2 Fails ~ McCall’s M6957 and 5oo4 Nancy Dress

Every time I sew a pattern I expect it to turn out wonderful; unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.  Here are two fails – One I might try to make again in a different fabric and one I will not attempt again.

Pattern: McCall’s M6957

My measurements at the time: 37.5 bust, 31 waist, 45 hip. (now in pic I'm 39 bust, 32 waist, 45.5 hip)

Size used: 16 bust/waist, 20 hip

Date Sewn: June 2017 (yes, 2017. LOL this has been in my ufo pile for a long time while I thought about how to save it).

Alterations: just grading out at the hip.

Fabric: a space dye knit with no real stretch, though it was listed as having ample stretch.  Its soft and flowy. Black/Grey Slubbed Jersey Knit 95% rayon 5% lycra.

Purchased from FashionFabricsclub in Aug 2016 for $3.95/yard.  I used 1.75 yards (it is 58” wide) – the pattern calls for 2 yards of 60” wide. Total: $6.91

Thoughts: frumpy. It didn’t turn out like the pattern envelope at all.  It doesn’t look nipped in at the waist. It doesn’t hang with flare at the hip/skirt part.  It is not flattering.

I thought maybe I could save it for a nightgown but its not even cute enough for that!  There are weird folds where the center back seam is, near the bottom hem.  I can’t even find the bands to finish the arms and neck.

This is a definite no for me. I’m probably not going to attempt the pattern again.  In fact, I lost the pieces to the pattern, which is rare for me.

***UPDATE*** I finished sewing this dress (neckband, armbands, and hem) in 2022 and I actually LOVE the dress now!!! If I made this pattern again I would SIZE DOWN!!! I wear this all the time now. Pattern: 5 out of 4 Nancy Dress

I’ve admired this dress from afar for a long, long time.  It looks like the perfect fall dress for me and I just love the look of it.  In actuality it turned out terrible on my body.

My measurements at the time: bust 39; waist 32; hip 47.5

Size used: M for bust/waist and 2x for hips.  Pattern options used: cuffs, cowl, long sleeve.

Date sewn: Nov 2019 – I never finished the hem or cuffs.

Alterations: just the grading out for the hips.

(pulling in the loose waist here helps some)

Fabric: 3 yards of Navy Hacci Classic Sweater knit  - 87% Polyester 9% Rayon 4% Spandex – purchased from Stylish Fabrics Aug 2016 for $4.50/yard. Total: $13.50

Thoughts: Oh where do I start.  This turned out so frumpy on me.  I don’t even know where to start.  It’s very loose fitting. It hangs funny. I’m not sure if the pattern doesn't work for me or the fabric choice. It is way too big in the waist which makes me look larger than I am.  Belting it doesn’t help. I might try again a different day with different fabric – much more stable fabric and not a looser sweater knit. This fabric is so soft but thin. I like the fabric, I just don’t think it was meant to be a dress.

You win some, you lose some. Usually I try everything I can to save a fail but these I’m just going to call it quits on and maybe hack up the fabric for something else.  Life is too short, Keep moving forward.

Thanks for reading!

Kristin

Sewing Plans - Spring/Summer 2020 (SWAP)

As usual I have a whole list planned for my spring/summer 2020 sewing plan. I love planning; I love lists; I love spreadsheets!

As you can see I have a lot that I want to make.  I have started a few things already.

Here is the list if the picture can't be read:

Tops: Sinclair - Ivy tee; Love Notions - Laundry day tee (Completed); New Look - 6470 Side Rouche Tank; Burda 01/2011 #129 l/s top Bottoms: DIBY - Walker shorts; Closet Core- Ginger jean shorts (COMPLETED); Jalie - 2908 jean shorts (completed not yet blogged); Burda - 05/2010 #121 Athletic shorts; Burda - 12/2015 #115 Long skirt Dresses: Sinclair - Dakota Dress (completed); New Look - 6280 view d; Made by Rae - Washi dress; New Look - 6301 tank wrap dress

Under: M4M - Luna Undies; Oh Lulu - Hilda bike shorts; Burda - 01/2017 #126 robe; Burda - 01/2011 #130 leggings

Outer: Burda 01/2010 #105 fleece zip coat; Ottobre - 02/2017 #7 Spring Coat (COMPLETED). Finish Up/Revisit: Burda 03/2012 #114 shorts (in progress); Closet Case - Ginger Jean/Jalie Mash Gray (Finished); Burda 02/2014 #143 corduroy pants; Burda 12/2015 #116 Pants; Jalie - drop pocket cardi in black (COMPLETED). This week I was working on cleaning up some broken pictures and links on my old sewing plans and I got to thinking how I would like to actually complete some of those things on those plans too. I’ve made quite a bit of my plans over the years, but I usually don’t get around to making everything on my lists.  So I would like to add the below items to my Spring/Summer sewing plans.

From 2014 Summer

View A (bottom right) - finished and blogged!

From 2014 Fall

From 2015 Summer - With this fabric

From 2015 Fall - I need to finish this shirt with this fabric

 

From 2016 Winter – with this fabric

Here are my other sewing plans.

Thanks for reading!

Kristin

Miss Ruby Tuesday Dress– 1 Puddle Lane

A ton of people have made this dress and every time I saw it I wanted it!  There are quite a bit of options that come with the pattern too!

Date Started: 03/23/20 Date Finished: 04/14/20

My Measurements at the time: 39 bust, 33 waist, 45 hip

Size Sewn: Large at bust/waist and 2x at hip

Version: Short sleeve bodice with scoop neck (Style B) – 1/2 circle skirt option.  My one and only complaint with this pattern is that it doesn’t give you a HIP measurement – only bust and waist. For someone that is pear shaped that is a huge problem.  I can’t pick my bust/waist measurement and just go with it; my hips are much bigger.  So I just picked a size 2x and went with it because in most other patterns I am usually 2 hip sizes larger than my waist.  Luckily, it worked well.  But come on! Put a hip measurement in the pattern!

Alterations: OK I may have one more complaint with the pattern.  The sleeves on these measured SO insanely small and tight. I made a size L bodice but after measuring the sleeve I knew I needed a much larger size.  I ended up using a size 2X for the sleeve and even then I had to add an additional 1/4” to the sides of the sleeves.  I also lowered the sleeve cap by 5/8” – I do not like a tall sleeve cap because it feels restrictive and fits weird on me.  I talk a lot about high sleeve caps on my old blog, usually with Burda patterns.  I show a great picture on why I adjust this and the before and after difference it makes on this Henley tee post. Anyway, back to the dress.

   

Fabric: Amazing fabric. It was love at first sight. It is a Double Brushed Poly Jersey Knit Floral Navy/Red Fabric; fiber content is 96% Polyester/4% Lycra Spandex.  I purchased it August 2019 from Amazon/fabric.com for $6.38/yard.  I used 2 yards for this dress for a total of $12.76

 

Thoughts:  I love it! I love the dress, the fabric, the fit, all of it!! This is the perfect dress for me. I can’t wait to make up a bunch of the different options in the pattern.  Bonus is that it feels like secret pajamas when I'm wearing it.

 

This dress was in my sewing plans for Fall/Winter 2019.  I may have sewn it up just a little past winter but that’s ok (I also planned on using a different pattern for this fabric but I’m glad I changed my mind and went with the Miss Ruby Tuesday). I had originally planned on wearing this dress with my Helen’s Closet Blackwood cardigan but I think the cardigan is too heavy for this dress.

   

I’ll have to pair the cardigan with something else. I like the dress on its own.

Thanks for reading!

Kristin

Closet Case Ginger Jeans–Take Two

My first ginger jeans have gotten so much wear it is insane.  I never thought I would love a pair of jeans so much or be able to sew a pair that fit so well!  Riding on that wave of happiness I decided to make another pair of Ginger Jeans in this amazing gray stretch denim.  This time I got a wild idea to combine the legs of my loved Jalie 2908 jeans with the ginger jeans.  I love the flare of the Jalie ones but I love the upper fit of the gingers.  When I laid the patterns on top of each other I was shocked how different they were!  Halfway into making these gray jeans I became angry with the fit.  My first pair of gingers fit so much better and this gray pair wasn’t fitting well.  I posted my frustration on my Instagramand then left the pants in the ufo pile until just this month.

This month with all the craziness in the world I decided that life is way too short to be so concerned with the perfect fit.  I need to leave some of that perfectionism at the door and just make stuff – finish stuff.  Yes, I will still try to get the best fit I can but I cannot continue to be so obsessed with fit in that I am unable to sew anything.  Sewing makes me happy. It is my stress relief.  I look back to my earlier years and see how much happier I was as a person.  I was happier with my makes.  I was happier with my self.  Years of chronic illness have worn me down. Years of perfectionism have worn me down.  I just need to sew sew sew and enjoy life more!

Closet Case Patterns – Ginger Jeans in gray

Date Sewn: I started these in Feb 2018.  I finished them in May 2020.

Previous Makes: I’ve made this pattern one other time and love those jeans so much! I wear them nonstop.

Size Sewn: Based on my measurements at the time, I made a size 12 waist and on the front pant I did a size 14 hip, the back pant I did an 18 hip.

I was using a larger back pattern piece to help with my larger rear, but now days I’m not sure if I will continue doing this or not because my front thighs really need more room too – so using a smaller front, larger back doesn’t work.

Instructions:  The instructions are fantastic! These are hands down the best pants/jeans instructions I’ve ever encountered.  I’d buy this pattern just for those.

Nice easy steps, very detailed, and lots of pictures.  There is also a sew-a-long on the Closet Case website; however the pattern instructions are written so well, I didn't’ need to reference the sew-a-long.

Alterations: As I mentioned above, I tried to combine the flare leg of my Jalie 2908 pants with the knee and up to the gingers. As shown below, the Jalie is on top and the Ginger is on bottom .

I’m loving all that extra thigh room the Ginger’s give, but the flare is just a bit too big for me (I can’t believe I said that!).

Fabric: Medium Grey Stretch Denim from fashionfabricsclub; I purchased it July 2017 for $4.95/yard. 2 and 3/8 yard for $11.76 total.

This fabric is amazing. It is soft, it is stretchy, and I just love the color! The fiber content was listed as 97% Cotton 3% Lycra. I wish I had a ton more of this fabric because it is perfect.

 

Thoughts: Well, I love the fabric. I love the pattern. I love the pockets.  I love the flare.  What I don’t love is that I have some fit issues going on here that I just cannot fix at this point in sewing them.

I had to finish the pants though. I couldn’t leave them laying in the UFO pile any longer. I’m about 8lbs larger than I was when I started sewing these so they are a bit snug.  My front and inner thighs need more room, I could address my knock knees and extended calves.

Life is just too short for perfect fits. I finished these. No, they don't fit me perfectly and they are a size smaller than my current, but I finished them.  Perhaps they will fit better if my weight goes down again. I’ll hold on to them for now for sure because I do love them.

fun pockets!

Thanks for reading!

Kristin

Jalie 2444 Leggings and Tank from 2016

I have such a backlog of makes that I haven’t posted yet.  Sometimes this is because I don’t feel good at the time it is made and then I move on to something else.  Other times it is because the make didn’t fit, or I didn’t like how it was finished, or I didn't feel like taking pictures. Mostly it is because I just don’t make the time to post about them.  I only have so much energy in a day and when that energy is gone, it is gone.  Pictures and blog posts are sooooo time consuming.  However, I love reading blog posts about makes. I love the details people put into their posts.  I try to keep up because I like to look back at my posts too when I go to remake something.  Most season changes I look back and see what I made years ago and realize I do want to make a certain pattern again.  The details help me tremendously on which fabrics worked or did not and what alterations I used. So I try to keep up with my posts and makes, but still fall behind sometimes.

These leggings and tanks I made way back in May 2016.  I have also previously made this tank in August 2016 for Miss K.  These certainly do not fit me anymore as my weight changes so much with my health.  I hold on to them because who knows, in a few months I just might fit into them again.  I hadn’t gotten around to blogging about them and their details so I will share now. Some of the pics below are from 2016 and some are from today. Obviously the 2016 pictures are the correct size I used for the pattern – I’m squeezing into the 2020 photos. Jalie 2444 Tank – Cranberry Navy Version

Date Sewn: 05/15/2016

Size Sewn: V bust/waist to an X hip

Alterations: I lowered the neckline by 1” based on reviews (as I discuss below). 1/4” cheater FBA using pivot and slide method.

Fabric: cranberry cotton lycra with navy cotton lycra accents

Thoughts: At first I didn’t love this tank. I shared it on my instagram the day I made it and wasn’t too pleased. What I didn’t like was the colors together.  As time has gone on (4 long years), I’m now ok with the colors and I wish it still fit!  Here is the part I really don’t like: I read about this tank pattern on patternreview before I made it and many people said the neckline was too high.  So before I cut my fabric I lowered the neckline; and that is the part I don’t like.  I actually prefer the tank as the pattern was intended.  So now days I usually don’t read the reviews before sewing something anymore; I want to make it with an unbiased opinion first. Anyway, this is a great tank pattern and it uses so little fabric! Jalie 2444 Leggings in Cranberry

Date Sewn: 05/15/2016

Size Sewn: X everywhere tapering to a V at the waist

Alterations: 1” added to back butt using slash and spread method, added 1/2” to front thigh/crotch curve and 1/4” to back thigh/crotch curve. Also dropped the butt (scooped) by 1/2”

Fabric: cranberry cotton lycra

Thoughts:  I never even hemmed these or even added a waistband which tells me there were issues I didn’t like – large enough issues to not finish them.  If I can remember that far back I think the front crotch had issues and the back was too tight across the butt with wrinkles.  Back in 2016 I didn’t understand as much about pants fitting to fix these issues so the leggings just went into the ufo pile.  Looking back at the 2016 pics I can see I needed to scoop the crotch curve of both the front and back and these would have been great leggings!

Jalie 2444 Tank – Teal/gray version

Date Sewn: 05/19/2016

Size Sewn: U for bust/waist to a W for hips.

Alterations: 1/2” swayback

Fabric: Robert Kaufmann charcoal cotton lycra with teal cotton lycra accents

Thoughts: This time I made the tank the way the pattern intended; I did not lower the neckline.  I love this one so much.  This tank has shown up in my Memademays for many years and many times.  I love this tank!  As you can see above I still need either more room in the hips or more of a swayback adjustment than the 1/2”.   Right now it doesn’t really fit at all so it’s in the “too small for me now but might fit later” pile.  I need to make another!  Honestly looking at these pictures, this would make a great swim top too!

 

Thanks for reading!

Kristin

Me Made May ~ Week 4 Final Week

Continuing on from my Week 1, 2 & 3 posts, this year I thought I would do my MMM blog posts a little different.  I will be showing my memademays for each year I’ve participated along with 2020.  This year marks my 7th year participating in me made may. The weather listed is for this year.

Final Week

May 24th, 2020 - Thunderstorms, with a high of 77°F (25°C)

2017: Patterns for Pirates – Layer me up tee, Jalie 2445 shorts – unblogged 2018: Stitch Upon A Time – Brazi Dress from Sept 2017 2019: Burdastyle 01/2017 #103 hoodie and Jalie 3022 pants 2020: P4P boundless dress

May 25th, 2020 - Isolated Thunderstorms, with a high of 80°F (27°C)

2017: Essential tank and Palazzo pants as shorts 2018: Dress: New Look 6301 made June 2018 2019: Dress: New Look 6301 made June 2018 then Top:  Patterns for Pirates ~ Layer me up tank made Aug 2016 Bottoms: Patterns for Pirates ~ Palazzo shorts made Sept 2017 2020: white rtw tee with P4P Walk the Plank Pj shorts.

May 26th, 2020 - PM Thunderstorms, with a high of 81°F (27°C)

2014: Top: Burda Tie Knot Tank 05/2007 #130 and Shorts: Dockers 2016: Burda 05/2007 #130 Tie-knot tank and A.n.a. Jean shorts. 2017: Jalie yoga pants in black (3022). Floki tee made with my Silhouette cameo and Adidas hoodie 2018: Ottobre 02/2017 #11 tee shirt dress 2019: Jalie 2805 Tee from August 2013 and Jalie 3022 Yoga Pants 2020: Love Notions – Rhapsody blouse with Closet Case Patterns ~ Ginger Jeans made June 2017

May 27th, 2020 – Partly Cloudy with a high of 81°F (27°C)

2014: Top: Burda Racer-back Tank 05/2007 #109A and Pants: Maurices 2016: Jalie 2921 Scarf Top casual, yet classy worn with A.n.a. Jean shorts 2018: Halla Agnes tank with an Octopus graphic made by me with my silhouette cameo. and RTW shorts (A.n.a. brand). 2020: a studio Ghibli tee I made with my silhouette cameo and my Jalie 3022 Yoga Pants

May 28th, 2020 – Rain showers with a high of 71°F (22°C)

2016: Patterns For Pirates Sweet Tee paired with my Ottobre Joggers 2017: Jalie Drop Pocket Cardi (3248) New Look 6470 Tank made in June 2015 (I really love this tank), and Gap jeans 2018: Stitch Upon A Time – Brazi Dress from April 2016 2019: tank is a RTW slimmer, capris are Sew a little seam – Movie Night Pjs (just made)

2020: Miss Ruby Tuesday dress from 1 puddle lane (unblogged at this time)

May 29th, 2020 – Cloudy with a high of 65°F (18°C)

2016: Targaryen Tee I made with my silhouette paired with my Jalie 2908 Jeans 2019: Top: P4P – Sweet Tee (just made) Bottoms: New Look 6054 Skirt

May 30th, 2020 – Sunny with a high of 69°F (20°C)

2016: Burda 05/2007 #109A Tank made in June 2015 and worn with A.n.a. Jean shorts. 2018: Jalie tank (2444) made in May 2016, just blogged and Jalie 3022 – Yoga pants from March 2017 2019: Halla – Agnes tank (made Jun 2017) with some RTW Seven Jean Shorts and then Stitch Upon a Time – Brazi 2020: P4P Sweet Tee paired with my M4M Chloe Maxi Skirt

May 31st, 2020 – Sunny with a high of 73°F (23°C)

2016: Pisces Tee I made with my silhouette and some A.n.a. Shorts.

2017: Jalie 3248 drop pocket cardi in black. New Look 6470 tank and Gap Jeans 2018: Simplicity 1801 Dress from Sept 2015 2019: Love Notions – Rhapsody blouse and RTW Seven Jean shorts 2020: Dress: New Look 6301 made June 2018 Things I learned through all the Me Made May Years: 2014: The most important thing I learned during Me Made May '14, is that actually wearing my makes tells me about the fit more than anything.  Spending the day in an item, moving around, and living in it, points out all the things I would change. More length, fix the shoulders, add width, make a smaller bust, etc.  I enjoyed learning all these things.  I actually got rid of 3 me mades this week because of the poor fit; however I am still happy with those patterns, I just know to make things different next time. Needs: Tanks, s/s shirts, shorts, skirts, swim suit, zip-up fleece jacket.

2015: I have to admit, I've done terrible at MMM this year. I thought I would do great since I have more makes, but as I went through my closet I realized not much fit me.

2016: I realized that I need more tank tops and shorts.  I need to focus on them as well as a few more tank dresses.

2018: I really enjoyed seeing what everyone else wore and got some great ideas for makes in the future.

2020:  I still have holes in my wardrobe that prevent me from wearing some makes. I still have things I want to remake that no longer fit me.  I think the biggest lesson I learned this MMM is that I need to be sewing and not stressing about perfect fit as much.  I have gotten to the point that I can’t finish makes or even start some because I fear they will not fit right or I don’t want to deal with the alterations.  I look back over the years and see that I sewed more and was happier with my makes when I had fun and enjoyed the process, worried about perfect fit less.

That’s it!! Hope you all had a happy Me Made May 2020!!

Kristin