Another Kwik Sew 2565 Quartet

Yes, more of them. But a basic T shirt is pretty versatile and they make great layering pieces. I finished this group up yesterday after a marathon session of coverstitching.

This time, I was able to get some picture of me wearing them, with various levels of success. But then, I never claimed to be a professional model or photographer!

This one was made from a remnant I had left over from another T I made several years ago when I first got the pattern. The original is long gone, but I had just enough for another version. The fabric came from Emma One Sock and is a cotton and lycra blend.

The fabric for this one came from Gorgeous Fabrics and is a very soft rayon. I think this one may end up as a layering piece. Although rayon is nice to work with and very comfortable to wear, it tends to be clingy.

Another fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics. This one is a poly matte jersey. The color in real life is darker, what I'd refer to as an American Beauty Rose shade.

This fabric is from Jo-Ann's. It's a bit thin, so will be another layering piece, but I really loved the print.

I think I've located a current Kwik Sew pattern that's pretty similar to  my TNT 2565. I haven't sewn it yet but it may be worth trying.

New Look 6892

OMG, I'm loving this peasant blouse! I've been looking for a peasant blouse pattern since they're on-trend right now. This pattern came together very easily and features multiple views for a variety of looks.

This one was kind of an experiment, so I used some rayon that I bought as a remnant from Denver Fabrics. It has a rumpled texture, so is perfect for warm weather.

The pattern uses bias tape for the casings but I just serged the raw edges to finish, turned under, and stitched the casings just wide enough for the 1/4" elastic to go through. Faster and much less bulk to worry about. For the cuffs, I used some lace seam binding left over from another project. I liked the ruffly cuffs but may change to a simple casing for the next long sleeved version as they are not terribly practical.

The SewWest Closet: the black jeans are old from Ross and the platforms are by Vigotti. Foster Grants again!

Textile Studio Basic Top

I've been fooling around with this pattern and have already posted 3/4 sleeve and long sleeve versions. But it's summer--short sleeves come in very handy in the heat and as layering pieces.

For this round, I've been working on adjustments to eliminate shoulder pad ease. I think I've just about got it, although I'd like the sleeve cap to be higher on my shoulder. So that's the next round of adjustments.

Because I'm experimenting, I used a remnant of Kaffe Fassett rayon from Fabric.com that was left over from this Simplicity 2416 skirt that I made several years ago. I haven't been able to locate any more Kaffe rayons since then, only cottons. Since the top was a success, I now have coordinates that work together as a dress (with the addition of a sash that I also made from remnants), or with other garments.

FYI, that circle on the left front is actually lower in real life than it appears in the picture! :)

I'll definitely be playing with this pattern some more in the future since it's a quick make and a wardrobe builder.

The SewWest Closet: the shoes are B.O.C. by Born. Sunglasses by Foster Grant?

Textile Studio Basic Top

Now this one is a blast from the past. Textile Studio was a pattern company and fabric vendor of the 1990s-2000s owned by Marcia Day, who hired Loes Hinse to design her pattern line. Several years latter, Loes Hinse went out on her own and founded her eponymous pattern line, which is still in business.

This pattern is copyrighted 1998, so it's probably one of the original patterns from the line. I'm not sure how it ended up in my pattern stash--ASG? I rally don't recall. However it ended up with me, I'm so happy that it did! Even though this is an almost 20 year old pattern, it's a classic in the true sense of the word. And can still be found online--a Google search located it at Vogue Fabrics!

I wear a lot of separates, and I'm always looking for tops that will work with the cardigans I frequently wear at work. This pattern is perfect for the little tops I was looking for. So far, I've made it up twice, once with long sleeves and once with 3/4 length sleeves (my variation, not in the pattern envelope). Here they are on the dress form:

And on the hoof:

The color is not true in either photo, but the live shot is a little closer than the dress form version. A long ago purchase from Fabric Mart. The black top with blue, turquoise, and lime is from Cutting Line Designs. I bought it from Louise at one of her shows..

The main change I made from version 1 to version 2, other than the sleeve length, was to drop the front neckline by 1/4" inch since the original neck was a little hard to get over my head (no closure on this design).

I'm sure I'll be making more of these! It's a great layering piece that can also stand on its own. I haven't made the short sleeved version yet but that's coming.

SewWest Closet: Black Not Your Daughter's Jeans and Vigotti wedges, both old.

TSW Hudson Pants

I've made several pairs of these because they're the perfect weekend pants for me. I've dressed them up or down and worn them with a variety of tops and shoes. They seem cooler than a full length pant, but that could also be a function of the cottons and linens I've used.

Below are an illustration and technical drawing of the Hudson Pant from The Sewing Workshop website. It appears they're currently not in stock on the site but can still be found in stores or on the internet.

I don't have too much to say about the sewing. They're pretty basic pull on pants with the addition of narrow darts at the lower hem. One thing I like about the draft is that the back leg is angled at the waistband, so the crotch depth is added at center back, not all the way across. This avoids some of the "clown butt" look (thanks, Debbie Cook for that description!). I modified the pattern for me but started with a size Small, then added 5/8" at each of the outer leg seams. In my opinion, the pant runs a bit large so check the flat pattern measurements against yourself to check the size you'll need.

This pair is made from a linen and rayon blend that I got at a local ASG fabric sale several years ago. I was a bit meh about the fabric but it has a nice hand, so I figured it could at least be used for a muslin.  However, I've come to like it as I've worked on the pants. I don't know if you'll see it again though. An entire ensemble would be too much of a good thing? Probably. The pants are more successful if a fabric with some drape is used vs. something stiff, even if you are using a heavy fabric.

It's important to mark the darts accurately and I've found that a Frixion pen is perfect for this.  Only a tiny spot of ink is needed at each dot. Once pressed, the ink disappears! I've washed the pants since making them and the ink did not come back.

The SewWest closet: the top is from Coldwater Creek (before their bankruptcy), the sandals are from Th!nk.

A Cutting Line Ensemble (Getting Back Up on the Horse)

After the sewing fail and the conference, this is what I've been working on. It's not perfect, but wearable. I took Louise Cutting's all-day workshop at ASG in 2009 and learned a lot of techniques, but there's a lot you forget. And my experience with Cutting Line Design patterns has been largely limited to the two shells (Pure and Simple and My Heart's a Flutter) that I've made over and over again. So I'm branching out, applying some techniques, and testing some new patterns.

For this outfit, I used the camp shirt from Easy, Ageless, Cool. The upper part (neckline, shoulders, armscye) is based on a Small and the rest is a Medium. Comfortably loose, but I think I'll shorten the sleeves a touch next time, as I did for the bodice. This pattern also has instructions to add front and back darts for a closer fit, but I chose the undarted version this time because of the thickness of the fabric and the embroidery. I also left off the pocket this time, which would be totally decorative anyway.

The skirt is from In the Trenches. I traced it much, much shorter than originally drafted. I'll be tracing off a longer version later on. I used a Medium to start with. The pattern includes instructions to refine the fit to your own measurements, so it's narrower than a true Medium as drafted.

The fabric is an embroidered rayon and linen from my stash. I ironed both garments before putting on and photographing the outfit, believe it or not. Hopefully it will become more pleasantly rumpled instead of creased over time. The detail pictures below show the embroidery better. The picture above is probably closest to the true shade.

One of the things that takes some getting used to with Cutting Line Designs is the amount of detail the instructions contain. Each of the patterns I've examined have had at least 6 pages of instructions. The temptation is to skip over them (like we all do on the Big 4), but I found it helpful to actually follow them step by step and not assume...some of her techniques are different than what we're all used to but they work.

Here are some more details of the garments.  The pattern piece for the collar is one piece; that is, you only cut one layer which incorporates both upper and under collar. The front edges are on the fold. One of the things that I did this time that I will do differently is to use a thinner interfacing. I just used some fusible tricot I had on hand and it was a little too heavy--that's what happens sometimes when inspiration strikes and you can't wait!

The collar features a center back seam on the underside. Once the center back seam is sewn, the collar starts to look like what we're all used to. Louise uses the one piece collar on all of her patterns that have collars because bulk is reduced. She credits Judy Barlup for this technique, and I believe there is also an old Threads article showing how to adapt conventional collar patterns to this.

The shot below also features Louise's deep back facing. She claims it helps to balance the garment. I'm not sure about this (yet), but I have seen a lot of RTW with back facings that use this deeper style.

The shot below shows the Louise Cutting elastic waist and pocket. Keep in mind that the skirt is not as gathered on me as it is on the form. My form is a little thinner than I am. :( I had my doubts about this waistband, but it is quite comfortable. It uses a soft and stretchy 1 1/2" wide elastic that Louise has sourced.

The pocket is cut on with the back of the skirt, brought forward, and then topstitched in place. Again, the purpose is to avoid the excess bulk of additional pocket seams and two pocket bags. I don't know if I'd use this style of pocket every time, but it is an interesting solution to side seam pockets.

The back vent wasn't strictly needed for this short of a skirt, but I did like it because the edges are nicely mitered.

The SewWest Closet: Nine West Sandals, Foster Grant sunglasses from Walgreen's (I forgot to take them off because I wear sunglasses all the time outside--the sun is relentless!).

2015 First Day of School Project

I wasn't sure if I'd have time to participate this year, but decided to go for it during the long Independence Day weekend. I used a different pattern this time, a circa 1998 McCall's pattern that I got from the ASG Trading Post several months ago. I made the little dress featured in the photograph:

As with previous clothes I've made for First Day of School, I mostly used remnants from clothes I've made for myself. This one is made from some cotton sateen I used for a skirt. It's a little shorter than the other two due to fabric limitations, but I'm sure it will work well for some little girl.

The facing on this one is from the Vogue 8645 dress I recently posted, and the green is a faux linen that I used last year to make little girl's pants for First Day of School. The green is more olive than in the picture.

This one is made from a heavyweight rayon that I previously used for this dress:

The construction was pretty straightforward, all machine stitching and serging. I definitely will hang onto this pattern because the dresses were so easy and fast to make! I hope the girls that get these dresses will enjoy them.

Latest Loes Hinse Tango Skirt

It's obvious that this skirt is a favorite because it's appeared so many time on this blog. Easy to sew, beautiful in both lengths--what's not to love?

This latest one is made out of a gorgeous vintage rayon challis that my friend Sue Ellen gave me. There are 10 panels, all cut from the same pattern piece. Honestly, cutting out all the panels is probably the most time consuming part of making this pattern. I made this using mostly the new Bernina to sew it together, using its dual feed feature. It's like having a built-in walking foot, and there are several feet compatible with this feature. Love it! The seam edges were serged to finish. The casing was made in the traditional fold over, sew, and pull elastic through manner instead of the technique described in the guide sheet. I'd like to be able to alter this skirt later if needed and while Loes Hinse's elastic waist technique is great, it's a pain in the neck to rip out due to multiple layers of stitching at the edge. The hem was also serged then just turned up and machine sewn.

I made the top from Kwik Sew 2565 a number of months ago, and it was previously posted here.

The shoes are the "Sable" from Sole Society, in gray suede, and very comfortable even with a 2 3/4" heel. I bought them at the end of the season last year and there are still a few pair in stock.

Second Loes Hinse Sweater Set

I was almost able to finish another Loes Hinse Sweater Set before the trip, but didn't quite get it done.

This one is made from a Missoni-ish knit fabric that I've had in the stash for a long while. There are are two yarns, a chenille and a thin rayon. It came from JoAnn's, back when they had quite a bit of good "jobber" fabrics. I still have some green and some black left in this fabric.

Since I'm lounging about with no makeup and pajamas, I'm showing it on Ms. Acme this time.

My serger did not like this fabric at all, so I used a conventional machine throughout, a narrow zig zag for construction, then a wider zig zag for finishing. The new machine did a great job making all the buttonholes.

Coco recently asked about my dress form. It's an Acme adjustable form that a friend gave to me when she moved to Oregon several years ago. Based on the label (which fell off and is lost), I think it's probably from the 1950's-early 1960's. It has metal bars on inside to allow for adjustment. It a bit smaller than I am, so I use it for display vs. fitting. It comes in handy during construction as a tool for working out how the garment should look.

Loes Hinse Tango Skirt for Fall

Yeah, I know. You're probably thinking..."What? Another Tango?" Yes, this one that you've probably seen in various versions a hundred times.

I can't help it. I really love this skirt because it's so pretty on and so easy to make. This one is made of some rayon that I bought from Fabric Mart many years ago. I'm planning to wear this one with tall boots and I'm still trying out sweaters to wear with it. Here I've paired it with another TNT pattern, my Kwik Sew 2565 T shirt, but I also have a couple of RTW sweaters that would work.

I took this picture last night after Material Girls when it was already dark outside and too late for me to model it on the front patio. But I promise that you'll see it on me at some point. And you'll probably keep seeing new ones too.

Kwik Sew 2565, Again

I hope you're not getting tired of seeing the many versions of this TNT. I know it pops up often, but when it's a wardrobe basic and tweaked exactly as wanted, what else can I do? At least the fabric is  different each time, as with this one:

I used an incredibly soft rayon knit from Gorgeous Fabrics that I bought this Spring.

I also added a slight mullet hem to this one, because a) I'm on a roll and b) the lower edge of the pattern is not absolutely straight due to a non-darted FBA. I'm at a slight angle in the photo; however the curve is actually centered.

The pants are the same Hudson Pant from TSW that I showed you in the last post. The linen was another purchase from Gorgeous Fabrics.

Revisiting the Eureka Top by TSW

I'm still not ready to let this pattern go so I made another out of the woven crinkle rayon that I used for the Asymmetrical Skirt. The crinkles approximate the stretch of a knit, and I still have a lot of it left over.

This time, I made a couple of changes. I left off the sleeve bands and simply turned up a narrow hem instead. I also made a slight "mullet" hem, with the back longer than the front, and turned up a narrow hem there as well.

The result is a very loose fitting, swingy top that I like better than the original.  It also makes a nice ensemble when combined with the skirt. Thanks for the suggestion,  Janine! Here are a few shots of that:

Also, I couldn't resist a Shams-style twirly shot so you can see the skirt in motion:

Yes, Summer is officially over, but it's still warm and it's fiesta time, so I'll still get some wear out of this before the weather gets too cool.

PS-the black pants are the Hudson Pant by The Sewing Workshop (aka TSW) made from linen I bought from Gorgeous Fabrics last year.

T Shirts--A TNT and a New One.

What happened to July? Seems like I totally missed it--lots going on at work, and I kind of lost my sewing mojo with all that was happening. I actually was doing some sewing though, thanks to my trusty Material Girls group. I nearly always manage to cut out a project or two when I'm there. It just took me a little while to finish them since I like to combine my cover stitching projects.

The first one I made was Kwik Sew 2565, which I must have made about a hundred times by now.

But why not? It's a great pattern that I've already tweaked to my liking.The fabric is a really nice rayon(?) knit from Casual Elegance. It has a good drape, and is thicker than most rayon knits. But before I got sold on all that, I just loved the watercolor animal print. Just beautiful, and can be worn with just about anything.

Umm, yes, the print is a little off center, but oh well. I still like it, and as Ann says, "This is a summer tee, so the slightly off-center placement of the major motif on the front is just fine."

The other one is the Eureka Top from TSW. 

I have mixed feelings about it, because dang! The sizing is huge. I cut out my usual Small/Medium mix for this shirt and it's enormous. I am going to try again in a straight Small to see if I like it better. At least it will be comfortable to wear in the heat.

For this, I used another rayon knit that I found at Joann's a couple of years ago. On first glance, it looks like a floral but it's really a skull print. 

It's thinner than the Casual Elegance fabric and a more cotton-y look and feel.

Here it is styled like all the shirts you've been seeing lately in fashion shots.

What's with that anyway? Here it is loose. See? It's big. 

I have another project underway that I hope to have finished soon, a border print skirt. And there's also that repeat of the Eureka pattern.

Follow up: New Skirt Photos

Well, two out of three anyway. I'm saving the TSW Sandra Betzina Skirt for when the matching T Shirt is complete.

LJ Designs Asymmetrical Skirt:

Simplicity 2416:

Details of the patterns are on the previous post.

Two Weekends, Three Skirts

I've been on a bit of a roll for the last couple of weekends and now I have something to show for it. I always enjoy wearing skirts when the weather gets warm. Although it has been a rainy and cool Memorial Day weekend, temperatures will be rising soon! Sorry for all the hanger shots--it's unseasonably cold and dreary today so I was in no mood to pose outside or even fool with the dress form on the patio. Hopefully later.

Skirt 1: 

This one is made from an old Sewing Workshop favorite, the Sandra Betzina Wrap Skirt. I've made several versions of this skirt in the past, and surprisingly, it's still in print.

The original skirt is quite long, so I shortened it several inches. One thing I like about this pattern is how it isn't a true wrap. The front (called Skirt Left Front on the pattern piece) and back are attached at both side seams; the wrap front (called Skirt Right Front) is actually an overlay. As a result, this skirt is much less risky to wear out in the wind. Here's what the front pattern piece looks like:

Here's how it looks when sewn:

The fabric is a poly matte jersey from Fashion Fabrics Club that's been in the stash for several years. I had enough left for another Kwik Sew 2565 T-shirt. It's all cut out and ready to be sewn, so then I'll have separates that I can mix and match with other pieces in my wardrobe.

Skirt 2:

This is another old favorite, the LJ Designs Asymmetrical Skirt. I've made several of these in the past, but I had put it away for quite a while. It's still available through the website.

This is another long skirt, even with the shorter pattern piece I used this time. The pattern is one panel that is cut into eight gores. The version I made results in a scalloped edge, which results if you cut 4 gores with the pattern facing up and four with the pattern facing down. I'm not sure if you can really see the scallop in the picture above, so here's another shot with the hem spread out:

There's also a sawtooth edged version that results if you cut all the gores with the pattern piece right side up. Here's what the pattern piece looks like:

The fabric is a red print crinkle rayon that came to me free via Material Girls. I received an entire bolt at March's meeting. I decided on a gored skirt to break up the print because it is quite vivid, not quite as much as in the photos, but still...I have more but may re-donate it. It's pretty memorable and I don't see making a top out of it.

Skirt 3:

The last skirt is Simplicity 2416, a newer pattern that I made last fall out of some Kaffe Fassett rayon. I checked the Simplicity website just now, and it's also still in print.

The view I made is the four gore skirt with an overlay (the light green version illustrated in the top row of the envelope). The print I used is a wild rayon challis that I found at Fabric Mart last year. Carolyn of Diary of a Sewing Fanatic made a dress out of it which you can see on her site.

Unfortunately, my piece had flaws in the weave that I didn't fully notice until the gores were cut out, so the skirt has a few. On the plus side, the overlay had not been cut when I discovered the flaws, so it got cut from a good section which covers most of them. The rest were on a busy area of the print so I used some Fray Block and hoped for the best. I do like the print, which is the only reason I didn't toss the whole thing out. Annoying, and I'll be more observant of anything I buy from there in the future.