All Speckled With Stars

 In working on our kitchen, I've learned that there's one rule that applies to any project, remodeling or otherwise (i.e. sewing).  The more times that you have to stop work, put the project away and clean up your work space, the less you want to start up again when it's time.  Our kitchen has been halted no less than three times due to holidays and visitors, and it's gotten harder and harder to resume work each time.  We finally gave up, and our backsplash, bookshelf and trim are being installed for us Wednesday. We have great hopes that we will inspired to complete the detail painting and put the hardware on our cabinets. 

The same goes with sewing.  Because my sewing room doubles as our guest room and because we've had a parade of visitors over the past couple of months and a vacation, it was so hard to get back to work on my denim dress, particularly since I haven't decided if I wanted to topstitch the seams.  In desperation, I pushed everything aside and pulled out something simple and new, in hopes that if I could just finish something quickly, this would jump start my motivation.  Enter Butterick 5562, view A.

Here's my version in a lightweight cotton jersey that I picked up this past spring at the Mill End Store.  Some of the things I wanted to include in my summer and spring sewing were shirts that had a little more interest than your regular pocket-T but that were still comfortable to wear and light enough to layer.  Our nights can still get a little chilly here in Portland, even in July and August.
                                                            

There's a little back wrinkling, but I'm really not sure that I want to bother with a sway-back adjustment on a t-shirt.  Maybe when making these becomes a little more automatic, I'll straighten out that particular fitting issue.

There are two design features that I really love about this shirt.  The first is the bateau neckline.  Other reviews have stated that the neck is too wide, but on my linebacker shoulders, it's just right.  The second is the sleeves.  In my opinion, they make the top.  And while they are pretty and interesting, they're also close enough to the body that you can throw a cardigan on and not look like you're trying to stuff a gigantic puff into the sweater sleeve.

There were two things that I had some difficulty with.  The first is the sizing.  Others have mentioned how big this shirt is, and they're right on.  For anything with stretch, I make a straight 14 (I usually make a 12 or a 14 with a FBA with wovens for reference).  The shoulders and upper front fit fine; however, the body of the shirt is very large.  I ended up taking out six inches total out of the body width starting with the armscye.

The purple broken line towards the top of the picture is where I ended up sewing the actual seam.  I made the same adjustment on the other side.

Here's a slightly different view.  That chunk is 1.5 inches (yes, I measured).  I took that out on each side of the shirt for both the front and back.

So, I've read the reviews of this shirt on pattern review, and I seem to be the only person who had trouble with the sleeves.  You create the gathers by stretching a piece of elastic down the sleeve from the shoulder to the sleeve hem.  Now, I've made gathers this way before, and I get the concept, but I got confused by the instructions.  This was my own fault, and it wouldn't be the first time that a pattern didn't go exactly as planned due to user error.

I got confused when the instructions said to center one piece of elastic over the placement line and dart on each sleeve, matching the large circles.  For the life of me, I could not figure out where the circles were that I was supposed to match.  I mean, I marked the circles on the sleeve pieces themselves, but I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to match them to.  Now I realized that, duh, I should have also marked the circles on the elastic and matched those to circles on the sleeve pieces.  The instructions do say to transfer the markings, but I must have skipped that part.  Like I said, user error.  I was so focused on the circle thing that even though the pattern illustration clearly shows the elastic running to the top of the sleeve, I started the elastic under the dart (somehow, I ended up with a circle there).

You can see here where my elastic ended before the top of the sleeve.

I used clear elastic, and I need to go in on the right sleeve and blunt those corners because it's a little scratchy.  The left sleeve is identical but inexplicably fine.  I don't think that my little detour caused a problem with the end result at all.

For the sleeve and bottom hems, I just folded up the hem twice and did two lines of stitching close together in a very wide zigzag (it looks like a straight stitch but has a little give).  I will have to learn how to use my twin needle soon.  I also strayed from the instructions when setting in the sleeves.  I sewed them in flat and then did the side and sleeve seams all at once.

So, there you have it.  One cute summer shirt that hopefully means that the sewing is back on track.  I'm just finishing the pattern adjusting for Vogue 8631 and hope to have an update in a couple of days.  I need to get a move on because I want it to wear to my friend H's bachelorette party next Saturday.  Wish me luck!

If You Don't Make Mistakes . . .

. . . You don't make anything.

So, even though this shirt is wearable, we'll still chalk this one up to experience.  This is my first version of Butterick 5497.  I made view B, but I like the shirt well enough that I plan to make all of the views eventually.

Also, no flowers in embarrassing places.

I made this top out of a cotton jersey from Fabric.com, and I loved how vintage it felt.  I was saving it for something more interesting than a basic t-shirt, so when Butterick came out with several new patterns over the summer, I decided to jump in.  I think this pattern suits the fabric in that it also looks a little vintage with it's raised waistline, kimono-style sleeves and ballet neckline.  It's a fairly easy and quick sew, and the mistakes I mention above are all due to user error.  Don't you just love it when the world reminds you that you don't know everything?

The major change that I made to this pattern was to alter the back into a single piece that's cut on the fold.  The back of the short-sleeved versions of this top as designed is a deep v-neck held together at the base of the neck by a strip of your fashion fabric.  From the pictures on the Butterick site, it looks like you can wear a regular bra with the top as designed, but I didn't want to take that chance.

I altered the back piece by comparing it to the back piece of view C (the long-sleeved version).  I straightened the v-neck so that it could be cut on the fold and raised and extended the new neckline.  It's not a big alteration, and I can undo it easily if I want to make the back of this pattern as originally drafted.

So, here's where things went awry.  The pattern instructions have you gather the shoulder seams by first sewing the shoulder seam at the seamline and then making a casing for elastic in the seam allowance.  Having just completed Vogue 1020, I decided to use the same method to gather the shoulder seams as in that pattern:  put in rows of gathering stitches, gather to the right length using the elastic guide and serge the seam together.  My first attempt did not go well.  I put the gathering stitches too close to the edge of the fabric, and when I serged the seam, the knife cut off the seam allowance, and the seam didn't gather at all.  This led to my first time having to pick out serged seams, and I'm sure that it won't be the last.

I tried it again, this time putting my gathering stitches inside the seamline.  When I serged the seam this time, it was gathered appropriately.

Here's where I got myself in more trouble.  If you look carefully at the left side of the picture just above the seamline, you can see my gathering stitches.  I got the brilliant idea to pick these out.  Want to guess what happened?  That's right.  All of the gathers came out again.  As a last ditch effort to save this project, I used clear elastic of the appropriate length and sewed it directly to the seamline.  Not pretty from the inside, but it works.

You can't see from any of the pictures, but the shoulder where I had to use the elastic also had a small hole in it that had to be stitched together by hand.

So, it's a cute top, and I think it looks good on.  I am going to give this another try to apply what I've learned now that I know what won't work.  Problem is, I have to figure out what will work.  Maybe I should break down and take that serger class I've been looking at.  Or watch the video that came with my machine.  Or read the instruction book that I picked up.  I feel a little foolish that I thought the hardest thing about using a serger was threading it (not that hard at all) and worrying about cutting my finger off with the knife.  Like I said before, I love when the world lets me know that I don't know everything.  Keeps things interesting.

ETA:  Fixing a small spelling error.

To Be Successful at Sea, We Must Keep Things Simple

Disclaimer:  I'm blogging away from home, and I had to anticipate the pictures that I would need ahead of time.  Upon review of the available photos for the next three projects, I find that they are utter crap and don't show the projects well at all.  Unfortunately, I don't have the option of rephotographing because I don't have the garments with me, and even if I did, I don't have any way to download them to my dad's computer.  Please bear with me.

Vogue 1020

My version of the top from the wardrobe pattern Vogue 1020 is a perfect illustration of how a fabric choice can dictate the feel of a garment.  I first noticed this pattern when The Slapdash Sewist made the dress from the wardrobe.  I also checked out the reviews on Pattern Review, and the other versions of this shirt/dress are stylish and sleek and a little bit sexy.  I originally intended to use a modern paisley in wines and deep reds, but because I purchased this fabric a while ago with no specific pattern in mind and because I hadn't realized how much fabric this pattern, took, I had to rethink.

In my stash, I had this nautical-themed cotton jersey (it's really a very white background; the picture looks a little yellow).  

I heard that nautical was in for the summer, so trust me to interpret that as literally as possible.

With a little creative wrangling, there was enough fabric to make the shirt.  (The pattern pieces, really?  Cut in single layer and bent at this really weird angle to accommodate the side gathers).  While I do like the end product, the shirt is really casual and part of me wonders whether the print isn't a little too juvenile.  And sometimes I look at it and think maybe I should have used this for a nightgown instead.  Oh well.  Far too late to turn around and undo it.

Jeez, from this picture, you can't even tell that the side is gathered.  Or recognize the skirt below.  I have to work on taking pictures so that you can actually see the clothes.

I like this pattern, and while I probably won't make the dress, I will give the top another go in a more formal fabric.  The pattern itself is simple enough -- front, back and two sleeves.  No facings.  This was also my first serger project, so I'm glad that it was mostly successful.  The instructions were clear, and I mostly followed them.  The only change I made was to sew the sleeves in flat and then sew the side and sleeve seams in one go (the pattern instructs you to set the sleeves in). 

I don't have a coverstitch machine, so I took a chance that there was enough room in the hips to hem the bottom with a double line of straight stitching, and I got lucky because that seems to have worked out.  I've worn this several times in the past month, and nothing's popped yet.  I finished the sleeves and the neckline with the double line of straight stitching, too.

I really like the asymmetrical gathers.  They are a nice detail to a relatively simple design and are very forgiving on those days when you might not feel your cutest.  The pattern tells you to gather each side to the correct length prior to sewing them together, and that's what I did.  I didn't have any difficulty getting everything to line up.  I dodged some kind of bullet here because I made Butterick 5497 a few weeks later and used the same method to gather the shoulder seams, but when I serged them together, the gathering all came out (I want to get more detailed shots of my mistakes and fixes, so that review is pending).  I'm sure this has something to do with my being a serger novice, but I wanted to mention this in case it was actually something wrong with the theory and not the execution.

So, cute little top that got me off on the right foot with my serger.  It's red, white and blue, so I wore it with jeans on July 4th.  Because the fabric was preshrunk, I can wash and dry this without worries of it not fitting later.  All in all, I'll chalk this one up in the "win" column.

Simplicity 2411

The jury's still out on Simplicity 2411.  I made view D but without the pocket details.  I used a stretch denim that was probably better suited to something more structured, and that's probably the cause of half of my problems with this skirt.  The other half?  Poor pattern choice and poor execution ( I should know better than to make anything with a yoke waist).

You'll have to trust me that this is the same skirt that I'm wearing in the above photo.

I'm going to have to give this skirt another try with a drapier fabric and reassess, so I'm not sure what I think of this pattern.  While I like the skirt as it turned out, it isn't really what I had in mind, the fit is off and it's too short.  I didn't bother to do any fitting on this pattern, just cut the size closest to my measurements and went for it.  Serves me right.  The waist is just small enough that it rides up too much which brings up the hem.  Given that the length of the of the view I made was right about where I wanted the hem, I did a narrow hem, but with a stiff fabric and a fuller skirt, I think it really needed the weight of a deeper hem to make the skirt hang correctly. 

The bottom of the yoke hits me at just the right part of the body that it gives me a nice little pot belly, so super flattering (yes, that's sarcasm).  Not that I'm going to tuck anything in with this skirt, but I would have liked the option, so something else to work on (either by fitting the skirt properly or dropping a few pounds; don't ask what's happened to my exercise schedule since my life got complicated back in April).

The directions were very straightforward.  I noticed that while there are separate pattern pieces given for the front and back, they are identical which saved me a little when I inserted the zipper into the wrong side of the skirt.  I just turned it around and called the front the back and the back the front.  The only real change I made was to insert a lining so that I won't have to wear a slip when I have tights on.  I used the regular pattern pieces for this and hemmed the lining fabric an inch shorter than the fashion fabric.  This worked out well, but I can't help but wonder if the slick lining fabric is one of the reasons that the skirt rides up so much (and not making the correct size; or gaining weight; we can all dream). 

I think the idea of the style is cute on, particularly the way I'm planning on wearing this.  However, I need to address the above issues before this is a go-to piece in my wardrobe.  I may make another version in a black or navy doubleknit.  I don't think I'll lengthen the pattern, but I will try a faced hem.  This was my original plan here, but I lost my leftover fabric in the nightmare that is my stash closet, so I had to make due.

I'll definitely be trying both of these again in the near future, and I'll let you know how it goes.

I Turn Over A New Leaf Every Day

I know that turning over a new leaf doesn't actually refer to plant leaves, but the beautiful print of this fabric looks just like a leafy summer day to me.  And every new pencil skirt pattern that I try is just another opportunity to get it right, so the title just seemed appropriate.

This cotton stretch sateen is from Fabric.com, and I knew the minute I saw it that it wanted to be a pencil skirt. 

I was very excited when Butterick 5466 was released.  I know the pattern seems pretty basic, but it has some design features that really work for me.  First, instead of single darts at the waistline, this pattern has double darts in both the front and back.  I have been interested in trying a pencil skirt with double darts because I was hoping this would be easier to fit to both my hips/thighs (largish) and waist (proportionately small), and I've had problems with skirts where the front is one solid piece in the past.  However, the double waist dart is a detail that's more common in vintage patterns, so this came at just the right time for me.   

Second, the pattern has options for this skirt both with and without a waistband which is great for me because I don't like how waistbands look on me.  It's not like you're ever going to see one on me because I don't tuck in my shirts often, and when I do, I've most likely stuck a belt over it.  In both those cases, a waistband just feels wrong.

Third, there's no slit in the back, and the skirt doesn't need one.  The last slit I made turned out horribly with too much everything everywhere and bad stitching, so I've been avoiding them.  I know I'll have to master this skill eventually, but luckily for me, this skirt didn't require it.

Enlarge the picture at your own risk. I warn you. I have scary old lady neck, but the skirt looks fantastic.

The pattern itself is not complicated.  It's only three pattern pieces and the waist facing, and despite the double waist darts, there's nothing unexpected in how it's put together.  I just gave the instructions the barest glance. 

Because of my hip/thigh-to-waist ratio, I cut out one size larger than my actual hip/thigh measurement and altered down at the side seams.  This allowed me to adjust the seam lines to match the exact curve of my hip (I have a little high-hip fluff).  I was originally going to peg the bottom, but in the end, I decided to do a straight side hem.

The only thing I'm going to change the next time I make this pattern (and make no mistake, there will be a next time), is to lengthen the skirt.  I liked the length of the skirt unhemmed, so I finished the bottom edge on my serger and did a narrow, single-fold hem.  Not the most professional, but it's neat, and I got the length that I wanted.  And because the skirt is narrow and the fabric is lightweight and stretchy, the hem didn't really need the extra fabric to weight it to make it hang properly (please do not shatter this illusion because I love this skirt).  With a heavier and drapier fabric, a narrow hem might not work so well.  I may also go back and add hem tape to better protect the raw edge, but I'd had a rough week and wanted to wear this to work, so I fudged a little. 

I used an invisible zipper, and I need to practice this more because sewing that back seam after the zipper is installed is always a tricky proposition for me.  There's a little pull in the back seam just under the zipper that I'll need to fix.  I had also considered putting in a lining, but when I tried the skirt on after I installed the zipper, I changed my mind and decided to keep it as light as possible for wear in hotter weather. 

The fabric was a great choice as the stretch content made the skirt easy to walk in without the back slit and helped minimize the wrinkling.  All in all, I'm pleased.  This might just be my first tried-and-true pattern.  And the best part is that the pattern uses so little fabric that I still have enough left to make another skirt at some point in the future.

What Do You Wear to an Intergalactic Kegger?

In my case, a high-waisted, chocolate-brown pencil skirt.  This is Butterick 5249, and it is my third recent attempt at a pencil skirt but only the first one that I'll wear out of the house.

The last two pencil skirts that I made were too big, and you think that I could just take them in, but the hips, waist and back fit fine.  The part that was too big was in the front, right across my hip bones.  I tried looking this fitting problem up, and all I found were alterations for a full stomach.  Which I don't have.  I'm actually pretty flat.  Or maybe the part of the skirt where my thighs started was too small and the excess of fabric was created by the skirt having to rise up to accommodate my reportedly massive legs.  (I don't think they're particularly huge, but I've heard "Oh, you've got thighs," one too many times over the last couple of months, and I'm starting to get a complex.)  So, I decided to mix things up and change the style of pencil skirt I've been attempting from one where the front is one piece cut on the fold, to princess seams.  I also cut out the pattern in a size 18 to start with and fit the pattern before I cut into the fabric.  

But as in most of my projects, this didn't quite go as planned because when I pin-fitted the pattern, I didn't line up the center front properly and ended up cutting out the fabric in a size that was slightly larger than the 18.  But when I basted it together to check the fit, it was falling off me.  Luckily, even though the skirt has princess seams in both the front and the back, these pattern pieces and stitching lines are the same for every size, so the only difference between the sizes is the side seams, and I started there when I took it in.  I suspect that this pattern has a lot of built-in ease because after my adjustments, I ended up with a skirt somewhere in between a size 14 and 16 even though my measurements of the largest part of my lower half put me directly between a 16 and an 18 per the pattern sizing.  I also used the princess seams in the front to take out the fullness in the front.  I didn't attach the belt carriers, but I'm considering it.  And I also used Rigilene boning at the seams of the facing to support the high waist, and that worked really well.  I sit at a desk for most of the day at work, and the waist didn't collapse at all.

 

 There seems to be some rippling in the back.  I swear that I don't see it when I look in the mirror, but the next time I make this skirt, I'll pay a little more attention.  (Also, I don't know what that light spot is to the left of the zipper, but that's also not on the actual skirt.) 

Overall, I really love this pattern.  It's easy to make with straightforward instructions, although I don't remember looking at them very much.  I used the instructions for inserting a zipper with a facing from The Complete Book of Sewing Shortcuts (which I love, even if it's misnamed and doesn't have color pictures), and rather than finish the facing by turning and stitching the bottom, I used some leftover bias tape I had from edging kitchen towels.  I think this helps keep the boning from digging in.  I used a stretch twill I picked up at Fabric Depot last summer (woo hoo! stash usage!) that's very comfortable and a good weight for all but our hottest and coldest days here in Portland, so I foresee this skirt getting a lot of wear in the future. 

Oh, and I seriously need to find a better place to take pictures.  Or start sewing with lighter fabric, because you can't see anything in these pictures except for how frizzy my hair is.