Burnout jersey and sticky business...

Have you ever noticed how jersey knits want to cling to pants and skirts? right there where it's least wanted - on the bum.

I've overcome this issue in large part by wearing my jersey tunics with ITY knit bottoms. Nice slippery ITY - nothing clings to it, plus it's just so comfy to wear. Bonus - just throw it in a suitcase. It doesn't wrinkle.

But I digress. I've been meaning to make a 'slip' for my tunics for a long time. Such a simple solution.

I used a poly mesh knit from Fabric Mart, acquired 2 years ago - 8 yards of it! because I planned to line a mother-of-the-bride dress with it. It's really more of a knit lining than a mesh, and I've used quite a bit of it for interfacing knit garments.

At the same time I bought 8 yards of poly/cotton burnout jersey in a beautiful abstract (think Art Nouveau) print. In the end, I used something else entirely for my MOB dress.


But I really wanted to use the burnout jersey and finally got my act together for the needed slip. I used Butterick 5954, View A, as the starting point for the slip, largely because it has the basic silhouette of my tunics.

I simply sewed it together on the serger, put it on Emile, and trimmed away at the armscye and neckline until I had nice muscle shirt lines! The fabric is so stretchy that it was easy to fold in the edges to hem them - no binding needed.

Then on to a B5954 tunic in the burnout jersey...

A few notes on sewing the burnout jersey, which has intimidated me - this is the only piece I've purchased:

• It's definitely sheer, and it's not straight-forward to sew because of the thick-and-thin texture.

• After trying several sizes,I used a size 70 universal needle.

• I used normal pressure on the presser foot, and I worked with my upper thread tension to achieve a stitch that didn't look loose on the burnout areas.

• Finishing the hems - I serged the sleeve and skirt edges to stabilize the fabric, then folded the edge twice and finished it with topstitching. No steam-a-seam tape needed.

• I think it would be a lovely fabric for a scarf - but I don't think it would work well with a rolled hem on the serger, because of the varying texture. Has anyone tried it?

I wore white pants for these pics so that the lines of the tunic would show up - in real life I'll probably wear black or gray.

No cling!

The slip works like a charm.

A side note: I worked on this in Ft. Myers last week, and I managed to get there without any gray thread. So I bopped over to Holly Lobby and picked up a spool of their Sew-ology thread. It worked great, I absolutely could not distinguish between it and the Gutermann I generally use.

Whew! What a project. But I enjoy sewing challenges, and I feel good about conquering the burnout fabric. Meanwhile - it's almost the weekend. I hope yours is nice and full of sewing :-)

Bye for now - Coco

Butterick 6215 Tunic - Sunday Fun Day!

Well, that old August moon has had me up three mornings in a row at zero-dark early. I'm usually up by 5 a.m. anyway, but 3 a.m. is, well, earlier. However, I've always enjoyed the quiet and stillness of the early morning hours. They go great with fresh coffee.

I have a TV in the loft and watched listened to The Incredible Dr. Pol reruns for about 4 hours this morning, finishing this cute top.








I've liked this pattern ever since I found it - it's kind of funky, kind of Lagenlook, and it has lots of mix-match potential:

Last year I sewed View A and completely redrafted it to use fitted sleeves. That was a lot of work, and, afterwards, I didn't like it. The sleeves were stuffy looking and just didn't meld with the ruffle. This time I sewed View C, and I left those sleeves alone!

A few notes:

• I sewed the Medium. Yes, it appears to have a lot of ease, but the Small would have grabbed me under the arms. And it's supposed to be full and swingy.

• No pockets. IMHO, those are some weird pockets.

• As with my first version, I brought the center front hem down a bit. The original curve line is just too extreme for my taste. 

• And I added 1.5" to the hem, front and back. 

On Emile - I Iove that hi-lo hem:

The neckline is faced - and the facing fits! But be sure to staystitch both the neckline and the yoke edges before sewing. The instructions remind one about the yoke, but forget to mention the neckline. And it's needed - there's a lot of bias in the front, back, and yoke neckline edges.

Facing: cotton/poly broadcloth, which is more stable than challis.

Now the challenging part - my fabric. This is a pretty simple pattern, just seams, nothing fancy. My first version was cotton lawn, which is easy-peasy to sew. But this time I used rayon challis, which squirms, eludes, escapes, ravels... Aack. I spent more time pressing, pinning, and basting, then I did sewing. 

But it was worth it. This is incredibly comfortable to wear, and I like how it looks!

Pants - Pattern Emporium Harem Pants in ITY knit

I debated adding this next bit - but I will. Please please don't sew the armhole and sleeve the way Butterick suggests. If you look at it carefully, this approach leaves lots of raw edges at the armhole. Yuck.

An alternative: I serged the side seam allowances, continuing about 1" into the armhole area. Then I stitched the sides with a 5/8" seam and pressed them open. When I hemmed the sleeve, everything came out nice and tidy. This approach, or a variation, works with just about any 'kimono' sleeve.

Parting shot: It's Sunday, and my sewing loft has reached it's maximum messiness level. But I don't mind. 

I hope everyone is enjoying a safe weekend,

Tchau! Coco

p.s. Blogger got really wild this morning and published this 2 times, plus put 2 drafts in my files as well. It needs coffee!

Summertime tote bag - a big one!

It's Memorial Day, the official flip into summer. But summertime always starts early in Florida - it has been hot hot hot and humid. And the last thing I want to do is carry a leather handbag with all its metal zippers and whatnot's. Too much!

Solution - a fabric bag. About five years ago I drafted a tote bag pattern, very much based on the Amy Butler Birdie Sling.

There are a ton of inspiration pics of the Birdie Sling on the web, and lots of tutorials as well. So drafting my version was pretty easy. I've made over 20 of these bags. They were both gifted and sold, back when Ashley and I were doing the craft fair circuit.

But I still have and use the first one I made. I love it. It's roomy, about 26 ¾” tall, including the handles, and 18” wide, and it has some incredible physics going on. Load it up, and the weight is barely felt on one's shoulder. Seriously! I'm sure it has something to do with the inside bag hanging freely from the top band. Whatever it is, I'm amazed every time I use it. I don't know if that is characteristic of the AButler bag as well, but I'd be interested to know.

BTW, this one has been through the laundry several times. Yes! machine wash and dry. 

Time to make some more. It's a great way to use remnants, since each piece - shell, inside bag, bands/handle - uses a yard or less of fabric. Calico, quilting cotton, and light canvas all work well. This cute black/grey number is the first one I've done without contrast fabric on the bands and handle. And it works perfectly with just about everything in my closet.

Keepsake Calico Cotton - Black Lines, from JoAnns

On the inside: Nothing bugs me more than a bunch of loose stuff on the bottom of a hand bag, hiding my keys and making me crazy. So the inside of this bag has a pocket on each side. One is stitched down the middle, the typical phone & glasses accommodation...

Lining Fabric, Buttercream Bicycles - Gray & Metallic - JoAnns

And the other is zipped - a catch-all for lip balm, nail file, comb, tissue, the jewelry I take off when it bugs me... I used a purple zipper because it's easier to see than a black one would be. And I'll put helper of some kind - a ribbon or charm - on the pull.

On the clothes front, my latest pair of Love Notions Sabrina Slims:

Black/White Ethnic Glyphs Cotton Spandex Knit, from Girl Charlee

Top - Butterick 6024

Parting shot: Zebra butterflies and a giant swallowtail roosting in the guava tree at sunset a couple days ago. They're in the tree almost every night now, just six feet from my porch. Beautiful.

This little guy is not so little - 5" wing span!

Ciao! Coco 

Butterick 5533 Knit Jacket

In the spirit of my epic run of posts this holiday - the Butterick 5533 jacket. Another of my favorite patterns.






I haven't see this sewn a lot, but I jumped on it a couple years ago because I just love the back detail. I'm a sucker for swing cuts and details coming and going...


I used the front of View A, and the pockets and back of View B. And so far, I haven't put on any buttons - that decision is still up in the air.

I thought the front was a bit plain, so I drafted it in two pieces, split across the upper bodice, and topstitched the seam to accent it a bit. If you squint, you'll see it...

On the pic below you can also see the two-part sleeve. Such a nice design detail. I didn't do the curved/faced hem on this sleeve, mostly because I think it would weigh down the fabric and not sit well.

This fabric is 12 oz. stretch denim from Girl Charlee - 63% cotton, 33% poly, and 4% spandex. It has 4-way stretch and curled like crazy on the edges when I was sewing it! I expected it to be more denim-like than it is. It's definitely woven, but it feels and sews like a knit.

And here's a version of the jacket that I made in 2013! It was gifted and never blogged. It's done in poly fleece (JoAnns), with cotton trims and facings (Kaffe Fassett Roman Glass from Westminster Fabrics). It has the same gathered back, but I added the hood from Burda See & Sew 5807, a hooded cape pattern. So cozy. And the hood fit without any alterations to the neckline! I'm sure I'll do another one with this variation.

 

This is the vented and faced sleeve from the pattern. Beautiful.

Sewing Notes:

• All the suggested fabrics are wovens, like corduroy, tweed, lightweight denim, etc. But both my versions are knits - I just went down one size to a 12, and the fit is great.

• Those back gathers. There's just way too much fabric in them as drafted, knit or woven. On the denim knit, I removed 2" from the center back, and on the fleece, which is much thicker, I removed 4".

• A caution: the sleeves are narrow and, if you're tall, they might be short. 

The jacket is unlined, which I like for Florida, but that presents a couple finishing 'opportunities'.

•  I drafted a back neck facing for the grey knit - I cannot stand to turn under the upper collar edge on un-banded collars. The faced hood on the fleece version served to finish the neckline, no facing needed.

•  And I faced the back yoke on both versions. It was kind of like sewing a squid...

Buttons? No buttons? I pinned some on this afternoon, and I think I'll add them.

I've thought a lot about this pattern and how it might be used. Maybe as a cropped swing jacket in french terry, with some gathers under the front yokes, a hood, a separating zipper - it has so many possibilities.

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This is my last post of 2015! Thank you for spending so much time with me this year, for sharing your life, and for enriching mine. I hope you and all your loved ones enjoy a happy, healthy, safe, and fulfilling new year.

Bye for now - Coco

Sewing for the girl...

They don't grow up or leave home or exit your heart. Children...

I love this pic with my daughter - she was ten, I was 34. That expression on her face is her signature look even now. Happy girl, girlish, and fun. And my best friend.

Ashley is 43 now and has a planned surgery at the end of the month. Of the female order, menopause issues. She's anticipating a two week leave from work and recovery at home, and of course I'm going over to lend a hand in the first days after she leaves the hospital. And to give Darrin company also. This is hard for him as well - they are so very close.

(Of course Ashley and I talked about including her plans in this post. She feels very strongly that women need to listen to their bodies and prioritize their health needs. So she's happy to be a second voice here. Thank you, love).




I was thinking about what I could make that would be helpful to her. And a robe came to mind immediately. Do you have this hospital memory - they get you up and out to walk the halls, pushing your IV stand with your gown flapping open in the back. Well, got that covered! I found this lovely pattern, Butterick 5544 Rachel Wallis robe and gown. (Club BMV has it in both envelope and download, but I'm impatient and downloaded it from Sewing Patterns).

Pretty! and easily transformed to a button front robe with roomy patch pockets.

This fun flannel is from JoAnns, and yes, it's mosaic skulls. She'll love it.

The front of original pattern is slightly overlapped and closed with two inside buttons along the skirt/bodice seam. I redrafted it to have a faced button placket. And I simply echoed the placket in the turn of the skirt facing.

On the inside...

All the seams are finished and felled for maximum comfort, and because flannel becomes somewhat fragile with repeated laundering. I don't want a seam to pull out.

I want one! which means I'll make myself one before long. Hers is so soft and easy to wear.

Still thinking of Ashley, I also sewed a muslin of Simplicity 2031. I hope it's a wearable muslin, because the crinkled gauze knit is really cute. I found the pattern by chance, on Honey Pie's blog. She mentioned that it looks like a popular dress sold by Torrid - one of Ashley's fav stores!  And I downloaded it from Sewing Patterns as well. I think it's a sleeper. It has no reviews on Pattern Review, and Honey Pie's pics are the only ones I've found. Now that I've sewn it - it's so pretty and easy to sew, definitely repeatable.

Fabric from Fabric Mart

Such a nice sleeve. So many cut-on kimono sleeves are overdone. This one is pretty and falls about halfway down the upper arm.

Because Ashley is 5'9", I added 1.5" to the bodice front and back length. On my Emile, which is my height, it looks like the elastic casing hits on the waistline. But on Lizzy, Ashley's dress form, it is higher, as intended.

Such a long rambling post.

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My thoughts are with all those touched by the events unfolding in France and Belgium. Bye for now, Coco