Vogue 8330

My skinny jeans for the Wardrobe Basics SAL are ready to rock!

I was feeling a little rock star today, so we had some fun with the photo shoot. And I braved six inches of snow in a cap sleeve silk top. All for you, beloved readers.

The pattern is OOP Vogue 8330, originally a low rise skinny pant a la 1995. I raised the rise significantly (as you can see) the last time I made these. The front rise was great, but the back was actually a little too high and sagged with wear, so I shaved about an inch off of the top of the yoke at center back, tapering to nothing at the side seams.

Better. This denim has a bit less stretch than what I used the last time, so these are a bit more snug, but I think it is in a good way, although my mother might call them hysterectomy pants. The fabric is a dark black lightweight denim from Hancock's. It's pretty thin, and I don't think it will wear well, but it has this great sheen that doesn't come across in the pictures.

As I mentioned in my last post, I used this amazing variegated pink thread for my topstitching. It was the devil to photograph, but with some judicious editing, you can get an idea of how it turned out here. For the closure, I used a black heavy duty snap - love those, no buttonholes! And instead of rivets, I used the top half of small pink pearl snaps. I tried to find some pink rhinestone rivets, but I could only get them by the gross, and really, how many pink rhinestone rivets does one girl need?

In back, I wanted the thread to shine, so I went with a simple line as the pocket design. I considered leaving the pockets bare, which is a trend I've seen a lot in RTW lately. In the end (hah) I decided that they needed *something* and the line won out.

For a little extra flash, I decided to make a belt loop "X" at center back. I saw another sewist do this once upon a time, but can't remember who. So sorry! Let me know if it was you I'm copying! It's a fun detail.

Overall, I'm kinda stoked. Although this is definitely a little bit outside my usual mommy style, I really like it. I think I'll break out the black leather jacket from high school and some knee high patent boots and really rock these. They'll be fun while they last.

Topstitch Inspired.

If you're a PR member, you've probably been aware of the jeans contest this last month. There are some amazing entries. Since my current project for the Wardrobe Basics SAL is my skinny jeans, I've been enjoying the inspiration. And the jeans are coming along.

In fact, they are in the home stretch! All I have left is the waistband, button/rivets and hems. But I just had to give a couple of shout-outs to my topstitching inspiration. Did you see Elizabeth's fab jeans?? I had already cut these out as skinnies, but my next pair of flared jeans is so going to have the buttoned vents. Fabulous!! For these jeans, I copied her pink topstitching, but with a twist inspired by kbenco's bellbottoms.

Isn't that pretty thread?? It is Aurifil, which is marketed as a quilting and embroidery thread, but it is nice and thick and lustrous. I love how it looks as topstitching thread, and isn't the variegation pretty? Not being a quilter, I didn't even know it existed, but I got a sample pack in my Sewing Summit swag, and it included this lovely pink. So perfect. The only down side I have found so far is that it is quite linty. Janome is doing all the topstitching for these jeans and she is definitely going to need a cleaning after this. So will the table she sits on and the floor underneath. Linty. So, anyone else used this thread for topstitching? Do you like it? What is your favorite topstitching thread for jeans? Dish, y'all.

And PR members, you have until the 23rd to vote in the Jeans contest. There are some amazing jeans to choose from. You can probably guess who I voted for, eh?

Vogue 8747

Woven blouses are hard! I feel as though I am reasonably good at this sewing thing, and I have successfully fitted knit tops, jeans, jackets, pants, skirts and coats, but I have yet to make a woven blouse that fit *perfectly*. I have come close, and I've made some very wearable pieces, but that holy grail of the top that skims my bumps while still being closely fitted and in which I can raise my arms and move without restriction - well, it hasn't happened. This one is close though.

The pattern is Vogue 8747, which is your basic princess seamed blouse but with gathers into the button band at the level of the bust and a shaped neckline.

You can see the details a little better in this shot on Sandra Dee. The pattern includes cup sizes, which meant I didn't have to do an FBA - bonus. For fit, I basically just blended between sizes to get what I wanted. The front shoulder and neckline area are a size 10, which I blended out to a 12 in front to accommodate my hips. In back, where I am more broad shouldered, I cut the neckline at a size 10, then extended the shoulder line out to a 12 and blended up to a 14 below the waist to cover the booty. I am reasonably happy with the resulting shape and the fit is pretty good. I can move my arms forward, which is always an issue for me in fitted tops, but I can't raise them up fully. I wonder if I need to cut the armscye higher to give me more freedom of movement there?

The fabric I used was a very lightweight voile from Fabric Mart. It was lovely to sew, but it is a bit sheer and has a very soft hand. I didn't want my interfacing to show through or to alter the lovely hand of the garment, so instead I used an additional layer of the fashion fabric as my interfacing for the collar, cuffs and front button bands. I love it. The color isn't effected and the fabric is so soft and pliable. I wouldn't do this with a blouse I wanted to be crisp, but I love it here.

The color isn't quite right in this shot - the collar image above is closer to real life. It is a very saturated blue based teal. Just gorgeous. The pattern called for a lot of topstitching to enclose the collar, bands and cuff. Normally this is how I do my shirts, but I didn't want to topstitch this. I just loved how polished it looked without the topstitching. I know you'll be shocked, but I actually hand sewed them all down. It turned out beautifully and I am so happy I spent the extra time to do it.

The bust gathers and shaped neckline were what drew me to this pattern in the first place. I love the shaping the gathers provide and the neckbands are very graceful and feminine. Love it.

This is a closer representation of the color. I really love it. You can also see how softly the collar falls in this shot. It has a very gentle curve, which I think fits in well with the femininity of this blouse without being overtly girlie.

I finished it Valentine's Day, so I got to wear it to Mazza on a date with my honey. I wore it with my BWOF 04/2009-118 pants, leopard print calfskin pumps, and brown coated rayon jacket. I love this jacket so much and really wish I could find some coated rayon to copy it. It has a very leather like appearance, but breathes much better than pleather. I love how the blouse provides a flash of color in an otherwise neutral outfit. I think it will be a major player in the wardrobe. I actually made it as a wearable muslin for my white blouse, and it is definitely going to get worn!