New Butterick Patterns...

It's been a while since I've seen a new pattern that has really interested me.  Butterick has come out with the Early Fall Collection and I found this:

This is Butterick 6589.  It is a pattern by Lisette.  I really like View A.  I'm always drawn to a pattern with asymmetry. 

Then, I spotted this jacket pattern:

This is Butterick 6579.  It is a classic French style jacket/cardigan. 

I don't know if either of these will make into my pattern stash. I have so many patterns that I'm not sure I should ever purchase another one.  What is your take on the New Butterick patterns?

Happy Stitching!

Woven Tank Top...

In May, I had a inspiration post on a Woven Tank.  I have decided that I really need to work on some tanks and I would prefer it to be woven.  The weather is starting to get hot and I really need some clothes to help me stay cool.  So, I pulled out the Silhouettes Tank pattern:

I'm starting with View A.  Once it is fitted, I should be able to make any version.  Here are the changes that I made as I was getting the pattern ready:

1.  Added 3 3/4" to the length.  Silhouette patterns are almost always too short in the tops.
2.  Corrected the pattern.  The front pattern was about 1/8" too short when I matched the side seams in paper.
3.  Add 5/8 to the side seam for fitting purposes.

Changes made at the muslin stage:
1. Took out excess length via the shoulder seams in the amount of  2".

Here is the finished muslin:

Thoughts on the muslin:

1.  The top is too wide through the shoulders.
2.  Need more room through the hips.

At this point, I contacted Peggy at Silhouette Patterns.  I'm not sure that the way I was going about making these changes were correct.  I asked for clarification.  If nothing else, I've got a armhole size for sleeveless garments.  I had hoped that I could end up with a workable garment but that is not going to be the case.  Cute fabric though!

Additional change to this muslin:

1.  I made a seam the width of the pressure foot down the middle of the front and back which pulled the seams in.  Here's the result:

I thought in the first picture I was just very tired.  However, I'm thinking now that this is a good example of the wrong color.  It's still looks a bit funny.  I consulted with ladies at Pattern Review regarding this pattern.  I'm going to try a different size and see if the results are different.


Changes that were moved to the pattern:

1.  I moved the fold line on the pattern front and back about 1/2".
2.  Made a small sway back adjustment.
3.  Raised the back neckline.

I compared the "W" size that I was using with the largest size of the regular size.  This created a surprise for me.  The "W" size had straps that was 1 3/8" longer than the regular size.  This is about what I took out of the muslin above on the straps.  These are the changes that I made as a result of the comparison:

1.  Reduced the length of the straps front and back by 1 3/8"
2.  Added width to the hips following the same measurement differences on the regular sizing.

2nd muslin:

This is the first fitting of the second muslin.  It looks pretty good.  There is still a little bit of gaping.  I'm going to take a deeper dart and see how it looks.  Here's the second fitting of the second muslin (all the hems have been done):

I took a deeper dart by about 1/4".  It looks a little bit better.  I do think that I could take a deeper dart but I'm not going to make any additional changes to this top.  I'm going to deem it a wearable muslin.  Here's a back view:

It looks like I could make some changes to the back.  I may make the sway back adjustment a little deeper.

Now that I have a fairly well fitting top, I want to make two or three additional tops.  This will require going through the stash and most of it isn't located here at the house.  I should be able to whip out these quickly, if I have the appropriate fabric.

Oh, one thing I didn't mention.  I now have a sleeveless armhole.  I just need to get it transferred to a more permanent medium and I will have a template for woven sleeveless armholes.  How awesome is that?

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Sleeveless Summer Dress and Cardigan

While looking at the Nic & Zoe site, I found this dress:

This is the Two To Tango Twist dress and can be found on their website.  Price tag $168.

I know the exact pattern for this dress.  Here is it:

This pattern will give you the necessary twist at the waist.  You will need to do a little bit of pattern work to remove/change the cowl.  Instructions for how to do this can be found in this Silhouette Patterns youtube video.

When making the dress sleeveless, you may want a little cardigan to go over the top like this example:

Isn't this a lovely little cardigan?  It is the Take Comfort 4-way Cardy.  Price tag:  $118.00.  You can find this and all the different variations on the Nic & Zoe website by searching for 4-way.  Here's the pattern for it:

This is the 4-way cardy pattern.

I'm inspired to add another project or two to my list.  I can do this.  I don't know if I have the fabric in the stash but I will look and see what is there.  I love finding ideas that use the patterns in my stash.

Hope your inspired to make something fun!

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Cool Summer Top

I'm always on the lookout for ideas for cool summer tops.  This will be my first summer at this location in 30+ years and I remember it getting very hot by August.  Here's the latest find:

It has a tank top vibe with a little asymmetry going on.  The asymmetry is what drew me to it.  This is the Nic & Zoe Promenade Top and it can be found on their website.  The price is $118.00.   The fabric is satin.

This would be fairly easy to reproduce using an already fitted tank top.  First you would need to decide on the length and then draw the pattern.You will need two separate fronts and two separate backs.  Most likely, make the side seam of the outer front and outer back 1/3 shorter.  Clear as mud?  You could also use this pattern:

This pattern gives you the asymmetry on the front but the neckline is different.  Actually, I prefer a v-neck.  This pattern is also in my pattern stash.  You can find the Indgyo Junction under Asymmetrical Top & Tunic pattern (affiliate link).  As far as fabric, I don't think I would use a satin but I would definitely use a cotton or a blend of some sort.  I just need to dig through my stash and see what's available.

Hope your inspired to create something beautiful!

Happy Stitching!

Craftsy Class....Next Level Knits: Techniques for Structure and Style....

I've been trying to get the most from my Craftsy Unlimited subscription and I just finished the  "Next Level Knits: Techniques for Structure and Style" by Pam W. Howard (affiliate links) . This was an interesting class. It is rare that I don't learn something from this sort of class. It did take several sessions to watch it and I do wish that I had had a garment to work on while doing it but I can do it later.

Things that I liked:

1.  She shows construction of a knit garment using a sewing machine.  I really like this because not everyone has the budget or space for multiple machines.  You really only need a sewing machine.  The other machines are just conveniences.

2.  I saw a few techniques that will get carried over to my own sewing.  What are those techniques?

• The elastic waistband technique that she demonstrated.  In my opinion, that technique alone is worth the price of the class.
• The fitting technique that was demonstrated was fairly good one. 
• The method of transferring the changes was good.  
• The discussion and demonstration of lining and underlining was good.

Things that I didn't like:

1.  I didn't like her method of preventing tunneling using a twin needle.  Admittedly, I have not tried it.  However, trying it is definitely the only way to know how well it works.  Until then, I will continue to use my own method of preventing tunneling.

I enjoyed this class enough that I will be investigating additional classes by Pam Howard.  I'll let you know which ones when they have been completed.

Have you taken this particular class with Pam Howard?  What did you think?  Did you enjoy the class?  Have you been using any of the techniques discussed? Have you taken any other classes by her and how were they?

Happy Sewing!

Inspiration... V-Necked Dress

A dressy dress is rather hard to find.  At least, in the places that I tend to frequent.  Check out this lovely dress:

This is Bottega Veneta V-Neck Short-sleeve Pintucked Embroidery Dress with Rope Belt.  Price tag:  $2,460.00.  This is a must see dress.  Head over to Neiman Marcus and zoom in on the bodice.  Absolutely lovely!

This dress is far outside my price range but a girl can dream.  I'm not sure how the pintucks are accomplished on this dress.  If you figure it out, let me know.  Adding embroidery would be fairly easy.  Finding a pattern to match this dress was a definite challenge.  So many dresses are made for stretch fabrics and I don't believe this dress is.  I finally found this pattern:

I think you could get this pattern to work but using the V-neck from View A with the sleeves of View B.  The skirt needs a little more width but that is fairly easy to do by slashing and spreading. You would just need to decide how much hem circumference that you wanted.

Hope you're inspired to sew and try something new!

Happy Stitching!

This is NOT Inspiration...

Sometimes you see a something in fashion that needs to be noted.  This top is one of them:

What is your first impression of this top?  Would you consider purchasing it?

My first thought was UGH! that is a horrible fit.  Look at all those drag lines.  The top is obviously too big for the model.  It truly looks like they needed to get a picture and she tossed it on and that was it.  The top is described as a related fit pullover in cotton.  It doesn't say that it's a knit so I'm assuming that it is a woven.  The back doesn't look any better than the front.  Really, I can't get past the fit on the model.  That picture is suppose to sell the garment.

Good things about the top - the color is good, the trim at the neckline is interesting.

The one obvious thing that I see is the model has uneven shoulders.  I think potentially this could be fitted by removing fabric from the shoulder and lowering the armhole enough to use it.  It would depend on how the armhole was finished.  Would that be enough to make the top look good on?  Are the wrinkles around the trim on the neckline because the trim is too heavy for the fabric or is something else going on?

This top was originally $375.00.  It is currently marked down to $243.00.  Want to look closer?  Go to Neiman Marcus and search for Dries Van Noten Hailstone Sleeveless.  That should get you there.

What are your thoughts on this top?

Happy Stitching!

Pant Lengths...

Have you ever given much thought to the different lengths of pants and what they are called?  Here's a diagram out of Patternmaking for Fashion Design:

Shorty Shorts - 1 1/2-inches below the crotch level at inseam and 1 to 1 1/2" above the crotch level at the side seam.

Shorts - 2-inches below crotch level.

Jamaicas - Midway between the crotch level and the knee.

Bermudas - Between the Jamaicas length and the knee.

Pedal Pushers - 2-inches below the knee.

Toreador - Between knee and ankle.

Capri - 1-inch above ankle

Ankle - self-defined.



Based on these definitions, I have never worn shorty shorts and shorts.  In my younger days, I would have happily worn either the Jamaicas and the Bermudas.  Today, I'm much more likely to be seen in Pedal Pushers length as defined. 

Toreador is a new term for me.  Out of curiosity, I looked up the various terms of pedal pushers, toreador, and capri to see what showed up in fashion.  All showed up but more or less looked the same.  The lengths varied based on designer.  I think all of these terms are interchangeable in today's world.

 Which of these lengths are more flattering on?  Which of these lengths are least flattering?  I'm sure everyone has an opinion on this.  To me, the mostly flattering style is a where the hem length is hitting a curve just at the point where it it getting smaller.  For me, this would most likely be at the top of my knee and at the bottom of my calf.

I think I need to explore different pant lengths as I age.  In the past, I was never really attracted to the longer capri styles.  However, they look very cute when styled well.

The warmer weather here has me wanting to wear lose dresses and skirts.  It feels hot even with the air conditioning.  Yeah, I know I can turn the temperature down but I would prefer not to turn it lower during the day and what I'm wearing directly affects that.  It's all about choices and how much you're willing to pay the electric company. 

What do you think of these pant definitions?  Any surprises? 

Happy Stitching!

Inspiration...Cardigan

Cardigans are a useful piece in the closet.  At one time, I had many cardigans in my closet but not so much anymore.  Here's a Neiman Marcus version:

This is the Soft Touch Open Cardigan.  Price tag $145.00.

I'm thinking I need to add a few more neutral cardigans to my closet. The colors would be black, navy, and charcoal gray if I get around to it.  The real question is should the same pattern be used for all three cardigans or mix it up and use different patterns.  Using the same pattern would result in less fitting time.  Here are some pattern ideas:

This pattern would be ideal for the inspiration picture.  The neckline is a little bit different but I think it would be just fine.  I really like the tailored look of this.  This pattern also comes with a darted front.   A plus here is that this pattern is already in my stash.

This pattern would work for the inspiration photo.  This is a classic cardigan pattern with a shell. The neckline is not the same but with a little bit of pattern work you could change it to look just like the inspiration picture.  Again, this pattern has darting.  A plus for this one is it is also in my stash.

This is the Sweater Set by Loes Hinse Design.  It is a classic cardigan pattern with a shell.  The neckline on this one matches the inspiration photo.  You can see this pattern on the Casual Elegance website.  This pattern is also in my stash.

I think I need to go through the knits stash and see if there is anything appropriate in the colors that I want in it.  I obviously have the patterns.  I just need to decide whether or not to use them all or just one.

Do you have a favorite cardigan pattern?  How has it worked out for you?

Happy Stitching!

Sewing Room Reoganization...

It seems like a long time ago that I wrote the post about landing in my new house and the post about the new room color.  The new room color is wonderful.  It makes me happy to go into the room.  For fabric organization, the fabric folding method work well for longer pieces of fabric and you can view a little bit of my handy work here.  Those pictures only show about 1/2 of my stash.  The remainder is stash in other rooms and at my storage unit.  Yes, the fabric in the storage unit is carefully packed so nothing should be able to get into it.  The ruler organization has been perfect and I do return items to their place when I'm finished using them.

The things that haven't worked so well has been the scrap fabric organization which was also mentioned in the fabric folding method post.   Now, the really big thing that hasn't felt right and that is the general layout of the room.  I have been fighting hard not to put the "L" shaped desk directly in a corner but have decided that is the only way the room is going to work.  Yes, this means a lot of moving of stuff.  Specifically, a large bookshelf.  However, by doing this I will be able to install much needed lighting in the sewing area and perhaps more shelving above the sewing area.  I think that is a win.

This is will be the second moving on the desk for the sewing machines.  I'm fairly confident that this will work this time.  If I'm happy with it, I will share pictures. 

Have you had issues with getting your sewing area arranged well?  What did you do to correct any problems?

Happy Stitching!