Fabrications Part 3 Smart Little Vest

Fabrications:Change the fabric, change or add trim,lengthen, shorten, fold the edges but don’t change any fitting seams.

Silhouettes #800

Look #1 Delicate Elegance

Style Changes: Extend to mid-knee length, release darts below waist. Bind collar, back neck, front, bottom, side slit, and armhole edges. Bind center back and side back seams, omit buttons and use for pairs of ties.

Look #2 Sporty Spirit

Style Changes: Add drawstring cargo pockets to the front, sew a corresponding tie in to each dart to secure the drawstring. Add a casing drawstring to the back waist area.

Look #3 Dramatic Pleated Collar

Style Changes: Replace the applied collar with a standing pleated ruffle. Add decorative ties to the back waist.
Part 1 Fabrications Wrap Top
Part 2 Shirt Dress
Until next time, happy sewing

Fabrications Part 2 Classic Shirt Dress

Fabrications:Change the fabric, change or add trim,lengthen, shorten, fold the edges but don’t change any fitting seams.

Burda 3222

Look #1 Casual Elegance

Style changes: Omit the collar, cut off the lapel, omit the sleeves, raise the armholes 1 inch. insert ruffles in the front princess seams.

Look #2 Sassy Retro Effect

Style Changes: Cuff the sleeves. Belt and Blouse the waist. Add a colorful slip to accent the sheer fabric and cut it shorter than the bloused dress.

Look #3 Dramatic Flair

Style Changes: Cut the left front panel from a vibrant print. Add asymmetrical tab and button closures.
FYI: This pattern is out of print.
Part 1 Fabrications
Until next time, happy sewing…

Kwik Sew OPML V.1

For my first top, this corset shirt is my inspiration. I have had this pic now for a few years now, and I’m not sure where I got it, but I think Bebe.com.  I like the possible waist slimming effect the corset could give me  It will not be an exact copy, but it will be quite close. I'm still working on what I want to do for the closures, but for now, I'm leaning towards using black and white buttons instead of hook and eyes and buttons. On another note, this is a rtw top. Look at the twisting going on with those sleeves, and the pulling across the front. It's not a good look to me.
 
For my top, I'm using a white cotton twill that I found here (KSA). When I first bought it, my intentions were to make a nice lightweight skirt, but once I got it, I realized that width was much narrower. As a matter of fact, it was not even folded on the roll like I thought it was. The total width wasn’t even wide enough for me to lay out my a-line skirt single layer, so in the collection it sat. For the corset portion I’m using some leftover black sateen from a recent skirt and vest.  

So this is where I stand today with everything all cut out. I still need to get some buttons, but I’m hoping to start sewing tonight.  I also I think I’m finally going to make it to the souk (market) for some much needed notions, and maybe even some more fabric shopping which is always nice.

Until next time, happy sewing…

From Fabrications To One Pattern Many Looks Contest

Based on what I have read at the forums over at Patternreview, the one pattern many looks (opml) contest was started using inspiration from a series of Threads articles starting with issue 112, in which the  editors took one pattern and made three different looks. They called it Fabrications. The rules simple, change the fabric, change or add trim, lengthen, shorten, fold the edges, but don’t change any fitting seams
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The Fabrication series starts with issue number 112 and ends with 115, over these four issues they use a wrap front top, shirt dress, vest, and a coat.  Over the next few weeks I’ll show the different patterns and their different fabrications from Threads magazine and try to explain the changes for each look the best I can. I hope this can benefit others who want to take a pattern to its max, without extensive pattern drafting, and for others to see the many possibilities in a single pattern,

First up Vogue 2752:

Look #1 Crisp, Classy Blouse

 
Style changes: Turn-back lapels, tie waist, and inverted box pleat sewn along the shoulder/ sleeve seam at the hem.

Look #2 Sporty Sophistication

Style changes: Lapped seams on the princess line and center back. Narrow self-belt with silver buckle.

Look #3 Dressy Suit

Style changes: lengthen the sleeves, create double-breasted closure, add two rows of braid along front/ collar/ bottom edge
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Next will be the classic shirt dress.

FYI: These issues are from 2004 so some of the patterns maybe out of print.

Until next time, happy sewing...

Neeeexxxt....Kwik Sew 3199

 So I have tried Simplicity 2614 and to me it was okay but I don't think I'll be using it for the contest. The fit was good for a start but it was something about that bias lower front and back I just didn't like. I used a fabric that would be more like the fabrics I am using instead of the stiffer muslin that I have so I could gauge the hang better and it was that hang that I did not like. Also  just like other tops I have tried I get that huge pool of fabric in the back. With tops that are cut on grain I now I have an idea of how to adjust the pattern for this problem but a bias cut back I'm not sure if the same adjustment works. So I am moving on to another pattern on list of possibilities, Kwik Sew 3199. It has very similar line (the empire waist) as the Simplicity pattern, so my  rtw inspirations will still work with this pattern, in fact most would be better with his pattern. The main reason I went with Simplicity first instead of this pattern first was the closings. Closings take more time and also I would need to take a trip to the notions shop which is not always easy for me, as you can see with my LBD that is still waiting to get interfacing now for the past 5 weekends.

 This is where Simplicity has been left, I never got around to adding the sleeves.

As of today I now have two days to fit Kwik Sew 3199, if I don't want to cut into contest time. This is not a lot of time for me since the kids are in the middle of end of term exams,this also explains the lack of blog this week. I'm hoping that I can start work on my first top January 1.

Until next time, happy sewing...

Waiting and Waiting

My sewing has basically been put on hold for one simple thing, interfacing. I have tried for the past four weekends to get down to the souk but life with a large family,things just happen. So  have decided to move on for now from Simplicity 2473, but I hope to get back to it real soon since I do not want this to stay as a UFO for long.
On another note, Patternreview has finally posted the contest for next year, and I THINK

I will be participating in the very first contest of the year. From Jan.1 to 31 the OPML (one pattern, many looks) will be taking place and I THINK I’m in for this one. Once again I’ll be using a top pattern, as of right now I THINK I’ll be using Simplicity 2614. I’m really loving the patterns that already come with the different cup sizes, it just make fitting a bit easier for me even though I’m still figuring out which size is the best for me. 

As of this post there are 50 reviews of this pattern and for the most part the all of them seem to be positive reviews, so I’m hopeful.
My aim is to make seven different tops, one for each day of the week, but my goal is three. I already have a few ideas swirling in my head and all have a RTW top as its starting inspiration. So stay tuned for that. I have 8 days until the start, so I’ll be muslining (I know that is not a real word or verb for that matter) and trying to find fabrics in my small fabric collection. So stay  tuned.

Until next time, happy sewing…