Mayberry Puffy and Twilly "D"!

The puffy sleeve jacket is making headwaves!
AGB's short sleeve jacket at Macy's for $72


Lafayette's New York Hollis Pinstripe at Nordy's for $468, huh?

This jacket was better than I had anticipated!


Smiling with my ray of sunshine!

Smiling in the garden!


Is the camera timer working?

Smiling in the bathroom!


Smiling in the kitchen!



Heather, I am not ready!



Pattern Description
"Semi-fitted jacket has collar, princess sams, shoulder pads, sleeve length variations and shaped hem; jackets A, B have pockets; jacket A has purchased trim; jacket B has sleeve band." I made jacket B, the one with the short and puffed sleeves with the sleeve band.

Size
Misses' 4-5-8-10-12. I sewed a "12".


Fabric
Suggested are mediumweight fabrics such as cotton, poplin, gabardine, linen blends, eyelet, patchwork.

I used a mediumweight denim with slight stretch at le Wal Marche. This fabric was easy to work with!


Directions
The directions are clear for sewists of any level who are familiar with basic sewing techniques: interfacing, bsting, gathering, easing a sleeve, hemming and so on. The illustrations speak for themselves.

Since the jacket is unlined, McCall's recommended that all raw edges of seam allowances be turned in 1/4" and stitched.

Since this jacket is unlined, there is a front facing and a back facing. The front facing is cut from the same pattern piece as the front of the jacket. I thought the back facing would make the back bulk from the back, but it pleasantly does not when worn. I decided not to omit the long vertical darts alongside the princess seams. They added some flattering shaping below the bust and still, I was so glad that I was able to button the jacket!


Likes/dislikes

Likes
* Princess seaming in the front and back of the jacket
* The long vertical darts started at the appropriate place below my bust, without any adjustments!
* The look of the wide (but not too wide!) shoulders and the short, puffed and banded sleeves which put more emphasis above the bust than below the bust.
* The elongated neckline and large lapels tapered by one button at the waist.
* Yeah! Finally I made a jacket of this style that fits! I have trouble with RTW to fit my short torso and curves!


Dislikes (although not too strong, just things that I noticed)
*I spent a little more time to get the collar to align properly, maybe because of the nature of the fabric. I wanted to ensure that the size of the notches match up after I turn the collar and facings in.

*There was quite a but of easing of the sleeves into the armscyes and the bottom edge of the band. While attaching the band over the right side of the sleeve's lower edge, I intermittently tugged at the threads to get the edge to line up with the band at the seam and notches. I noticed that sleeves on the pattern envelope were slightly less puffy than mine!

*It probably would have been easier to just line the entire jacket so as not to worry about hemming! After I turned the facings inside, I noticed that there was not enough of the bottom edge to turn up, forming the 1 1/4" hem per the instructions! I had allowance for only a 1/2" hem. There was no mention of machine stitching the hem. I handstitched the hem for a couture finish (McCall's mentions "blindstitching the front facing to side front seam and across hem".

Modifications
I opted for two buttons, instead of one as pictured on the envelope, to close the front of the jacket

I omitted the shoulder pads (I cannot wear shoulder pads with my frame) and took in slightly the armscyes.



Would you recommend this pattern? Would you sew it again?
Yes, I would because it is a great spring/summer or a transitional jacket between seasons. For those who are of average height and above, I would definitely recommend adjusting the length. You could easily adjust the pattern if you choose not to wear shoulder pads. The option for long and short sleeves make this piece very versatile for one's wardrobe. This jacket has a classic style that you could wear year after year! I would probably make another one in another color.

This jacket passed the "mom knows best" test. Heather and I visited her yesterday. I wore this jacket and my Vogue 8456 pants of the same fabric. "Another nice new outfit, where did you get it?" By the way, my mom's favorite store is Macy's.

Conclusion
This is one of my new favorite jacket patterns that really would flatter any figure type!

Sew Those Funky Flowers Right On!

The 70's wrap dress back in full swing!





Give Vogue pattern credit for creating a pattern that brings back the unforgettable look!








The last time I recall wearing a wrap dress was in the early-mid 80's! Gone are those "Charlotte Russe" and "5-7-9" shopping days! I have been hesitant about wearing one until I became inspired by the rave reviews of this pattern.

This Vogue 8379 dress with some Diane VF stylin' got me into this goofy 70's/80's dance groove.

Pattern Description
"Come on, VOGUE...let your sewing move to the music..."

MISSES’ DRESS: Wrap front dress has soft pleats, side tie, and sleeve variations. Dress B has collar.


Size
8-10-12-14. I sewed a "12"

Fabric
Jersey knit with funky flowers from Gorgeous Fabrics.


Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, for the most part.


Were the instructions easy to follow?
"Night fever, night fever. We know how to show it. Gimme that night fever, night fever. We know how to SEW it.

Yes and as usual they were accompanied by suitable illustrations. I anticipated that the cutting would take time (whoa! two pieces of the skirt front and one of the back which seemed like nearly an infinity to cut!). I made sure I carefully marked all the dots and notches.

I decided to use the neck interfacing as directed and the neckline turned out better than expected! There was a tad of a tendency for the interfacing to "peek" out at one small section of the neckline, but overall the neckline came out nicely and not puckered or loose!

Attaching the skirt to the pleated upper bodice was somewhat tricky. I feared making a silly goof that would make the final dress look strange when worn. The skirt is folded on the front edges, thus forming a self-facing. I have to admit the diagram was not enough to figure out how to attach the front edge of the bodice to the front edge of the skirt, especially with the tie already attached to the bodice! I stared at the dress I was holding and the diagram back and forth and back at the diagram for awhile and said hmmmmm. The lower edge of the bodice facing was turned so that the right sides were together along the seam of the skirt's front facing as the construction was seen from the inside of the dress. Then once I pulled up the bodice, I could easily turn the bodice facing "in" so that the tie comes out to the front. You can figure this out once "you get into the groove" of sewing the dress!

Oops! I forgot to sew the sleeves in flat since I was trying to follow the directions to a t! Yes, I sewed the the front and back of the bodice at the sides and did not feel like undoing the stitches. I eased-stitched and set-in the sleeves and ended up cutting about a 1/2" at the top tapering off to the sides.


What did you like or dislike about the pattern?
That's the way, uh huh, uh huh, I LIKE it!

* I like this particular wrap style that flatters any figure, especially for those with short torsos and some hips as myself!

* I like the collar and sleeve style which makes the dress so similar to DVF's famous 70's wrap dress.

* Although this pattern is labeled "Very Easy" in terms of the use of basic construction methods, I admit it was time consuming for me and more so due to this being my first got to be REAL wrap dress! (I'll sew MORE, MORE, MORE!). I've sewn wrap tops, but for me a dress that really wraps around seemed like another experience. I spent one afternoon cutting the pieces and of course, there was a lot of stitching that occupied my two free evenings (not entire evenings), especially at the hem of the skirt!

* There is nothing much to dislike, except for one of my cuff notches, which ended up having a slight "U" instead of a "V" curve most likely due to not being careful with my "break" stitch at the circle before turning the cuff band right side out!


Modifications/alterations
"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes Ch-ch-changes...."

I took out a few inches from the bottom edge so that the hem lands on my kneecap. Other than that, I really like the fit and the look! When I wore this dress at a family reunion, my mom who would be more suitable for a position of critiquing who is wearing what on the red carpet asked me if I lost 10-15 lbs (actually 3-5 lbs)! To have my mom say that, especially when her build is different from mine (possessing a slightly taller and more proportioned figure which her granddaughter inherited) is a wonderful compliment. This goes to convey that the dress does work WONDERS!

Conclusion
I highly recommend this dress! It was really worth putting in the time and effort to create something that makes me want to put on my red shoes (I am motivated to buy a pair) and dance to David Bowie's "Let's Dance!"

"We just sewed something tonight. Let's CELEBRATE, it's alright!"