McCalls 7429

This is version 2 of McCalls 7429, actually in the full-length dress this time.  The first time I made this pattern, I found the skirt portion too short and tight, so I modified it to be a tunic.  This time, I lengthened the skirt pieces and cut the sides more A-line shaped to compensate.  

I started out by cutting the sleeves long, figuring I could adjust them when the rest of the dress was finished.  I decided that with the long sleeves, it was just too much white, but I did like the look of longer sleeves, so instead of cutting them short, I went with 3/4.

The fabric is a white cotton ponte from Pennie Fabrics in Sarasota, but white ponte isn't hard to find online.  

I am not sure about the hem.  The knot pulls the hem all different ways.  Sometimes it looks like the outer wrap is too long, but a little adjustment fixes it.  I am leaving it as is for now, but if I find that I am constantly having to adjust, I will just redo the hem.

When I envisioned this dress in white in my head, I thought it would be so classic and classy, and it is.  I wanted it to hit at the bottom of my knee, which it does.  It is form-fitting, but doesn't show a lot of skin.  Then, the first time I wore it, I noticed THIS as I walked through a parking lot...

Yeah, there is nothing to be done.  That wrap is at the just the right spot to show a LOT of leg when walking.  :-)

x

Here is a closeup of the knot detail.

I constructed almost all of this dress on my serger and coverstitch machines that I received for Christmas.  It was awesome!  It goes without saying that you don't need either type of machine to make this dress, though.  In fact, I made my first red tunic version before I had either one.

I hope all the moms out there have a great Mothers' Day!

Spring 2017 Pattern Picks - Vogue, McCalls, Butterick, Simplicity, New Look

I am so excited for some spring sewing that I thought I would do one big "Pattern Picks" post for all the new spring pattern releases... well, all the companies that I sew often and that have a seasonal release anyway.  That means the "big 4" - Vogue, McCalls, Butterick, and Simplicity + New Look, which I also often like.

First up is McCalls.  There are loads of great patterns from McCalls this spring.  For the sake of the length of this post, I'm only mentioning the ones that I truly want to make - so a super cute tee-shirt dress that I already have a perfectly acceptable pattern to make will not make the cut.  Ok?  Ok.  let's go.

M7540  I almost didn't include this one because I just cannot think of a legit function where I will wear this.  :-(  Super sad face.  I really do love this jumpsuit.  Click through to see the drawing of the back.  So cute!  I need a baby shower or something on my calendar to actually buy this pattern, though.  Is there any circumstance for which you would actually wear this?  Maybe I just need lots more dinner date nights with my husband.

M7537 I have actually already purchased this pattern and plan to make it in the berry-colored rayon challis below.  Call me crazy, but I am considering the ballon-y sleeve option.  Knowing me, they'll probably get cut off to short sleeves, though.

M7533 calls to me in this line drawing.  The modeled pic isn't doing much for me, though, so that makes me pause.

M7538  Someone restrain me, please.  Remember this fiasco? Ugh.  I envision it in this fabric, though, playing with the stripes and solids.  I bought soooo much of that fabric for some reason that I wouldn't even cry if it didn't turn out great.  

M7547  After much analysis, I decided that what draws me to this pattern is the pockets.  I wouldn't like the high rise aspect, so I should just use the pockets on pants that I know fit well.

M7549  I already bought this one.  I don't have any jackets anything like this.  The blue quilted version just really drew me in for some reason.  I have no idea what fabric I want to use with this.  Maybe a really pale pink chambray-type fabric.  Yeah, I see wearing that with white pants and jeans.  Isn't pink "in"?

The Vogue spring patterns are nice, also, but most are too formal or trendy for me.  I only got one, V1537, which I can't wait to make.  I have a couple of functions this spring that I think this dress/jacket set will work well for.  I am going to Pennie Fabrics in Sarasota in a few days with the hope of finding the perfect fabric for this pattern.

Of the Big 4 companies, I think I sew Butterick the least, but I found a few I would like to try this spring.

B6446  This is so cute in the gingham.  A bit too cutesy perhaps?  I don't know.  I haven't bought it yet, but it might just be casual enough for everyday summer wear.

B6449  I'm not sure I'll get around the buying or making this.  I already have several cute knit dress patterns I haven't even cut into.  I like the maxi version, but I find maxi skirts too hot for Florida summer, so I don't know.

B6448  I keep finding myself drawn to this pattern.  It's nothing earth-shattering, but something about the cut looks so flattering.  It might be that floral fabric that's sucking me in.  Gotta watch out for that.

B6461 I am drawn to these pants - the black version, NOT that floral version.  I would do a wider elastic in the waistband.  The seaming on the legs is interesting.

Simplicity and New Look.  Ugh.  That website.  I don't even know why it is so bad.  I think it's just too much on one site.  Vogue, McCalls, and Butterick are all owned by the same company, but they each have their own websites - so much better.

I only have one Simplicity pattern on my list, and it is 8295, and really, it is so similar to this dress that I made that, yeah, I won't actually be buying that pattern afterall.  Any version I want to make, I can hack it with the pattern I already have.

The only New Look pattern that is intriguing me is 6494 and it's not like I can just put in a pic of the version I like.  Oh no...  Anyway, bottom left is my favorite, but I have no vision of what fabrics I would want to use, so I doubt I will be getting this one.  Plus, I already have two shirtdresses.

Alright, well if you made it this far, I hope you found a little inspiration. What will you be sewing this spring?

Teen Titans Go Starfire Costume

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I hardly ever dress up for Halloween, and I have only made one other costume for myself, ever (Tinkerbell, which took about 20 minutes of cutting and sewing a knit tube).  Somehow, I got it in my head that I must be Starfire from Teen Titans Go this year.  Unless you have a kid between the ages of 6 and 12, you probably have no clue who that is, but we watch a fair amount of Teen Titans Go here, and I like her sunny, quirky personality (and also her pink hair).

Here she is, for comparison.  I made this to show as little midriff as possible while still being true to Starfire's original costume.  :-)  Haha I sound ridiculous.  

I bought the fabrics at JoAnn.  They are from the Yaya Han line.  They are both polyester pleather-type fabrics.  The purple is quite stretchy while the white is thicker and does not stretch.  The piping I used to mimic the drawn outlines is a dark silvery pleather piping from Mood.  I totally am the one who made it "sold out."  :-)

As for the patterns, they are a mix of Franken-patterning and making it up as I went along.  The skirt was the easiest.  Simplicity 2564 has no darts and a nice yoke, so I was able to color-block it and add a big circle for the buckle.

I used McCalls 7387 for my boot covers (my pattern envelope says MP281, which is odd), adding the white section at the top.  These came together quickly and stay put over shoes.  The only opening is for the heel of the shoe.  They are quite tight and are a bit of a pain to get on, but they fit well once they are on.

The top is the strapless bodice section of Vogue 8766 with the white section just kind of added on.  I used the shoulders of the other bodice views of the same pattern to get me started on the white section.

My arm thingys are basically just tubes with curved edges and stiffened by glueing plastic canvas inside.  The black lines and the big black circle on the bodice are fabric puff paint.

I am so proud of how this came together.  I kind of can't believe how much time I spent on this considering how often I will wear it (maybe 1 or 2 times more ever) but it was a fun challenge, and those Yaya Han fabrics are fun!!

McCall's 7319 Knit Dress

I can't decide how I feel about this.  I mean, I know I don't LOVE it.  I can't quite decide if I even like it.  One thing it has going for it is that it is SO comfortable.

The pattern is McCall's 7319.  My fabric is a very lightweight oatmeal-colored knit from JoAnn Fabrics.  I made a double skirt because of the sheer fabric, and that worked out well.  I left the hem and bottom edges of the wraps raw instead of hemming.  This knit fabric doesn't fray or curl at all, and it is so lightweight that the less I do with it, the better.

I do really like that the crossover detail continues on the back of the dress.  I find it really annoying, in both sewing and ready-to wear, when a detail on the front just stops at the side seams with nary a hint on the straight back.  My knit has only a little stretch, and it does make it challenging to get on and off.  Once it is on, though, it is super comfortable.  

I did a lot of tacking down at the neckline to keep everything just so, and now that I have worn it a few times, I think I need to tack at the waist as well.  The crossovers have a tendency to ride up and show the waist seam underneath.

So yeah, I don't know about this one.  I have been wearing it, but it's not one of my favorites.

McCalls 7391 Lace-Up Shift Dress

Hi there.  Remember when I said I wanted to make McCalls 7391 after I finished my lace-up tee?  Well, I did it.  The fabric is a navy linen/rayon fabric from JoAnn Fabrics.  The laces are a braided rope-like trim, also purchased from JoAnn, but I can't find it online.  I also stitched the trim right on top of my hem stitching, and I love the extra pop.  The eyelets are the exact same ones I used for my tee linked above.

Ok enough talking.  Here it is:

 I found the fit to be ok for me.  Of course I did not make a muslin.  :-)  I ended up adjusting the side seams a bit - taking them in at the bust and letting them out at the hips.  Taking it in at the bust made my armholes a bit smaller, and they are perfect now.  If I hadn't needed the adjustment, I may have found the armholes a bit low.

This design has a subtle shirttail hem.  Very nice.

This has a loose fit, but I don't think it is unflattering.  It skims the curves and is very comfortable on a hot day.

I machine-stitched the trim at the hem with a simple straight stitch down the middle.  I am so glad I didn't hand-stitch it on.  It looks just fine and was much faster!

McCalls 7429 Twist Dress shortened to a Tunic

This project gave me a bit of stress, but it all turned out well!  This is McCalls 7429, from the recent Early Fall collection.  I almost got this post up before the newer McCalls Fall collection was released, so I was almost on trend.  Oh well.

My fabric for this is a rayon/cotton jersey from Mood Fabrics that is now sold out.  That is very sad because this fabric is a dream, and at $7.99 a yard, the price was right.  I have decided that rayon/cotton blends are my favorite jerseys.  Just enough heft, just enough sheen, and just enough comfort.  The first picture in this post accurately reflects the color - a bright, rich red.

I made a few changes in the end.  I lengthened the short sleeves a bit to hit right at the crease of my elbows, and I shortened the whole dress to tunic length.  Truth be told, that was my plan at the outset, but I was concerned the proportions would not look right, so I made the dress full length first.  It turned out to be uncomfortably short as drafted (I am 5'6", so taller than average, but not too much).  It was several inches above my knee before hemming.  That's when I decided the tunic was happening, and I am really happy with the result.  I think the proportions are fine, and I could use a comfortable tunic top in my wardrobe more than a red dress.

I like the twist detail on this dress.  Twist tops were everywhere 5-10 years ago, and then they were less in fashion.  I kind of hope they are making a comeback.  I think they are really flattering and elevate a basic tee shirt.  This knot being at the waist is a bit different from the usual center bust placement.  As with many twist top patterns, the instructions had me scratching my head a couple of times.  I think there is just no way around it.  Interesting patterns will be a bit more challenging.  I just followed slowly step by step, and everything turned out fine.

There is a center back seam on this pattern, which makes for a great fit, and would make a swayback adjustment simple to do.  Mine fit fine, though.  Oops, you can see the back pockets on my ponte pants through my top.  I will generally wear this over leggings or jeggings, but I was going for a slightly dressier look today for my anniversary dinner.  :-)  Here is my whole look - leopard print pumps and all.

McCalls 7351 Shirtdress

Oh my.  The lengths I went to for these photos!  First of all, it is pretty much always 100 degrees around here until October, so I sit inside, camera-at-the-ready, waiting for a big cloud to block the sun for a bit.  Then, I run out and get set up in front of my favorite Mandevilla bush because - hello, giant, gorgeous pink flowers!

 But wait!  What happened to my giant cloud?  Oh well, press on.

The cloud returned... and then entered the biggest, most-territorial bumblebee I have ever seen.  No joke, this guy decided the bush was his, and he was doing patrols around it so that every time I set the timer for a photo, there he was waiting to scare me off.  I'm not allergic to stings or anything, and I don't even know if this guy could sting, but he was definitely intimidating!  Ok, enough about the bee.  Photographic evidence of that fiasco will come at the end.  First, the dress!

This is McCalls 7351, a popular shirtdress pattern from spring.  I made view D, with the circle skirt and which is used for the sample white dress on the envelope.  This is a fantastic pattern.  It definitely looks best worn with a skinny belt.  I also used this pattern to create my Liberty blouse.

The fabric is this cotton voile from Mood Fabrics.  It says it is "vintage inspired," but it also reads Liberty of London inspired to me.  I was pleased that this voile is substantial enough that it does not need a lining or slip.  The buttons are from JoAnn.  I can't find them online, but I think they were made from a nut shell or something like that.  I like the way they contrast with the flowers.

Ok, on to the funny ones.

Here is my personal favorite of the lot:  Hey, check out my circle skirt!  Oh wait, there is a disturbing-looking bumble bee over there.

Nope, I am not even going over there this time.

Even the dog sees it!

 However, despite multiple attempts, I could not get a photo of the actual bee.

Make a Lace-Up Top from a Plain Tee Shirt Pattern

I am quite pleased with myself about this one!  I wanted a top with a lace-up detail that isn't tedious to wear.  Here are some examples of what I'm taking about.  I decided I just wanted the look of the trendy lacing, not ones that actually function to hold the neckline together. 

I started with a plan tee shirt pattern that I like.  Mine is McCalls 6886, but any tee would do.  For the neckline, I bound the back neck edge and drafted a simple facing for the front.  I used a lightweight fusible interfacing on the front facing, attached it and understitched.  Voila!  That's it!  The last step is adding the metal grommets, which was really easy to do.

I have had the fabric in my stash for a while.  I think it was from Gorgeous Fabrics, but I'm not 100% sure.  It feels like a rayon jersey, very silky.

I tried both this silk cord and a thin leather strip for my lacing.  Both are a little stiff.  Other options would be narrow ribbon, very thin rope, or a tube of fabric.  I wore this top a LOT on my recent travels (nothing fancy, alas, just visiting family).  It is super comfy but just a little elevated from a plain tee shirt.  Now I want to make McCalls 7391 even more than before!