A Garment A Month November & December

  So here are my very late MAGAM garments. November's boatneck top and December's Betsy Jacket from DIY Clothes.  While the top looks very good on me the neckline could use some more work. I think its mostly fabric related than anything, when I used facings for it they did not lay a flat as I wanted them to and when I used bias tape it made the neckline stand away from my body. In both treatments I used self fabric and the fabric is stretch embroidered cotton. I plan to work with some more and try to perfect it since it fits me so well.

December's Betsy jacket was not as successful as my top. Since my shirt is a bit fitted and the jacket is suppose to be a bit loose, I went on and just drafted this one from scratch using Cal's directions again. Once it was made up in muslin I noticed I had a bit of fullness in the armhole area. I darted it out and transferred the dart to the shoulder making a princess seam. Since I had plan on using a denim I decided to also add front patch pockets to give it sort of a classic denim jacket look.  Well once I had all the changes made and sewn up again in muslin, I realized that all that extra fullness at my waist is just not a good look. So I'm going to have to play around with this one also before I can commit to some fashion fabric.

shoulder princess seam

Until next time, happy sewing...

Make A Garment A Month November

For my November garment I'm planning a boat neck / bateau neckline top. It will be very similar to New Look 6808 which I have made up a few times and is one of my favorite patterns but its not mine, my draft and the fit is still not perfect. So I'll be using my own top pattern that has taken me months to draft, fit, adjust, fit again, and adjust some more. The front fits like a glove but the back still needs work, its still a work in progress but its so much better than anything I could get in ready to wear and beats hacking away at a ready made pattern. I don't know what it is but I just love making my own patterns. If I had the training I think being an indie patternmaker/designer  would be my calling. I mean sometimes when I get maybe an hour or so in my little studio to work on a pattern, I can get so caught up in it that 1 hour has turned into 2 hours and I still don't want to leave but I have just made dinner late oops. I heard that if there was something you could do all day without being paid and loved it then that would be your dream career and that is how I feel about sewing and patternmaking.

Anyway so here is my mood board sort of for November.
Until next time, happy sewing...

New Look 6808 In White

This is the second time I have made this top and so far it has been the most flattering top I have made for myself. I kept going back between this top and Simplicity 2599 and I think this one is more flattering but I still like the other but want to work with this one for a while. I made this first back in 2009 I think but I know I wore that top a lot more than I wear the ones made from Simplicity 2599. The fit is still not perfect but its a veery good start. The only problem I have with this top is the show through but that can be fixed with the right under garments.

PR review:
Pattern Description: Misses easy to sew with with 6 different variations and side zipper.

Pattern Sizing: 8 to 18, for myself I sewed a size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Pretty much other than the sleeve change.

Were the instructions easy to follow? I had no problems with the instructions when I used them, but the lapped zipper I did my own thing.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The facings were a bit short for me, which I see a lot of other reviewers have noted also. I made this pattern once before and the facings just kept flipping out.

Fabric Used: For this top I used a Japanese cotton shirting I purchased from fabric dot com.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Well I altered this pattern about three years ago when I first made it and now I just used the worn out shirt as a muslin, the next time I may go up a size with a smaller FBA and see how that works. For this newer one I lengthened the sleeve and just left off the cuff but it is still 3/4 sleeve and added 1 inch to the neck facings

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes I plan to work with pattern a lot more, I love how it looks on me and the neckline is very flattering. The fit is not perfect yet but I'm closer than I have been with any other pattern and with time and patience I think it will be a very nice TnT top pattern for me. Yes I would recommend it to others.

Conclusion: A nice and easy top pattern to sew and as you can see from the many reviews very flattering on a lot of different figures.

Until next time, happy sewing...

Another Anthro Inspired Item

 So one of my March projects is a black and blue floral top inspired by this Anthroplogie top. I have had this picked saved in my inspiration files for awhile and when I walked into to fabric shop and saw this print it instantly reminded me of this top, so I got 3 meters.

I'm not sure yet if I'm going to use my TnT top pattern or my simplicity shirt pattern and just modify for the right look.

I have already washed my fabric and have it folded and waiting. Once I have decided which pattern, I'll need to add length to make it more tunic length and also I'm not sure if I want to do a self fabric belt. I still have a few more days before I'm finished my current top, so I have time to think about it.

Simplicity 2725 3x

 I'm done, I did it, I started and finished my contest entry. Three tops in one month and also gave birth on the third day of the contest so that took off more than a week. But I did it, I DID IT!!!

 Okay now about my tops. For the first one I kept everything as is other than eliminate the back zipper. So the black top is the bare bones of the pattern,just a great way to show off a nice fabric.

For the second top which is the red and black cotton print from Joann's a few years ago, I did not add the cuff to the sleeves and instead hemmed it as is and add a drawstring to the sleeves. to control some of the fullness I made a small belt with piping and added belt loops to sides of the top. My only problem was that I made the belt a bit too small because after sewing it up, it took me two days to turn it by hand and even then I did not do all of it, by the second day I gave it to my daughter to work on but I ended up finishing it.

 For the third top I decided to add pockets to the bodice and also I added sleeve taps and also again I did another belt but this time I learned my lesson about the size of the belt. This time it didn't take me long at all to turn my belt. The fabric is a medium weight beige cotton that was purchased from fabric.com a few years ago.

 In conclusion I'm so happy that I did this contest for many reasons. For one I really enjoyed working with the blank canvas and making something totally different each time. It has given me a since of accomplishment for having completed this time around and on time at that. Also I see the true value in having TNT patterns. I don't think this will be my basic top pattern but it is one of my TNTs now and I hope to make more in the future.

Until next time Happy Sewing...
    

Simplicity 2725 first top is done

 Well my first top is done and has been for about a week now. Surprisingly it fit almost straight from the envelop. My only adjustments were to lower the bust dart a bit and widen the neckline so I would not need a zipper in the back. I will say that learning to make my own patterns is helping me to understand adjustments and how to make them.

 The fabric I used was cotton with some stretch to it that my sister bought me from Morocco a few years ago it reminds me of the  cotton poplin I had a while back.  While it is cotton I think I'll have to wait until it cools down a bit more before i wear it. Yesterday at 116 degrees, I try to keep my clothes as light and airy as possible.

The pattern again is Simplicity 2725, its also my level 3 garment from my learn to sew blog. Its pretty much a basic top with a neck facing, gathered sleeves with small cuff. The top is also very a-line so if you have hips it will accentuate them.

I have already started my second top and hope to be done before the end of this week I have about 2 weeks to finish at least 3 more tops for my contest entry. I hope I can get at least three done in time but I know I'll have the minimum of two done in time God Willing.

Until next time happy sewing.

A Basic Top

To give you an idea of what I'm looking for when it comes to a basic top.

Now to find a pattern.

Happy sewing