Disco in Ditto Jeans Pink

"It's all an illusion, there's too much confusion", from Madonna's "Can We Get Together?" Hot Patterns provided more illusion than reality. The illustrations on their pattern envelopes are illusions to entice you to purchase their patterns!

Based on my experience with three garments, the illustrations on Hot Patterns envelopes do not match the actual results from sewing with the given pattern pieces. It is usually common to adjust patterns to fit our unique figures. It would make sense to draft my own patterns by hand, use drafting software, or purchase a pattern that closely resembles the look that I want. Therefore, I plan not to purchase more patterns from HP.

I purchased this pattern from the recent 2 for 1 sale from HP. The patterns arrived two weeks after I placed my order. Although I anticipate that that the blouse straight from the envelope (thanks to the very helpful reviewers of this pattern) will not look like the concept illustrations (actually the reviewers' blouses looked better!), I wanted to sew this myself and take it from there.





Pattern Description
HP 1064: "Put on your Tango heels and dance up a storm in these pretty Blouses just right for heavy crepe de chine, drapey rayon or soft jaquard. Relaxed fit blouses have 1-piece collar, front button closure and optional front and back darts. Elbow-length sleeved version has gathered sleeves with 3 tiers of fluted ruffles at the hem. 3/4 sleeved version has slim sleeves with deep frill at the hem...".

It should read more like "Put on your platforms and Ditto's Jeans and do the hustle....."

For those not familiar with Hot Patterns, the patterns are printed on heavy paper.


Size
Multi-sized 6-26. I used my upper bust measurement to select the size 12. There's quite a bit of ease nearly everywhere in this blouse, so I was glad to decide on the 12 instead of the 14. Here is the side view so that you can see the drag lines. Please! I appreciate any help and suggestions on this issue.

Fabric
For my first version, I used cotton shirting from FashionFabricsClub.com



Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Absolutely not! As noted in previous reviews, there are discrepancies between the illustrations on the envelope and the sewn garment from the actual pattern. I feel like Laurie Partridge ready to sing "Come On, Let's Get the Maracas!"


Features
* Generally easy to put together the way it is drafted
* Definitely not as fitted as illustrated.
* Optional front and back vertical darts help add shape, reducing the boxy or relaxed fit. After finishing my first version, I can see that rotated bust darts would improve the look and fit.
* The collar flares out, 70's retro-style, instead of the collar points being closer together as illustrated
* Sleeve caps have a bit of excess ease
* Sleeves are not fitted as illustrated
* 3/4 sleeve version have actual elbow-length sleeves with 5" frilly cuffs (more like balloon cuffs!!)
* Blouse contains front facings and a back facing
* Just like motorposus, I discovered when sewing the front and the back along the side seams, the front was about 3/4" longer than the back.

Directions
If you are acclimated to Burda WOF directions, then you would find directions for this pattern to be more than sufficient, redundant, and possibly convoluted. It would have been convenient to have illustrations that accompany the 2 printed pages worth of verbage, especially for us visual learners. However, if you are familiar with sewing shirts, then you could get by with little or no guidance. I decided to be bold and abandon HP's directions.

The front and back markings for the sleeve pattern pieces and the correspondings ones on the armscyes of the front and back are easy to overlook because they are very faint.


Modifications
*Added a slightly curved center back seam using the back piece from my favorite Butterick shirt/jacket. This added a flattering back contour from the side and back views. I really did not need to add a seam allowance for the center back seam. After trying on the fronts basted to the back, I took in an additional 3/8" to reduce the bagginess in the back. If I sew another version, I plan to take out a tad of horizontal excess above the waist.

* Set-in the sleeves instead of sewing them flat per the directions. Took in the sleeve seams by another 1/4". However, I chose not to reduce the sleeve caps for that slightly "puffed" look at the ends of the shoulders.

* Used the next larger collar size, 14.

* Shortened length by 1 1/2"

* Used 7 cm spacing between buttons instead of the 10 cm from the "button template"

Would you sew this again? Would you recommend this to others?
If I ever sew this again, I would have to make more adjustments! The blouse is not difficult to sew. It really is a nice, basic shirt pattern that has a lot of possibilties. I could have sewn this in one entire evening if I did not fuss with design and fitting issues.


If you like the style as is, I would recommend this pattern. If you want the style as illustrated on the envelope, you would have to redraft almost the entire pattern as reviewed by LMH.


Conclusion
HP either should (1) change their envelope illustrations to make it match with the actual drafting of this pattern or (2) re-draft the entire pattern to match the illustration.

A more befitting name would be "Disco Vibe, Tango at Studio 54 Blouse!"



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May All Your Christmases Be Very Merry and Bright


Heather in her kinder school picture from this past August and her aunt Jenny (my sister) in third grade circa 1980, 1981? Her picture slightly discolored over the years. I'll look though more of my parents' photo albums. Jenny's first grade picture looks even more like Heather's photo!





Christmas was fun this year! My favorite activity was decorating our tree this year. I asked my mom if we could have more ornaments (beyond the Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, and Blues' Clues ones). I selected a Virgin Mary ornament and a transparent fish ornament.




I made a present for my mom and dad at school, a "Peace on Earth 2008" frame with puzzle pieces glued to it (get it, peace, piece?) and in the middle a picture of me next to a globe taken by Mrs Brown. My mom gave me a big, big hug and proudly displayed it on the fridge, along with my other artwork (there was a magnet piece on the back).

I like things that captivate the vivacity and spirit of this holiday season such as...


the wild colors and design of my new coat that my mom made me. It is now one of my favorites. Wearing bold colors cheers me up and hopefully cheers others. In some cases, maybe shock others, especially when many people choose to wear dark and drab colors.




Hello Kitty's guitar in this t-shirt that lights up by detecting motion.


The twinkly colored lights on my grandparents' tree representing all of the beautiful colors shining from all branches of the world united in one tree, the guiding light of the universe.





Festive red, a popular holiday color!


The bold Barbie pink dress that my Godmother/Aunt Jennifer gave me with my favorite stylish cat, Hello Kitty.


It was really fabulous (as Ashley Tisdale or Sharpay from HSM would point out) to receive lots of cool gifts. My mom asked me what the best present that I received is and always will be every day of the year, not just one, but MANY big hugs! Of course it is cool to give a big hug just as to receive one!

Love,
Heather

Bolt of Colors!!



I wanted to make something for Heather that I have not made yet, a lined coat or jacket. She selected this pattern about a month ago for me to purchase when we were at JoAnn's.

I could tell Heather wanted to have an outfit in the same fabric of my dress that I made just recently. She did not have to tell me directly.










This is officially the first lined jacket I sewed for Heather. I originally intended to give this to her all wrapped up for Christmas. Instead this became the "early" present. She enjoys partipating as much as she can in the sewing process (cutting, pinning, pedalling, etc). I wanted to have her try it on (is it done yet, mom?) to determine how it fits her.


Pattern Description
From the Project Runway series: "Child's and Girls' coat jacket and hat". My description for this pattern: Girls' coat jackets with front and back yoke, double breasted feature and length and sleeve variations.

The pattern includes the croquis or sketch feature that allows you to select which design element such as the length of sleeves (long or three-quarters) along with the type of sleeve finishing (vertical tab and button, ruffled, band with button at end). I prefer the traditional way of patterns showing several views (A, B, C, etc) each with their unique design features already incorporated, while still having the flexibility to morph design features from two or more views. I found it a somewhat inconvenient to have cutting layouts separate for each design element instead of typically showing all the pattern pieces for a particular style.

Size
Girls' 3-4-5-6. I sewed a size 6 for my 5 y.o. daughter.


Fabric
Printed cotton twill with some stretch from the Fashion Fabrics Club.

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

Favorite Features
* Pea coat style
* Pleated front and back
* Front and back yokes
* Sleeve variations: I sewed the three-quarter length sleeved version with a ruffled band or cuff on the bottom. In fact the cuff was really not ruffled. It really consists of 4 pleats made opposite the seam of the band.


Other Issues
* Directions for the lining are sparse. Some day soon I plan to study and use methods suggested by our fellow PRs instead of the simple version of "bagging the lining".

* I become apprehensive when attaching the upper collar to the lower collar (in the process of lining the jacket), at the large dots that transition to the neck seam and the front facing. I had to pay closer attention while pivoting at the large dots where the collar joins the neck seam. Yes, I confess, I am all to familiar with the bunching or puffiness of the collar at the neck seam!


Directions
*Overall they were sufficient and the illustrations were easy to decipher (except for the section on attaching the lining). It helps to read through the directions, noting the boldface titles of the design elements of interest (i.e. "...for coat", ".... for jacket,","long sleeves and sleeve tab", "three-quarter length sleeves") and following those steps. Otherwise, the steps apply to all of the given styles (i.e. "continue as follows for any coat or jacket").

*A note of CAUTION on making the pleats: make them from the correct or right side of the fabric. Oops! I did the front and back sections from the wrong side of the fabric (where I marked the pleats. But overall, such goof did not affect the overall style of the jacket. In fact, I like the way the back looks where the there is a center fold, flanked by a pleat. Otherwise, there would be an inverted-looking pleat at the center.

*The lining is constructed the same way as the outside of the jacket in terms of the back and yoke back except that the front consists of the front facings each to be attached to front lining piece. I had to take out two pleats so that the back yoke lining (cut on the bias) would not extend much beyond the span of the upper edge of the lower back.

* The directions for attaching the lining to the coat/jacket were sparse. The illustrations for adding the lining were unclear and insufficient.

* There seemed to be an error in the illustration showing the edge of the front facing being stitched horizontally, 1 1/2" from the lowest edge of the jacket. It was supposed to show the front facing, interfaced side up, right sides together with the front edge

*After the first fitting, my daughter felt constricted at the neck area (She does not like feeling constricted. Pullover sweaters are not her cups of tea. She's been like this since she born. I recall so vividly when she constantly freed herself from her blanket, arms and hands pop out, after being bundled for warmth and security). The space between the two ends of the collar, the front segment of the neckline, seemed to be a tad narrower in relation to the corresponding portions of the jackets on the pattern envelope. I could have used a smaller seam allowance when attaching the front facings, but details like this and more would be discovered after sewing the first version of this pattern. To lessen the constriction around my daughter's neck, I marked the points for the hidden snaps about a centimeter towards the center, thus making the yoke at the closure area a little off-center.


Modifications
*Used hidden snaps. I might revert to buttonholes. Heather had some difficulty aligning and securing the snaps.
*Used wild fabric



Conclusion
I recommend this pattern for a stylish coat or jacket for the little ladies you know. Since I am not a "speedy" sewist and tend to "overthink" things, I spent well over 10 hours on Heather's jacket. All the time and work are worth it to get a big hug and lots of smiles!

Rhythm Notion



It must be the color, style, combined with the silver shiny buttons that made me have flashbacks of Janet Jackson dancing in her "Rhythm Nation" video. Wow, performers actually sung about songs with a meaningful message and danced to great choreography back then. Fast forward 19 years and I'm seeing various versions of Janet's military style jacket popping up in the current fashion scene.


Britney, Cristina, Beyonce.... what have you SEWN for us lately?

Pattern Description
A "2 hour fashion express" pattern: Unlined, semi-fitted above wait jacket has dolman sleeves with length variations and with or without collar. View A has snap closure at neck. View B has double-breasted, buttom and buttonhole closures. View C has front tabs with buckle without prong, front hook and eye closures.

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

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Somewhat, except mine screamed 80's/early 90's. There's not much talent, fun, and innovation in the pop current scene, Composer/musician/singer Alicia Keys is a notable exception. Nostalgia has been setting in as I get older.
While sewing this jacket, I might have been hearing in the corners of my mind a much younger and cuter Simon Le Bon singing "Please, please sew me now, is there something I should SEW?" and wearing that oh-so-80's white jacket.


Favorite Features
*Cropped style although I would have preferred it an inch longer.
*3/4 length sleeves
*Few pattern pieces to work with (front, back, collar, front facing, back facing)
*Contoured back seam, which flatters the back and sides. I'll keep this feature in mind to morph this with my other favorite short jacket patterns.
*Boxy upper look that tapers to the waistline, if you ignore the sleeves.


Other Features
*Needs more than the one snap closure that is attached below the wearer's left side. To keep the fronts from flapping out and sliding (or a jacket malfunction), there should be one below the wearer's right neck, and one on the wearer's lower left.

*The sleeves are a bit baggy and unstructured for my taste. Maybe it stems from the nature of dolman sleeves that flare out at the ends. I recall dolman sleeves typical of 80's fashions. I discovered a helpful and interesting SEW NEWS glossary of types of sleeves

*"2-hour" finishing time is a bit misleading, especially for those who are not "speedy" and prefer to finish the seams. I slipstitched the bottom hem after pressing 1 1/4" hem with a scant 1/8" machine-stitched hem. Maybe my eyes deceived me, but I did not find the directions on how to finish the sleeve hems. I turned in a 1/4" machine-stitched hem and slipstitched a 2" hem.

*Positioning the asymmetric collar to look as close to the picture on the envelope took some time.


Fabric
Denim colored cotton poplin, great for muslins.


Directions
That's the way this pattern SEWS...
They are easy to follow and brief with more than decent illustrations. The neckline and that of the facing (each front facing is connected to each end of the back facing) are staystitched. I made sure that I transferred the notches and markings (dots, squares, and triangles) to the collar pieces and the neckline.

Missed it much, I missed it by SEW much
I had to temporarily detach myself from my habit of "centering the collar" at the neckline. I spent the longest time getting the collar to be asymmetric as featured on the envelope and in the illustrations while aligning the corresponding markings to the neckline! After comparing collar to the original pattern piece in terms of the markings and the length taking into account the seams, I did not find serious discrepancies. I eased the neckline a little by using loose and long machine stitches. I basted the collar to the neckline so that the marked triangles align at the shoulder seams and the notches align (one was closer to the wearer's right front edge and the other was further in distance from the wearer's left front edge).

I did not experience difficulty while attaching the front facings to the front edges of the jacket. I iron pressed the back facing to the inside and tacked it to the inside to prevent it from flopping about. The tricky part was where to sew the snap on the wearer's left side so that it does not interfere with the left collar just above it. I spent an inordinate amount of time situating the snap so that the the left collar does not get bunched above the corner where the snap would be. Due to the nature of the fabric coupled with fusible interfacing, my collar is rigid, which made things more bearable. However, I foresee the collar being floppy or bulky with other types of fabric.

Modifications
They're all part of the Rhythm Notions
*Added three hexagonal buttons
*Need to add a snap at the bottom to prevent some sort of jacket "malfunction".
*Shortened the sleeves by 2".


Conclusion
Let's SEW Awhile
I did not have a "2 hour express" experience with this pattern. It was actually more like a "5 hour escapade!" I do highly recommend this pattern for its simplicity and stylishness. I don't plan to sew this asymmetrically collared style in the near future. However, I plan to sew the version with the stand up collar for my sister.

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.