Red princess seams

I printed the Penny Pinafore pattern the other night, and taped and then cut away.

I like the concept of pdf patterns with the lines in different colors, but for those of us with plain black and white printers, that doesn't always work out so well. Instead of cutting in the daylight, as I should have, I did it when it was getting pretty dark. And while the dining room light is one of the brightest in the house, it doesn't do great for very slightly different types of lines. The plan was to cut such that I could grade between the 3 and the 5. I discovered the next morning that on some sides of these, the 3 is outside of the 5, and I therefore chopped it off. Oops.
Anyway, I pressed ahead with a FBA and a muslin (tracing a line a bit outside where I cut the line I needed). While the fit was overall quite good with just the FBA and some grading out towards the hips, it was a bit big, and the positioning of the princess seam line is kind of weird. I thought I must have screwed something up in the course of the FBA, but I think that's more of an issue with my weird adjustment after having cut off the line I needed.

So, the next day I reprinted the pages to reconstruct the sides where I'd cut the needed lines off, and went back to work. I did scale down to the 2 grading out to a 4 through the waist and hips.

Things I like:

• The level of the neckline, and the height from shoulder to bust. I am short through there, so it's easy for necklines to end up super low, but not here!
• The princess seaming. It looks great, and the FBA is so easy!

Thing I'm on the fence about:

• The neckband is super short! For the muslin, I put it on last (er, halfway), since I wasn't sure if I was going to bother with it anyway. It did not work out well, and I'm too lazy to unpick it on a muslin. Anyway, lesson learned. Put it on before sewing the 2nd shoulder seam, and pull that puppy tight (or it won't reach nearly far enough!). I also cut the neckband based on the 3 for the actual top, instead of a 2 to match the top of the bodice.

Changes I made:

• FBA (2" added each side) (The pattern instructions say you probably don't need a FBA with this pattern. While that may be true for folks with a C or D cup, I really don't think that's true for me.)
• Graded from a  2 to a 4 (muslin was from a 3 to a 5 - could still use a smidgeon more space through the waist, and less through the hip)
• Lengthened the cap sleeve a little, didn't use the sleeve band (I don't really like a banded sleeve that short)
• Shortened the tunic length to a regular top length (cut off about 3 inches total)

And here's a lesson from the world of knitting that seems to apply - in knits, negative ease through the bust and hips can be good, but positive ease works much better in the waist. (Thank you Knit to Flatter.) This top is okay, but if I had another inch through the waist I think this would be more comfortable and more flattering.

The fabric is one yard of a cotton lycra blend from Girl Charlee. The pattern claims 1.75 yards are needed for the tunic length. I wasn't sure how big this piece was when I started, but I started laying the pieces out and they fit.
I realized toward the end of stitching this up that I cut the pieces sideways (I wonder if that's why they fit?). With small lengths of fabric I tend fo be careless about figuring out which way is which, especially with knits (where the selvage may not be so obvious). Of course, if I was thinking more carefully I could have just looked at the direction of the stitches and seen that it was sideways, but I didn't. Luckily it still fits, and there's enough vertical stretch that it's okay.

I've been watching the Sew Better, Sew Faster class on Craftsy which I bought awhile ago on a sale. While I doubt I'll ever make the jacket that's part of the class (it is not my style), it is a great class! Some of the techniques I've learned made this project much easier (especially handling the curves of the princess seams -- I'm not brave enough to ditch the pins yet though).

And finally, I seem to be demented at sewing elastic on the shoulder seams. How does one do this? Most attempts tend to end with the elastic and fabric getting sucked down into a mess in the feeddogs. I managed to get it on here by pushing it through the serger. What am I missing?

Despite my screwups, I love this pattern, and this top. More are definitely in my (near) future. I also just bought the Comino Cap top, and that will be coming up soon, once I figure out which version to start with, and what fabric from my stash to uses. 

Jalie 2794 - no exciting title!

Yeah, I'm not good with titles.
Anyway, I have just finished Jalie 2794.
The fabric is a grey and black floral modal cotton knit, with 2% spandex, from Girl Charlee. It is the 9 oz weight, which I consider just about ideal.


I did a FBA, adding one inch to each side, which is about 1/2" less than I would usually add, but so many reviews of this claim no FBA is needed.


Well, I muslined that up in a cheap, very stretchy knit, and it seemed about right. I'm calling this a wearable muslin, even though because of the issue with the front gathering I might not wear it out of the house. (very stretchy = front gathering didn't work as intended) Sorry it's so wrinkled - I wore it for the day before I took this.

In my stiffer, yet adequately stretchy (according to the pattern) fashion fabric, I realized I probably should have gone with a larger FBA. It fits without much in the way of drag lines, but it is snug through there.

I made a size S, based on my high bust measurement and wanting a little more room for seam allowances. Jalie's 1/4" seam allowances scare me a little. Based on the muslin, I took a little bit out of the back neck by rotating the back pattern piece just slightly - which also gave me more room in the hip, which I certainly could use at that size.

I remain somewhat unhappy with steam a seam lite. I used it in the sleeve hems and the hem, and while I like how easy it makes hemming knits, I still don't like the feel of the result. It's just too stiff for my liking, and removes too much of the stretch.

In other news, I considered doing Me Made May, but don't think I really have enough every day sort of self-made clothing to make that very practical (read = not stressful). Instead, I'm trying to think through what I do wear on a regular basis, and am giving some more thought to how I ought to tweak my sewing habits to coincide with that. (Let's be honest - my knitting habits actually coincide quite nicely with the concept of everyday wear. Most of what I've made so far is not weather appropriate for May, however.)

Slow Start

So, 2014 has been off to a slow start sewing wise. I made the husband another pair of pants. I've done quite a bit of knitting. I made a Tonic Tee, and a skirt.  That covers January through April!

Tonic Tee

The Tonic Tee is a really nice pattern - I know this may mark me as crazy, but I like it better than the Renfrew. With a bit of a FBA, it fit me great right out  of the gate. Except I should have added some length. While I am often considered "petite," what height I do have is in my waist. I took out about 3/4 of an inch between bust and shoulder, as I'm short through there, but did add a bit of length back in the process of the FBA. I could use another inch, maybe two to get this to a length that is really best for me.

More Tonic Tees are in my future. 
Oh, and this pattern goes together really fast. 

This puppy doesn't get a lot of wear, however, because it stinks - literally. I didn't notice it in the fabric shop, but there is a pretty horrible chemical smell to this fabric. When I've worn it people assure me, when asked, that they can't smell it, but I can. I think it is something to do with  a specific black dye, but don't quote me on that. I have a pair of rtw black pants that have the same smell, only worse. So bad that they made other items in the wash their first time through also smell. So bad that I washed them in vinegar, and then baking soda, and then again, and then left them in the garage to air for a month before wearing them. And I can still smell them. Since this project, I've started sniffing at any black fabric or clothing I'm considering, right there in the store. People in stores may think I'm nuts. (While the scent in the pants in question is stronger than this shirt, since they're farther from my nose they are somewhat less offensive to wear.)

Gored Skirt

The skirt is Simplicity 1560, view b.   This pattern is a recent release, although it was out previously, around 2001 or thereabouts. I loved it then, and I love it now. The view I usually make is a gored skirt with a lovely swish in the right fabric. I found this beautiful wool on a cold day in January, and this seemed the perfect option. While it is a cute skirt that I'll wear plenty when we return to winter, this wool really is too heavy for this design. It would have been better for the a line version. 

(Speaking of which, does anyone find the images on pattern envelopes misleading with regard to fabric suggestions? I mean, here we get a photo of view b, in what looks like a wool. A pair of pants I'm working on has a photo of the pants in what looks like wool, when that's definitely not one of the suggested fabrics.)

I fully lined this is Bemberg rayon, hemming the rayon to the wool. Probably should have let the lining hang free, as it does affect the hang of the skirt a bit.  And I should have made the waist facing out of something other than wool, as that is a smidge itchy. 

Even fully lined, this was a quick and easy sew. In a shocking variation from my normal trend, I didn't bother to muslin this at all. I chose my size based on the finished garment measurements, and just forged ahead. (I didn't even trace the pattern!) And it fits great, but I think there's less to be worried about fit-wise in a skirt. I did have to chop a couple inches off the bottom to hem it to an appropriate length. When I make it again (and I will), I should probably find a lengthen/shorten line further up to remove the excess length. 

Previously, I made it a couple times in stretch cotton sateen. That was better, but it would really sing in something lighter still. Swing dancers, if you're looking for a great trumpet skirt pattern, this is it! It has just the right amount of swish when swiveling, yet doesn't fly up in the course of spinning. 

Knitting

I started knitting right at the end of December, and I love it! It seems much easier than sewing to do in small bits and pieces, which may be why I feel like I've gotten more done there than sewing. So far, I've knitted two scarves, a cowl, a pair of hand warmers, a pair of socks, and a sweater. I've just started the Georgina Cardigan.  
If you're interested, you can see my projects on Ravelry. 

2013 Wrap Up

I'm pretty happy with what I've completed this year:
3 pairs of pants
1 pair of pants for the husband
3 knit tops (Bonny Knit, Pastel Renfrew, and Striped Cabarita)
3 dresses (Anna 1, Anna 2, Red Velvet)
1 blouse (see below)

Apparently I do things in 1s or 3s.

What I learned this year:

• I learned how to do French seams, which are not that hard. I have bad spatial reasoning skills so I do have to think them through a couple times to make sure I've got it right (and I usually try a sample on some leftover fabric), but they really give a nice, beautiful, clean finish to the inside of a garment.
• I tried to learn how to make my own bias binding, but I failed miserably. Luckily I had some store-bought in about the right color, so used that to finish the blouse where I had planned on my own bias binding. See above re: bad spatial reasoning skills. Maybe I'll try again in 2014, but I'm okay with store-bought bias binding.
• I learned how to do a FBA, which is a big part of why I sew. Also not that hard. My plan is to learn more fitting skills in 2014. There's something weird with my shoulders that I haven't quite figured out yet.
• I scrapped two projects - one pair of pants that was in the UFO pile (they were there because I realized I wasn't going to like them even if I finished them), and a top that if I had been reading pattern reviews I never would have started. Ick that thing was terrible.  (Thus I learned when it's time to give up, and to always look for pattern reviews before starting a project.)

Blouse

I haven't gotten around to really blogging the blouse, so I'll just do it here and get it over with. I made the Colette Jasmine blouse in a cheap polyester silky (that wants to be swiss dot and charmeuse all at once). Because it's pretty see-through when held up to the light, I opted to do French Seams. I wound up not doing them on the sleeve insertions, since I chickened out of figuring out how do to that, and I had already discovered the fabric wasn't as see-through as I thought. (In fact, I thought I might have to wear a camisole underneath to make it work appropriate, but it's fine without it.)
Otherwise, the result of the french seams is that the inside of the blouse looks fantastic! It really is a beautiful, clean look. Again, because of the semi-sheer nature of the fabric I opted for bias binding to finish the neckline (see failure above), and interfaced the sleeve cuffs with a beigish organza.

Alterations

And let's do talk about the sleeve cuffs. They are ridiculously small. While I made the top, generally, in a size 4, I had to go up to the size 14, yes 14!, cuffs to make them fit. Because the sleeve is gathered I didn't do any other alteration to the sleeves to accommodate that change.
I did make a muslin of this, and made some alterations in the process - a high bust/short upper torso adjustment, and made the neckline smaller - it was extremely gapey, and way too low, even with the other adjustments. In the end I went too far, so before making it again I'll need to find the happy medium. Oh, and I wound up taking some darts in the back of the muslin to make the back of the blouse not stand inches away from my body. I transferred those to my pattern before cutting, and thus had to redraft all of the collar pieces as well.
I also should have made it longer. While it covers the top of pants, it only barely does. I do have a long waist, but I'm short enough overall that I don't usually have to make too many adjustments there. I could use at least 2 more inches. And I should have done a FBA, but between Colette being drafted for a C cup (which is smaller than I wear, but hey!), and the muslin seeming okay in that respect I didn't do it.

I will probably make this again, but I will probably play around with altering the neckline more seriously. I mean, how many bow blouses does a girl need?