Stupid Rookie Mistake

Here is a peek at Burda Style 04-2013-119, the cute little wrap front blouse I've been working on.

I got the sleeves sewn on yesterday.  They are very nice, with nifty pleats at the sleeve cap, gathers at the bottom and a nice, inch wide band.

Imagine my irritation when I went to try the darn thing on and I discovered that the sleeve bands are too tight!  Not just snug, but literally too tight to wear.

How did that happen?  Especially since I clearly remember measuring my upper arm (I always make my sleeves bigger- Burda designs for a much slimmer arm than mine!)  I knew exactly how long to make the sleeve bands, and yet, when I made the pattern piece, I made it an inch too short.  Stupid mistake.

Sigh....  So now I have to take the sleeves off and make new ones.  The current sleeves are completely finished (serged, and hand sewn) and since I have more fabric, it will be faster, and easier just to start over.

Of course, right now I'm too disgusted with myself to even get started.  I think I'm going to go play with my pattern stash instead.

New Look 6095 in Horizontal Stripes

In my last post I talked about being inspired to make a horizontal striped dress for spring.  I finally got around to putting the finishing touches on it:

As I mentioned before, I used New Look 6095, a simple shift dress designed for woven fabrics.  I made view A, pictured in the model photo.

The finished dress is okay.  There are some issues, some of which may have stemmed from using a pattern for wovens with a very light weight knit fabric.  I used a black and red polyester/rayon striped knit from Hancock Fabrics

I cut a 14 through the shoulders and a 16 from the bust down, which is my standard size(s.)  I probably could have gone a size smaller on top since I used a knit, but I wanted the dress to be loose and easy, not too body conscious.

I made a 1/2" FBA by adding a 1/2" strip to the tissue right above the darts.  The pattern tissue looked fine, but the darts are too low on the actual dress.  Probably due in part to the weight of the dress pulling them down.  I avoided the diagonal drag lines, but the low hanging darts bother me.  Of course none of my non-sewing friends or co-workers will ever notice, so I'm going to ignore them.  Or at least try to.

There is a center back seam and 2 vertical darts in the back of this dress.  Check out my stripe matching!

When I first got the side seams basted and tried the dress on, the sleeves looked awful- way too wide and floppy, almost like flutter sleeves.  You could also see way too much "underarm cleavage." Ugh!  It could be partly due to the fact that I should have gone down a size in the knit fabric, but if you look at the envelope photo carefully, the sleeves on the model look a little too wide and flappy, too.  I'm going to chalk it up to a combination of user error and bad drafting.

I was able to somewhat fix the sleeves by taking the dress in about an inch under the arms, from the sleeve edge tapering to nothing at the bust dart.  That took some of the flap out of the sleeves, and gave me more coverage at the armpit.  The bust and chest circumference is still good, which further reinforces the idea that I should have cut a smaller size.

Of course the sleeves still aren't great.  If I made this dress again, I'd use a different sleeve altogether.  I'd also move the bust dart up about 3/4"

I pretty much got what I wanted:  a simple, striped dress to wear on warm days.  I can dress it up with a belt and heels, or wear it loose with sandals.  I'm not 100% pleased with the sleeves, but they are okay. The dress is comfortable and will be great for the hot days ahead.

Now that this project is finished, I can move on to my next project, the little wrap front blouse from the April issue of Burda Style.  How is your spring sewing going?

A Striped Dress for Spring and Summer

I've been noticing some cute striped dresses popping up online lately.  Not so many that it seems like a momentary trend or anything, but just enough to catch my attention.  I've always heard that horizontal stripes aren't flattering, but I have to say, if the stripe is done just right, the look is quite nice.  

Really, what could be better for spring and summer, than an easy, relaxed t-shirt dress with stripes?  I've also been noticing some really nice striped fabrics, both online and in my "local" fabric store.

I decided I really wanted to try a horizontal striped dress.  A simple, comfortable t-shirt style seemed like the perfect way to go about it, too.  The look seems pretty versatile.  Dress it up or down with shoes, jewelry, a belt, whatever your mood might be.

I love that these dresses are so simple and therefore easy to make.  No zippers or closures, just an easy knit you can pull on and off.

Personally, I think a loose, easy fit is the best for me.  And although I'm seeing a lot of really adorable short dresses these days, I prefer a more modest length- at least to the knee.  All the more reason to make my own.

This dress is about the closest I could find to what I had I mind:

Pure and simple.

I chose New Look 6095, a simple sheath pattern for wovens.  I figured it would work for a knit, too.  The cover model is wearing a very cute dress with horizontal stripes and that helped me decide on this pattern.

The pattern is so simple- just a front and a back, and short, almost cap sleeves.  The back has a center back seam, which I could have omitted, but chose not to, as well as vertical darts for shaping.  I wanted a loose, "easy" fit, but I still need a little bit of shaping.

The dress is almost done.  I just need to finish the neckline.  The pattern provides a facing (since it was designed for a woven fabric) but I'm thinking about doing a narrow band in self fabric cut on the bias, or maybe just a narrow binding turned to the inside and top-stitched down.  It also needs a hem, but that shouldn't take too long.

I hope to reveal the finished dress before the weekend is over.  Unfortunately, I'm fighting an ugly spring cold that has me feeling drained and useless.  Even if I can muster the energy to fire up the sewing machine, I'm not sure I want to risk sewing in my condition.  I'd hate to have any mistakes so late in the construction process because I wasn't feeling good.

So what are you working on for spring?  Is there anything on your "must sew" list right now?

McCalls 5974- Wrap Dress in Black and White

This weekend I wrapped up McCalls 5974, the Palmer & Pletsch wrap dress.  I wasn't really thrilled with it until I wore it to work today.

Here's a shot of the pattern envelope.  I made the view with the wrap over bodice like the red print dress and the green solid dress:

It's really kind of hard to see the dress details in my fabric, a black and white poly knit that I bought at Hancock's a few weeks ago.  Now that I've worn it, I like it more than I thought I did.

I cut a 14 through the shoulders and a 16 from the bust down.  The dress ended up very wide on me.  I took it in about 3/8" from wrist to hem and then another  3/8" from just under the bust to the hip to get it to fit correctly.

I added about 1.5" of length at the waist- about 3/4" to the waistband (which is hidden under the sash) and another 3/4" to the skirt just below the band.  I also added approximately 3/4" of width to the bicep.    

The length was the reason I didn't really like this dress at first.  I made my standard adjustments, but I didn't really move the sash down significantly to compensate.  You see I wanted the sash to completely cover the waistband like it does in the pattern photos.  The finished sash wraps around my lower rib cage, not really around my natural waist, which is slightly uncomfortable.  And the waistband peeps out at the center front anyway.

But after wearing the dress and seeing the photos, I don't really mind the sash placement.  and my print is so busy no one will ever notice the waist band.

I did not make my standard petite adjustment above the bust because I was afraid of not having enough length in the bodice.  I should have made the adjustment.  Sigh...

Considering how much I had to take the dress in at the sides and how roomy the bust is, if I were to make this dress again, I would probably just go down a size.  But I probably won't make it again.  There are other wrap dress patterns in my stash that I'm itching to try and even though I like this dress, it isn't so wonderful that I need another one.

I pretty much followed the instructions on this pattern, except that I left out the back zipper (it's a knit!!!) and I added clear elastic to the neckline.  It snugs up nicely and doesn't gape, but I still added a small safety pin for work just to keep things modest.

I'm glad I made it, and I'm sure I'll wear this dress a lot, but I'm going to put the pattern back in the box.

I sure like the light in that last photo.  You'd never know it was kind of nippy out today while I was getting these pictures.  I sure wish we'd hurry up and get some warm spring breezes.  I'm starting to get excited about sewing with crisp cottons and linens, sweet florals, and seersucker!

What are your spring sewing plans?

Vogue 8742 Red and Rouched

 Vogue 8742 is finally done.  After getting it almost completed last weekend, I finally finished the hem today.  Here I am doing my best interpretation of the pattern envelope:

As you can see, I made View B.  And in red, no less.

This really is a very easy pattern.  There are just 6 pattern pieces and they go together perfectly.  The dress is a simple, shoulder seam princess dress with or without sleeves.  The gathered sides are what make the design and they are very easy to sew.  A beginner could handle this pattern easily.

I used red ponte knit from Hancock Fabrics to make this dress.  It sewed up beautifully with no problems.  Here's a little close-up of the side gathers.  Sorry about the shadow- my photographer is only 11!

I cut a 14 through the shoulders, a 16 from bust to hip, and an 18 from hip to hem.  The vertical princess seams make it very easy to grade from size to size for a custom fit.  In the end, I ended up taking the skirt in about a half size from the hips down.  so I guess you could say it's a size 17 on the bottom.

 I made a lot of fitting adjustments, mostly in the area of length.  I began with a 3/8" petite adjustment above the bust.  I also did a 1/2" princess FBA to give me a little extra length right over the fullest part of the bust.  I then added 1 3/8" of extra length at the waist- all standard adjustments for me.

Thank goodness I thought to check the sleeve circumference before cutting.  The sleeves are drafted rather narrow.  I ended up adding 1 1/4" at the fullest part of the bicep.  I could have added a smidge more, but I think they're okay.

I also shortened the sleeves by about 2 1/2."  I admit I got a little crazy.  I should have stopped at 1 1/2."  As it is the sleeves are slightly short on me, but it's alright because I always push my sleeves up, so no one will ever really know.

There's one other adjustment I had to make that stemmed from a mistake.  The dress is supposed to have a slit at the center back with a hook and eye to close the neckline.  I was happily sewing along with my mind on other things when I realized I had basted the CB seam and completely serged it... without leaving the slit!

At that point it was too late to try to pick it out and correct it.  So I left the CB seam and I trimmed the neckline seam allowance back by about 1/2."  I added a self fabric band by cutting a strip on the cross grain and folding it in half lengthwise.  I made sure the band was slightly shorter than the neckline and I eased it onto the dress.  Once it was sewn on, I pressed it away from the dress and topstitched about 1/16" away from the seam to hold the seam allowance down inside.  No one will ever know that it wasn't supposed to be that way all along.  (And yes, it fits over my head just fine!)

This pattern seems to be drafted rather short.  Even after adding over an inch to the length, I still had barely enough fabric to turn up a 1" hem and keep the finished hemline right at mid to high knee level.  If I made it again, I would add a little bit extra for insurance.  I suppose it's okay, though, to show a little bit of knee since the bodice is so covered up.

I quite like this dress.  The princess seams are flattering and easy to adjust and sew.  The side gathers are also easy to sew, but add a lot of drama to what is really a very simple dress.  And of course it's a knit dress, so it's comfortable and easy to wear.

When I bought this fabric and chose this pattern from my stash three weeks ago, I had no idea this would be such a popular garment.  I've seen at least four of these around the web in the last couple of weeks.  It's kind of strange that an OOP pattern would be so popular all of a sudden.  But I suppose that just goes to show what a great pattern it is.

I could see myself making this again.  The sleeveless version would be good to have for summer in a bright fabric.  It would be easy to add a short sleeve or even just a little cap sleeve as well.  You could also easily scoop out the neckline to give it a different look.  I even saw a color blocked version on Pattern Review the other day.  If you have this pattern in your stash, take it out and give it a go.

Vogue 8682 Snow Leopard

I finished Vogue 8682 Friday night and I'll be wearing it to work tomorrow to road test it.  So far I'm liking it very much.

I used the black and white leopard ponte that I bought during my retail therapy session last weekend.  The finished dress is soft, comfortable, and warm.  I think it will be perfect for my cold office.

This is a Very Easy Very Vogue pattern, and it was indeed easy to put together.  The skirt is princess seamed and the cross-over top has pleats in front and darts in the back.  The dress is designed for "crepe back satin, lightweight double knit, and stretch wovens."  My fabric has plenty of stretch so I cut the back bodice on the fold and eliminated the zipper.  It worked out well for me, although I did run into a little fitting issue that I think was due to my fabric choice.  More about that in a moment...

I like this pattern because it is relatively simple.  I like the vertical seams in the skirt which make fitting a breeze and are also visually slimming.  The cross over top is flattering, and unlike some other patterns, offers plenty of coverage.  The dolman sleeves are also easy to fit and mean no setting in of sleeves!

I cut a 16 from neck to hip and an 18 from hip to hem.  I made a muslin of the bodice which indicated that no FBA was needed.  However, I used cotton with no stretch for the muslin.  My fashion fabric is rather heavy and has stretch.  When I put the bodice together and tried the dress on, I found that the top was way too big.  The empire seam was halfway down my ribs and the dress looked like a bathrobe on me.  A pretty spiffy bathrobe, but a bathrobe none the less.

The sleeves were also loose and sloppy.  I had already finished the neckline by serging clear elastic to the front edges and then turning and top stitching them.  The back neck was finished with bias tape.  I was too lazy to take everything apart at that point (and worried that I would destroy the neckline if I tried) so I took the easy way and basted a new seam from neck to wrist taking the top up by about 1.25."

This snugged the bodice up and brought the under bust seam to the right place.  It also made the sleeves nice and comfortably snug so that I can now push them up and they will stay nicely.

I could probably stand to take the skirt in ever so slightly.  In fact I could have just cut a 16 all the way to the hem with this knit fabric.  But I don't mind it being loose, so I'll wait and see.  I would kind of like to try this again in a woven and see how the fit works...

With V8620 finished and in the closet, I have started my next dress project, V8742.  Here's a sneak peek:

Happy Sewing!

Sewing on the Horizon

Recently I applied for a promotion at work.  I was really excited about it.  I had prepared really well and thought I had an excellent chance of getting it.  I interviewed twice and felt good about both.  So on Wednesday night of last week, when I found myself near a fabric store, I couldn't resist picking up a couple of fabrics:

The print on the left is a poly knit in shades of black, cream, brown, and teal.  I was thinking a wrap dress maybe.  The red on the right is a ponte knit.  I LOVE this type of fabric.  I'm thinking a sheath dress with some interesting seaming or details.

On Thursday I received the news that they decided to go with someone else for the position.  I was (am) crushed.  So what could I do but indulge myself in some retail therapy on Saturday?  Besides, Hancock's had all kinds of goodies on sale.  So back I went and I picked up these beauties:

Wow.  Can you tell I was disappointed about the job?  Where is the color?

Oh, well.  These are really great fabrics.  The zig zag stripe on the left is a ponte knit, but it's very light and drapey.  I haven't made a final pattern selection, but I'm sure whatever I make out of this will be fabulous.  The "leopard" print in the middle is also ponte, but it's very beefy and almost fleece-like on the inside.  The print on the right is a poly knit.

Since the middle fabric is so beefy and warm, and since we will have a few more chilly days before spring, I decided to make that one up first.  I've chosen Vogue 8682, an OOP Very Easy Very Vogue pattern:

I was originally thinking I'd use the long sleeves and the shorter skirt.  But after holding the pattern tissue up, I realized that those "shorter" sleeves actually look more like the long sleeves on my little T-rex arms.  I will need to make a muslin to check the sleeve length and to see if I need an FBA.

Interestingly, the pattern pieces revealed that there is a back shoulder dart on this pattern that is not evident on the technical drawing.  Hmmm.

In other news, the Simplicity pants I teased about in the last post are almost done.  I've been moving very slowly on them because there has been so much going on, and because, well... pants aren't that exciting.  I'd much rather sew (and wear) pretty dresses.

How about you?  Do you have any dresses on your cutting table?  Any spring sewing plans?

Happy New Year!

2013 is getting off to a great start.  Here is a sneak peek at the pants I'm working on:

Check out that pocket caught into the front dart!  I can't wait to get these finished and start wearing them!

I wasn't able to get as much done on my Christmas sampler as I would have liked, but I did enjoy a couple of nights of stitching during the  holidays.  I was able to add the band of candles:

The candles are satin stitched in #8 pearle cotton and the fir boughs and holly are stitched with one strand of silk.  I will be adding candle flames in metallic gold, and there will be silk ribbon poinsettias added to the greenery as well.  I usually wait until the end to add silk ribbon so I don't snag it while I'm stitching the rest of the sampler.

I was also able to work my way up a bit, too.  The "lace" row is stitched in #8 pearl and still needs a few eyelets and beads added.

Right above the lace row, I have begun prepping for the band of drawn thread work:

I have removed the horizontal threads from the design area.  I still need to remove some from the outer area and weave the remainder in to the sides.  Then I will be ready to do the decorative hemstitching.

I'm still excited about this project, so I plan to continue working on it while the mojo lasts.  What projects are you working on for the New Year?

Burda Style 10-2012-118A

This will most likely be my last finished project for 2012.  (It's taken me long enough to finish!)  It's the "Well Draped dress with cowl neckline" from the October issue of Burda Style.  

Please excuse the windblown skirt and hair.  I had to seize the photo opportunity when I could.

Here's the model photo:

  And the tech drawing:

This dress was the illustrated sewing course for this issue, but really Burda should have used one of the more complicated projects to illustrate.  This dress was super easy to put together.  In fact, there are only four pattern pieces including the back facings.  And speaking of patterns, Burda made a little mistake.  The instructions say that the pattern is sheet A, when in fact it is on sheet B.

The back features an invisible zipper and two vertical darts.  The front is cut all in one piece with the cowl facing folding neatly to the inside.  I think the finished dress turned out ever so slightly more A-line than the tech drawing suggests.

I used a black and white "micro houndstooth" suiting from stash that reads charcoal grey.  It's almost too substantial for this design- if I made it again I'd use a slightly lighter weight fabric.

The dress is unlined (I always wear a slip) and all the seams are serged.

The pattern was offered in sizes 34 through 42.  I cut a 42 through the shoulders and graded out to a 44 at the bust and then out to a 46 at the hip.  I also added 1.5 inches of length at the waist and made a petite adjustment above the bust by folding out 3/8"horizontally.  I removed some ease from the sleeve cap by folding out an additional 3/8".  The sleeves went in perfectly.  Although now that I look at the photos, I probably should have shortened the sleeves a bit more for my little T-rex arms.

I also rotated the front pattern piece when cutting it out so that the cowl neckline was on the bias and the skirt was on the straight grain.  I was worried about the front hemline stretching out if it was on the bias.  In the end it worked out well since my fabric was rather heavy and without the bias at the neckline it may have been too stiff.

I love the side gathers.  I think they are a very nice detail.  I'm not so sure about the so called "cowl" which really seems more like an origami-ish fold.  I fussed and folded it several ways and never could seem to get it just so.  I finally just gave up and let it flop the way it wanted to.  Also, I can't decide if the dress looks pleasantly "draped" or more like a wrinkled mess.  The windy conditions and the dog trying to get into the picture didn't help, either.  I suppose I will have to wear it to work for a road test and see how it does before making my final decision.

And that's it for 2012.  The next item on the sewing drawing board- actually it's already cut out and construction has already begun- is a pair of wide leg pants.  But they won't be finished until some time next year!