Ottobre 06/2008-13 & 03/2011-20

Because she needs new clothes...

Myra has recently developed a bit of an obsession with Hello Kitty, so when I saw this knit print at Cottonwood Fabrics, I snatched it up. It is a little on the thin side, and I think it looks a bit PJ-like all by itself. Myra picked out this hot pink panne velvet at Joann recently and when I got it home, I realized they were a perfect match.

Both patterns are from Ottobre. The top is the "Sweet 'n' Cosy" tunic from the 06/2008 issue. I've used it before to make fleece PJs and I like the way it fits.

This time I actually did the elastic at the cuffs. I think it helps make this look less like PJs. I used my binder on the neckline. Both fabrics were very curly and hard to work with, so I am really glad I had the serger and coverstitch to help tame them.

The bottoms are super cute. This is the "Funky Stripes" skirted leggings from the 03/2011 issue of Ottobre. The design is for capri length leggings, but I lengthened them to full length for winter. I love the look of a skirt with leggings. This way you only have the one waistband. And they match, which is not always the case when Myra picks out her clothes...

This was a quick and easy outfit to put together. I'll definitely be using these patterns again. In the meantime, I've also been hard at work on a coat. After 3 muslins, I'm finally ready to cut the fabric. It's going to be awesome.

Merry Christmas!!

I'm wearing my velvet top today, so I thought I'd show you all how it looks on.

I think I could have given myself a bit more room in the bust, but it is comfortable and I like it. Next time I'll do a real FBA. I also noticed that the facing doesn't quite come all the way under my bust and there is a barely visible line where it crosses the chest. I think I'll make it a little longer to eliminate that.

I hope that all who are celebrating are having a wonderful Christmas Eve full of joy, family and good food.

And something sweet under your tree.

Simplicity 3536

Sometimes when I am in the middle of a complicated project, I like to take a break and whip up something quick.

This is Simplicity 3536. It's so OOP that it isn't even on Simplicity's website anymore. This was actually one of the first patterns that I bought when I was coming back to fashion sewing. I'm not sure why it took me so long to make it up, but I sure am glad I finally did.  I think this red stretch velvet (from Joann) is perfect for the holidays!

One of the features that I like about this pattern is the rouching, which you can see a bit better in the back view. There is elastic rouching at both side seams as well as the top and bottom of the sleeve at the hem. The directions instruct you to stitch on elastic while stretching, which I think is an excellent way to do it, but I decided to just shirr with elastic in the bobbin. It worked well, but I noticed that if I shirred through the seam allowance I lost a lot of elasticity, so my sleeve rouching is a little uneven.

Here is an inside view where you can see my favorite feature of this pattern - the facing for the cowl. Look at how deep it is! It comes all the way to the underbust line. It is cut on, so there is no seam.

It is secured into the armscye and side seams. That baby isn't going anywhere. It always makes me crazy when my cowl facing flips out. I love how secure this is. I think this is an adaptation I will do on future cowl neck tops.

The holidays are crazy, so I probably won't get a chance to post again until they have passed, but I hope that your holiday season is enjoyable and that you have plenty of stitching time!

Butterick 4910 - Christmas edition

I saw this adorable dress on Crafts 4 Lily and decided to take a little break from my current WIP to make Myra her own Gingerbread Dress.

I'd forgotten how bizarrely long the sleeves on this pattern are. Do you like how she has styled her dress with her leopard print flats? Ever the fashionista, is my girl. She never leaves the house without a bit of animal print on her person.

 The pattern I used is Butterick 4910, which is just your basic raglan sleeve tunic/top/dress. This is the long version, but shortened 5 inches to make it below knee length. I've used this pattern a couple of other times and I like it reasonably well, except for the weird sleeve length thing. Really, any raglan sleeve dress pattern you happen to have lying around would work for this dress. The fabric is a 21 wale corduroy that I purchased at Joann specifically for this project. I wanted a lighter, gingerbread brown. I think velour, velvet or velveteen would be equally cute.

For the trim, I stitched red rick rack to the sleeves (about 1 inch up from the hem) and at the seam between the skirt and ruffle. I found some cheerful green buttons in the stash and stitched three to the upper bodice with red thread and then tacked a bow at the left sleeve seam on the neckline. The arms are shirred with elastic thread.

Myra is pretty darn happy with her dress, and so am I. It is amazing what a little trim can do to spice (ha-ha) up an otherwise simple design. I need to do that more...

Boys!

I had to derail some sewing plans thanks to a very active boy who managed to wear a hole in the knee of his only nice pair of pants. You know, the really nice, lined ones I made him a month ago. Seriously!! They only lasted a month!

So, I pulled out his TNT pant pattern (Ottobre 01/2009-23) and whipped up another pair.

This time, they have knee patches. I made these from a flannel backed twill that I've used for pants for him before. Those wore well, kept him warm and were comfortable. Plus, the flannel side of the fabric is cozy, so I didn't feel like they needed a lining, which made them quicker to sew.

The only embellishing I did was to quilt the patches in straight lines and topstitch the side and crotch seams with dark grey thread. For the patches, I just used the worn out pair to determine size and placement. I put a piece of thin batting under the patch for increased sturdiness. Let's hope these last longer than a month...