McCalls 6713

Here is the result of McCalls 6713.  Blech.  :-(  Too short-waisted for me.  Or, maybe that's a design feature, but it's not a flattering one for me.  It isn't high enough to be empire-waist, but it's several inches above my natural waist.  Plus, it's too short.  Just not a hit. 

Anyway, I've been working on some other things, knitting and sewing, so I'm going to get back to them. :-)  That's all for now.

McCalls 6949 and McCalls 6918

I've been in a bit of a funk since forgetting to enter my SWAP pieces.  I started a dress with a vintage pattern, but it was not attractive, so I just ripped out the zipper and let it go (into the trash) last night. It was an older tweed fabric that was left over from a skirt I made years ago.  Hubs found it humorous I didn't want to part with the $3 zipper, though. :-)

Last night, I still wanted to sew, and not on the little quilted table runner thing that's half finished on my ironing board. I wanted to sew something for me, so I found a bunch of blue jersey up in my stash and paired it with McCalls 6713.  I cut it out and sewed up the bodice and so far so good!

As for Me Made May, I've been doing... ok.  I had two funerals to sing for this week, and I have three, yes, three black dresses I've made for such occasions, but one never fit quite right, and the other two are, um, a bit too snug.  It's seriously time to just get rid of all the things in my closet that are a skosh too tight.  Let 'em go, Jenny.  Other than those days, I've been doing well, but have failed at my photo taking this week.

Today, I want to share some cuties I made for one of my nieces, just because.  Meanwhile I need to make a birthday present for another niece, and I'm thinking I'll use these same patterns (minus the sweater since it's almost summer).

The sweater and top are from McCalls 6949.  I doubled the number of ruffles on the top, and I really prefer this look.  The sweater came together really easily and I think it's so cute.  It's so big, though, that I'm sure it will fit her next winter.  The skort, McCalls 6918, was also easy to make and looks really cute.  All in all, this made for a comfy outfit, all in knits, and I hope she likes it.  If not, I may try to squeeze into it!

McCalls 6801

It's been said before, and I'll say it again:  the downside of sewing your clothes is that you don't get to try something on until you've invested time and money in the making of it.  Maybe that's what leads me to be not terribly adventurous with my garments.  I do think I tend towards the basic.

Exhibit A:  McCalls 6801.  Look at those flattering gathers!  Extra oomph around the bust is always a good thing in my book.

Exhibit B:  huh?  How did that exuberant ruching become so unflattering??  And it's pulling a bit in the shoulders and back.  And the color I thought was so pretty makes me look ill.  And the silky hand of the fabric feels like cheap poly.  And Hubs agrees it's not my most flattering work.

 I wore it to church over a dress (still not blogged!?!) and it gave a cute skirt effect.  A little cardi hid the pulling shoulders.

Now, I don't want to be toooooo overly dramatic.  This is by no means the worst thing I've made, and I don't hate it... it's just that had I tried this on in a store, no way would I have chosen to bring it home.  I'll keep wearing it for awhile with this cardigan.  I like the greens together, and it goes with several skirts I have (one reason for picking this fabric).  But, I doubt this will still be in my closet in a year.

...internal monologue... I am getting some serious ombre-effect hair... time to fix that...

McCalls 6696, kind of

I was so anxious to finish my altered shirtdress that I pawed through my mom's button stash last night (I'm visiting her, obviously) and found 9 silver shank buttons that fit my buttonholes. 

So, here is my kind-of-shirtdress, made from Sawyer Brook's beautiful Vieux Carre and McCalls 6696.

 I admit I removed most of the shirtdress details - most obviously the collar, but I think this makes for a more casual summer dress.  I wore it out to the grocery store and lunch today and didn't feel too fancy or retro.  I even got a few compliments!

 I kept the yoke and gathers in the back, which gives it a little bit of shirtdress feel and makes it so airy and comfortable to wear for summer.

 I didn't use the skirt pattern pieces at all since I simply didn't have enough fabric for the full-skirt option.  What I did do is cut my whole piece of fabric (2 yards, I think) to length for the skirt and then cut out my bodice pieces from the remaining white portion.  The skirt is all one piece, buttonband to buttonband.  I just did some simple math to figure how many and how big pleats to make to attatch it to the waistband.

I explained how I did the hem here.

I am really enjoying wearing my new dress today.  I think I have been successful in my attempt to make an everyday dress that is comfortable and cool for summer!

McCall's 6568

First, here is Me Made May day 9's outfit, another oldie.  (don't click on that link if you can't stand to see super adorable tiny babies who are now almost 4 years old.)

Next, Me Made may day 10, my new top and some brand new pants, which I will now review...
(by the way, I find it hilarious that my dog photo bombed almost every pic from here on out)

The pattern is McCall's 6568, some super lazy elastic waist pants with a decorative tie.  I didn't even put on the patch pockets, such is my laziness.  It doesn't change the fact that I love these pants for spring and will definitely use the pattern again.  The only altering I did was to finesse the leg shape after trying them on.

The fabric is Genoa from Sawyer Brook, which is almost out of stock.  It is a wool/silk/linen blend that works great for these trousers with no lining.

These pants aren't setting the world on fire stylistically, but they get the job done and are very versatile due to the fabric.

 

 

McCalls 5759 progress

I haven't stopped work on McCalls 5759.  Just procrastinated a bit because I decided to put actual welt pockets under the pocket flaps provided in the pattern.  I finished up both the welts and the flaps today, so next comes the sleeves and then the shell will be finished.  Of course, I plan to add buttons to the sleeve cuffs, so that would go super fast either.

The inside of the pockets.  Looks pretty messy, but it works.

With flaps:

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.

McCalls Fall 2011 pattern picks!

McCalls' fall patterns are up on the site, and there are some I really like! I'm sure I'll be picking these up:

6402 - I especially like the softly pleated views.


6408 - I wore this shape cardigan a lot last winter. This would be perfect if only I can find some nice sweater knits or beefy interlock.


6391 - Is it wrong I love this shape skirt so much... even though it's for little girls? I can still buy it for ideas, right? And there may but a lucky little girl acquaintance in my life.


6393 - I like all the pieces of this for my boys. This will be first on my list to hunt down.


6410 - I really like the messenger bag/briefcase!

Anything cute I overlooked?

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.

Summer McCalls picks

McCalls has their new summer offerings up, so I thought I'd let you all know which ones I'm really excited about...even if I'll never actually sew one or two of them.

M6346 looks like an easy summer dress I could bang out in a couple of evenings and wear all summer. This will be my first summer in Florida, and I plan to stay as cool as possible. Breezy but not a sack, gotta love it.


M6356 has some cute knit tops, and I can't get enough of those to wear with shorts (and sew up my slightly ridiculous knits stash). The two-tone version is my favorite, but maybe this will be the year I'll try something one-shouldered.


M6362 - Ok, this jumpsuit seriously tempts me. I have nothing against jumpsuits in theory. I just doubt my fierceness and ability to pull it off without looking silly. I kind of want to make that halter-cowl version to wear out for drinks with my sisters at the beach, just to give them something to make fun of me about. The shorts version looks just so comfy and practical for summer, but I don't want to look like a toddler. Any fabric suggestions?


Finally, having a niece has gotten me very excited about making kids' things. I made her a little wardrobe (the evidence of which, iPhoto destroyed) which I sent to my sister. Hopefully we'll get a pic or two when her tiny angel grows into the clothes. M6344 is a little oneie with appliques. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's cute and I know I'll use it, so I'll probably pick it up. I'll probably even use the guitar for a tee for my guitar- and drum-obsessed 4-year-old.


There were some other cute dresses, too, but these 4 are my favorites. Plus, I have PLENTY of dress patterns waiting to be sewn up. Did I miss your favorites?