Simple Pattern Meets Audacious Fabric - McCall 3830

On Pinterest you can always find runway photos of outrageous fashion designs with over the top embellishment or over the top fabric manipulation.  The designer's runway is the perfect place for inspiration to make garments for the "real way" or "real life".   

My sister asked me to make her a special garment, a skirt.  We went to one of the major textile stores in Chicago to see what we could find.  We walked out with three yards of a "simple finely woven mesh" with strips of faux leather and ribbon/sequins sewn to it.  My sister just wanted a simple skirt made out of it.  She bought enough so that I could get one too, plus a bunch of other fabrics.  ;-)

So this is where the marrying of  simple McCall 3830 and the audacious faux leather/lace skirt began.  The pattern pieces used where the front and back skirt.  I had to figure out how to eliminate the transparency.  So I underlined it with another layer of mesh fabric and lined the skirt with black tricot.

The skirt:  Simple, right?  Not so simple with this fabric.  The challenge was to line up the faux leather strips and the lace so that it matched all the way around.  This was accomplished by aligning the notches of the front and back skirt.  Also, checking the bottom edge to make sure it was even.  As a safety precaution, I added three inches just in case. After carefully cutting the front and back skirt pieces, I underlined it with the mesh.  JuliaBobbin has a tutorial on how to underline lace fabric here. Also, I did a similar process on a lace dress here.

Next obstacle was to determine the curve of the darts to eliminate inconsistency in the fabric.  This was a little tricky. I changed the curve and end point of the dart to avoid sewing the floating circles.

Finally to hem the skirt, I simply measured where the hem should be; removed the faux leather strips; and cut both layers of the mesh about a 1/2" below the last row of the faux leather.

The lining:  I used the skirt pattern for the lining.  I sewed it to the waist of the skirt after the zipper (invisible) was installed and the stay tape was sewn to the waist.  The hem of the lining stops about 1 1/2" above the hem of the skirt.

I'm happy with the results and so was my sister.  So, using the very simple pattern with a standout fabric makes this skirt special.  The project was not hard to do, it just took a little time to figure out how to achieve it.


Happy Sewing!
C

Vogue 1127 - Tying on the Pussy Bow Blouse

Sorry the photos aren't the best quality

I decided that I'd make this blouse a few years ago. It was one of the patterns that I bought to the Palmer-Pletsch workshop in 2012. Marta Alto taught a session on dart rotation. It was of great interest to me as I almost always need to make a FBA. And sometimes I want to maintain the style of the garment without bust darts. So one of my desired take-a-ways from the workshop was to become proficient and confident in making dart rotation to other areas in a garment.

A few of my favorite sewing bloggers (Sarah and Amanda) have made this blouse and were pretty satisfied with the results. Both ladies, made a few changes to the collar and tie. If I make it again, I plan to use some of their changes. But for this one, I followed suggested construction process given in the guide sheet.  


This pattern comes in sizes 6 through 20.

The pattern description -MISSES' JACKET, SKIRT AND BLOUSE: Jacket is fitted and cropped, with lined, long raglan sleeves and standup collar. Skirt is straight-fitting, lined and 1" below normal waist with waistline facing, back darts, back slit and invisible zipper. Length is 2" above mid-knee. Blouse is semi-fitted, sleeveless, front and back gathers, back neckline slit, gathered standup collar and ties.

Amanda stated in her review, the silhouette of the blouse is like a trapeze dress. I probably will never wear it outside my skirt or pants. But it's a good idea to taper it a bit if you plan to wear it outside. Especially if you make a FBA. The instructions were fine. Nothing difficult or confusing.

The combination of the three pieces drew me to this pattern. I like how the seams are finished. Vogue includes a pattern for armhole binding and they recommend french seams for the sides of the blouse. I also like the high collar and the tie. Once I finished the blouse with the bow attached as instructed, I did notice that the tie was a little heavy and I wished I made it as a separate piece. It is very long but that's okay because I'm tall.

I used a georgette print from a local fabric store. The print was a good match for the purple tweed. My alterations were minimal. I made a FBA and rotated the dart of the gathers along the neckline. I also lowered the armhole a little because they were a little snug. There's a great chance that I may try this pattern again. But next time, I will follow Amanda's changes to construct the collar. I do recommend this pattern, the entire set of coordinates.

It is a good pattern to try. It has several construction techniques that will allow the sewist an opportunity to add some unique finishing touches to the finished product. It's worth a try if you like this style. The jacket and skirt are reviewed here.

Oops! I Did It Again!

Too much time has gone by since my last post. Shame on me, again!

I'm thankful that my inactivity has not deterred you from coming to visit my little spot in the cyber-world. I'm grateful for your continued visits and your thoughtful comments.

Truth be told, for the last eight months I've been the project manager for a major upgrade to our research, proposal, and award tracking application. It's been a bear and it's taking an extremely large amount of time to complete and too many over-time hours for me. Our projected Go-Live date was February 23rd. We missed it because of a mis-staged upgrade. So we are still working at it with a new Go-Live date of May 2nd. My fingers and toes are crossed.

In the meantime, I decided that I need to take back some of my time and reinstate my routine "sewing appointments" with me, myself, and I. Mid-March I was grateful to be able to vacation in Jamaica. It was an excellent vacation. We lodged at the Rui Negril hotel and resort. All-inclusive is the best. No worries, be happy. Rum punch, be happy. Raggae music on the beach, be happy. Jerk chicken, be happy.

So, of course, I had a few things to take on vacation. I will blog those soon.

My last post was on my first Mood Sewing Network blog, which was a Vogue Badgley Mischka suit. The part of the project that I did not review was the blouse. It is made using fabric from another store. So I will review that next.

Happy Sewing! C

I'm in a Tweedy Mood in Chi-Beria

I'm so happy to showcase my first Mood Sewing Network project.  As I perused the online fabric store, my thoughts were racing.  There were so many possibilities.  The online fabric choices are endless.  It was hard to settle and pick one project AND one fabric to make something special for myself.  Finally, I decided on a purple tweed and a rasberry pink poly charmeuse to make Vogue's Badgley Mischka suit.  This has been on my to-make list for over two years.

With the polar vortex back in Chiberia (Chicago), I can hardly believe that Spring is less than a month away.  This suit will be in rotation for at least three months.  So I made a great choice when I paired the pattern with this beautiful fabric. Tweed is often described as a rough, woolen cloth.  This one is actually soft and supple.  The natural fibers make it easy to sew, shape, and press.  It was a dream to work with.  Charmeuse was the perfect complement to the tweed.  I lined both garments with it and used it to make the seam binding. With the Charmeuse lining and the supple Tweed fabrics together, the garments move smoothly as you wear them, adjusting fairly easily to unexpected activities like clambering over snowbanks.

This pattern is rated average.  That is a fair assessment.   The original pattern calls for the jacket to be unlined. But there are some details that make this suit stand out. The pronounced collar helps to soften the contours of someone with boxy shoulders like mine, and give the jacket a more regal air.  The straight shape of the sleeves, curve into the armhole and back area to create a different design line in the jacket.  The bound seams give it a polished and sophisticated touch.

I spent several hours making this suit.  But none of the construction techniques were difficult.   The seam binding takes a bit of time and patience to complete.  In the end, the jacket is beautiful inside and out.   I decided to make bound buttonholes and underline it to complete the polished look.  The facing and the hem of the fully lined skirt are bound as well.  And the invisible zipper completes the smooth exterior.

After I put the jacket together, I noticed the placement of the last buttonhole seemed a little low.  I referred back to the pattern envelope to see if this was consistent with the photographed jacket.  It was.  I decided to lower the hem 1/2 inch and it looked better to me. 

I used a sizes 14/16 adjustment based on my fitting needs.  Of course, I made my usual FBA and prominent shoulder blade alteration adding a few inches to the length of the skirt and sleeves.

  

I am pleased with the outcome of this project and am ready for the next.  The suit wears well.  The fabric is not scratchy and does not constrain.  Movement is effortless. 

Next review:  The blouse from Vogue 1127.

Happy Sewing!
Cennetta

Get Earthy - Spring 2014 Trend

One of the top 10 Spring 2014 fashion trends is earthy tone. Neutral tones are featured in the Spring collections of Michael Kors, Valentino, and Donna Karen.

 

 

 

I'm a New Member of the Mood Sewing Network

I have some great news!  Meg invited me to join the Mood Sewing Network.   From what I know of the other Mood bloggers, it is a great group of talented sewists.  Having an opportunity to write for and support a fabric store that is commonly featured on Project runway is a real honor and privilege.

Thank you Meg and Thank you Mood Designer Fabrics!

Quintessential Little Black Dress

The Quintessential Little Black Dress is always on trend.   It's an easy solution for most occasions.  The selection of RTW styles is endless.   There is something for every age and every lifestyle.  But of course, most of my followers make their own LBD's.  So, how many LBD's does a lady need?

This year I made two, and it's only February.  Both dresses were made using patterns previously reviewed.  So I won't re-review them.  Details on the reviews are here (B5672) and here (S2054).

Sorry, I only have one picture of me wearing my new LBD, but I managed to get a few more indoor shots of DD in her new dress.

For my dress, I purchased a burnout stretch velvet.  I wanted to make a dress to wear to the American Opera Society Gala last December. I did not make it until early January.   I used a nude knit lining, hoping it would show through the burnout section of the velvet.  No luck.

DD's dress is made from a textured knit from my stash.  Anyway, we both have a new LBD to add to our wardrobe.

Happy Sewing!
C