The First White Shirt: Ottobre 05-2010-5

The pattern is almost altered for Ottobre 05-2010-5, view B. The front and back are pattern fitted. As soon as I check the sleeves for fit, I'll be ready to cut. Here are my "pre-game notes".

1. Why did you choose this pattern?

I like the yoke and the pleats on the front and back. I wanted a tailored shirt with some minor design elements.

2. Where will you wear this?

I'll be able to wear this blouse most anywhere I go. Mostly, I'll wear it with jeans for errands and family outings. It can be worn with dressy pants and a jacket for evenings on the town. Depending on my mood, I can wear it with a skirt for a dressier look.

3. Why did you choose this fabric for this pattern?

I have some white shirting with light gray stripes. It came from Timmel's Fabrics, now out of business, so it has been aging in my stash for several years. I've seen several shirts with stripes on the blogs. I like the look and would like to try it.

4. What aspects of construction are you looking forward to as you sew this?

I actually am excited about sewing the collar and stand. I've only done that once, over a year ago. I used Pam's tutorial with success. It took me forever! I'll aiming for "practice makes perfect"! I've never made a sleeve placket. Although the pattern just uses a narrow seam for the sleeve slit, I'd like to add a placket. I'm looking forward to it. Am I sick or what?

5. What aspects of construction worry you? What do you think you might mess up?

The construction doesn't worry me. Maybe it should, but I just kind of jump into things. My biggest concern is fit. The one Ottobre knit top that I made was a fit disaster. That's why I spent so much time with the pattern work. I'm seeing rulers and bust points in my sleep! Hopefully, I've worked most of it out on paper. Me? Mess Up? I'm think positively right now. I'll let you know!

6. Are there any instruction in this pattern that you have alreay decided to disregard? Are you substituting another method and if so what will it be?

I've read through the instructions which are limited. I've decided to disregard them. I know how to do the basic sewing. For the collar and stand, I probably will use Pam's method. I'm considering using Gigi's method to try another approach. For the sleeve placket, I'll follow Dave Coffin's book.

The plan is to start sewing this weekend and get as far as I can. I do have a couple of quick projects that I need to finish first.

Meet Roxy

Roxy will be joining our family on November 16. She is a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and is looking forward to spending time in my sewing room! BTW, she comes from Orlando, Florida and has never been to Chicago. Yet, she already knows how to put on a show!!

Burda Style Magazine 04-2010-125

I finally finished my red skirt this weekend and wore it Saturday night. As I was finishing some handwork Saturday afternoon, I felt like I was on Project Runway. The bow was doing some big time flopping around. No, I didn't glue it although I'll admit that I was tempted. Burda describes this skirt as : "The posh, slim-cut skirt lends aristocratic superiority to a wearer while a pleated hem flounce and back bow add a delightfully fanciful touch." I don't have any desire for "aristocratic superiority" and didn't feel any. The rest of the description is accurate. I love the skirt.

The pattern did not have any facing. I thought that I could be lazy and sew it per instructions. I've never sewed a lining directly to the top of the skirt. I'll never do it again! The waist was not very stable. I did use a woven wool with some lycra so that could be part of the problem. Often, laziness doesn't pay! I'll go back to using a facing or waistband or, at a minimum, elastic.

I used my skirt sloper for the top of the skirt. I have a high right hip so I always have to make this adjustment. Other than that, I made the skirt without alteration and followed the instructions. Yes, I really was able to understand the instructions -- scarey. I made a straight size 40. If I made it again, I would go with size 38 so that the skirt would be a bit snugger. I didn't consider that the lycra would cause some stretching. (Shame on me!)

I love the flounce and the bow. I think that the back is particularly cute.







Here's a close up of the bow:



I'm working on my shirt pattern and having a fit. Actually I should say that I am not having a fit yet. I've thought about changing patterns, but I am going to be stubborn. I'm determined to make it work!

Burda Style Magazine 01/2009/106

As soon as I received this January 2009 issue of Burda Magazine, I traced this pattern. Then, I couldn't seem to find the right fabric. When I discovered this paisley knit from Fashionista Fabrics, I immediately thought of this pattern. I love the blouse so I think that I made the right choice. I probably thought of it because some version of it has appeared in several blogs recently.

I like these sleeves so much! At first, I was afraid of them but they went together easily.

I used Gigi's method of sewing the center panel bottom to the gathered cuff first. Then, I sewed the vertical seams. It worked like a charm. The corners even look pretty good. I'm so thankful that there are so many talented bloggers out there.

I'm working on a red skirt to wear with the top. Then, I'll model the outfit for another post. I need to get that skirt finished this week. As you can see from the top of my blog, I've joined Barbara's white shirt sew-along. I need a white shirt so this is the perfect opportunity to get it done. I want to get going on it so that maybe I can finish it with the group!

The Sophia Carry-all

I love Amy Butler's Sophia Carry-all. It's small enough that it doesn't overwhelm my small frame, but big enough to carry around my stash of "stuff". The pattern description is: "Inspired by romantic travel films of the eary 60's. Stroll around town with this comfortably sized carry-all." Yep, I've done some "strolling" with my new bag although it is more of a Spring/Summer accessory.The inside is fully lined with pockets on both sides. I wasn't able to get a decent photo after it was finished, but did take one photo while making it. On one side I made two pocket per the pattern. On the other side I made three pockets with one to fit my cell phone.

The instructions are very detailed with lots of pictures to show the sewing steps. It was easy to make and would be a great pattern for someone who is sewing their first purse. Many thanks to Sigrid who sent me the pattern in her giveaway.

This carry-all has been finished for a while. DH has had back problems that are extremely painful. Also, my 15 year old cat, Harry, has been sick. As a result, I've done very little blog reading and even less sewing. DH is feeling much better. The plan is to start doing sewing again!

DeBubbled Delight

This is Burda Style Magazine 05/2010 #106. The Burda description is "The dotted batiste dress is just right for summer. The balloon effect is achieved by a shorter skirt lining that is attached to the hem edge of the dress. The casing elastic in this seam then gathers or "puffs" the hem edge". When I made the bubble version, I did look like a "balloon" and the "puffs" definitely were there. I have enough "puffs" of my own, thank you Burda. I quickly found the seam ripper and burst the bubble.Overall, I like this revised version a lot. I especially like the final neckline although I needed to do several muslin revisions before I felt comfortable with it. I raised the neckline 1 inch and moved it 5/8 inch closer to the neck. I took 1 inch from the center of the bodice and lengthened it by 1 inch. Also, I did a 1/2 inch petite adjustment. I had to fiddle with the back darts a lot. I can't remember exactly what I did now. I did raise and move them. In the final dress, I reduced the side seam 1/2 inch from top to bottom. Despite the muslin fit, the dress was too big in this fabric. I learned a lot about fitting during the process which required a lot of experimenting, trying again, etc. etc. I do like this more fitted look in the top. The trick for me is getting it to fit and still be comfortable. I'm proud of my end results and learned quite a bit that I believe I can apply to other garments. Also, I was delighted with the fabric match of the back invisible zipper.

The fabric is 100% cotton from Fabric Mart. These pictures were taken after running several errands. Although it was hot and humid, the fabric is barely winkled. Amazing!!

On the down side, I wish that I had paid more attention to fitting the skirt. The full skirt is very comfortable, but it could lose about 3 inches in width to make it more A-line. When Shannon made her version, she changed the skirt to a sheath dress. For me, I don't think that the width needs to be reduced that much, but some reduction in width is definitely needed for de-bubbling.

I enjoyed wearing this dress and know that it will get lots of hot summer wear. It also came close to following Trinny & Susannah's rules for my body type. The square fitted top is recommended for my vase upper body and the slightly (I had too much) flared skirt of my lollipop lower body. Of course, I ignore their "rules" on a regular basis but I like using them to try new garment ideas. I love it when it works!

The Sophia Carry-all

The very talented Sigrid had a giveaway to celebrate her 400th post (wow!). I won the Amy Butler Sophia Carry-all Pattern.
My dress is hanging in the closet before I hem it later this week. Meanwhile, I've started working on the purse. I don't care for the fabric used for the pattern photo. My main body will be winter white linen with cocoa cording and handles. The lining is a cocoa and white print.

So far, everything is cut out and the cording is ready. It's really more of a purse than a carry-all. It's big enough to carry all my stuff and not too big for my short frame. This project will be the finale of summer sewing. There's still a lot of warm weather ahead in sunny Florida, but I'm ready to start on more transitional Fall sewing.