Little Superstar Citizens!!!

I was very happy to attend the kindergarten super citizen assembly or the kinder awards assembly at Heather's school. What parent would not be proud and excited to witness his/her child receive an award for doing well in school? Song and dance performances by the children were cute and sweet, but they seemed to be going on for eternity as I patiently await for the actual presentation of the awards!

Heather received her "15-week" super citizen ribbon and a pencil grip for being a super citizen for 20 weeks. She had received the 10-week certificate from an earlier assembly that I did not attend. It's nice that nearly everyone, if not everyone received an award. Then mysteriously in high school the athletes receive over-recognition, even those that do not have stellar academic achievement. It is very heartwrenching that many students do not receive positive acknowledgement and awards for excellent scholastic performance and/or being a well-behaved student.

There's Heather returning to her line after eagerly picking up her awards from the principal.

For It's a Jolly Good Red, Black, and Yellow




Ah....the 90's and still a happy time. Baywatch, Seinfeld, Home Improvement, The Nanny, Mariah Carey singing at her best, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Two fears I want to overcome: (1) bounded buttonholes and (2) fully lined dress. I already have tackled fear #1 when I made my 60's Fabiani dress. Now it is about time tackle fear #2. The only time I sewed a lining for a dress was when I sewed Heather's retro 40's dress. I actually have not sewn a fully lined dress for myself.

This is officially my first fully lined dress!



Pattern Description
From 1997, "Misses' lined dresses: Fitted dress has darts and back zipper; view B is sleeveless with front yoke that forms opening." I won this pattern for a dollar at e*ay.


Size
12-14-16. I sewed a 14. I should have sized down to a 12! I could have done away with the zipper!


Fabric Used
Pucci-esque printed cotton with slight stretch from Fashion Fabrics Club.


Favorite Features
*Elliptical opening below yoke
*Curved silhouette
*Fully lined
*Darts at sides of bust
*60's retro style. I recall seeing a 60's vintage pattern with similar details.
*Few pattern pieces to work with: front yoke, front (below yoke), back.


Not-so-favorite features
*Not as fitted as appears on the envelope
*More ease than expected
*Construction of the shoulder seams. The front and back are joined at the shoulders well after attaching the lining and zipper. Joining the front yoke and the back at the shoulders was challenging due to the limited length of the edges to sew together with the lining attached. The edges of the lining are slipstitched.


Directions
The directions and illustrations were clear and straightforward. This is really an easy dress. The lining just adds a little more challenge. Once one section was sewn, the corresponding lining was sewn the same way.

The side bust darts are created by pinning each slash along the stitch lines given in the pattern piece.

There was staystitching at the necklines, armholes, and between the marked circles at the yoke and the upper edge of the front (below the yoke).

I opened out the yoke and bottom linings to sew them together and to sew their corresponding fabric pieces together.

The yoke and the bottom front were clipped at the dots (where the yoke and the bottom front align) up to the seam allowance. It was easy to sew them together from the sides to the dots, leaving the middle section unsewn so that the elliptical slit is formed. The tricky part was including the lining (sewn the same way as the yoke and front) while paying attention to sewing to the clipped seams at the dots and preventing the bunching at the corners.


Modifications
*I used an invisible zipper

*Instead of hand-sewing the lining to the edge of the zipper and for a nicer finish, I sewed the lining to the dress right sides together, being careful not to catch the zipper teeth.

*I did not sew the lining hem to the dress.


Conclusion
If I do sew this dress again, I would sew it in a solid color as pictured on the model for a more serious look. After an overall positive experience with this 90's dress, I'm looking forward to making more lined dresses!

My Aim is Blue!

A winner of a pattern from New Look! Oops! I did not plan on the large flower to be in an unexpected location! It would have been better if it was placed on the center of the upper bodice.






Pattern Description
Misses' knit top with self-lined upper bodice and pleated front

Size
I sewed a "12" instead of my usual 14. I recommend sewing a muslin to check size and fit issues. I think a 14 would have been looser at the bust. The type of knit could also be taken in account.

Fabric
First version: cheap mesh knit from Wally-Marty.
Second version: floral ITY fabric from Fashion Fabrics Club.

Favorite Features
* Self-lined upper front. I do not have to worry about the neckline gaping.
* Sleeve variations
* Overall style and flattering fit
* Easy to construct


Directions
They seemed fine accompanied by helpful illustrations. When I sewed my second version, I rarely referred to the steps.

Steps
*Create the front pleats below the neckline
*Attach the self-lining to the upper front
*Finish the back neckline
*Attach the self-lined upper front to the back at the shoulders with a piece of stabilizer, right sides together, ensuring that the self-lining remains beneath the back. The illustration does not clearly show this, but the directions stated this.
*Turn the blouse right side out, checking that the shoulder seams have a clean finish (no stray piece of lining jutting out!). I learned a lot after making my first version!
*Attach the lower front to the upper front, right sides together, aligning the notches
*BEFORE sewing the side seams, sew the pre-hemmed sleeves in flat.
*Finish the lower edge of the entire top


Modifications
* Shortened the length by 1"
* Sewed the sleeves in flat instead of setting them in as instructed.

Second version:
* I gathered the neckline instead of making the 6 little pleats. Some temporary adhesive probably would have been very convenient to hold them in place prior to basting and stitching the self-lining.
* I shortened the sleeves and added a pleat just above the lower hem.
* I omitted the little facing for the back neckline. I just turned the raw edge under and sewed a little seam allowance using a narrow zig zag stitch.

Conclusion
I highly recommend this top for its simplicity and flattering style! The fact that I made two versions one right after the other shows that this top is now a new TNT pattern for me!

True Blue!

Just Pleat It, Pleat It

Although I do anticipate that the neckline will "plunge", I like the design of this blouse.


Uh oh.....Not only did the neckline really plunge, it separated!


My review:
I hereby request that Burda listen and answer our plea for ladies like us who do not dare take the "plunge"!

Pattern Description
"This blouse is a highlight in trendy violet! The empire seam and vertical tucks nicely shape your bust while the cuffs provide a typical Seventies feature..." For my version the verb "shape" should be changed otherwise.


Size
Burda misses' 34-42. I sewed a 40.


Fabric used
Mystery fabric that looks like a shiny polyester. It certainly looks like I am ready to celebrate the upcoming 31st anniversary (December 16, 2008) of Saturday Night Fever. I was glad to use this instead of more upscale fabric! (Note to self: make a muslin first, make a muslin first.....)


Favorite Features
* Forward shoulders
* Pleated front
* Button placement below the empire seam
* The back vertical darts above the empire seam


Not-so-favorite Features
* Burda how low can you go with the neckline? This top necessitates a camisole or tank top.
* I had difficulty with getting the pleats to go at an angle while I was attaching the upper bodice to the front lower bodice!
* The back facing is somewhat awkward. There was no mention of topstitching or stabilizing it to the neckline. I am afraid if I topstitch, this fabric would act strangely.


Other Discoveries
* I am accustomed to finishing the edges of the front self-facings and back facing. It seems that Burda WOF assumes the sewist does this automatically.

* I noticed that my back facing (I even included the seam allowance!) did not cover the full width of the back neckline. There was a 3/8" deficit on each side of the back facing.

* Forming the pleats took the longest in comparison with the other steps. Here's a Gucci vintage pleated top. Imagine creating something like this!

* The sleeves and the armscye fit fine. I should have used one size higher at the hips!


Directions
Surprisingly sufficient for me to follow and understand. The directions would be fine for the Burda WOF connoisseur or a sewist who has experience with shirt construction.

Paraphrase of Burda's order of construction (I separated some steps that were combined under one bullet to simplify things):
* Stitch upper back darts
* Stitch center seam of lower back.
* Stitch upper back to lower back.
* Attach back facing to back neckline, right sides together
* Form pleats of front upper bodice
* Sew the front upper bodice to the back at the shoulders continuing to the back facing, right sides together
* Form front facings by folding inward along fold lines
* Attach upper fronts to lower fronts.

I was originally eluded by the step regarding the front facing being turned out and stitched: "Turn self-facings of lower pieces back out and pin place, over upperpieces, at edges of horizontal seams. Stitch horizontal seams. Turn facings to inside." What?

Front facing turned outward

I opened the lower front facing so that the interfaced strip faces upward, right side not visible. Then I continued the horizontal seam (formed by the top and bottom bodice) by stitching from the front edge of the lower front facing to the front edge of the first pleat.

* Stitch and set-in sleeves
* Hem the lower edge of the blouse


Modifications
* Did a lot of pressing to get the pleats to stay put before attaching the front lower bodice.

* I could have omitted the seam allowance of the sleeve caps. I trimmed an excess of 1/4" to 1/2".

* Omitted the sleeve vents and cuffs

* I used 5 buttons instead of 6 as pictured. I sewed the buttonholes using 4 1/2 cm intervals.


Conclusion
Overall, the blouse is not very difficult to construct. I wish I had the patience and time to draft a version that would work better for me. Suggestions and recommendations are welcome.

I do not plan to sew another version and I highly encourage you to give this pattern a try! You might be the lucky one to have this work for you! At least I was glad to sew my unique real-life version of a blouse that I had high hopes for.


Just like the 80's hit Funkytown, I "got to move on!" I am looking forward to try the other patterns in the Nov 2008 issue. I'll even cheer myself up by making my third version of a new favorite, a New Look 6830 knit top.

Shawl We Dance?
Heather's first choice

Heather and I went to Joann's yesterday for the Simplicity $1.99 sale. I was not able to find the OOP patterns from my list and just happened to buy something not on my list. The Simplicity 2858 jackets seemed cute, stylish and easy to make. I was drawn to the the jacket with the shawl collar. Later in the evening I cut the Simplicity 2858 jacket with the shawl collar and short sleeves and completed sewing the entire jacket the next evening (sans the lining).




********************
My jacket


Here I Sew This Again. I like Dolly in this groovy do.

UPDATE - Second Version
I used my remaining Dolce and Gabana silk tweed (purchased from Emma One Sock) from a previous project. This material is somewhat tricky to work with (some fraying). Fusible interfacing reduced some problems.

Changes
* Lined the entire jacket
* Sewed three black and gold colored buttons, purchased at a local's Michael's craft store. I spent $4.95 for an entire grab bag full of "fancy" looking buttons.

Conclusion
I plan to sew the longer version with the other collar. I highly recommend this versatile pattern!







Second version (yellow) update on December 15, 2008. Jacket actually completed a week earlier.

Pattern Description
"Misses' lined jacket with collar and sleeve variations". Since this is my first or muslin version, I skipped the lining.

Size
Misses' 4-6-8-10-12. From my experience with my first Project Runway jacket, I sewed a "12" instead of my usual "14", and was glad that I did! However, the "12" is still quite roomy. The jacket appears more boxy than the jackets pictured on the envelope.


Fabric Used
A lightweight corduroy from le Wal Marche for $1 a yard. Since it's not the best quality, I used this as my my first or muslin version to figure out size and fit issues. Total cost of jacket (pattern, fabric, buttons): approximately $6.




Favorite Features
*Shawl collar
*Short raglan sleeves with pleated sides
*Cropped style


Other features
* I skipped the croquis feature which I was already familiar with from my Simplicity 3538 jacket and went directly to figuring out which pieces I wanted to use for the cropped, shawl collar, and short sleeved version. I used the layout with the "short jacket with shawl collar" which consists of piece 2: side panel, piece 3: back (not cut on a fold), piece 8: front containing the under shawl collar, piece 9: front facing containing the upper shawl collar, piece 10: neck band and pieces 11 and 12 for the sleeve front and sleeve back, respectively.

*The assembly of the neck band to the front piece containing the under shawl collar was vague. I took a brief break from sewing to clear my mind and returned to this step.




Directions
* Overall, the slightly jumpy directions and illustrations were fine, except for the illustration in step #7 of the section entitled "jacket with shawl collar" where the side panel is joined to the entire front containing the under shawl collar (the left and right fronts are joined at a center seam). From my perspective, it seems that one of the side panels was inverted, but I may be wrong. I realized that I attached the incorrect edge of the side panel, when I was not able to properly ease it onto one of the front edges! I double checked the pattern pieces for the notches, and the single notches attaches to the front containing the under shawl collar piece and the double notches will attach to the corresponding notches of a back piece of the jacket. The illustration does not show this step clearly.

* I agree with Kdburkhardt in her review about step #39 which succeeds the attachment of the lower edge of the neck band to the back neckline, with notches aligned and right sides together. The illustration seems to show that the fronts containing the under collar are stitched directly to the neckline. I was not able to decipher the position of the neck band with respect to the neckline and the fronts containing the lower collar.

* After some mind dancing, I discovered that the the upper edge of the neck band aligned between the corners at the double "L" portion of the fronts that contain the under collar (created by the center seam that joins those two large front pieces). The clipped corners of this front piece will surround the upper corner of the neck band, while matching and aligning notches. Also, the sides of the neck band will share a seam with the edges of the fronts below their clipped corners at each double "L" section. Hopefully this will be easy to figure out when you examine the pieces as you sew.


Modifications
*Omitted the pocket. I did not want to add something more to the already busy striped print.

*Omitted the lining for my muslin version. The fabric due to its lower grade quality did not deserve to be lined.

*Created an interfaced neck band facing to be attached to the fronts with the upper shawl collar (joined at the center seam). After I sewed the fronts of the upper shawl collar to the fronts containing the lower shawl collar, right sides together, I sewed the neck band facing to the double "L" curve portion of the fronts that contain the upper shawl collar. Then I turned the fronts with the upper shawl collar right side out, while turning the neck band facing to the inside. I slipstitched the neck band facing to the wrong side of the neck band from the inside of the jacket.

* I sewed two shiny golden woven-textured buttons to offset the stripes.


Conclusion
I definitely plan to sew a lined version of this in fabric of better quality!

I highly recommend this versatile pattern giving you the opportunity to make jackets with varied length, sleeve and collar options!

The Fabiani-Lous 60's



Fabiani patterns seem to be highly coveted by collectors and sewists who adore retro. Fabiani was a highly regarded Italian designer and was famously known for his 1960's tent coats. He was also married to another famous designer, Simonetta. I liked his simple but innovative styles that strongly influenced fashion in the 50'-60's and even today.



60's Fabiani silk ottoman coat

List of links to Fabiani sewing patterns

Fabiani biography

The pattern cost me about $20 from an e**y auction. I did not see this particular pattern listed in the wiki-catalogue.




Pattern Description
From the envelope flap:
"Alberto Fabiani (Fahbee ahny) - Italy's master tailor creates wonderfully flattering suits, distinguished ocats and exquisite evening gowns...can claim many fashion-firsts."

From the back of the envelope:
"Misses' One-Piece Dress: Semi-fitted slightly-A-line dress (without side seams) has jewel neckline and loose front inset with skirt front gathered to stay. Short sleeves or sleeveless. Button, buttonhole and top-stitch trim."

Size
Misses' size 14, bust 34. My eyes deceived me! All along I thought I was sewing a dress with bust 36. No wonder I was having some problems!



Fabric Used
Yellow Diamond Suiting in 100% cotton, from Fashion Fabrics Club.


Favorite Features
*The two buttons at the waist

*The topstitched (5/8" from seam) design of the mock bolero coupled with the inset.

*Back princess seams. The front of the dress below the inset/mock bolero is one large piece that bypasses side seams and immediately joins the back in a long princess seam.

*Retro a-line style


Other features
*5/8" seam allowance except for the 7/8" shoulder seam
*Slightly forward shoulder seams


Challenges

* Lots of pressing was essential to effectively topstitch the front. Due to a combination of the nature of the fabric and my uncoordination, my original attempt at topstitching produced a lot of bunching of the fabric. The final result was the best I could do after taking out my original topstitches, more pressing, and topstitching again.

* Stitching the entire front (inset, bolero) to the front stay that was sewn above the gathered front. The front stay acted like a lining for the top bodice and was sewn directly to the skirt portion of the dress. I could not decipher from the illustration on how to stitch the front bodice to the front stay. Originally, I sewed the front bodice to the front say right sides together and then when I turned the front bodice to the outside, I noticed that the inside of the skirt was staring at me! OOOOOOPS! Then I realized that I was supposed to sew the wrong side of the top bodice to the right side of the stay and the skirt. Uh oh, I forgot to take into the account that the back pieces of the dress will be sewn over the front, right sides together. I said "Duh" over and over to myself. I certainly got a lot of mileage from my seam ripper!

* There was a tendency for the lowest corners of the inset to bunch (below the bust), despite my cautious clipping and stitching at the corners.


Directions
*Nicely written steps with very helpful illustrations. I have found this true with the Vogue couturier patterns I worked with.


Modifications
* Omitted the underlining to reduce bulk.

* For the lower facing of the inset (where the buttonholes are placed), used the same fabric instead of "underlining" to add more stability.

* Referred to Annette1's very helpful and detailed tutorial for bound buttonholes. Honestly, this is the first time that I have COMPLETED a decent bounded buttonhole! I agree with Annette to practice first, especially in my case to get the lips to stay aligned horizontally! Special thanks to Annette for helping me to overcome my fears of sewing a bound buttonhole!

*Sewed on the buttons towards the final fitting instead of after attaching the inset and making the buttonholes.

*Took out 1/4" from each seam

*Shortened the zipper to mid-back

*Decreased the seam of the armhole facing to make it align better with the armscye.

*Cut 6" from the length of the dress to make it reach knee length.


Conclusion
I almost gave up on this dress! Once I was able to attach the front bodice to the front stay and skirt, I decided to continue, even if did not look right.

I really like the styles of some of the 60's Vogue Couturier patterns and have discovered that even the simple looking styles are more challenging (also time extensive) to sew than expected. They might not be practical additions to my wardrobe, but would be fun to wear for a festive occasion or a special night out (when I have the time, of course). Although I do not plan to use this pattern again, I am at least very happy to have the opportunity to sew a piece designed by one of my favorite designers, even if the dress did not turn out the way I had hoped for. If you like retro and designer originals, I would recommend the Vogue couturier line.

The Road to Sew Paolo

Kwik Sew 3062 has been aging on my wish list. What prompted me to purchase this recently was the fact that it will be discontinued at PR (discontinued according to the Kwik Sew website).




Pattern Description
"Misses' pullover tops have sccop neckline finished wiht bias cut binding, gathers under bust and lower front is cut on bias. View A has slit on bodice at center front seam, and gathered sleeves have shirring with elastic. View B has short gathered sleees with elastic in casing in bottom edges. Pull-on bias cut skirt has elastic in casing at waist, and two ruffles at bottom edge." I sewed View B.

Size
Misses' XS -XL. I referred to my bust size and sewed a "M". I find that Kwik Sews have been generous in their sizing. I even find the "M" a tad roomy overall!


Fabric
What seems like a medium weight, mixed woven, "The Road to Sao Paolo", from Gorgeous Fabrics. It seems to be already sold out.




Favorite Features
*Very easy to construct

*Few pattern pieces involved: upper bodice, bias front skirt, bias neckline, sleeve, and back.

*I was hesitant to purchase this due to the empire chest which has in the past made me look as if I am expecting. Hopefully the bias front skirt below the bust coupled with the lower empire styling minimizes that.

*Puffed sleeves

*Scoop neck

*Bias finish at the neckline

*5/8" seam allowances included


Other Features
*Neckline scoop came lower than represented by the illustration on the envelope.
*Needs to be adjusted for sway back.
*The sleeves puffed out more (gathered quite a bit at the sleeve caps) than those featured on the envelope.
*Length of top appears shorter than expected


Directions
Clear and easy to read with very helpful illustration as what I typically expect from a Kwik Sew.

The finishing of the neckline is interesting in that the method described drifted from methods with which I am familiar. Instead of pinning the bias strip (sewn at the ends, forming a loop), right sides of fabric together along the neckline, I pinned it from the inside of the top or right side of the bias loop to the wrong side of the fabric along the neckline, ensuring that the notches align with the shoulder seams. I sewed the recommended 1/4" from the raw edges (could have sewn a little more to reduce the width of the binding) and turned the strip to the outside and press. Then I topstitched the binding, close to the encased edge.

Modifications
*To lower the empire seam, I extended the upper bodice by adding 1/4" along the lower edge and the bias skirt by adding 1/4" along its upper edge.

Conclusion
I highly recommend this pattern if you want to create something that does not require a lot of time and that is easy to sew with minimal adjustments. The Kwik Sew website states that this pattern is already discontinued and will soon be on PR! I wish I had purchased this pattern sooner! I plan to make a few more tops with sleeve variations.

Swinging Styles
I purchased these from the Decades of Style pattern company:

I like the butterfly sleeves of this 30's styled top:


Interesting collar style on this 40's styled top:

Intellectual Prowess vs. Physical Prowess

I would not say I "hate" sports. I enjoy skiing, tennis and hiking when I have the opportunity. I rather participate in than watch or talk about sports. Call me sports "illiterate" in a group that talks about sports as if it was such an "elite" subject. Boo hoo if so and so team loses! I could care less!

As a teacher, athletes are given too much undeserved recognition for doing meaningless activities. The real heroes and heroines are those persons that have the talent to move this country forward and not move around aimlessly on the field or stadium. I am so disturbed by school assemblies that "celebrate" the various teams of athletes by parading them across the gymnasium. It makes students who have outstanding scholastic performance so insignificant.

I find it very irritating to be listening to people around me discussing sports (i.e. outcomes of a game, the plays they saw during a game, and so on)as if they were some "elite" group making those who are "not sports minded" so uncomfortable and idiotic in their world. I perceive their discussions as worthless babble that have no relation to advancing this world intellectually and humanely. I keep forgetting....This is only entertainment, nothing serious.

Actual post:
"I would rather have funding for sports cut than for more enriching school activities such as the performing arts, music, and the decathlon team. It seems like athletes (I am finding a diminishing number of them are stellar students) are given more glory than my students who show demonstrate outstanding academic achievement. So what if they cannot catch/throw a ball or run aimlessly across a field? I am finding so much needless adulation for getting the "banner" than those who received wonderful scholarships to the universities of their choice. Thanks for understanding my view point after teaching for awhile."



A coach's response:
While I share your opinion that performing arts and academic competitions are valuable, I would strongly argue two points.

First, the idea that those activities are somehow more enriching than athletics is ludicrous. All activities enrich student lives, none more important than the other. I see plenty of athletes get into fine universities, and not on athletic scholarships. They are given "more glory" (and with that, a whole lot more criticism) because of the values of the society. And with all due respect, the idea of competition will probably win over simple performance most of the time (ie: what makes money for the schools).

My second argument is that athletics reaches far more kids than performing arts and academic competition. Take a look at school populations and you will find that athletics gives much more "bang for the buck" in enriching kids lives. I think you might be surprised at how many students are involved in athletics.

You seem to be frustrated with the "dumb jock" stereotype. I've found that most athletes are actually good students, and statistics show that athletics make better students. As for giving academic achievement its due, I can't argue with you, but society doesn't find it that important.

I give him credit for presenting his argument thoughtfully and respectfully. I understand his viewpoint very clearly. Yes, I agree that society, in generally does not value academics. I am seeing the scary consequences of it already......

This is the Sea Life
A week after visiting Legoland, Heather, Jorgen, and I had a wonderful time at Sea Life Aquarium (just next to Legoland) in Carlsbad!




Heather enjoying an "underwater" or "through the water" view!


Initially, she hesitated about going under a partition, so I accompanied her to the little "dome" where she went under. I think she was getting somewhat claustrophobic. Her dad took a few photos and she quickly dashed from the dome. Then he prodded her to return to the dome for a few more pictures. She returned without me guiding her. I then took a cell phone pic (not posted yet).




The Lost City of Atlantis!










Finding more underwater tresures!






Heather was fascinated by the stunning seahorses! They looked better up close and personal!



Heather the designer and builder!