HotPatterns Gypsophelia Peasant Top

Like many of you, I'm on a lot of email feeds for fabric vendors. One of them is fabric.com. Although I haven't ordered anything in a while, I have in the past--mostly successfully. One of the features on the site is a section with free pattern downloads, and they happen to partner with HotPatterns.

This top was the most recent offering, the Gypsophelia Peasant Top. I've been needing some new tops for my business casual workplace, so this looked like a good candidate. I'm not a big user of pattern downloads, but the price was right, so why not experiment? The pattern downloaded and printed without a hitch and assembling it was simple enough. To pick the size, I used the charts on HotPatterns' website and picked a combination that seemed reasonable.

I used a stash fabric that I bought in Juarez years ago, pre-narcoterrorism. It's a poly something or other, but not bad. Similar to a silk chiffon but with a little more body. Unfortunately, it is black so some of the detail is lost in the photo.

The pattern's instructions were brief but perfectly fine. I did a few things differently; I have my own preferred way on certain parts of construction.

• Bias bindings. The pattern has a piece for all of them, but I just measured then used a ruler and rotary cutter. Much easier, but you won't have those things if you're a casual sewist.
• Neck binding. The instructions have you join all the top's parts together before adding the neck binding. It's much simpler to do working only with the center front and back pieces. 
• Attaching the sleeve bindings. I did do this per the instructions and completed the bindings before  sewing the side seams. It's probably better to attach one side of the binding, make the seam, then fold over and stitch the other side down.
• The hem. It's curved. I found it easier to finish it before making the side seams than after, but I was finishing the seam edges with a serger.
• No instructions on seam finishing. As I mentioned, I used a serger. If you're a casual sewist, you may not realize that a finish is needed, but you definitely do with 3/8" seams (which I liked).

I realize this list may look a bit picky but it's not really. A free download is something that a novice might choose because it's low risk, not realizing that a few simple modifications will make construction so much easier. I think this is a great partnership that encourages sewing while publicizing the pattern company and selling some fabric besides. Genius!

I'll also mention that the recommendation for the bias tape maker was a wonderful one that I will take HotPattens up on. Of all the sewing stuff I have, I don't have one of these. I did the binding without, but it would have been simpler with a tool. I also liked that the instructions have you gather up the sleeves based on your own measurements instead of an arbitrary number. 

The only major alteration required was to shorten the top by 3 1/4". I'm 5'4" and the top looks better on me that way--more like the drawing. All in all though, it's a successful prototype that worked out very nicely.

Ughh, goofy picture. I thought I had a better one on the camera. Oh well!

Random Thoughts

I've been trying to put together a "real" post for a while but nothing has come together yet. In the meantime, here's another edition of Random Thoughts.

• I've worn the new T and like it very much. Sorry, no pictures yet. But it passes the wear test.
• I did spend a weekend in Chicago with a great group of friends! A wonderful girls' weekend featuring the Haute Couture Club's annual fashion show and a visit to the Ebony Fashion Fair exhibit at the Chicago History Museum. 
• I didn't plan to fabric shop, but it was impossible to resist the lure of Vogue Fabrics in Evanston. More on that soon.
• Material Girls was last weekend. Much tracing and cutting of patterns. It's nice doing sewing related things with a group. We all work on our own projects, but it's a nice opportunity for conversation. I got some advice on what size to sew for the First Day of School project from one of the ladies. She sews for her little nieces in Puerto Rico. As a result, I cut a darling little peasant top out of a fabric remnant that's ready to sew up. Should be quick and fun. I'm planning on making some linen pants to go with, so some little girl will have an outfit. 
• I experimented with a free HotPatterns download from Fabric.com yesterday. It's almost complete but I still can't tell if it's going to fit and exactly what it's going to look like. A try-on with the proper underpinnings is in order.
• I submitted my entries to Fiber Arts Fiesta on Thursday. Interesting moment--the sewing competition is run by a long-time ASG friend. There was some confusion when I walked in because she couldn't find my name on her sheet. Well, she was looking for my former name! Yes, and we see each other pretty often and she knew I was married. Too funny!
• DH and I are getting ready for a trip to the Tri-States next week for his college reunion. Other than that, we're still planning out some of the details (we're staying with family so that makes it easy). We will be seeing a Broadway play--we have tickets for the Motown show. 
• Time to get up, more sewing today. I am hoping to sew up new pair of TSW Hudson pants for our vacation. 

Pictures!

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been experimenting with the self timer on my camera. I thought I had everything in order and ready to go. However...

I live in New Mexico, where the sun is very bright and the shadows are sharp. My initial set up was done in the afternoon and I wanted to take pictures this morning. That part of the backyard was mostly in shadow so it wouldn't work at all. The patio seemed to be ok, so I went with that. Still not seeing as much detail as I'd like but this set is better than the last one. I'll keep trying.

The first picture is of me wearing the HotPatterns Bossa Nova skirt that I posted about here.


The next one is Hearts Fluttering in Vogue, the morph of Vogue 8241 and Hearts a Flutter that was my original wedding gown concept. I went another direction with that but I did go ahead to finish the prototype which went to Kauai on the honeymoon.


The last one for today is the TSW Mixit Tank worn with the Easy Ageless Cool cropped pants. Both pieces are great to wear and perfect for August weather.


I do love taking the pictures in natural light but I need to keep experimenting. The sun is brutal and I'd like more detail (yes, I tried it facing into the sun too--note that those shots didn't make the cut!). And the Weber isn't flat on top so placement can be a problem. You can see that in the second picture, where the camera was tipped up slightly vs. being level.

But you try things, right? And so far, each attempt has been better than the last, so I'm learning.

Cutting Line Designs Easy Ageless Cool Pants

It's the newest one in the independent pattern line designed by Louise Cutting. Its release was timely, since I need several pairs of new casual pants.

I cut out and partially traced the pattern tissue yesterday. I've determined that this combination works best for me because I'm not a big fan of tracing but I also don't like the finality of cutting all the pattern pieces to size. This is especially true of the pricy independents, which are generally worth it but a bigger commitment than the BMV and Simplicitys I can pick up at JoAnn's for cheap.

I had to laugh at the sizing, because I'm a size Small based on Louise's grading. I'm anything but a Small in just about any other garment, RTW or sewn! Actually I'm less than a Small in this pattern because she includes sizing tweaks on the pattern tissue based on hip size, by taking a lengthwise tuck in the back panel. The tuck lines are helpfully included on the pattern tissue.

I cut into fabric later in the afternoon after selecting some olive green linen for my initial pair. Yes, from the stash. I don't know what it is about me and this color for pants. This will make the 3rd pair. I guess it's a combination of versatility and the fact that it doesn't show cat fur that much.

I've also started planning another HotPatterns Bossa Nova skirt. This one will be from some crinkle rayon I picked up in El Paso/Juarez several years ago--before the drug wars got out of control. More on that project later, for now the fabric is laid out on the cutting table for inspection and inspiration.

Vera Wang Mystery Fabric Skirt

Like many sewists in internet land, I bought yards and yards of Vera Wang fabric when Fabric.com bought up the Lavender Label collection that was never manufactured. Long story short--the 2008 financial implosion caused retail to fall apart as well, many store orders (including Vera's) got cancelled, and she got stuck with a big inventory of fabric. Anyway, I purchased several lovely pieces that will someday become fabulous garments...well, that's my intent at least.

The last piece I bought was some beautiful slate blue print "cotton voile." This is a photo that another buyer posted on Pattern Review.


Isn't this pretty? I think some people actually got voile, but the piece I got was anything but. It definitely had some synthetic and also had a sheen on the face side. I still liked the print, so I was fine with the fabric being something else. Then proceeded to wash it like I almost always do. When I took it out of the dryer, it was permanently pleated.


So it sat in a pile in the sewing cave for several months.

Then inspiration struck: how about one of those gored broomstick skirts I like so well? So I lengthened the HotPatterns Bossa Nova skirt by 6 inches and got to work Saturday morning.

Needless to say, this is not the easiest fabric in the world to lay out. So I pinned the selvedges together, taped them to the cutting mat, spread out the fabric, and taped the folded edge down. Then I pinned massively all the way around the pattern piece and cut. Here's a photo of the pattern piece being pinned.


I repeated the process until I had 8 gores cut out.



Then, I sewed the panels together with 5/8" narrow zigzag seams. I tried on the skirt and it was huge. I went to the serger and trimmed off 1/4" on each seam as I finished the edges. I tried it on again, and still huge. I went back to the sewing machine and sewed new seams. Half were 5/8" deep, and half were 1/2" deep. And I tried it on again. Finally, it fit, after removing a total of 9" from the original circumference. The fabric still has some pleats at the hip level, too.

The rest was pretty simple. I installed an elastic waistband using the Loes Hinse technique (the original way, not the Hepburn way). And since I had so much practice with the serger rolled edge, that's how I hemmed the skirt. Here's a quick shot of the final project.


I may wash it before wearing, just to see if the pleats even out at all. No time right now, but I'll post a picture of me wearing it ASAP.

A fairly simple project, although it took a lot longer than expected due to tweaking the vertical seams of the pleated mystery fabric. Still, I learned a lot about working with pleated fabric that I can put to use on some of the rayon crinkles residing in my stash.

Hot Patterns Bossa Nova Skirt

This is the first Hot Patterns garment I've made. Although I've purchased several patterns of this brand, I haven't gotten around to sewing any of them yet. This one was a free download at Fabric.com.

Basically, it's an 8-panel gored skirt, so one pattern piece. I wanted to make it in black and white, since I have a few black items in my closet with white accents. They're harder to match than you'd think! So off to Hancock's, where I found the perfect fabric, a large scale floral. Yes, it's polyester, but I really liked the print, so I'll deal with it. I also bought lining to go with, also poly, because you know how white fabric is. It always shows through.

I proceeded to cut and sew the panels when I realized that they were just a wee bit too short. I had already added some length to the pattern when cutting it out but not enough. The original pattern just has you turn down the sewn panels at the top to create the casing. That wouldn't work in this case because I needed all the length I could spare. Fortunately, I had bought more fabric than I needed (as usual), so I made a separate waistband casing. It also solved the problem of dealing with 2 layers, the face and the lining.

Love love love how the skirt looks! It is also comfortable to wear through the day. I will be making more from this pattern! BTW, I took the photo above after getting home from work and a dentist appointment, and the skirt still looks fine. (I expect my skills with timer and tripod will improve, but not bad for a first effort.)

Wedding dress update: yes, still working on that one. I've mocked up the bodice a couple of times and pre-washed sample pieces of each fabric. Hopefully, I'll have a sample version of the dress soon, then I can move on to the good stuff.