OAL turns WDE

I thought experience improves sewing. Generally, it does. I just didn't learn from my experience with this dress that I made for the outfit sew-a-long. It is definitely my Worst Dress Ever. Here's the gem that somehow came out of my sewing room.

Yep, I was acting silly (might as well laugh at mistakes) and doing one of Lauren's (Ladybird) classic poses. The dress is S1803. If you want to see this dress made properly, check out Lauren's post . She made two awesome versions of this dress and has a number of tutorial posts for sewing it.

First, I'll talk about what I like about this dress. I was surprised that I could wear this style because it is quite different from my usual garments. I'll make it again at some point, but not right away. Also, I was pleased with the actual sewing of the dress. It was fun. The sewing isn't perfect, but is pretty good.

The problems began when I picked the fabric. I wanted a print and liked the colors which go perfectly with my OAL Myrna sweater. It has been resting in my stash for a very long time. Since it was a bit stiff, I washed it in coca cola. That helped and the drape seemed to be fine. I barely had enough fabric to cut out the dress. I tried to do some matching of the prints, but there was not enough fabric. I thought about stopping and using another fabric...sure wish that I had. Take a look at my scraps.

I did cut out the tie belt by shortening it a lot. Then, I decided that I didn't like it. Anyhow, I thought that I had the prints matched close enough at the seams but I was wrong. I was having fun sewing and didn't realize how bad it was until the photos. With the finished dress, I could see how cheap the fabric was. I doubt that I spent much because it's been around since I started sewing years ago.

This dress was a big disappointment. I won't say "learning experience" because I should have remembered what I already knew. I certainly was reminded!! I'm hoping my next sewing project will have better results.

Outfit Sew Along

Thanks to Lady Bird and Audi for organizing this sew along for the months of June and July. I'm hoping that I can complete a sweater that is wearable outside of the house in two months. I know that I'll finish the dress.

Here's my fabric and yarn:

Here's the dress pattern:

I'm not sure that this dress will work for me, but a muslin will answer that question. The sew-along allows for a different dress pattern if we want. If the muslin is too bad, I'll just use a pattern that I know will work. I do like this pattern so I have my fingers crossed for a successful muslin.

I haven't forgotten about Me-Made-May. I'm trying to organize my crappy phone photos into a collage. Right now, I'm too frustrated trying. In a true Scarlett O'Hara manner, I'll think about that tomorrow.

January and February Sewing

The year 2013 had been a zoo for me so far. At least things have settled down a bit now. I'll save the details of most of my activities for a later post. Since I'm posting at last, I want to talk about sewing. I did manage to do a little of that in the midst of chaos. It helps me cope! I only made 3 garments in January, but I love them. They are just basics which I need in my wardrobe. They also are garments from my 2013 SWAP.

The pants are Silhouette 3200 made with a wool/cashmere blend and bemberg lining. The skirt is Simplicity 5914 made with brown flannel. The top is Silhouette 550 made with a polyester knit. There were MANY pattern changes in the pants. Peggy Sagers did her magical adjustments in a 4 day workshop last year. I shortened the skirt and added about 2 inches at the waist. Then, I had to take the waist in an inch. My waist is smaller than my skirt sloper now. I think I'm getting some results from all those walking miles and weights! The top is a size 3 in the shoulders and size 4 in the hips. I raised the armhole an inch for my toothpick arms. All 3 garments are easy sewing. I had to do some thinking with the fly front in the pants, but the instructions are excellent.

February was absolute chaos. I'm proud that I finished one easy top.

The top is Silhouette 550 made from rayon knit. I made my usual Silhouette adjustment using size 3 to 4. I don't like the way my hems are looking with the rayon knit. This time I used washaway stabilizer which made the look worse IMO. I was careful not to stretch the hem so I don't think that's the problem.I like the drapey look so I don't want to interface the hem. Next time I think that I'll try steam-a-seam or stitch witchery. I gonna solve this problem eventually!! Part of my fabric collection is shown  in the closet next to the picture. That was an accident. I considered editing out that part of the picture, but decided to just show it. I love every piece there. Actually, a number of fabric bags went to charity in the past few months. I honestly try to control my fabric purchases. Then, someone has a sale or this beautiful fabric appears on my computer. The next thing I know the UPS man is making a delivery.

I don't know why this last part of the post is centered and the beginning is aligned to the left. I guess I must have hit something, but I don't know what. That's something I'll have to explore sometime. Right now, I have to get ready for a hot date. Sewing is tomorrow (hopefully I won't have any surprises to prevent that!).

Happy Sewing!!

JAM #1 S2508

I finished the first jacket of 2011 last weekend, S2508. It's sat on Dolly while I tried to figure out what is wrong. I knew there was something that I probably could fix. Finally, it dawned on me. The buttons are too small. I tried Jo's which is the only local place that I can buy buttons. There was nothing that I would put on this jacket. So, I placed an order for buttons that I think would look great. I decided to go ahead and post about the jacket. It's been too long since my last blog entry. Also, I'm beginning to wonder if it would be worth the work to replace them. Sewing on the buttons is easy enough to do. I'm afraid that I will have to lengthen the buttonholes and hand sew to finish them. That's a scarey thought!! Maybe, it doesn't look that bad after all. I like the jacket as it is and would wear it. Also, my fellow Floridians can be assured that there will not be anymore cold weather. All I have to do is finish a jacket and the weather is beautiful with 78 degree (F) temperature.

I think that the sleeve tabs and ruffles are so cute! I like the belt in the back. I even managed to figure out how to add a hanging chain.

I enjoyed making this jacket. I can see why so many people enjoy sewing jackets. That's good because I have 11 more to sew this year. Even though I'm behind and bringing up the rear in the JAM group, I think I'll accomplish my goal or come close. Still, I will admit to jacket insanity with this one. I did so many stupid things with this jacket adventure. The following is a list for my future reference and, maybe, for someone who wants to embark on this exciting experience:

1. Pay attention to the fabric choice. I'll remember this one when I'm trying a lot of new techniques. I've made a simple jacket but have no experience with tailoring or anything this detailed. I've never been successful with princess seams. So, what did I do? I gave myself plenty of challenges with fabric that ravels a lot, stretches, slips, and generally talks back to the sewing machine. (The conversation was ugly!)

2. Check the lining fit before cutting it. I followed the pattern and the lining did not fit very well. It was too long or slightly too short. I could have taken a little bit of time to adjust the pattern for lining. As it was, I spend a lot of time fiddling around with the lining.

3. Use a heavier interfacing with fronts that have pockets with flaps. Probably, I should have just eliminated the pockets with this fabric. I ignored that realization because I love having pockets to stash my stuff.

4. If I do 4 messy buttonhole samples and, finally, do one that looks good, that doesn't mean the jacket buttonholes will look good. I need to have consistency in the sample or I can expect the same results on the jacket. I did several messes and pulled out a lot of my own hair in the buttonhole process.

5. Pay attention to the jacket style BEFORE cutting the fabric. I originally cut a double breasted jacket. When I did the pin fitting, I realized that the style would look like crap on me. Naturally, I didn't have enough fabric to recut the front and the collar for the style that I made. Ever try to stay on grain when you are recutting jacket pattern pieces? I don't want to think about how long that mistake took to correct.

Overall, I worked my way through underlining and sew-in interfacing with pleasing results. There was no way that I could fuse interfacing to this fabric. Believe me, I tried. Fortunately, I did pay attention to those samples. (If I didn't I wouldn't be showing you a jacket!) I was inspired by the jacket that Gigi made and followed a lot of her construction tecniques. Take a look if you want to see an awesome version of this jacket.

JAM #2 is cut out and ready for sewing next week. This weekend we have lots of family plans. I'll be playing until Tuesday!

Have a great rest of the weekend!!

A Lot Done A Lot to Go

The month is over half over. At least, I'm a little more than half done with my January jacket. Despite the bumps along the road, I'm enjoying jacket sewing. That's good. I still have 12 to finish for the year. I just keep chugging along. As of this morning, this is what I have completed. I like it! I'm following "Jackets for Real People" which is opened on my bench. For the first time, I'm pin fitting the fabric. There are a lot of minor adjustments needed. It's a lot easier to move pins than use the seam ripper. Here's the front. I thought I had the front pinned straight until I saw the photo. Oh, the magic of pictures!

The back needs more work. I'd say those seams are not quite straight. (LOL)

The side seams are not straight either. I guess I was just having a crooked day!

First, I went to the dress form. I'm not flexible enough to work on the back while wearing the garment. I do believe that I see some winkles.

A few minutes work and it looks better to me.

Next, I finished the sleeves next. I think that they hang better and are super cute.

It's a rainy, dreary day in Central Florida. Roxy doesn't think much of peeing in the rain and is exhausted. She's busy taking a well-deserved nap (in her viewpoint).

My answer to such a dreary day in "sunny" Florida is to check out the new patterns. There's a BMV sale today and tomorrow. Then, I'll work on the other jacket front. :)

A Cool Summer Top

I've wanted to make this S2570 for a while and, finally, got to it. For summer, I usually prefer a brighter color than this pale purple fabric. Also, the fabric is very lightweight so I wasn't sure how it would work. In the beginning, I expected this top to be a muslin.

I am pleased with the result. The pattern is easy is to sew. I increased the seam at the shoulder by 1/2". Next time I'll do a 1/2" petite adjustment which should make the armscye smoother. I should have done a full bust adjustment but didn't. I had to let out the seam around the bust area. The fabric does wrinkle easily which is my only real problem with the blouse. I started taking pictures outside which did not work because of the glare and the humidity. The result of fiddling around with pictures is a crumbled blouse. At the same time, I fit in with the crowd. With a heat index over a hundred, everyone is a bit crumbled. I do like this pattern and definitely will make the blouse again. I also like the jacket which probably go on my sewing list for next Spring. I've got to think ahead! Right now, I'm developing a rather long list for Fall and trying to find time to finish my summer projects.

Thinking About Proportion

I've done more thinking than sewing during the past month. Hopefully, the results of all that "brain work" will be positive in the future. What I have finished, I like for the most part.

This skirt is S2698 and the top is S4275.

The skirt is a Project Runway pattern with options for the yoke and pleated skirt. I used Yoke B and Skirt F. I think that I have a guide for skirt length that seems to work consistently for me. I've tried a number of different methods and the length is usually about mid-knee. This method gives me a slightly longer skirt that I like better. The formula comes from the late Shannon Gifford. I measured from waist to floor using masking tape to hold the tape measurer for an accurate reading. This number is then divided by 5 to get a base number. The base number is then multiplied by 2, 3, and 4 for proportional skirt lengths. My waist to floor measurement is 39, divided by 5 is 7.8. The first length, times 2, is 15.6 which is way too short for me. The second length times 3 is 23.4 which is perfect for me. (Since I get blurry eyed with too many fractions, I just use 23.5 that is easier to measure.) The top is approximately 7.8 inches from the waist. Since I am almost flat in the hip area, there really isn't any "widest part" to consider in the measurement.

I like the square neckline and the flair of the skirt. I also like the slightly more fitted knit top. The outfit is close to the suggestions from Trinny & Susannah for my "vase/lollipop" body type.
I think that the skirt is a bit too wide although it fits. It comes to close to breaking Shannon Gifford's rule of "no skirt should appear wider than its length". While I love the pockets on this skirt, I think that I'll look better in a more streamlined skirt. If I do make the pattern again, I'll use skirt I which has more pleats and should have a narrower appearance. I may just use the pockets on another skirt pattern. The back does not have any pleats and appears more proportional to me.

I needed a pair of functional shorts that I wear to play, tumble, and climb trees. I made Burda 07/09/113. Although they don't fit as well as I would like, they work. I need to take in the waist another inch (Wow! I love the results of that Firm Body Tape). Next time, I'll take in the side seams a little. The pattern was drafted for cuffs which I eliminated. The shorts would appear better if they were more fitted overall. I won't do that. To me, they are an example where function is more important than style. After all, no one is going to notice how I look (other than acting silly) when I'm rolling around on the floor or racing somewhere. The length of the shorts is my 2/5 skirt measurement (15.5). It works for me for shorts. I think that the top length works for shorts as well as skirts

On another note, I've been reading "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. That has cut into my sewing time because it's a hard book to put down. It's a long book but worth reading. I still have another 200+ pages to go. The reviews say that it will keep you up at night. I read until I'm blurry eyed. Now, I need to get back to sewing. I want to finish a top that I'm making so that I can start on the summer dresses. If I don't get going, it will time for Fall sewing!

Fun Skirt

When I wear this S2655 skirt (view B), I feel like twirling around like a little girl. I'm much too old for that, but I do it anyway. I'm all for anything that causes me to feel young!

The pockets took some time to make. Otherwise, it is a simple cotton gored skirt with a flounce.

I considered making the skirt without the pockets. Then, I went back and added them. Although the pockets do not show very well in this print fabric, the added detail makes a positive difference. If you look closely, you can see the tie hanging down from the pocket.

The most difficult part was matching the fabric at the seams. Honestly, I think that it would take about 10 yards of fabric to match the pattern exactly. I'm not going there for a simple skirt. Finally, I just matched the line of the flowers. It's okay for me since the pattern is so busy anyway.

On the Wild Side

My first project of the new year is a finish-up: the S2603 DNKY cozy tank. That finishes my Heidi Klum sort-of knock off. I love it! I really like the way that the two fabrics go together although it is a bit wild for my normal wardrobe. Also, it's comfy which is always a plus for me. Here's the tank alone:

I'm sure that I'll make this tank many times. Finally, my tenacity paid off. I got a knit with a band to fit. I can use the band on my TNT t-shirt or add sleeves to this tank. Yea! There is lots of fun ahead as I play with my stash and USE it!

My original plan was to photograph this outfit next to the "jungle" in the lot next door. Of course, the two cute little deer who live there were expected to make an appearance for the photo shot. It's just too dern cold. Remember, everything is relative and we Floridians shake when the temperature is in the 30s. I believe that my photographer's hands would shake too much for a decent photo. In fact, my sewing was interrupted yesterday afternoon when hubbie announced that there were frost warnings. We picked oranges, peppers, snow peas, and sugar snaps. Then, we spent another 2-3 hours covering the herb garden, the vegetable garden, the roses, and the water pipes with frost cloth. We have frost warnings for the next two nights. Brrrrr!

I have to do some bragging. My daughter, Blakely, stopped to visit on her way to a 12 hour bike race in South Florida. She won 3rd place and $100. Way to go, girl! Here's a picture of her as she was leaving us. Yes, she is wearing shorts. You'd think that she was from PA. She did say that the Floridians in the race were wearing layers of clothes. She was warm and toasty in her shorts!

Wrapping Up Jeans

My jeans are coming! The entire process was so much easier than I expected. Why did I wait so long? I guess I just needed the encouragement of Shannon's Gifford's course on Pattern Review. I wouldn't call jeans quick and easy, but I found that taking it step by step works well. The most time consuming part of the project was finding my embroidery equipment and remembering how to embroider on my machine. I used to embroider a lot, but haven't for about two years. It's like riding a bicycle. The process comes back even though it's been a while. I have a house full of company coming for Thanksgiving so there's been a lot to get ready. Mostly, I keep the house pretty orderly (closets don't count), but I don't do the "shine and polish" thing unless company is coming. Sometimes, I don't even do it then but, after all, the holidays are coming fast. Most the time, I'd much rather stay in my sewing room, look out the window, and sew. I'm still hoping to get these jeans done to wear on Thanksgiving. It may even happen pending the number of dailey mini crises that occur. Here are pictures of the jeans so far:

Before the class started, I finished The S2603 DKNY Cozy Knockoff. I saw Heidi Klum wearing a wrap blouse in a fabric similar to the one I used. That makes this a DKNY Cozy Klum Knockoff. I will make the tank in coordinating fabric to wear with it. I bought both fabrics last year, had lots of ideas of using it, but nothing that I got excited about. The only thing I don't like about the wrap is the blank wrong side of the fabric. It doesn't show if I wear it as shown in my picture, but all the other options for wearing the wrap look goofy. I will definitely make it again in the future with more reversible fabric.

You can see that the windows are cracked in my sewing room. It's finally cool enough to turn off the air conditioner and open windows. Yea! The temperature is a wonderful, sunny 75 degrees as I write this post.

I'm not sure now how this wrap will look with my jeans. We'll see. I do have my eye on a nice black and white knit in my stash. That will go well with the jeans and is screaming to be made. I have a RTW pair of black pants that will go great with the wrap - just have to finish the top. Meanwhile, I have some purple denim from Gorgeous Fabric in the washer right now. There will be another pair of jeans in the near future. First I gotta finish the black jeans. That may happen after Thanksgiving but it will happen soon!

S2922 Tunic

It's time for an update. I finished the S2922 tunic a while ago and wanted to take pictures of me wearing it. The fit is better on me than on Dolly (Her arms are too fat so I have to put her on a diet before long.) Anyway, I think the top turned out pretty well for a wearable muslin. I definitely will make it again in good fabric. The pattern is an "inspired by project runway" one and has lots of options for different tops and dresses. I think that pattern purchase will get lots of use!

I made the front and sleeves straight from the pattern. Well, almost straight from the pattern. I did use one size smaller for the neck, shoulders, armscye and sleeves. I tapered the side seams to the hip line which fits my straight body and still gives it some shape. I can pretend, right?

In the back, I eliminated the gathering and adjusted the yoke to fit. The gathering made me look more like a hunchback than I am. The fit is wearable but I will check the back with photos of me in the blouse. It may need a bit of tweaking.

Most of the month I have been working on a pencil skirt muslin with multiple tries. DH was starting to get irritated taking the photos. I usually am reasonably patient about pictures, but I wanted those photos right away so I could post them on the class board. Now I am started to think seriously about going the timer and tripod route. That means a new camera and, naturally, I want a good one. Hey, Christmas is coming! Maybe DH will be tired enough of the "Mr Deville, I'm ready for the closeup".

While waiting for the skirt feedback, I've been working on a hopefully wearable muslin for the J Stern Tee. I like the style a lot but would never wear it as tight as she does. I've just about got it (I think). The skirt muslin is done but still needs marking, sewing up the areas that are pinned, and a final check fitting. Of course, the jeans class starts Monday. I need to do a jeans muslin in the next few days. Jeans are too much work to have something I can't wear because of the fit. Naturally, there are a number of garments in the November Burda that I'm itching to make. Oh my, there's so much to do and so little time.

The Aztec Blouse: Gestalt or Fit?

After finishing this S2936 blouse, I had to ask myself a new sewing question. What is more important: an excellant fit or the overall look of the garment?

I have to remember to take "before" pictures when I decide to make a change. Unfortunately, I didn't with this blouse. The blouse pattern has tucks in the front. Originally, I sewed the tucks and was soooo pleased with the fit of the blouse. I've struggled with the fit of woven tops for so long!! The look was not so good as the tucks took away from the design of the fabric. I love this Aztec-looking fabric. It was not happy with the tucks. This time I listened to the fabric and took out the tucks. The Gestalt of the look was much better. The fit is all right but not quite so good. The fabric was happy without the tucks so I left them out. I definitely will make this pattern again in a less busy fabric and include those tucks.

The pattern was easy to make and not difficult to fit. I made a size 12 in the shoulder/armhole area and size 14 in the hips. Next time I'll raise the neckline about 1/2". It's still a bit low although I sewed the neck with 1/4" seams. I had to let out the side seams 1/4" as it was a bit snug (with the tucks, of course). I had to take in the raglan seams on the front and back - probably could have made a size 10 for the neckline and sleeves. I didn't add the band to the sleeves as shown in the pattern. I liked them better with a narrow hem in this fabric.

The fabric is 100% cotton and, surprisingly, does not wrinkle at all. I'm finally on a positive roll - sure hope it continues for a while.