Viva Les May Fleurs

Heather is SEW ecstatic about her new flower girl dress!  She had butterflies in her stomach due to being honored to be a flower girl for the first time.

I snapped this photo inside our hotel room in Las Vegas. She is a flower girl for my cousin who was getting married that early evening.

I sewed Heather's dress using Butterick 4967.

Pattern Description: "Children's/Girl's Dress and Cummberbund:  Lined, sleeveless dress with tier variations and back zipper closing.  A, B:  mid-knee length with ribbon tie.  C:  evening length with contrast cummerbund and flower".  I sewed a view "C' for my daughter's flower girl gown. 

There are 6 tiers (each with a front and back) for view C: one top tier (just below the bodice), 4 middle tiers (the upper middle tier has pieces 9 and 10, the subsequent three  middle tiers have respectfully 12, 13, 14), and the low tier is made from piece number 15.  

Size: Girls' 6-7-8. I sewed an "8" which corresponds to my daughter's usual RTW size. However, I discovered that it fits more like a "10". But this is fine, since I was able to tie her ribbon (also purchased by the spool at JA's trims section) in a way that cinches the back.

Comparable tiered formal dresses

"Satin netting Wedding/Bridesmaid/Prom/Pageant Dress", from jaksflowergirldresses.com, $320

Here's how NOT to wear a tiered dress:

You are not on the right track, "Lady".  Tiers cannot be"worn this way"!

Double vision!

Just before the photo session with the wedding entourage, Heather gave herself one more check at the mirror. I thought this was would be an interesting photo op. 

Material: Baroque Satin from JA's on sale for $3.49/yard.  I used approximately 5 1/3 yards of the 6 yards that I purchased. For view "C" in a size 8, the pattern calls for 3 3/8" (45" width) and 4 3/8" (60"width) of fabric.  The lining requires 2 1/2 yards of fabric. 

Approximate total cost of dress:  $32.00

I used the same fabric to line the bodice and the skirt. 

Here is about 2/3 of a yard of bits and pieces of the baroque satin after I sewed the entire dress.

 Directions:

Although I relied extensively on the illustrations, the directions were sufficient and simple to follow.  I adapted the steps to the type of fabric and number of tiers that I was using. 

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I reserved seven consecutive evenings to sew Heather's dress.

Evening One:
*Pinning and cutting the fabric (lots of cutting due to number of pieces!)
*Marking the placements of the tiers to the skirt stay

Evening Two:
*Sewing the front and back bodice with the lining,
*Sewing and lining the upper tier

Evening Three
*Sewing and hemming two middle tiers

Evening Four:
*Sewing and hemming the subsequent two middle tiers
*Pinning and sewing the first two layers of middle tiers to the skirt "stay"

Evening Five:
*Pinning and sewing the third layer of the middle tier to the skirt "stay"

Evening Six:
*Attach the skirt stay to the skirt lining along the upper edge
*Attach the upper bodice to the skirt
*Attach the invisible zipper, paying attention to the backs of the upper two tiers so that they don't get "caught" in the zipper.
Evening Seven:
*Attach the lowest middle tier, which ended up being the lowest tier, omitting pattern piece #15 (lowest tier of the skirt)

Challenges:

*Attaching two of the "middle tiers" to the skirt because one of them was a bit wide and the other a bit narrow as I attached each to the corresponding marking that encircled one level of the skirt. I strongly believe this is due to operator error, when I mistook one pattern piece for another which can very easily happen sewing into the wee hours of the morning.

*Hemming each tier

Favorite Features:

* Tiered style

* Although time and labor intensive, the dress is still straightforward to construct.

* Suitable for many occasions.

Wedding entourage in front of the hotel entrance at the JW Marriott in Las Vegas (outside the L.V. strip).  

Design Modifications/Alterations
* Instead of sewing 6 tiers as pictured on the pretty human model, I sewed 5, omitting the lowest tier.

*I lined the top tier. If I had more fabric, I would have lined all the tiers to eliminate the process  hemming a circular piece of fabric.

*If only hemming each tier was simple as a blink of the eye! After sewing the side seams of each tier (middle) and using a small zig zag stitch to finish the ends of each tier, I turned up, pressed, and pinned down a 3/8" hem, and topstitch very close to the edge. My iron has received quite a workout!

*I did a lot of edge finishing after staystitching the ends of the bodice, upper edges of the skirt and its lining, and the top of each tier due to the fraying nature of the fabric. 

* As mentioned earlier, I most likely mixed up one front for a middle tier with the back for another middle tier (the third and fourth levels of the tiers below the bodice)! I gathered slightly one of the middle tiers to get it to encircle nicely one level of the skirt, before the final pinning and stitching.   I did not have problem with two of the middle tiers.  For one of the other middle tiers whose circumference was smaller than the level to which it was to be attached, I had to slightly pleat somewhere along the skirt. 

* Added two front tucks/pleats at the lower edge of the front bodice.

*I used an invisible zipper for the back.

Return To Sewing, A-Dress Unknown...
I plan to make the two-tiered view "A" sometime very soon. Although view "C" is time and labor intensive, but it is still SEW worth it for making any young lady whom you adore feel like a princess for a day!

Heather on her way to the Waterfall Lagoon where the ceremony was to be held.

A little more conversation after the ceremony

Smileys Cy-r-us

Cowl-lifornia Girls

The draped cowl neck caught my attention when I purchased this pattern.  After my slight disappointment with my first version of this pattern several months ago, I decided to give it another try.

From 2004: "Misses/misses' petite top and belt: Unlined, loosefitting, below waist, pullover top has cowl-neck A, B: sleeveless. C, D: short sleeve. E: long bell sleeves. D, E: side seam slits.  B: self belt."  The front and back pieces are cut on the bias.

I sewed the "C" view with the flutter short sleeves, but with the longer length from either view "B" or "E".

Pattern Sizing:
8-10-12    I sewed a "12".

Fabric Used:
Cotton/rayon jersey from fabric.com

Favorite Features
*I liked the draped/cowl neck style and the sleeve options.

A Chadwick's cowl shell

Ann Taylor Loft's cowl shell

* The directions were satisfactory. When I made my second top from this pattern, I barely glanced at them due to a few modifications.
* I liked that it was much more easier especially after making the first version and discovering some "rough" spots along the way. After my disappointment with my first version that I made months ago, I decided to give this pattern another try.

* For my first version when cutting the front piece, I did not include the "extended" front facing that was to be folded inward along the marked horizontal line and the reinforced (with backstitching) clipped corners. I replaced the front facing with a topstitched narrow hem.

*For the second version, I included the extended front facing, which I prefer over my "non-faced" original.

*I only disliked the back facing and the original construction of the flutter short sleeves.  

Pattern modifications/alterations:
*I performed my usual petite adjustments on the upper back (3/4") and at the waistline (1").

* To narrow the upper back, I folded in 1" from the center back, for my second version.

* I lengthened each of the short flutter sleeve 1 centimeter and still found it short. Next time, I will lengthen each sleeve a full inch (approximately 2.54 cm).

* Since I was not using the back facing, I let the upper edge of the back neckline, extend approximately 5/8" past the short shoulder seam formed by the junction of the front piece (having self-facing that was folded inward) and the back piece. To avoid the back facing, I topstitched a narrow hem at the back neckline between the shoulder seams.

*I self-faced each sleeve to avoid the visibility of a "narrow" hem when the sleeves flop about. I cut an additional pair of the sleeves and sewed each facing to the lower edge of its corresponding sleeve, right sides together. After trimming the seams and "clipping" at the curves of the seam, I turned each sleeve with the facing inside out and pressed the lower edge. I machine basted the upper edges before sewing them to the armscyes.

*I sewed the sleeves in "flat" instead of setting them in per the directions. Or, I sewed the sleeves to the armscyes before sewing a little corner of the sleeve seam and the entire side seams of the entire top.



Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I still would recommend this top. Even though this pattern originally came out 7 years ago, the draped front has been a classic and timeless style feature. This neckline has received more attention and interest after Pippa Middleton created a media sensation with her bridesmaid gown.

Also it was mentioned that Cameron Diaz wore the red carpet version of McQueen's dress at 2010's Golden Globes award. I liked Cameron's red dress that I snapped a pic of her in it during the show.

The neckline of the dresses worn by Pippa and Cameron reminds me of views E or F of Simplicity 3682 that I sewed 4 years ago.

Conclusion:
There are probably "better" patterns with a similar style to Butterick 4132.  This pattern is a keeper for now.

More draped/cowl tops

From Ann Taylor Loft:

From Chadwick's:

The Streisand Vee-fect

I purchased this 47-year-old pattern year from etsy last year because I liked the blouse with the "Chelsea" collar, the middle view.   The model on the lower left attired in a nautical top reminds me of a young Barbra Streisand in her blue iconic sailor dress that she wore in her first television special for CBS.  She will be having her 69th birthday on April 24.

1964's memorable musical chart-toppers that include "My Girl" by the Temptations, "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles, "Hello Dolly" by Louis Armstrong, "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas, "Where Did Our Love Go" by the Supremes, "Oh Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison, and "People" by Barbra Streisand showcased the diversity of talent in popular music that is rarely matched or surpassed by current performers.

Barbra, the Singer, and SINGER, the Sewing Company?
Singer, the sewing machine company, sponsored this extraordinary "singer's" TV special in "1973, " Barbra Streisand... and Other Musical Instruments". It was reported that "Singer would honor Barbra with a gold sewing machine!"

More information about the "Barbra Streisand... and Other Musical Instruments" TV special.

Pattern Description:

From 1964, "Misses Set of Blouses with Tie:  Blouse features a V neckline, front button closing and set-in sleeves.  Views 1,2,3 long sleeves gather to button cuffs.  Views 1 and 2 collars are styled the same but View 1 is wider and trimmed with abow.  Views 2 and 3 have contrasting ties.  view 3 sailor collar and cuffs are detailed with braid.  view 4 neck edge and below elbow length sleeves feature ruffles.  view 5 has tie collar and roll up sleeves. 

I sewed View 1, the middle view, or the blouse with the "Chelsea" collar that was popular in the 1960's and 1970's with a resurgence in the 1980's.

I was initially dubious about working with a collar cut on the bias. If it was cut on the straight grain, I would have had more of a challenge to distribute the collar evenly along the neckline.

I sewed view 1, with the intention of the cuffed long sleeves, but due to a fabric deficit, I shortened the sleeves. 

Size:

Miss size 14, bust 34.   The sizing is not coherent with a current patttern size 14.  However, I discovered that I did not need to increase the width at the bust and hips. 

The blouses illustrated on the pattern envelope seem also to be inspired by Barbra's 1963 performance at the Hollywood Bowl and at the Cocoanut Grove (interesting spelling of coconut).

Back of envelope:

My version is a fuse of the pattern's styles with tie-dye printed fabric.

"The Prints of Tie-Dyes"

Fabric Used:

A pre-laundered mystery cotton woven from W-M for $3 a yard.  I wish that I had strategically placed the pattern on the print to reduce the "bullseye" or "headlight" effect... 

Favorite Features

* Several collar options:"Chelsea" (pointed lapels), ruflle, nautical, neck tie/bow

* Fairly simple to sew, except for fiddling with the attachment of the front/back facings after the collar.

Other Features

* No shaping at sides

* Collar with front and back facings are outdated. A lining would have seemed more practical.

* Although I liked the style, I was a bit overwhelmed by collar size coupled with my fabric choice. Decreasing the width of the collar to complement my frame and using a fabric with more drape would make this top more ideal for me.

 

Modifications

* Took in the side seams an additional 1/4". I could have adhered to the original size instead of adding an additional seam allowance.

* Shortened the sleeves and elasticized the hems.

* I was not sure as to whether or not to perform my usual petite adjustments (upper back and between the bust and waist).  There were previous instances when I made those adjustments and wish I had not.   In this case, I should have adjusted the pattern.

Just after seeing the entertaining and cute "Rio" at a local movie theater with my daughter:

Directions: They are detailed and formatted conveniently to fit on one sheet, double sided! I really did not need the directions, except for the process for attaching the front and back facings.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Pattern Layouts:

Directions:

Collar, cut on the bias, (prior to folding right sides together, stitched right sides together, and turned inside out)

The tricky part was sandwiching the small front facing between the folded front facing and the sleeve. I found the illustration somewhat vague in the placement  of the front facings, collar, and central neckline, with respect to each other.  I continuously turned over the collar and facings to ensure that the "pointed" portion of the small front facing  (originally a separate piece) does not protrude or become visible when worn.  Then I had to "scoot" the upper edge of the small front facing until it surpasses the central front edge of the neckline.  Also in order for the pieces to align nicely, I had to deepen the scoop of the neckine an additional  3/8" while sewing through all the layers.  Hence, the neckline of the center front then looked on par with those on the pattern envelope.

Here is a picture after sewing the layers of the necklne, collar, and facings: 

Without the bow:

Overall Evaluation:

If you enjoy working with retro/vintage patterns , I would recommend this pattern based on the nicely presented directions while being attentive to the sizing, fit, and the construction of the collar and facings.  Due to time constraints and other patterns waiting in the wings,  I probably will not use this pattern again. 

"Her Name is Barbra" auction with clothing/accessories from her movies.

Plaid Row-mance

I really like the February 2011 of Burda Style.  There are several enticing looking styles, but I do not have the time and patience to trace even a simple pattern due to sifting through the convoluted network of lines.  But there is one pattern that I highly recommend if you have this issue.

Pattern Description:

A fitted stretch jersey top.

Pattern Sizing:

34-36-38-40-42. I sewed my typical 38" at the shoulders and "40" elsewhere. With the knit that I was using, I should have increased a size.

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

Fabric Used:
Lady Ga-Gargyle

Remaining argyle-printed cotton jersey from EmmaOneSock.com that I originally used for Heather's Simplicity3811 top.

Argyles on the runway for fall 2011, Alberta Ferreiri

Were the instructions easy to follow?
It Was Sewn This Way, Sewn This Way...
Because this top consisted of only a front, back, and sleeves, I did not use them. The directions contain the barebone or minimal steps, except for the step that details the application of the neck bias binding, which was confusing due to the choice of words, or the meaning got lost in translation. I recommend replacing Burda's method with your reliable method to finish the neckline.

Thumbs Up
* I like that it was easy to sew (especially if you have a serger), especially if you replace the bias neck binding with a topstitched hem.

*Versatile pattern with superb potential for personal neckline, sleeve, and embellishment options.


Wavering Thumbs
* Often I learn something AFTER the fact. I should have added a little more to the width of the shoulders and upper chest when I lowered the neckline by snipping away at the neckline (something I rarely due to the typically low neckline depth of Burda blouses). I also should have further stabilized the lower hem due to the fabric I was using.

* i agree with other fellow PR'ers of this pattern. Certain fabrics will affect the fit of this top. With a drapier knit (i.e. poly knits), I would use my typical Burda size and with a cotton knit, I would use one size larger.


Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
*One of those rare instances where I lowered the neckline on a Burda pattern. To add an illusion of neck length, I scooped approximately 1 3/4" from the center, tapering to 0" before the shoulder seam.

*Made my usual 1" petite adjustments between the waist and bust

*Lengthened the sleeve 1". My arms are designed for a woman that is 5'5" tall.

*Shortened the upper back 1/2"

*Replaced the bias binding at the neckline with a decorative topstitched hem.

*Instead of "setting-in" the sleeves, I sewed the sleeves in flat or stitched it to the armscye prior to sewing the sleeve seams and side seams as one continuous seam.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes after a few more alterations. I recommend this pattern due to being a nice basic knit top pattern and also feel free to experiment with different types of knit to discover the fit you want to achieve.

Conclusion:
This pattern seems like the easiest pattern from this issue to trace, cut, and sew! Maybe it's time to purchase a serger....

Olive-ia Newton-Frond

 I sewed the jacket from Simplicity 2373.  I used a misses' 12 at the shoulders and 14 elsewhere.  

The pattern pieces that I used are (pieces #9-14) the front, back, front facing, loophole for the buttons, back facing, and sleeve.

The directions and illustrations were easy to comprehend and follow.  If you are familiar with sewing button-down shirts and blazers/jackets, then you would be able to sew this jacket with very little or no problems at all. It seems that the instructions for the dress and pants are also more than satisfactory.


Likes/Dislikes
*Ideal spring/summer jacket with cap sleeves, slightly cropped length and loophole closures

*The jacket is not meant to be fully closed (two button-loopholes) and adds another dimension to an outfit when worn over a sleeveless dress, a tank or camisole top.

*I liked the overall ease of construction, and not having fit issues due to its "quasi-swing" style. My only concern are the bust darts being a tad higher than what I prefer.

Fabric Used:
A stretch cotton woven from GF.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
*Cut the front pieces separately for more symmetry.

* Added 3/8" to the length of the sleeve pattern piece. I still thought it was a tad short.

* Instead of cutting a pair of sleeves, I cut two pairs so that each sleeve would be lined in the same fabric. I sewed the self-lining or facing to the edge of a sleeve using a 3/8" seam, right sides together, turned the sleeve inside out and pressed the lower edge before attaching to the armscye.

*Omitted the bias trim at the lower edge of the sleeves. I turned in a 3/8" hem and topstitched, making sure that the ends of the sleeve cap are not visible.

*Made my usual petite adjustments at the upper back and waist (which is probably not necessary) due to the somewhat cropped style of the jacket.

*Added 1 1/2" to the length of the front and back. If you have a long torso, you might need to adjust accordingly.

*Attached one instead of two buttons.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I plan to sew the jacket in a baby wale corduroy. I definitely recommend this jacket, especially as a first-time jacket or a quick gratification project (one full evening worth of sewing). The dress and pants seem easy to construct, if no alterations were necessary. From previous experiences with "sun dress" styles, I have had to make several adjustments for a satisfactory fit. For the dress, I recommend reading the two previous reviews for more insight.

Conclusion:
After my experience from making the jacket, this pattern lives up to its "Easy chic" moniker.