PR Wardrobe Contest: McCall's 6969

THANK YOU ALL! I big sincere thank you for the outpouring of support about my job loss. I am surprised but not. Sad but not. Excited about what may come next but annoyed at having to search and interview again.

I did start on a skirt suit today using M5523 as the bottom and will muslin S2446 next week. I decided to take these days off as mental health/sew days and Monday morning I'll be up and at it, getting my resume updated.

I'll get those pleats worked out. LOL!

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Because my M6696 shirtdress was looking like a fail (maybe I'll post the muslins when I go back to it). I decided to use the chambray for a jumpsuit instead! It's lightweight but opaque and stable enough to not give me a headache during sewing.

I used view C because I don't like A and view D realllllly needs the "right" fabric. View B is okay so maybe another time for that one.

I bought this in the larger size range, L-XXL. I really needed a medium up top and a large on bottom. But as you can see, the top and bottom are one piece so I'm not sure how I could grade down the bodice.

It doesn't look crotch-tastic in person. 

I ended up having to take armhole darts to make it fit a little better. There's still a tuck needed at the neckline, as you can see. 

I cut an XL at the back crotch and used royal blue bias tape for the casing. I was TOTALLY gonna use paisley again but I cut it out, stitched the ends together and realized I'd sewed them wrong. Womp-womp. 

There are two channels for elastic in the hem. I LOVE this treatment! Much nicer finish than just one. However, I started with 11", that was far too long and then I chopped off too much. So if I pull them down they look like genie pants. :)

I think it would look really cool with a fitted cropped blazer. I don't have one of those but I tried it on with the blazer I recently picked up at Target and confirmed it would look great with a jacket

Please do not ask me what they mean for finishing the bottom of the placket; I do not know. It was confusing and unclear and in the end, I did what I do...I just did what looked right. Hey, it works!!!

I have the last two tops sewn but in need of hems and will get back at it after making the suit and a couple of shells.

Later!

PR Wardrobe Contest: New Look 6110 and Burda 08/2014

Last night I hustled to finish my New Look top and wore it to work today. Feeling quite good in my shiny new top.

And then was asked to meet in the conference room.

And then was told I was being laid off. I was fine for awhile, well as long as I didn't need to talk....and then I cried. I never cry "outside". I never cry! Grrrrr!

Sooooo by 8:30 I was back home and keeping myself busy.

I have 3 tops done and the 4th top ready to go. I have a jumpsuit half sewn as it might get subbed in instead of the dress. But now I have time to sew something else for the concert we have tickets to so who knows!

Wah. I'm a crazy lady right now.

Sigh..

Okay...back on track...

New Lok 6110. Based on the muslin I made last year, it was a little too snug and hung up on the hips. The pattern was cut out already in a size 14 so I had to make some adjustments on the fly. I had cut it out before I remembered I needed more hip room so I opted for side splits at the hem.

I am so very happy with my top and proud of alllllll of my stripe matching!

On the dress form:

The instructions for the placket were unhelpful (that's an understatement). I was going to look through some other patterns with that type of placket but I slept on it and suddenly "knew" what I was supposed to do. Love when that happens.

As you can see I have a few puckers around it; they mostly disappear when it's on ma'body. After sewing the facing and understtiching, and topstitching...you are to turn inside out, overlap the plackets and stitch to the little flap of the shirt.

The "flap" is created when you reinforce the corners and then clip to the stitching. Now you have a free piece of fabric that you stitch between the dots on the facing pieces. I stitched a little too far which is how I got pulls. But it's a tight area to work in and I didn't want to redo it so there.

I used a poly something or another (no clue) from Hancock for the body and a broadcloth for the neckbands. Instead of adding the bands to the sleeve I added 3/4" elastic. I forgot that elasticizing the sleeves would make them slightly shorter. I will add 1-1.5" to the sleeve length for next time.

I used two large buttons instead of 3. Just cause. They are not functional as I can slip the top on and off over my head.

I really, really love it!

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This is the same top I made for my daughter, that I decided was a really cute shape and would be better than the Kirsten Kimono tee I'd originally planned.

I traced a size 40 neck & upper shoulder/sleeve and a 42 for the body. I did not add any hem allowance AND chopped off 1" AND sewed a 2" hem!

and then realized I traced off view B which is designed to be gathered. Oh.

I ended up taking the hem in 1" on each side after sewing, tapering to nothing at the waist. It was kind of "sticky-outy" and I didn't like that. If you have sticky-outy hips that might work for you.

I decided I didn't like the keyhole as much so left it as a split neck.

I am looking forward to completing the rest of my wardrobe!

PR Wardrobe Contest; A Litttle Sewing, A Lot of Whining

There may be a lot of updates about the contest - sorry (not sorry!) ;-)

I love being able to reference my blog for info on patterns/projects so I will definitely be 'journaling' the journey here!

I'll just post my whine post from the contest thread:

 I had a package arrive and one of my fabrics was not as I expected. So I literally spent about 3 hours on Friday trying to come up with new plans and (nearly) returning to my original plan with some tweaks.

Then I made a top Friday night that looks 3 sizes too big (I've made it before). 

So I changed courses a bit AGAIN.

Then I got up today (Saturday) and began putting together my Style Arc Madeleine. Horrific PDF experience. I have used their pdf's recently for the Sandra jeans and it wasn't this bad. I just packed the whole thing up and tossed it. I've requested a new PDF if/when they correct things.

(Just to note; I've assembled many PDF's. It's scaled correctly, I trimmed each page individually, the dang thing just DOES NOT line up.)

Photo evidence:

There was NO way to get this thing lined up!

So I moved on to making a muslin of my dress bodice (M6696). It fits at the neckline, is 1.5" too small at the bust and 3" too small at the waist. Annoyed, I moved on to "easier" tasks...

I almost cut my (KNIT!) fabric on the cross grain and as I realized I was removing the selvage, corrected it. That top is stitched and needs finishing.

Then I cut out my pants and did some of the minor work on those (interfacing pieces, prepping pockets, etc). 

And now I'm doing anything BUT going in my sewing room. NOT the way I intended on starting off! Wah!

So I shut down on Saturday and woke up Sunday RENEWED! :)

But I was still disheartened by the M6696 being so off from my "normal" sizing. And realizing I didn't really know how to fix it! And seeing so many awesome versions of it! WAH!!!!!

The front has 2 darts (bust and waist), but since it has cup sizing, the neck, shoulders, back were perfect.  I was already using the D-cup pattern piece and feared doing an FBA would just equal massive, ridiculous dart...I've walked away from it for now and hope to revisit it soon, but maybe not for the contest. M7121 is cute but I don't love it. I fell for the stripes and "OMG-racerback!" but I know I hate A-line skirts on me.

So I'll probably end up sewing like 12 things and putting together my wardrobe from there...subbing in a "previously made/rtw item" if needed.

The latest (and hopefully fairly finalized) plan:

The dress is sewn but needs lining and hems (Lately I've been getting so-so ITY). I have a dress that I made 2 years ago from a FANTASTIC ITY but what I've been getting lately seems much more appropriate for tops but not dresses. :sadface:

The first 3 tops are sewn but needs hems/other finishing (and I actually pressed and pinned the hems on NL6110 this morning).

NL 6110

(muslined here, nearly a year ago!)

The color on this is SO vibrant! I don't know what kind of fabric it is; well...it's obviously polyester...but it's not chiffon, it's not charmeuse, I've never touched georgette so maybe it's that? Or peachskin?? Don't know...It wasn't as 'mean' to me as some other poly, floaty fabrics have been.

I'm "losing" this weekend to traveling and will be sewing a jacket for my daughter this week and hemming/finishing my tops.

Hope to sew my trousers next week when I get back and then start my jeans (I desperately need another pair of jeans!)

Mini Wardrobe: V1395

First things first...

THIS DRESS TOOK SO DAMN LONG!!!!!!!!

I seriously thought I would finish up my projects this weekend but holy cow! Yes, we had a sort of busy one and I didn't sew at all Friday night but good grief! Between the binding and the french seams and the narrow hems...ACK!

But I finished it and I LOVE it!!!

My husband doesn't like it. But he doesn't like anything I make that is loose/flowy so I wasn't surprised. But then he said, "It makes you look wide." I happen to disagree. I think he dislikes the fullness from the elasticized waist but I am digging it so...I just won't wear it on date nights! :-p

Specifics:

*Time to complete: Forever

*Fabric: A lot of rayon challis and a little cotton voile 

I was going to get the bemberg but I didn't feel like going to JoAnn so I dug through the stash and found this pinkish-purplish cotton voile

*Thread: I went with red since it was the dominant color; it works.

*Size: Straight 16

I need to get it through my thick skull that I need an FBA. This has plenty of circumference but not enough length. It slightly rides up in front. Next time I'd cut a 14 and do an FBA. I'd also lengthen the bodice about an inch for some blousing.

Wide??

Construction wasn't difficult EXCEPT for the stupid shoulder sleeve! Will someone please read that and interpret what Vogue is trying to communicate!?!? Please!!!!

I hate this casing method. Hate. Hate. Hate.

I french seamed it all...time consuming but worth it. There are bias bindings applied to the neckline and armholes and it's done flat. THIS IS GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

The lining was just serged (hey...no one will see it!). I serged the hem and turned up and stitched. For the fashion fabric I did a narrow hem.

Oh and if you're a tall person; this will be a mini dress...may want to lengthen it.

Hmmm....what else...the armholes area  bit low, even with the overlay. And the overlay makes it almost impossible to lift your arms up. I mean, how much arm lifting are you doing in a dress?? But still...

A very pretty dress that takes awhile but is worth the effort!

Mini Wardrobe Update

I whined and moaned and groaned and decided to move forward with my sewing and whaddya know...I have a new mini-wardrobe plan!

One thing I've wanted to sew this summer is the Rebecca Taylor Vogue 1395

It's a simple but cute dress and has been made up successfully by several bloggers!

 

Morgan of Crab and Bee

 

Niema of Wearable Muslin 

 

Jamie on the Denver Sewing Collective blog

So I spent a whopping $5 on the pattern and put it in queue. Well my lime-sorbet-twill-disaster moved this dress right on up to the top of the list!

I only have the front of the bodice done; but it's a little bit of work; cut, apply bias bands to the neckline, top stitch, sew the CF seam, topstitch...Hopefully tonight I can get the rest of the construction done and hem it this weekend.

Can I line rayon challis with (poly) pongee? Or should I go for some lightweight cotton fabric? 

When I was still in my 'woe is me' state; I cut out M6754 in this mint(?) green ponte

I realized that with only a tweak or two; I am still well into having a 5 piece mini wardrobe completed!

Dress Progress:

With blazer:

 

So now my mini wardrobe will be:

B5926 kelly green blazer

V1395 dress 

M6841 white drape top

M6754 mint peplum top

NL6130 dark stretch denim pants

Mini Wardrobe: S1373 and M6841

When I first saw McCall's 6841 I was all...meh...there's like 37 yards of fabric there...not flattering...

But then it started popping up allll over the place. And on other ladies that aren't twiggy like the model...and I got intrigued.

I am SO happy with this top!!!

At one point during cutting, I realized I was on the XS line and fixed it. But I really wonder if I cut my sleeves on the wrong line. Not complaining though as I am totally in love with this top!!

My only beef with the pattern is the lack of direction on finishing the sleeved version. The sleeveless and this one use the same pattern pieces. The directions stopped at finishing the armholes on the sleeveless version but doesn't tell you how to finish off the sleeves (there's a seam on top). I had to pin it to Lily to figure out what I needed to do.

The burrito method of finishing off the collar works well.

The only other thing I might do is some topstitching on the opening. There's a big seam allowance there but with the drapey fabric, it wants to flip out sometimes.

Oooh! I stitched up about 2" higher than what was indicated on the pattern.

But yeah...it's LOVE! :)

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Shorts are Simplicity 1373 in an ikat cotton sateen. Easy, peasy, lemon squeeze.

2 darts each front and back

inseams and side seams

crotch seam

lapped zipper

hem (I did a blind hem)

I decided to add a 1" waistband because I'm not with the whole "twill tape to finish" thing. I used a straight one even though I really need a curved one.

I couldn't match across the side seams. I had my fronts cut out and matched across and then realized oops...I can't orient my back pieces in such a way to match the side seams. Ah well.

Next up is the Butterick knit blazer in kelly green!

A Mini Wardrobe Plan (And Finished McCalls 6654)

Last year I was SO excited (SO!) to sew a mini wardrobe for the competition on Pattern Review. And then disaster struck.

Mystery illness hit in September and I did not sew a single stitch, nor did I purchase any fabric or patterns or notions and I only had TWO blog posts that month!!!! The horror! I did not feel up to participating in the contest for October but I did sew my own little capsule wardrobe. Sadly it mostly ended in tragedy.

Pants #1: Made out of mystery growing fabric; no longer wearable.
Pants #2: I sliced the leg open and my repair did not work.
Blazer: It's just too big in the shoulder to be comfortable.
Top: I did not check the waist placement and the elastic sat way too high to be comfy

The other two items are staples; the black ponte cardigan and white lace kimono tee.

This year's contest involves the sewing of 5 items in order to make 6 outfits. The 5th item can be an accessory as long as it's wearable (think hat, scarf, belt, etc).

I plan to sew 5 garments from these lovelies and yes...most are from my recent acquisition! :)

 Kelly green ponte

white slubbed jersey

navy cotton poplin, 

lime green stretch twill

black/white ikat sateen

My pattern choices:

 

Butterick 5926 blazer in kelly ponte

McCall 6841 top in white jersey

McCall 6702 in navy poplin

Simplicity 1696 in lime twill

Simplicity 1373 in ikat sateen

• The blazer is the same as the aforementioned "failed" pattern. But I know what to do now to make it fit...I will probably pull the old one out and make some adjustments to it to ensure I'm on the right track.
• The M6841 top hasn't been made but everyone swears it's relative easy with one tricky bit.
• M6702 will be made in a r/w/b voile for wearing on Independence Day! So I'll get to work out any kinks then.
• S1696 is new to me BUT since my now TNT pants and shorts are both Simplicity patterns and this is an Amazing Fit pattern, I feel confident about comparing them to the others and sewing them up.
• S1373 is also new to me. I will work up a quick muslin (since I love that sateen!) to ensure they fit. I wanted an uncomplicated pattern to showcase the sateen and limit pattern matching. Initially I thought skirt but I will be more likely to wear shorts so...

Now, I cannot win this contest. I am ineligible because I won the Fitted Blouse contest. But that's okay! This little capsule makes me happy so I will take on the challenge!

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I made a skirt. A simple pull-on knit skirt out of the yellow ponte I got from FabricMart. There is not a whole lot to say about a knit straight skirt, now is there?

The only thing is...WHY ON EARTH DID I HAVE THE SMALLER SIZE RANGE?!

The largest size in my envelope was a 14...with a 39.5" finished hip. Oh. Boy. No worries! Instead of complicating matters I just added it on the fold line...about 3/4" on front and back for a total of 3 inches...and then I sewed 3/8" side seams. 1" elastic at the waist and hemmed...DONE.

I did finally use Kathy's suggestion of fusible tape in the hemline and a twin needle. PERFECT! I love the results and what's not to love about an insanely bright, easy to wear skirt??

I WON!!!!!!!! - And, New McCall's!

I'm so over-the-moon excited y'all! I am the proud, proud first place winner of the Beginner Fitted Blouse contest!!!

Check out the winners for the Intermediate and Advanced contest here:

PR Fitted Blouse Contest Winners

And check out the gallery too! There were some amazing entries! This and the mini-wardrobe contest are my favorites on PR. I love to see what turns up.

I win the fabulousness that is a pair of straight and pinked shears from Gingher and a lovely French curve! All courtesy of Fabric Place Basement!

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New Patterns

Of course, lots of dresses here...and I feel the same about this release as the Vogue. Gorgeous offerings; dresses are awesome; dresses are not conducive to my everyday life, I am less enthused about them :)

But there are 3 patterns on my must have list

This top is EVERYTHING. Swoooooon! The view with flutter sleeves isn't quite for me but still, SO feminine and pretty!


Ok, yes it IS a dress...but it's a SWEETHEART dress with a fit & flare and...yeah! :)

 

Ok jumpsuits seem to be love 'em or hate 'em but...I like the pants versions. Especially this view, belted.

I also like:

Nice options here


A solid basic (and it's a Palmer Pletsch!)


I hate this on the model; the top is oversized but the skirt is cute...I bet the shorts would be too.

There are some cute kids patterns (or rather girls patterns), a rather sad men's offering, and some crafts. Oh, there's a bag pattern too!