Butterick 6388 (knit dress)

I finally got around to making this dress after having it rotate in and out of the queue for a couple of years.  It's so quick and easy to sew; I don't know what took me so long to make it.

There's so much to like about this pattern:  it's a knit, has pockets, some waist shaping, and a collar that nicely frames the face.  Love!

I cut and sewed this in about four hours - not including the muslin. 

Fabric & notions:

• 2 yards dark pink scuba knit (I think)
• 80/12 stretch needle
• steam-a-seam for all hems
• serger, sewing and coverstitch machines

Size (edited):  I cut a size medium everywhere.  Since I have the bad habit of working on more than one project at the same time, I confused the details of this dress with McCall's 7429.  Ooops. =)

Alterations:  I added a 3/4" wedge to the center front as a cheater FBA.  I didn't want to do a real FBA because I didn't want to have to deal with the dart.

I removed 1" from the side seam to the center back for the swayback adjustment.  Since I usually have to adjust for trunk junk, I added 1" from the side seam to the center back in the hip area.  This helped to keep the front and back side seam lengths the same.

I also added 3" to the hem.  As drafted, the cut edge ends an inch above my knees.  Errr...that's pretty short and I'm only five feet tall.

Despite my love for the collar, it's too tall at the center back.  I shaved 5/8" from the top and bottom, tapering to nothing at the center front.  This helped a little, but not enough; the collar still hits the back of my hair. 

The collar also could benefit from a bit of interfacing to keep it from collapsing.  

Construction:  I finished the edges of the knit with my serger and pressed the major seams open.  I didn't want the bulk of a seam pressed to one side because the fabric was rather thick.  I know knits don't ravel, but my mind wouldn't let that edge go unfinished. =)

Usually I sew knit seams with a straight stitch and then serge over it to maintain stretch.  Since I didn't serge the seams together, I sewed each seam with a  small zigzag stitch (width 1.5, length 2.0).

I didn't add the pockets because...um...I just didn't.  I still like them though!

 (ooof...bad lighting)

The only thing I'm mildly annoyed about is the lower sleeve seam.  I pressed and topstitched it in the wrong direction, so the stitching points upward instead of down.  Waaaaaah.  Meh, I am not redoing it. =)

Overall I'm happy with the dress.  I don't have any immediate plans to make it again, though I can see at least one more version some time in the future.

This pattern was part of my MakeNine2019 plan. 

Two down, seven to go.  Yay!

L

 

2019 Make Nine Challenge

I've seen this challenge around the internets and on the 'gram for a few years.  The challenge seems simple:  commit to making nine things within the year.

There are some other considerations, but I'm going to do my own thing.  More information about the challenge and its history can be found here:  The Make Nine Challenge.

I'm not setting any specific rules.  This isn't a capsule wardrobe or a quest to fill holes in my closet.  These are projects that I've put on hold (for no good reason) or garments that I've made before and enjoy wearing.

Here are my tentative plans:

Top Row

• Burda 9-2006-104:  I made this in 2015 and wear it religiously during spring.  For the second version, I want to go all out and include contrast piping on the pockets, collar, lapel, gun flap, sleeve tabs, and epaulettes.  This will be an epic project, but I'm excited about it.
• Burda 11-2017-106:  I made this in 2017 and really like wearing it. 
• McCall's 7429:  I'm making this as part of the Sew Twists and Ties challenge. The neckline looks a little choker-ish.  We'll see how far I get with this one. 

Middle Row

• Ottobre 2-2006 #5:  I need more classic button-up shirts.  This one has horizontal and bust darts that I can use to convert to shoulder princess seams.
• Blue Calla Boronia Bowler:  Ever since following Kyle's construction of this bag, I have not been able to get it out of my mind.
• Jalie Éléonore:  Been there.  Done that.  Doing it again.

Bottom Row

• Burda 5-2011-113:  Something about this jacket intrigues me.  I have zero use for it and would probably have to make a skirt or pants or something to go with it.  I want it anyway. =)
• Butterick 6388:  My friend Anne and I have talked about sewing this dress ever since it came out two (three?) years ago.  It's time for me to stop talking and start doing.
• Ottobre 5-2010 #11:  I used to have a gray pea coat that I wore all of the time.  Now that it's too small and I can sew, seems fitting that I should make a replacement. 

With the exception of the Burda skirt and the Jalie pull-on jeans, none of these projects will be quick sews.  It'll probably take me all year to work through the list.  Sometimes I get bored with a project and have to set it aside in favor of doing something else.  I'm not pressuring myself or setting any deadlines.

I'm almost finished with the skirt and washed fabric for the McCall's dress.   So far, I'm off to a good start.  We'll see about the rest. =)

L

2012 Dressapalooza: The End (for now)

The 2012 Dressapalooza has come to a close.  Even though I did not create all of the wonderful garments planned, I did attempt almost everything on my list.  With most of the patterns, I got stuck in the muslin phase without clear direction on how to proceed.

Here are the results for the patterns I tried:

Butterick 5350
The front fit reasonably well, but the back could not be reconciled.  The bodice neckline is designed to be 7 inches below the natural neckline.  I could not get this to work with the shoulder straps.  I tried raising the back and widening the straps.  It didn't work so I moved on.

Simplicity 2473
Done and I love it!  There are definitely more versions planned for the future.

McCall's 6279
The muslin I made last summer fit very well.  However when I went to make this up in my fashion fabric, the fit was all wrong.  Plus, I had some weird pulling near the neckline that I couldn't quite fix.  I'll try it again in a more stable fabric like denim, instead of the rayon-linen blend used in this attempt.

Butterick 5490
Of all of the dresses on my list, I was most excited about this one.  I had the perfect fabric and everything!  I got the bodice to fit very well, however the skirt just didn't look right on my body.  The lack of flare made it look as if I was swimming in cotton.  It wasn't a good look at all.  I might return to it next summer.

Vogue 1220
I had high hopes for this one and was really satisfied with the muslin.  The failure came with the fashion fabric being too stiff.  I used a cotton-lycra chambray that was just a hair softer than cardboard.  At first, I thought it would be okay, but upon trying on the dress after it was almost complete, I realized that this was not going to work.


I didn't attempt to make Butterick 5455 or Butterick 5353.  I tried both of these two years ago but have yet to work out the fit issues.  I ran out of steam and didn't even cut out the pattern pieces for Simplicity 2406 or New Look 6968.  McCall's 5847 is a TNT denim shirt dress pattern that I've made twice already.  I decided not to make another one.

So, that's it for Dressapalooza 2012.  Although I didn't finish everything, I made considerable progress on many patterns and learned even more about fitting.  Alas, Dressapalooza 2013 awaits!

Until next time, be well!

S2560 Cardigan & Capsule Update

Simplicity 2560

Have you ever had a pattern that summoned you to purchase it? Every time I perused the Simplicity catalogue (either online or at the store), I stopped at this pattern:


At the time, I did not find it particularly interesting. The garment on the model is not flattering and the colours in the drawings do nothing for me. But for some reason, I just could not stop looking at this pattern. So, I recently picked it up for a $1 and gave it a try. I made view A with a 100% acrylic knit purchased from the Fabric Gallery during the 2009 American Sewing Expo.


I absolutely adore this knit! I love the colours and the feel. Since it is acrylic, I know it will eventually pill. Still, I couldn't pass it up when I saw it. Here are some pictures of the almost-finished garment (hems aren't done).

The front and back look good on the dress form. The side, however, is another story. It looks like a maternity top or something. I don't think this pattern is for the ample-busted woman because the front folds pop out with the chest. Add to that the junk in my trunk and...well...the story pretty much writes itself. =)

Will I wear it? Yes, with jeans. Will I make another top from this pattern? No, not unless I find another way to make this more flattering.

Capsule Update

In a recent post, I mentioned that I intend to sew smaller sized coordinated capsules instead of 10-garment wardrobes. So far, I've made progress and had a couple of setbacks.


Unfortunately, the red-cream-grey pinstripe pants did not work. The fabric is a stretch woven and completely in appropriate for the pattern I used. The fabric stretches too much and clings in a weird way. I am not even going to bother with trying to fix it. Moving on...




I wanted to make a scooped-neck top out of this ITY knit, but the two pieces I have are not wide enough for the pattern. Instead, I may attempt to do a tank top if I can find a suitable pattern.

I have two projects in queue. First is Simplicity 2556 in this red scratchy wool-blend woven.

I've already cut out the muslin for view A and hope to get this sewn soon. I am optimistic about this as the garment has no sleeves! Fitting bodices with sleeves is my ultimate sewing smoke monster (cue from LOST)!


Next is Butterick 5421 (view D) in a lightweight black wool woven.

Until next time,

L~