Vogue 1436

Well, I didn't even make it to round 2 in the Pattern Review Sewing Bee.  I'll just assume it's more to do with the simplicity of my blouse than my lame sewing skills.  :-)

If I'd had to fit pants for the bee, though, I think we all know I'd be out with these:

Ok, yes, I should have made a muslin. I got cocky.  From now on, all new pants patterns will be muslined by me, but it's really a moot point, because I will not be straying from my TNT (tried-and-true) for a long time.

Here they were last time I showed them.  They are Vogue 1436.  I was able to improve the back a bit, but the front fit suffered.  I think the proportions are just weird, too.  The high waist makes the zipper look too short and my rear look saggy.

I wore them with a longer sweater over top and it was fine for church.  I don't think I'll be wearing these often.  It would be a fun exercise to make some very similar in style but starting with my TNT pattern.  Not for a little while, though.  I'm over pants for the moment.  

I am of course most upset about using this gorgeous tropical wool from Pennie Fabrics in Sarasota for some blah pants.  Live and learn...to make that muslin!

Simplicity 3789 for Pattern Review Sewing Bee Contest

I made this blouse for the Pattern Review Sewing Bee Contest.  I think this is the second year the contest has run, but I didn't know about it last year until after it had started.  I thought I'd give it a go this year since I find the Great British Sewing Bee so fun!

Round 1 of the Pattern Review Sewing Bee is complete and is now in the judging phase until next week.  There are 4 mystery rounds in total, with some entrants being cut after each round until there is an overall winner.  I have no idea how the judges are going to select winners.  Every blouse entered is amazing, and I would honestly feel no annoyance if I don't make it on to the second round.

Anyway, here is my blouse made from out-of-print Simplicity 3789, a Khaliah Ali pattern I've had in my pattern stash for ages.  I used view B, which has the little cap sleeves.  A long, cuffed sleeves might have been more impressive for the contest, but what's the point if I won't wear it?  The cap sleeve is more useful to me.

The fabric is dotted Swiss cotton, similar to a cotton lawn but with raised stitched dots. I bought this at JoAnn fabrics but don't see it on their website.

I rounded the points of the collar included in the pattern to give a Peter Pan collar effect.  I also changed the straight bottom hem to a shirt-tail hem.

Since my fabric is a bit sheer, I used French seams. I also made sure the circle pattern continued across the fronts.

I've been having problems with my automatic buttonhole attachment.  It seems to get confused halfway through the buttonhole and just keeps stitching in one place.  My machine is due for a tune-up anyway, so I'll get it checked out then.  For now, I just made them the old fashioned way - which really isn't that old fashioned.  I still have special stitches for the buttonholes.  I just need to control the length of each stitch section manually, if that makes sense.

Even if I don't make it on to the next round, I have a cute new blouse!  :-)

Bonbon Shawlette

This is a quickie post about my Bonbon Shawlette that I test knit for Isabelle of Fluffy Fibers, one of my very favorite podcasts.  Here is my Ravelry project page.

 The yarn is from Lancaster Yarn Shop in Intercourse, Pennsylvania.  It is their hand-dyed Lumen in the Rare Earth color

This was a really fun little knit.  I expected it to be a pretty mindless, relaxing knitting, but I actually had to pay attention in the textured stitch section, because I had a tendency to accidentally knit 2 together with the slipped stitches.  I also wasn't sure how I'd wear this triangular shaped shawl, but it is pretty long and narrow and isn't much different from a big scarf.

 I'm also wearing my recently made Simplicity 2226 skirt.

I have another shawl planned (French Cancan in Voolenvine's Dirty on Purpose) and am dying to cast it on, but I want to get some more progress on current works-in-progress first!  Now that fall is really just around the corner, I want to start knitting all the things!

Simplicity 2226 in linen

I needed a simple little palate cleanser before addressing the wrinkley-butt pants.

Enter Simplicity 2226.  Simple little gathered skirt with pockets and yoke waist? Yes, please.  I've actually made this once before.  Since that one had turned out too big originally and needed alteration, I just cut this one a size smaller.  Perfection!

 This version hits just above my knee, while my original was mid-knee.  I think I prefer this length.

The fabric is 100% linen from JoAnn's  (similar to this, but darker) that has been patiently waiting to become a skirt for several months.

Oh, shame on me for not wanting to go out to JoAnns and get a brown invisible zipper.  When you're in the zone, though, you just want to finish it up, and I had white on hand!  I wonder if a little permanent marker could make that look better.

I was actually killing two birds with one stone and photographing the skirt and the little shawl, but I'll talk about that another day.

Working on Vogue 1436 Pants

I'm working on some pants/trousers/whatever you want to call them, and just when I think I don't have trouble fitting Vogue patterns, this happens:

Ugh.  First of all, I don't like the waistband this high.  The pattern, Vogue 1436, says they hit below the waist, but this is definitely creeping up to my natural waist.  Then, there's just all those wrinkles!  I think my first step will be to let out the side seam as much as I can from mid-hip down .  That will help the horizontal wrinkles in the front.  

The back, though, I just don't know.

I already did a "protruding thigh" adjustment to the front, which I'm sure helped.  That's just a standard pants alteration for me now.  You can see the thigh shape below.  I've also read it called "forward-tilting pelvis" or something like that.

I guess this is what I get for straying from my new favorite Simplicity 1696 pants pattern.  Although, looking back at that post, I probably have just as many wrinkles under my bum in those.  I don't really have any good books focused on fitting in my personal library (because I don't generally have much trouble with fitting), but I checked out this great one from the library months ago.  Time to go back and find it, I think.

After taking those photos, I decided to take some of store-bought pants that I consider to fit well, for comparison.

These look perfect on the front...

 And better on the back, but those same diagonal wrinkles are there, although not as noticeable.  These pants have a looser fit than the ones I'm sewing, so I think that helps.

 These are my very favorite dress pants.  They are really past their prime (pilled - darn polyester), but I can't bear the thought of getting rid of them, or even cutting them up to try and make a pattern.  I love where the waistband hits in these pants.
However, looking at this pic, they look a bit, um, snug.

 And in the back, they really look snug across my derriere.  Many fewer wrinkles, though!  Maybe these pants hold the key to fitting under my bum.

Thoughts?  Am I making too much of this?  Are you sick of looking at my rear?  Does anyone have the silver bullet to fix my back leg wrinkles?  Please do share it!

Autumn Rain Cardigan in Knitty

Eeeeek!!  I have a knitting pattern in Knitty!

Autumn Rain is a cardigan in the Deep Fall 2015 magazine that just came out.  The Ravelry page is here.  I'm so excited, I can't even tell you!  :-)