Finished: New Look 6123

I previously sewed this in October 2014 for week 2 of the Fabric Mart challenge. I made a muslin and everything! I made it a second time later that month in ponte. When I went to my cousin's wedding last month, I wore the puple version and fell in love with the dress all over again.

I decided my polka-dot chambray would become another NL6123 vs S8014 (even though I love that pattern).

Both of my previous versions used the pleated skirt and I wanted to make the straight skirt this time. I pulled out the pattern and I had traced ALL of the pattern pieces. So I felt compelled to trace the other pieces this time and I'm glad I did. I didn't realize this pattern is now OOP. Boooo!

V.1 was lined and v.2 was a knit so I hadn't used the facings. I will say I find them just a bit shallow. I also want to raise the neckline a little - like 1/2". I am okay with a little cleavage during daytime, it's my tattoo that I prefer to cover up. Sidenote: I am totally going to look into laser removal. I don't hate it, I just hate the location now! But there's some tricky business to removing tattoos from brown skin so you have to find someone experienced.

Anyway. I used the facing as-is after having made changes to the bodice. So I have this happening on the inside...Oops.

Note to self: Add an inch to the facing! :-p

I assumed (oops) that the bodice was a 14 but it was a 16 and I traced the size 14 facings. Doh! I stitched them down which thankfully isn't visible because of the crossover.

Also, trying to preserve whatever amount of this fabric I could, I ended up cutting my skirt fronts too close to an edge that had a scissor snip. I interfaced it and took the seam a tiny bit deeper. Fingers crossed it stays put!

I made no other changes to the pattern from the original make.

• Shortened bust dart (moved the point 'back')
• Narrow shoulder adjustment
• Gaping armhole adjustment
• Removed width from center back tapering to nothing at waist
• Swayback adjustment
• Full butt adjustment

I could stand to add a tiny bit to the cap sleeve - maybe 1/2". I used an invisible zipper and topstitched the hem. I also tacked the facings down at the shoulder seams.

Matching at the top of the zipper

Matching the waist seam and darts

Really digging the vent and my red serger thread!!!! <3

The chambray cut, sewed and pressed as beautifully as cotton chambray does! Such a breeze to sew!

We're officially into fall here in Minneapolis and dusk arrives earlier. Plus the past 2 weekends have been crammed. I have had no time to photograph the gazillion finished garments I have.

I haven't been feeling well and am working from home today and figured I would FINALLY get this dress blogged (it's been finished since end of August/very early September). So I look haggard but just look past that. Okay? LOL!

These boots were the only shoes upstairs besides flip-flops...

I've really working out the fit for my back/butt on the CB seam!

You'll see (as do I now!) that my side seam is curved. I need more butt room (horizontally). Also, I've worn this twice already so the chambray has bagged out a bit in the seat. I'm sure it'll be fine when it's washed/dried.

***********************
DDs sweatshirt turned out SO CUTE! Again, we were jam packed when she was here so I didn't get photos of it on her...or even the completely finished garment. Her Thursday's are a bit more open so hopefully she can get a friend to snap a few for me.

I was going to add decorative side seam zippers but the style lines and the super-duper drapey fabric made it a no go. The sweatshirt sort of collapses on itself and the zippers made it stiff.

I used Burda 1/2016 oversized hoodie with hi-low hem. I used a size 36, view A (the other views are longer and have pleating or gathering in the back). I ended up adding a band to the hem instead of hemming it.

I made the gathers in front and attached the hood via serger. And turned it out and saw this:

Oh. Well then...

I unpicked from the bad gathering on the right as viewed to the other side and reattached via sewing machine (yeah, I learn sometimes...) and was  able to get the hood in correctly (fronts touching).

This is before the bands were sewn

I tried it on because it is pretty oversized and it looked weird (probably because it's still way small for me). Saturday morning she came to show me the sweatshirt on her body and I swear it was THE cutest thing. I said with leggings, she said "with huge pants!". Ahhhh to be 18 again.

Wait...well, no. No thank you! Maybe 26...lol!!!

So many things to do yet. I have my September Burda in under the wire (needs hems), DD needs a black gown for concert performances. Because I am smart sometimes, I am making the non-fancy version of her prom dress (e.g., no lace, no illusion, no tulle, etc). And I am making the bodice with a stretch velvet. New-to-me fabric but I think I'll be okay. Oh and did I mention she needs this for her concert on October 8th? And I'm joining the PR outerwear contest and sewing the Clare coat from Closet Case Files. Plus the other stuff I want to sew.

WHEW!

Miscellany; In Which I Whine About All the Things

Because my middle name is miscellaneous... No, not really, I just have a lot of random thoughts, often.

New Look 6189. I made this pattern before, a few months after I started sewing. They were REALLY cute just too high in the rise and I knew I'd never wear them. I made them again in a suiting fabric and messed up and got one leg off grain. But the fit of the pattern worked!

I had them in my fall plans out of a crepe. When I ordered this fabric, I made sure it was opaque and that it was suitable for pants. I missed the texture. It's pebbled and I don't like it. I like the color but don't love it and with the texture it's just a big ole' NO for me. I'm not completely anti-polyester but with that, this color and that pebbled texture it reads too much like old-man pants.

Also, I forgot that the leg on this pant is MUCH, MUCH fuller than the envelope suggests.

Meh. I left these alone, and unfinished, and moved on to the wrap top of my dreams (haha!). I have to do a full review on this one because this pattern is stupid and dumb. Yes, very mature, I know. But it is. It did not help the cause that I used a (beautiful, printed) polyester charmeuse. I swear when I walked into the room the fabric would fray. Peek around the corner -- fray. Think about walking downstairs - fray. Good grief.

M7358

I'm going to finish it because it is pretty. So perhaps, after awhile, my anger at it will subside.

Also, I want to finish this jacket (B6141)!!! But first, the funnel-ish collar is just wrong. I think it's drafted incorrectly and I don't know how to fix it with the way the front is constructed. So I'm going to use one of the other collar views.

Then, I had a hell of a time setting this sleeve and when I went to take it off the dress form I noticed a few small puckers in front (which in the photo below I thought it was just because I hadn't pressed it). So I have to re-do part of the sleeve.

UGH.

But it's cute!!

My daughter is on week 3 of college and mentioned wanting a robe for going to and from the bathroom. She's a huge fan of dark green (hunter, pine, etc) and I found a great plaid cotton flannel at SR Harris to sew up M7297

They both washed and dried well and I was excited to get started. 

It wasn't until I went to cut out the solid parts (the bands) that I realized the green is FAR thicker/heavier than the plaid. And the bands are all sewn double. I'm not so sure this will work out and am tempted to call it quits and buy a robe!

Wah. Wah. WOE IS MEEEE.

So you know what this means? Mojo is kaput. Which is fine; I've been sewing like a crazy person despite being super busy with family stuff.  The next two weekends were already non-sewing time because of existing plans. Plus I have a new book to read. So I'll take some time off, clean my sewing room and I'm sure I'll be all excited to jump back into it :)

I still need to photograph my polka-dot New Look 6123 (which I've worn) and maybe I'll get pics of the NL6189 pants on. 

Other Stuffs...

Have you been following along over at Carolyn's with all her fun giveaway's for National Sewing Month? 

Do you know that Saturday begins OWOP and there are giveaways? 

I'll be using my trusty Butterick 5760 skirt to participate!

Also, I changed my blog theme again. I wanted more white space. I like it.

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. 

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!

Failed Skirt-a-Palooza: Butterick 6060 but a WINNER in New Look 6301

After my top-a-palooza, I planned on making 2-3 skirts with a more summery flair. When B6060 first came out, I snatched it up, liking both the straight view with the little peplum and the pleated view.

I was so excited to get going on this and decided on classic but summer-fun navy and white colorblocking. I had a cotton twill in navy and a rayon suiting in white (with white poly pongee lining). The weights weren't compatible but the upper skirt is meant to be lined and I thought that would equalize things (newsflash: it didn't).

Also, I didn't think the upper portion looked THAT deep in the tech drawing but the photo is fairly accurate.

I didn't consider how this style would work with my fairly rectangular (when viewed front-on) figure (newsflash: it doesn't). This skirt took a long time to make. Well, to make well.

6 seams on the upper skirt plus the zipper
6 seams on the lining
Pleating the skirt...

I used tailor tacks to mark the pleat points as I knew it was imperative that they be properly marked so that the lower skirt would fit correctly to the upper. I even hand-basted the pleats in place.

Did a great job on my invisible zipper:

Hand sewed the lining to the zipper tape:

There is no facing or waistband. I used strips of interfacing in addition to stay-stitching. If I were to do it again I would add some twill tape or other support at the waist. The skirt pulls down when worn.

Because the twill appears slightly textured, I went ahead and topstitched the hem - it looks fine. 

Hard to photograph the white+navy

I finished it and was SO excited and...MEH.

My daughter told me to "take it off please".

I didn't understand how it went so wrong! LOL!!!

After trying it on a BUNCH more times, I decided it could work if it sat closer to my natural waist. But I'm holding like 4" of fabric in back! It sits way low on my hip which makes me wonder if I didn't manage to stretch out the waist despite being careful - or if the size 16/18 was just too big. (I always do a 16 front and 18 back in skirts).

I like the pleated bottom and thought MAYBE if I removed 2-3" from the height/depth of the top it could work in the future. But...sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And there are WAY more "patterns in the sea".

In the meantime, I have my Ann Taylor Loft white eyelet/lace skirt and I ended up getting the colorful A-line skirt online. YAY! It came today and I absolutely adore it. I think I shall wear it tomorrow! :)

(size 14)

I also really appreciate the details. This is grosgrain used as a facing and zipper shield but it's SUPER soft and pliable. A quick Google search shows that cotton/rayon grosgrain ribbon is a thing! I like the way it's used in this skirt. I can see this becoming a wardrobe fave; even though it's bright and colorful.

I finished the Butterick  skirt on the 3rd and on the 4th of July found myself home alone in the morning while both kids were working. "Oh well, guess I'll sew a dress...", I said.

1) Knit - duh. Easy. Peasy.

2) Something I've made before - duh again! Ain't nobody got time for new patterns + adjustments

3) Easy to handle fabric - See #1

I was somehow drawn to NL6301, even though I said I probably wouldn't make it again. But luckily, I am smart sometimes. I thought about WHY I didn't enjoy the make as much (though I like the dress)...Ponte was not a good fabric to use with this one. It just created too much bulk in areas with pleats and ties and...bleh.

So I reached deep into the stash and came out with this lovely, thick springy poly jersey that I purchased from SR Harris way back in 2013 when I first started sewing. The colors are fun and vibrant and say SUMMER! but can easily transition into early fall. My kinda fabric!

This time, I chose the view with the full skirt. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I did have to cut the skirt out. But that was easy, just a front and back, size 16 for both.

I ALMOST ran out of fabric! I had cut my sleeves early on when I found a good spot for them between the bodice pieces.

But when I went to move them - uh oh! This fabric has a crazy wide selvedge and it's uneven on top of that! So like 1/3 of one of my sleeves was this cream selvedge. I dug around through my scraps and WHEW! Found a piece that could fit the sleeve.

In an effort to fit all the pieces on the fabric on-hand, I ended up turning my neck binding piece on the cross grain. This meant I didn't have the stretch to snug it up against the neckline so it's a little loose. But still - I LOVE THIS DRESS!!

I ended up wearing it on my birthday <3

We were moving non-stop that day so all I got was  a selfie and a cat and boy photobombed pic at the end of the day :)

The sleeves and skirt both got 5/8" double turned hems. I did not need to top-stitch the neck binding. Love. Love. Love.

Lounge Wear Part II: New Look 6417

I'm on a roll! :) This did take about 5 hours to sew but among a whole bunch of other errands, I got it done yesterday.

 I knew I wanted to use this cobalt and black and a striped ponte, but couldn't decide on the configuration. I did a screen grab of the line drawing and did a copy/paste into Word, giving me a few to practice on. I sketched out ideas and had settled on the front/drape being striped. But then I didn't have enough fabric! Wah! My second favorite had stripes on the side front piece so I went with that.

ETA 'sketches':

The pattern runs XS - XL and I went with a medium, again, standard for me in sml patterns. I considered doing a narrow shoulder adjustment but I measured and it didn't seem too long...but then it felt wide once finished. However, if you look at the pattern envelope it does drop off the shoulder a bit.

I did a swayback adjustment of 3/4" and shaved about 3/8" from the center back, tapering to nothing at the waist. I always need less room in the upper back with New Look.

I did not need to lower the bust point of the princess seam.

I sewed snaps onto both the left and right front so I can switch it up if desired. I left off the zippers in the sleeve; this is a casual around the house garment and that seemed like too much. However, the sleeves as drafted were short IMO. They too are intended to be bias bound but I ended up adding bands to add to the finished length.

Finally, I treated this more like a woven garment. It was almost entirely constructed on the sewing machine with seams finished on the serger. I also set my sleeves vs sewing them flat.


I was all ready to get started and took a closer look and had a what the heck moment. I did not notice previously that the entire thing is bias bound. OMG! However, that made me happier to go with the cobalt because black binding would pop, and I had 3 packs in the stash. If you have Wonder Clips, this is a great time to use them. I really wish I had some!!!

Because I hate overlapping ends of bias tape (I have silly little things that bother me sometimes), I bound each piece separately, taking care to make sure they met at CB and side seams. It worked fine.

From the right side, I topstitched on top of the bias binding stitching

I left off the binding on the neckline seam

The instructions do give decent tips for finishing corners and ends of the binding.

It came out fairly neat! I should have used matching tread on my snap but duh...Oh well. There's so much volume you can't see it. 

The envelope made me think it was somehow pleated but it isn't...The left collar is sitting like the right and then the right folds over and snaps in back. My right collar doesn't sit perfectly like this when it's on but I still think it's super cute !

I really love this!

I can't get it to look like the pattern envelope at all. I wonder if it's because my ponte is lighter weight

What isn't clear is what you're "supposed" to do with the side that you're not overlapping? I feel like I have to arrange it just so but then it's fine afterwards. Here, I've arranged the collar more like they have it on the pattern envelope. 

I know people are over waterfall cardigans but I kind of love it open so much more!!!  (I don't know what my feet are doing in the photo to the right! LOL!).  

I'm super in love with the color blocking and the stripes. I am not happy that the armhole is SO low.  I posted these pics with my hand on my hip so you can see what I mean. But I suppose if the shoulder is meant to be a bit dropped then a low armhole is ok?? I'm still unclear on a lot of the finer fitting points!

I didn't arrange the collar very well here...and my infinitely short back length is showing! :)

I really like it and can see making one of the other views with the peplum! It's super cozy.