Vogue 1259

Woohoo!  Second day of Me-Made-May!  :-)

Today, I wore a fairly new top that I am quite proud of.  The pattern is Vogue 1259 with some alterations.  I bought this pattern some time ago because I love the look of the top and the top and skirt together.  However, I just don't need any slinky looks like this at the moment.  I figured I could just make the top, but the high neck isn't practical or comfortable for Florida springtime.  I decided to cut it off at a crew-neck but waited until the rest of the top was complete before hacking off the turtleneck.  The pattern pieces are pretty crazy looking, and I was scared of cutting off too much neckline.

Here is my version:

 I started off with the pattern one size smaller than I would take based on my measurements after reading the finished measurements and reading the experiences of others with this pattern being a bit large.  You can see the front drape piece is still less form-fitting than the model's, but that's ok with me since this is basically a jazzed-up tee shirt now.

The one part of my top that I'm not 100% thrilled with is the keyhole opening in the back.  It is a bit wavy, which could have easily been remedied with some strips of interfacing if I had thought of it.  With the lower neckline I made, I dont even really need the opening to get the top on and off, but I think it is still a nice detail on the back.

 Here are a couple more views since every angle is different with this top.  :-) 

 The fabric is a knit from Joann's.  I can't find it online, but I saw some in the store just a couple of days ago.  It is perfect for this top - very lightweight.  I think it is a cotton/poly blend jersey.

To sum up, I really like this top.  I get compliments when I wear it, and it is comfy without looking sloppy at all.  I had to pay close attention during the construction, and there were definitely some moments of confusion, but in the end, I didn't have to rip out any seams, so kuddos to Vogue for making this complicated pattern achievable. :-)

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.

 

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.

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!

Self-Drafted Maxi

I feel like a total poser calling this self-drafted. It's a couple of rectangles stitched together. I've had this fabric for over a year. It's from Gorgeous Fabrics, and I love the border print. As is sometimes the case when I don't have a clear vision at purchase time, this sat around because I didn't know what to do with it. The dark colors don't scream summer to be, but the lightweight rayon knit doesn't offer warmth for winter. Two nights ago, I came across it and inspiration struck. I was going to use a pattern for at least the bodice portion, but in the end, I just wanted a simple V-neck top to show the lovely fabric.


I left the hem and sleeve edges raw. I just cut the hem to length. I may need to go back and hem the sleeves, though, as they have a tendency to curl up.

Big-guy had to get in on the action. The pics aren't great quality - I used the self timer from the counter across the room. It's a lazy Saturday morning, after all.


I like it best with the definition of the belt. Without the belt, the elastic I put at the waist can stretch a bit and it's not so form-fitting, and starts to look a bit sack-like.



I've also toyed with the idea of using elastic to gather up the cut-on sleeves to make it sleeveless, but I think I'll just keep the little sleeves. What do you think?

Something about this maxi seems a bit more formal to me. I don't know if it's the dark fabric or the belt with it, but I took it off after photos since I felt a bit overdressed for a lazy Saturday morning with the boys. :-) Now that it's done, I'm having a tricky time deciding where I'll wear it. Maybe I'll wear it to church tomorrow.

I've gotten a few kind comments lately on my hair. Thanks! :-) I've been letting it grow out. I've been highlighting and cutting it myself for a few years, and I decided to get it done at a nice salon yesterday. I just asked the stylist to trim it, add some long layers, and highlight it so the roots match the ends. She did just that, and, um, I feel like I stuck my head in a bottle of bleach. I guess I didn't realize how light the ends had gotten from the combined years of home-highlighting. Oh well. I'm getting it chopped off in six weeks and maybe we'll add some lowlights then to bring it back to a more natural color. Until then, I'm definitely ready for the beach!

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.

Butterick 5486

Here's the great reveal of the Blah Dress briefly mentioned here.



I don't think my displeasure is due to the pattern, Butterick 5486, but more about the size I chose and the style on my body. This pattern called for for a knit with moderate stretch. I used a stretchy bamboo jersey. That, coupled with the fact that my last knit dress was a tad roomy in the size 10 made me cut the size 8. It's just too small all around. Straining around the armholes, too high-waisted, and too short for this style (I didn't have enough fabric for the full skirt length anyway). I also don't like the shape of the straps on my shoulder. This mid-width makes my shoulders look mammoth. I think I need thin straps, or a wide one to my shoulder.

I tried to justify keeping this dress. Though it won't work for the Baby Shower I'd envisioned it for, it would make a nice beach dress. I like the wrap style, and in theory, I like the full skirt. I don't think it looks as bad in the photo as I feel it is in person. But in the end, I just don't love this dress at all. It would probably sit in the back of my closet for a year or two until I could bring myself to get rid of it.

So this morning, I hacked off the skirt, which has a lot of gathered fabric in it, and I'm going to try to salvage it into this top.

To give you an idea how the tie flap thingies come out of the side seams:


I've been quite productive these past few days. I made some tiny baby jammies for the aforementioned baby shower. I just need to buy some more snaps to finish that project and post a pic. I've also almost completed a black dress for a funeral. :-( Hubs' sweet grandmother passed away a few days ago, so I'll be taking the boys up to Ohio for the memorial service in about a week. When I sing at funerals at my church, I usually wear a black skirt and dark gray sweater (long or short-sleeved), but I thought a black doubleknit dress would be nice to have in the closet and will be easy to pack. I already have this one, but it's a bit too va-va-foom for a funeral.

McCalls 6032

Here is my McCalls 6032 dress that I introduced here.

It was very straightforward to put together. In this view, the twisted belt piece covers the detail that I showed in my last post. I omitted the zipper and added an identical belt on the back of my dress. This pattern can be used with either knits or wovens. If you used a woven and needed the zipper, you couldn't add the belt like I did. This dress turned out a smidge big, probably because of the woven/knits combo pattern, and I used jersey. I made a 10 with no alterations. If I were to make it again (and I think I will make one shortened to a top), I would make an 8.

The fabric is a rayon jersey from Ressy's Fabric Co-op. It's easy to join the co-op, but Ressy is on a hiatus right now and there's no fabric available.

I wore this dress to church this past Sunday with a cami underneath and a cardi overtop. The front and back are low, but just high enough to not show my bra. I could wear it without a cami somewhere other than church. :-)

Close-up of the front bodice and belt. I finished the armholes with narrow, soft elastic for stability with stretch.

View of the inside. There is a facing for the whole bodice that has an elastic casing at the bottom. I have to adjust it when I first put on the dress, but after that, it stays put.

I didn't match up the floral when I cut. They are so big that I thought they'd benefit from being broken up a bit.

I did a pattern review here.