Arenal Top by Itch to Stitch using Pennie Fabrics

Here is something fun!  I tested the new Arenal pattern by Itch to Stitch, and it is a fantastic pattern.

Here is the line drawing to give you a better idea of the style lines.  The contrasting yoke pieces lend themselves to a lot of really cute details, but the best part of the pattern for me is the handkerchief hem option and the V-neckline instructions that really do ensure a great result.

 This version uses two companion fabrics that I purchased at Pennie Fabrics in Sarasota.  They are both mid-weight rayon knits with sheer stripes.  The sleeve and yoke fabrics have narrower stripes than the body fabric, making the combo a little more fun and interesting than using only one fabric.  (My local sewing friend Myra bought some of this fabric, too, and I can't wait to see what she makes with it.)  I was lucky to find a close-colored cami at Target to layer underneath these sheer stripes.

I am so happy with how this top turned out.  It's always nice when you receive compliments on your sewing not just because someone knows you sewed it, but because they just like your top.  :-)

If I make this handkerchief hem version again, I will lengthen it an inch or two to ensure crotch coverage over leggings.  It is ok with thicker jeggings here, and the cami offers more coverage, but a longer tunic version would be nice, too.

This second version is actually the first that I sewed.  After this one, I determined I needed a wide-shoulder adjustment for future iterations.  This fabric is also from Pennie Fabrics.  It is a beefy cotton sweatshirt-type fabric.  The contrast is a terry fleece that I bought a few yards of from Mood Fabrics for a little lounge-wear ensemble that has yet to be created.

At first, I used the handkerchief hem on this top, but the thicker fabric wouldn't drape down nicely, so I changed it to the standard hem.  This is a great cozy sweatshirt.

I am very happy with this pattern.  I have another that I have already made, but I will share it in a separate post since I made a couple of small changes to the design. .


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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.

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!

Simplicity 8059

So I thought this outfit from Simplicity 8059 looked really comfortable and Florida-chic on the pattern envelope, so I went for it all-the-way.  I'm not so sure now, though.  It looks a bit "madame" on me (meaning mature, not French).  Like I could see this on one of the fabulous retirees that live down here.  While I have no problem dressing a bit more mature as I get older (rompers not withstanding), I'm not ready to jump ahead that much yet.

I think it all comes down to the top's hem line, and I am thinking of remedying that this afternoon with a little snip snip and sew.  It's funny because that detail was what drew me to the pattern in the first place, but on me, I'm not loving it.  

I do love the fabrics, though.  Both are from JoAnn.  The top is made with this rayon spandex fabric which is no longer at my local store, but is for sale online, and I am seriously considering getting two more yards for a fun dress.  It starts to pill pretty quickly, but I don't mind so much for a simple top, and I just love all the shades of blue.  The pants are a linen/lyocell blend that I can't find online.  They drape beautifully, and the linen look is nice.  They do require a quick ironing after washing, but it is very fast.

The pattern and instructions for the V-neck are excellent.  These are great results, and I will definitely use this pattern for all my future V-neck needs.

I tried the top with some jeggings to see if I preferred that look to the whole outfit together, but I'm still not convinced on the shape of the top.  I think it is getting a snip.

Simplicity 1355 in Rayon Cotton print from Mood Fabrics

I have wanted to make a second version of Simplicity 1355 since I made the first one last summer.  I thought that the pattern would really sing in a lighter weight fabric, and I think I was right.  :-)

The fabric is a Rayon/Cotton poplin from Mood Fabrics in a navy and white geometric print.  I love this fabric!  As soon as I saw it on the site, it had to become this romper.  The only downside to the fabric is that the garment requires a quick ironing after coming out of the dryer, but my tolerance for ironing has gone up in recent years.

This thing is just so comfortable and cool for summer.  Hubs is a bit dubious about the whole romper/jumpsuit genre of clothing, but whatever.  After 12 years of marriage, we can agree to disagree on this.  I figure it's just like a dress but more casual and easier to sit on the ground to play Legos or cut out another sewing project!

 I made two changes to the pattern for this version.  First, I raised the back to cover my bra.  To do this, I laid out my back pattern piece on my fabric.  Then, I marked the intersection of the center back and the armhole depth. Finally, I made a straight line through the top of the back piece (where the back attaches to the shoulder strap, minus seam allowance) through the new mark, and down to the bottom of the piece.  This makes a wider overlap, but that is fine with me.  I also tacked the backs together where they cross.

The second change I made was to use a drawstring waist instead of elastic.  I like the adjust-ability of the drawstring and the style of the ties.  I'd like to add some wooden beads to the ends of the ties for a little pizzazz but need to get some with big enough holes.  I made little fabric tubes for the visible ends of the ties, but for easier sliding in the casing, I used some silk cording for the hidden part.  One of my cleverer ideas, I think.  The only change needed from the pattern was to make to little buttonholes in the garment-side of the casing for the ties to poke through.

Here is a detail shot of the shoulder.  I really like this pleated detail, which is very similar to Simplicity 1810 but with one tuck instead of two.  If you can't find that out of print pattern, this would be a good starting point for a recreation of that dress.

Simplicity 1810 Dress in Rayon

I made this dress pattern last spring, and at that time, I said "This design is the dress of my dreams."  It still is.  Comfortable, breathable, Florida perfection.  However, it seems that it is no longer in print because I cannot find it on the Simplicity website.  Boo hoo!  Here it is on the Pattern Review site, though, for reference.  Why, oh why, would they put this out of print so quickly.  I mean, come on, it is the perfect dress, and I haven't even gotten around to making the top yet!

We have been having the most ridiculous rainy weather for the past few weeks.  Tropical storm Colin wasn't the half of it.  Before that, we had some crazy rain and wind for days.  Anyway, what this means for you is that you get crummy indoor shots of the dress.

There are two ways to wear this dress, which I find fun.  It is a subtle difference, but fun none the less.  You can tie it in the front...

Or wrap the ties around to the back and knot them for a more streamlined look.  I always wear my other version of the dress this second way, but this fabric is more drapey, so I can see myself going with the bow from time to time.

This fabric is a woven rayon border print from JoAnn Fabrics.  I fell in love with the color, the fact that it is not polyester, and the border print.  The only change I made to accommodate the border print was to change the A-line skirt shape to a straighter shape, starting about halfway down the skirt.  This makes for a  less swingy skirt, but it doesn't interrupt the border print.

Now, before this last pic, let me state that I AM NOT PREGNANT... but as I was taking photos, I decided that this would make a great maternity pattern with little alteration.  It's roomy in the bust, a bit high waisted, and you could easily make the skirt even bigger.

Vogue 9124

Right on the heels of my last less-than-perfect dress, I have this Vogue 9124 that I have had in my closet (and been wearing) for about 6 months!  The thing is, I can't decide how I feel about it.  This is the elusive dress that seems to look better in pictures than in real life.

'

Let me back up.  Here is the pattern envelope photo.

Hahaha yeah, not my personal style, but it was the top drawing below, View A, that pulled me in.  I mean, look at those cute little puffed sleeves, the subtle flounce at the hem, and the tailored placket.  What's not to love?  The fabric is a linen/rayon blend with a little texture, from JoAnn Fabrics.

Here it is unadorned with a belt, and I think you can pick out my problem with the dress right away, right in the middle.  The placket has so many layers, plus some light interfacing, and it does not drape with the rest of the dress.  It stands away from the body in an unattractive, beer-gut kind of way.  Now, I think that this might be in part that it is a half inch or so too long-waisted for me, like these two recent projects, but I am happy with the blouse-iness overall, just not what the placket does.

It looks a little better in this photo, but you can still see the center front sticking out.  The other thing I am not crazy about is that there is so much gathering on the skirt that the elastic is not enough to hold it in.  Maybe a wider elastic would have been better.  I wouldn't wear this without a belt, and the easy, cool (no belt) aspect is what drew me to this pattern in the first place.

 With those complaints out of the way, I have to admit that I do wear this dress fairly frequently... with a belt.  Usually, I wear the belt I have on in the first photo because it covers the elastic waist area well, but it is too thick and warm for the hot weather coming up, so I decided to play around with a couple other belts in my closet.  Here is the first photo again, for reference:

Here it is with a skinny navy belt.  Maybe you can see that it just doesn't cover the elastic waist area very well.

And this is the only side view that I got.  You can see the upper body issue, but with a belt on, I think it is ok.

This is the last belt I tried on.  It's one of my favorites, but I don't think it works with this dress.  I would be fiddling with it constantly, trying to make sure it covered the waistline.

So, two half-duds in a row.  Hopefully the next one will knock it out of the park. I am about to start testing another pattern for Itch to Stitch, and her patterns seem to fit me with very minimal changes, so crossed fingers here.

Vogue 8379 in Liberty of London Jersey

I have no idea why I look so grumpy in these photos.  I love this dress!  I kind of can't believe I haven't blogged about it yet.  I finished it to wear for Easter, so it's been in my closet for a bit, and I have worn it a few times already.  The pattern is the perennial favorite Vogue 8379, and the fabric is Liberty of London rayon jersey in the Heidi Maria print, eggplant color.

I have made two other versions of this pattern (although the first, dotted one, has been retired).  I love it!  The fit is great, and the style is flattering.

The only change I made was to make the ends of the ties angled instead of straight across.The sleeves look more elbow-length than 3/4 and I can't remember if that was a lack-of-fabric issue or what.

The fabric is heavenly.  Very silky but stable enough for easy cutting and sewing.

I would love to make another Liberty jersey dress in this fun summery fabric, but it will be a bit before the fabric budget can handle another go.

Vogue 1460 by Badgley Mischka

Well, this dress has been on my "to-sew" list for quite a while, and I'm glad I finally got to it!  The pattern is Vogue 1460 by Badgley Mischka.  I think it came out fall 2014 but am not positive.

 I love the blousey top with the pencil skirt bottom.  This dress really calls for a thick knit fabric, like a ponte or doubleknit.  I used an RPL from JoAnn's that has tiny stripes that you really can't see unless you get super close.  It might be this fabric, but I'm not positive.  I decided on charcoal gray because I love wearing that color, and I also wanted another "funeral dress."  I play music and sing at funerals at my church from time to time, and I'm always looking for nice, comfortable, dark dresses for these occasions.

 My husband told me that the neckline looks like I put my dress on backwards.  Whatever.  I think it's chic.  :-)

 This dress is soooo comfortable!  It's basically a thick t-shirt in dress form.  I left out the zipper.  I didn't need it, but depending on the stretchiness of each fabric, you might.

 I  have finally made the perfect funeral dress.  :-)