Pattern fitting

I was able to cut out the two dress patterns for fitting.  I started the fitting process on Butterick 5673 first.  This is an unlined dress, suggested fabric is double knit.  I have some black double knit that I used a small portion of when making this dress.  I have some of the black and white geometric double knit from that dress left over also.  I have some other solid color double knit as well, one piece being red.  I may decide that red and black will work better together.  But for now I am thinking geometric fabric for the center pieces.

Both dresses are multi-sized with largest size being 16.  The finished bust measurement for 5673 is 38 1/2 requiring me to make 2 1/2 inch FBA.  I wish the upper size was 18 as that allows for smaller FBA adjustment.  The other fitting adjustment I made was raising the scoop neckline; this is just too low for me.  I raised it 1 1/2 inches allowing for the 5/8 seam allowance.  I made my usual 1/4 inch upper chest/back horizontal tuck.

Forward shoulder and swayback adjustments are also necessary.

As to Butterick 5672, I did not get to it at all.  It too has an upper size of 16 so a full bust adjustment will be necessary also.  I am going to do the FBA on the lining front bodice as that piece has regular bust dart compared to the front bodice of the dress.  I think this will help me figure out how to do the FBA on dress front bodice.  I plan to make this dress from a solid green double knit.  I realized that I had not washed the fabric yet, so took time to do that.

I was not able to cut out the fabric before starting dinner; hope to get some of the pattern laid out and get a start on some of it.

Today is Butterick Dress day

On the right side of the blog you can see my work in progress.  I am going to spend my sewing time working on fitting these two patterns and then cut out at least one.  Fitting patterns is a time chore but very important step in making anything.

Updates to follow.

Top completed

I completed the brown knit top this evening.  This is the second Pamela's Perfect T pattern completed.  This one I changed the neckline to a scoop neck.

The two other patterns I ordered from Pamela's Patterns arrived today.  I want to make the cardigan jacket soon.

I am moving forward with my plans of making a dress next.

This and that

I hope to get some productive sewing in soon.  This week has been a whirlwind of activity related to my job, working late some days and traveling requiring me to get up even earlier than I normally do and out early.

I still have neckband and hems to complete for my brown knit top that has been laying patiently on my sewing table.  I want to begin on a dress pattern next and now that the tricot lining has arrived I am ready to get started on this project.

I am still waiting for the two patterns from Pamela's Patterns that I ordered last Saturday.  I wanted to attempt to make the jacket to begin some transition sewing.

Just looked at some of the new Vogue patterns for spring last night.  There are a few I want and some I already  have a similar pattern but the use of fabric shown in the photos have given me some creative ideas as well.

I am frustrated with Blogger.  I enabled the new embedded comment feature.  Yet I have only been able to reply to embedded comments on a couple of posts that others have made.  Now it is back to not allowing me to reply to comments using this feature.  However if I click on "delete", it immediately responds, takes me to another window and asks if I really want to delete it, I then click cancel because I don't want to delete it.

I have posted my concern and sought help using Blogger Forum and Help.  The only response I have gotten is from someone who also has the same issue.  Not getting good customer support is one of the most annoying things to me, a true pet peeve of mine.  No matter if it is Blogger or a retail store, an online store, etc.  I am using/buying your service/product.  Why can't you take care of the customer???????

Whewwwww! just needed to rant about that for a moment.  Off to shower and get ready to run around with DH for a while.  Later.

What the postman and UPS delivered

I ordered some tricot fabric from Fabric.com which arrived yesterday.  My next dress project using this Butterick pattern suggests lining using tricot fabric.  Not having any in my lining collection, I order four different shades of this fabric.  Two of the items are very soft and 108" wide; the other two are little different in feel and one side is rather shiny and the other side is matte and feels less soft and they are 54" wide.  All are labeled the same as 40 denier.  I have not used this type fabric in years and years; perhaps never actually.  This will be a new sewing experience.

From Fashionista Fabrics I ordered the February Burda Style magazine as I like some of the patterns others have been sewing or blogging about from this issue.  I also ordered some white with navy polka dots in cotton from the same online store.  It is lovely fabric but somewhat thinner/lighter in texture than I had thought it would be.  So I am now rethinking what I will make from it.

Still waiting on the two patterns from Pamela's Patterns.

It is always fun getting these packages.

More tops

I had a J Stern knit top pattern in my pattern collection for a long time.  Yesterday I decided I wanted to try it.  I said before I started you may want to trace sizes and not cut up the pattern.  I did not listen to my inter voice.  Cut to the chase--the pattern sizes I used were way too small!  I did not want to fiddle with making a lot of adjustments.  Lesson learned.  Trace first!  Most independent patterns tend to run large on me so made that assumption with this one.  Not a good assumption.  Will order another one soon.

Thus I decided to cut out another Pamela's Perfect Knit Top.  That fit has been perfected and I tweaked a smidgen more yesterday.  Using brown knit fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics that has aged appropriately, I cut out another top.  This one I am changing neckline to scoop neck, keeping 3/4 inch sleeves.

I did order two more patterns from Pamela's Patterns last night.  I have enough brown knit left to try the tank top pattern that I ordered. 

More later.

Blog background change

With the turn of the new year and heading toward spring, I thought I would change the look and colors of my blog.  It is less dark than the previous version, but the blue coloring feels good.  I will probably play around with the look of it some more.

On the sewing side of things, I found myself pulling out dress patterns once again.  I still have some tops I want to make but I am not feeling the love for knit fabrics that I have in my stash at this time.  I did pull out some blouse patterns as well.  In going through the fabric bin in my sewing room, I found some fabrics that I have purchased in the past two years or so that were purchased just to make blouses.

Who knows what will be my next project.  I don't know just yet, but I am sure it will come to me soon.

Blogger Issue

Yesterday and again this morning while attempting to read blogs, several times when I clicked on the post of a blogger, I would be taken to their blog.  The blog would appear and then go blank.  Sometimes if I clicked on the name of the blog and not the blog title I would to see and read the blog.

Is anyone else having this problem?  I know they have made some recent updates and changes to Blogger.  I only know this because on occasion I read Blogger Buzz.  I read this morning changes to comments.  Not sure that I am clearly understanding what exactly that change is but nonetheless it was the first topic for the day.

Enquiry minds need to know.

Butterick 5566 Take 2-new technique (photo heavy)

Well the second version of the pleather yoke and brown skirt is now complete, except for the hemming.
As promised here is a few photos of the technique.  This is the article below that appeared in the November issue of Threads.

Here is a photo of the darts that are sewn in the skirt front and back in the fabric and in the lining.  For the back piece, if it has a zipper you insert that before stitching the lining to skirt at the waistline. Trim waistline seams to 1/4, I only trimmed to 3/8.  Then pin darts in lining and fabric sewing them as one dart from point to point.

Here the photo shows the continuous side seams of lining and fabric:

And here is where the side seams and waistline intersect:

After sewing, I needed to tweak the fit at the waist line and all I had to do was take a deeper seam of 1/4 inch on each side to make the waist fit better.  This is a nice technique to use.  I think you are experiencing fluctuations in sizes frequently, this is a easy to fix the fit waistline alteration without a lot of ripping.  My first version of the skirt will be donated to Goodwill as I am sure there will be someone who will find it a nice fitting skirt.

I am so happy that I had fabric leftover to make a second one.

Sewing-this and that

I have continued to do some clearing and cleaning in the sewing room.    It is looking much better and now I feel I can start some new projects. 

I am doing a remake of this skirt.  I completed the skirt and wore it once to work.  It did not pass the wearability test at all.  I was pulling that skirt up all day and the longer the day, the looser the skirt became.  I know I skipped an important step and that was applying fusible or sew in stay tape to waist line.

The pleather front yoke has a knit backing and I think by not stabilizing that it grew!  I like the skirt pattern and made a blocked skirt in black and tan that did wear well.  So I decided to undo side seams and take deeper seams.

Well that proved to be very painful because of having to undo topstitching, under stitching, seam sewing----.  So because of my cleaning out the sewing room, I realized I had enough brown fabric and pleather just to make another skirt.  This would allow me to appropriately stabilize the waist line area.

I also decided to try a technique that was in a Threads magazine (Oct/Nov?-the cover is a red lace dress).  This has you sew the lining to waist band, then stitch darts in both fabric and lining and then have one continuous side seam sewing.  This technique will allow for ease of adjusting darts as well as side seam allowances without having to undo half of the skirt before making adjustments.

So I have been working on the new skirt starting last evening and much of the morning today.  I will have completed this by afternoon.  Will take some photos later.

Shrug it off

I really like the eShrug pattern from Sewing Workshop.  It just doesn't work for me.  Sometime back I posted about making this shrug.  I screwed it up the first time using some inexpensive knit lace fabric.  The second was a little tight. 

Yesterday, I attempted to make the next size up, Size 2.  It was huge; I also elongated the sleeves as well as the top using the download instructions for SW to do so.    I used some knit fabric that was black, white and gray stripes; it too had been in my stash for over 8 years.  Because the shrug was so big I think I can salvage the fabric and turn it into at least a cami/tank top.  If not, I will give the shrug to Goodwill.

My next attempt was to draft the pattern between Size 1 and Size 2.  In the end, this was a better fit, but the back, no matter what version I use hikes up in the back and just does not fit around the back of the neck well.  I have decided that 4 attempts is enough.  There are some other patterns out there that I think will work better.  So I am shrugging off making this pattern.

So I will once again focus on other knit tops I want to make.  I also need to get my act together on participating in the SWAP 2012.  I actually pulled some fabric from stash yesterday than I think I will use in developing my plan.

Later.