Butterick 6024

Here's my next offering to the Laundry Gods. Butterick 6024

I am making A/B combo. View A without the train.

I thought this would be a cute summer top so I am making it up in a cotton print. This is one of my newer pieces from Fabricland, I think I got it in March. It's not quilting fabric but it sure feels like it and I'm not crazy about clothes made with quiting cottons- to me they just look to stiff and 'House wife-y'- I know, call me crazy, but that's how I feel. The colours are cream and dark navy. I am being good and sticking to my plan to sew with more colour and prints. Ya - it almost looks black but it's not, so that counts. It will look good with jean capris.

The hubby is teaching me how to use the self timer setting on my camera and I kinda chopped off his head! Oops. I also apologize for the nightmare of a back ground - my messy sewing room! Or the sweat shop as I like to call it. I dream about those beautiful sewing spaces you see on Pinterest .......... Dream on!

Here I have Lola staring me down while I work, talk about pressure. Then she likes to play hide and seek under my instruction sheets, it's kinda funny to watch her in action, like she is sliding into home plate. Then I was trying to press a big piece of yardage but gave up because she would not get off of it!!! What, who me?

Lola is a pure bred Bermese and they don't shed fur like most cats. Thank goodness because she is all over everything.

It is super easy to make , the instructions are very good. I wound up making a size XS because when I compared my measurements to the ones written on the bodice pattern piece, there was ample play. I find it's much better when I go by the size inside the envelope then on the envelope,I think that is where most new sewists go wrong when choosing what size to cut. This is a very generous style because I am usually a S/M and not an XS. I like this pattern and will for sure make it up 2-3 more times, linen perhaps, some lawn, and I'm toying with the idea of some rayon jersey for a bit of swing and drape, and turn it into a dress.
At the end of the day it's a still a big shapeless tunic. The picture on the envelope alludes to more 'fit' then it actually has, and although it is not a boat neck, bra strapes will show with the slightest shift in movement.
I saw this made up on someone's blog - sorry I don't remember who's, and it looked better I thought made up in a plain colour fabric because you could see the pin tucks and design lines. Having said this I wore it to work the other day and received tons of compliments. Next time, if I make it with a print, I will not put a seam down the back. I don't like how it didn't line up very nicely and I don't think it is necessary for fitting.

In conclusion it's a sweet little top. I like the cap sleeves,they cover that bit of under arm fat. If you need an easy, loose fitting style for summer, give this one a try. The end

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May Make A Garment A Month Challange

Burda magazine

While military styles are still trending I will have a go with this Burda magazine version. I am using a coated cotton duck almost like a canvas. I have no idea where this fabric came from- possibly a drunken fabric shopping spree? I will omitt the belt as they tend to wrinkle my clothes underneath. I might put an elastic casing in the back for shaping.....?

For the sleeves I will use this faux quilted leather and I will omit the cuffs. I might use it for other portions but have not worked out all the details.

I will under line it - I think - with a bright colour of something silky. I'll have to see what I have in my stash.

This is my inspiration.

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The Best Peasant Blouse pattern ever!

I love peasant blouses. I have a favorite, one I bought ready to wear a few years ago at the Gap. I always thought I would copy it and knock it off. I never did get around to it, I have made about four different versions, none of them I liked so I kept looking. Anyways I found it, search over. I'm a happy girl.

It's New Look 6091 . I've had it for a while, I don't think the reviews were all that positive, so it sat there keeping the rest of my pattern stash company, until I found this lovely cotton lawn in a paisley border print. I gave it a whirl and I'm so glad I did.

Not the best photos I know but this is me after a day working in it, and it was hot today 26c. The fabric is so yummy. Of course my husband said - 'black and grey, we haven't seen those colours for a while' HaHa.

What I liked about this one was, it fit right out of the envelope, size 8, all I did was shorten the sleeves. Oh ya I added 3 1/2 inches to the length so I could have a nice wide hem. There is no elastic, it's a bias bound neck and sleeve, a bit fiddley so it was hand stitched - but that only took a few minutes. The next time I make it I will widen the hip width by an inch or so and maybe do a scalloped hem or some funky trim. Yup I guess there is still a little of the 70's in me, I like my hippie styles! This will be one I will be making again and again.

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How do you stash?

Tonight after work I went to my local fabric store. The really nice high end one. I was feeling a little guilty because I keep promising myself I am only going to use my stashed cloth. I have about 12 bins worth- really big bins. But I had a plan and a pattern and I knew what I wanted.What harm could there be in that? Right!?

Plan A : I have a pattern for a pencil skirt and peplum top. I have a wedding to attend in the summer and I wanted to get started on it soon because I want to put a little extra effort into it. You know make a muslin, bla, bla,bla, and make it really special. I wanted a stable,medium weight piece that was elegant maybe with a print,or perhaps with some of the florals I see around the fashion world these days . Maybe a matelasse?you know, a rich type of fabric but not flashy or shinny - it's a garden wedding so I don't want it to be ostentatious .

Nothing. Zip. Nada. every thing was the exact opposite of what I wanted. Cheap and flimsy or like quilting cottons and I hate clothes made out of quilting cottons. oh yeah -with stretch please. Florals - big bold way too over whelming for my size and shape. Or they were too small Laura Engles little house on the Prairie small -what's that fabric called - oh ya, ugly! Anything remotely stately was black, nice-but black. Normally when without a plan, black would be good, proper, even perfect for this outfit but it's a garden wedding and I don't want to look like I'm attending a funeral and I don't want to look like I am the garden. I want to look gorgeous - blend in and stand out at the same time !!!! But for all the right reasons. Do you not hear me fabric Gods!? Apparently not. And white- I can't wear white, it looks bad on me and the bride is suppose to be in white , right? What ever. So no fabric and believe me, it was hard to walk away and not have some thing for that outfit. And I felt every fiber in that store and it's huge. I was going to go up stairs and check out the home dec department but I had a brain flash of Julie Andrews and the Von Trapp children hanging out of trees and restrained my self. Thanks be to the gods because I could just hear my husband coming up with some crazy name like your new 'show room sampler' or some thing even worse( he is very quick witted )and I would laugh but he would be right! GRrrr!

So I bought some pant fabric - it's really nice. A print, a calm geometric I don't have a plan for it but I'm sure a pattern will present itself in time.

Next-

Plan B: I need some fabric for a casual spring coat. I'm talking outerwear. I live in a rainy place so it really only has to get me in and out of the car . I don't need rain gear. I am not Sporty Spice so I don't want athletic jogging gym type stuff . I like fashionable coats .I'm sick of trenches and I don't ever , ever wear ski jackets - yuck. I see women around here with nice clothes on and then they top it off with a ski jacket. Oh mother of God. And I don't want a plastic picnic table cloth or rubber or awning striped canvas. A twill or coated linen maybe or a calm medium weight gaberdine that has some swing and swish and does not make me walk like a robot. Calm , I like the word calm to describe my clothes . Warm , muted , medium sized motifs ,I like bold but size matters to me. Yes CALM will do nicely. Nope , zero , not a thing.

So I bought some grey and black jersey knit from France. Destination unknown, I really don't need it, but for sure it is going to become a beautiful garment one day. When the right pattern presents itself .

Thats how it happens, tonight I added to my stash and didn't get anything I needed. The two pieces I did get were wanted though- sorta like little love children. And I will love them until I cut them up.

When I got home I threw my new acquisitions in the washer , then dove into a bin labeled coat/jacket/outerwear. And low and behold I found 3 pieces -perfectly suited for my new spring jacket. Come to think of it I just remembered I have some beautiful robins egg blue sari silk with some matching embroided chiffon that would make a really nice wedding guest outfit . May be not for the pattern I intended to make , but that's okay I'll just have to shop for a new pattern.......

 

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Improv - Panel T-shirt

I was inspired by Linda at Danvillegirl Sewing Diary who has made the most gorgeous dress from some uniquely printed fabric. Then I remembered I had a small panel print that needed to come to life as t-shirt.It was quite small, less then a meter, so my options were limited.

I didn't want to cut up the print too much so I rummaged through my pattern stash and settled on an old Kwik Sew 3603. I made some easy modifications so it would fit my fabric, like folding out some shoulder depth and removing width down the CB/CF.Which then meant I had to re cut the neck lines. I improvised, using a lid from a tin, traced and cut, all the while I had to be mindful to match all my prints.

There has been a lot of 'slip' talk in blog land of late, here & there,and because this fabric is slip weight and knit, I thought I would try my hand at a shell edging. I debated a rolled edge but that can be a disaster if things don't line up quite right. A twin needle, I thought, just might suck the fabric into the stitch plate, and I am alway to lazy to set my serger for cover stitch. There's a good reason to buy a Cover Stitch Pro machine!

Lola approves the fabric.

Next up, I rotary cut 2" strips of stretch net for neck binding, pinned and basted, stitched then trimmed. It took 2 mins to hand baste while on my Dolly Lama and saved a lot of frustration at the machine. Then I shell stitched at a snails pace, still managing not to get it perfect! But good enough because there was no way on Gods green earth I was gonna un stitch it.

I also pressed and hand basted my sleeve and bottom hems - again well worth it, they turned out better then the neck edge , but that is because they are not faced.

I just wanted to make a little plug here for a product called Thread Heaven. It's a thread conditioner. If you're not using it already you should check it out. You run your thread through it and it helps eliminate tangles and knots. Kinda like loving your thread as Alabama Channin recommends. I love this stuff. I keep a couple needles threaded with it in my pincushion at all times, for emergency basting! And it has sparkles in it ;)

Lola likes it.

So there ya go. That was really easy and it turned out rather nice for making it up on the fly- or rather improvising. The hardest part was writing the blog post.

Lola and I need to go pick out our next project! I just can't get rid of her- she follows me around like a dog, (I should have named her Tonto), my faithful companion.

 

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Orange pants done!

April - make a garment a month challenge.

Burda 8085.

Well I won't be running out to make these in a hurry again. I think they turned out quite nice. The husband likes them - he said I will be easy to find in the Casino! And Lola likes them! I will even wear them!

From the get go Burda patterns always leave me scratching my head. The instructions and pattern markings are incomplete somehow , like they don't want to use too much ink. Yet I have sewn Burda magazine since 1982( I still have them all) which have even fewer instructions, and I have better results because I just know I'm going to have to figure it out for myself anyways.

Grand total of broken needles : 5.

I opted not to put the belt loops on because I won't be tucking anything in to them and it will be flatter under form fitting tops without them. And I was tired of breaking needles.

I shortened the pockets also, they always seem to show through on my thigh and look unsightly.

I used some cute snaps for the closure- they look like little buttons, these have been in my stash forever. I always sweat bullets when I do the hammer things. Nothing like spending all that time and energy and then ruining it at the end. I found a new use for glue dots, (used for scrap booking ) they held my snaps firmly to the tool base while I tapped them in- worked well.

One of my objectives was to use colour- check. The other was to find a TNT pant pattern- fail. Even though they turned out okay I had to do way to much to get them there. Part of that is my fault, should have picked a pattern with narrower legs.

Again with the Burda instructions... The zip application and markings were making me crazy so I just used my tried and true Kwik Sew method. So simple and fail proof.

My next projects will be some little tops and blouses for spring /summer . For my MAGAM project I think I will attempt a pencil skirt and peplum top for a wedding I have to attend in the summer, I'm thinking a matlesse, brocade or jacquard of some sort.

Sew long for now.

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The Orange Pants (and a wild imagination)

Progress on the orange pants.

Let's see, so far I have broken 3 needles. One on the zipper app. And two so far on the top stitching - on pins - dummy! But my pockets turned out nice. I thought I was clever to copy the pockets on seperate tissue then stitch right over the tissue paper. I'm sure it's been done before,but it came as a new brain wave to me tonight.

The second brain wave I had was to break out my secret weapon, 505 temporary spray adhesive, to hold my pockets in place to top stitch so I don't break any more needles. What can I say? I'm a pinner, and I sew over them. It helps keep my local dealer in business.
Now I'm about to baste up the sides to see if they fit, and I'm scared.
Yeah!! They fit!!! Okay- fit is an exaggeration- they are not too small at least. The hips and waist are good - I just have a crotch adjustment to make- I have a long crotch- that is soo weird to say out loud. I found a you tube video from Professor Pincushion that was very helpful. I didn't make the changes on the tissue, just on the garment. It's about 14 minutes long if you are interested- the video!

Now I need to start the monumental task of taking in the legs for a more tapered look. Then on to the waist band - my least favorite part of pant making.
Did I mention these pants are ORANGE. More like NEON SALMON.
In my imagination, in my orange pants, I should look like this woman, I should be 5'9 and 115 lbs. Hahahaha! And be able to gracefully leap puddles in 4"stilettos. Hahahahaha.
And the reality is-
To be continued....

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