Hot Patterns Uptown/Downtown Dress

After a five year hiatus from anything Hot Patterns, I decided to give the Uptown/Downtown Dress a try.  Why so long a break?  I was totally put off by that damn princess seam shirt collar.  After many tries and getting help from Michelle, I finally got the collar on correctly - only to find that the sleeve had 37,392 inches of ease and would not set properly.  I was DONE and chucked that foolishness into a fiery pit.

The U/D Dress has been on my radar for a while.  Testing out one of my 2016 intentions, I decided to forego the muslin and JUST SEW IT.  I traced a straight size 14 and cut it out of some black ponte for the body and white ponte for the neck/hem bands and cuffs.  The knit was the icky kind from Joann, so I knew I wouldn't be upset if it didn't work out.

Well.  It didn't.  The skirt and bodice were okay, but the neck binding was awful.  The fabric for the neck/hem band and cuffs really needs to have some stretch for it to look right. 

Since I didn't care about this fabric, I used it as an opportunity to test out the elastic waist.  Haha.  This actually turned out to be a muslin.  But...but...but...it didn't start as a muslin, so that's progress.  

Now here's the real deal:

Fabric & Notions:

• 2 yards poly sweater knit (stash)
• 2 yards black jet set knit for underling (stash)
• less than 1/2 yard black rib knit for neckband, cuffs, and hem-band
• 3/4" elastic
• sewing machine and serger thread
• size 80/12 jersey needle

Sizing/Alterations:  The only change I made was a 1" full seat adjustment.  Since the front and back skirt pattern pieces are the same, I traced a separate piece to make the adjustment.  Easy-peasy, as Trudy would say.

Fabric:  For a sweater knit, this fabric was thin.  Like nice-undies-you-have-there thin.   So I hand basted black jet set knit to every piece - eight in total.  I will never love hand sewing.  Ever.

 

Sewing:  All major construction was done on my serger - after first sewing the seam with a slight zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine.  I learned this from Kyle.  =)  Usually I am impatient with knits and sewing machines, but because I wanted to do this right, I sewed the seam first to check for fit and puckers, then serged the seams together.  I don't think I picked a single serger stitch!  This is usually not the case when I do it the lazy way.

The bodice has three lengths - each designed to give a different "blousing" effect depending on the weight of your knit.  Even though the shortest length was ideal for my fabric, I chose  the middle length so that I could (a) have better control of the "blousing" and (b) sew the elastic casing a la Debbie Cook.  

Hot Patterns has you stitch the elastic to the fabric...or something.  I didn't even try to understand what Trudy was talking about.  I read Debbie's review and found her method to be much simpler.  With the skirt and bodice pinned right sides together, I sewed a 1" seam.  Then, I serged the seams together, leaving an opening for inserting the elastic.

What you end up with is a self-casing and no headache.

I'll probably always wear this dress with a belt. I'm not really feeling it otherwise.  The picture on the right shows the dress with the StyleArc Cosy cardigan (not yet reviewed).  The dress is warm enough to not need a cardigan and I don't like how it looks with it anyway.

I will definitely make more versions of the pattern - even in ponte knit.  The key to making this work is getting the right fabric for the neckband, cuffs, and hem.  Too little stretch and it's fug city.

***

This dress is one of six pieces that I've planned for a 6PAC.  My plan:

• dress (Hot Patterns 1090) - done
• cardi (StyleArc Cosy) - done
• ruffled blouse (Simplicity 2365/2447 frankenpattern) - almost done
• knit cowl neck top (Simplicity 1945) - in progress
• skirt 1 (???)
• skirt 2 (???)

So far I like where this is going - despite the colors being a little drab. =)

Until next time, peace!

L

Pattern Giveaway

I first started sewing in the spring of 2004 while still living in NYC. My first sewing class, taken at a fabric store in Brooklyn, was taught be a self-described established tailor with more than 40 years of experience.  Upon entering the class, I was excited to learn how to make my own clothes.  The instructor was very good at describing how to use a sewing machine as well as how to read a pattern.  When it came to actually sewing the garment, she was moderately helpful in that her frustration with our newbie-ness sometimes surfaced.

I remember everything about the project except the pattern number.  It was a Butterick pattern that included pants, a skirt, jacket, and dress.  I no longer have the pattern; I think I sold it on PR or recycled it.  The fabric I used was a maroon polyester suiting that did not respond well to pressing.  The pattern called for a center back zipper, but since we were newbies, she had us extend the waist up a couple of inches and insert elastic.  Since I didn't know anything about pattern sizes, my skirt didn't fit.  It was way too big (she told me to buy a size 18) and formless.  I gave it away and vowed to never touch a sewing machine again. I don't give up that easily.  I bought a sewing machine later that year and never looked back.  Sewing is a part of my life and I hope to continue honing my skill, creating good-fitting clothes that I like, and forging new friendships with those who share the same sewing desires.

So what was your first pattern or sewing experience?  Share your story in the comments section by Monday, 20 August.  From the stories presented, I'll randomly select two people with which to gift three patterns of your choice - postage paid. Visit this link to view the patterns up for grabs. 

L

The Verdict on HP 1099: Meh.

Last weekend, I took some time to work on TDHP (That Damn Hot Patterns) 1099. Where do I begin?

Oy vey. The sleeve! Previously, I noticed that the sleeve cap had an insane amount of ease. Set-in sleeve caps have extra length that is eased into the armhole, right?. HP1099's sleeve is designed to be set in flat! The shape of the sleeve cap is actually quite nice. The length of the sleeve cap from back to shoulder is longer and angled differently than that of front to shoulder length I like the design of this sleeve cap because most of us are not the same length or shape in these areas and the differences appear to make for a better fit.

The picture above isn't that of the HP 1099 sleeve pattern. I found this online just to illustrate the idea. I would take a picture of my pattern, but it's currently in hibernation - never to see the light of day for a long, long time.

To take out some of the ease, I slashed the sleeve cap from the shoulder point to within 5/8" of the bottom of the sleeve. I attempted to slash to the hem, but the folds were just too deep to reconcile. I overlapped the cap 1 inch, removing 2" of ease. Would you believe that this still wasn't enough? I cut out a test sleeve to sew in a previously constructed muslin. There was still about a half an inch of extra length on both the front and back of the sleeve cap. So, again I slashed the front and back and overlapped the cap by about 1/2" - thus removing over an inch of length. Finally, this worked and I was able to sew the sleeve in flat without any puckers.

Having attempted the collar several times, I was able to sew this one without incident. It's still not perfect. Unless I point out the errors, I don't think anyone will ever know.

Overall the bust fit is quite good, but I am not totally satisfied with the pattern. The top is boxy and wears more like a jacket than a blouse. If I decide to sew it again, I will likely use a much heavier fabric.

I haven't done the hems or buttons yet because...well...I got tired of working on it and I am disappointed with the final result. When I do finish, I will wear it. In the meantime, here are some parting photos:

front with gaping hem


boxy back

top with buttons

Currently in queue are two projects: the new Simplicity jacket (2284) and a black knit tank top that needs embellishment. I'll be blogging on both soon.

Until next time,

L