Simplicity 1806 So ruffled blouse...

Blouse fabric, ACMoore minibolt calico
Pants, Vogue 8584 loose fitting pants, Holly Lobby calico

I've worn this blouse so many times on the blog - and promised a review.    So it is time! This is one of the funniest patterns I've ever sewn. And I guess that needs explanation :-)

The variations are just great. I particularly like the one with the three ruffles in the front (View A) and the one with the flounce on the side (View B).

A major attraction of this top: the princess-style seams. So much easier for my bustline. No darts to move or fuss with. And as it turns out, I did not make any seam adjustments at all.

I started with View A, three ruffles. Piece of cake! until I read the italicized print in front of the very first step : 'trim 5/8" off the neckline and armhole allowances'. hmmm. Didn't I just cut out this pattern? OK. Perhaps the additional trims are because the pattern is drafted for sleeves and so on. So I trimmed and sewed.

And ended up with a neckline that just stood up and saluted me! Really really did. It was not too low - it was just too out there! I'm not sure you can even see it in this photo, but when I had it on, it did not conform to me at all. Just stood up and said ' hi there'.

I was sooo dismayed, I almost threw the pattern away!! But slept on it. And decided to run 1/8" elastic thru the neckline binding. Ah. Worked great. In fact, it was perfect, because it brought the blouse into my thump thump hollow chest.  The first photo shows how nicely it turned out :-)

      A BTW: I pretty much do all my armhole and neckline bindings so that they are turned
      to the outside, not the inside. I like the extra visual 'weight' on the bodice  - and the control
      I get on the topstitching.  I am reminded of  'no wire hangers!'....for me it is 'no armhole
      puckers!'  LOL

So I moved on...to View B. Which only requires one to 'trim 5/8" from the armholes', but not the neckline. Alrighty. And this view has neckline facings, not bindings. Oh my. This view is so very pretty, sewed up like a dream, and I made no adjustments at all! Love it!

Blouse fabric, JoAnns white dot on dot cotton
Pants, Vogue 8584 loose fitting pants, JoAnns calico

Now that I've gotten used to the pattern, and we've come to an understanding, I've sewn it half a dozen times! And I just got it in to sew for my daughter as well. She is an attorney, I think the three ruffles in a muted blue/grey stripe shirting will be gorgeous under a suit jacket.

A couple more versions...

Blouse fabric, ACMoore minibolt cotton
Pants, McCalls 6291, JoAnns weavers cloth

Blouse fabric, Tonga Batik City Abstract, cotton
Skirt, Coldwater Creek

And I have the side flounce View B already cut out and ready to sew in soft peach broadcloth. Because the side flounce shows both sides of the fabric, broadcloth, yarn-dyed or similar fabrics are good choices for this view.

What a nice summer blouse this turned out to be. It's easy to sew, just has a few quirks.  Love it.

Ciao! Coco

Burda 7200 Maxi Dress - Take me on a sea cruise!

This dress has so much history! I need a sea cruise just to recover from the experience.

First, I bought the pattern, Burda 7200, because View A, the long version, just looks so svelte and sexy!

And second, I was fully aware that the long version should be done in a knit - and I have been avoiding sewing knit fabric for a looonng time. This pattern seemed good incentive to revitalize my knit sewing skills.

This is not exactly the svelte and sexy look I was after! but I do love the dress. It is done in a cotton jersey from Girl Charlee. What a cute print! Nautical and tropical and so fresh. And it feels wonderful.

Zoris, CVS

Of course I had to choose stripes for my first foray back into knits! Managed them pretty well, only the one side drifts down a bit :-)

I sewed a size 14, it worked very well. While there is a lot of volume in the gathered parts of the dress, the neckline, armhole, back, and bust really do rely on using a correct size.

Are you as wary as I was about sewing jersey knit? Here is what I learned along the way, maybe it will help you too!

Seams: I started with a 5/8" seam, which I hand-basted together.  I sewed the seam using a narrow zigzag stitch (length 2.0, width 2.0) with reduced tension on the upper thread. Then I pressed the seam, trimmed it, and serged the edges together to finish.

Neck and armhole detail: There are lots of gathers, curves and topstitching in these areas - I knew I needed to use a straight stitch. Used length of 2.5 and again, released tension on the upper thread.

The 'collar' has fusible interfacing. This sent me off on a google search...what to use for a lightweight knit? I get so frustrated when I read things like 'a fusible weft interfacing will work well....'. So here is what I used, and it worked great!

Hem: Fear not! I always look for a simple approach :-) So I zigzagged the hem, letting the entire stitch be on the fabric. And pressed it flat to sink the stitches.

Then I applied 1/2" Steam-a-Seam to the the hem edge, on top of the zigzag. I turned the hem up and topstitched using a length of 3.0 and released upper thread tension. This worked great!

Here you can see the zigzag and topstitching on the inside....

And the outside of the same area...

And the product itself:

So color me happy :-)

Hasta luego! Coco

Simplicity 2443 Cynthia Rowley Vest - to the Max!

Polo, J Jill
Jeans, Motto
Sandals, Born

I just love this vest and jacket! Such a perfect peplum and length. 

I actually bought a 6 1/2" yds piece  white corded cotton from FFC so that I could sew this...but have not done it yet! I decided to mull over the pattern (picture me mulling over pattern) and then do a muslin first. 'Cause the corded cotton was expensive!

I am so stingy. I had a little over a yard of Kona cotton in black. I love Kona cotton. It is 4.3 oz. per yard and has a wondrous hand and slight sheen. Perfect for lightly structured garments, bags, purses, kid's things - and this vest. And I liked having it in my stash soooo much that I very reluctantly sacrificed it to this project!

A back view first then what I did!

Pants, Vogue 8584 Loose Fitting Pants
Fabric, Calico, Holly Lobby

I think Cynthia got the peplum just right - sassy.

Skirt, Kwik Sew 3914 Pleated Skirt
Sandals, Chinese Laundry

 I redrafted her lovely vest to be a vest/blouse combo, by making a few very easy alterations. I just do not like necklines above my collarbones! I like scoop or v-neck bodices - I think they are so much more flattering and so pretty to style. 

Here is the front pattern with my drafting marks to (1) create a buttoned vest/blouse, rather than one that meets and ties at the front center,  and (2) restyle the front neck to a v-neckline suitable to a buttoned blouse or vest.  (I am gritting my teeth, but not inclined to fight this...I cannot get this photo to rotate!)

• I used the existing cutting line as my new seam line. This left fabric to the outside of center front.
• Then I added a 5/8" seam line to the new front edge.
• I used another pattern (BurdaStyle 2011/09#128) to determine the start point and angle of my new neckline.

My newly redrafted front piece on top of the original pattern:

More pics! I just love it! And will be sewing it with the beautiful sleeves that comes with the pattern and as a sleeveless blouse in many cherished fabrics.

Model, Emile

The gathers in the center back are from my having made a 1 1/4" broad back adjustment in the upper back and simply gathering the fabric into the peplum. Worked very well.

 Happy! Coco

I love a package - Zippers

I might as well be in a candy shop - look at these zippers! Twelve 12" zippers in such beautiful colors! Not sure if I should sew them or just hang them on a string an look at them...

They came today from Pink Chalk Fabrics, only $9.95 for 12! (Love the store, the blog, the newsletter). And they really do go with something.

I've been feeling crafty - and I blame it on Svetlana. Her small quilted and pieced projects on s.o.t.a.k. homemade are so beautiful. Well, her quilts are beyond beautiful. I like to go and just look once in a while.

Anyway, I love to make bags and purses and pouches. She has done some really pretty ones. And lately it seems everyone (movie stars, royalty, tinkerbell...) is carrying a clutch purse. So...I'm going to make some!

Pink Chalk has a great downloadable pattern from Keyka Lou, $8.

Looks are deceiving - the large one is just shy of 12" x 7"! And the smaller one is 8" x 5". Love it that you get both sizes in the pattern.

And the really nice touch (what makes this a clutch, not a cosmetic bag), the inset zipper. I've never sewn an inset zipper, am happy to have a pattern at last.

So I've actually been saving even the small scraps of all the cottons I've been sewing this summer, and I have a bunch from quilts and craft projects. Sometimes I need a break from sewing garments and just want to fool around with something. This should be perfect!

Ciao! Coco

Goodbye to the new sewing machine...

My new 'vrroooom' Brother PC-420PRW sewing machine turned out to be a beast!!

There are so many things I really like about the machine - but sadly I had persistent issues with the upper thread tension. I could not even sew a straight line! Had to rethread many times to get the thread tensioned, and then it kept slipping. The result was uneven loops in the upper thread and very loose bobbin thread.

Good news - after 6 projects and valiant efforts, I simply returned it. No cost to me. And I'm back working on my sweet dependable Brother CP6500. Ah.

Hasta luego! Coco

Vogue 1247 - Woven top remix

Knit skirt, Citiknits
Sandals, Free Spirit

I feel like I've joined the sewist sisterhood!  Vogue 1247, Rachel Comey's tunic and short skirt, is so well-known and well-sewn. A Best Pattern of 2011 on Pattern Review, I found 58 reviews there, and I think I read them all!

Love the lines and beautiful lower bodice seaming detail, but for me the shoulder pleats and sleeves kind of overwhelm the blouse.  And  the mid-bodice horizontal dart is a problem if a stripe is used! Soft wovens and drapey fabrics are recommended - but I sew tops in quilting cottons or calico most of the time. They are cool and nice for the Florida climate - but they are not particularly drapey fabrics. So a remix!

I decided to (1) remove the shoulder pleats from the front and back shoulders, (2) ditch the dart! and (3) redraft the sleeve.

• Pinned and flattened the pleats and mid-bodice dart in the bodice front.
• Drew the short kimono sleeve using the bodice of the Serendipity Diane Kimono Dress, which I already knew was a good sleeve for me. Added 5/8" hem allowance to the sewing line.
• The same shoulder and sleeve changes were made to the back piece.
• Verified my seams were going to fit each other and the bottom bodice pieces by pin-fitting the altered tissue.
• And traced out new back and bodice top patterns.
• Not shown here, I also raised the front neckline mid-point by 5/8". I simply added 5/8" at the center front and cured the new cutting line.

Here are the new pieces as cut, using Robert Kaufman's Dill Blossom Stripe quilting cotton:

The bodice top was cut across the grain, and the back was cut with the grain. I made no attempt to match stripes on any of these pieces! Hard enough just to find my thread in all this!

All the seams are serged - french seams are just not a good finish for this weight fabric! Oh, well, yes, serging is lots faster :-)

Fun top! I sewed a size 12 and think the fit is great. 

It is easy to slip on and off, and I love the way the sleeves turned out.

Pants, Motto
Zoris, CVS

And the good bones of the blouse are intact. This blouse is just the right length for pants... 

 I like the way my jeans pockets peek out under the hem.

I am so very easy to please :-) Ciao! Coco