What doesn't kill you may make you stronger, but it definitely tires you out

(Friends, I started writing this post in November, now it is almost May and I had completely forgotten about it.  For the sake of posterity, I will post it in its unfinished form--clearly my title was spot on!)

The PR Sewing Bee is over.  I was not the winner, and I was pretty down about it.  I knew after the 4th round entries were posted, I had some real competition, but I also felt that I was one of the top contenders.  Sigh.  Needless to say after 6 weeks of mad sewing (and in the case of Round #3, angry sewing) I was completely wiped out.   

Now that my Bee recovery is over and Halloween costumes are done, I can revisit my Round #4 entries.

The challenge was to make a Day to Night Outfit.  I made a lined jacket, a lined sheath dress, and a sequined bolero.

I used Butterick 5147 Lifestyle Wardrobe pattern for the jacket and dress.

Endless Combinations!!

Hello! I have been sewing like mad!  When I discovered that Hancock Fabrics was going out of business, I went a little nuts buying fabric.  By "a little nuts", I mean a little more than a little.  ;)

I started sewing up my new-found stash and then discovered the Endless Combinations Contest going on at Pattern Review.  It was fate I tell you!!

Let me describe my entries in the following ways:

1.  Using cool fabric

2.  Replicating a cool pattern envelope photo

3.  Replicating a long gone and memories-attached jacket

First up. A skirt made from a blue/white/navy/green swirly ITY knit.  I used the trusty McCall's 6654:

Cool fabric isn't it??  Since the going out of business sale at Hancocks had 2 yard minimum cuts, I had plenty left over for a top to match.  Enter Vogue 8390:

My previous version of this pattern was in a brown knit and I still love it (but it did need some tweaks):

When the 2 pieces are worn together, it looks like a dress:

On a side note, I have started running...and apparently my waist has returned!!

Part 2 of my thoughts for this contest was replicating the Jalie Eleonore pattern cover.  In particular, the light blue capris and the striped top:

Jalie Eleonore Jeans

The model seemed so springy, cool and comfortable.  It is very unlike me to copy a pattern photo, but it happened this time.  I even bought similar shoes!!  

My attempt at the cover pose

I did a split hem on these, using this excellent tutorial from pattern~scissors~cloth.

The top was a new pattern: New Look 6384.   Let me tell you that the top runs big.  I cut a large and should have done a medium.  The neckline was both low and wide.  I took in the shoulder seams and also the center front.  The fabric was a white striped interlock knit which I used on this dress:

McCall's 6886 blogged here

I am not a big fan of interlock knit mostly because it has poor recovery.  My neckline was a wavy mess when I finished it:

I was industrious and used some stretch thread which I ran through the channeling made by the neck binding.  I did not follow the pattern instructions, but used Jalie's method of using a skinny binding. Here is a great tutorial to show how it's done.  Once the elastic thread was inside the casing, it was almost gathered.  After ironing, however, it came out perfect!  Quite the save!!

So my pattern envelope re-enactment was finished and last up was replicating a long gone and memories-attached jacket.  Back when I was 18, I was an exchange student in France (Western Brittany).  At some point during my year long stay, I purchased a white Gap jean jacket from the Kilo Shop, where everything is sold by the kilo.  I remember the jacket being a bit too big, and I remember adding velcro to the inner pockets to prevent pick-pocketing during my travels (I was really paranoid about theives).  I have fond memories of that jacket including learning that the French word for velcro was "velcro".  So when I needed something to create Endless Combinations, a white jean jacket would be perfect.

I used Butterick 5616 from my stash:

Butterick 5616

Most reviewers mentioned the pattern being boxy, which is something I meant to minimize, if not eliminate.  I wisely made a muslin and did the following changes:

1.       I tapered the center back piece to narrow at the waist.  As drafted there was about a 2” difference between the finished bust and finished waist measurement…boxy indeed!

2.       I did a swayback adjustment, taking a ~1” fisheye dart across the back & side back pieces, tapering to nothing at the side seam.

3.       I did a slight FBA adding 3/8” to the bust at the side front.

4.       Below the bust I shaved off ~ ¼ ”on the seam to fit closer to the stomach.

5.       From my muslin, I discovered that the shoulders were very wide.  I narrowed them about 5/8”.

6.       I lengthened the sleeves from ¾ length to full length.

7.       I made the sleeve cuff narrower to match the lower band and used 1 button instead of 3

8.       I added ¼” twill tape along the collar to stabilize it. 

9.       I added interior pockets to the front pieces (you must have interior pockets to thwart pickpockets!!)

10.   I added a coat hanging loop.

I had JUST enough fabric for this jacket.  This is all that was left:

"Big" Scraps

"little" scraps

I am very happy with how it turned out.  I did made a bit of a goof-up however.  The sleeves & cuffs were designed to be 3/4 length and ending at the forearm.  I made the sleeves full length, but I forgot to taper them both down to be wrist size.  I realized my error after the cuffs were attached and topstitched.  Sigh...   So I put the button on ~2" from the edge of the cuff to make them a more sensible size.  

My Endless Combinations were complete.  Here is my collage:

It is a great assortment of outfits, and I am very pleased with how they turned out.  

Mid-April I was able to tag along when my husband had to go to Miami for work.  Here is a photo of me on South Beach, all cool and windblown:

A Doll's Dresses

I made 2 really cute dresses for my daughters' friend's birthday.  They are made to fit an American Girl doll or any other 18" doll.  The pattern is Butterick 5553, a See & Sew pattern.

B5553

 It is a simple pattern and I made 2 versions, both of which are adorable:

The one on the left is made with some block printed fabric I bought in India.  It has been languishing in my stash for years and I have been looking for a suitable pattern.  Who knew it would be so cute on a doll?  I omitted the yoke pieces and cut the front and back from the lining pieces.  Yes, the bodice is lined on a doll's dress!  The hem band was made from the border on the fabric.  Indian fabrics typically have a fancy border which will be used to dress up necklines and sleeve hems.


The dress on the right uses a cotton with purple, pink & red flowers and a matching purple cotton for the contrast yoke and hem band.


For both dresses, I used sew on snaps rather than velcro for the back closure.


They were so cute, I almost hated to give them away.

A LBD: Butterick 5672

I have finally remedied a large gap in my wardrobe.  I have made a little black dress!  We were invited to a Christmas party and I decided that a LBD would be perfect attire.  I made Butterick 5672 with some Black Ponte knit that was a Fabric Mart Crazy priced fabric on Black Friday.  It was $3.99 a yard, and I bought a bunch.

Butterick 5672

The bodice and skirt back are all cut on the bias, with the lining cut on grain.  The pattern calls for a tricot lining and an invisible zipper on the left side.  Since the left side had all of the pleats, I thought it would be better to relocate it to the opposite side, since invisible zippers aren't great when crossing bulky seams.   Before sewing the zipper, I checked to see if it was really necessary.  It wasn't.  Next time, I won't even plan on putting one in. 

I cut a size 14 for the bodice and did a 1" FBA, which added a bust dart to the right side.  Since I have a narrow upper back, I followed the cutting lines for the size 12 across the upper back.  My pattern only went up to a size 16, so I needed to grade out a bit for the skirt.  I added about 4" to the hip circumference. 

I lowered the neckline by 1.5".  As drafted, the neckline is a too high for my liking. 

I did make a muslin and quickly discovered that I needed to add some width to the bicep.  I actually added with to the entire sleeve, with 2" added to the bicep and 1" added at the sleeve hem.  Now that I have worn it, the bottom of the sleeve should be a little more snug.  Right now, the sleeves fit a like tee-shirt, which isn't classy enough for a LBD.

Here is the finished dress (photos are lightened so you can see some details)



Odd facial expression due to 8 y.o. photographer

 

The dress was incredibly comfortable.  I do like the lining, so I will keep that in the future.  I will slim down the sleeves a little bit and use my coverstitch machine to do a chain stitch for the hem.  I used a double needle coverstitch for the sleeve hem, which adds to the "tee shirt" sleeve vibe.

As others have mentioned it their reviews, I think the dress could be tighter through the waist which would help pull the darts smoother across the tummy.  I consider this dress to be  quite a success.  I anticipate making another version at some point soon.



I'm just not that in to you, Butterick 5958

Dear Butterick 5958,

I wish I didn't have to do this, but it wouldn't be fair to you to keep our relationship going.  To be honest, I'm just not that in to you.  There I said it.  I wasn't immediately infatuated with you, but I liked you enough to give it a go.  The first two courses during our first date when I cut and sewed a muslin went along perfectly fine.  But when dessert rolled around and I tried that first muslin on, I knew things were taking a turn for the worse.  Not wanting to give up on you just yet, I agreed to a second date (muslin). 

That second date/muslin was laborious and at times frustrating, and while it turned out ok, it left me exhausted.  I've had plenty of time to be with you during these past few snow days, but my heart wasn't in it, and I spent the time alone instead.  It was with a mixture of regret and relief that I folded up your pattern pieces and put them back in your envelope.  I regret that it didn't work out, and yet I was relieved that I could walk away.

I wish you the best in the future, please know that you won't leave my mind or my pattern stash, and maybe one day I will have the energy and enthusiasm for you that you deserve.

Meigan
 

New Jacket: Butterick 5958, Muslin #1

I've decided on a jacket pattern.  It's going to be Butterick 5958. 

 

 

I've started on a muslin and my first impression of this jacket is that there are a lot of pattern pieces for something that looks so simple. 

 

I started by cutting a 16 an adding a 1/2" FBA, and grading up to a 20 at the hip.  I narrowed the shoulders by 1/2" each which is a typical adjustment for me.  

 

It's too big.  The front panels are too wide and I really didn't need to grade up so much at the hip. 

 

The bust point is too low; I'm going to raise it up about 3/4":

 

Edited to add: Thanks to a few good suggestions and advice, I will also widen the side fronts so that the princess seams fall in the right spot.

 

The back isn't too bad, it's just a little wide especially across the shoulders.  Once I get the front figured out, I'll look more closely at the back. 

 

You may be wondering which fabric I'm going to use, the purple boucle wool blend or the light gray wool blend.  Neither fabric has arrived yet (my Denver Fabrics order hasn't even been shipped...Arrg!), so I haven't made a decision.   Honestly, it might be neither.  While at Jo-Ann last week, I bought some dark blue non-wale corduroy which I may use instead.  Time will tell.  

Fearless February Garment of the Month Plan...

February is a short month and I am diving in head first.  I'm going to make another lined short coat/jacket!  Here are the pattern contenders:

Butterick & Vogue patterns went on sale at Jo-Ann's yesterday and I may have bought a few...

Butterick 5958: Princess seams and an off-center opening, and either a zip or button closure

Butterick 5966: Princess seamed flared coat with standup collar and hidden buttons

Vogue 8931:  Jacket with front and back darts, waist seam and quasi-peplum, and hidden buttons

Simplicty 2508: Raglan sleeve jacket/coat with center or off-set opening and collar variations.  I will say that I have a bit of a girl crush on the model on this pattern envelope.  She is so gorgeous in that white coat, that it makes me want to stare at the photo and then make a white coat.
 
I have ordered 2 different fabrics: a purple wool blend which is already on its way from Hart's Fabric, and a light gray wool blend which will hang out at Denver Fabrics for a while before being shipped via snail mail until it finally arrives at my house.  Does it drive anyone else nuts when you order from Denver Fabrics/Fashion Fabrics Club (same company btw) and it takes 2 weeks for your order to arrive? 

In the meantime, I need to figure out exactly what kind of jacket/short coat I want.  I'd like an early springtime coat so it won't need to be interlined and super warm, and it won't need to be long.  Decisions, decisions. 

Kelly Green Knit Top: Butterick 5354

What makes this pattern great is the tucks around the neckline.   They radiate outward like the sun's rays.

It reminds me of the lovely yellow dress worn by the Queen of England at William & Kate's wedding.  See?

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/royal-wedding-queen-in-bright-yellow-179055

I had ordered some Jersey Knit from Fabric Mart and when it arrived I was surprised...it wasn't what I had expected.  (This happens A LOT when I order fabric online--worthy of its own blog post).  It was rather thin and I had expected it to be somewhat cottony, but it was more like swimsuit material without the 4 way stretch and obvious spandex shininess.  It's no longer available at Fabric Mart so I can't find out what the actual fabric content is, but I'm going to guess and call it a polyester single knit.  

Enough of the fabric complaints!  Lets get onto the Finished Object Cheering!

First of all, I LOVE the color.  My photos don't quite capture it.  It is more of a rich Kelly Green.  Here is a detail of the neckline:  

The pattern uses a front facing which had absolutely no way or hope of staying down and hidden on its own. So I stitched in the ditch at the front pleats to keep it down.  This worked well.  

I cut a size 14 in the pattern.  The finished bust measurement was 40" so there would be plenty of room.  I made the sleeves a tiny bit wider (about size 16) at the upper arm, so there wouldn't be any unsightly stretch wrinkles at the bicep.  Once it was assembled, I decided to give the top more shape and take out a small amount at the waistline ~1cm.  

I love how this top came out, and it went from my sewing machine, right onto my body, and out to dinner.  :)

Sewing for Others: Butterick 5595: A Dress for Grandma

I will start by saying I did not make this dress for me.  The shape and style are wrong for me on many levels. However, I think it will suit my grandma well.  Since she and I are pretty much the same size, I was able to model this dress for you:

It is Butterick 5595 from their "See and Sew" collection (aka the always cheap patterns).  I cut a size 14 and extended the length of the shoulder straps to match the size 18.  Based on Grandma's measurements, her bust apex would have been too low compared to the end of the dart on the size 14.  So by extending the shoulders, it drops the point of the dart down lower.  Hopefully my change won't make the armpits too low.  It was fine on me, so I'm hoping for the best.

I made it from a cotton I bought at Hancock Fabrics.  I searched my stash for an Indian fabric, but didn't find anything that would flatter Grandma's coloring.  Just because she is 88 doesn't mean she should fade into the background- right?  The fabric is bright blue with a sparkly silver floral print.  Once I made the pleat, I realized that the pattern looked odd at the seam.  So I decided to add some sparkly buttons to camouflage it.  Besides, Grandma can always use some bling :)

Shiny Buttons to camouflage odd print at front pleat seam

Since the dress is very shapeless flowy, I also made a belt from the same fabric in case Grandma wants to show off her figure a bit more.

Belted

 Pockets will be good when she goes out to walk the dog!

Pockets

While making this, I had a serious DOH (hand smacking forehead) moment.  Instead of sewing the front shoulder strap to the back shoulder strap, I sewed the two fronts together and the 2 backs together.  I was holding it up and wondering "Why does this look so weird?"  Then "DOH!"  Oh well, no permanent damage and it was good for a laugh!

The first big oops in a while 

I need to go mail this off to her.  If we're lucky she'll send me a photo of her wearing it.  I hope she'll like it!

A Plan at Last!

Since returning home from India, I have had trouble getting inspired to sew.  I had hoped that the arrival of my fabric stash and my sea shipment would have given me some ideas, but no luck.  Last week I was visiting my parents and my grandma  was there too since she was spending the summer back on the East Coast rather at home in Arizona.  It was a conversation with my grandma that finally got some sewing ideas flowing.  She was commenting on one of my daughter's dresses that was cool, loose, and cotton, saying that she wished she could find something like that for herself. since they are cool and comfortable.  Ding Ding!  If my grandma can't find what she wants...I will make it for her!

I headed out to Joann's and since there were no pattern sales going on, I stuck to perusing the "It's So Easy" and "See and Sew" patterns which are cheaper than the normal ones.  I settled on Butterick 5595  as a potential pattern for a simple, loose, cool, cotton dress for my grandma.  Here is the line drawing for the dress:

I will be scouring my stash for appropriate fabric, and lengthen it to be about 45" from shoulder to hem. Strangely enough, she and I are about the same size so I will fit it to me and hopefully it will fit her well too.

Thanks for the inspiration Grandma!

Easter Dress: Butterick 4957

It dawned on me about a week and a half ago that I'd need something to wear on Easter Sunday.   I decided to use this navy/purple/lavender cotton print that I bought at an "Aladdin's Cave" fabric shop that a friend accidentally found last month.

My girlfriend and fellow sewing enthusiast, we'll call her J-Shek, went out looking for my favorite fabric shop in Hyderabad called Narsingh Cloth Emporium.  I had heard talk that there were actually 4 Narsingh shops all located in the same small area of the city.  I had only found 3.  So J-Shek went into one of them (I will call it #3), which is right next door to the best Narsingh (which I will call shop #1) not realizing that she needed to go into shop #1 past the sarees and dress materials, through a narrow doorway, and up the dimly lit staircase to find all of the fabric.  (Have I ever mentioned that shopping in India can be a challenge?)  So she went into shop #3, bought a few things, and then asked the shopkeeper if there was more fabric somewhere.  He escorted her around the corner and down the street to...yes you guessed it, the elusive, Narsingh #4!

Once she told me about it, I had to go.  A group of us went on a little outing, first going to shop #1 and then out the door, around the corner, and down the street to #4.  Walking up the steps to the shop I had a little internal groan: Ugh...we have to take off our shoes.  I always panic a little when I leave my shoes outside a shop.  That scene from Slumdog Millionaire where the boys steal peoples shoes and then sell them always runs through my head.  I also breathe a big sigh of relief when I exit the shop and find my shoes waiting for me.  Entering the shop I was immediately dwarfed by stacks and stacks of fabric bolts piled on the floors, the counters, everywhere.  The first thing that caught my eye was DENIM!  What??  Eureka!  "I'll take 2 meters...how much is it?"  "125Rs/m mam".  US$2.50/m...nice (I should have asked for more)!  Yes it was the light chambray colored denim, but I was going to take what I could get.  Denim was as hard to find as the holy grail.

The group of us squeezed through the narrow doorways and stacks of fabric looking at a vast assortment of cottons, silks, fluffy things, gaudy things, sparkly things, and everything in between.  My girlfriend Kelly just looked around the shop, with her eyes wide and said "This place is like Aladdin's Cave, it's amazing."   It was an excellent description.  While Kelly was debating how much of a orange and green dinosaur print (another Holy grail find) to buy, I noticed a very non-Indian, purple, navy & lavender, abstract/graphic floral print peeking out of the teetering 7 foot high stack of bolts next to me.  The fabric was very fine cotton, rather transparent, and cheap as chips.  I bought 3 meters thinking that I could make a dress.  I had been wanting to make up a version of Butterick 4957 for quite a while and I have some fabric similar to the blue and white print on the pattern envelope, but I haven't been inspired enough to cut into it.

It's a very simple dress with bust darts, flared skirt, and CB zipper.  Here is the line drawing:

I made the V neck version (view A) with only small tweaks to the pattern.  First of all, my pattern only went up to size 14.  While that is perfect for the bust and shoulders, I had to grade it up about 2 sizes through the waist.  I also shortened the bust dart by about 1/2" (this is typical for me).  The dress is fully lined, and I was able to use J-Shrek's serger to finish all of my seam allowances (I can't wait to get one of my own!!).  

This dress is so simple, classic, and easy, I was surprised to find that it is now out of print.  Here is my version:

I'm very pleased with the fit of the dress.  Happy Easter!

UFO #1 Done: Butterick 3134

The white twill skirt is DONE!  The silly thing about having UFO's sitting around is that once you decide to finish them, it really takes no time at all.  The hem on this one was done while watching re-runs of Castle on TV.

When I sew, one thing usually leads to another.  I make a top, then realize I don't have something to wear with it, so then I make a skirt.  Such is the case with this skirt.  First I made the top (Simplicity 2892-not blogged yet) and of course, realized...hmm...I need something pretty simple to wear this this.  And so the skirt was born.

Skirt: Butterick 3134

 

Top: Simplicity 2892

Pattern Description: A-line or flared skirt, below mid-knee or lower calf, has waistband and side zipper.  I made the 6 gored skirt (the beige and blue ones in the pattern envelope photo)

Pattern Sizing: 14-16-18, I made the 18

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?  Simple

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  It's a versatile, classic & simple, skirt

Fabric Used:  White Cotton Twill

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  Absolutely none!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Sure.

Conclusion: A classic skirt.  A great addition to any wardrobe.  I'm planning on making this next in a soft denim.