 21st I had the pleasure of going to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Troop at the Auditorium Theater. It was great!

Me holding the program.

The photo below is from Revelation which was danced at the climax of the show. Wonderful, wonderful.

After the show we floated over to Amarit for dinner. The tasty food was well presented.

We started with the cucumber salad.

Then some delicious Thai fried rice (chicken).

To finish, A crying Tiger (grilled steak). That sauce on the side makes for a very tasty steak.  So if you are in Chicago, stop by Amarit at 600 South Dearborn. The food is good and the atmosphere is pleasant.

Happy weekend everyone! Saturday (June 4th) Is the Haute Couture Club annual spring Luncheon. Stay Tuned.

Cennetta

Summer Dress Challenge 2011 - NL 6824

Finally, I decided on the dress I will make for the Summer Dress Challenge 2011. The challenge is from June 1st through the 15th. I'm using silk dupioni (Fishman's), silk organza and cotton muslin (New Rainbow) to make the pink view with scoop neckline (NL6824). This will be the forth time around for this pattern.

As part of the goodie bag (PR Weekend in Chicago), I received the May issue of Threads magazine. It's loaded with techniques and tutorials that will help improve sewing skills. Susan Khalje's article on underlining gave me a whole new prospective on underlining garments. I'll incorporate some of her principles into this garment.

This, of course, will be one of many posts about my experience. I hope it's interesting and helpful to you. Thirteen days to go. Hmmm.., We will see how it goes. No doubt I will finish the dress. By the deadline, that's questionable. Lol

Happy Sewing,
C

Butterick B5382 - Still Back Tracking

Pattern Description: MISSES' DRESS: Straight, fitted dresses A, B, C, mid-knee, have front pleats, raised waist seam and back zipper. A: self-faced cap sleeves. B: three-quarter length sleeves. C: long sleeves.

Pattern Sizing: Sizes 8 -22.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Pretty much. Beginners take your time with making the pleats. It's really not hard to do. It just takes a little patience.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The pleated neckline and the empire waistline. Nothing to dislike.

Fabric Used: Jersey from JoAnn's Fabrics.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I did my usual FBA, prominent shoulder blades, and added some length to it. For this dress I thought I needed to move up a size, but ended up increasing the side seam allowances and cutting away to excess. I've used size 16 a few times lately and found that I'm more a 14 with my normal pattern adjustments.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes. I may make one more version of this dress. And I do recommend it. It's easy and comfortable.

Conclusion: This is a nice pattern that you can sew up fairly quick with no problems. Try it if you haven't already.

Butterick 5471 & M5527- A Little Back Tracking

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Like so many sewists, I planned to do a lot of sewing over the weekend. But I was only able to finish one of the two red dresses on the sewing table.

Today I won't post the dress as I plan to wear it this weekend and want to post a photo of me wearing it. So for now, I'm back tracking. In April I made three pants, a dress, and a jacket using Butterick 5471.

My first thought was to use this pattern to create a wardrobe: jacket dress and pants. But that plan changed after I purchased the fabric for the jacket and dress. So I only made a coordinating jacket and dress. Then I used the pants pattern to complement a modified version of M5527 (View B). This review is mainly about B5471.

Pattern Description: MISSES' JACKET, TUNIC, DRESS AND PANTS: Loose-fitting lined jackets A, B have princess seams, side front seam pockets, yoke and notched collar, top stitched hem. A: turned back cuff. B: long sleeves with stitched hem. Semi-fitted tunic C or dress D have front seam details, top stitched neckline and back zipper. Semi-fitted pants E have darts, mock fly closing, side seam pockets and waistband.

Pattern Sizing: Sizing 6 - 20. I used size 16 and ended up taking it in and cutting off the excess. More on that later.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? No and yes. In the photo the dress appears to be more tapered than it is in real life. Maybe it's me. The jacket is boxy like the line drawing.

Were the instructions easy to follow? No problems with any of the instructions. Pretty standard.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked the princess seams on the front of the dress and on the jacket. The jacket is a little too boxy for my figure and/or taste. For me, I need more tapering at the waist.

Fabric Used: I used home dec fabric from JoAnn's (cotton blend) for the green and white ensemble. For the pinstriped pants I used a polyester from Vogue Fabrics. I brought it in three colors for three pairs of pants and one jacket.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I made quite a few alterations and design changes.

Jacket -

• FBA and Prominent Shoulder Blade Adjustments
• Contrast Pocket lining, under collar, and back yoke(lining)

Dress -

• FBA and Prominent Shoulder Blade Adjustments
• Omitted the facings
• Lined the dress
• Lengthen by three inches

Pants -

• Decreased crotch length and Adjusted crotch depth
• Lengthen by four inches
• Added flap to right back

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I think I'm done with this pattern. I have many in my collection to try. But I do recommend it to others with modifications to suit your personal style.


Conclusion: This is a nice wardrobe pattern that is great for beefing up the spring/summer wardrobe.

To add some variety, I made M5527 (View B) jacket to match one pair of slacks. I've used it before. This time I extended the length of the jacket. When I extended the length I forgot to take into consideration that the mid section is fitted and does not fit over the upper hip area easily. To save the jacket, I made a loop for the closure instead of the buttonhole. This worked just fine. Hopefully the next time I try this design change, I'll remember to add more width across the hip area. Below are pictures on the pants suit.

More pictures on this project can be found here.