2012 Goes out with a wimper

I'm one of those never say never people. I know dolman sleeves and I really shouldn't be friends, but I like to keep an open mind. I mean, this one even has bust darts!

And look at those darts on the back:  there's a horizontal fish-eye dart meeting a centered vertical dart. I have never seen anything like that before. I have a beautiful sheer piece of silk chiffon I thought would be suitable for this. I decided to make a muslin first out of the most fiddly, shifty fabric ever made. Obviously, there were issues with the hem. You know that old carpenter's adage: "I cut it off twice and its still too short"?, well I evened it up twice and its still crooked. 

I blame this failure completely on poor fabric and poorer fabric selection. I am going to take another stab at it, but not yet with my good chiffon!

Burda 7700--with a warm body in it



Burda 7700

 I got around to modeling and taking photos of the finished Burda 7700 vest. For a change, I didn't need to use a flash because all the snow piled up outside my house really reflects the light so nicely. Thanks, snow!!

Made It!

I finished the other vest from Burda 7700. Isn't the fabric kind of "Grinchy"? I got it a couple years ago for my birthday, in July, from IKEA. I just love it! On this one, I incorporated a buttonhole into the collar seam. The button is vintage. 



Burda 7700- the muslin

I have admired this pattern from afar for a while and recently picked it up on sale. I planned to make it into a vest. Fortunately, I looked it up on Pattern Review before I started. This pattern is HUGE! It doesn't really look like it on the envelope, except view D, but this thing's got ten big inches of ease in the bust!

I don't really like to swim in my clothes, so I started with a size 12 and folded out .75 inches on the front and back pattern pieces (for a total of 3 inches smaller than size twelve). Its still a bit big. Next time I'm taking out a full inch (for 4 inches below size 12). I also added a diagonal dart from below the bust toward the hip.

Like most vests, I had significant gaping at the armhole so I put a dart in there, too. But, for the next version, I have rotated the armscye dart into the other dart.

I'm also making the collar half and inch shorter and the shoulders a bit narrower.

I'm pretty happy with how this muslin turned out, even though I found a moth hole in the fabric after I was finished with it, because I'm making the next one with one of my absolute favorite pieces of fabric from my stash. I hope it turns out well.

Out on a limb with Mc Calls 6607

I don't know what possessed me to get this pattern. It's not a style I've ever even considered before. I think I'm too short for tunics and too busty for big low drapey cowls, but I saw the pictures of Margy's and I had the right fabric and perhaps I just wanted to try something different for a change, so I gave it a whirl.
I kind of like it. Its really quick and easy. The pattern envelope says it very-loose fitting and it is. I cut out a 16, but took in the side seams a lot. Next time I would start with a 12. The armholes are way too low for me (the fabric pulls forward towards the bust). I also took out some of the width in the hips. If the right fabric crosses my path, I will make it again.

Deep armhole

Details, details

Close up of the ruffles on this skirt:

And the side hem of this skirt:



The skirt version of Katherine Tilton's V8837

This skirt is the red headed stepchild to the Vogue 8837 pants. You can see my photos don't tell you anything more about this skirt than the photos on the pattern envelope!

I do like the skirt and will likely make it again. The fabic is a black and grey houndstooth knit. I had a yard and a half, but it was only 45 inches wide, and really couln't figure out what to do with it.  Turns out, It was exactly the right amout to make this skirt--after I shortened it 6 inches!
There are a some things I'll change next time:
I would eliminate the seam in the center front and center back lower panels.
I should have shortened the top yoke part, too
The pattern instructs you to clip the front skirt piece, which is totally unnecessary. The fronts are lapped and stiched over the backs.
Making it in a solid would show off the twin needle topstitching better.

Designer III challenge

This skirt was made for a challenge from the Designer III sewing group I belong to. The challenge was to create a color palette from a photo supplied by the "Challenger". The "Chalengees" could make anything we wanted. This is a basic pull on knit skirt in a grey ponte. I used the antique ruffler attachment from my old Singer machine to gather strips of the ponte. I added a narrow strip of black double knit to cover the gathered edges of the ruffles. Then I used one of the fancy stitches on my machine to sew down the black strips using cream, khaki and orange thread. Then the teal strip was added and sewed down with black.
I really, really like how this turned out.

We also had a gift exchange: we had to make something decorative and functional for the sewing room. I macramed this lanyard for a Clover thread cutter. I keep one tied to my ironing board for those pesky uncut threads that are always popping up.

Wearing it with sweatpants didn't help!

It turns out I don't hate my Tribal Coat as much as I though I did. I think rushing to finish it may have made me overly crabby. Its just okay, though, not great. Plus, I had only seen it worn with sweatpants and sneakers while I was working on it. It's Burda 7497. I took out 4 of the 6 pleats on the back and left off the bow. I think it was looking like a Lucille Ball maternity top on backwards!

The hem pulls up a bit on the left side, but it does have some excellent welt pockets.

I will wear it, but I don't think I'll be making this pattern up again.

I have already moved on!! 

A sort of Pyrrhic victory

I finally finished my tribal fabric coat and while I am happy with the welt pockets I find the rest of the garment lacking. I hate that it didn't live up to my high hopes and that it took up so much of my, lately, very precious time. More later.