Mid-Year Wrap Up (pic heavy)

Whoa.  A blog post!  I had a busy first half of the year which involved working six days a week.  Alas, summer is here and now that I've caught up on sleep, I have been able to do some sewing.

So far this year, I've made 10 skirts, 4 tops, and 3 activewear bottoms.  That's 17 garments - 15 of which were made since May, occasional sickness notwithstanding.

Tops

Burda 6839

Surprisingly this is only my second successful woven Burda shirt.  Whyyyyyyyy did I wait so long to jump on this bandwagon?!  Save for bad button placement, this shirt fits very well with little adjustment.  I don't know why it looks so horribly wrinkled on the front.  The pattern is gathered on the side front, but I swear it doesn't look this bad on me.

Is that a tower placket?   Yes, yes it is.  A friend from work, who also sews, showed me step-by-step how to make it.  Man, this is so simple!  I will never do a continuous lap again.  Well...not on a shirt at least.

 New Look 6407

I've made this pattern a few times.  There's nothing new to say here; it's definitely tried and true.

 Kwik Sew 4201

I made this for a friend of mine.  Let me tell you, this was NOT easy.  The zippered neckline and weird non-inseam pockets were beasts.  Suffice it to say my self-less sewing quota has been met for the next two years.

A bunch of skirts

  New Look 6299

I wasn't feeling this at all after I finished it.  Having tried it on, I can see wearing it this summer.

I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE lapped zippers.  Hate.  I do not even know why I bothered with it this time. 

 

Simplicity 1072; scuba knit

Yeah, don't look too close at the fuckery that is the mismatched waistband.  SMH.  I worked hard to make sure this panel print was matched perfectly on the sides and completely forgot to cut the wasitband.  I had enough fabric, but not enough to match properly.  Oops.
 

 McCall's 6654

(left to right:  floral scuba knits, wool double knit, wool-blend double knit)

Again, there isn't much to add here.  This is a great pattern and a quick sew.  I made the first skirt in about an hour from cut to finish.  Each of these fabrics came from the Arts & Scraps fabric sale. 

BWOF 8-2011-127 (brown wool tweed)

This skirt is a wearable fail.  It's a bit big in the waist because somehow I neglected to add petersham as a stabilizer.  And the hemline is too narrow which makes using stairs an adventure. 

Stitch Magazine 2012:  pin-tuck skirt

Technically this isn't finished; I need to add petersham to the waist.  Don't ask me why I haven't brought myself to do it.

 New Look 6274

This is another great find from Arts & Scraps.  The fabric is polyester faille and sewed easily.  I made a blind hem, but clearly should have used a lighter thread.  Eventually I'll redo it.

 McCall's 7253

I made the first version of this last year and really love it.  This second version is just okay.  Despite taking deeper pleats and seam allowances, it's still big.  I haven't lost weight, trust me.  I just think the fabric has some mechanical stretch that I didn't anticipate.

Instead of stabilizing the waist with petersham, I added facings and bound them with self-made bias tape.  Oh and I bought some labels from the Dutch Label Shop.  I'm impressed with their quality and customer service.  I would order from them again.

Activewear

Having been inspired by Sheila (Sheila CTK), I wanted to up my activewear game.  To start, I made Jalie 3674 (Isabelle) and love it.  I sewed a straight size X for both versions, but I added a little bit more to the seam allowance to the one on the right.  I definitely plan to make several more versions.

I also made Simplicity 8212, though I don't have any pictures.  It's an okay pattern, but I think I'll stick with Jalie.

 In Progress

 Simplicity 2810

I started this back in May and am almost finished.  I got sidetracked for three reasons:  (1) I had several days of not feeling well (2) I need to re-cut the upper sleeve lining and (3) it's summer and who needs a long sleeved lined jacket?  SMH

But look at the welt pockets!

 

muslin of Simplicity 8295

I also started this in May.  I was discouraged by the slippery fabric and adjustments needed to make the back fit better.  I intend to finish it because I have the perfect fabric and hardware to make this look really good.

McCall's 6112 (middle view)

The fabric is cut, I'm just not motivated by the dark purple fabric I chose.  It's summer and I want to sew something bright.

Some patterns I want to sew

Simplicity 8379, McCall's 7465, Burda 6869, Grainline Archer

Cashmerette Lenox, Kwik Sew 4207, Cashmerette Concord

McCall's 6744, 

Not pictured:  Style Arc Stacie and Sally, Jalie Éléonore, Simplicity 8137

These are the patterns in my current queue.  Ambitious?  Yes.  Possible?  Maybe. =)

That's it for now.  This post has been in the works for the last month.   I had the intention to write, but not the desire.  Kna'mean? I hope to return to blogging more regularly.  We'll see.

Until next time, peace!

L

Goings On

Long time, no post.  The start of the school semester is always busy.  Plus, I'm also having a hard time and the stress is taking its toll on me.  Sewing happens.  Blogging, not so much.

I managed to finish three of the four items from my "upcoming sewing plans" list.  The fourth item is in progress.  Win!

McCall's 6654 (knit skirt) & Simplicity 1072 (knit top)
 

For the top, I cut a straight 16 and shortened the sleeves two inches.  I didn't do any other adjustments and the fit is okay.  The top is rather boxy, so I nipped it in at the waistline at around 0.75 inches, tapering to nothing at the armhole and hip to give more shape. 

The good

Sewing sequins wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.  Both my sewing machine and serger handled the fabric well.  I used a 70/10 microtex needle in the machine, regular needles in the serger, and sewed slowly.

Since the sequin knit was sheer and scratchy, I underlined it with black jet set (from Joann Fabrics).  Once the two fabrics were hand-basted, I treated the whole unit as one during construction.

The pattern calls for the neckband to be made of the body fabric.  Since I used ponte, there was no way the neckband was going to have enough stretch and recovery to sit flat/flush against my neck.  So I used black cotton rib knit for the neckband, hem band, and sleeve cuffs.  I cut the ribbing 80% of the neckline circumference, without seam allowances and stretched to fit.  I've done this before on previous necklines and found that it works well. 

The bad

In some serged areas, the sequins poke out from behind the knit lining and cause awful chafing.  I need to think of a way to bind this area to prevent the irritation.  Otherwise, I could never wear this top without a turtleneck. 

The meh

I added sleeve cuffs, but I don't think they're wide enough.  Eventually, I will cut off the cuffs and make new ones that are wider to balance with the hem band.  But for now, meh.

***

The skirt was a an easy and quick sew.  The only thing different with this version is the length.  It is about two inches longer than the others and I am not quite sure why.  I used the exact same pattern pieces.  Hmm...

McCall's 6884 (knit dress)

Originally, I was going to make NL6301.  After making an FBA and a bunch of other pattern adjustments, I chickened out because I wasn't confident in how I redrew the pleats.  Instead, I opted for the simplicity of M6884.

I cut size 16 and did not make an FBA.  I shortened the sleeves 2 inches and made a 2.5-inch hem.  Next time, I'll hem at 1 or 1.5 inches as I think the dress is a tad bit short.  I will also try binding the neckline edge instead of turning under and coverstitching.

I added six inches total to the ties, but they're still not long enough.  On the next version, I will add twelve inches and attach them a bit higher.  The placement dots are too low and cause weird pulling if I pull the ties from back to front.

Burda 7942
I was going to make Simplicity 2599 out of a non-stretch cotton shirting.

But, I wasn't too confident about how the stripes would look on the ruffles and I didn't have enough fabric to cut the ruffles on the bias.  Plus, this fabric leans more blue than grey and didn't quite go with the other fabrics in this mini wardrobe.

So instead I decided to make the Burda pattern, view A.

So far the fit is pretty good.  I cut size 44 and made a 0.5-inch FBA.  I am finally learning my Burda bodice size and am excited to try the MANY other Burda patterns I have.  

There is still lots of work to be done.  I need to sew the side seams (they're pinned in this phot0), attach the continuous lap/cuffs, set the sleeves, hem, and work the buttonholes.  When any of that will actually happen...well...uh...

***

New Plans

Every once in a while, I get the urge to sew small mini wardrobes.  For some reason, I am feeling the need to coordinate more.  Next up is a small five or six-piece set comprising of blues and reds.   

I've already cut another version of New Look 6274 out of this stretch cotton border print.
 

Eventually, I'll add a few more garments from these fabrics:

 left:  blue floral stretch cotton poplin (skirt)

top (on shelf): navy blue wool suiting (vest)

middle (on shelf): ITY knit (infinity scarf)

bottom (on shelf):  navy/white ponte knit (skirt)

lower shelf:  ITY knit (wrap dress)

Big dreams.  Hah!  That's all for now.  I hope things settle down more, though I am not optimistic. =/

Until next time, peace.

L  

August Round Up

Mic check.  Is this thing on?

Some sewing...no blogging...blah blah blah.  Y'all know the story. =)   

I was actually quite productive in August - having sewn five, YES FIVE, garments.  Wut!  Since I'm way behind on blogging, I'll just give the highlights of each piece.

Burda 6769 (skirt)

Taking a cue from Nakisha's version, I cut a 16 front, 18 back, and did not make a full seat adjustment Because my denim is fairly stretchy, I probably could have gotten away with a straight 16.  Sewing was straightforward - until it was time to sew the back vent.  Burda ranks supreme on word salads and the diagram didn't help much because the pattern piece doesn't clearly define what is meant by the 'right side' line.  I just winged it; I think it looks okay.

 Pardon the wrinkles.  I washed the skirt, but didn't iron it.

If I make the skirt again, I'll make a horizontal tuck of about an inch to shorten the front crotch area.  I've noticed that Burda bottoms are always too long in this area for me.

Here is a not-too-clear-or-particularly-helpful picture of me wearing the skirt on a boat.  The angled side seam is kind of weird, but I love the pegged hem.  The skirt is comfortable, but there is definitely room for improvement in fit.

New Look 6648 (knit top)

I've made this top more times than I can count.  I cut my usual size 16 and added an inch to the front and back neckline.  As drafted, the neckline is really wide, so adding the extra height helps to close it up a bit.

Kwik 3693 (knit cardigan)

This cardigan is part of my first group of patterns for fall sewing.  I find that if I want to "sew with a plan," I work best when I focus on no more than five or six pieces.  After that, I get bored with the colors and need to find something new.

I traced a medium in the shoulders/neckline and a large everywhere else.  I shortened the sleeves ## inches.  I did not make a muslin.  I probably should have shortened it all around as the length on the dress form looks longer than that on the model.  I'll probably always wear it belted.

Simplicity 1321 (skirt)

This is one of two skirts for my fall sewing plan.  I've had this pattern in the stash for a while and decided to sew it when I saw this pattern review.  Her outfit is simple, yet very stylish. While I didn't make mine in a colorful wool, I definitely plan to do so later.

I cut a straight size 16 and made a 1" full seat adjustment.  The skirt was too tight, so I sewed 3/8" seam allowances on all seams - except seam containing the invisible zipper.  I had already installed it before realizing that the skirt was too small.

I finished the waist with petersham and lined with black Ambiance Bemberg as usual.

The fabric is a lightweight bouclé and is hanging weirdly here.  It didn't look as bad when I tried it on.

I haven't decided on what buttons to use.  I'll probably use the one on the one on the left for the sheer fact that I have exactly two of these in the stash.  I have three of the one on the right and would feel weird with having one random button left. 

Ugh those seams!  I swear I pressed them.  Must be the polyester.

New Look 6053 (skirt)

The second skirt is a new favorite.  This pattern is super simple with only two pattern pieces (four if you include the facings). 

Again this is a straight size 16 with 1" full seat adjustment.  I didn't include the facings,  finished the waist with petersham, and inserted a lining.  The fabric is also polyester bouclé.

I have a love-to-hate relationship with polyester.  It can be terribly hot and sticky and pill horribly, but it's washable.  As I usually am covered in chalk by the end of the day, I need more clothes that I can toss in the washer.  

Upcoming Sewing Plans 

To finish up this mini wardrobe plan, I hope to make these:

 Simplicity 1072 (knit top with sequined front panel)

 Simplicity 2599 (sleeveless tank with three-tiered ruffled front)

 McCall's 6654 (double knit skirt)

 New Look 6301 (knit dress)

Because I know I can put off things that are challenging, I started working on the knit sequined top first.  I have never sewn with sequined fabric before and was intimidated by all the prep work.  Most info I found on sewing sequined fabric suggested removing the sequins from the seam allowance first and sewing as normal.

Yeah.  Well.

There are 5,974,842 sequins less than 1/8" in diameter in the seam allowance.  I tried to pick out some sequins on a scrap piece of fabric and nearly lost my mind.  I took the same scrap to my sewing machine and sewed very slowly using the sharpest needle I had, a straight stitch, and then a small zigzag stitch.  And you know what?  It worked.  I didn't break any needles and no sequins came flying out from under the presser foot.

Picking all those sequins?  So not happening. 

If I work really hard (read:  at all), I can finish the top today and post pictures tomorrow.  t's also the last weekend of freedom before...dun dun dun...school starts.  So I might chillax and watch Netflix.  =)

Until next time, peace!

L