Laid to Rest

     .....for right now. It’s been recovered! I was attempting to take a stab at Butterick 5884.

It’s part of my items for the 2013 Style Your Stash Sew-a-Long.

    

However, I thought I’d enough fabric. Nope. For some evil reason pattern piece 2. Hid from me while laying and cutting the fashion fabric. I had all, or so I thought, the pieces laid on the fabric in such a way that all the pieces were matched with the stripes in the fabric. Viola, they all, or so I thought, fit. Ok, let’s move on to the lining pieces. Front bodice lining, back bodice lining, front skirt lining and back skirt lining. Whoa, back bodice! How did you get here and why are you now showing your face!? Yeah, since now I am out of fashion fabric and the only piece left was claimed by a 9-year old for a head scarf.

    Yeah, so, umm, I am going back to Hancock and see they, hope that they, pray that they still have this fabric. It’s one of the newer stash additions. It, a zebra print, and two other stripe fabrics. It was during their spot the bolt sale they’d had a couple months back.

     If this fails, then I I will use my lining fabric as the fashion fabric as well, since the cape of the sleeve extends all the way across the back.

     With this being said, Butterick 5884 has been laid to rest for a while and on to the next project(s).

While typing this post, the smart side of me said to go get the ‘said’ scarf and just see. Just see. I did. It worked! Even though the stripes aren’t lined with the bodice, it doesn’t make a difference because they match with themselves and that is enough. After Erica Bunker had made her number, I knew I wanted to go ahead and get mine out of the way so I, too, can wear my caped out dress. I already had the pattern in my stash but was timid because I was lazy and didn’t want to tackle all those itty bitty steps. But if I wanted my dress, I had to do it. So, I did it; and with a lot of frustration and ripping and whining and well just ugh! BUT, it’s not perfect, BUT, I love it. 

I used a sheer poly that was on the spot the bolt clearance at Hancock a few months back. It’s one of four that I’d gotten for a great price. They were all some kind of stripe. The seams of the fashion fabric are instructed to be in French seams. Done. The lining is done in double stitching as instructed. BEWARE: if you don’t like super narrow hems, just get ready because the sleeves are super narrow hems. The top and the bottom.

You can’t see it in this photo, though.

I cut the 14 and should have graded out just a tad for the waist and in just a tad for the front bodice. I didn’t recognize the bodice until it was all sewn and forgot to do the waist. It is wearable and I will be wearing it. I have a few more pounds to loose anyhow, so I should be good in a couple of months or so.

I like everything about this dress. Now the other view, View A, is just ordinary and looks like any other dress I’ve seen. The open and airy sleeves really gives this dress some out-of-the-ordinary pizzazz.

    

My nine-year-old added the belt. I kind of like it!

My dislikes are totally on me. Let’s see - for one I wanted this dress in a stripe. Check. A blue stripe. Check. To line up stripes. Not checked! I couldn’t for the life of me get most of those seams to line up. One would then the next wouldn’t. It5 just kept going. So I said fudge it, I was tired of fooling around with it and just put it together.

Another dislike, and again, totally on me, was that darn invisible zipper that took me a whole friggin day to put in and it’s NOT perfect by any means! I had the hardest time simply because I just wasn’t ready to tackle so many itty bitty steps, but I WANTED this dress with that darn invisible zipper that I’d put in with a regular foot because I have yet to buy a foot for the invisible zipper. Ok, I put it in VERY.SLOW! Yay! I love it! It’s in! Time to put it on Aloe and test it out. S*#@! That zipper stopped midways and didn’t move. Ok, a little giggle and it’ll be ok. It giggled up. Cool. Now to try it on me. Since it had a bit of trouble the first time, I’d scraped it with soap to get it slide a bit better. Nope. Stuck. Darn! Help. I call me 9 year old and we worked and tugged and POP went that darn zipper! I spent a whole day trying to put it back on, zip it without too many hiccups, but with no success. I WAS NOT, do I repeat myself - WAS NOT going to take it out, buy another and put it in! NOPE, not going to do it. I got the zipper back on and right where the zipper keeps popping, I slipped that baby together wrapping the zipper shut with the thread. This right at the waist seam, so the zipper doesn’t go any further than that. Now I have to wiggle the dress over my head instead of stepping into it, and then wiggle out of it. No problem. Besides who would know besides my blogging sphere, right?

So long with my blabbing. I do recommend this pattern if you’re up for some super duper narrow seams and some hand sewing. Go for it! I love it.

My horrible photo shoot was done in a rush. I wanted to get this done so I can move on, really, I’m moving, and get other things done.

Oh, what the heck, here are the photos that were edited out. We’ll call them Bloopers:

Falling out of a pose! Who does that?! LOL

No quite ready! I was still talking.

Looks like I am about to do the Dougie! LOL

All I have to do now is put in the hook and eye.

Up next:

Month of July project: Simplicity 2700 Amazing Fit in a vibrant Blue McCall’s 6553 in a very cute pink and white print.

Mini projects for July: 7 bowties for a client in a variety of fabrics and colors; No sewing will be done for clients until I settle. Burda Kids 9491 for one of my Munchkins; and Simplicity 2380 for another Munchkin.

I am not doing any special 4th of July sewing. (You see, I was supposed to post this on the 1st but, hey, things happen.)

Until later,

Scheryka

Capering in My Cape & Interview Ready

M5764 vs M5913 Easy Stitch n Save and Vogue 8751

January: cape. (Yes, it’s the middle of February, but hey...)

It is getting cold out! I mean, it is cold outside! So, that means I need new outerwear. I have a black leather jacket that’s about had its wear and a poo - I mean olive green wool pea coat that I wear most often. There’s also my Class A Trench from the Army but, really. I want (need) something new; something different. I got to wondering through the pattern stash and found a LOT of trench, jacket and coat patterns that I want to make. When I pulled out McCall’s 5913,

I thought I’d make a cape. But I mentally traveled back and forth between a cape and a trench. I really wasn’t ready to tackle an in-depth piece just yet, so I settled for a quick and easy cape. That’s the point when I also found McCall’s 5764. Which is OOP now.

Hmmm, these two patterns are the same. One difference though is that 5764 offers “4 Great Looks” with “One Easy Pattern” while the Easy offers only three. It took a hot minute to figure the difference. I found it! The fourth look was a collar variation.

 

I love the longer belted version. It’s just chic to me. I cut the 12 since it’s meant to fit loose. I didn’t want too much of a swing.

The instructions were GREAT. Nothing confusing or fussy. I also compared the instructions to the Easy version. They’re the same with just a few combined here and few separated there.

I used a black wool-like fabric with white-lined plaid that was mistakenly shipped to me. Instead of the company wanting the fabric back they happily replaced it with the right one free of charge. Yay! Win-win for me. And who doesn’t love a win-win situation?

I didn’t make any alterations. I did change the way it closes. I put in invisible snaps instead of buttons. I initially wanted a zipper but I’m trying to use stash items and I didn’t have a separating zipper on hand. So I settled on the invisible snaps. I also omitted the interfacing since this fabric is thick enough by itself and holds its own... even after the wash.

I love that it’s simple, fast and easy. I wore it with a pair of Vogue trouser pants I made for an interview. They were an in between item that I needed. These pants were SUPER EASY. I knew I needed a pair of dress pants a week in advance. My interview was on a Thursday. I cut them out Tuesday night and started construction Wednesday night. ....LATE Wednesday night. In fact I went to bed around 2 then decided to get back up and go ahead and finish them. I was done something to 4 am. I love them. Although I could make the hip area a tad wider. (I tell ya, post baby weight gain is a mess!) Hence the side pocket gaps. Everything else, just great... especially the waistband. I love a wide band. I also made a 2-inch hem. I’m 5’3” if you need a bit of reference.

Trousers: Very Easy Vogue 8751. I guess it’s because I have constructed several pairs of pants. This Very Easy Vogue lives up to it’s name. With taking care of home duties, school duties, and a nursing baby, total these trousers took 6 and half hours from start to finish, excluding pattern cutting. Originally, I was planning to make View A with the belt loops, but I was kind of strapped for time so I made View B.

I cut the 16. I’ve been having to go up a few sizes since having baby Zyan. I have got to get this weight off soon! It’s not me and since I do not trace my patterns, I refuse to have too many patterns cut too large for me.

I used a semi stretch suiting from the stash that was perfect for this pattern and its purpose. I needed some interview trousers - that I could fit - for a medical office.

I like everything about the pattern and pants except that the legs are a bit wide for my liking of this type garment. Had they been a little more flowing and for another purpose, I would love it. I am also a bit short, standing at only 5’3”. And now since I am a chunkster, it makes it worse. IMO. Next time, and I want to make them again, I’ll take off 3 inches of the leg width.

I made a few exceptions and changes. One, Since I procrastinated until the last moment, I did not have time to interface the waistband nor zipper placket. I’d sewn the waistband together and constructed it as one piece. I made a 2-inch hem for the legs. Oh, the legs are wide! And instead of using only 2 hook and eye that the pattern called for, I used 3 to make up for the interfacing that I did not use. It did the trick but only for a little while. As in - for the moment of the interview only. I can get away with that since it’s really due to the extra pull (killing) my belly is giving the band. That will SOON be history.

I had planned to do a little jacket to go with it but since I waited so long to get started that was surely a no-go at my station! I wore it to the interview with my leather jacket. Basic and nothing fancy. It was cold so I let my outerwear serve as my ‘jacket’. The office was cold, too, so I kept that bad baby on!

I pray I get that job. But even if I don’t, I’ll still be happy-go-blessed!

Until my February project,

x o x o

Scheryka