August Wrap-Up and...The 'Elephant' In the Room

This was a good month!! It started out very quiet and mojo-less. I knocked out my FM project the first weekend of the month knowing the next 2 weekends would be occupied. I was so excited to sew the border print sateen and then the almost finished skirt sat for 2 weeks. New look 6481 renewed my mojo and got me back on track! :-p

This month I sewed:

• New Look 6481 jacket in black suiting - 1.5 yards
• Butterick 5760 x 2 in olive sateen and border print floral sateen - 2 yards total
• New Look 6123 dress in polka-dot chambray - 2.25 yards
• McCall's 7382 dress in maroon jersey knit - 2.5 yards
• Burda 2/2013 #125 bomber jacket in printed ponte - 1.25 yards (Fabric Mart project)

M7382 - IDK about that one. It is currently hanging before hemming (one side has already grown about an inch). I think I dislike the CF seam. Perhaps in a print it would be okay but in a solid it just looks odd. Otherwise it's a flattering style. So this may be called a muslin and I may revisit this when I have a better fabric for it.

NL6123 is a favorite of mine. I really like the fit of that pattern. And it's POLKA-DOT!  I'm wearing it today and it makes me happy!! Review to come.

Favorite: The one dress is iffy but otherwise all are very solid additions to my wardrobe. IDK if I can choose a favorite. Both jackets, the NL dress, both skirts...I really like them all.

FAIL: I failed to stay on task but what else is new?! HA! 

Accomplishments: Hmmm, I did nothing noteworthy this month, but that's okay. I have a vision in my head for my fall wardrobe which means not everything will be 'the greatest item since sliced bread' but so far, it's all coming together.

I'd cut out M7382 Saturday night and made some adjustments and then zipped it up through the serger the other day (that part is fast; not looking forward to hemming but think it'll be better hemmed vs. left raw). Once I realized it needs to hang a good while, I was ready to move on to something else. I laid out the fabric I scooped up at SR Harris for v.2 of NL6481 and at that moment (it was weird, seriously), I looked over and saw a UFO peeking out from a bin and of course, I decided it must be finished right.now.

Sigh. LOL

I had picked up this cotton/lurex faille back in December 2013, of course, via a FM sale. I wanted to make a blazer but the fabric is a bit rigid and I was still very new to sewing, so I wasn't sure it would work. Into the stash box it went.

About a year ago, I decided to make a fall jacket and pulled it out. I got the pieces all cut out (had just enough fabric!), sewed up the lining first, went on to assemble the shell and there it stalled.

Butterick 6141

Photobombed by boys and cats.

It fits better now too!

Fronts and backs are sewn, sewn together at the shoulder, but that's it. I realized this morning that one of my pockets was sewn on wrong (I sewed it pocket right side to fabric wrong side). I wonder if this made me toss it in a box?? Looking at my posts around that time, I went on to sew a couple of tees for myself and t-shirt dresses for my daughter, all from M6964. That was probably the reason -- "shiny".

I need to sew the side seams, the front bands, set sleeves in both jacket and lining, sew the collar (which is a simple style - I'm sewing view C) and bag the lining.

September plans is to keep working the fall plan. I hope to get a couple things done over the long Labor Day weekend but I again have 2 non-sewing weekends this month.

I WANT to sew the Jalie cardigan, Ottobre sweater and Burda dress. But those are definitely for cooler weather (even though it was 57 degrees when I left home today).

I SHOULD sew the Kwik Sew jacket and Vogue pants (suit). I'm using this navy/white mini-check suiting. I'm kind of excited about these two as well!!

So what's up with that 'elephant'...

I was talking with a friend after she laughed at my fall sewing plans. Hey, I told her I don't really believe I'll get ALL of those things sewn... :-p She mentioned that I must have a huge wardrobe.

I DO have a lot of clothes. I always have. I will probably never subscribe to the minimalist wardrobe concept. Even before I learned to sew I had a lot of clothes. I LOVE CLOTHES! Not so much fashion but clothes. I like putting looks together, I like having fun with my wardrobe. This is especially true since I'm no longer in a lab environment and without clothing restrictions. 

I live in the tundra - which gets upgraded to "The Frozen Tundra" in winter (or is that downgraded??). So I essentially have 2 wardrobes. I separate fall/winter from spring/summer. Cold weather will begin around October/November and will persist through April and sometimes all the way until the end of May. So you get really sick of dark colors, heavy fabrics, etc. and I take great joy in shuttling those into storage bins around the so-called start of spring! :) 

And because fall is my favorite season, around this time I am just itching to wear jackets and boots and layers. Even though I don't look forward to the cold that is coming. So I've already put away a few things but it'll be a few more weeks before I do a full swap. 

It also helps that I've always had a ton of storage space. 

Now, with respect to sewing, I've been sewing since January 2013. So not a long time. I've progressed a lot but as far as my wardrobe goes...Most of the stuff I made in the beginning is no longer around. 

I remember finishing a dress and being so proud and I wore it out to date night. Sometime last year I pulled that dress out to wear and had a good laugh at it! LOL! The hem was wonky as was the neck binding. The gathers were uneven and it had shine spots from pressing. :) So best believe, the wardrobe has been culled. Also, I don't discriminate. If it doesn't work...it doesn't work. And that goes for RTW and handmade items. 

• 2013: I have 2 items from 2013 still. And one is a pair of yoga pants, the other is a raglan sweatshirt.
• 2014: I have 22 items from 2014. Progress! 1 is pajama shorts and then there are 4 outerwear items and 2 special occasion dresses.
• 2015: I have a lot of stuff from 2015 still in my wardrobe. 

I sewed A TON in 2015, but it was a very stressful year for me and sewing was my salve. While I still sew a lot by most standards (it's the fast sewing!), I sew WAY less than I used to. I don't feel the need to hole up in the cave all the time. Feels good too :)

Fast Sewer + Desire for a large wardrobe + Lots of storage space + "new" job (It's been 14 months already!) + A definite style that is starting to emerge + Fabric inspiration + Pattern inspiration =  Lots of pieces being added, still. And that's okay by me. 

Not *too* Boring Basics: Butterick 5760

versions 5 and 6... :) Hey, that's what TNT's are for!!!

I'm at the point where I really need to retrace this pattern onto something nice and sturdy, it's starting to look a little beat up.

As per usual, I cut a 16 front and 18 back. I removed the excess fabric from the front skirt that is supposed to be gathered. The side seams are always basted before being sewn - different fabrics or if it's lined or unlined affects the fit. Both of these are unlined, they're both sateen with a slight stretch, so both have 5/8" side seams until just after the hip and it increases to 1-1 1/4". I haven't adjusted the pattern for the pegging - even though I often peg it - because you just never know. I do like the skirt in it's original width, it just depends on the fabric I'm using...and it doesn't take much to tweak side seams.

The one thing I DO need to change on the pattern is the hip curve. I don't need that much curvature and always remove it.

I finished the panel-print sateen skirt 2 weeks ago. Honestly...where does the time go!?!  I'm sure some of you have seen this Maggy London sateen 'in the wild'. I passed on it twice and then saw a dress made up on PR and the next time it went on sale I managed to snag a panel.

I *just* eeeked out my skirt with the single panel!!!

just scraps remain!

I tried to match at the side seams as best I could.

I ended up having to cut the facings from a different fabric. I rummaged through the scrap bin and used this lightweight suiting (I made a bias cut skirt from Burda mag with it last year). It is white/black on one side and black/white on the other.

I went with an invisible zipper and topstitched hem.

The color is really 'me'. I have a few tops in my wardrobe that I can pair this with. I love it with this coral tee (Target) and my new jacket.

My son was in the room while I was taking photos and he had me laughing the entire time. You can see how terrible my posture is on this back photo :/ Also, it is a "sensitive time" and I seriously look 4 months pregnant about 2 days a month. I always manage to want to photograph something fitted during this time! LOL!!! 

Because olive is one of my favorite colors, I have plans to add a few more items in this color to the wardrobe. This fabric is closer to a moss/ivy green but it's in the family, and that works for me! :)

When I made these olive pants I was surprised by how versatile the color is. That led me down a path of wanting all the olive things! :)

And they fit better now! :-p

For this skirt, I wasn't as smart as I was with the floral one. The fabric is narrower so I ordered 1 1/4 yard. On the floral skirt I cut front, waistband, then back.  This time I cut front, waistband, facings then...uh oh. I can't fit my back piece because of the vent. I moved things around, over and over and in the end I had to cut single layer and eliminate the vent. But it worked out! Whew!

I am all for serging the edge of facings but I had a bit of red bias tape to match my serger thread, Oh and on this one I went for a centered zip and again...topstitched hem

I forgot to serge the back seams before sewing the zipper. Arrrgh!

(this is closer to the true color than the photo above)

Yep! It's love! I think I will be pulling this out A LOT this fall, even though this sateen wrinkles if you think about maybe looking at it! :-p

*********************

This month I jumped into the trends and sewed a bomber jacket for my Fabric Mart project! In a crazy printed ponte - and I love it!

It's a Burda pattern -- which Burda's consistency and fit make up for their awful instructions to me! I cut my normal 40 neckline / 42 for the rest but since I used ponte and the pattern was intended for satin, I left off the full bicep adjustment and because it is gathered at the hem, I didn't worry about a swayback adjustment. I made slightly narrower bands than the pattern called for and used a run-of-the-mill black zipper from Wawak. I have been staying away from poly/lycra pontes (give me some rayon!!) but for something like this, it's okay with me. I also lined it with a poly/lycra interlock and left out the interfacing. You can check it out over on the Fabric Mart blog!

The Fabricista Fashion Challenge will be starting up soon so I won't be posting for September. I really enjoy watching the progress! Also, the PR Sewing Bee will be starting in September! It's not my kind of comp so I won't be sewing, but I'll be watching - for sure.

Finished: New Look 6481

Didn't I *just* say at the end of my last post that I was going to try not to get distracted by shiny??

Sheesh.

In a FB group that I am in, someone posted some fall plans and it included the Decades of Style Three's a Charm jacket. I adored the lines but I always check Big4 and Burda before biting on an Indie pattern. Why? I know how they will fit and what adjustments I need to do. You all know by now that I balk at muslins! :-p

So I'm scrolling through the coat/jacket category on PR and see this:

Wait what? I've never seen that pattern before!?! It's PERFECT! Turns out it was a new one from the Fall release. Lucky me!!!! I had to visit the JoAnn in the crazy busy part of town but I got it! And then I kept thinking about it and this suiting that would be perfect for a LBJ and yeah, I started working on it when I got off work Friday :)

Let's clear something up. A couple of people have compared it to the Grainline Morris. IMHO, not.at.all like the Morris. Okay maybe 'not at all' is a stretch. It's a slightly cropped jacket. It is a much closer clone of the DoS jacket. I made a graphic!

See? 

Now, the Three's a Charm jacket offers far more opportunities to fit with all those wonderful darts (I really dig shoulder darts). And I prefer the lack of topstitching on the New Look (which you could of course, skip on the TaC. There are TONS of the TaC jacket up on blogs and I knew that I would never wear a jacket of this style buttoned so I decided to go ahead and gamble with the NL at $4.

However, based on the number of finished projects on such a wide variety of body types in an array of fabrics, I do think the TaC jacket could be a good buy at $12 for the PDF / $15 for the printed pattern.

Also, sizing on the NL vs DoS are comparable; The New Look is sizes 8-20 or bust measurements of 34-46. The Decades of Style is sized ABC but is for busts sized 30-46.

The big cheesy grin says it all - I love it!

I made a mistake right away with cutting. I very often cut size 14 and grade to a 16 at the side seam, eliminating the need for a shoulder adjustment. I then went and narrowed the shoulder 1/2". I have to add this back.

I did a 3/4" FBA and lowered the dart an inch. I also needed to move it back about an inch. The dart was sort of large to me so when I did my FBA, I had a big honkin' dart. I was surprised and redrew the lines to reduce some of the uptake. This was a bad move. I have folds but they are not because I need more room. When I pinch out just a bit more at the dart, the jacket lies flat.

I removed 4" in length from the sleeve and added a bit of width after measuring. I didn't do an actual full bicep adjustment because I thought it would be sufficient.

EEK!!

I'd set this very lovely pucker-free sleeve; I use lots 'o pins when setting sleeves:

Look at how smooth that cap is!!!!

And then I put the jacket on and holy moly was it tight!!!! LOL! I sat the jacket down, dejected and went to sit on the couch and drown my sorrows in a bowl of popcorn.

Revelation. Ok. Fine. Duh moment... CUT NEW SLEEVES :-p

I had 4 yards of this fabric snagged during a Fabric Mart sale. I'd paid $1.99/yd and thankfully, I did good. It presses beautifully and stitches up well.

After doing a proper 1" full bicep adjustment, I decided to add 1/2" to the sleeve cap. I'm not sure all of this extra was needed and admit that making this decision based on the too-tight sleeve was maybe a bad call. It's not bad but I can tell there's a bit of extra and it was harder to ease.

I can move!

The sleeve rotation - I notice this with jackets and then I had a lightbulb moment and remembered that Gail over at GKs Agenda blogged a fix for this. I'm going to try this on my next jacket.

I did a 3/4" swayback adjustment which is standard for me: 

I like the back fit

And because of basically solid black fabric decided to just serge all seams. In a print or color where I didn't have matching serger thread I'd definitely bind that center back seam for a little interest.

I also tacked the facing down at the point, at the cb seam and at the shoulder seams.

Sooo I pretty much am in love with and am wearing it today. Wearing the exact outfit actually that I blogged (different jewelry!) :)

Once I get some more fall sewing done I'll decide on what color to add next. It looked really cute over this black/white M6886 dress I made!

The outtake: that plant was attacking me!

It is Time...FALL Sewing Plans!

Yes, we're just easing into the last half of August and it's still plenty warm out. But I am a Midwesterner so fall is right around the corner. So with that, fall being my favorite, and being bored with parts of my wardrobe...I was super excited to get to planning!

I've recently bought and made a ton of shells/sleeveless tops. And I'm still not seeing a ton of tops that I like, neither sewing patterns or RTW. I think because the loose/boxy/oversized style is in right now and that's not really my style. I can stand a couple but I don't want a bunch of breezy tops.

I want more straight, ankle length pants and MOARRR dresses :)  And the Clare Coat is a must for me this fall.

So the dresses here are a definite. Yes. All of them.
The Clare is a definite.
Tops/jackets/cardigans/skirts/pants -  a mixed bag.

Some of these will transition just fine into winter, but I do have a couple fabrics that I plan to make cozy tops from once it's actually cold. And I am treating myself to a nice SR Harris splurge soon because they had some amazing wool knits and other heavier fabrics in the designer section.

On with it!

I make my collages in powerpoint and usually use a snipping tool to get the drawing I want. 

This is a task that's actually easier on my Windows machine vs my Mac.

Jalie pleated cardigan * Closet Case Files Clare * B6244 * Burda 8/2016

Burda 9/2016 * KS3558 * B6169 * B5926

NL6123 * NL6261 * V1395 * M7382 * Burda 9/2016 * M7430

Coats/Cardigans:

• Jalie pleated cardigan is a must-have. It'll be sewn in a taupe heathered wool jersey.
• Clare coat will be sewn in an inky black wool blend coating.
• B6244 is a want in a grey on one side, blue on the other heavy double knit.
• Burda 8/2016 is a want - fabric TBD.

Jackets:

• Burda 9/2016 is a want  must (it's the petite pattern for September - yay!) in a light colored suiting -- something tan-ish.
• KS3558 is a must have. I have wanted to sew this jacket for forever. I have a suiting that I bought 2 years ago(!) to make a casual 'suit' (jacket and ankle length pants). It is time!
• B6169 is a want in a white boucle to knock-off a J.Crew jacket. That could easily wait for late winter/early spring though.
• B5926 is a want in black ponte. I've wanted this jacket in black for awhile.

Dresses: 
As mentioned, all dresses are a must. Yes, there are basically a few styles repeated - it's what I like! Also, yes, there are many sleeveless dresses for fall. You see all those jacket and cardigan options? I love toppers. LOVE. My outfits always feel more complete with a topper. Plus, a couple will easily transition into early spring (or "spring" because I live in Minnesota).  

• NL6123 in pindot chambray (print)
• NL6261 in textured blue suiting (solid)
• V1395 in navy printed poly blouseweight (print)
• M7382 in a merlot jersey (solid)
• Burda 9/2016 in an ITY (print)
• M7430 in charcoal ponte (solid)

Because the dresses are a go, I have definite fabrics selected for them. Looking at this palette makes me giddy for cooler days!!!!!

EEEK!

M7358 * Ottobre 5/2016 * NL6107 * B6183 * V1465 * Burda 5/2014

B5760 * Ottobre 5/2016 * Burda 12/2015

V9155 * Burda 6907 * Burda 6798 * Ottobre 5/2016 * NL6189

Tops: 

As mentioned, the current trend of loose/flowy isn't my style. I think I'll be wearing a lot of my existing tops.

• I want a wrap top so this is a must. In a print TBD
• Ottobre 5/2016 is a must (excited about this one!)
• NL6107 has been on the radar for FOREVER. We will see if it makes it.
• B6183 I love this top but the 2 I made (and one fail) are just slightly off. But they're close. So I'm thinking of remaking it in a print. And I really want a black one.
• V1465 is a must in an olive ponte (my favorite color next to blue and tied with gray)
• Burda 5/2014. Love this top. May have to wait for spring though.

Skirts: 

This is another area where I'm not overly motivated. 

• B5760. My TNT skirt. I will be making this in olive cotton sateen.
• Ottobre 5/2016 in black ponte. I need a black knit mini to pair with black tights and boots
• Burda 12/2015 I like the idea of this mock wrap skirt and I like the shaped yoke. So assuming I have a suitable fabric in stash, this is a must.

Pants:

• V9155 will be made to match the KS3558 jacket
• B6907 I've liked this view since these were released so they're a possibility.
• B6798 are a must. These are more boyfriend style which I want since my RTW pair went kaput (wore the thighs out. sigh)
• Ottobre 5/2016 not necessarily. I may go Burda or Butterick for the style. 
• NL6189 I made a pair of these that fit wonderfully but I accidentally got one leg off-grain so that was that. I have some crepe suiting that I think will work. Mimi G made this pattern up in a black crepe when it first came out and they look so much nicer in that fabric than others with a stiffer hand.

I wanted to make the Clare right away but then I saw that the Outerwear contest on PR starts October 1. I don't think this coat will take me a long time to sew  -- I sewed my Simplicity 2508 coat in 10 days, I'm sure I can do the Clare in the first 2 weeks of October. I'm pretty excited about enough things on the list that I can hold off til 10/1 :)

I think I'm going to start with things conducive to the warmer days of late summer/early fall. In the order I would like to sew them:

B5760 skirt
NL6123 dress
V1395 dress
M7358 wrap top
KS3558 and V9155 casual suit
NL6189 pants
M7382 dress

That may seem like I'm underestimating myself from now to the end of September but I will have 2 non-sewing weekends thrown in there. On the plus side, I'll have the long Labor Day weekend and I've sewn 5 of the patterns before.

Aaaaaand the new McCall's were released while this was a draft post and I want all.the.things.!!! Ha! Must stick to my top picks! :)

Are you dreaming of fall sewing yet?

Kwik Sew 4113

I had big plans to sew a dress to wear to the wedding this past Saturday and an outfit to wear for the 5K I participated in.

I wanted to Kwik Sew skort when it first came out! I thought I'd love it for my long walks. I picked up a couple yards of activewear knit from Fabric Mart and another yard from SR Harris. I initially planned to make the skort in gray and pink and this Burda tank top with gray bandeau and the rest in pink. I got the main part of the tank sewed up, tried it on, had a good laugh and trashed it. It was SO TIGHT! I may attempt it another time but not for now. I was going to sew the top from this pattern but lost my mojo (more on that later). I'm glad I didn't because I didn't even consider there would be a race shirt.

Also, I almost sewed up the navy activewear knit into the other view of this skort but I'm glad I didn't.

I sewed a size L (intended for hips up to 43.5" and my hips are about 43.5-44 inches. I removed 3/4" from the front rise and added 3/4" to the back rise of the shorts. I needed to add to the skirt back too.

One reviewer on PR mentioned that the shorts aren't snug enough. When I tried them on (several times!) they seemed fine. But during the race, no go. I had to continuously adjust them and it was so annoying. I will make another pair (or 2!) but not until I have some compression fabric to make the shorts from. Also, this knit was not wicking. Fine for the skirt but NOT for the shorts especially if your thighs rub together. I ended up having some chafing by the end of the race :/

The pattern though is fantastic. Everything went together really well and the design is pretty cute. I also really like the waistband width and how the elastic is applied. No casings, no visible stitching on the outside...the waistband/facing seam is sewn and the elastic is stitched just inside the seam line. And then you close it up and baste. I rarely baste things - just use lots of pins or in this case, the Wonder Clips came in handy. I think the clips are good for certain applications but I do not prefer them to pins...

Shorts and skirt are hemmed with a twin needle. I ended up popping the stitching on one side of the shorts. No doubt from yanking them down a dozen times.

Because of my OA (in both knees - boooo!), I can't run (yet). So I entered the walk portion and finished in 56:47.

It's so pretty!!!

Most importantly, we had a blast and have decided to make it an annual thing.

With Dolvett Quince from The Biggest Loser

As for my WDG...I was all set and SOOOO excited to work on the lace dress! And then I saw a couple versions pop up on social media and I was EXTRA excited.

And then, one day in the shower, I found a lump. I vacillated between *FREAK OUT!!!* and Eh, I'm sure it's nothing...When I went to my regular doc he said he felt it too, and ordered both a mammogram and an ultrasound. So, not unexpectedly, my sewing mojo was completely nil. On Thursday, the 4th, I got the all clear. But then I would have 8 days to get it done and I decided I was not up for rushing this project.

It'll happen, another time.

I ended up wearing my NL6123 dress that I made for my 4th anniversary, which we ended up not celebrating because I was out of town supporting my mom when her mother passed away.

This was after the ceremony so pardon all the creasing!

It was so fun to hang with the family and my cousin's gown was ah-mazing!

A young woman from their church made her veil and I was there when she was deciding on length and number of layers, etc. I thought the dress was beautiful but it being on a hangar was nothing like it being on her body. Just stunning. 

 I have my fall planning post almost done. I have an insane "want" list and am trying to narrow it down to 10 must-have projects. I want a solid plan to fill some holes, I want some things because I just WANT them, and I want to try to avoid being too distracted by oooh! shiny!! :)

An Oldie But Goodie...McCall's 6886

I really like the fit on this pattern and it's versatility. I have yet to make the v-neck version - one day. I've made this 3 times and whenever I finish one I think "I should make another one!" :)

This pattern has 124 reviews on Pattern Review, some of them multiples - it's a solid pattern.

As per usual, I sewed a size 14/16/18 - 14 at the neckline/shoulder, 16 at bust/waist and 18 through the hip. I make the neck binding based on amount of stretch in my fabric.

I got the bright idea to have the larger ruffle finish off the neck binding - it worked out beautifully! Yay me! Then it sat for a long time awaiting sleeves once I realized it was semi-sheer. When I came back to it, lightbulb! Finish the sleeves and hem the same way! LOL!

I used a twin needle and had a ton of tunneling. With this fabric, it works.

I was going to make a slip but just never got around to it. And then I ended up finding this Vassarette slip for $9. I'd still like to make one though. I went with a size L and the fit is okay. It's "reversible" for the neckline (straight or V) but that means the front and back piece are the same otherwise. So I technically don't have enough butt room. But $9 and I can wear my dress - win!

Also, here are better shots of the Burda pants. I ended up adding the bands to fix the length issue I created. They're okay but I won't make this pattern again. Too much work for just okay.

I had taken all these pictures inside and then my daughter pulled up. I ran outside to try to get her to take pics but she was "SOOOO HUNGRY!!" so I got one (good one!)

Love that outdoor lighting!

The side panel is ridiculous being a simple rectangle (on a Plus pattern at that!).
There are so many seams! I was sewing and sewing and sewing. MEH! Side panels connecting to front and back, the inseam, the front waistband, the yoke, the back waistband, the hem bands, stitching the rows of elastic...just sewing and sewing and sewing and serging and serging and serging.

SO many seams

OK fine, I'll stop whining now.

I do like the elastic back but still...that's because they choose a rectangular back waistband instead of shaping it.

I've done the x wrinkle adjustment and always have some. I don't care about minor wrinkling like this though because I don't stand, stock still, knees locked in life. So when moving, walking, sitting...they're fine.

I've given up on the idea of a woven slim fitting pant. I don't like stretch wovens very much for my bottom half. I'm going to plan to get some of this (AWESOME!) DKNY thick wool ponte knit from SR Harris. They had black and charcoal which are perfect. I'll go that route for fall/winter.

We can't take down any of the remaining graduation decorations until she leaves next week :)

More next post on the W.G.D. (it's on Saturday!) and I'll review my super fantastic Kwik Sew skort!

Finished! Burda 07/2016 #117

First, here is the shortened Style Arc Susan skirt. I LOVE IT NOW! This length is perfect! I removed 4.5" all around. I opted not to hem because 1) knit 2) full skirt 3) print 4) lazy. I decided that I could always go back and hem if I find the unfinished hem bothers me. It probably won't. Reminder: I cut a size 14, used 1/4" side seams instead of 3/8" and used 1/2" elastic in a casing. I love the movement in this skirt.

My remote died and DD had to take the pics which interrupted couch time :-p Paired here with a simple cami and my latest J.Crew Factory blazer (I bought it in coral and navy and love them! 100% linen and fully lined).

I realized the print didn't "randomize" as much as I thought it would. Oops!

Burda Challenge - July!

I mentioned a couple (or 3) posts ago that I fell in love with this pattern when arianamaniacs on PR sewed it up sans the crazy neck wrap-around straps. And then she pointed out that it's a petite pattern and I was a goner. 

I sewed a 20/21 as per usual -- 20 (40) at the neckline and armholes and 21 (42) for the rest. 

I did a 3/4" wedge on the back skirt piece and a 1/2" swayback adjustment. Next time, I'll adjust the dart position. 

I really love the silhouette. Front bodice and skirt, back bodice and skirt with an integrated side panel. The only issue with this is that the zipper goes in the seam between the back piece and the side panel. It is near impossible to zip it alone unless you're super duper flexible. I'm not that flexible. 

I made one mistake - on regular Burda patterns I never add hem allowances so I didn't add it here. But it's already petite! I'll add allowance next time. Here, I've serged and turned up a 3/4" hem.

Invisible zipper, just to the left of the back strap. So awkward.

Insides are serged. I placed the strap after everything was all done. As you can see, I just topstitched it in place. It works for me. If I were intending this to be a bit dressier I would have added the bodice lining (probably even a full lining) which would encase the strap.

But I didn't want to line the sateen. 

I opted for black bias tape to finish the neckline and single armhole. Works just fine for me to have this topstitched. As long as it's nice and neat (thanks walking foot!), a casual garment is okay to have visible stitching IMO.

On the next version (I think I can own this as an LBD too!) I will widen the strap. I have like 5 of the same bra and placed the strap wearing one. But as you can see it's just too iffy to be sure it covers front and back at all times. On some photos it was covered but on most it isn't. I'll make that an inch wider for full coverage. 

I've had a rough week so I'm now completely unsure about getting the wedding guest dress done. We shall see.