Triple Scoop

After making my first top with Vogue 8451, I have made two more versions. It's one of those styles that I enjoy wearing more.



"Lemon Pledge", a second version in a knit from fabric.com that I made last January. I like the puffed sleeves. Instead of setting in the sleeves, I sewed them in flat before sewing the seams of the sleeve bands, sleeves, and sides.











"Tie is on My Side".

I just completed my third version this month in a poly-lycra knit from GorgeousFabrics.com (left over fabric from a recently made Butterick mock wrap dress).






I replaced Vogue's front and back with ones from this 1970's McCall's pattern.


Modificatons made for third version:

(1)To make the top less form fitting while still having side and back shaping, I replaced the front and back bodice pieces with my traced, altered and cut (gift tissue) pattern pieces from McCall's knit pattern #4987, from 1976. Unlike Vogue 8451, the front did not have bust darts.

(2) I preserved the shape of the scooped neckline from this Vogue and traced it onto my McCall's #4987 pattern piece.

(3 ) Omitted the neckline facings and hence, the look of a mock neckline.

(4) Folded a narrow hem and topstitched the neckline

(5) Applied the sleeve band flat to the edge of the sleeve, right sides together.

(6) Instead of setting in the sleeves per Vogue, I sewed the sleeves in flat before sewing the seams of the sleeve bands, sleeves, and side seams.

(7) Added the tie belt I created while making my Butterick faux/mock wrap dress.




First version of my 1970's McCall's knit top with the cowl neck, worn with Simplicity slacks 4135.








"Octic Nerves", my first version made in January.









Original review

Faux All the Sewing Ladies

Faux all the "jingle" ladies: Beyonce covered up stunningly in a green wrap dress while in New York City promoting Samsung's B'phone on October 11, 2007



































I like the interesting hooks and clasp closures along her left side.






























From BarriePace.com, three faux wrap jersey dresses from Muse.




Butterick's version of the faux/mock wrap dress.


















After seeing Sharon M's stunning dress, I became tempted to purchase this pattern.

Last week's tribute to the Rolling Stones on American Idol still got me rocking and now sewing. Pardon me, Mick Zig-Zagger, for toning down the lyrics to make them SEW appropriate.


I'll come to your SEW-motional Dress-Cue
"Misses' Dress: Close-fitting, pullover dress, above midknee has mock wrapped front with stitched tucks at side, long sleeves, purchased applique and optional narrow finishing at hem." There are also back vertical darts for more shaping.

I purchased this pattern for only $0.99 along with other patterns at ebay instead of purchasing it on clearance at the Butterick website and paying exorbitant shipping prices for something lightweight packed in a mailing envelope.


Size is on My Side:
6-8-10-12


Between a Mock and a Wrap Dress
I would say that my dress resembled the dresses on the envelope, except that I replaced the tucks or pleats with gathers and included a tie belt.


Let's Sew Some Textiles Together:
Poly knit with a bit of lycra from GorgeousThings.com. I think a knit with more drape would provide more comfort and a desirable fit.





The vibrant colors remind me of the Aztec native costume worn by 2004's Barbie Aztec Princess of Ancient Mexico.


For your listening and viewing enjoyment, here is a treat for RS fans, which is also one of my favorite RS songs, 1965's The Last Time on youtube.com. They are better live, though.











I Sit and Watch As Seams Sew By...
*I like the style of a faux/mock wrap dress with a DVF flair

* There are four pattern pieces: Sleeve, back, right front, and left front (more like a bodice that ends at the waistline and goes beneath the right front or acts as an under lap as referenced by Sharon M in her very helpful review).

*After my usual adjustments, I was surprised that the lowest edge of the dress landed mid-knee on me, a length that I prefer. I wanted to warn women of all heights about this.

*Maybe due to the stability of my knit, I was able to staystitch, fold the raw edge under, forming a 5/8" hem, and topstitch the neckline.


*The left front piece that the right crosses over, would be more comfortable if it were 2-3 inches longer, because it had a tendency to ride upwards after considerable upper body movement. Even though I am short-waisted, I found the the left piece still short for me.

*The neckline is low, but not that low as I had expected. I still could get by without wearing a camisole.

*I agree that it is close-fitting, but I forgot to add more to the seams to coincide with my usual "14".


You Can Sew Me Up...I'll Never Stop, Never Stop....
The directions are fine. I was able to refer to them minimally, because the pattern was very easy instead of "easy" as printed on the back of the envelope. Although the dress is easy to sew and seems non-intimidating as a first dress project, it is easy to err while aligning the seams, especially if the markings are not transferred properly (or simply not transferred due to not noting their presence before cutting, ahem....) to the fabric pieces. While placing the long right front piece over the short left front piece, I aligned the matching dotted squares (located by the side tucks or pleats) and notches.

Although the directions mention using double stitched seams, a serger would be very convenient to finish the seams.


I See a Knit Sleeve and I want to SEW it Flat...
Instead of setting-in sleeves per Butterick (those directions should be changed due to sewing with knits), I sewed in the sleeves flat before sewing the sleeve and side seams.



Jumpin' Back Flash


The changes as said, they are under my thread...
*Shorten the upper back (at the lower armscye) 3/4"

*Take in the upper center back 1"

*1" petite adjustment at the waistline


Goodbye, Ruching, Today....Who could hang a pleat on you?..."
*Instead of making and sewing the three side tucks or pleats at at the right and left bodice that land below the bust (due to them being misplaced anyway after making my fitting adjustments), I loosened the thread tension and machine gathered the ends where supposedly the pleats started and ended. I still was able to obtain some type of ruched effect that transversed the abdominal area. The wrap look would most likely look better with the distinctive folds coming from the pleats. However, the folds would not be conspicuous due to the busy print of my fabric. Also, since I plan to use a belt with this dress, those folds would be covered up anyway.


*I cut and sewed a tie from the same fabric


Don't you panic, dont you panic, give it one more try...
I plan to sew this again and possibly add a collar. I have knits from my stash that would collaborate nicely with this pattern. If you are looking for a knit dress that is easy to sew and to adjust, then this is the pattern for you.


I can't get no....SEW-tisfaction. Hey, hey, hey...
I'm satisfied with the dress and even more so if it were in a drapier knit and in my usual size. I still recommend this pattern as a simpler alternative to a wrap dress.




Here is a little Christmas gift that I received from Keith Richards in 1995.
I received this via one of his nieces (through his marriage to 70's model Patti Hansen) who was a student of mine in the mid-90's. Looking back, she looked like a a sweet and young version of Beyonce...














Beyon-Sew gorgeously wrapped in animal print on Good Morning, America. I wonder if she will collaborate with Butterick or another company for a pattern of hits...

Mock On!

For the Birthday Girl

Today is Heather's 7th Birthday! On her little IKEA easel/whiteboard, she has been tallying the days remaining before her special day. I chuckled when I saw "Tomorrow is my birthday" and "Today is my birthday". It seemed like yesterday, when we celebrated her 6th birthday.





She opened her presents this morning. I did not give her the big box of gifts from my sister who lives in Henderson, Nevada (also Heather's godmother) until this morning. Heather and I have discussed it's not just the presents that make this a special day for her. This is also a special day for her father and me. I asked her why.




"Because it is the day when I popped out of your tummy and lived on Earth." She knows that she is a GIFT from God. Everyone are gifts for each other. Nobody can buy love, happiness, joy, and any of our life experiences...

She read and adored the card we gave her describing the positive characteristics she possesses and brings to our lives.


She also enjoys receiving goodies from my sewing machine.


This is her new favorite top from a McCall's pattern.





I was excited to sew the trendy semi-detached top. Because it ended up being a tad tight and uncomfortable, I sewed the long sleeved version in the same fabric, but in the next larger size, a girls' size 8.



Pattern Description:
Girls' coordinates: knit tops and skirts. Views A and C are the knit tops and views B and E are the skirts with a flounce at the lower edges. Views A and D are "semi-fitted" and views B, C, and E are "close-fitting". I figure top A is looser than top C.

I originally intended to sew view C, the top with the bare upper sleeve, or what I call the "semi-detached sleeve" look. After the "close fitting" experience which I will describe later, I ended up with both styles of the top in the same fabric.

Pattern Sizing:
I sewed view C in a girl's size 7 (122) and view A in a girl's size 8 (128).

Fabric Used:
Hello Kitty cotton t-shirt type of knit from fabric.com. I discovered that this fabric with the neon pink Hello Kitty faces is already sold out. The one with the lilac Hello Kitty faces was available the last time I checked.


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

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, they were because there were illustrations that accompanied the steps. The dots on the lower part of each armscye are the placement positions for the semi-detached sleeve of view C.





What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Favorite Features
* Simple to sew
* View A is a versatile basic knit top pattern. I could easily modify the sleeve length and style.


Not-so-favorite Features
I originally sewed View C, the one with the bare upper sleeves. The neckline facing strip (cut on the straight grain of the fabric) really stabilized the neckline to the point that it did not stretch much when my daughter slipped the top over head. I joked about her still having a big skull (it was noticeably large when she was an infant with a circumference that ranked in the 110% percentile at the time). She also experienced some tightness in the armscye, which is contrary to her usual experience in RTW size 7 tops being slightly baggy due to her slender frame. It seemed as if this top would fit her better in a poly knit fabric. Although this style is trendy, Heather did not think it was appropriate for school. So I traced the pieces for the other top, and cut one size larger , an "8". Heather was barely able to slip the second version of the top over her head. It would have been wiser to abandon the neckline self-binding in favor of a coverstitched or topstitched neckline for more wearing ease.





Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
* I did not the cut the pattern tissue paper. It was more convenient to me trace the pieces with a particular size onto gift wrap tissue paper and make any necessary adjustments. I traced a "7" of the pattern pieces from View C and an "8" of the pattern pieces from View A.

*Shortened each sleeve of the second version(view a) 1 1/2".


Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I plan to sew more of the view A top and possibly the flounced skirt using knits from my stash. The combined time for both styles of tops took one full evening for me (less than four hours). This is a wonderful first-time knit project.

Conclusion:
I really like the Burda patterns for kids. Unlike my experiences with the big 4 patterns, I have encountered very few or no adjustments.

Happy Birthday to you, Heather, and also to Albert Einstein who was also born 131 years ago on the day of pi (3.14)!

Cult of Fleurs-onality

From 1973.


The use of this classic pattern stemmed from my experience with a UFO project, Butterick knit dress 5243. After cutting the pieces (which seemed to take more time than expected), I eagerly started stitching. I could not figure out why my machine behaved strangely with this poly knit because it felt similar to a ITY knit, which it had no problem sewing. I would get skipped stitches despite numerous needle, tension, and stitch changes. Once I switched to another project, I did not encounter problems. So the dress pieces along with the pattern stayed in a plastic bag for more than 6 months.

Then along came the opportunity to revisit this dress due to the UFO (unfinished objects) contest. Things were running smoothly when I was able to sew the attach the sleeves to the upper bodice and gather the lower edge of the bodice until I attached the facing to the neckline. My stitching went haywire. Then I looked at it and told myself this will not work. It was confirmed when I slipped it over my head and my instinct was correct- this dress was not meant for me. I probably made a goof somewhere or the dress's style does not work for me. This project was tainted from the beginning.

So, I shifted gears and decided to try this Simplicity pattern from 1973. I found remaining fabric from previous projects and shortened the dress pattern to create two tops. Then for my third version, I decided to cut the top from the skirt (against the grain, due to size constraints)originally intended for THAT Butterick knit dress. Now, I feel relieved to eliminate this fabric from my UFO list.

Pattern Description:
From 1973: "The flared dress has low round neckline, back zipper, and top-stitching trim. Short dress V. 1 has long set-in sleeves. Long dress V. 2 has short set-in sleeves."


Pattern Sizing:
Misses' size 12, bust 34

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes, except I shortened the dress pattern into one for a top.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, from all my experiences with a pattern from the "Jiffy" series. As usual, clear illustrations are included.
First version




Third version

Fabric Used:
Poly knit from GorgeousFabrics. All came from fabric that I used in previous projects.


Favorite Features
* Scoop neckline
* Curved contour at side seams that work nicely with my figure
* Gathered style at sleeve caps that balance what's below the bustline


There is nothing to dislike about the pattern except for the facings which I excluded. However, I would use the facings if I create the dress version in a double knit because it would look much better with a non-topstitched neckline.



Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

To preserve the original pattern, I traced the front, back, and sleeve pieces onto gift wrap tissue paper. It was easy to make any necessary adjustments.

*Omitted the front and back facings

*For my second and third versions, I took in the upper center back seam by 3/4" to eliminate some gaping that I experienced in my first version.

* Removed the added 1/4" at the armscye, or in other words, I did not have to change the armscye of the original pattern.

* Shortened the upper back by making a horizontal fold with a width of 3/4".

*Made my usual 3/4" petite adjustment between the bust and hips.

*Traced a short sleeve pattern piece from the long sleeve pattern piece.

*Staystitched 1/4" from the neckine, folded the edge under at the staystitching and topstitched



Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

After making three of these, still a big YES! It is one of those easy and gratifying things to sew. I definitely recommend this and other Jiffy patterns to sewists at all levels. Jiffy patterns are "easy chic". I confess that what I have been wearing out often are my poly knit tops created from Simplicity or McCall "carefree" (anyone remember?) patterns from the 1970's. The simple style of a deep (but not too deep) scoop neck with some shaping at the sides work best with my figure and just a change of fabric can significantly alter the personality of the garment.


Conclusion:

I have been usually successful with patterns from the 1970's. With little or no alterations, I have been very fortunate to have something that fits BETTER than current RTW. Suppose I have 10 garments to try on in department store dressing room. I would be lucky to have ONE that fits decently. I have better luck fitting into something I sewed straight from the pattern envelope...