Cotton Gauze Blouse

Here is a peak at my current project, a pretty blouse made from this cotton gauze.  I am using the same pattern as my recent plaid shirt but made many modifications.

I started out by making a bunch of little pleats for the yoke before cutting out the yoke pieces.

I made quite a bit of progress the past few evenings.  It's hard to see with the busy print, but tonight, I stitched up the placket and band collar and added the buttons and buttonholes.

Pleated skirt

When I showed some progress on a draped dress last week, Diana asked if I was taking a draping class.  Um, no, but that would have been a good idea.  :-)  I have a very general idea of how draping works (tape your shape, pin the grain straight and go from there.)  It's just a lot of work though (and maybe I'm not really doing it right) and takes a few muslins, and you know that just doesn't excite me. 

Here was  my dress when I abandoned it for a skirt.  I liked the topstitching I started, though, so I incorporated that into the skirt I salvaged, and I added some patch pockets cut from the bodice material.

 I added a side zipper and used the top stitching on the waistband, pockets, and hem.  The fabric is a linen/rayon blend from Sawyer Brook.

Simplicity 2181

Thanks so much for the comments on my red sweater.  That was a real labor of love, and I'm so happy with how it turned out. 

Today, I'm going to share a top I made about a week ago for a little break from my cranberry jacket.  I really want to finish that jacket up before I leave for a short Thanksgiving vacay in a few days.  All it needs is buttons and a couple of buttonholes.

This is Simplicity 2181, which I made once before here.

I love how this one turned out, also, but I wonder if I should shorten it a few inches.  It's giving off a bit of a sloppy vibe here to me, maybe because it's paired with the slouchy knit pants (also recently sewn, which I'll explain in my next post)

Maybe the solution is to try it with some skinny jeans today and see what I think.  If I still don't love the length then, time for a chop.  What do you think?

Of course, skinny jeans seems to be my go-to for unfrumpying my comfiest tops.  :-)

Here is a closeup of the front detail.  The fabric is Magenta Magic from Sawyer Brook.  I love when I make this top how it all comes together in one step when you put in that little strip to make the fabric bunch up.  I still think this is a great pattern for a really fluid jersey. 

The only change I made was to give my hips a bit more room, probably about two inches total.  If you recall, on the last version, I hemmed it a bit shorter because the hip area was tight.

 

Simplicity 2564

Here is skirt #2 for my Sawyer Brook sew along!

The pattern is Simplicity 2564 and the fabric is Springtime Satin in leek.  It's a bit snug.  I didn't used to have the problem that things came out too small, and this has happened before in the recent past, so I think it's time to take new measurements.

aaaand.... BOOM, the booty.  This is the reason I won't be wearing this skirt to church tomorrow.

I explained the scalloped hem here.  The only thing I'll add is to recommend doing that with a facing instead of a lining (which I did).  No matter how you smooth and pin, there will be little hang-ups on the lining, and I find myself adjusting quite often in this skirt.  In hindsight, I could have done the scallop with a 4" or so facing and then still added a lining that ended above the scallops.  Live and learn.

Sweater Knit Wrap Dress in progress

Two photos from my most recent project, a wrap dress from Sawyer Brook's Carboncino.

This fabric is a light sweater knit, but it's behaving just like a beef jersey.  It's quite stable and doesn't ravel much.  It does roll a lot, though (check out that neckline facing), but I have an idea to fix that.  We'll see if it works...

One of the ties for the wrap.  This dress is on hold until I get better matching thread to do the hem and sleeve hems.

Vogue 1271

Here is my Vogue 1271, with LOTS of photos.

 Voila!  First, let me say it is a smidge snug in the midsection.  Noticing a pattern after my last post?  Maybe it's time to up my cutting size.  That or I could go put on my running shoes.  Anyway, it's no fault of the pattern, just mine for not making a muslin.

 I really like this design.  It's a bit more interesting than my usual with these sleeves, but it's pretty mellow as far as trends go.

 You even get to see the kick pleat in action thanks to the wind.

 I was planning to wear this to church, but it's a bit too short for me to feel comfortable there, so it will probably just be a going-out dress.  I've already informed hubs he needs to take me out for dinner.

 I didn't have a buckle to sew on the belt (it's just decorative anyway), so I pinned my favorite pin from Scotland on there and I think it looks quite nice.

 My dress looks lower cut than the model's.  i dont' think it's because it's too tight.  There's definitely room for ease in the bodice.

 I also carried the belt detail around on the back, which the pattern didn't do.  They just have the midriff on back.

 Close up of the sleeves.  The fabric is Ruby Flannel from Sawyer Brook.  It's a bit too soft to hold the sleeve folds, so I stitched them on the inside of the pleats.  They still open a bit, as you can see.  I guess I could use some hand tacks to keep everything in place.

There you have it!  My newest dress I wll only wear a couple times a year. :-)  Time to get back to sewing sportswear and home dec.

Color block tee

Thanks for the sweet comments on my jacket.  I'm waiting for the temperatures to dip again so I can wear it!  :-)

I whipped up this tee shirt during a few stolen hours yesterday afternoon and this morning.  I was inspired by this from J Crew, which is of course now on sale.  Whatever. 

Th two fabrics are from Sawyer Brook:  dill jersey on top and cypress jersey on the bottom.  They turned out to be a great match, both in color and hand of the fabric.  The pattern starting point was my usual OOP Butterick 3344.

 I split the front and back pieces straight across right under the arms so the line runs right over the bust.

 This tee is sooooo soft and comfy, I have a feeling it will be a weekend staple.

 Here is a lovely underarm shot where you can see how the change of fabric runs.

 Not long after I took these photos today, I cut my hair (and touched up my roots, ahem).  this is the first time I've had bangs in over a decade!

Striped tee on me!

Here is my new striped top mentioned here.  The pattern I used to start was my usual out of print Butterick 3344.  I added the sleeve tabs and buttoned neck treatment myself.  I also had a couple more inches taken off of my hair. :-)

Striped tee finished

I finished up the striped top I mentioned here.  The fabric is Ines from Sawyer Brook, and it is a dream.  I'm glad I have enough left for a tank top... or maybe something for my little niece.  It's time she learned the necessity of the striped tee.  The buttons are Ruffle, also from Sawyer Brook.  I'll take photos on myself when I wear it tomorrow, but for now, here it is.

Tweed Jacket has begun

I got home late Wednesday night from an exciting trip to see my brother-in-law's wedding.  Picks of the lace dress and Marfy gown in action are on their way...
In the mean time, my most recent project is a jacket using McCalls 5759, the red version in the pic below.

The fabric is a lightweight tweed from Sawyer Brook, recently sold out.

McCalls 6078 - version 2

I'm finally getting around to posting my second version of McCalls 6078.

This is another knit from Sawyer Brook - Robin's Egg Jersey. It is a very thin and drapey rayon knit that was perfect for this shirt. I have enough for a second top, so we'll see what that becomes. The armhole bands on this version are made from leather scraps. I'm definitely digging this version, too.

Vogue 2907

Finished my pants. Woohoo!!

The fabric is a wool/linen blend from Sawyer Brook which is now sold out. Sad, because it's a really cool fabric. I was worried that the pants might be itchy unlined because of the wool content, but I've worn them all afternoon in total comfort. I didn't line these pants because I want them to be as breezy as possible. I also pre-washed and dried in the machines so I can machine launder the pants. Gotta love that.

The pattern is Vogue 2907, which I've made enough times to know the pattern number by heart.

P.S. How sad is it that I JUST figured out how to add a photo from the web without first saving it to my computer?

I LOOOOOVE these pants! The fit is perfect, which has much more to do with finding a great pattern that happens to fit me than it has to do with my fitting skills. I like the drawstring waist that I added. All I did was make the waistband a little narrower than the pattern (I don't like how high the original comes up on me, despite what the pattern photo would suggest) and add buttonholes to pass the drawstring between the waistband and waistband facing. The drawstring is a narrow tube of fabric, turned with a bodkin, and knotted on both ends to keep it from slipping inside the waistband. I also added a button and buttonhole behind the drawstring tie for added security.

I hemmed these pretty long so I can wear them with either flats or wedge heels, of which I own quite a few for summer.
The pant legs are quite wide, which is apparently back in style now after all those weird muffin top, tapered-leg monstrosities.

Some more pics:






Also, sorry if you got a post about my kiddo's birthday party in your reader. Put that one up on the wrong blog at first. Worse things have happened, right? :-)