Spring SWAP Dresses ~ New Look 6301 & Ottobre 02/17 #11

New Look 6301 Wrap Dress, View B


Size: Bodice size 12, hip size 14. This is 1 size down in bust and almost 3 sizes down in hip.  I read comments that the dress was large so I sized down and actually did a tissue fitting! 



Alterations: The tissue fitting showed me many areas to fix before cutting into my fabric. 

• I took 1/2” tuck from neckline at the collarbone because of gaping there. 
• I graded the bottom of the sleeve from a 12 to a 14 to accommodate my larger biceps. 
• The sleeve cap had a whooping 2.5” of ease… in a knit!! My pet peeve.  So I dropped the tall, narrow cap down about an inch – this gave me 1.25” in ease and also made it wider on top – this fits me much better at the shoulder than those tall sleeve caps.
• 1/2” swayback
• 1/2” forward shoulder adjustment
• 1/4” out of CB at neckline to 1/2” out at center back, then to 0” at bottom of bodice.  The pattern has an outward curve in the mid back which was completely opposite of what I needed.  This alteration straightened out the back and solved that issue. 
• I cut the ties at the size 20 since many people complained how short they were.
• Skirt pieces 7 & 8 are the exact same so I just cut 2 of #7.
• I cut two of the front R pieces (#1) and didn’t bother with the front L piece.

Instructions: The instructions were ok. They explained what I needed to do and I had no issues with them.  I did sew my dress up a bit different in order – easier in my mind.  Pleated fronts, sewed to back at shoulder.  Added front binding, sewed in ties to back. Then sewed sleeves in flat, and sewed up sides.  I sewed skirts together and then sewed skirt to bodice in the round. It went together fairly quickly.



Fabric: Pattern calls for 2.5 yards fabric for my size.  I somehow made this with only 1.5 yards.  This fabric was from the Fabric Mart precut sale.  I purchased it in Sept 2017 for $3.05 a yard; total $4.58 for this dress.  It is listed as 92% Rayon/8% Lycra blend with 4 way stretch.  The fabric is heavier than most rayon/lycra I own and so so soft.  This fabric cut, sewed, and pressed like a dream.



Thoughts: I really love this dress!  I was hoping it would work out since the fabric is super soft.  I love the color, the drape, the look.  I do find that the dress grows a little during the day and that the heavier fabric doesn’t have as much recovery as I would like.  But, those are minor things.  If I make the dress again (I already have plans for the tank view) then I want to take another whole inch out of the center back at the neckline – it is still a bit wide in back.  I would also shorten the front bindings and make the front cross over tighter – but this may just be the fabric’s problem with the growing/recovery issue. 



I think it’s a fantastic “fake” wrap dress pattern.  I would recommend it to anyone!


Ottobre 02/2017 #11 – Tee Shirt Dress

Size: 42 for bust/waist to 46 at hip. Also made the sleeve 42 at the cap out to 44 at the hem (to gain some width at the bicep).



Alterations:

• 1/2” forward shoulder adjustment

Instructions: This is a simple T-shirt dress.  I sewed it up without looking at the instructions.  I sewed one shoulder, added neck binding, sewed other shoulder.  Then I sewed in the sleeves and added binding to the bottoms of them. After this I just sewed up the side seams and hemmed it.  It was super fast. 



Fabric: 1.75 yards - Bright Turquoise/White 100% Cotton, Plus Sign Design, Interlock Knit – 60W; purchased Sept 2017 for $5.60 total also from Fabric Mart’s precut sale. 



Thoughts: I made this for a nightgown, I love it for that purpose.  A few days in MeMadeMay I just wore the dress all day.  It is soft and comfortable, easy to throw on and go.  The interlock is thicker and less stretchy than most knits but it works well in this dress. I have no complaints!

Here’s an updated look at how my Spring/Summer Sewing Plan is going:

Simplicity 1068 Skirt and some odds and ends

I received this really funky fabric in one of my Fabricmart mystery bundles. Miss K and I disagreed on who should get to use it. It is one of those crazy fabrics where I never would have bought it for myself but I love it in person. 

I wanted to use it for a Maxi skirt but was too lazy to draft one myself.  I picked up Simplicity 1068 a few weeks back and I like the other options the pattern has too.

Size: My measurements put me in a size 16 waist, 20 hip. Looking at the ease I decided to use a size 16 waist/18 hip. 

Seen here with my New Look 6470 Tank Top

Adjustments: I had to taper in 1” on each side of the bottom of the skirt for lack of fabric width. When I held the pattern up to my body I thought the side slit would be too revealing so I lowered it by 3” – not a good idea.   I forgot to add the waistband height when holding it up. The slit ends up only going to the knee and makes walking easier.  Now that I’ve lowered it, walking is doable, but not as easy as it could be, lol.  For future reference I’ll leave the slit where it is.

Instructions:  This is a super easy skirt to sew. I suggest serging each piece separately, then sewing them together, this makes the slit easy to sew. Anyway, you sew both sides, sew the slit, and add the waistband.  Very fast and easy.  The “one-hour pattern” lives up to it’s name.

Fabric: 1.75 yards of Cheetah knit with ruffles from Fabricmart bundle. Only $2.01!! Yay!  I underlined the skirt with some White Polyester Knit Lining purchased in May 2014 from Hobby Lobby, 1.5 yards for $5.24. Total for the skirt: $7.25.  I was not able to line up the ruffles because I used literally ever bit of fabric I had.  The pattern calls for 1 3/8 yards but extra fabric is needed to match designs, stripes, etc. Plus my fabric was not 60” wide, either.

Thoughts: I absolutely love this skirt.  It is super funky and fun to wear. I have to be extra careful to make sure the puppy doesn’t jump up on me though because this fabric, while with ruffles, has a mesh-like under layer – which snags easily.  I think I’ll try some of the other views with this pattern, too. 

I also made yet another tank from the New Look 6470 Pattern. 

I used View D but omitted the cross over.  This tank is the same as my Gray and White Burnout Tank. I made no changes from what I sewed for that one. You can see the shoulder gather much better in this solid tank though.

I used 1 yard of Bright Red Jersey Knit, cotton/lycra, from fashionfabricsclub. I just purchased it in June for $3.95.  It is pretty lightweight and soft.  I’m not really in love with this top like I am with the gray and white one.  I do wear it often though. 

 

And lastly, I thought I’d share a fail with you. This is a fabric fail, not a pattern fail.  I picked up 2 yards of this cute red apple rib knit fabric in February from Fabricstalkers on Facebook for $8. I wanted to test out McCall’s 7079 for Miss K. 

The pattern reminds me of a skater dress, for girls.  K does not like any cutouts on her back so I used View F.  I cut and sewed a size 10 for the bodice, 12 for the skirt. I used fold over elastic (but didn’t fold it over) in the waistline instead of clear or regular elastic.  I find this much softer on the skin.

The dress would have been great, I think, but the fabric stretched all out and does not have good recovery.  It just hangs on her and isn’t very cute.  The fabric keeps growing. I did not even bother to hem it.  I should not have used a rib knit for this pattern.  So, this dress has been retired to the pajama pile. And I’ll try the pattern in a proper fabric, jersey, next time.

I made K a pair of undies with the scraps of this and she loves those. 

Ottobre 06/2013 #33 Undies

Size: 152 
Fit: the best! I used my cover stitch binder attachment to put on the leg bands

Of course I could not leave out Mr. T. So I whipped him up a pair of Jalie 3242 boxers from scrap fabric.

Size: Q (or EU 155, or US 13). They fit perfectly.

Happy Summer, it’s hot out there!

New Look and Simplicity

 

I made at least one thing on my summer list!  I’ve hoarded had this fabric since I fell in love with it May of 2014.  I wanted to wait for the perfect top to use it for.  I only had 1 yard.  Well, this New Look top is pretty much my favorite pattern ever.  I made it last summer in a purple matte, a blue floral; this year in a solid black, and now with this jewel fabric.  I can’t get enough of it! 

New Look 6470 View B

Adjustments and Size: 14 for shoulder and high bust, 16 at waist/hip; I took 3/4” out of the back neck in a slant to 0” at the bottom.  This accounts for 1.5” total out of the back neck. I added 1" to the hem as well.

As with my solid black version, I wanted to have the front part of the cowl lined with the entire shirt (because I hate cowl linings flipping out).  I only had a yard of this so I made the bodice front, cowl, and cowl lining down to the underbust line with the jewel fabric (all in one piece), and then attached some of the leftover black fabric from the solid top at that underbust line – making the bodice all lined.  It worked out great.

Fabric: 1 yard, “Brazil Knit Print” from Michael Levine, Inc. (lowpricefabric.com). purchased May 2014 for $12. It is a poly spandex blend ITY.  Very soft.

Thoughts: Um, I love, love, love it!!  It exceeded my expectations.  I plan on making a cardigan to go over it in the fall/winter – fabric and pattern already bought. 

This top is navy and not black like I first thought so I wanted some navy pants to go with it. 

Simplicity 1283  – Mimi G Style

These pants are supposed to fit a pear shape well (according to the reviews on patternreview.com).  So I took a chance.

Size: My measurements would put me in a 16 waist/ 20 hip.  I looked at the ease and decided to go with an 18 at the waist and 20 everywhere else. 

Adjustments:  I measured the flat pattern for hip/thigh/waist size as well as crotch height/rise.  I decided 2” of negative ease would be ideal.  The hip only measured 39” even though the pattern states it measures 43.5”.  This meant I had to add 1.5” to the hip (equaling 3/16” to each hip edge).  I had to shorten the pants by 1” because they were so long.  I also took a whole THREE inches off the crotch height!!  When I held the pattern up to me, the pants came up to my under bust before the waistband was even added! Wowza.  That is why I shorted the crotch height.  They still come up to my belly button. Anyway, this meant my front dart was no longer needed and my back darts were shortened.  I was not going to sew a zipper into knit pants so I omitted that.  I cut the waistband  on the cross grain instead of the straight of grain like the pattern wanted.  I added 1” elastic to the waistband and sewed it on in the round, like I would on any knit pants.  This worked out great.

Fabric: 2 yards Navy Blue Double Knit, 98% Polyester 2% Lycra. Purchased February 2015 from fashionfabricsclub for $9.90 total. 

Thoughts:  The pants are comfortable in fit.  The fabric is a bit scratchy to wear.  It makes a swoosh-swoosh sound when I walk so……  I’m not sure how much I will wear them.  They look great with my top though so who knows!  I like the pattern enough, it has potential – I just need to buy softer fabric and try it again. As you can see below, I need to address the center back as well, it dips there and is loose.

New Look Cowl Tank and Long Skirt

My husband had a family reunion on Sunday and I wanted to make a quick new outfit to wear to it. I procrastinated until Saturday of course.  I wanted to make something  comfortable to wear as we had to drive a ways to get there.  I also expected hot weather. 

 

I prewashed, traced, cut, and sewed up these two all on Saturday.  I’m pretty proud of myself because I usually can’t sit and sew that long without pain.

First I made the cowl tank: New Look 6470, View B

This is the same pattern I just made the other day in View D.  I also made it in view B twice last year (purple muslin and blue floral).  I love cowls but hate the lining flipping out all the time.  I fixed this by making the cowl lining the entire length of the shirt.  Essentially for the pattern you have the front with a mirror of the front up on top of it and then this all flips in half so you have cowl and underlining all in one.   It worked slick and now I don’t have to worry about any cowl flipping out.  (I like the extra coverage in front too).

Size: 14 for shoulder and high bust, 16 at waist/hip; I took 3/4” out of the back neck in a slant to 0” at the bottom. I remembered from last time that the back neck was huge on me.  This accounts for 1.5” total out of the back neck. I added 1" to the hem as well.

Fabric: 2 yards Black Matte ITY Jersey from Hancock’s, just bought for this project on Friday.  $11.18

Thoughts: I love this top. It is lightweight and feels great to wear.  It looks better than casual but not overly dressy. The fabric was easy enough to sew.  The only downfall is that it tends to snag easy. 

 

Next I decided on New Look 6054. View A

A simple skirt that doesn’t really require a pattern unless you are lazy like me and do not feel like putting any thought into it. I made this skirt way back in 2012 out of a linen blend and it is so comfortable to wear.  I had cut the pattern out in a size 14, sorry that won’t fit these hips! However, it was super simple to grade the pattern up to an 18.  Essentially if you follow the pattern sizing you would add 3/4” to the non-folded edge.

I was squeezing this out of the 2 yards of fabric I bought, pattern calls for 2.5 yards of 60”.  I left off the tie for this one but did put in the button holes in case I change my mind.  I just didn’t want the added bulk at the waistline. 

My fabric is pretty wild, perfect for a simple pattern.  I picked it up Friday from Hancock’s, too.  2 yards for $12.98.  It was on sale and I had a coupon.  Rayon Challis.  I hung the skirt for half the day Saturday before I hemmed it.  It grew just a tad, I had to take 2” off the hem. 

Sunday came and I was all excited to wear my outfit – but the weather decided to rain and turn cold. HAHAHA.  Oh well, I love the outfit and will wear it often this summer.

New Look 6470 and Ottobre 02/2007 #1

In my last post I warned you that I was on a tank top sewing spree…

New Look 6470 View D – modified
I made view B of this pattern last summer (purple muslin and blue ITY) and I liked them despite the issues I had with the fit.  The pattern found it’s way into my pile again this summer and I decided to give it a go.

This time View D caught my eye with those cute shoulder gathers (hard to see in my busy fabric).  I had only 1 yard of fabric slated for this and needed something fast so I didn’t feel like doing the cross-over body thing.  Instead I omitted that and just traced and cut the front as one piece.  I also rounded out the neck which brought it up by 1".

Size: 14 for shoulder and high bust, 16 at waist/hip; I took 3/4” out of the back neck in a slant to 0” at the bottom. I remembered from last time that the back neck was huge on me.  This accounts for 1.5” total out of the back neck. I added 1" to the hem as well.

I used clear elastic to gather the shoulders and fusible bias tape on the neck and then turned and cover stitched.  I liked how easy it was to turn the fabric, however, I think it makes the neck too stiff now and it is a little wavy too.  I followed the directions on the arms – not wanting them to be stiff and inflexible. I folded up to 5/8” then folded the seam allowance in half so the raw edge was not exposed, then cover stitched.  This made for a nice and stretchy armhole but was a pain in the butt to get the fabric to cooperate with such small turning.

Fabric: Gray Burnout Jersey Knit, 1 yard, $0.83 – WHAT?? Yes, $0.83 for this shirt I’ve been going a bit crazy with the fabric mystery bundles at Fabric Mart lately. This came from a craft bundle in May – 6 pieces - mostly yards or a bit more for $5. It’s really cool because I am getting things I like but would never think of buying.

So this fabric is a burnout, see-through in spots, lightweight, and is soft and fuzzy on the white spots - like flocked fabric.  I really kind of love it!  I’m wearing a white tank under it in the pics but I think a black one would look better.
Thoughts: I love it! It is a bit hard to see the shoulder gathers with this busy of a print but you can’t go wrong with how cheap it was!!  This will become a fast favorite, I’m sure.

Ottobre 02/2007 #1 “Tank Top”
Well, this tank wasn’t such a great success.  It has been banished to pjs already.  In all fairness, it isn't the pattern's fault, it is mine. My cover stitch binder gave me some issues and then one of the shoulders got messed up and I had to re-serge but it went crooked due to the binding. Sigh.  All my errors. 

Size: 40 Shoulders/bust, 42 waist/hip. 1/2” square shoulder adjustment. 1/2” swayback adjustment.
I bound the neck and armholes with my cover stitch.  The front looks great, except the one messed up shoulder.

The back is in serious need of a swayback adjustment. I didn’t pull it down before the picture either but it looks a mess!
Fabric: 1 yard of Jade cotton lycra from Purpleseamstress.com $6.50
Thoughts: This would be a great basic tank if I hadn’t fudged up the shoulder.  I will remake it in the future sometime; this one will be a pj tank.