burda style 09/2010-121 and self-drafted skirt

I made an entire outfit in one day!!  I love instant gratification sewing!

Doesn't it look fancy?  The top is burda style (BWOF, whatevs) 09/2010-121.  I think everyone in blogland has sewn this turtleneck, and I can totally see why!  (Here's Dawn's, Cidell's, Karen's - I know I'm missing a couple!)  It went together so easily, which isn't a total surprise since it is only 3 pattern pieces.

The turtleneck is cut on in one piece with the body, so there is no seam at the neckline.  Very nice!  It has a self-facing that you stitch together at the side seams, which makes the attachment invisible.  Burda's instructions even actually made sense for this one.  The only changes I made were to remove the ease from the sleeve cap, and to sew the sleeve in flat.  I also added an inch to the length to cover the baby bump.

Here is the back - so sleek!  The fabric is a Chico's slinky from Buttons and Bolts.  I really love wearing slinky, but it sure is a pain to sew.  I used the Sandra Betzina hemming method that she publishes with her Today's Fit knit patterns - fusing the hem with steam a seam before twin needle stitching.  It did help stabilize that slippery, stretchy slinky and made my experience much better.  I also have recently started using wooly nylon thread in the bobbin when I twin needle.  It makes a HUGE difference in how stretchy my hems are!  I have had problems in the past with my twin needle hems popping, and they just dissolve away.  The wooly nylon really helps them stretch a ton, which the slinky requires.

The skirt is "self-drafted", which I put in quotes because it is really just two squares.  The waistband is a yoga style fold-over waistband.  No elastic so it is comfortable to wear, even as I get bigger by the minute.  I used a poly knit for the waistband as well as lining.  The slinky was a bit sheer.

The only thing that saves it from being a giant tube is a knee high slit at center back.  As an outfit it is a bit blah, although it should be fun to accessorize.  I'm looking forward to the mix and match potential...

But does it fit at 30 weeks of pregnancy??

Why yes, yes it does!  So, how would you accessorize this very blank palette?

McCalls 6141

Now the kids aren't the only ones ready for Halloween and the Renaissance Fair!

Of course, I had to show it off on the dress form...  As several of you have noted, she is as yet nameless.  I'm thinking of having a giveaway to name her.  What say you?
Anyway, the dress - the pattern is McCalls 6141, most clearly a costume pattern, but with reasonable construction.  The bodice and sleeves are lined.  I thought about lining the skirt but that is A LOT of skirt and I was afraid it would get hot.  The sleeve lining is actually both lining and stay for the big upper puffs.  The most interesting part of the constructions was the modesty panel. I was expecting to do some crazy clipping and curve matching, but instead you leave the bodice and lining unsewn over that section of the neckline, press under the allowance and topstitch the panel in.  I've seen this done with curved yokes on vintage patterns, and it works great, particularly when, like with this pattern, you are adding trim on top.

Here it is on me.  The only alterations I made were the FBA and adding 1 1/2 inches to the hemline at CF to go over the belly.  Otherwise is was a surprisingly good fit.  I sewed the size small, which the pattern claims corresponds to an 8-10.  I generally sew a 10, so as long as you are looking at the larger size of the range, it is reasonably sized.  As I mentioned, there is A LOT of skirt, so there was plenty of room for the belly in there without any width adjustment.

Here is the bodice and sleeve a little closer up.  I love the trim at the bottom of the sleeve puff, but I think the satin doesn't have quite the body to keep it from collapsing and hiding the pretty trim.  I'm wondering if a little sleeve head to hold up the puff would help here.  It's too late now for me, but should you find yourself in need of a maternity costume, you'll know...  The ribbons on the sleeve represent the only hand sewing I found necessary for this dress.  The pattern instructs you to slipstitch down the bodice lining, but I really didn't see the point, since the trim is topstitched over that seam.  I just let the stitching for the trim do that work for me.

The back closure is with lacings.  I think this is their nod to authenticity.  Anyway, it is pretty, but a huge pain to get in and out of.  I can see why they needed a servant to get dressed!  It also tends to pull open right at the empire seam.  I think I'll add a hook and eye there, just to keep things covered.  Otherwise it stays in place surprisingly well.  There is a generous underlap so things don't peek out at all.

While I think this is more of a Regency inspired style, rather than medieval or Renaissance, I still like it, and am looking forward to wearing it.  It's not my most flattering style - I feel like it makes me look more wide than I am, but at the moment, I am!  The Wee Professor is getting big.
Here is my problem.  I need shoes!  As you can see, I hemmed it for a reasonable (2-3 inch) heel, as that is what I always wear.  Anyone have any bright ideas for shoe styles?  And color???  Should I even try to match that purple, or would gold be fun?  Mitch suggested black, but I don't think that will do at all.  I often see boots on the ladies at the Faire...  What do you think?

Vintage Simplicity 9446

Whew!  I cut this blouse out months ago and finally managed to sew it up!

The pattern is vintage (circa 1971) Simplicity 9446, which is a pattern for a maxi/mini dress.  I really wanted to sew this as a dress for the summer, but the baby bump made that impossible.  Since I had already done the bodice alterations, I decided to make a maternity top.  The fabric I used is an embroidered stretch poplin from Fashion Fabrics Club.

Sure looks awful on the hanger, doesn't it?  The alterations I made were - FBA, converted the underbust dart to gathers, shortened the skirt to blouse length, full tummy/maternity alteration, moved the zipper from CB to side seam and used an invisible zip.
I did the maternity alteration by slashing a spreading the lower bodice/skirt pieces in front and at the side seams.  I also lengthened the front 2 inches at CF, tapering out to the side seams.

Since the poplin was a little sheer, and I didn't want any show-through, I used white batiste for the facings and button loops.  Those buttons are a bit problematic, though.  Since they are ball shaped, the loops keep slipping off them.  You can see in the top picture that they have all come unbuttoned, just while taking 3 pictures.  Fortunately, the neckline is quite high, so even unbuttoned, modesty is preserved, but I'd like the option of keeping it buttoned, so I may trade those out.

Here is my side seam invisible zip.  This was the first time I tried this in the side seam, and it went pretty smoothly.  It really is invisible!

In the final analysis, I'm not sure that I am in love with this top.  It makes me feel immense, which is definitely not what I am going for!  It isn't bad in the pictures, so that may just be my perception of how tent-like it looks on the hanger.  The puffy sleeves feel a bit linebacker-ish, and the hemline flares out more than I'd like (although I suspect that may be the result of baby belly, and not the pattern's fault!).  I'll wear it around a bit and see how I feel about it...

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In knitting news, the gauge for the baby sweater was totally off with the Bernat Satin yarn, and on bigger needles it would just be lacy, which was not at all a look I wanted, so I decided to go looking for a new yarn. I really appreciated everyone's input!!!  Knitting is new to me, so I feel a little lost when things don't go *exactly* according to my grand schemes.  When I read Liesl's comment recommending corduroy for the pants, I got this mental image of a baby professor, in cream corduroy pants and a tweed sweater.  I can't get that adorable image out of my head!  So, I found a couple of tweedy yarns in heavier weights, and some cream corduroy...

I've already started the gauge swatch with the I Love This Yarn, and it is knitting up nice and dense, but still soft.  If it knits to gauge, it will be the one!  The Wool-Ease is a more subtle tweed though.  I'm just going to knit up swatches of both and see which one I prefer.

Cool girl maternity skinny pants

While the rest of the cool girls are making pants, I didn't want to be left out!!  But our source of all knowledge doesn't really talk about how to make maternity pants, so I was on my own for this one.  I do want a few new maternity pants, and I've been wanting to jump on the skinny pants bandwagon.  (As an aside, I think maternity is the perfect time to try out all those styles and fads that you are a little afraid of.  When else do you have a perfectly reasonable excuse for buying a new wardrobe that you are only going to wear for a couple of months??)  Here is my polyvore inspiration

And these are the AG Jeans from Pea in a Pod I was attempting to copy.  I wasn't willing to pop down the 225 bucks for jeans I'll only wear until December...

And so....  my version

I think I got pretty close!!  These are drafted with the help of Design it Yourself Clothes, but with my own twist to make them maternity.  I sewed them out of a mystery stretch cord that I found in my stash.  The wale is so small, it actually has an almost velvety appearance.  Kinda cool, actually.  I wonder where it came from?  Having never drafted my own pants before, I pretty much stuck to the instructions in the book, but used three different measurements for the rise, in order to accommodate my bump.

Here is the pattern as I drafted it.  Since these are skinny pants and I used a very stretchy fabric, I did not incorporate any ease in the pattern.  You can also see how CF (at the right) dips low to give me belly room, while CB (left) comes up quite high to help the pants stay up on my backside.  I also gave myself some extra length below the knee to give the pants that scrunch effect in my inspiration pants.  I used my maternity panel method that I talked about in my last post.  Initially, the pants had the same jodphur effect that Amanda got with her first draft.

I shaved off quite a bit from the side seams and got a much better fit.  I also had to nip in the back waist a bit to get a snug fit that wouldn't ride down.  How did that happen when I didn't add any ease to the pattern??  
Even after my adjustments, I still have a bit of a saggy bottom.

I lightened the picture so that you could see all the wrinkles.  It doesn't look this bad in real life!

Overall, I am happy with the end result.  I think it has the feel of my inspiration piece and they are quite comfortable to wear.  I think I may be through drafting patterns, though.  I'm not a particularly atypical size or shape and I generally can find the styles and fit I need in commercial patterns.  I have learned a lot about how patterns go together, so I'm really glad that I've taken this journey.

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On a personal note, we had our ultrasound yesterday.  It looks like I will be sewing that sailor suit!  We are having a BOY!  All of his parts are accounted for and in the appropriate locations as well.  It's always a relief to me to be able to see the everything is fine.  Whew!  Now I've got to get sewing!

Maternity Refashion

While I was hunting through my refashion pile for Logan's khakis, I found these cargo pants of mine that were a bit too low rise for me.  I loved everything else about them, so I decided to try out a little maternity refashion.  Nothing fancy, just adding a panel to that pants as they were.

Super cute, hey?  I love that I can wear these awesome pants again!!

Here is how the panel looks.  Since I know a few of you are interested in this maternity path I'm on, I thought I'd put together a little maternity panel tutorial.  But first, I wanted to talk a little about maternity pants in general.  Since this is my third pregnancy, I've tried out a lot of different maternity pants.  They come in two basic types - under or over the belly.  Under the belly is basically a low rise pant with some sort of stretch factor in the back waist to help them stay up.  While I think these are very cute, they are not very practical.  I tend to spend all day hiking them back up, since they only actually fit for about 3 minutes.  While the over the belly style isn't sexy, it is my favorite type of pants.  My very favorite maternity pant of all time is the Secret Fit Belly, made by Motherhood and Pea in a Pod.  I love these pants!!  They fit well for almost the entire pregnancy and they don't ride down.  The panel is basically a seamless microfiber tube that reaches all the way up almost to the empire line.  They are very sleek under fitted styles.  I wanted to copy this as closely as possible, but where was I to get a microfiber tube??  I hit the local Target and found some microfiber brief panties that felt about the same weight as I was looking for, but they didn't come in maternity.  Here is where the genius comes in...
I bought them two sizes too big, and flipped them back to front, so the "butt" side of the panty covers my bump.  And what do you know - it works!!
Here's how to make yours:
You will need - pants that you want to make maternity, a pair or microfiber brief style panties two sizes larger than your typical size (the more "granny panty" they are, the better) and thread
I also think this method would work really well with seamless maternity tights or leggings used for the panel.
First you need to mark your sewing/cutting lines on both your pants and panties.  You can most easily do this by doing them both at the same time.  Put on the panty backwards and pull it up as high as it will go.  You you are looking cool!  Now put the pants on over the panty and zip them up (as high as you can)

(Anything for my readers...)

Now draw a line on the outside of the pants along the bottom of your bump.  If you are making your pants before you are notably pregnant, use the top of your pubic bone as a landmark and draw your line along the top of your hip bone.  Only  do half of your body - center front to center back - as you want these to be symmetrical.

Here is my line, photoshopped in red.  You can see how low rise these were!  I didn't have to take much off...
Now fold down your pants along that line, and draw a coordinating line along the panty.

I pulled the pant down a little so that you can see the blue line.  You want this to be in the same relative spot as the line on the pants.  This will be your seamline.
Now take them to the table and get ready to cut!  First you need to add a seam allowance.  To make your panty lie flat, cut the crotch piece in half, and then fold the panty in half at center front/center back.  It should look like this.

Add your favorite seam allowance (I like 3/8 inch.) BELOW the stitching line on the panty and ABOVE the stitching line on the pants.
If your pants have a fly zipper, you will want to remove the zip, and stitch the fly closed along the topstitching. Don't get too fancy taking the zipper out.  The area will be enclosed once you stitch the fly closed.  You also may want to "debulk" the waistband if your didn't end up cutting it off.  Just rip off the facing pieces.
Line up the panel to the pants right sides together, matching center fronts and center back.  You will have to stretch the panel/panty a bit to fit the pants, so pin around the waistline to even out the easing.  Stitch, stretching the panel as needed as you go.

 If you'd like a little more security, you can topstitch the seam allowances down toward the pants so that you don't get a ridge in the panel.
Now you have your own comfy maternity pants!  I've been wearing these all day, and they are staying where I put them!!  No more hiking up my pants all day!!

New Look 6816 silk pants

So, I finally did it.  I cut up 5 yards of expensive silk and made...

THE BEST PANTS EVER!!!

They are so soft and silky and wonderful that I never, ever, ever want to take them off.  The habotai lining is absolutely luxurious and makes me want to line everything with it.  The crepe flows like well, silk.  I love it!

The pattern is New Look 6816.  I won't bore you by talking about how much I love this pattern again.  Prior versions of these pants can be seen here in jersey and here in poly crepe suiting.

Since I wanted these pants to be pretty special, I did give them some fine finishing touches.  I sewed french seams throughout,

did my first hand-rolled hem (while watching the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice, which always makes me want to hand sew something),

and did the buttonhole elastic casing for maternity adjustment.

I did make a few changes on this iteration of the buttonhole elastic.  I used 1 inch elastic, which is just a bit more stable.  I was so pleased to find it in black at Fashion Sewing Supply!  Thanks, Pam!  She just launched her new e-store, so if you are looking for the best interfacing and notions around, you know where to go.  I also fully enclosed the interior of the casing by sewing together the waistline of both lining and fashion fabric prior to folding down the casing.  This way, the elastic can move freely in the casing when I need to adjust it.  Rather than leaving an opening in the side seam, I sewed two buttonholes to thread the elastic through.  This was possibly the most nerve wracking part of making these pants, as my buttonholer wasn't sewing consistently.  The end result lies much flatter and leaves the button outside the casing, making it easier to adjust so it was worth it in the end.

I'm so happy with these pants and I can't wait to sew more silk!  But first my big boy needs some pants, so stay tuned for a fun khaki refashion.

BWOF 02/2009-124 : Lady in Red

I'm such a sucker for a red dress...

This is BWOF 02/2009-124 again, this time made from a lipstick red ponte knit from Fabric Mart.  I wear this version all the time, but the wide stripes make it feel a bit casual, so I decided I wanted a dressier one for church and other occasions.  And in case you don't have my due date stenciled somewhere (and why don't you??), I am 21 weeks in these pictures.  More than halfway!!

This time to ramp up the dressy factor, I avoided any topstitching, so the neckline is finished with a self fabric band and the hems are hand blindstitched, which is soooo easy on a double knit.  I think it has a nice va-va-voom factor on it's own, but maybe a skinny black belt with a bow at the empire waist?  What say you?

I was also inspired by Amber's awesome knit dress, and I explored some of the other stretch stitches that my machine offers.  Usually when I sew knits I stick with the straight lightning stitch or the triple stitch, but check this out...

This awesome stitch combines the straight triple stitch, which has a ton of stretch, with a quick overcast every third stitch!  So it seams and finishes the edges in one step, while still retaining elasticity and giving a smooth seam on the outside!  I don't have a serger, so I am loving this!  I can't wait to try it out on some less stable knits and see how it performs.

New Look 6816, just the pants...

These poor pants have been sitting for 3 days waiting for thread!  Can you believe that I didn't have navy thread around here??  Well, I finally got some, hemmed and stitched the casing, and these babies are ready to go!

This is New Look 6816 (again), which I have also made in brown jersey here.  This is my wearable muslin for the silk crepe and habotai that I got for my birthday.  This fabric is an inexpensive poly crepe suiting from Hancock, that I grabbed without looking at too closely.  I knew it was crepe and had a similar weight to my silk and that it was navy.  What I didn't notice was that the pinstripes are hot pink!  Bonus!!  They are a perfect match to this Jalie 2787 top I made in February.  Jalie markets this as appropriate for maternity as long as you use a fabric with sufficient 4 way stretch.  At 20 weeks, it's good to go!  I may need another...

From the back you can see how very wide the legs are.  I love them!!  For this pair, I lengthened the legs 1 1/2 inch to wear with heels, and I again did the buttonhole elastic waist treatment.  I really like the way that is working out.  Buttonhole elastic is quite soft, so it is really comfortable, even when tight enough to keep the pants up.  Awesome for maternity!!  I think I am pretty much ready to cut into my silk.

New Look 6816, head to toe and maternity friendly

What is that sound you hear?  Perhaps the tiny footsteps of my mojo coming home??  I hope so!!  In view of how happy my knit dress made me, I decided to keep with the theme and sew some quick knitwear.  New Look 6816 has been a favorite top for some time.  I've sewn it here and here. These continue to be favorite tops that I wear constantly, so I decided to give it another go, and to add the pants from the same pattern to the mix.  I love me a wide legged pant!

While sewing this I had no end of (self-inflicted) trouble!!  My twin needle needed replacing, and I bought cheap Walmart C&C thread, so it kept snapping, all while my twin needle kept skipping stitches.  It took longer to hem the top than it did to cut it out and sew it together.  For the pants, I was wise enough to go get a new needle, so the hems went well, but I didn't listen to Elaine, and although it was one of those mystery fabrics, I'm pretty sure that this was supposed to be lining.  This stuff is thin and painful to sew.  My feed dogs actually kept snagging it if I wasn't careful to hand feed it.  Ewww.  It's a good thing I don't tuck in tops.  The waistband is a mess.

Aside from my sewing woes, I'm really happy with the end result.  This outfit is crazy comfortable.  Check out that perfect line in back!  The fit is really great.  The picture fairly effectively illustrates the thin-ness of this fabric though.  Need something not white to go under there...

I did make a few changes to make this more maternity friendly.  I lengthened the top by an inch to give me a bit more bump coverage, and rather than a traditional cased elastic waistline,

I used buttonhole elastic (which also happens to be very soft and stretchy), and left an opening at the side where I can adjust the waistband as I get bigger, and then pull it back to still fit after baby comes.  I think this will be great for that transitional period before I get my real body back as well.  I am really happy with this pant pattern and am thinking that I will use it for the black silk I got for my birthday.  I'd like to try it out first in an actual woven fabric though, before I start cutting up sixty dollars worth of silk...

BWOF 02/2009-124

I sewed something!!  I know, I'm as shocked as you are!  On Sunday when I wore my knit dress I had a minor epiphany.  I've been avoiding sewing, partly because I'm tired and the pregnancy is kicking my butt, but also because I don't want to sew what I have ready to sew.  Both of my current "In Progress" projects are detailed, woven things.  I don't feel like sewing fussy.  I'm in the mood for instant gratification.  And so...

I made an effortless knit dress!! Yay!

Here it is sans bump.  It is a BWOF from Feb 2009, style 124, sewn for an cotton/lycra interlock knit that I purchased at Fabric Mart.  The pattern is drafted for a woven, but as you can see, works fine in a knit.  I did have to grade it down to a 36, and I moved all of the darts to the side seams.  (Click here for a little tutorial on how I did that.)  I hate darts in a knit, especially with stripes.  I also didn't use the facing pieces, just created a "facing" out of a band cut on the greatest stretch.

What really attracted me to this style was the back.  I love the vee!  I was afraid it would be a little low, but decided to throw caution to the wind and sew it without a muslin, and it is perfect.  Totally covers all the underthings.  I also really like the little cut on sleeves.  They provide good coverage for modesty and you can't get easier to sew!

I actually had a second reason for wanting to sew this dress.  I bought a pair of maternity leggings the other day.  I haven't owned leggings since the 80s, when I was in junior high, but I know that the 80's are supposed to be back, so I decided to go for it.  Once I got them on I realized that I HAD to have a knit dress to layer over them.

I'm still not sure.  I'm very much of the opinion that if you lived through a trend the first time, you are probably too old for it the second time.  I'm right on the edge for this one...