Ottobre 5/2017 #4

This sweatshirt is from the most recent Ottobre woman. I thought it was a great casual item and knew it would be a great pattern for the black wool sweatshirt knit that was too thick for the pattern I originally intended it for.

This is my second Ottobre. I sewed the first with a 44 neckline/shoulder and 46 for the rest. The top was too large but I thought it was perhaps due to the very heavy knit I'd used. This time I used a 42 for the neck/shoulder and 44 for the rest. MUCH better.

I  could should have done a bicep adjustment. I somehow keep forgetting that even though it will "fit"-- it won't fit as intended / with respect to the rest of the pattern -- if I don't do an adjustment.

The front pockets are cool but your fabric needs to not have much drape in order for them not to collapse.  The front pattern piece has an extension and then you sew the other pocket piece to the lower front. You then attach the lower front to upper front, sewing the pocket bag together as you go. The front is then stitched with a zig zag (or bar tack).

I finished it, tried it on and was not that happy! The shoulder and neck fit beautifully but it was otherwise quite saggy.

It clicked that it was too long. I cut as much length as possible (couldn't do anymore because of the pockets)

sorry for the blurry photo

I then removed the stitching from the band

cut right along the seam line

I think it looks much better - I didn't get a before photo :/

It's quite a simple basic but I really like it! I think it'll get a ton of wear this fall/winter. It's SO cozy and I really like the fit!

I am working on the top from Vogue 1522 in a polyester georgette (wahhhhh!). I wrote out a big wish list (22 items!!) and sorted them of what I want NOW (the blue lines) :)

I then TRIED to sort the #1 items (pink highlighter) but couldn't! LOL! My short list includes:

Burda 8/2017 coat in red-orange wool fleece

Burda 3/2017 cropped jacket in blue textured suiting

Vogue 1522 top in black/white print poly georgette

Simplicity 1366 camisole I'm not sure yet...thinking either a neutral or a very bright color

Burda 10/2014 shirtdress in plum crepe

Burda 10/2014 knit dress with cowl in black/white print jersey

New Look 6524 dress in pale grey crepe

Burda 11/2017 skirt in plum crepe suiting

There's no outfit planning here; just focusing on holes in the wardrobe and wants based on fabric and pattern stash.

Can We Talk About This Vogue Release?

I don't discuss them often anymore...but it's been a very long time since I've made a note of 8-9 VOGUE! patterns that I want!

My "must buy at the very next sale" list:

 I want more jackets. I've been saying that for forever...but I really love this. You know I'm all about a peplum and I love this collar and the other details.

"Should" I buy/make a slip dress? Perhaps not. But I want one. And Vogue made this with cup sizing and so it shall be!!!



 

I'm just into the sleeve lately. And I know this collar/neckline may not work for me (full bust+short neck) but...it's pretty!

 

 

 I think this top (9281) is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! I love the fit and flare and the off-shoulder aspect.

 

My "like to have" list:

 

 This dress is just cool/interesting.

Part of me feels I shouldn't pay 'Vogue pricing' for this but I am digging it! I will double check Burda first.

I kind of hate that candy pink color but the dress is nice. Feminine but not saccharine.

Marcy Tilton always makes cool jackets. I've made a couple and love the quirkiness of them. I could see this one (the shorter length) for sure.

 

My "honorable mentions list that I kind of want and will probably end up buying once someone sews them" list: 



This top!!! I adore it! I am not into the skirt. So not sure I'll buy it...but maybe. You know all it takes is to see one fantastic version and then it'll be a done deal! :) 

 

 

I'm not into wide legged pants right now but I could see having this in the collection for when I swing back that way.

 

Others:

 

The pattern is fine...but it's this fabric that's making me call out this pattern (9286). This Veronica Beard fabric has been at Fabric Mart for awhile. I remember wanting it but didn't know how I'd use it. Well it's now in the 80% off section and I have some on the way after seeing this!!

 

 

Most of these  Kathryn Brenne shrugs, etc (9291) didn't do anything for me and I probably won't buy this pattern, but this is gorgeous. And especially for the holiday season. It's so pretty.

 

There are some great dresses and a dramatic cape and a lovely coat and a nice men's jacket in this release as well. GO VOGUE!

 

****

 

I haven't been in the sewing room much at all this week but I did trace off the Ottobre pattern yesterday. I have black thread in the serger AND coverstitch so I'm going to do that quick before sewing my Burda coat.

 

Fall weather is HERE in Minneapolis and I've had a great week (IMO!) of cool outfits that has me ready to take off in a specific direction for my fall sewing. I hope to make a planning post soon!

 

And I've been wearing my new jacket non-stop :-D  



774+ Days Later...Butterick 6141

On 8/26/15 I blogged that I'd gotten started on this jacket. I'd sewn the lining and assembled the fronts and backs. About a year later (8/31/16), I decided to finish it. (oops) Here we are ANOTHER year plus later and HUZZAH! It's done!

So, please don't expect any actual sewing details because it's a years old WIP - sorry. LOL! Okay, fine. I know I used a size 16, did an FBA and lowered the bust point, I did a swayback adjustment and a bicep adjustment. I know this from the adjusted pattern pieces, I do not know the amounts of these adjustments. All seams were sewn with 5/8" allowances. The fabric was purchased in December 2013 from Fabric Mart; it's a cotton faille.

When I pulled it out last year, I was completely confused by the collar. It wasn't matching the picture. I kept that in my back pocket all this time. I finally pulled the instructions back out and guess what? I was looking at the wrong view.

Seriously.  Sigh.

I'd gotten it all bagged and finished and DOH! I forgot to shorten the sleeve lining. So I had to undo that and fix it but of course, total necessity.

The fabric was tough to cut and sew and easy to press, thankfully. But today, my hand isn't playing nice and the fine motor skills required for pressing vs ironing, wasn't happening. I'll come back to it.

I also hate inseam pockets. Blergh. They're just too far back.

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS JACKET!!!!! 

Oh! This sew called snaps which I was pretty sure I purchased some larger ones. I couldn't find them but remembered these clear buttons. They are a perfect fit!

I am so excited that I finally finished it and that it's just a cute fall jacket. It is voluminous but it's so.cute!!

I find this picture so cute <3

Lastly, I didn't advance in the PR Bee. It was fun and challenging and I'm glad I did it...but I also totally understand why people do it and NEVER do it again! LOL!

I am totally going to sew my BRIGHT Burda coat for the wool coat contest though! I'm not going to make the Burda pants this month. I do plan to sew my daughter's top, and I want to sew this sweatshirt from Ottobre.

October will be 'light'; my hand is kicking my butt again. I think that vest did me in. Until later!

Burda Challenge: 9/2017 #117

Thank you EVERYONE for the kind comments on my PR Bee entry!!! Sometimes I can stay on top of comments and sometimes I can't. But know they were read and appreciated!!

Swoon. This silk is really amazing.

For some reason, it had completely escaped me that this was such a roomy blouse. I was pinning my yokes to the back before I realized there was an inverted pleat in back. For that reason -- the roominess -- I don't love it. The sleeve cuff? OH MY WORD! The overall fit? ehhh.

lightbulb moment!!! I was doing something else and remembered I used 3/8" seam allowance (to conserve fabric) but used 5/8" at the side seams! I like it better now that I've corrected that! 

I don't normally tuck my blouses but at least the silk is lightweight enough and has enough drape that I can without it being bulky. I just don't really do oversized or boxy clothing. Viewed front-on, it's easy for me to look like a block so I am ALWAYS preferring to emphasize curves. Always, always, always!!! :)

I did not have enough fabric for the ruffle OR to cut my ties on the bias. And they look crappy cut on the (straight?cross? I don't remember.) grain. I also made a mistake on the front. The bottom of the cut should've just been a point so I don't want to remove the tie.

At least the facing is neat! :)

I *LOVE* the faceted buttons

Confession: I ironed the front before photos but not the back. Oops.

I also missed that the sleeves are SUPER long on the model. Crud. Burda is pretty true-to-form with the representation on the model. If it's bodycon, watch out! If it's low-cut...ooooh baby! LOL!! But I missed how it was shown on the model.

Yeah, those sleeves are LONG and the blouse has lots of room.

Say hello to my mega-biceps!

And my extra long sleeves

I also messed up (yeah, yeah, I know) and cut a straight 42. I don't know what I was thinking. I ALWAYS use a 40 for the neckline and shoulders.  I had a heck of a time getting the sleeves in so I'm not too keen on opening them back up to shave off some of the length in the shoulder.

So aside from all the mistakes, sewing it wasn't that bad. As mentioned, I had just enough fabric and therefore used 3/8" seam allowances to conserve fabric. So no french seams which, I'll do them sometimes, if I think serger stitching will show through or will be too bulky. But I don't get the warm fuzzies over them like a lot of people. A 3-thread serger stitch worked great with this fabric.

The silk feels amazing against my skin and I won't be afraid to do more complex projects with it in the future. Sure, finishing those sleeves (continuous lap, band, cuff) was more time consuming but it wasn't difficult.

I'd bought interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply specifically for this project and still ended up using the Fabric Mart stuff because I liked it better on a swatch. I'm glad I got 4 yards of it and wish I'd gone the full 10!

I had the flat button in stash, saw the pearl shank button first and then saw the metallic faceted buttons at JA, worried they'd be too big, and decided I didn't care. They had to go on this blouse!

Ooh! I also walked right up and chose the right color thread! :-D I'm always very proud when I can do that!

So, because of the billowy fit of the top, it doesn't work under that McCall's cardigan/jacket. But that's okay. A long sleeved silk blouse should be plenty warm. I can always pair it with a camisole if needed for a tiny bit extra warmth. I'd previously tried it on with the charcoal skirt, really liked it, and then forgot to take pics of the outfit.

I take back my lukewarm reception and will upgrade it from an "it's okaaaay" to "I really like it!" :)

I'd like to make this pattern again with slightly shorter sleeves, narrower shoulders (eye-roll), a bicep adjustment (I measured, it was fine, but it needs more ease to fit the wearing ease of the rest of the pattern) and the front ruffle...maybe in a print. I will keep my eye out on a nice stable silk like this one!

OH! One other thing. I have always felt Burda's dart was a little off on me. This time I moved it 'back' a bit (about 3/4"). But I think the issue is the angle. I don't think the entire dart is too high (though maybe it can move down some) but I think the angle makes the uptake a weird fit to my bust--like my bust isn't as round all the way through, the weight sits more on the bottom, leaving empty space on top?? It's hard to explain but it makes sense in my head! I'll muslin my next Burda make with darts and play around with it.

Until later!!

PR Sewing Bee: Burda 12/2015 #107

This round was a struggle! I had decided on a vest, poured through my paper pattern collection (on PR) and through the BMV catalog. I really wanted to make Vogue 1510 but there was no pattern sale in sight. To the Burda catalog!

I knew that making this reversible would be doable. I knew I was going to use the denim and searched the stash for a compatible fabric. I needed something that would coordinate with the black piping and bias binding at armholes and hems and was wavering between camel and olive. I then saw the coat from my last post and took to Amazon to find appliqué. When I found these, I knew I had to go with the olive.

I ordered these on a Wednesday, they were supposed to arrive Friday. They did not and I had to cancel that order and order a new set Friday night with guaranteed delivery Sunday. They did come Sunday afternoon - huzzah! I spent a lot of time on placement and then started stitching them by machine and it felt cumbersome. So I somehow decided hand sewing would be easier. Oy. Don't do that.

Can you see my stitching? :)

Shout out to Carolyn! I knew I had to be aware of finishing the connecting area of my piping. 

It's so neat <3

I'd cut the pattern in a size 40 based on "omg so much ease!" and umm, yeah. I should have cut my normal 40/42 graded to a 44 in back. Sigh. I'm sure the doubled fabric isn't helping. Anyway, the denim was actually constructed first but we'll get back to that!

I decided to skip the pleather on this side so it wouldn't get too bulky through the front (denim + suiting + 2 layers of pleather + piping!). Again,  concerned about bulk, I eliminated the inseam pockets on both sides. I decided on welt pockets for this side and then accidentally placed them according to the line for the flap on the pattern. They are too high to be comfortable. Bleh!!!

As I was placing the appliqués, I decided to sew the pleather band per the pattern to tie in the black binding and piping. I then hand sewed all those appliqués in place, switching between green and pink thread, and was quite pleased with it. It wasn't until I attached them that I realized the denim is too heavy as a backing for the suiting. The other way is fine.

You can see it's just a bit heavy looking

On the denim side, I had a lot of ideas! I decided to create this draped back and had split the back piece and extended the lower back. It turned out that the denim was far too stiff for that. I had to undo the topstitching and side seam stitches and remove the excess from both sides.

Because I'd used hardware in my prior two entries, I wanted to incorporate some in this one too. D-rings were the way to go! I'd used a back pocket from my son's old jeans and decided that fabric was perfect to create the ties for this back piece. It's worn denim so it's very soft and when I serged the ends, I just LOVED the effect.

The pleather pieces are NOT lopsided - Lily is! lol!!!

I was going to make a zippered welt on the other side but didn't have a zipper in stash that really worked. Lightbulb moment! I went back to the jeans and unpicked the zipper and used that! It is a perfect match to the vest!

It isn't in good working order -the zipper is very stiff and catches- so I didn't make it a usable pocket.

I bound both hems (separately) with the same bias tape as the armholes.

I am very happy with both but LOVE the denim side. Love. Love. Love. I am going to separate them. I knew this before I finished and had full intentions on using a longer stitch on the fronts and armholes and forgot! OY!

The best part of the Bee is that I've been challenging myself to think outside the box. I'm glad that I still can say I have only made things I'd actually wear. The time crunch means yes, there are tweaks I want to go back and make...but so far, all of my pieces are quite 'me' and fit into my wardrobe. 

We'll find out about advancing to round 4 on Saturday!