On The Fringe

Ralph Lauren RTW Spring 2013

I love fringe.  It's on trend right now.  Got to make somethin' with fringes.  Here's a little inspiration for everyone who's thinking about adding a fringe of pizzazz to your wardrobe.

 Parting shot:  The incomparable Tina Turner working the fringe.

Happy Designing,
C

Wrapped Up and Skirting Around in New Look 6029, McCall's 6842, and Rhonda's Circle Skirt

Good afternoon everyone!

I hoped everyone had a great Father's Day weekend. It was a little sad for me. My dad passed in 2006. I spent some time remembering funny stories and words of wisdom that he shared during our many long conversations. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed your time with family and friends.

This week I will review several patterns. Some are for projects made several months ago and a few recent projects. Today I will start with three reviews: New Look 6029-C. This pattern is about 10 years old. So it may be out of print. McCall's 6842, which was published last year. My skirt was finished in January. And finally, Rhonda's Circle skirt which was also finished in January.

Warning: This post is lengthy and has several photos.

Let me start with New Look 6029-C.

I made two wrap tops. I really like this top. It's perfect for summertime and can worn under a nice blazer/cardigan on cooler days. And I think this is a good style for me.

New Look does not provide a description. The pattern includes a tank top, a sleeveless wrap top with tie, knit coat, straight skirt and pants. The sizing is from 6 to 16.

My tops do look like the one on the cover. But I think the drawing of the slender model makes it look longer than it actually is.

There were no confusing instructions. There were several steps I did not follow because I preferred a different method. Or I needed to address a fit issue.

I actually like all of the pieces to this pattern. They are good staples for any wardrobe. Years ago I tried the tank top. It produced a gapping armhole. So I suspected the wrap top would too. It did. So be aware that this may be an issue for you too.

My changes were:

- FBA - Adding the the length of the back. It was a little short in the muslin version.

- For the neck band and the armhole facings, I used McCall 6793. The neckline was used as the neckband double the length. I did shorten both about an inch or so.

- For the gapping armhole, I follow Diana Sewing Lesson to correct the problem. I did not apply the twill tape.

My selected fabrics: a spandex knit from Supreme Novelty Fabrics (red) and a matte jersey from Hancock (green). No problem with sewing either. The spandex has more stretch than the jersey.

I will definitely use this pattern again. Like I said, the other views are can be used to make staple garments for any wardrobe. And I recommend it to all sewists. I'm glad I tried the wrap top. It's easy to sew with a few modifications. Make a muslin before you cut into your fashion fabric to make sure the fit and length are right for you.

Okay. Now onto my second review. McCall's 6842.

I made view B. I adore this pattern. The skirt has that swing affect going on.

McCall's describes this skirt as Misses' skirts: skirts have contour waist, yoke variation, back zipper, and narrow hem. The sizes are from 6 to 22.

The skirt certainly looks like the view on the envelope. The instructions were easy to follow. I do recommend that you carefully reinforce the inward corners of yoke front as described to ensure that the seams are the same on both sides. Also, it is so easy to fit. I added a little more to the side seam allowances just in case. When fitting, complete steps 1 through 4. Pin front and back yoke together to try it on. Make adjusts as needed. Then make the adjustments to your waistline facing and the lower portion of the skirt. I will make this skirt again. I have no dislikes.

For this first skirt, I used a ponte knit. (Yeah, it's a little on the heavy side for summer temps. But perfect for spring, fall, and winter.) Originally, I thought I would pair it with a beige cardigan and ivory T. Summer rolled around before I had a chance to wear it.

In conclusion, this is an easy skirt to make. The hardest parts are making sure the seaming is balance at the inward corners and finishing the hem. This is a circle skirt. Once the waist is finished the hem hangs uneven. I recommend that you allow it to hang for a few days before finishing it.

Now, for Rhonda's circle skirt.

I decided I would give it a try just because. My original intention was to make an Anthropologie skirt I'd seen online. I have not tried that yet. Maybe later this year. maybe..,

See Rhonda's Sew News post for the instructions and description. The instructions were easy to follow and she provides photos and drawings to help guide you through the process. You can make variations of the circle skirt based on your personal preference. I like the idea of having options to make whatever you want. This is why I so interested in learning more about drafting.

No alterations are required. It's all based on your measurements and style preference. I recommend that you give it a try. That's all for now!

Parting Shot:  Don't forget to holding your skirt when a gust of wind comes along!

Happy Sewing,
Cennetta

Full, Floaty Hi-Low Butterick Skirt - B5892 - In Review

Summertime is a great time to wear full, floaty skirts. (At least I think so.) They can be made up in a variety of fabrics. The styling is comfortable and carefree, perfect for an evening stroll along Lake Shore Drive, an afternoon movie, or the jazz festival in Millennium park.

I made two skirts using this Butterick 5892 for my October 2013 vacation to Mexico. It has taken all this time for me to write the review. These skirts sew up quickly with no problems.

The description is: misses' skirt - loose-fitting, lined skirt has elasticized waist and shaped hemline (wrong side shows), and narrow hem. C and D: elasticized tie ends, and ruffle. It comes in a wide range of sizes: XS(4-6) to XXL(24-26).

The suggested fabrics are chiffon, georgette, voile, lace. lining: jersey, interlock. Some of the construction steps were tailored to address using the recommended sheer fabrics. I decided to not lining mine and use a matte jersey and a nice rayon challis, both purchase at Vogue in Evanston. I used view D with a few modifications.

My changes:

 - I stitched across the elastic to create a smooth finish across the front of the waist. This is a better for me when I wear my top on the inside of the skirt. For the blue/purple skirt, I omitted to tie and did not stabilize the waist at all.
 - since I used opaque fabric, there was no need to line them. I did follow the french seams for the ruffle because some of the inside of the skirt can be seen at the hem line.
 - I only added a few inches to the length of the ruffle.


There is nothing to dislike about this skirt. It sews up quickly and there are no confusing steps in the instructions. This skirt provides great wearing ease especially during the hot days of summer. If I sew it again, I will probably use one of the recommended sheer fabrics. This is a good pattern for beginners and well as advance sewists to try. Personally, I love full, long, floaty skirts for summer. This one was a good choice.

PS-

The top I'm wearing is Vogue 8251; view D. It is my pseudo wearable muslin. Vogue's figure flattering chart recommends it for triangle and hourglass figures. But I think everyone can wear at least one version of the top with some adjustments. I didn't quite get the FBA right on this one. I ended up with some gathering at the center front of the top. Since making it, I figured out were I went wrong. That was the only issue I had with the top. More on that later though.
 
Happy Sewing!
C

Haute Couture Club of Chicago - Annual June Luncheon at The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

Happy Monday!

On Saturday I had the pleasure of dining with some of my favorite people. The Haute Couture Club annual June luncheon was held at the Chicago Firehouse Restaurant. The firehouse is a well-known dining attraction in Chicago. It is located 1401 South Michigan Avenue. It was my very first time dining there.

The club party was on the second floor where we were able to freely move about the room to chat with old friends and get acquainted with some new ones.  The new board is installed at the luncheon and it is the last time we will meet as a group before our Fall kick off meeting.  I was happy to see all of the beautiful ladies and to have a chance to help celebrate 50th years of the HCC.

Good Cake - Different but Good

I forgot to bring my camera. So I only snapped a few pictures with my phone.

Sketches from the Fashion Show 2014

Linda, Brenda, and Friend

Delores, Nik-Ki and Sheril

Ms. Cheryl and friend

Renee wearing a pretty dress she made and modeled in the Fashion Show

The bodice was adorned with glass beads

I sat with Rhonda, Sandra and several other ladies (no picture).  I guess I could have stood up to take the pictures.  Oops!

Sandra

It's was a good afternoon.  I was happy to see my friends.  Our next meeting is in September.  I'm very interested to know the Fashion Show theme and the workshops and programs for 2015.  If you are in the Chicago land area, plan to stop by or become a member.  Our website is located here.  Please come out and join us.

Happy Sewing!
C

Simplicity 2594-A and McCall 6404-C - In Review

It's great to be sewing and reviewing again. Over the holiday weekend, I was able to make a few pieces. These days I'm beefing up my weekend casual wear. This outfit is a combination of one of my favorite knit tops (Simplicity 2594-A) and McCall's 6404 leggings.

S2594

I had hoped to make view F of Simplicity 2594, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Anyway.., Today I'm semi-reviewing another version of S2594-A. There are no specific changes. I pretty made it the same as the first time around. If you need a make a FBA, here are some helpful tips for doing so. The fabric used is from Vogue Fabrics on Roosevelt Road. It was originally slated for a simple knit dress, but I decided the fabric would look great in a matching top for the McCall leggings, another pair of pants and a skirt already in the closet. Other than that, there is not much more to review on the top.

As for the pants, this is the first time I've used M6404-C. The sewing process for these was slightly different from the process of the previously sewn leggings. So here is my review:

M6404 
 
Pattern Description:
MISSES' LEGGINGS: Close-fitting, casing with elastic. A: Welt pocket with hidden zipper.

Pattern Sizing:
XS to XL; I used between Medium and Large.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Basically, they did. I made a few changes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Only followed a portion of them, but they were easy. Nothing confusing about them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I initially purchased this pattern because it offered several variations for the leggings. Nothing to dislike.

Fabric Used:
I used a stretchy denim medium weight knit from Fabric.com. Love it. It has excellent recovery. It sew well and is a nice color.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
My changes:

• Lengthen each section of the leg about 1.5" I wanted them to reach my ankles.
• Instead of an elasticized waist, I installed an invisible zipper on the left side. This change required me to slightly adjust the width of the pants and I used the curved waistband from McCall 6515. Any curved waistband will do.
• I doubled the top stitching thread in a mint green. This can be done similar to stitching with a twin needle, the difference is thread both threads through the same needle. Tips on top stitching can be found here.
With double thread the stitching shows up better. Using the triple stitch option on my machine takes longer to do.

• I had to taper the leg below the knee to reduced the excess fabric in the leg.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes and Yes. The is a great legging pattern with several variations. The possibilities are endless.

Conclusion:
I like how this turned out. The hardest part was piecing together the legs to make sure the seam matched. This is a great pattern to add to your collection if you don't already have it. The pants are simple, but stylish. And they are very comfortable to wear.

Happy Sewing!
C

Notes on a Pattern - Part I McCall 7203 Vintage Bomber Jacket Pattern

 My pattern collection is scandalous! It is ridiculously over the top.  I already have a substantial hoard of patterns.  But, I also have three years of Burda Magazine patterns that I rarely sew from. (I'm working on that.  The magazine is full of cute styles, but a pain in the butt to trace off.).  Every season, I purchase patterns from JoAnn's and Hancock's when they are on sale. While I'm making my selections, I convince myself that it's not too bad, because I'm always sewing and most times I only pay a dollar or two for each pattern.  So why am I saying all of this? To explain why I came up with this series, to share my thought process for selecting certain patterns, and to talk about how I use them to create the clothes I wear.

That being said, this is my first post for the Notes on a Pattern series. I took my inspiration for this entry from Rhonda B's posts: March 10th inspiration and April 7th.  Lori (Girls in a Garden) also posted an inspiration outfit on the Mood Sewing Network. She included a link to Tracy Reeses' Spring/Summer Collection (love, love it).  These posts started my quest to make my own bomber jacket. Well, guess what?  I could not find a pattern at first. Then about a month or so ago.  BAM!

I found this New Look jacket. But before I buy another pattern, I searched through my many banker boxes of patterns hoping to find a similar jacket. Eureka! Apparently, I purchased the pattern below back in the day (1980c).

It had to be for a client, can't remember though. Now, I have what I need to make my inspiration jacket.

So, let's take a look at the details of this pattern. The jacket is like the jackets showcased in Rhonda's April 7th, with the omission of the zipper pockets. This is an easy design change.

Another thing that I like about it is there are two options for creating the waistband. You can use ribbed knit, or you can use woven fabric that requires you to make several casings for elastic by channel stitching several rows. The construction process is easy.

There are only six pattern pieces for each view of the jacket. The pants aren't bad either. This is a project that you will see on my blog sometime between now and the end of summer.

I chuckled when I first opened the guide sheet.  My mind wonder back to the early days when the construction was more challenging to me.  I also thought about the many garments I avoided because I was afraid to try them.  The print and illustrations are huge compare to today standards.  And finally, did you notice the price, $2.50?  Big difference from today's suggested retail price.

Happy  Sewing!
Cennetta