Good & Plenty Twist Top - Butterick 5429

Pattern: Butterick 5429 (2009)

Pattern Description: Sleeveless close-fitting top with front neckline twist, dropped shoulders, and stitched hem. (Note the nipped-in waist in the pattern illustration at left.)

Pattern Sizing: It came in (8-10-12-14) and I made a size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Not really, as it was not as fitted as the illustration would have you believe.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, very.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I was intrigued by the twist detail at the center front. I liked the idea of a very simple top but with interest.

 

Fabric Used: A lovely knit gifted from Kyle that reminds me of Good-&-Plenty candies. I think it is a nylon and spandex blend meant for swimsuits. However, it was fine for this and I used it before to make this dress.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: At first, I made no alterations. There was a construction change because of the fabric I used. Machine stitching was difficult, my machine kept skipping stitches. I ended up going over every stitching line twice, I couldn't even risk doing a zig-zag stitch. Because of this difficulty, all raw edges (neckline, sleeves and hem) were hand stitched in narrow 5/8 " hems.

If I altered the side seams it would look like the sketch.

After wearing this top for a while I realized that it was just too big and shapeless. The illustrations on the pattern were very deceptive, this top came out an almost perfect square (as seen here). There was no waist shaping like in the drawings so I decided to scoop in the side seams for more shape.

Would you sew it again? I think so, but in a smaller size and in a woven or a sturdy knit. I will still hand sew the neckline edges because it's neater and they do show at some points during the day. Also on knits I would be afraid of those edges stretching and causing ripples.

Would you recommend it to others? Yes, with those easy alterations mentioned above. This could be quite interesting with a different color, a sheer fabric, or a similar but different sized print in the upper bodice/sleeve area only.

Conclusion: An easy but interesting top.

Six Interrupted Hours of Handstitching...

and this is what I have to show for it:



Butterick 2564 and the Butterick 5429 twist top

All hems, sleeves, and one neckline were slip stitched into place. More (better!) photos and pattern reviews to come later.

Debut of the Quick Ribbon Belt

The view from above

Okay, yes I made this dress, McCall's 5042, years ago. The pattern suggested making a simple ribbon belt or to just tie a length of ribbon around your waist. Well, of course I chose to do the more time-consuming option and then took a long time to finish. A year ago, I bought three lengths of grosgrain ribbon in coordinating colors of orange, turquoise, and brown. Almost a month ago, I finally finished the belt and now I'm posting about it.

So, there.

What finally made me decide to finish was seeing Tilly's similar bow belt made with fabric. You can actually use her tutorial for this one, just skip steps 1-6! The instructions for the belt were included in the McCall's pattern, but I changed the way that it fastened. The last thing I wanted was a belt that would pop open every time I sat down. Therefore, I decided to incorporate a row of two snaps and a hook and eye closure for security.

All of the hardware goes under the middle of the bow, seen best in these next two photos.

In action:

Up close

I still have the turquoise and brown ribbons so I can make two more. Luckily, all of these colors coordinate with quite a few different dresses in my closet. In fact, the orange belt's first successful outing was with my McCall 6712 muu muu dress.

Try it. You'll like it.

One-Hour Dress - SewStylish Spring 2010

a.k.a. the Good & Plenty shift dress.

Since I had this lovely fabric* from Kyle I decided to use it for the one-hour dress project available here on the Craft Stylish site. It is also available in the Spring 2010 issue of Sew Stylish.

Ha, this "one-hour" dress took me a week to sew and then a couple more weeks to post! But that's just me because this was incredibly easy to make.

Day 1: Made the pattern according to the directions

Day 2: Cut out the dress

Day 3: Sewed the neck and side seams

Day 4 & 5: This was unexpected but my sewing machine refused to sew this material, even with a ball point needle for medium-weight knits. As it turns out, it didn't want a specialty needle at all so I ended up hand stitching the neckline and arm holes because I didn't want them to stretch and ruffle.

Before sewing the pleats down I wore the dress to work with a makeshift belt just to see what I thought. After that successful run, I choose a more ordered arrangement for my shoulder pleats than the more free-formed approach in the magazine.

Close-ups of the finished shoulder pleats:

The final dress!

What I changed or "how to make your dress better":

I only added 10 extra inches to the draped side of the pattern instead of the 12" they suggested because I wanted my dress to be slimmer. That is a measurement you might want to play with also.

The pattern has you use 7" for the armhole measurement. I suggest you measure your own upper arm and add 1/2" to that measurement. Mine are bordering on too tight.Measure the width of your own shoulders, calculate the width of your desired neckline and substitute those numbers for theirs. Otherwise, the neck may be too small to go over your head or too wide to stay on your shoulders.



In this picture before the shoulder pleats, it reminded me of the Lanvin dress that Tilda Swinton** wore when she won her 2008 Oscar.

* And yes, Kyle I think it IS swimwear fabric, but I don't really care. It feels great (silky smooth) and I know it can survive a rainstorm!
** By the way, Swinton once responded on Charlie Rose that if someone offered her the part of David Bowie in a movie about him, she'd love to play the part...so, someone please get on that quick!

3. Jumper Dress - Butterick 4948

Pattern Description: Butterick 4948 - Loose-fitting dress has all-in-one pointed collar and band, front neckline slit, front and back yokes, extended shoulders, in-seam pockets, and top-stitched trim.
Pattern Sizing: Size 12 (bust=34, waist=26.5, hips=36) I made a straight 12, no alterations!

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, very much!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yup.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love the idea of a dress that fits like an artist smock. However, the neckline is almost too short to get the dress over my head since they have you stitch the opening an inch above the yoke seam. I might have to take that stitching out or it will probably rip itself out eventually.

Fabric Used: 16-wale, 42 inch wide Blackberry Sew Classics corduroy from Jo-Ann Fabrics on sale for $6.99 per yard; Wrights Flexi-Lace Hem Tape.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I made two alterations: I redrew the collar to eliminate the curve and squared it off. I also reshaped the pockets to make them bigger because I value pockets that I can really use. Then I shortened the shorter View A, which originally was supposed to be 41.25 inches by eliminating 2.5 inches. However, I will not be wearing this dress with a belt so I may shorten it by a few more inches.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will probably sew it again in a more flowing fabric. Hopefully the corduroy will release a bit more after washing, the skirt tends to stick out tent-like. I would use a better fusible interfacing on the yoke or no interfacing at all. Anything that was not sewn over stopped adhering after a few days and I'm not sure if it was really needed there.

Topstitching on the yoke and lavender lace trim on the hem

Conclusion: I like it, though now I realize I could have gone down a size. It's a bit maternity... However, if I did make it smaller I would have to lengthen the yoke, because I can barely work this dress over my head getting dressed. Any less wiggle-room and I could see some ripped seams.

So the count is 3 out of 4 mini-wardrobe items. There is only one more to go. Can I finish it this month? Stay tuned.

2. Black Tee - New Look 6838

Pattern: New Look 6838 (reissued as New Look 6402)

Pattern Description: Knit tops with neckline and sleeve options.

Pattern Sizing: I originally cut a S (Bust=32.5-34, Waist=25-26.5) however, I tapered from the waist down to a M (Waist=28-30) .
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, after I made some alterations.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, very simple.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I don't think I look my best in scoop or crewneck tops so I was very excited about the boatneck and v-neck options of this pattern.

Fabric Used: A medium-weight black knit overlock.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I found the boatneck almost too wide to allow a regular bra with straps.

The back was extra wide, enough that I had to pinch out almost an inch and a half and the neckline still sits off from the back of my neck. As it turned out, the reason was the pattern and their addition of an inch of width on the back pattern piece only. Why did they do that? How many of you are an inch wider in your back measurement than your front?

Way too much fabric!

The sleeve cap also had to be reduced, there was far too much ease in the sleeve and my first try looked like they were gathered puff sleeves. The second try (see photo) with a quarter inch shaved off the top curve worked out fine. In addition, I hardly had enough fabric to make sleeves so I ended up cutting them on the selvage so I could get more length and forgo hemming the sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will probably move on to find another TNT shirt pattern even though I will try to alter this one. However, I would still recommend it to others because the neckline is lovely, but anyone trying this pattern should measure the neckline before they cut it out.

Conclusion: I may make this again after I use this book to correct and personalize the pattern with my measurements.

UPDATE: I took in the back even more, about 1/2 inch extra in the back seam from the neckline down and scooped the back out more. Will need to do a real sway-back adjustment next time though.

1. A-line Skirt - Built By Wendy (Sew U)

Pattern Description: A-line skirt from Sew U by Wendy Mullin, pattern was included in book.


Pattern Sizing: I made the Medium (sizes 6 & 8) straight from the pattern, no adjustments.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it did look like the drawing in the book.
Were the instructions easy to follow? Extremely easy to follow.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked that the pattern fit without any adjustments.
Fabric Used: A thin wale black corduroy from my stash.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I made no changes to the pattern or in the sewing of the skirt. However, I did use Seams Great on all the raw edges because this fabric started to unravel. It wasn't till later I found that it also comes in black which would have been perfect for this project. Oh, well.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will definitely make this skirt again. It is now my TNT A-line skirt pattern.

Conclusion: I was amazed how well this pattern fit me. I have quite a deep curve in my back below the waistline and this skirt fit it perfectly.

Worn with Simplicity 4077 and Simplicity 3835 (another Wendy Mullin pattern)