Gold Stripes and Ivory Creme - Vogue 8747 and McCall 5818

I'm so happy to final post about this shirt that I made with Mood's beautiful Italian Amber Striped Cotton-Rayon Shirting.  This is one gorgeous textile.  And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Mood blogger.  This is a definite must have fabric; you should get it!

The title color is "amber", but I call it gold.  The online photo does not show the richness of the colors nor does it show the luster.  The sheen is not gaudy like some ultra shiny satin fabrics.  It's luminous with gives an air of sophistication.  The striped pattern is uneven.  At first, I thought to match up the stripes then decided to focus more on collecting the larger stripes across the sections of the shirt.

This shirt was a pleasure to make.  My review on the sewing process is here.  I decided to make a wearable muslin first to eliminate any fit or construction issues before I cut into my fabric.  To sum it up, the making of the shirt was not difficult at all.

One of the key things I noted of importance was to maintain the same seam allowance throughout the stitching process for good symmetry. I tried to play up the stripe pattern as much as possible.  The front band, side front and back were all cut of the bias.

I love this shirt and the pattern.  The third shirt is cut and ready to sew.

The pants are made of wool crepe (#300942) that I purchased about two year ago from Mood.  I'm sorry to say, it's sold out.  Mood has many other textiles available here. I know you are probably wondering, "why on earth would she make wool crepe pants with summer just around the corner."  And the answer is:  "I made them to complete another outfit worn in the Haute Couture Fashion show last month."  Plus I have my first pair of wool pants ready to wear for next fall.  ;-)

Anyway, these pants are easy to make.  I've made them at least 20 times before.  This pair I lined to eliminate transparency.  No pockets, just darts at the waist, a curved waist band, and simple fly.  Great straight leg slacks.

So, this completes my post for today.  I hope to post again before the month is out.

Happy Sewing!
C

McCall 6752 and Vogue 1355 - Two Favorites

So often I've stated that I will make something again. Sometimes it's soon after the first time I use the pattern.  And then other times it's months or even years later before I pull that "liked" pattern out again.  It's a breeze to layout the pattern onto fabric, cut it and sew without making fit adjustments.

Two weeks ago was one of those times.  I've used McCall 6752 twice before to make the same top view.  Each version paired with different bottoms gives the same top a different look, all of which I like to wear.  Obviously..,

The same can be said of the Sandra Betzina yoga pants that are paired with this third version of McCall 6752.  I love the look of these two garments together.  This is an outfit I will wear again and again.

The sewing was very, very quick.  I was able to make the outfit in less than three hours.
 

My initial reviews of M6752 can be found here and V1355 is here.

The fabric used for this outfit is from JoAnn's.  It is a crepe polyester medium weight knit.  I also purchased it in a blue.  I also, made V1355 pants to wear with another style top.  I will show them in a later post.

Parting Shot - My photographer taking a break between outfit changes.  These days, it's hard to schedule photo shoots because of "our" busy schedules.  ;-)

So that's all for now.  Next two posts will be on my mood project and a tutorial on a one piece collar.

Happy Sewing!

C 

McCall 7575 - The First Edition

The sun was shining and the sky was bright and clear.  Perfect afternoon to get pictures of my new McCall's shirt.   I called this post "The First Edition" because I can see myself using this pattern over and over again.  The shirt went together smoothly.  No problems or issues.

This is one of the new patterns released this year.  It's described as:  semi-fitted shirts have back yoke, collar, sleeve, hem and length variations. Sizes 8 to 24.  I used size 16 with modifications. The sewing rate is easy.  Yes, it was pretty easy.   I was able to finished it in about four hours.

This is a Palmer/Pletsch pattern, which makes the alterations easier as the adjustment cutting lines are already drawn on the pattern.  I made several adjustments.  The first is the FBA, which is posted here.
My other changes/alterations are:

• lengthen the sleeves by 1 inch.
• The vertical darts on the front and back were deeper
• The lengthen of the shoulder is too long; so I trimmed about 1/2 inch away.
• After sewing the bust darts, I trimmed them to 5/8" and serged the edges. 
• Swayback adjustment as usual.
• After I finished the shirt, I noticed the neck is slightly too large.  The 14 neckline is a much better fit.
• I used two fabrics:  The left front and the lower sleeves are white, while the rest of the shirt is a striped cotton blend I bought in Philadelphia several years ago. This was the only design change from View B.  The white shirting fabric is from Mood.  It is a stretch cotton.

That's it for changes and alterations.

The finished shirts looks a little boxier than the drawing.  But it looks like the shirt that the model is wearing.  It is less "semi-fitted" than I expected.

There are no difficult or confusing instructions.  Typical.

My likes:

• Views B and D.  I loved the use of the stripe fabric of view B.  The length and shape of view D.
• Fit instructions by Palmer/Pletsch is always helpful.
• The two piece sleeve and the yoke.

No real dislikes.

I will definitely make this again.  And I recommend it to others.  This is a winner.  I'm happy with the results and will get a lot of wear out of this shirt.

In closing, please go to Rhonda's blog to check out my interview with her.  The link is here. I'm a "Material Witness on May 19, 2017".


Happy Sewing!
C

Tutorial: Lowering The Dart After Making A Full Bust Adjustment on McCall 7575

This post is to illustrate how to do a FBA on a regular one piece front pattern for a shirt.  Last week I purchased McCall 7575 Palmer Pletsch pattern because of the style lines.  The illustration shows a "fit and flare" silhouette.  Secondly, the use of the striped fabric is appealing to me.  The front band and the cuffs are cut on the bias.  I wouldn't have thought to do that for fear of the fabric stretching.  Thirdly, the sleeve is a two piece sleeve, more commonly seen in jackets.  

Anyway, I wanted to share the process of doing a FBA and lowering a dart with a slight rotation. This first picture shows the pattern envelope over the front with the FBA.

Step 1 - Slash the pattern along lines 1, 2, and 3.  Then spread the appropriate amount based on your measurement.  If the width needed is more than an inch, consider using the second leg of line 1 to create a "Y" as illustrated below.  Fill the areas with tissue paper and tape to hold the adjustment in place.  I typical don't redraw the vertical waist dart until I test to see where the dart should be placed.  In this case I may make two darts instead of one.

Step 2 - Once that is done, test to see where the bust dart falls by placing the tissue pattern against your body.  Determine how much you need to move the dart.  On the cutting table, draw three lines around the dart.  Then cut along those lines.

Step 3 -  Move the dart to the appropriate location on the front shirt.  This step will leave an opening in the tissue pattern. Before taping the dart in place, determine how you want the dart to be formed and place.  I chose to slightly rotate the dart with the outer edge rotated slightly downward.

Step 5 -  Fill the open space with tissue paper and tape in place.  Next, true up the outer edge along the side.

Step 6 -  Cut away the excess tissue paper. Now you are ready to tissue fit or make a muslin.

Happy Fitting!
Cennetta

McCall 7445 Pants and Vogue 8747 Shirt

Finally, I'm posting photos of me in my new pants made using McCall 7445.  I posted way back in March (tee hee) on my fitting and sewing of these pants.  Now, that I have tweaked the pattern I'm moving this gem to my TNT basket for easy hands on access.

All of my changes are indicated in the first post.  But I'd like to state again that you may need to stitch of the vertical line of the pocket to eliminate any gapping in the tummy area.  Also, I re-enforced the pocket opening to reduce any stretching.  These pants are made of a stretch woven polyester blend, which I love.

I'm wearing my wearable muslin of Vogue 8747, View D.  I love this blouse and will be making it again very soon.  It's a winner.  This pattern has been review over and over again on blogs as well as on Patternreview.  One of best things about it is that there are separate pattern pieces for cups sizes A through D.  This made the fit process easier.

My changes were minimal:

• I made a small adjustment in the bust area by increasing the length of the front band by 1/2".
• On the front I added about 1" or so in the gathered area.  
• For the side front, I added about 1/2" width in the bust area.
• I made my usual sway back adjustment on the back and side back pieces.
• Lengthen the sleeve by 1".
• The neckline was slightly larger the than the length of the collar stand.  So I ease in the difference.
• Also, I interfaced the upper and lower front band, collar, and collar stand.

The list seems long, but the changes were really minimal. Overall, the shirt is well drafted.  The fit in the arm, chest, and neck areas is great.  At least for me.

 

I used a polyester blend that I purchased years ago from a local store.  I think Vogue, but I'm not sure.

I didn't tag it. :-(  It was easy to work with sewing wise, but difficult to press.  I'm pleased with how this shirt turned out.  Now I'm ready to make more.

These striped pants are my kick off point for adding more stripe garment to my wardrobe.  More to come on stripes and button down shirts.

Happy Sewing!

C

Diane von Furstenberg Stripes

Morning everyone,

Today's post is all about stripe fashionable inspiration.  I viewed one of Diane von Furstenberg 2017 collections and found a few striped garments.  So here goes.

Resurfacing ..,

My goodness, I been totaling neglecting my blog.  I've been Facebooking, Instagramming, and sewing; but no blogging :-(

I've missed it..,  as blogging helps catalog and organize my sewing projects as well as sharing my sewing experiences with you.

Anyway, today I want to talk a little about one of my goals for 2017 sewing.  BTW my goal list is a work in progress.   Just so you know and the list is growing.  My wardrobe is in need of some stripes.  During my mini spring wardrobe purge, I noticed I don't have very many striped garments. Next, I went to my sewing room and pull out several yardages of striped fabrics; then ordered a few more from Mood's online store.

Now that I have the goods on the cutting table, I need to decide what to make.  Of course, I need more help, right?  After searches the web and my pattern collection tons of ideas are dancing in my head.  Some I will post.  But, I know for sure, there are some button down shirts in my very near future.  Pictured above are half of my striped fabrics.

Happy Sewing!
C