Vogue 2921: Wadder

I've been searching for some pants with back princess seams similar to Vogue 9032.  Why not use Vogue 9032 you say?  Because angled side pockets have NEVER looked good on my hips.  Ever - not even 20 years and 50 pounds ago.

Vogue 9032

So when I happened upon OOP Vogue 2921 at the 2015 MPB Day pattern swap, I was elated!  My butt-princess seam pant pattern search was over.

Vogue 2921

Except no.  Big no. The cut of these pants is WAAAAAY too wide or something.  Only now after having looked at the line drawings do I realize that the cut is completely different.  V9032 appears to hug the hips more gracefully and taper at the hem.  The legs on V2921 are like stovepipes.

I started with a size 16 and have removed a considerable amount of width from the inseam, outseam, and princess seam.  The result?  Not good.

The photos are overexposed to show the detail/twist/WTFery.

I'm sure I cut everything on grain, so the twist that's happening from the knee down is probably from taking out so much width.  I don't think starting with a smaller size will help either.

This is actually my third time attempting this pattern.  The first time was a muslin that looked promising.  For the second attempt, I used rayon-poly-lycra suiting and it was a MESS.  The current pair is made from a lightweight wool suiting that I picked up from my recent splurge at my local non-profit art store (gotta blog about this latest haul!).

I could take all of the extra stitching out to retain the original width.  But then it looks like I'm all pants and nothing else.

I wonder if I can somehow trace the front of 2921 onto the front of 9032.  I'm hesitant to use the complete front of 2921 because of the leg shaping.  Hmm...

Any thoughts?  I could cut the legs off at the knee and make knickers.  But then I know I would never wear them! =)

L

 

New Look 6407: Wearable Wadder?

I don't make wearable muslins.  A muslin is my chance at working on the fit and if I try to make it wearable, then I won't focus on getting the fit right.

But what about a wearable wadder?  Seems counter-intuitive.

The shirt is wearable because it's finished and fits - almost.  There is serious pulling at the center front which is weird because it's the same pattern that I used to make the first version - which I absolutely adore.

I think the purple shirt is a wadder because of the fabric.  I used a stretch-cotton poplin which may not be the best fabric for a structured blouse with lots of seams.  Taming the wrinkles is next to impossible and a bad press job is amplified.  I have a gravity feed iron that gets hella hot with lots of steam and the wrinkles act like the T-1000 from Terminator 2:  I walk away for 5 minutes and the wrinkles are back and with an attitude.

I am totally MEH about this blouse.  I am going to make a third version of the pattern out of a non-stretch fabric to see if my suspicions hold true.  In the meantime, I haven't decided if I will keep this one.  If I do, I will not wear it without a jacket or something to cover the awefulness.

The skirt in the photos is New Look 6053 and was sewn from stash fabric.  1.5 yards down, over 600 left to go.  Good grief.

I'll talk about that project in the next post. 

Have you ever worn a wadder?  What are your experiences with stretch cotton poplin?

L

Pattern Review Sewing Bee

Inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee (squeee!), PR is hosting its own version for four weeks.  The platform seems the same:  weekly challenges, weekly winners, eliminations, grand prize.  I figured I could channel my inner crafty chemist and join the contest.

But.  You know there's always a "but."

The first challenge is to sew an A-line skirt.  Ruh?  That's it?  No twist?  Piece of cake!  The last 394 skirts I made were A-line.  I could make one of these from start to finish in one day.  I was all on board until I read the requirements:

• zipper - check
• lining - check
• hem - check 
• button, hook, or any closure - check and check
• waistband - ch....wait, what??

The skirt must include a waistband? Why?  All of my skirts purposely do not have waistbands because WHY??  Ugh.  This "rule" caused me way more stress than it should have.  I spent two days searching my pattern stash for A-line skirts with a waistband.  I found TWO.  Out of over five hundred patterns (including BWOF), I found two freakin' patterns. 

The pattern I ultimately chose was New Look 6843, view D.

The pattern has three pieces and should be really easy to sew. Remember, there's always a "but."

Contestants will be judged on construction, adherence to the rules, and creativity.  Yes, a pattern like this presents a great opportunity to do something creative.  BUT, my creative side is apparently on hiatus at the moment.  I drew a complete blank on what to do with this skirt.  I searched the internets for ideas and settled on adding pintucks.

Easy, right?  Not so much.

I came up with a few ideas:  diagonal pintucks that emanate from the waist out to the hem like a star burst; vertical tucks that start near the hip and end at the hem; and twisted tucks.  I sewed small samples of each idea and didn't like them enough to proceed.  Accuracy in measurement and sewing is *very* important to get any of these to look right.  Given the tight time constraint, I knew I wouldn't be able to get it done.

So I chose to do a simple pintuck across the bottom an inch above the hem.  To make things easier (so I thought), I decided to pintuck the fabric (a light-weight denim) first and then cut the pieces out of that.

Not.  Even.  Close.  I don't have pictures because...well...Halloween is over.

Trying to pintuck fabric that is 60 inches wide is just not a good idea so I scrapped it.  In fact, I'm not even motivated to make an A-line skirt anymore.  Sad-but-relieved face.  My heart is just not in it.  

So I'm not going to participate in the contest.  Sure I could make a simple and well-constructed skirt, but I probably won't enjoy the process because my true intention is not there.  It's actually a good thing because I don't want the pressure of a deadline at this time of the year.  We have exams next week and my duty as a caregiver just got remarkably more difficult.  Sewing (when I actually sit down to do it) is my outlet and I don't want to ruin what little sewjo I have!

Speaking of aint-got-time-for-that... 

  
I am totally over it.  It's a wadder and trashed!

L

Wasted Away in Margawadderville (Jalie 2805)

Can I just say that I hate that song?  Not because of the song itself, but because the radio at the pottery studio is set to a station that plays it EVERY DAY.  I am not joking or exaggerating.  It must mean something special to the DJ. 

Anyway...

I was on a roll this weekend.  After finishing my polka-dot top, I started working on a knit top and finished a UFO from 2000 something.  Maybe 2011.

The skirt is New Look 6274 and it's made out of a stretch cotton bottom-weight.  I bought the fabric at Sawyerbrook during a visit to Boston in 2011.  There's nothing new or different with the construction.  I lined it, used an invisible zipper, and faced the waist with petersham.  

The top is Jalie 2805 and I used a Sophia double knit purchased recently from Vogue Fabrics at the American Sewing Expo. In theory, the outfit looks pretty good, right?  Even the v-neck is nearly perfect.

Unfortunately, this outfit only looks good on the dress from or on a hanger.  The top has MANY problems on my body - mainly stemming from being too damn tight.  

Ugh.  Where do I even begin?

I didn't make a muslin because I've made this pattern before.  I didn't use a Sophia knit the first time, though, and I think that's where the problem starts.  

Sausage anyone?  The sleeves aren't uncomfortable, but you can see that they are tight and all kinds of wrong.
 

I don't know how I missed the swayback adjustment because I need it in the worst way.  Look at how the back is pulling near the underarm seam.  The front is too short because I obviously need an FBA.  

There is so much FAIL in this one, I think I deserve a prize.  Hmm.  Margaritas sound good right now.

I'll definitely try it again, but after I make some necessary changes.  For now, I want to finish a different knit top and start working on my...wait for it...denim motorcycle jacket. So.  Many.  Zippers. 

L
 

Wadder Number...I Lost Count

I had high hopes for the iconic wrap dress a la Vogue 8379.  Maaaaaaaan, this FAIL came straight from the heart.  Where do I even begin?  This dress is just all kinds of wrong.  Each FAIL ranks supreme in its awfulness, so I suppose I should just list the issues as they come to mind.

Fit 
I made a muslin a couple of years ago and altered the pattern to fit.  I seem to have developed an unconscious affinity to working on older projects with completed muslins.  Obviously I need to rethink or scrap this approach 'cause the shiz ain't workin'.

The FBA I made is too big and gives me SBS (Saggy Boob Syndrome).  The bad thing (or good thing depending on how you think about it) is my boobs aren't even in the saggy area; they're above it.

The bodice is too short for my liking and the V-neck is too low.  That's not a camisole peeking out; it's my bra.

I lopped off four inches of length and the dress is still too long.

The sleeves are tight, but that's because I've been pumping iron.  I do 15-pound curls and 25-pound tricep exercises with free weights.  Apparently it's working. 

Finally the back hem is higher than the front hem.  I forgot to add a wedge for my trunk junk.


Facings

The facings on this dress are pure evil and a good lesson in Zen practices.  I unpicked them all and settled on binding.  This was going well until it came time to address the skirt.  You see, the bodice has an attached facing while the skirt has a self-facing.  WTF?  I sort of winged that whole area and it shows.  I tried to bind the bodice and skirt separately, but it didn't turn out so well.  It's a hot mess.

Ties
The ties are entirely too short.  You can see the teeny-tiny bow it makes in the front.  To get that little ass bow, I practically had to cut off circulation to my lower half.  

And then to top it off, the current tie location and desired tie location are inches apart. 

This FAIL of epic proportions is going to become one with a landfill.  It is not worth repairing and I would not even donate this to the devil himself - despite bestowing demonic facings upon the sewing world.

I might try to save the skirt because I really do like the fabric.  Anyone who knows me knows that "might try" means "hang it up in the UFO closet until I'm tired of looking at it and toss it at the next purge."

So what number wadder is this?  Four?  Five?  Maybe even six.  I am not at all defeated;  I have already started work on the next project.  

Even though my sewing is in somewhat of a slump, my pottery output is on fire...no pun intended.  Everything is wheel-thrown with a white stone wear clay body.

The first pair of pictures show coffee mugs I made.  The green mug is complete and functional; I had a cup of tea a few hours ago.  The mugs on the right are bisqued.  I glazed them today and will probably get them back next week.

This is a drum I made a couple of months ago.  The horn and drum (sans skin) were both wheel thrown and the tube was extruded.

I learned how to make lotion/soap dispensers and took it to the next level.  I'm really enjoying making bottles now.  The bottle on the right is greenware and needs to be fired, glazed, and fired again to complete.

This is a replacement casserole dish.  The first one I made stuck to the kiln shelf and cracked.  I was really disappointed because it's the first lidded piece that I made that had a really good fit.  Making lidded pottery takes skill and I finally got it right. 

The picture on the left shows the first casserole dish.  The photo on the right shows the bottom of the same dish.  I kept it so that I could get a decent measure for the replacement.  Clay shrinks as it dries and after its fired, so I made the second bowl's opening  bigger in the hopes that the original lid will fit.

So far, so good!

Up next in the sewing queue:  BWOF 8-2005-102 (skirt)

Finally I want to thank everyone again for their words of encouragement and support.  I am doing the best that I can.  I've started a blog post that gives a bit of detail; I may post it soon.

Until next time, be well!

L

Jalie 2680 Completed and Off to Wadderville

It's not the pattern.  It's not the lining/underlining.  Just the fit, ma'am.  Just the fit.  I made a muslin a year (or two) ago and tried it on.  I thought it looked pretty good, but the finished product says otherwise.

It is as bad as it looks.  I didn't need the extra width in the front and I could loose some width across the back.  Sure I could fix it, but that would require undoing all of the topstitching and taking in each seam.  I'd rather start over from scratch.  So it's off to Wadderville for this coat.  Maybe someone can use it as a duster or something.

I finished the facings with bias tape and everything.  Awww...

 Oh well.  On to the next project.

L

BWOF 9-2009-137 (UFO): Complete

It's finished, but I don't think this pattern works for me - at least not in the fabrics I've selected. 

back

I made this back in 2011, but the fabric made the garment a disaster.  The amount of polyester in the fabric created unsightly wrinkles that were difficult to remove.

In theory, this is a cute skirt.  But in practice I'm 0-2 and that's enough for me to move on.

Fabric & Notions:

• 1.5 yards of rayon-poly-lycra (O_o) woven
• 1.5 yards Bemberg Ambiance
• 7" invisible zipper
• two strips of fusible interfacing for the zipper area
• walking foot
• 70/10 microtex needle

I know, I know.  I hate polyester.  It's true.  Polyester is the devil in fabric form.  However, this rayon-poly stretch woven is SO nice to sew.  I don't quite know how much polyester is in the fabric, but it must not be enough to cause problems.  This fabric holds a press well and doesn't melt at high temperatures.  Unfortunately the cream version of this fabric makes every wrinkle extremely visible.  Remember this?

Yeah.  Exactly.

Alterations:

I added a 1.25" wedge at the center back as a full seat adjustment.  I completely forgot to shorten the skirt before cutting my fabric.  Even without a hem, the dress is too long for me.  My solution involved lopping off about 2 inches from the bottom.  Meh.  I'm not a fan.  The proportions on this don't seam right:  there's a little flounce and a lotta back.  Not the look I was going for.

Seam Allowances:

BWOF magazine patterns do not include seam allowances.  Since I have to make adjustments to almost everything I make, this is actually a good thing.  You can make your alterations and true everything up right at the seamline.  I used half-inch seam allowances along the side seams and waist. I used a 3/8" seam along the edge where the lower and upper halves are joined. I found it much easier to sew this seam and didn't need to do any clipping.

Constructions:

I finished the raw edges on my serger first and then sewed the seams on my machine.  All seams were pressed open except for the seam joining the flounce to the back.  I used a rolled hem on both the lining and shell.  By this time I was over the skirt and ready to move on.

Conclusion:

It's not a wadder...yet.  I'll give it a couple of wears and see how I like it.  Otherwise, someone is getting two cream rayon poly lycra woven skirts for free. 

********
UFO Tally:

1.   Beignet (relinquished back to Area 51)
2.  Simplicity 2648
3.  Simplicity 1945 (needs coverstitching and cowl)
4.  Jalie 2559
5.  Vogue 8426 (on deck)
6.  Simplicity 2804 (needs coverstitching)
7.  BWOF 9-2009-134

Until next time, peace!

L 

M5523 & KS3179: Complete

McCall's 5523 (skirt)

Let us all welcome the newest member to the town of Waddervile.  Don't worry, dear discarded garment, you'll find plenty of company along with many other less desirables.  I had high hopes that we would get along well, but you didn't want to play nice with your wrinkling and all.  It's a shame, too, because I think you really would have enjoyed meeting Judith's offspring.

On with the review...

Fabric & Notions:

• 1.5 yards of rayon-poly-lycra stretch woven suiting
• 1.5 yards of beige (more like gold) stretch polyester charmeuse
• 1.5-inch wide beige petersham cut to waist circumference plus extra
• 7" invisible zipper

Fitting & Alterations:

Having made the skirt in 2010, I didn't need to make any additional adjustments.  The pattern has a 1.25" wedge at the center and side back for a full seat. 

In more recent applications of the wedge alteration, I straighten the seam above the alteration and take off the extra width from the side seam.  I didn't do that with this pattern and don't see any negative affects.

Construction:

All seams were sewn on my machine and then serged together.  For the next project using this fabric, I'll finish the edges first, sew the seams, and then press them open.  I added a rolled hem to finish the bottom edge.  I tried to turn up a hem, but the curve of the flounce too deep and, by this point, I was beyond done with this garment.

Conclusion: 

The rendering of this skirt to Wadderville has nothing to do with the pattern.  The pattern is fine and I intend to sew it again..  The fabric's not even that bad, really.  At least, I hope it isn't since I have yards upon yards of this stuff.  I just can't get the wrinkles out in a way that makes this...um...less wrinkly.  I think the color of the fabric only exacerbates the problem. I also think the problem might be with the type of needle I used.  I switched to a 75/11 microtex midway through the project because the 90/14 universal needle made big holes in the fabric.  I don't have any wrinkles in my Jalie jacket and I used the microtex needle from the very beginning. 

The big question is, will I wear it?  I don't know.  It's hanging in my closet for now.  If there comes a day when I haven't done laundry and have nothing else to wear to work, it might make an appearance.

Kwik Sew 3179 (top)

Pattern love is in full effect with this one.  This is the fourth time I made this top and don't know why it's taken me so long to make it again.  There are four pieces (back, left front, right front, tie extension) all cut on the bias and can almost be completely sewn on a serger.

Fabric & Notions:

• 2 yards of purple-ish cotton solid
• regular sewing thread for sewing/serging seams and rolled hem

Fitting & Alterations:
I cut large and took out a half an inch of width from the neckline, tapering to nothing at the hem.  Aside from that, I didn't make any other alterations. 

Construction:
I cut this out a couple of days ago and finished it in about an hour.  It would have taken even less time, but I decided to sew the seams on my machine first and then serge them together.

Conclusion:
This is a great instant gratification project.  It's what I needed to get back in the groove after the McCall's skirt.  I'll take pictures wearing both garments when I get all prettified. 

Up next:  A BWOF skirt in the same rayon-poly-lyrca fabric.  Oy vey.

L

Sometimes it's just not meant to be.

After my full seat alteration fail, I washed and dried more denim fabric to try V8426 again.  I just don't think this project was meant to happen right now.  I pressed out the wrinkles on the wrong side (this is an important fact) and laid out all of my pieces to cut.  When I started to pin the front pieces together in an attempt to sew, I just stared at the CF piece.  There is very noticeable and permanent vertical line traveling down the length of the piece.  Yes, you guessed it:  it's the fold line from the fabric.  I hate Joann's.  Really, I do.  Had I noticed it at the store, I never would have bought it.  Had I noticed it when I pressed out the wrinkles, I would have moved the CF in 5/8" and added a seam.  I thought about topstitching on the line, but I'm not sure how that will look since the other seams will be "raised."  I don't have enough width to cut on the line and make a seam since the skirt felt a little snug to begin with.  Sigh.

I am so done.

L

If you looked up "fail" in the dictionary...

...you'd probably see these pictures:

At the time, this seemed like a good idea.  In practice, however, nothing could be further from the truth!  Adding extra length to the seams caused two major and not-worth-it problems.  First, the convex and concave curves did not want to play well.  The seam on piece 8 was far longer than that on the other and I ended up with several puckers.  Grrr.  Second, the extra length drastically through off the CB seam on the yoke.  The seam was angled a full inch (!!!) away from CB.  I can totally see why it happened, but that still doesn't make me happy.  Grrrrrrr.  

I picked the seam apart and attempted to remove the extra length.  Unfortunately since I had already serged and trimmed the seam, nothing matched properly and I deemed the project a failure.   There is a bright side, though.  I couldn't decide if I wanted to add one or two rows of topstitching to the garment.  Now that this project is a wadder, I could add a couple of rows to each half of the front/back and see how I like it.

I do have more denim and intend to give this pattern a second try.  I don't know if I'll be able to contribute anything to the Carnival of Skirts, though.  With the sew along ending on Wednesday and my having to start from scratch, time is running out.

L