Monday, April 6, 2015

New Look 6340 Easy Dress and that moon...


The April full moon has had me seriously awake! It has been spectacular, under clear skies every night. And then - the eclipse. Lucky folks on the Pacific coast got a full eclipse, complete with a blood moon. I'm jealous...

I went out around 6 a.m. to capture our partial eclipse here in South Florida. The sun was rising at my back, and the moon was very low in the west, so I was fortunate to get these shots (well, they are 2 of about a million that were not as nice). Left my tripod at the house, because I thought I could just walk out in the street and take pictures...but I ended up walking some distance to get away from foliage and street lights. Just me and the night critters.

My full moon project was a tunic version of New Look 6340 'Easy Dress'. Love it!


I started with View D and used the patch pockets from View A. 

No tie needed...


This is a seriously cute and easy pattern. On the inside:



Sewing notes:
  • I used size 14, my usual Big 4 size..
  • The finished back length, measured from the center back neck, is 31 5/8".
  • My fabric is a soft, smooth cotton calico from JoAnns. It's called Red Packed Roses - I used it for a Gabby tent dress previously. Wish I had more! But it and the Green Packed Roses are all gone.
  • I love love that this dress has a bust dart, which I moved down 1 3/4".
  • All the seam allowances are serged on the edge and pressed open. Sleeve and skirt hems are finished at 1".
  • The facings come with the pattern and fit very nicely. They make the v-neck so easy to finish.

Check out the pocket! an unexpected and nice detail. It's a little hard to see, but it has two pleats in the center. I 'save' pocket patterns in a zip-lock bag, so I can go through them if I want something different for a project. This one is a keeper.



I just realized that the hazy spot on all my pics must be on my camera lens. I was really fumbling around to do the manual adjustments during my night shoot. Phooey.



Off to clean my camera! Bye for now - Coco

22 comments:

  1. That's a cute top in such a vibrant color! OK, I'm awake now!

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    1. Thank you, Mary! I wore it today with white linen capris - it was fun!

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  2. I like those pockets too. And I always enjoy your pictures; you do a good job of showing your sewing & the background of plants & flowers are so pretty.

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    1. Thanks so much, Beverly. I do love my garden...peaceful.

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  3. Pretty tunic, and now another pattern that I "need". I got Simplicity 1852 after seeing your shorts and plan to make that soon.

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    1. Thanks, Janie. Hope your shorts turn out well, I've enjoyed mine.

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  4. Beautiful fabric for this smart tunic! It really looks nice.

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  5. Red is such a pretty color for you, Miss Coco! Great shots of the eclipse, I'm afraid I forgot to look myself.

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    1. Thanks, Andrea. I almost missed it...but it was easier than the other thing I do, which is lie on the driveway to watch the annual meteor showers!

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  6. Lovely top and the color is very flattering too!

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    1. thanks so much, Bunny. It took me many many years to wear red. I was brought up in a very conservative Southern home. Beige, tan, navy, brown, pastels, no black...now I can't get enough color!

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  7. What lovely colourful clothes you sew. I love this top. Amazing backdrops too, and sunshine. Something which is in short supply here in the UK.

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    1. Thank you so very much - a lovely compliment. I was in the UK quite a bit when I was working, my team was based in Brighton. I always enjoyed the beautiful small gardens that seemed to maximize every bit of sunshine available. Quite pretty and they've influenced my gardening over the years.

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  8. That is a great tunic with a very lovely shape - very nice indeed.

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    1. BeaJay, thank you so much. The shape is so 'easy', I love wearing it and plan at least two more.

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  9. Coco, I like this top very much and want to thank you for reminding me of New Look patterns...they are seriously cute and I seem to forget about them.

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    1. Thanks, Mary. You're right, New Look can be surprising. I forget to look for them as well, since they're tucked into the Simplicity website and so on.

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  10. Ok, I want it. I was 'blahed' by the envelope, but as a tunic, you have made it sing. Another winner!

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    1. Thank you, Anne. A great one for prints...I need to go to Mary Jo's!

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  11. Thanks, Val - and it hides soooo many wayward bumps and so on!

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  12. What a fun tunic, Coco. It looks great on you!

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I love it that you came by...and thank you for your comments! Coco