More Molly Tees

Two more Molly tees.  I've made nearly a dozen versions of it in the past two years.  It's a bona-fide TNT. I love making this t-shirt.  It sews up quickly, comfy to wear, and great for cleansing the palette after an intense project.

These two were designed/made in an effort to use up some of the knit remnants that I have accumulated over the years. 

This striped one is a remnant from a dress that I made a few years ago. The fabric is a light weight sweater knit from Mood. Dress below.

My second tee is made of two knits: the beige from Mood and the floral print from So Sew Fabrics. I'm pleased with how both turned out. And I'll get a lot of wear out of them. 

What do you do with your remnants? Any creative projects? Or do you donate them?

Happy Sewing!

C

Press, Press, Stitch, Press - McCall 2233

Press, press, stitch, and press.

In sewing, pressing is just as important as stitching. This is something that I teach my sewing students.  One of the first projects that we make is an apron.

An apron gives students repeated opportunities to practice pressing and straight stitching, essential to developing good basic sewing skills.  I like teaching these skills using a basic apron like McCall's m2233.

This apron project was at the bottom of the UFO box that I decided to tackle at the beginning of the year.  Two aprons were cut almost ten years ago!  Last week I decided to finish them. One I will give to one of my sewing students and the other I'll keep for myself.  

The instructions included were antiquated. To form the strap they instruct to sew with right sides together to form a tube, then turn to the right.

Instead, I decided to press by folding it in half lengthwise, then turning the raw edges in. The same way that you would form belt carriers. See below.

The entire apron: hems, pockets, and straps are all completed by a series of folded edges, presses, and stitches.

Benefits to student:

• Ample practice with pressing
• Ample practice with straight stitching
• Ample practice with measuring and forming hems and seam allowance
• Opportunity to use needle positioning to create double rows of stitching for a hem
• Attaching straps and "D" rings

In conclusion,  a sewing student is able to create  agreat looking aprons that they can be proud of.

The fabric that I used for these came from Joann's.  A novelty cotton depicting a love for sewing.

That's all for this post.  I'm happy to complete two more UFO'S. 

Birthday Dress Reveal! - Vogue V1672

 

I'm so happy to finally reveal my birthday dress!

Vogue V1672 is a great pattern design.  I love so many things about it.  This is another one I'm going to make again.  ;-)

My Notes on a Pattern post gave you some information about my initial fit adjustments.  And for the most part they were spot on.  For the actual dress, I still needed to make a few little tweaks.  Nothing major though.  And that is why it is so important to make a muslin.  

Today, it feels like summer all over again.  It's 88 degrees and very sunny.  So we took advantage of this beautiful day and decided to do the photo shoot outside.  I have to hand it to my photographer, my DD.  She is always so willing to help me with the picture taking of me actually wearing the things that I make for myself. I am so grateful to have her help me.

Anyway, here is the rest of my review of this lovely dress.

Pattern Description:  This dress is described as: Lined dress with fitted bodice, side seam pockets, back zipper, and sleeve variations.  It is available in two size groupings (4-14 and 14-22).

NOTE:  The pattern envelope indicates that there are side seam pockets and the back view drawings show pockets.  But there is no pocket pattern included.  This is no biggie, you can used a pocket pattern from another design.  Vogue should update this error.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes, my dress does look like the pictures on the envelope.  I didn't to the top stitching as shown in view A, and my sleeves are shorter.  I was aiming for more of a 3/4 length sleeve.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions were typical.  Nothing in them was confusing or difficult to follow.  I omitted several steps based on how I wanted my dress finished.  I will discuss that in the design changes and alterations.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  There is so much I like about this pattern.  It has great bones.  My likes:

• I love the full skirt.  It is very lady like.  I didn't have to make adjustments to the side on the dress.  Often with this type of skirt, I sometimes need to shorten along the sides of the dress.
• mock wrap dress.  This is one of my favorite necklines.  And the design/fit of it was perfect, even after my FBA.  No small tuck needed.
• Lined dress.  One of my usual preference.  

My dislike:

• I didn't like not being able to easily try on the bodice during the construction process.  I had to base the center back seam (zipper) to see how the fit was coming along.  Nothing else.

Fabric Used:  As stated before, my fabric is from Mood Fabrics.  I purchased it awhile ago and it is no longer available.  It is a cotton/rayon blend I do believe.  Easy to work with, easy to press and soft to the touch.  I tested a piece in the wash.  Just to see if it washes well.  It did.  But I will be sending this dress to the dry cleaners.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  My usual fit adjustments.  See Notes on a Pattern.  Additionally, for the FBA I shortened the Dior dart by half the length.  It looks better.  My design and construction changes:

• I only lined the bodice.
• I added hem tape to the hem of the sleeves and skirt.
• To eliminate the fear of the center front gap or opening, I tacked at the intersection of the front.
• Shorten the sleeve length
• Positioned the back shoulder dart on a angle.  It also looks better.  See back bodice adjustments.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Yes, and yes.  I will probably make a summer version. Also, I may use the bodice and/or the skirt with other designs.  I love this pattern, and recommend it to others.

Conclusion: Love, love making this dress and how it turned out.  The design is classic and I think it looks good on me. ;-)  

Happy Sewing!

C

Union Pattern Molly T-Shirt with Rhonda's Square Shoulder Sleeve Design

Today I'm sharing my fifth version of the Molly t-shirt.  This time I drafted Rhonda's Square Shoulder Sleeve design for the sleeve.  The pattern drafting was so easy and the finished sleeve turned out very well.    If you want to try drafting the sleeve, check here on Rhonda's blog.

There isn't much more to say about the process.  Rhonda's post gives you all the details on how to make it.  So there is no need for me to repeat it.

Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures.

Parting Shots:  This is the very first Molly T-Shirt that I made in 2019.

Notes On A Pattern - Vogue V1672

 

This is the bodice muslin of my next dress.  Usually, I only make the bodice of dresses because the upper body is where my fit challenges are.  Below the waist is a piece of cake to fit.  

My pattern of choice is Vogue V1672 and the fabric for it is from Mood Fabrics.  I purchased the fabric January 2020.  It's no longer available at their online store.  It's labelled as Italian Black Turkish Coffee and Harvest Gold Purse.  It's a cotton blend and has a soft hand.  I think it's perfect for a fall version of this dress.  

Here are my pattern fit adjustments.  I started with the usual full bust adjustment.  Then I created the muslin and tweaked it where necessary.  In the picture above, I pinned along the upper princess seam between the side and front for a better fit.  For the back, I made the prominent shoulder adjustment/broad back adjustment.  A small dart was made at the shoulder seam.  The back waist dart is deepen as I only need more room across the upper back where my shoulder blades are.  Once I have tweaked the fit on the muslin, I adjusted the tissue pattern again to include the changes.  Now I'm ready to continue to the next step of cutting out the dress.

This dress is described as: Lined dress with fitted bodice, side seam pockets, back zipper, and sleeve variations.  It is available in two size groupings (4-14 and 14-22).

I love the mock wrap bodice and the FULL skirt.  I can not wait to start working with my fashion fabric.  Stay tuned.  I'm hoping to start the work on this one soon.

Happy Sewing!

C

Another Butterick B6628 Top

I couldn't resist.  So I made another Butterick B6628- View A last week.  This time I used a viscose knit jersey from Minerva Fabrics.  Love the fabric and the top.  There is not much more to tell.  So this post is super short on the words.  I just wanted to share the latest version of this view.  It's a winner.

Happy Sewing!

C

Last Summer Dress of 2021 - Butterick B6600

These past few weeks have been so hot and humid.  Goodness!  I'm so looking forward to fall.  But before I totally shift gears into fall/winter sewing, I wanted to finish the last summer project that was on the cutting table.

Butterick B6600 is a pattern that I've owned since 2018.  And this is the first time I've used it.  I purchased it for the "V" neck top/dress.  I could make ten of these.  

Anyway, here is my review:

Pattern Description: A, B, C: Close-fitting zip front jacket and pullover top and dress have length and sleeve variations. D: Jumpsuit (fitted through the bust), has encased elastic and tie at waist. E: Loose fitting wide leg pull-on pants have encased elastic and tie at waist.  For moderate stretch knits only.

Pattern Sizing:  This pattern is available in two size groupings. (XS-M and L-XXL). I used sized medium with modifications.  I actually graded up some where between a medium and large.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes, my dress looks very much like the dress on the envelope.  View C falls above the knee on the model.  I added a few inches to the length.  So my dress falls mid-knee.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions were very easy and typical.  I basically glanced over them.  I didn't see any thing difficult or confusing.  The steps that I paid attention to were for constructing the neck band.  It was important that I get it as close to perfect as possible.  Since it is a focal point and using contrasting ribbing brings more attention to it.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  Oh, I have a few likes for sure.  They are:

• "V" neck 
• Sort of A-line.
• Great opportunity to use another stripe fabric in my stash. ;-)
• Easy to sew.

No dislikes.

Fabric Used:  I purchased this knit from Fabricmart Fabrics earlier this summer.  I didn't know what I'd make out of it.  I just liked the red and white stripes.  When I received it, I immediately tossed it along with other fabric into the washer.  Then I dried it.  When I removed it from the dryer, it was softer and still had the same great recovery that it had before I washed it.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  I made a few fit changes along with grading it up in a few areas.

• Swayback adjustment and added a center back seam.
• Added a few inches to the length.
• The neck band was extremely long.  I reduced the length by two inches - pattern.  So that comes to a total of about four inches.  It may have been due to the ribbed knit that I used.
• The placement of the bands on the sleeves.  Mine are a little closer together than view C on the envelope.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Oh yes,  I'll make the dress again and plan to make a top.  And yes, I do recommend this pattern.  As always, I checked social media to see if other sewists made any view of the pattern.  There were a few people who made the jumpsuit, who posted on Instagram.

Conclusion: I enjoyed making this t-shirt dress up.  It went together with no problem.  I recommend it to all levels of sewists.   

I was lucky my daughter was willing to take pictures of me wearing it the same morning I finished it.  So afterward, I thought I may as well keep it on, which I did. Tee hee.

So that's all for now.  A very simple t-shirt dress that turned out great.  

Happy Sewing!

C