Fabric Stash 2011–Simplicity 5284

These are actually the first articles I started on for the Fabric Stash Contest 2011 over at www.sewing.patternreview.com. My goal is not to win anything, instead, my purpose it just to clear out some fabric and get things made that have been in limbo for a while. The tops are for my soon-to-be 2 year old. She likes them very much, but just won’t keep still to take pictures in them. So, I will post what I have. This is the pattern in speaking. For the contest I made top version A. This is my second and third times making it. I made the top once before and the neck band was a dud. I put it down and didn’t pick it back up until now. I remember why I put it down now…I didn’t feel like stitch picking the neckband off. Come on, it’s on a knit! It was worth more of my time to throw it away than redo it. I have more of the material anyways. It was like the blue ‘flowers’ only red.

Here are the two fabrics used for the tops. I think they are very pretty but a little light weight for the winter months. I didn’t know it until I got the fabric here. It sord of remind you of a Swiss dot material in knit – with bad return. But it works for a 2 year old who grows like the grass (Or if you are standing in my yard – like the red dirt). Here’s the front and back pieces sewn together at the shoulder seams. The blue has been turned to the right side.

Here are the arm and neckband pieces with some turned to the right side.

                         

The shirts sat like this (unhemmed) for a few days. Dangling form the chandelier that I rescued from the landfield about 5 years ago. I just do NOT like putting hems in knits. But thankfully, I ran into this technique that is really neat and fun and makes some good hems on knits. I’ll do a how-to later – so I can use some fabric where you can actually see what’s going on. It’s not a new technique at all; it just works for me.

                

 I was trying to get my baby to turn to the front for a picture but I guess she likes the back more than the front. Then she wanted to stand in the chair (second picture) like her sister was doing for the hemming of her Jalie’s. She still wanted the back to be pictured.

Well, I got to turn around but she started taking off the shirt! She really don’t like the front, huh? :~?

Well, I actually had another opportunity to get a front view. But now she won’t look at the camera! OMG…I quit. lol Kids. (Oh, the dress that’s hanging in the background is for a lady who asked me to fix her sides seams. I called and left a message and have not heard from her, yet. Sonny, if you are reading this blog, your dress is done.)

Since the owner of the blue top did not want to continue her diva shoot, I decided to just lay the red one on the chair and click take a pic.

I tried to do another technique I read somewhere. (I have got to remember where I read these things!) I may do a how-to for this one too. I said ‘may’ because I am not too happy with the results. It could may as well be the fabric though. I’ll try again on another fabric and see how it works. If it does good then I’ll post it. Cool? Cool.

     

Here is how the hem turned out with that technique. It looks like there was a band put on but really it’s not.

That’s all I have for the tops. So, as always, until next time,

Schey

Fabric Stash 2011–Jalie 2908

 

Retro Jalie

Here is, yet another, pair of the famous Jalie Jean. Another item for the Fabric Stash Contest 2011 over at www.sewing.patternreview.com. These pants are a twist of two tails. The denim has been cut out since the beginning of school and the green corduroy is what will used toward the contest. I started cutting and sewing and then things went crazy in my head. Life showed its ugly face and made my creations mock its ugly self. But it didn’t succeed because these pants turned out cute. They have a retro feel to them. You know the pants you used to wear back in the day. Only back then, each leg width was about the same as the waist and the yoke was so high they made the waistband touch your chest bone, and you wonder why the bottoms never touched the top of your shoes. Yeah, high-water bell-bottoms. Well, here are my daughter’s new Jalie’s and their triumphant journey into their new resting place – her closet.

The tale of two tales.

 

Pockets in the making.

Nonfunctional pockets – wrong side.

Nonfunctional pockets – right side.

The nonfuncts are put together. I serged the ‘pockets’ so that raveling will be reduced.

These are the pieces I gave my daughter to choose from. She had to pick from numbers 1 and 2 and then from 3 and 4. She chose 2 and 4. So those are the ones I put together and put the other two parts together for the second pair.

Back of the corduroy and the pretty shaped pocket.

 

 

 

 

Pair one with the fly and functional pockets.

 

The inside of my pants are getting better! I forgot to serge the seam that connects the yoke and back before I sewed it down. I just left it that way.

Here are the front and back with the loops and button.

***The next pair will come as soon as I clear my memory and take those pictures too. ***

Ok, so I have more pictures of the retro Jalie jeans for my daughter.

I will simply post them with a brief descript since I am pressed for time and trying to do my school work at the same time.

Front and back of the functional pair of Jalie jeans. I tried to block out the belly but the darn thing kept creeping in the pictures. I made them long because we all know kids grow up faster then they grow out. (Unless they live off fastfood and cookies everyday and play the 360 and XBox all the time.)

This is the front and back view of the nonfunctional pair. There’s that belly again. I think a belt is really in need here. The waistband stretched bad on this pair.

Oh yeah, I thought I’d let you see the inside of the nonfunctional pair. I used the fly just for a guide for the mock opening.

 

Until later, Schey.

She’s Got Legs

 

     Leggings are a great asset to any wardrobe. But beware ladies, you just can’t wear them anyway with anything. There are some ronchie legging wearers out there. As I skimmed the internet I found a few photos of said ronchieness. Let’s take the time to view these eyesores of personal criminal intent with bodily harm.

WTH? (www.fashionpolice.com)

can we say confetti confusion? Why?

Tye Dye went out when? I’m just saying.

The shoes are just fabulous! I have nothing to say about the leggings except that they are just down right ronchie and ugly.

I introduce you to M6173. Rated easy, and it is only one pattern piece that is cut twice. Three seams and elastic. If your fabric has the right stretch and recovery action, you may can forego the elastic.

This is my first time making these leggings and they were done in an hour and 12 minutes. This includes the cutting. It took me the longest trying to figure out how tight I wanted the elastic. You can better believe that I will making more of these. I already have some black and blue snake print stretch moleskin lurking in the shadows for this.

As you can see the leggings are long. But that is good. Read – versatile.

Here are more shots:

With the boots on.

I know I have no booty. Flat a pancake and you better not be laughing either. This is the waist line. They are confortable but next time I will bring the rise up a bit more.

                                

Now before you look at the next picture, I just want to warn you that ‘some scenes are not for the weak at heart or stomach. Scenes from this blog may not be suitable for young viewers’. Now scroll:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         

This is why one does not leggings with short tops unless you are in the comfort zone of your own home. Then and only then you can let things like this hang out!

‘Now, back to our regularly schedule program…..

Until the next, item of clothing made by Schey.

 

Ok, you can stop laughing now!

Fabric Stash 2011–Free Vogue

This is, yet another, contest I have entered. This time, though, it is not to win anything. It is more of a personal goal to get rid of my never-ending site of fabric in the sewing “hut”. The first (finished) item is a blouse/tunic that I just finished making. I found the directions for this pattern in the Feb/March 2011 issue of Vogue Patterns magazine – one of my favorite magazines of all time. The pattern is just two rectangles with one slightly, about two inches, longer than the other one. The directions? 6 steps! Yay. Must I say Simple, Simple, Simple!!! There’s not much to ramble about, so I am going to present to you…

Because The Animal Made Me Do It

  This is literally how the two pieces look. The only difference is that the front piece about 2 inches wider than the front to accommodate neck shaping. That’s what Vogue said. But I know better. In my case, it is to accommodate my head!

***Warning: Do not pay attention to the unkempt wall. My kitchen is under construction. Really I am about to pull down that hideous wallpaper and change the wall color to match my new tile that is about to get put down.***

Another view from the side. I like the sleeves a lot. I should have tightened the belt a bit to bring it up. Oh yeah, I also made the tights but they are not part of the stash contest. I actually made these right before Christmas.

Front View with the belt. I was trying to decide if I like the black or the white belt best but it really doesn’t matter because I can’t find the black one so white it is for now.

Here’s the front without the belt. Kinda’ cute I think. I like the feel of the charmeuse. It is very flowy.

I don’t like this view. But who cares by the time you see me coming you wouldn’t care what the back looks like while I’m leaving because you would be at the machine trying to mock my smock.

More photos:

The neckline.

Stooping.

The sleeve.

Batwings.

I tried to do better photos but my photographer is fired as of tonight. So here is what I managed to salvage.

Ok, that’s all I care to show. The others were totaled. lol

The review is next:

This pattern can be found in the Feb/Mar 2011 Vogue Patterns magazine on page 22.

Pattern Description:
Easy to make with just two triangles of fabric. My description would be: Ladies tunic top that is so easy it can be sewn with your eyes closed.

Pattern Sizing:
This pattern is made to your size with a simple four step formula described in the book. There is also an alternative to line the top if you are using a sheer or if the inside of your fashion fabric is rough to the skin.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
OMG! Of course it did!

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Well for what there were of directions, they were superb. There are only 7 steps, I mean 6 because the 7th step says: done!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like its simplicity.
There's nothing to like.

Fabric Used:
I used a poly charmeuse. I bought this fabric because I loved it and it was the last of the bolt. So I go the last of it not knowing what I would do with it. But now that I have this gorgeous fabric and great pattern, it's a wrap - done deal.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
NONE and NONE.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I may make it again if I can find some more fabulous fabric. Yes, of course, I recommend to anyone who love this style blouse and those who don't because it can surely be adapted to easily.

Conclusion:
Great pattern! Now that I have gotten used to sewing Vogue, Vogue has never failed me. Love it!

Garden of Colors

Our church, Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, in Greenville, SC had our annual Garden of Colors service. I am posting this about 2 and 1/2 months too late. Due to the fact that, I just did not feel like doing this post. Then I got caught up doing other things and totally forgot to do it all together. But the way the colors are designated to each person is, you take the last number of your birth year and wear the coordinating color assigned to that number. So, if you were born in 1953, you would wear the assigned color of, let’s say, white. Same thing for if you were born in 1973. Three is the number that corresponds to the color white. My color was green. And my number is 7. That’s all you need to know. And yes, 7 is such a lucky number. I wanted to make this dress for a long time but time and prior obligations kept me from attaining my goal. I put this dress together in two days. Really, it could have been done in one because it is so easy. And it is rated as so, too. 

It is Vogue 1151. A Cynthia Steffe pattern. Honestly, I don’t know why the model has this visible zipper in a knit dress. It has to be for cosmetic purposes only. Here are more photos that were taken. I have to get better at taking better photos. Or at least get someone who likes to take photos. Yeah right, huh?

The neck calls to be placed on the bias. I did not do this because I was kind of scared that I would end up with TOO much stretch for a cowl neck in a knit. But the material has such a recovery that I don’t even know why I sweat it in the first place.

           

The front without and with a belt. I wore it with the belt for Sunday service. It gave my kind of undefined hips a little more definition.

                

The back without and with the belt.

    

The front cowl neck. Next time I make this I will make the shoulders a little wider for the sake of the little bit of pick a boo bra straps I have going on. I rather make them wider than constantly trying to hide the little that are showing. As far as the neck back, it just won’t sit well. I think that is due to the type fabric I had used. I gave it gooood pressing and it looks better. I just haven’t taken any pictures of it.

Below you can read my Pattern Review for this awesome and easy dress.

Pattern Description:
As per the web site: MISSES' DRESS: Tapered, close-fitting dress, above mid-knee has slightly raised waist, princess seams, cut-a-way armholes, two-piece bias, turned back collar and exposed back zipper.
The only notion needed is a 18 inch metal zipper.

Pattern Sizing:
Combinations: AA(6-8-10-12), EE(14-16-18-20) I made size 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
I believe it does, only it's green without the zipper.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yeah, they were actually. Before, I used to think that anything Vogue was a migraine in the shadows. Now, I LOVE Vogue and can actually read and understand - for the most part - the directions. And the pattern is rated easy as well. Good job, Vogue.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like everything about this dress. I especially like that it is so easy to put tother. I see a LBD in this one too. The only dislike is the zipper. I am not saying that I don't like zippers or exposed zippers, because I do. I just don't see why there is a zipper in the pattern at all. I think I will say it's a personal preference instead of a dislike.

Fabric Used:
I know it was a cotton knit and lycra but it also said with wicking fibers, or something like that. I actually like the material because itis thick and does not require ANY lining what so ever.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I only left out the zipper because i can get in and out of it with ease. And I just didn't feel like putting in a zipper at the time either. Also, the pattern says to put the cowl piece on the bias. I didn't do that because I was timid that I may have a too much of a stretch in the neck.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I am going to sew this again and recommend? You betcha.

Conclusion:
This is a go getter even though I know there are quite a few reviews here already. I am just reitterating the fact that you need to get it if you don't.