Pretty little blouses

I've worked on a couple blouses recently.  The first is the Classic Blouse from Silhouette Patterns.  I haven't totally perfected it yet, actually I made a bunch of different muslins and it wasn't easy to find the correct fit.  I truly did not have a blouse that fit properly to measure off of, as described in the instructions and Peggy's webcasts.  So I kept experimenting.  After all my renditions I basically ended up with a size 3 overall.  I think that is where I will start with future top patterns.

The fabric is a rayon from Vogue fabrics that I bought at the Expo.  It's very light and will be nice to wear in the Springtime.  I see it with a pair of white capris and a cami underneath.

Oh, and back to not having a blouse that fits properly....I went to the thrift shop and tried on a bunch.  I had the same issues with one after the other, they don't fit over my belly, and they show the same weird back shoulder issues as they do in my sewing.  So now I know what to work on.  I did find one that fit, and purchased it (along with a jacket to use in the upcoming jacket sew-along.)

I also completed my first SWAP project (see previous post.)  This is the Vintage blouse from the Ottobre designs autumn/winter 2007 issue, item #1.

I sewed a size 44 and graded to the 45 at the hips. It fits quite nicely.  The fabric was horrible to work with but I've had it in my stash and I do think it's pretty.  It is a polyester chiffon I once bought from Hancocks.  I used silk organza to interface it with.

SWAP 2014

I honestly think clothes are one of my biggest challenges.  It's pretty silly actually, shouldn't one just go to the store and buy an outfit?  I never do, I just buy (or sew) totally willy nilly.  If it grabs my attention I might buy it, and if it sparkles I'm definitely more likely to buy it...or not.

Seriously, I struggle with clothes.  I'm cheap and don't like to spend money, at least not on clothes.

As the new year approaches I'm seeing a lot of challenges online to not buy clothes in 2014, or only sew your clothes, etc.  I decided I'm not going to be quite so hardcore, so instead I'm joining a SWAP to sew 11 garments before the end of April.

I do think I can complete them all.  I even have plans to knit a little cardigan, or I will sew up one instead. That's where the planning all comes into play.

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You'll probably have to click this to see better, but here is the preliminary plan.

The first combination is a gree jeans-style jacket with a black top and white capris.

Next is a pair of midnight blue tropical wool slacks with two tops that match.

The third combination is a wool/rayon boucle jacket, knit cowl sleeveless top, and an olive/khaki jeans style skirt.

The two wild-cards are a denim dress and the knit (or sewn cardi.)

If you know me, you know I don't wear skirts, so I thought it would be good to challenge myself to do it occasionally.

Now to start sewing.

Yoga Pants

Well here we go.  I made the Yoga Pants from Silhouette patterns and did exactly as she said on the webcast, just make them up.  Then I made a 2nd pair.  I haven't decided which pair I prefer, but I do want to raise the waistband about 1" as it hits right at the softest part of my belly, and a bit higher would just be nicer for me.  I also need to figure out a slight alteration for my flat backside.  But all in all, I'm not complaining.  Oh, and I used the Ponte Roma from Joanns.

I'm not one to wear pants like these in place of slacks.  They really would be my lounging and/or (lol) exercise pants.

And here is the Giorgio top on me.  As I looked through all the photos (this is the only one I don't look dorkish in) I'm thinking it's too big and I will definitely try the smaller size next.

I'm not sure what I'm going to work on next.  I really do want to work on the regular slacks now.  I'd still like to perfect the yoga pants pattern and do another one of these tops.  I've purchased a lot of new patterns lately, just no new fabric.  I really want to try to use some of what I have, get it gone, work on my skill...and then....really enjoy fabric shopping.

And I have to not worry about my sizes and just sew for me NOW.  I'm very guilty of sewing stagnation due to my weight, as I'm up and down a lot.  I just want to have fun while I sew.

Giorgio's Top #312 from Silhouette Patterns

I've been spending a lot my my time watching the webcasts on Peggy Sager's site and it definitely has encouraged me to try her patterns.  I actually bought 3 of them a few years ago at the expo, sewed up one, and it did fit, but I wasn't crazy about it.  And I was working on Ralph's pants, which I still have to get back to and will deal with that soon.

I ordered 4 patterns the other day and immediately got to work on Giorgio's Top.  I did a lot of reading first about the sizing on different forums and like so many other was confused.  But Peggy reassures us on on the webcasts that it's okay and I decided to just go for it.

Here's the photo and the envelope back:

I decided I wanted the finished full bust to be 38" (same as my full bust) and since I read others found it large I cut out the size 4 which is a 36" finished bust.  I used the D cup (heck, who knows why).  I added an extra 5/8" to the shoulder seam for fitting purposes.

Um...it came out so large there was no way it would fit.  It was about 44" at the bust.  What?????  And this depressed me and I wanted to trash the whole idea, but I told myself it's just a muslin and that I really want to learn how to do this right.  So I analyzed what was too big.  I basically calculated out that the size 3 would fit,  But I did like the fit on the sleeves, the size 4.

I fudged the D cup down to the C cup, kinda sorta, took in the other appropriate seams, and stitched it up.  And yup, it fit pretty darn right

Actually the center back and center front pieces I made size 2 so the princess seam would be closer to my bust and that worked out well.

And yes, I did adjust this on my pattern.

I immediately sewed up another copy and it fits great.  Now I'm still not too sure what I think about the fabric though.  I didn't take a pic of it on me cause it's super cold outside, and I look like a dog today.  I'll get a photo soon for my real review on PR.

Which gets me to thinking.  I have no taste in clothes.  Yet I am attracted to crazy fabrics because they are just so fun.  This one I got at our Pinheads Christmas exchange a couple years ago and I love it, but I don't know if I love it on me.  I do think wearing some slim black slacks and an interesting necklace would help. Maybe I'll work on that idea for wearing it to Christmas Eve dinner.  Somewhere different, not my norm...it would be a good experiment for me.

Penny's Christmas Coat

Penny is a 3 1/2 year old Vizla and has very short hair so I know she has to be cold when we walk in the winter.  She loves snuggling under the blankets at night.  I've been meaning to make her a coat and told myself today is the day.

This isn't going to be a real tutorial, but I will do a basic outline, with photos, of what I did.  It's not perfect, doesn't fit her perfectly, but it's pretty close.

I also made a little cowl/snod to wear around her neck, it's in a photo or two.  We'll start with her wearing the coat and then go on to what I did.

Here she's looking all elegant and regal.  Ha, don't let her fool you, she's a total goofball.

She wasn't too sure about the cowl. I might add some Velcro to attach it to the back of the coat.

Wasn't it convenient that we had a dusting of snow today?  It did make for some cute photos.

Okay so for the tutorial.  I have never sewn with polar fleece before and it really was easier than I though.  I did test on my machine to see how it acts and tested my binding technique too.

First I measure Penny from her tail to around her chest and back to her tail and got 54".  I divided that in half for 27".

I measured around her chest, kind of to wear I'd want the coat to fit and got 27".

I cut out a double layer of polar fleece 27"x27".

With a plastic plate I rounded off the front and back bottom edges.  I also did a little shaping between the two (where the bottom strap would go) and curved it in a bit by her tail (totally no necessary).

No I just cut in a few inches at the neckline to I could drape it over her and see how close we were to fitting. Hey, it's looks pretty good already, I even impress myself at times.  Penny wasn't too impressed.

Now I sort of measured, sort of guessed on a neckline shape, and drew it on (used the plate) and then cut it out.  I also rounded off the edges since it would be easier to bind.

For binding I used 2 inch strips of a polyester knit I once bought, it's actual sport performance type of fabric, but the color matched perfectly.  Folded that in half and pressed then serged it on the backside of the coat.  I used a narrow 3-thread serge just for the fact that I should have maybe cut wider strips.

The straps are both made the same.  I sewed the Velcro on before the binding to catch the edges.  Then sewed them on to encase the raw edge.  Turned out pretty well.  The cowl is just a 12" piece of polarfleece sewn in a circle and I don't know how long it was.  

Ralph's Pants #3600 ~ Silhouette Patterns

I'm a bit all over right now.  Basically experiencing sewing and fitting overload, not sure what I want to concentrate on.  I'll get back to that in a bit with some rambling...

I decided to today to work on a pattern I've owned for a few years but never sewed up.  It's Peggy Sager's Ralph's Pants #3600.  It's very similar to a pair of slacks that fits me pretty well.  I've been watching her webcasts and she talks a lot about the draft and it made me realize that for the most part, I can buy pants that fit (obviously not all fit, but I don't struggle with pants) so I thought I should try what I have already.

Here's the photo, a straight forward, lower waisted, curved waistband sort of pant style:

I made up my muslin based on the size 14 which is a 41" hip when seated.  I did attempt to measure my "so-called" best fitting pants, but I wasn't exactly sure where to measure, and they came out to 43" and I just know that's too big at the hip.  My hips aren't the problem, my waist is.

So here is my straight up size 14 muslin.  I believe I'm happy with the front, the back at the center crotch looks good.  A bit high at the center back, not sure if that's just the lighter-weight muslin or not.  I'm seeing dragline on the side photo, pointing right to my upper hip area, and the thigh is obviously too loose there.

I think maybe my best choice is dropping down a size, to the size 12, which should help in the thigh and rise (in the back), but I'll have to possibly delete the 2nd back dart.  Is that where that drag line is pointing to???

Or maybe I'll just start with pinching out a bit of fabric and seeing what I come up with.  The do appear to be hanging straight in the back, just a bit extra towards the outer thigh.

This is where fit gets a bit confusing.  I feel I'm close, the muslin felt amazingly good, and if I sewed it up as is they'd fit as well as any other pants I have.  So I know I'm close.

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I said I had a bit of a ramble....

I signed up for a bunch of Craftsy classes and am already going bonkers with fit issues.  When my sewing mojo came back I decided to do it right and really learn to fit.  But as I fit, I feel overwhelmed.  I don't like feeling like I'm over-fitting.  I'm not sure where the happy medium is.  I do know we all feel like this at times and learning to fit makes each of us feel deformed.  I know, I know....we're not deformed, but it is difficult, and things we'd never notice in RTW we pick apart in our own sewing.

So I am going to do my best not to get overwhelmed and work on it, but also work on finding patterns that work for me.