Bohemian Wrap-sody"

Tops with Boho flair:


Here's my take on these empire waist tops:




Bohemian "Unwrap"sody


What? A belt instead of an empire waist casing?

Alternatives to the empire waist style!

Spiegel's Silk Blouson


LaBelle


Laundry by Sagal


Lepore


Have you tried something that looked enticing from the cover or packaging and discover along the way, that you were misled?

Pattern Description
"Misses' Tops nad Tunics: Tops and tunics have raglan sleeves, waistline elastic casings and ribbon bow. I sewed View B whose sleeves contain elastic casings at the wrists. The artwork on the envelope pattern enticed me to purchase at a Joann's sale some time ago.

The last time I wore an empire waist top was when I was pregnant five years ago. I sewed several maternity McCall's empire waist tops that had the back ties. They were very trendy looking for mommies-to-be! Although I really like the boho look of this top, I wish I could confidently wear the empire waist as I did before and during pregnancy. Being honest with myself, I decided to skip the empire waist look and pursue an alternative look.

I found some ideas
Shelli Sagal's Printed Jersey Dress at Nordy's (check out that retro hair!)

La Belle's Floral Charmeuse Dress at Macy's

Sizing
Misses' XS-S-MED. I sewed a medium. The top billowed out (tent style) without the empire waist elastic.

Fabric Used
A shiny and silky polyester from Joann's. Not quite charmeuse? Although it easy to work with, it can slightly fray (some thin threads protruding wildly!) I sewed 1/4" hems before turning 1/2" under to sew the neck and wrist casings.

What did you like or dislike about the pattern?

Likes
*Ease of construction
*Pieces for View B consited of the front, back and sleeve.
*The directions were easy to follow, although I somewhere switched the order of construction.
*Could be easily be adjusted to be a dress

Wishes
* Wish I could wear the empire style as well as the models.

Pattern alterations/modifications
* Omitted the empire waist casing.
* Created threaded belt hoops and a tie belt
* Cut neckline elastic to size XS on the elastic guide
* Sewed the sleeves to the fronts and back before sewing the sleeve and side seams as instructed
* Sewed the sleeves together and continued with the side seams

Conclusion
This pattern is definitely a very easy top to sew and is a wonderful and gratifying diversion from more complex projects!

This is a top that could be made up easily in one evening. Just a change of sleeves, embellishments and fabric creates endless daytime and evening styles!

* As I was surfing the Simplicity website, I found Simplicity's basic boho top, 4177 which probably would have worked better for me!

Built for Paisley

The pattern envelope is misleading. The tops seem so run of the mill.


After three days, here it is!


I was really impressed that it fit better than expected! After reading several reviews of this pattern, I became inspired to try it myself!


Pattern Description
Misses' button-down shirt with sash and sleeve variations. The description on the envelope simply states "Misses' shirt and sash."

Sizing
Misses' 4-12.

Fabric Used
From a recent Joann's 50% off sale, a paisley-print silky polyester with a slight suede-like feel to it.

Likes
* The wrap tie style!
* Easy top to construct!
* Few pattern pieces to work with (front, back, collar, sleeve, and tie belt)
* The flattering fit!
* Very comfortable!
* The sleeves draped nicely due being cut on the bias and the silkiness of the fabric.
* Seemed to run true to size.

Dislikes
There was nothing really to dislike except for a little error in the directions that a another reviewer pointed out- not to omit steps 3 and 4 for finishing the top and bottom edges of the self-facing (by opening the facing and stitching to the marked circle along the seam allowance of the neck edge, cutting a little piece at the corner and turning the facing in). It seemed that these steps were unique to the other view of the blouse, when in fact it belonged to both views.

Because I had been used to making larger collars, I took my time in attaching the narrow collar. The silkiness of the fabric made attaching the collar facing somewhat tricky. I was careful in stitching the folded edge of the collar facing to the inner neck edge while making sure so that the underside stitching was very close to the collar and neck seam on the outside of the shirt.

Modifications
* No pattern adjustments.
* Slighly changed the button placement (did not use the button guide)
* Used sew-on interfacing between the self facing and front edge when sewing the buttonholes.

Conclusion
I can see why the other reviewers liked this top! I would definitely make this top again very soon. I definitely recommend this pattern. It's versatile, comfortable, and definitely has a slenderizing effect! Simplicity gets a big thumbs up for this one!

Wrap Ture

It's been some time since I cut the pattern pieces for this dress. I had reservations to make this upon discovering the number of pieces and the cutting layout to make what seemed like an "easy" dress (the envelope was labeled "easy" and I thought that was misleading!. The actual construction of the dress was a breeze compared to the tedious cutting!


The cut pattern pieces of "the" dress has been aging for months in its envelope. Now that I found a suitable fabric, it's about time to stop the procrastination and to listen to a famous athletic shoe classic advice, "Just Do It". Now I am so glad that I finally did it!
Pattern Description: As usual, not one available on a New Look envelope. Yes, it is a faux wrap shirred dress, a mock wrap dress with ruching on one side, etc. Also the dress has a princess type of seaming that flatters the front and back and collar, sleeve and waist tie options.
I sewed view C, the short sleeve dress.
Pattern Sizing:Misses 8-18. I sewed a 12.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes, except I have a more "real-life" figure.
Were the instructions easy to follow?Yes, I read them just in case. The illustrations were helpful.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?It seemed as if I spent more time cutting the pieces than actually sewing the dress! As mentioned by other pattern reviewers for this pattern, it was easy to figure out where the pieces go as I can see from the illustrations! I used colored dot stickers on varrious parts of the dress to represent the little circles marked on the pattern pieces.
The neckline came somewhat low for me, but not too low that I need a camisole for modesty's sake. I was surprised the ruching on my left side came just below my bustline. I wonder how this would look on a person with a longer torso!
Fabric Used
A poly matte jersey from Gorgeous Things with a "Graphic Large Chevron Print". This fabric sews like a dream and is so comfortable! I chose to sew a 12 (using 5/8" seams) instead of a 14 due to its strecthability.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:I omitted the front and back facings for fear that the neckline will stretch! I opted instead to do a tiny zig zag stitch with a little gathering before folding over to make a 1/2" hem and topstitching. Next time, I will use invisible elastic to stabilize the neckline more.
One thing I wished was to orient the way the zig zags so that the "V" lands on my midsection. I admire those who could work with fabric with certain patterns and prints!
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?Yes! Yes! This dress is very easy to make and seems to be very flattering to women of all proportions! But watch out for the length of the bodice fronts and back. Being the one who was born with a short waist (unlike my "little" sister who is 6" taller than me and my 4 yo daughter) with respect to my average length legs, I have difficulty finding RTW dresses that fit me properly. Maybe this is why I have been more of a slacks gal. The "v" bodice back did not come low as I anticipated. I would have to adjust the length if I had a longer torso.
ConclusionI was relieved to finally make this dress after having the pattern pieces cut out months ago!
The actual construction of the dress was a breeze compared to the tedious cutting!
I can see why this dress is very popular! It's easy to make, fun to wear, and classy and trendy at the same time!
I received this sweet surprise:
----- Original Message ----- From: Gorgeous Things To: xxxxxxxxSent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 6:11Subject: I LOVE your dress!
Hi _____________,I just saw your New Look dress on PatternReview. It looks spectacular on you! You did a great job. I don't comment over there because I don't want to have any appearance of improper advertising. But I did want to tell you how well I thought it turned out. Great job!
Ann
Gorgeous ThingsFashion, Fabric and Fabulosity, all in one neat package!http://www.gorgeousthings.com/gorgeousthings.blogspot.com

Tied and True

Pattern Description
"Misses/Misses' Petite top: Top has gathered neckline. View A: collar has back tie extensions, cut away armhole. View B: collar has left tie extensions, flared sleeves. View C: casing and elastic neckline, waist and sleeves, lace trim along upper and lower edges, ribbon trim."

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

Fabric Used
Cotton spandex "Astro Geo Cotton Twill" from Gorgeous Things. Leftover from a dress made from a vintage Simplicity dress.

Likes
*Easy to assemble.
*Figure flattering.
*Requires only three pattern pieces: front, back, and collar tie.

Dislikes
*The top runs a little large.

Modifications
*I wish I could keep the original length, but I had to omit 4 inches from the bottom due to fabric shortage.
*I narrowed the neck tie by about 1/2" all the way around also due to fabric shortage. I like the way the it turned out, although it was still somewhat wide at the neck, that I folded it inward so as not to overpower my neck!
*I used strips of the same fabric to finish the armholes instead of purchased bias trim.

Conclusion
*I normally wear a 10/12 RTW and use a pattern size 12 or 14. I found that the armholes were a bit large and could have gotten away with cutting a size or two smaller.
*This top would be a nice addition to a summer wardrobe! It is very easy to make that you can make several easily!

She's in Super Sheath, She's Super Sheathing Now!

After being inspired by several pattern reviewers, I decided to make a dress this time!

I chose this pattern because of its "simplicity" as the name implies and I was in the retro mood!

I had the courage to wear a dress, especially this dress for the graduation ceremony for officially our second graduating class of seniors at the high school where I teach.

Pattern Description
From 1966, "Misses' One-Piece Jiffy Dress or Jumper: Sleeveless, A-line dress or jumper with slightly lowered round neckline and back zipper has optional top-stitching and optional purchased belt."

Size
Miss, Size 12, Bust 32.

Fabric
An cotton-lycra "Astro-Geo Stretch Twill" from Gorgeous Fabrics This fabric was a breeze to work with and does wonders for figure flaws! Thanks Ann "Gorgeous Things" for your nice fabrics!

Likes
* The overall retro style which is now en vogue.
* "Easy-cut, easy sew". Yes, this pattern lived to that label!
* The diagonal bust darts were flattering, especially for my hard to get rid of mommy pouch! I was glad that I did not avoid creating these!
* The neckline and armhole facings fit well on the dress.

Dislikes
*The only thing to somewhat dislike was understitching the facings close to the neckline and armhole edges. It was worthwhile to minimize them from flapping out of the dress while being worn.

Modifications
* I sewed interfacing to the front and back neck facings before attaching them together at the seams. Somehow the directions asked to baste cut interfacing pieces (without the fabric facing, which seemed odd to me) to the neckline of the dress prior to attaching the neck facings. I found the same step on another 60s pattern.

* I did not cut my dress to mini length. I kept mine slightly below the knee.

* Although my bust is a 36, I did not make adjustments due to the fabric accommodations. I could have taken the back a little more after the final fit, but I wanted to avoid the "I have to squeeze into the dress" syndrome!

Conclusion
I definitely recommend this type of pattern to a beginner! I have searched high and low for current shift/sheath dresses and thanks to ebay, found this classic that was so easy to create with miminal fuss! I definitely will make maybe two more.

Star Spangled Cha Cha Cha
I "blousicated" the Hot Patterns HP103 Cha Cha Cha dress!

My inspiration was Y&R's Lauren's blouse with some boho flair!





Pattern Description
"Sweetly simple dresses, easy to make in soft or crisp cottons, silks and rayons. Scooped-necked ress has long flared raglan sleeves and a slim skirt, both trimmed with a narrow self fabric frill. Dress features an elasticated (what happened to the word "elasticized"?) under-bust seam and drawstring at the neck. Halter-neck dress has a ....."

Hmmmmm. Did Hot Patterns coin "elasticated" as an official word? Dictionary.com did not recognize "elasticated". Elasticate must be the nouveau synomym for elasticize. Another word to add to my vocabulary bank!

I sewed a "blouse" version of the cha-cha-cha dress. I'm easing into the dress mode slowly. I seriously have not worn dresses for years now. I became too comfortable being "slacks-icated."

Sizing
Multi-sized, 6-26. I sewed a 14.

Pattern Features
The directions for the dress were all on one page. Included was a sketch of the dress, labeled with arrows and the circled numbers that referred to the corresponding steps below the dress. Although the directions were sufficient, I did something else. I wish the numbers were in larger print and that the arrows were bolder and easier to follow.

Fabric Used
A star spangled cotton fabric from Joann's clearance section. I originally intended to wear the blouse to honor Memorial Day. I did not get a chance to make it until yesterday. I cannot wait to sew this again, but using a nice knit with a good drape.

Modifications
(1) I sewed a 5/8" self casing at the neckline and inserted a piece of 1/4" narrow elastic. I created two self fabric ties and sewed them to the ends of the elastic. I provided enough allowance for the ties to be well inside the casing and for them to be tied at the front. I noticed that the neckline is not as wide as that pictured on the pattern envelope.

(2) I fear that the "elasticated under-bust seam" would not flatter me at all and make me look as if I am expecting, which I am not at this time. Since I also did not want my bust area to be emphasized, I opted for the "dropped" bustline, as a result of not using the extra seam allowance for the bodice/skirt casing. As a quick alternative to the bodice skirt casing with elastic, I sewed a piece of stretched 1/4" narrow elastic to the center front and another to the center back for a slightly gathered look.

(3) To compensate for the elastic gathers at the front and back of the bodice, I trimmed 3/4" from the skirt edges before sewing the side seams and attaching it to the bodice. I was surprised that I was still able to slip the top over my head! I could have gotten away probably with cutting a size "8" or even a "6" for the skirt front and back, since I was not fully elasticating the bodice and the skirt at the seam allowance.

(4) I found that the sleeves flared out too much for my liking! I was inspired by Y&R's Lauren when she wore her white dotted print blouse earlier this year. I omitted the ruffles and instead, I elasticated the sleeves at the wrists.

Conclusion
This is really an easy top to sew! I could have whipped this top in much less time, if I had not taken some alternative route. I plan to work more with this pattern until I'm satisfied with the fit and look. The neckline of this dress really works great for those with broad shoulders!

This pattern would seem to definitely work better with a softer fabric or even knit. I just purchased some nice knit fabric and am looking forward how this would turn out.

I really like Hot Patterns. I agree with the company on this aspect, "...Whatever your preference, you can adjust these patterns to suit. And that beats RTW any day."

Groovy Luscious

"Shirred" Delight

To update my spring/summer wardrobe, I created the short sleeve version of Burda 7942 with shoulder casings and ties.

Shoulder ties and casings
A rectangular piece was sewn from the top to the bottom of each sleeve in three parallel rows. I sewed four pieces (cut on the bias) of ties (right sides together and turned them out using a safety pin) and inserted them through the casings with a safety pin.

Conclusion One of the few patterns that I revisited because I liked the style and fit and the ease of construction. The ties and the shirring at the shoulders added a distinctive flair to the short sleeved version.

Puzzling Print




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Pattern Description
Semi-fitted blouse with ruching at the front's princess seams and sleeve variations. Has interfaced collar, front facing and center back seam. I sewed View A, the long sleeved blouse.

Size
European sizing 36-38-40-42-44. I sewed a "40" corresponding to a "14".

Fabric Used
Cotton with pastel camo print. I enjoy sewing with wild fabric prints and creating something that drifts away from my usual wardrobe!

Likes
* Blouse was easy to put together.
* Seam allowances are included in pattern pieces.
* Seam numbers were included.
* Gathering/ruching in the front (gathering was done between two marked stars on the front pieces). The edge of a front gathered piece should match up with the edge of its corresponding side front before stitching them together.
* The directions flowed well and included helpful illustrations. Steps such as side seams and sleeve seams were not numbered and did not include illustrations.
* Surprisingly, instructions for assembling and attaching neck collar and sleeve cuffs were sufficiently clear and easy to follow.
* Included reminders/tips for setting in sleeves.

Dislikes
* Nothing to dislike. The only thing that I somewhat bothered me was taking a little more time in easing the collar onto the neckline. I ended up snipping quite a bit of the top edge of the collar after attaching the front facing.

Modifications
I used 4 large buttons instead of 7 small buttons as shown in the technical drawing. My top is not as low cut as pictured on the pretty model.

Conclusion
The blouse ended up looking more like a shirt/jacket. I rarely wear button down shirts because I would rather wear a camisole or a sleeveless top underneath and not having to button the front.

I'll sew a poly blend version and also the short sleeves with the tie casingsm which seems very "in" right now. I recommend this top because it is very easy to make and very versatile (any season of the year, dressy or casual occasions).

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Mon artiste Heather and her celebration of spring through her watercolor art!


She immediately wore her Diego themed outfit after I made it a few months ago!


"Rain Forest Adventure"


Heather sporting her Dora's "Primary Colors" outfit:


Coordinates well with her "Spring Fiesta"!


A smiling Valentine girl on Easter day!


She could easily blend with a "Peach and Berry Delight"!


I had high hopes for this simply chic shirt!


A camisole will do to make this shirt wearable! I really like the "cha-cha" sleeves that I created in place of the cuffs! It's fiesta time!