Vogue 8598

I  promised a picture of this modeled, and here it is!  In the posed picture the fit issues may not be immediately apparent, so here we go...
As a frame of reference, I started with a size 12, did a 5/8 inch princess FBA using Debbie Cook's amazing tutorial.  Since the waist fit fine without the FBA, I also took out 1/2 inch at the waist from the princess seam to compensate for what the FBA added.  Then during construction ended up taking another 7/8 of an inch from each side seam from just above the waist to the hemline.  All told, I added 1 1/4 inch to the bustline, then had a net loss of 3 1/4 inches from the waist and 2 1/4 inches from the hip.

After all that the fit in the back is so-so.  I think I may need a bit of a sway back adjustment as I have a little pooling above the bum.  Or maybe I need a bit more space for the bum!

In front there is a bit of extra fabric above the bust...

the neckline is enormous

as are the cuffs.

But there is major pulling under the arms.  That is as high as I can raise my arm.

I think that the armhole is just too low.  There is a sleeveless view, and I suspect it may have been drafted for that with the sleeves added as an afterthought.

But aren't these awesome sleeves???

So, my thought is that perhaps I need to go down a size and just do a larger FBA to compensate.  Could it be that simple???  What do you think?

New Look 6638

I spent all day sewing with my friend Starla yesterday.  It was so fun!!!  And I was able to finish Myra's new PJs in record (even for me) time.

Aaah!  Even I can't handle how cute she is!

Here are the PJs, which are also pretty darn cute, if I may say so.  I only had 1 1/2 yards of fabric and the pattern called for two, so I just barely scraped by with what I had, and had to change it up just a bit, although that wasn't just to conserve fabric.  I get more annoyed by Big 4 pattern instructions by the day...

The collar is trimmed with lace.  The pattern instructed you to assemble the collar, then stitch the lace underneath.  How stupid is that???  I inserted the lace between the under and upper collar.  A much nicer finish.  I also omitted the interfacing on the collar.  My flannel had plenty of body and the lace provided sufficient structure.  I do like the bias bound collar attachment, though.  I'll give Simplicity credit for that one.

The sleeves and pant legs call for casings made of bias strips, which is fussy and fiddly and annoying to do.  I zigzagged on clear elastic.  Much better!

In the fabric conservation area, I did have to alter the lower ruffle.  I almost had to omit it completely, which would have been too bad.  It's darn cute.  I did have to piece it and there wasn't enough width to do a double fold hem without making the ruffle a bit skimpy, so I overcast the lower edge rather than hem.  Not my favorite, but it  doesn't look too bad with this busy print.

Myra seems to like them!

for lounging...

playing...

and dancing!

Could she be any cuter???

Design it Yourself skirt: Pattern drafted and muslin

The Kitschy Coo Design-It-Yourself Clothes Sewalong is starting to heat up, and I was feeling behind the power curve!  So, I drafted my pattern and got going on my muslin.

Here are my pattern pieces.  I deviated only slightly from the instructions in that I didn't do a front dart.  I have a reasonably flat stomach, so I don't see any point in adding curves there.  I do have significant "back" so I deepened the dart in back to accommodate my posterior curves.

I cut it out of some scrap fabric and sewed up a muslin!  I know, me, a muslin?  I want to make the final version out of some silk twill and I didn't want it to end up yucky, since I can't get any more of this particular print.  Besides, I've never drafted anything fitted before, so I had no idea how this was going to go.

From the front.  I think I was holding the camera funny, since the picture is at a slight angle.  I'm not sure why my hips look uneven.  Probably the somewhat hasty and slapdash zipper installation...

From the side the fit looks good.  Excuse the pointy butt darts.  It's a muslin, after all!  I'm not sure about that side seam, though.  I think that it may be listing a bit to the front at the hemline.  What do you think?

I'm very happy with the fit from the rear.  Since I am a bit more curvy than the standard block that most pattern companies use, my rear view is seldom this good.  I am definitely a fan!

A few comments on the book itself.  Since I am a very novice pattern drafter, I think this is a perfect book for me.  Someone with more experience would probably find it a little simplistic.  The woven blouse, for example, doesn't even have bust darts.  This is also not a sewing text!  The assembly directions are quite brief, so if you haven't already sewn together a skirt or two, you may find yourself in trouble - or at the very least in need of another book to help you out!  With those caveats in mind, I heartily recommend this to someone who is just getting started in pattern drafting.  It is any easy and fun read and the drafting instructions are clear and well written.

Vogue 8598

I've really needed a basic white blouse, and I've been stalking Vogue sales at my Hancock for Vogue 8322, but they never have it in my size, so when Vogue 8598 came out I snapped it up.  I love a shoulder princess seam and those double puffed sleeves are too cool!

Here it is!  Sorry for the hanger pic.  Hubby is in Portland for yet another interview.  I'm having some fit issues though, so I'll get some modeled pics when he gets back so y'all can help me puzzle that out.

Despite my fit issues, this is a really cool top!

The sleeve is so interesting!  Here is a picture of the gathering at the elbow.  It is achieved by gathering the lower part of the sleeve into the upper.  The pattern piece is totally weird.  Basically the upper part of the sleeve is slashed in half at the shoulder to the elbow and a large section of the middle is missing.  You seam the upper sleeve together, then gather in all of the excess from the lower sleeve.  Very cool!  the sleeve is then gathered again into a cuff.

The sleeve is also puffed at the top.  Lots of gathering in this blouse!!  This picture also shows the shoulder princess seams, as well as the self faced button band.  The pattern calls for a total of 16 buttons.  That was a lot of buttonholes!

The pattern has a two piece collar with stand, which I like for a basic blouse, but I decided for this one to leave off the collar part and just use the stand, to give it a mandarin collar effect.  I like it!  I also think it gives the blouse a bit of a turn of the century feel.  I'm not sure I'm in love with the little pearl button I used on the collar.  I may swap it out for another of the clear ball buttons that I used on the rest of the blouse.

So, the pattern...  As I said, tons of fit issues, which I will leave for another post.  It has been a while since I really paid attention to the instructions on a Big 4 pattern, and can I say, they suck.  I did use them for the sleeve assembly, but for the rest of the blouse - no.  Seriously, this is a menswear inspired blouse.  Why in the world would I set the sleeve in the round???  Besides my sleeve phobia, I didn't see the point, so I set it flat.  I also was not about to do miles of slipstitching on the cuffs and collar.  I attached them from the wrong side and edgestitched them down.  They also instruct you to staystitch and clip the princess seams.  This isn't a bad idea generally, but these are not sharply curved the way an armhole princess would be.  Even with my FBA, it was totally unnecessary.  I wonder if anyone actually ever looks at these instructions critically for the individual patterns or do they just cut and paste from a block of standard directions?  Very annoying!

Despite my gripes about the instructions, I really like this pattern.  I think if I can iron out my fit issues, this will be a great TNT for me.

Ottobre 01/2009-25 "Nopsa"

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts on my mini wardrobe plans.  I think the solids (and the pinstripe - not a solid!) will be good and versatile, but if a cute print in a lavender/blue jumps at me, I may change my mind...

Logan's Easter ensemble is complete, so now I can get back to my selfish sewing.  Hee-hee.

These are to go with his Thomas the Train shirt that I made last week.  They are the "Nopsa" pants from the 01/2009 issue of Ottobre.  They use the same basic pant pieces that the "Teku" pant that I made him for Valentine's Day, which was great since I knew they fit and I wouldn't have to trace them off again.  The difference between the two is pocket style and placement, as well as a few belt and tool loops.  There were also supposed to be knee pads on this version, but since these are church pants, I left them off.

Here is the back.  I messed with the saturation so that you could see the pockets.  The color is actually a dark navy.  Aren't those nested back pockets cool?

Up close.

The other pocket is pretty sweet as well.  The front pocket curves over the side seam and becomes the upper  back pocket.

Next up is a Great White shirt for me, and I need to get to tracing and altering patterns for the Mini Wardrobe contest.  I can't start cutting fabric until the 16th, but I can get my patterns ready!