Festive Summer Vacay Dress - Simplicity S9598

Pattern Description:  Slim V-neck pullover knit dresses in two lengths have long or short sleeves with cutout back and twist detail.  One view feature contrast layout.

Pattern Sizing:  The pattern is available in two size groupings (6-14) and (16-24).  I used between size 16 and 18.  This is very close fitting and I want just a little ease in the dress.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes, it did.  I really like the way the dress turned out.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions were typical and easy to follow.  There was nothing confusing in them.  Of course, I changed a few things.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the V-neck, the twist/cutout, and the option to color block the dress.  There was only one dislike; the way the back elastic facing is supposed to be finished.  It did not look good.

Fabric Used:  I used an ITY knit that I purchased from Fabric Mart Fabrics a while ago.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  There is always something that needs to be adjusted or changed.  Here is my little list:

• Small FBA made that produced a bust dart.  You can barely see it in this print.
• Made a prominent shoulder blade adjustment.  I didn't want the twist to pull too much.
• Selected a length between the two indicated on the pattern.
• 3/4 Sleeve instead of the long sleeve
• Sewed a channel for the elastic to be threaded through.  It looks better than just having the elastic between the skirt and facing.
• Used a twin needle to hem the sleeves and the skirt.
• The neckband was gapping a bit.  I had to make a deeper center front seam to make it fit better.  See pattern pieces showing the blue marking to indicate the new stitching line.  Note:  You must be precise in your stitching making sure both neckbands are stitched the same.  

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Of course, I will sew it again.  I don't know when though.  There are so many other dress patterns in my to make pile for 2022.  We will see how it goes. 

Conclusion:  I think this is a great little pattern to make a fun, festive summer dress.  It a good one for all level sewists. 

 

P.S.  I'll post pictures of me wearing soon.  No one available for a photo shoot today. Wink, wink.

Happy Sewing!

C

Presto Popover Top - Naughty Bobbin Pattern

This was my first time using Naughty Bobbin patterns.  And I decided to try the Presto Popover top.  

Pattern Description from the website: The Presto! Popover Top is designed specifically for knits for the wash and wearability your daily life needs.  Knits with 5% or more stretch, especially ITY knits and rayon/elastane come in all colors and patterns, so make more than one and get on with your life.  Good bye washday blues!  With it’s clever double-front V-neck collar construction and the always comfy 3/4 sleeve the Presto! sews up quickly on the serger, but can be made on a zig-zag machine, too.  Can be made in heavier knits for winter, lighter knits for summer. Excellent choice for sheerer knits.

For its ease, comfort and a fast sewing project, you’re gonna love the Presto!

Pattern Sizing: It comes in sizes small to 4 x-large.  I used large with a few tweaks.

This is the first version made.  I call this my wearable muslin.  For the other three tops, I added a few inches to the bottom.  I could use a little more move in the bust area.  So when I make it again, I do a little FBA (no dart) to have a better fit.

My tops look exactly like the drawing and the photos.  The instructions were very good and easy to follow. 

I really like the construction of the front of the top. The double layers of fabric and hide "body details" that aren't as flattering.  The seam down the center front also has a slimming affect.  Another detail that I like is the neckline.  You can choose to lower it and bring it up a bit.  Your choice.

All of the fabrics that I used were from FabricMart Fabrics.  The red and blue are a crepe knit that has a beautiful drape. The purple/pink print  and the black are jersey knits.  All fabrics have about the same amount of stretch.

My alterations were minor.  And like I said, I need a little more room in the bust area. When I make it again, I think I make it into a dress.  Rhonda gave me that idea when I saw her dress version on Instagram and on her blog.

This is a neat pattern that is flattering on most figures.  Try it. It easy and doesn't take a lot of time.

Happy Sewing!

C  

Merlot Crepe Knit Coordinates - Sewing Workhop Pearl Cardigan and S9017 Pants

Today I'd like to share an outfit I made for my book club holiday party (2019).  I wanted to keep it simple. I paired the Mood's Merlot crepe knit with the Sewing Workshop Pearl cardigan and Simplicity S9017 pants.  This is a beefy fluid knit that is perfect for fall and winter apparel.   Before cutting into it, I tossed it into the washer. It came out of the dryer with the same touchable softness, unchanged color, and beautiful recovery.


Jewel tones are my favorite.  The rich hues of purple, red, and green are staple colors in my wardrobe. I'm always on the hunt for these vibrant beauties.  That's why I had to have it.  Too bad, it's no longer available, but there are several gorgeous purple textiles in Mood's warehouse just waiting for you.

The Pearl Cardigan is loose fitting with a front casing and drawstring to ruche, cascading side panels, back waist seam, long sleeves and narrow hems.  The wrong sides of the cardigan will show.  The cardigan can be made up in a variety of fabrics from ponte knit to linen and silk.  All sizes are available in the pattern XS to XXL.  I used a size large with a lot of modifications.

For the most part, it looks like the drawing on the envelope.  From the pattern drawing it is difficult to see the fullest of the collar.  There is quite a bit of fabric that bunches up around the neck. 

The instructions were super easy to follow. Nothing confusing about how to assemble the cardigan.  That was one of the things that I especially liked about it.  My challenges were more with the fit and choosing the appropriate size.

My other likes were the drawstring and the drape.  This was an interesting design element.  You could wear it loosely drawn or as I'm wearing it with lots of ruching.

My dislikes are the huge amount of fabric that bunches up around the back of my neck.  If I make it again, I will definitely reduce the width of that area.  Secondly, the length of the shoulder seams.  Extremely long.  The shoulder seam was about 1.75" too long for me. Thirdly, the size large was like an XXL on me.  This pattern runs BIG.  I had to take it in several inches all the way around.

 My other adjustments:

• For starter no FBA needed.  Hooray!
• Added center back seam and back darts.
• Reduced length of shoulder seams by 1.75"
• Reduced the side seams by 1.5"
• Reduced width of the sleeve by 1.5"

All of these reductions gave my cardigan some shape, and now it looks like the picture on the envelope.  Happiness..,

With that being said, next;

The Pants Simplicity S9017

Easy, easy..,

Front, back, and waistband.  These pants sewed up like your typical pull-on pants.  No significant changes other than to lengthen the pants by several inches.  I don't particularly care for cropped pants.  From start to finish, it took me about 2.5 hours to make them, which was a great finish to an outfit that I'd spent more time than I thought I would.

In the end, I was able to wear my new holiday outfit with a smile.  So happy this one did not hit the can!

Happy Sewing!
C

Simplicity S8982 - The Great Wardrobe Builder

This Simplicity pattern can be used to build a little mini wardrobe.  For the SewYourView November Challenge, I came away with four new pieces:  three tops and one skirt.  They can be mixed and matched with other pieces I already have.

For now, this raps up my posts on S8982.  It's an easy pattern that you can get a lot of mileage out of.  Out of the four pieces that I made, my favorite is the hacked key hole top made of ITY polyester/lycra jersey.  You'll see this one again.

Anyway, this is more of a pictorial posts.  All of the pattern review notes are in the two previous posts.  Enjoy! More to come later.

Happy Sewing!
C


 

Just A Little Fun with Pattern Hacking - Simplicity S8982

Good morning everyone,

Just for fun, I decided to do a little pattern hacking  on Simplicity S8982.   So for the next top, I decided to add a keyhole. 

To make it, I simply traced my adjusted front pattern of view C.  Then, I determined the size of my keyhole. Transferred that to my copied pattern and cut the shape away.

Next, I cut a facing to finish the area.  The dimensions are:  1.5" by 12".  My length is based on the size of the hole.  Measure it and add a few inches for safety.

Next, fold the facing in half lengthwise and press.  attach the folded facing to the right side of the front.  Then, press and fold to the inside of the front.  Stitch it in place.  Now continue the construction as instructed by the guide sheet.  That's it.  Pretty easy.

BTW- I still plan to post pictures of me wearing the first outfit using this pattern.  It's a Mood post.  So I'm waiting for it to appear on their website first.  Anyway, below is a picture of the third top that I made.

Happy Sewing!

C

Christine Jonson Travel Trio Three 226 - Shirred Top

I'm still playing catch up with some pattern reviews and recent projects.  Real life, September and October were quite eventful to say the least.  So, I have a bit of a back log of things to blog about.  It almost always feel like I'm "catching up".

Today I'm review Christine Jonson's Travel Trio Three 226 - shirred tee.  Way back in 2012, I thought this was super cute but was concerned that shirred above the bust and how it may look on me.  My suspicions were right.  Not a good look on me.   So I decided to gift my sister.  It's a good look on her.

The tee is not a wader, just not good on me.  So that being said, here is my pattern review.

This tee is part of a mini wardrobe travel wardrobe pattern.  You can get the complete description here.  For the shirred tee, I simply copied the description from the CJ website.

Shirred Turtleneck/Raglan Tee: This top has long raglan sleeves and shirred yoke. It is designed to be close-fitting so that the bodice gathers will stretch tight vertically. The pattern also includes an alternative front pattern piece for a smooth and simple raglan top.  Multi-sized 4-22. I used size 16 only lengthening the sleeves.


My version does look like the drawing as far as style lines.  The striped fabric was a remnant from a dress that I made last year.  It was just enough for the back and sleeves.  The black and striped knit fabrics came from FabricMart Fabrics.

The shirring adds a few minutes more to the amount of time it takes to complete a basic tee.  The instructions were easy, nothing confusing about them.

I really like the shirred yoke.  That's what drew me to the pattern.   The fit of the turtleneck is spot on.  It's snug but not too snug, no drooping, just right.  I'm going to try the other tee view to see if it's a better look for me.  Hopefully, I won't need to gift another to my "happy to receive it" sister. ;-)

I do recommend this pattern to others sewists of all levels.  It's an easy one.  Both tee are perfect for wardrobe building.  The complement of this wardrobe pattern is cute too.  At some point, I will try those views as well.

That's all for now.  Have a great day!

Happy Sewing,
C

Fall Dress - Butterick B6621

Finally, I'm writing my pattern review for B6621.  It's been one solid month since I made this dress.
Time waits for no one.  It seems like the summer started yesterday.  But now September is two away.  One good thing is I now have two fall like or transitional dresses in my closet.

For this second dress, I was lucky enough to get a few good pictures on me wearing it. 

Anyway, dresses are my favorite to make.  This one is very popular in the sewing community.  Butterick describes the dresses as:  Close-fitting knit dress has front, neckline and sleeve variations and double-stitched hems.  B, C ties are single thickness, wrong side of fabric may show.  I'd like to add:  view A, the dress I made, also has a twist front just above the waist and the back for all views has a center back seam.  (Lately, the Big-4 pattern companies are designing the back of tops and dresses to have a center back seam.)  All dresses are A-line.

 

The size range is 6-22, which is great.  I used size 14-16 with modifications.

My dress does look like the drawing on the envelope with the exception of the sleeve length.  I had enough fabric for the long sleeve so why waste the fabric.

The instructions were typical.  Nothing difficult about them though.

This dress was simple to make and easy to wear.   Those were the first things that draw me to the pattern.  Next, I thought the twist front would save me on the FBA.  And it did.  I actually, cut the neck and shoulders at size 14, gradually cutting up to 16 along the front armhole through the hem.  Pretty much cutting the back the same way.  I did make my usual sway back adjustment and added a little belt across the back to give the dress some definition along the my waist.  Lastly, I lengthen the sleeves 1.5 inches.The adjustment that I forgot to do was lengthen the dress a few inches.

This lovely poke-a dot ITY knit came from Fabric Mart Fabrics.  I purchased it during my Sew Camp retreat. It was the end of the bulk measuring about 2 yards, 58" wide.

I might make it again.  Between the two twist front dresses that I've made, my favorite is the McCall's (M7429) red and black dress that I made a few years ago.  But I do recommend this pattern (B6621)   to others.  It's a quick sewing project that yields great results.  I like my new dress.  It suits me.

Parting Shots:  I wanted to take this opportunity to showcase one of my sewing students.  Bonnie B. has been taking lessons from me about a year and a half.  When she first came, all she wanted to learn was how to make darts.  Well, since that first dart making sessions the list of sewing technique achievements is about a page long.  I'm happy that she is sewing a large variety of projects.  She wearing McCall M7356.