December Garment of the Month, Finished NL 6230... and Stuff

I didn't finish my November garment. Wait...I didn't start my November garment. Tis okay...no one will be flogged. Right? Right?!?!

I have a ton of gift sewing to do for December so I am going to make my December garment an easy one. I've been wanting a corduroy skirt and picked up some brown (not pinwale but a small wale...) cord from Hancock. I think I am going to make S1783, view D. It has those cute patch pockets and an inverted pleat in front. Love. Love. Love.


I got all of my gift patterns traced off and (the pattern) cut out. I finished one small thing yesterday (can't blog yet!).  Today, I'll be working til 8 p.m. so I won't get any sewing done but hopefully I can cut a couple of things out.

I also ordered a bunch of fabric. Yes, I bought some stuff last week but that wasn't for me (edited to add: that's a lie. In my Black Friday haul I got moleskin and lace and a knit that I made into a tee. I lie. I lie.) and plus FabricMart had suitings for $1.99! 100% wool! Rayon/Mohair blends, Wool blends...for $1.99!! Plus they had a bunch of bright lining material for $1 and I couldn't resist. I have 8 yards of lining and a bunch of other yardage of fabric on it's way to me. Will blog about fabric hoarding when it arrives.

Finished another view of NL 6230 with the plum knit scored at Hancock and some leather-look fabric (also from there in the dancewear/costume/etc section)

Me and that left shoulder...

 

 

Worn with my "new" <$5 jeans! With the yellowish lighting the color is off, but the sleeves and neckline are black, the body (front and back) is this deep plum. It's super cute.

 

Simplicity's site is slow yet AGAIN and I can't link to the site...Boo you Simplicity!

 

 

 Check out Adrienne's SUPER cute version of the tee, HERE

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So, when I make something, I am immediately blogging it. I'm too excited about it not to. BUT, I think I am realizing how important it is to wear something first so you can give a more accurate review of the pattern.

I found this

And HAD to have it. It was gorgeous! The colors were so vibrant and I loved the thick/thin stripes. It had a bit of a sheen to it too and I knew it had to become a fun weekend-top.

Well, I wore it ONCE. And well...

 

Yes, the pic is dark but you can still see that that blue is NO WHERE near as bright as it was before AND it sprouted holes. And my husband is the laundry whisperer. (I'm the type that washes and dries e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. And...Dry Cleaner? What's that?)

 

 

So, yeah. I was really tempted to buy more of it when Hancock had their knits on sale because I could see it being a SUPER cute summer dress. But not if it wears that poorly. Ah well. Live and learn.

 

In other news, I'm knitting a cowl for a test and it's going along well. One day, I will replace all of my acrylic yarns with yummy luxe yarns. One day :)



Finished Item: New Look 6230

Quick and Dirty...posted from PR. No photos on me because dinner was chicken parmesan and pasta. Mmmm. I'm carb wasted! :)

I need to get my November garment done! I will be sewing and knitting for others come December. Oooh, I need to muslin New Look 6123 too!

The neckline is a bit wide on me, but it's cute on!

I am seriously loving the whole 'serge the neckband in place' thing.

Shows the print of the knit best

Pattern Description: 

Knit baseball shirt has feminine fit, can be made with banded round or V-neck & 3/4 or long sleeves. 

Pattern Sizing:

4-16, I cut a 14. finished garment bust 38" - my full bust is 39".

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?

Never pulled them out. 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

dislike: wide neck and center back seam.
like: cute and customizable pattern. Raglan sleeves = easier construction. FAST to sew.

I cut out the pattern which is 3 pieces - 4 with neckband (but I just measure the neckband and cut it out of the fashion fabric vs. cutting the paper pattern piece) and cut the fabric in under 30 minutes. Using my serger, I attached the raglan sleeves and sewed the side seams - maybe 15 minutes. Then I did the neckband and waistband. The SM was only used for hemming the sleeves.

I did think the length was just a bit short and would probably lengthen it slightly if making a version without a waistband.

Fabric Used:

Ponte double knit, both the snake print and black from FabricMart. 
The black was the "Sue's pick" and it is definitely not the thick, high quality ponte de roma that FM has available. It definitely has a higher poly content...

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I added a band to the bottom. I wanted a 2" band and then cut my band 2" wide (instead of 4). Oops. It's okay, it works.

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

Yes I would. I bought this pattern for my daughter but she doesn't like it made up. The neckline is "weird".  I'll keep it for myself!

Conclusion: 

I was ignoring the "luxe" sweatshirt trend and then I saw a couple cute ones that pushed me over the edge. Then, when FM had this "snake print" ponte, I bought one yard and was going to make a pencil skirt. I decided to make a sweatshirt instead. I am thinking I'm going to mix the leftover snake print, solid black and solid grey to make a mini skirt though. We'll see :)