McCalls 6987 Ruffle-hem Tunic

Here's something that's kind of fun and off-beat - the McCalls 6987 ruffle-hem tunic. It received some pretty negative comments when it was released last year. But I like it! It has a bit of Lagenlook about it, if one just looks past the pics on the pattern envelope. The line art is better:

I went with View A, the conservative choice, for this first version - but I was really tempted by the hi-low  hem of View B. How about keeping that hemline, but making it a little shorter to go over pants or leggings...

This interesting abstract rayon challis is from Girl Charlee's Black Friday sale last November. It's the first time I've purchased challis from them - it's really nice and has just the right amount of drape for this pattern.

For the photo shoot, I paired the tunic with Harem Pants (Pattern Emporium). But I think it would look great with my white Kathryn Brenne ankle pants. I'll be trying that combo on its first adventure out of the house.

Sewing notes:

- Sewed the size 12.

- Did not use the neckline binding pattern. Instead I used a length of 1.75" wide bias fabric cut from black broadcloth and applied it freehand.

- Inserted the sleeves flat, rather than set-in, and sewed the underarm and bodice sides in one continuous seam. So much easier! particularly with challis. BTW the sleeve fits beautifully. The sleeve cap is just eased in - it's not gathered and bunchy. I like it.





The ruched sleeve detail is so pretty, but the pattern and I parted ways on this point. The instructions would have you stretch and stitch 1/4" elastic in place on the inside of the sleeve. Why work so hard? I gathered the ruching line with a basting stitch, and fixed it in place on the inside with 1/4" twill tape. Easy peasy.

And I love the ruffle - ruffles and I get along very nicely. But IMHO, it's a bit too full. So I trimmed off 15" to make it one and a half times the length of the tunic edge - a lesson from my Mom when I first started sewing. The next step was to fold it lengthwise and trim up the top and bottom edges with my rotary cutter. Challis slips off grain very easily - this quick fix gave me uniform width and clean edges on the ruffle. And the confidence to hem it before I attached it to the tunic!

I wish the photos could do it justice - it's very swingy, light, and comfortable. Different and a little funky.

I have an animal print from the savannah on the sewing machine right now - I'm off to tame it.

Ciao! Coco

New Look 6340 Easy Dress - Jungle January!

I love Jungle January, hosted by Pretty Grievances. It's now in it's 4th year. Thanks Anne!

I'm a real enthusiast, so I decided to photograph my first dress outside at night. Hoping for some alligator eyes or a night creature.

All I got was mosquitoes. Back in the house...

Early this morning I tried this again. Much better. No alligators but no mosquitoes either. This is the New Look 6340 Easy Dress, taken to a maxi length. It's the same pattern I used to make a couple tunics last year.

And done in a very lightweight rayon/poly/spandex ponte de roma from Girl Charlee. It's extremely soft and comfortable, not at all hot - I think I'll be able to wear it fall and winter down here.

I got a little surprise while sewing this. I was rockin' and rollin' - made the pockets and ties, ran gathering stitches around the sleeve caps, sewed the shoulder seams, and attached the facing...then turned back the facing to find this little white spot near the front neckline...

Tried to pick it off - but no, it's not lint. It's a misprint, and it repeats further down the dress. This is why I have permanent Micro pens!

 

It's hard to see the details on this print, so a couple pics on Emile.

Topstitching around the neckline and on the back facing.

A few sewing notes:

• Made view D in size 12, and had just the right amount of ease for this knit fabric. I added 20" to make it maxi length and cured the lines of the skirt from waist to hemline.

• I altered the sleeve just slightly, to get a nice elbow-length sleeve. I made it 15" long from the shoulder notch to the unfinished bottom edge, and dropped the sleeve edges straight down from the armhole, i.e., removed the shaping.

• Inserted the sleeves flat, rather than set-in, and sewed the underarm and dress sides in one continuous seam. 

• To make the ties, I cut 2" x 31" strips vertically with the grainline to diminish stretching.

• And turned the ties with the Dritz Quick Turn tool, and a chopstick!

Parting shot: the fellas love their Christmas gift of Hudson pants, and my son wants more in other colors. I'm so complimented!

I'm back to the jungle, bye for now! Coco

New Year and odd lots...

Oh, how I wish a bobbin could have fixed it! I was rear-ended just before Christmas...and I just got a call that my car is repaired and ready for me to pick it up.

I'm OK, the car not so much. I'm so sorry it was damaged - a car is never the same after it gets smacked.

Aggravation. The woman who hit me doesn't have insurance, so all the costs fall on me. Incredible. I am out about $1200 in insurance deductibles and 3 weeks of car rental. My insurance company is suing her, so I might get some of that back eventually.




On to more pleasant things. I almost got all my 2015 sewing on the blog before year end. But here are a couple more things!
 

Even though I wasn't thrilled with my muslin of the Grainline Studio Morris Blazer, I did sew it again, this time in rayon/nylon/spandex ponte. It's such a cute jacket, and I don't want to give up on it.

I think  it works well with things like the maxi skirt I'm wearing in the pics below. But - I haven't really worn it. Maybe because I'm in love with my Jalie Cocoon cardi's.

But I also think I'd like it better with long sleeves. I see another version in my future...

And here's something I made in August - the Hot Patterns Fast & Fabulous Shirt-Tail T. As with all HP patterns I've sewn, the real thing just doesn't look like the picture.

1- It's short and the hemline isn't really a shirt-tail at all.

2 - Check out the sleeve. It supposed to be cuffed, but it won't stay turned up! Impossible. I used a cotton/rayon jersey knit, which is one of the recommended fabrics.  I'm not going to stitch the cuff up, that would look weird and probably lose shape in the wash.

3- That's not a U-neck!

I added a couple inches to the sleeve and just wear it as a pajama top :-) And I don't plan to sew this again. There are so many other choices for cute tee's.

 

And now it's time for a Jungle January alert! Coming soon...

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

Twosies - Walking on sunshine...

 

I've been indulging in some favorite patterns this month. And 2 of my favorite colors - marigold and orange. Given my color preferences, I sure live in the right place.

This is the Dixie DIY Ballet Dress, first made last year in a small stripe. Love love the neckline and sleeves.

As with my first one, the bodice and sleeves are the only parts I used from the pattern. For the skirt I used a rectangle, cut across the fabric width and 43" long. This fabric, a cotton jersey from Girl Charlee, is very soft and drapes nicely, so the rectangle approach works great. If I were using a heavier knit, like a ponte di roma, I think I'd use the original skirt.

I'm hoping the color will hold for at least a year. When it starts to fade, I'll have to buy some more and cut this dress into PJ tops. I also have 3 yards of fleece in this exact color! purchased from JoAnns Black Friday sale. No idea what I'll make with all that fleece, but I'll think of something :-)

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A late-breaking favorite this year has been the Jalie Cocoon Cardigan. My first (not counting two muslins) was done in a fairly heavy ponte de roma from Fabric Mart. This Girl Charlee ponte de roma is much lighter but still stable enough to work well with this cocoon. 
 

This is a very typical outfit for me - harem pants, scout tee, cardi. And if I go out, sandals...

Great pattern, my favorite cardi ever!

So, today I'm going to finish up my grandson's Christmas gifts and actually wrap things ahead of my trip on Friday. I've found that with little ones, quantity really matters!

I think P. , who's almost 7, will have fun leaving post-it notes on the fridge. And squirting Archie the pup and anything else that moves. Of course he probably already has a squirt gun, I've given him several. But undoubtedly he needs more for water wars in the pool.

A bigger gift is a stationary box with personalized note cards. Yes, I'm encouraging good manners, but I also hope he gets into letter writing. He's a very organized little guy - I think he'll enjoy this. I created the design on Avery's site, super easy.

Parting shot:

I got such helpful tips in response to my Christmas Eve attempt to capture the full moon. So - I put a little work into it and went back out on Christmas night. Ta da! I got some great pics of the moon. Thank you!

Bye for now - Coco

It's a jungle out there...

 Freak out! I was sitting on my porch with a cup of coffee earlier today, gazing across the garden - and noticed something strange about one of the plants near the porch door. It kind of looked like a leaf on this samosa euphorbia was rolled inwards. Upon inspection - the biggest, fattest, and most unusual caterpillar I've had in this garden!




This fella, apparently intent on eating the whole thing, is the larvae of  erinnyis ello – the Ello Sphinx Moth.

Fully mature, he has a wing span of 2 15/16 to 3 5/16 inches. I've seen only one sphinx moth in this garden, years ago and at night. I'm really careful not to put caterpillar host plants in my garden - they're just too destructive. Nothing I have is a particular lure for this moth. However - this is Florida, he has lots to eat elsewhere in the neighborhood, and he found his way here. I inspected all my plants and found no siblings...and I'm thinking of pulling up my neighbor's poinsettia plants one dark night. This moth loves them.



The black spot on his back is a fake eye that he flashes to intimidate predators such as myself.  With the eye and the markings on his head and back, he tries to look like a small cobra!

That's my hand behind him. Big big bug.




So, back in the safety of the house, I've been working on a new knitting project - I'm making socks! The caterpillar might not intimidate me, but double point knitting needles sure do.  But so many people make such beautiful and funky socks. I need some.

A little research on Ravelry, and  I found 'Marie's Basic Sock Pattern' - perfect for a beginner. And check it out! It's so easy to please me...I like this awful yarn :-)

I just don't think this caterpillar has redeeming qualities, but I admit I enjoyed reading about him.

Ciao! Coco