Vogue 1573 Jeans in burgundy Diesel denim

You guys, I am so discouraged with my photos lately.  I probably knocked some dial on my camera out of whack or something that is making everything waaaay over-exposed.  I look like the undead in these photos.  Why is my skin WHITE?  I took these on an overcast day.  Argh!!  Ok moving on. 

These are the jeans from the very recent pattern Vogue 1573.  I didn't even notice the jeans in the pattern at first.  All I saw was the top.  I am glad my attention was eventually drawn to this part, though, because these are great jeans!  They are made of lots of parts pieced together, and the fit turned out very good with minimal fitting. 

Here is the line drawing to give you a better idea of the piecing.

 The fabric is a burgundy denim from Diesel that I bought from Sawyer Brook.  It is sold out, but there are a few other colors in stock right now..

The only change I needed to make for fitting was taking in the waist about an inch.  I also lowered the waist an inch for personal preference.  I can't stand high-rise jeans.  After lowering, these sit maybe two inches below my waist.

There are definitely wrinkles on the legs, but I don't think you can avoid that in skinny jeans, especially when the fabric has no stretch. 

I think the back pocket placement was good.

Overall, I am very happy with how these turned out.  I love the denim in this of-the-moment color.  I could see myself making another pair in gray, but we will see.  Definitely no time soon.  They were quite a bit of work!

Vogue 1517 pants in stretch faux suede

More crazy lighting.  It looks like I took these photos on the surface of the sun or something, not a shady spot in the backyard!  Anyway, the pants are black (not navy) and the sweater is lavender (not white).  The cowl is detailed here.

These pants are Vogue 1517 from last fall.  I have finished the jacket, also, which I started waaaay before these pants.  I think I finished it not long before the move, so you know how that goes... Pics of that coming soon.

I cannot for the life of me remember where I got this fabulous fabric.  I thought it was GorgeousFabrics.com but I can't find it in my order history.  I don't think it was Pennie Fabrics in Florida.  Maybe it was from SawyerBrook.com.  I'm not sure.  Anyway, it is a great stretchy faux suede.  It has just enough stretch for these pull-on pants.  I think the fit of mine turned out pretty spot-on to the fit on the model.

I usually lengthen my pants by a few inches, but I forgot on these.  When they were finished, I decided they were a smidge shorter than I wanted so I added a little cuff on the bottom.  This turned out really well.  The fabric holds a fold beautifully, so I can leave them unrolled, cuff them up, or roll them halfway, so they go with any shoes I might want to wear.  In these photos, they are half-cuffed - rolled up just enough to cover the seam.

The fit on these is quite good.  I always have good luck with Vogue pants.  They are a little wrinkly, but I don't think you can avoid that with a close-fitting pant.

I am very happy with the fit from the side view - no bagging under the butt or in the crotch region.

My only dislike about these is the narrow waistband.  I find myself hiking them up quite a bit, and I think that could be improved with a wider elastic waistband.  Of course, this is something that I could fix in 30 minutes, and who knows, maybe I will, but they are fine for now.

I tried to get a nice view of the vertical seaming and top-stitching.  This is the best I got.

These pants fit right in my wardrobe.  I am still a big fan of skinny pant and long tops.  I am trying to come around to the "new" silhouette of roomier pants, but you know me - I'll always be a few years behind.

Handmade Batty Top for Halloween

I am waaaaay too excited about this little top!  :-)  I was at JoAnn Fabrics to get who-knows-what, and I saw a display of Halloween fabrics.  The cool thing was that these were not quilting cotton fabrics but knits!!  Now, the designers may have envisioned some cute pjs for little ones, but that's not what I saw.  This bat-printed interlock spoke - no - screamed at me to become a top for moi.

  

To make this basic raglan-sleeved top, I used a pattern so old that it doesn't even show up on Vogue's out-of-print archives.  It is Vogue 8670, and I used it once before, 3.5 years ago, back in the final days of the old blog.  One thing I didn't like about that original top was that the sleeves are 2-pieces, with a seam running right down the outside of the arm.  This time, I did some creative taping and eyeballing to eliminate that seam.  It worked out great!

I sewed this top mostly on my serger, but I did use my regular machine to sew the neckband and the hems since I would be covering them up with non-stretchy trim anyway.

Please excuse the dog hair right in the middle of my hip here, but here is a closeup of two fun trims that I used to jazz up this top.  First, I machine stitched the top edge of this narrow velvet ribbon right on top of the hem stitching.  Next, I lined up some lace underneath to be caught in the second row of stitching at the bottom of the velvet ribbon.  I also bought the black lace at JoAnn, but unfortunately, I can't find it online.

So there it is!  My fun new Halloween top.  When I want to be a little less conspicuous about it, I wear a black cardigan on top so it's more subtle, but I love that it doesn't scream orange Halloween.  It's like classy Halloween.  

Vogue 1537 Dress in Silk/Linen

Hi there!  You may (or may not - it has been a few months) remember my excitement at Vogue 1537, a spring Kay Unger Designer pattern for Vogue.  Well, I finished it about two months ago, but with all the move excitement, I never got around to photographing and sharing it.  The coat is 95% finished as well.  It just needs a bit of hand sewing at the buttonholes (and buttons!), but once I missed the deadline on a perfect event for it, I lost steam.  It is too warm to wear now in Florida, but hopefully I will find the perfect excuse to wear it once we get to Pennsylvania.

So back to the main event - Vogue 1537.  I photographed this on a beautiful day, but I think the pale colored dress plus the white in the background was just too much for my camera and the photos are a bit washed out.  The detail photos at the end are an accurate representation of the fabric.  It is a silk/linen blend that I purchased at Penny Fabrics in Sarasota (sorry, still no website).  The lining is rayon from JoAnn fabrics.

The only shaping on the front is two french darts.  This style dart starts at the side seam around the waist and comes to a point at the bust.  This is a very flattering dart on my body shape.  It is easy to fit.  Here is another example of a dress with french darts.

The back has standard vertical fish-eye darts and a side invisible zipper.  I tried so hard to get that bottom band to be in the perfect position to cover my bra strap, but it always pops out, which totally ruins the look.  So far, I have only worn this dress with a little cardi over top, so you couldn't see the main detail anyway, but maybe I could look for a bra with a very thin band.  I can also envision some type of thread loop carriers like are used for bra straps, but that would be quite a pain to attach to my bra band and might cause strange bunching of my dress.

Here are the detail photos that show the fabric better.  After I wore this dress two times, I took it to the dry cleaner, and I kind of want to cry.  I was so meticulous with sewing and pressing this dress, and it came back distorted on the left side of the opening...

...and look what they did to the back left shoulder!  That isn't a sewing mistake.  The corresponding underside on the right is just as bad, but this is visible.  I don't know what to do in the future.  Just hand wash and press myself?  I like the crispness from the dry cleaner, but not at the expense of the shape of my dress!  Any ideas?  

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?

Vogue 1257 by Alexander McQueen in Linen

When Tany made her version of out-of-print pattern Vogue 1257, it reminded me that I have been wanting to make this dress since I bought the pattern new!  The copyright on the pattern is 1998.  I am sure I bought it a few years later at JoAnns, and I am glad I did since it can sell for quite a bit now.

The thing that kept me from making this dress years ago was the fabric - the pattern envelope shows it in a slinky silk, which was a little intimidating combined with a bias-cut dress for a new-ish sewer.  When Tany made hers, though, I was determined to make this happen.  When I looked through my fabric stash, I found this linen I bought years and years ago and decided to give it a try.  I am really happy with how the fabric and pattern paired together, even though it is quite different from the original look.

This dress is really quite simple to sew.  It is only a few pieces.  The bias-cut design provides the shape.  I had to cut off some length from the pieces due to my fabric constraints, but I don't think it is very noticeable.  I am happy with the finished length.

The biggest challenge was getting the straps just right.  I steamed and stretched them first, as suggested by Tany.  The design of this dress and the weight of my fabric choice means that one side of this dress is pulled down much more than the other.  It took some trial and error to get each strap just the right length so that the dress looks even in the end.

I am very happy with the final product here.  I would still be happy to make a silk version, especially now that I know how easy this is to sew, if the perfect fabric presents itself.

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!!

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.