Stripe Out and Tie Bow

A variety of tie blouses:

Pattern Description:
Misses' button-down blouse with collar and sleeve variations. Blouse with a V-neck tie, wide V-neck collar, flounces or trimmed neckline. Misses' 6-14.  I sewed a "12".

my pattern envelope:

 

I used a cotton woven that I had in my stash for nearly 3 years.

Full length view, taken by my daughter.  Please excuse the wrinkles after some car driving.

The directions were easy to follow except for attaching and finishing the ends of the sleeve cuffs. The narrow opening where the ends of the cuff "overlap" is a turned-in top-stitched hem between two reinforced points 3/4" apart which would have been better replaced by "slashed" sleeve vents and plackets.


Likes/Dislikes
I like the tie-front-pussy-bow style reminiscent of the styles from decades past. In particular with my fabric choice, I am reminded of this blouse:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/95109113/womens-vintage-60s-70s-striped-pussy-bow
I like the form-fitting silhouette of the blouse in contrary to a "sack-like" look.

The sleeves eased in to the armscyes nicely with very little excess fabric "jutting" out of the contours of the armscyes.

The only thing that I did not like were the construction of the sleeve cuffs.


Modifications/Alterations
*My typical 1" petite adjustment at the waist and narrowing of the upper back 3/8" from the center.

*Due to fabric constraints, I shortened the sleeves 1".

*Since I went down a size at the sides, I omitted the back darts.

*Steps #35-37 for attaching and finishing the sleeve cuffs eluded me at first glance. Instead, I used an inverted method from what was instructed to avoid top-stitching the cuff from the inside and second-guessing how it will look on the outside. I stitched the correct or visible side of the cuff to the wrong or non-visible side of the sleeve and finished the ends of the cuff in a 3/8" seam, right sides together, before turning them inside out. Then I turned the entire edge of the cuff to the outside (keeping the cuff folded in half lengthwise with the edges turned in, covering the seam allowance of the sleeve and cuff) and top-stitched.

Recommendation:
 I plan to use this pattern again.  There are other collar and sleeve options that I would like to try. I recommend this pattern if you are looking for a blouse pattern with lots of versatility.

After working with this fabric, I wonder why I am craving some popcorn or maybe something to eat at our local T.G.I. Friday's restaurant...

It is not one of those "quick-and-easy" gratification projects. But it is a wonderful pattern to get back to sewing blouses/shirts with front plackets and cuffs.

This pattern goes in my "definitely" pile.

First time that we encountered these at a Marshall's store dressing room: "Possibly, Definitely, Tomorrow" hooks

 

Catching the Waves with a New Look

After searching through my new pattern stash I found New Look 6150.

"Misses' knit top in two lengths has surplice or boat neckline and can be made with 3/4 sleeves, ruched short sleeves or sleeveless."

I sewed view "D", the top with the boat or bateau neckline and 3/4 sleeve, in a size "12" at the shoulders and armscyes, tapering to a "14" at the sides.

 

Laura Ashley's knit top with 3/4 sleeves

I used a ITY jersey knit that was on sale at fabricmart.com. When I received, I was disappointed that it was more transparent, and lightweight than previous ITY knits that I have used. I did not have problem sewing with it. Due to the seemingly delicate nature of this knit, I had to repair two little holes by handstitching. Maybe the $4 a yard that I paid for was too good to be true!

 

*I like the versatility of the pattern with the surplice front or the boat neckline and the sleeve options. There are more possible styles than suggested by the pattern envelope.

 * I sewed view "D" first in hopes of finding a no-frills knit top with a flattering fit, and am pleased with the results.

* There are no dislikes for this pattern.

* I like the contoured center back seam

 

Modifications

*Narrowed the upper center back by folding the pattern piece 3/8" starting at the neckline, tapering to 0" above the waistline

*Folded out 1" at the petite adjustment line of the front and back pieces

*Stitched the sleeves to the armscyes "flat" (before stitching the sleeve and side seams) instead of "easing" and "setting them in" as directed.

*Omitted the neck facing strip. Instead, I folded in narrow hem of approximately 3/8", tucking in the raw edge and top-stitched. Another option would to attach a bias strip to encompass the neckline, fold over to the other side and top-stitch.

 

Heather and I enjoyed a pleasant afternoon stroll at our city's popular mall on a a mild weathered Presidents' Weekend Monday

 

I am looking forward to try the other views. I recommend this pattern due to the simplicity in construction and being a nice staple for any wardrobe.

This pattern is a keeper!

Take Two with Butterick 5815

Alie & Trixie's "batwing" sleeved dress. From my viewpoint, its sleeves have that "petal" style, where one end of the sleeve overlaps the other end.

The "petal" sleeves give some character to Butterick 5815's dress and tops.

Description
Misses' Top, Tunic, and Dress: Loose-fitting, pullover top, tunic or dress has very narrow hem finish on neckline and sleeves and shaped, back overlapped sleeves. Sizes: Misses' 8-10-12-14-16.  I sewed a "12".    

     

Fabric
First version (muslin) in a top:
Printed cotton from W-M. It was advantageous to use the "tape measure" print as a guide for cutting and stitching. The inspirational R. Kelly song about "flying" comes to mind.

 

Second version in a dress:
"From Nicole Miller, this conversation-starter is a beautiful blouseweight silk jacquard printed with a lively tribute to New Orleans, with everything from Mardi Gras, to Jazz, to Royal Street and much more. The jacquard weave is just the designer's name and is very subtle. Multicolor on a black background, drapey, lightweight but not sheer. Perfect for a blouse, top, tunic, dress or a surprising coat lining. Dry cleaning recommended".(emmaonesock.com website)

"Party Gras"

 

Prior to cutting:

 

Favorite/Not-So-Favorite Features

My favorite feature of this pattern is the overlapped sleeves that have what seems to be the equivalent of elongated "petal" sleeves that move nicely with silky-textured fabrics.

I like the neckline as it appears on the envelope, but not how it actually appeared on me immediately after sewing all the seams of my first version.

Narrow hems prevail in this style (neckline, front/back sleeves). I felt that the narrow hems on the neckline could have been replaced with self-facings to eliminate the "ripple effect" on the bias cut of the fabric. But on the other hand, avoiding the self-facing reduces extra fabric, simplifying further the construction, especially where the sleeves/armscyes are concerned.

The pattern did not fit me "out of the envelope" or as drafted. It seemed to be drafted for a person with very wide shoulders. For me, certain modifications were necessary to reduce the excess ease causing the troublesome gaping at the back just below the neckline and at the front neckline. When I pinched out 2 darts with width about ¾" at the neckline and nearly 3" from the center of the upper back, the gaping disappeared. On my muslin, I pinched out a 1 1/2" wedge from the center of the upper back, tapering to 0" above the waist and a 1" wedge from the front center.


Directions
They were fine with the accompanying diagrams. The large and small circles were essential to overlap and baste together the front and back "extensions" and also to overlap the front over the back of the sleeve. While cutting the fabric pieces, I cut out small and large triangular notches in place of marking/chalking the circles onto the fabric. It was easier to align the notches, instead of having to align markings that were difficult to locate on heavily printed and/or dark-colored fabric.


Modifications
Top
Typical petite adjustment at the waist.
Added a band to the bottom.

Dress
Applied the modifications I used while fitting the top to the pattern pieces before cutting the fabric for the dress.

Typical petite adjustment at the waist.

Sewed the front to the back of the sleeve in a French seam, since the inner seam of the front and back sleeve can be visible from raising the arms

Due to fabric constraints, I shortened each sleeve 1".

 

For shoe fanatics (I am not much of one) or those who are interested, I purchased these comfortable platform shoes at Ideeli.com, where special sales last for a day:

Conclusion
It seemed that the adjustments I made would have been equivalent to sewing the dress 2 pattern sizes smaller based on the finished garment measurements. The amount of excess ease is the only reservation for this pattern. It is a wise idea to sew a muslin before delving into pricier fabric.

"Stand Back", it is the reigning "Queen of Butterfly and Bell Sleeves"

Bow-ccasions with February Burda Style 135

Already nearing the middle of February and I have not even fully gone through the January 2013 issue of Burda Style.  I just removed the February issue from its wrapping and selected pattern #135, a top with neckline and wrist bands with an attached bow. The given sizes were misses' 36-38-40-42-44.  I sewed a 38 at the shoulders and a 40 elsewhere.

Fabric
First version: Polyester jacquard and a striped cotton woven for the neckline both remnants of a cowl dress made from the January 2013 Burda Style (pattern #123) dress with the draped neckline.   I shortened the bow from the original specified length of 85 cm or 33 1/2 inches, which was inordinately long.

 

Second version: "Tuscany wide faille teal, 100% polyester" from fabric.com and for binding the neckline and wrists, a remnant of the black knit dress made also with the January 2013 Burda Style #123 dress pattern. The photo does not accurately capture the lovely teal color of the fabric.

Likes/Dislikes

I like the bow embellishment and the bound neckline and wrist edges.  I am not quite sure about the dart at the sleeve head where it was supposed to align with the shoulder seam.  I experienced a somewhat loose fit at the sides.  Maybe the top was meant to be "tucked in".

Directions

They were satisfactory.  The only thing that seemed questionable was the procedure to bind the neckline: "Pin bias strip to neck edge, with wrong side facing right side, matching seam to one shoulder seam.  Edgestitch edges in place." The "wrong side facing right side" puzzled me. I did not follow the procedure to attach the bias neckline. I attached the right or visible side of the binding to the wrong side, turned it to the outside with 1/4" of the raw edge turned under and top-stitched near the lower edge.

I used the neck facings for the first version, but not for the second version.  The bias neckline could be opted out in favor of the facings.  I found that the facings added more stability prior to the binding with bias strips since I used a slightly translucent and lightweight  polyester jacquard (which had a tendency to unravel at the raw edges) for my first version.  I omitted the facings for the top with the teal polyester faille to avoid bulk while using a knit binding.

I made adjustments from the original specified lengths of the bias strips to finish the neckline and wrists.  It seems that the widths for the neckline had not yet included the seam allowances.  For a better allowance, I used 4 cm width ("2 cm incl allowance" meant 2 cm and the allowance) for the strips.  I did not use the full 25 1/2 inches for both tops.   For instance, I used 20 inches of the knit binding strip (cut on the cross-grain) for the neckline of the second top. I cut a fabric strip after I encircled the neckline with it,  including 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch of negative ease and a 1/4 inch center back seam allowance. I did the same for the sleeve wrists with their seams to be aligned with the sleeve seams. Then I stretched a tad as I stitched the strips to the edges(correct side of fabric strip to wrong side of neckline).  The lengths of the bias strips to finish the neckline rely on the characteristics of the fabric being used.

 

Modifications/Alterations

*Petite adjustment of 1" at waistline

*Took in the upper back 3/8" from the center, tapering to 0" above the waistline.

* Omitted the side vents

*Finished the neckline as described earlier

*I am still indecisive as to whether to keep the "longer" or the "shorter" bow.

Conclusion 

Putting aside the little extra time to figure out the lengths and widths of the bands corresponding to the neckline and wrist circumferences, this pattern is fairly easy to sew.  This has a potential to be nice basic top with or without sleeves and with neckline variations (with or without band).

Cowl-i-FOUR-nia Dreaming on Route Burda 123B

A sample of two-toned dresses. There were some interesting results for two-toned cowl neckline dresses.

I chose a conservative route with Burda Style 123 B.  This was the fourth dress I made with this pattern (sixth if I included the two tops).  I used fabric remnants from previous projects.

 

 

The upper portion  came from a remnant of a Burda rayon jersey turtleneck and the lower or skirt portion from  a remnant of my second dress of the same pattern.  I fused the contrasting pieces to get this dress. The only modifications from the original pattern that I had traced and cut were removing 1 1/2" from the upper edge of the sleeves, tapering to 0" at the lower armscyes.  For a "non-warped" skirt edge, I hand-stitched a 3/4" hem after ease-stitching 1/4" from the raw edge.

Previous posts of  the same pattern:

Third version of dress:  http://sewspiciousmindful.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-flag-sew-lute.html

Second version of dress :  http://sewspiciousmindful.blogspot.com/2013/01/oops-i-stitched-it-again.html

First version of dress: http://sewspiciousmindful.blogspot.com/2013/01/its-numberr-3-for-pattern-123-and-hello.html

Tops from the same pattern http://sewspiciousmindful.blogspot.com/2013/01/easy-as-1-2-3.html

 My updated "cowl-lection" of Burda Style #123B for the "one pattern many looks" contest.  I really had fun experimenting with the basic pattern.  My favorite is my most recent addition, the dual toned dress.

A Flag Sew-lute?

My third dress with Burda Style 123B for my entry to the "One Pattern, Many Looks" contest.  These contests provide a wonderful avenue to try something out of the ordinary and/or to try new techniques.

 

Again, this is from the pattern for the  "light cowl dress" from this month's Burda Style magazine.

Some inspiration:

Anne Klein's two-tone dress

L'Agence's Aline colorblock dress.  That certainly gives one illusion of a "bare" midsection from afar...

 

I was on a "stripe-hype" when I purchased this and have not figured out what to use it for. Then out of the blue or more suitably, out with some blue fabric, the colorblock trend gave me some incentive.

Front piece of the dress, not yet sewn to the back piece, view from the inside.  The solid is a blue lightweight polyester jacquard and the striped is a cotton woven.  I think I purchased both from fabric.com some time ago.

 

After taking in the side seams at the midriff band, it still is "sack-ish", but not not as "sack-ish" when I tried it on for the first time. Now, come to think of it, I feel like I am patriotic to a country whose flag has red, blue, and yellow  (i.e. Venezuela, Ecuador, Chad, Romania, The Netherlands...)

This is not a flattering piece on me, especially with those as myself with short torsos. In the spirit of Pattern Review's "one, pattern many looks" contest, I wanted to try something out of the ordinary such as using striped fabric to spruce up a mono-tone dress. 

A "Cowl-age" of dresses from pattern 123B

previous reviews of this top/dress pattern in blog posts:

http://sewspiciousmindful.blogspot.com/2013/01/oops-i-stitched-it-again.html

http://sewspiciousmindful.blogspot.com/2013/01/its-numberr-3-for-pattern-123-and-hello.html

http://sewspiciousmindful.blogspot.com/2013/01/easy-as-1-2-3.html

Next on the agenda, Butterick 5185 with  tape measures and a taste of New Orleans

Getting Some Z-Z-Z-Z-Z's with Vogue 8634

From the back of Vogue 8634's pattern envelope:
"Misses' Top:  Close-fitting, pullover tops A, B, C, in two lengths, have collar and stitched hems.  A: short sleeves.  B: three-quarter length sleeves.  C: long sleeves."
 
I sewed a medium and used the three-quarter sleeves from view "B" and the tunic length of view "C".

"Cowl-ifornia Girls"

Fabric Used
Some wild and funky Michael Miller cotton jersey from the "Heaven and Helsinki" series by Patty Young.  I had 1.5 yards of this fabric and used nearly all of it with scraps to spare.

 

I feel a resurgence of the gaudy 1970's wearing this fabric, all in good fun.

Instructions
They were straightforward with helpful diagrams.

After stitching the front under bust seam, I stitched the front of the raglan sleeve to each front of the top and then to the back (matching the notches). Then I stitched a sleeve seam and side seam as one continuous seam and repeated this process to the other sleeve seam and side seam. The basted collar end, having a center back seam, is attached to the stay-stitched neckline. Hemming and top-stitching the sleeves and lower edge of the top completed the construction. Very easy.

Favorite/Not-So-Favorite Features
I like that this top is very easy to sew and I like cowl-necked styles.

The only things I do not like is the 2" excess ease, or what I call "bulk", that I encountered from the collar behind my neck and the upper back.   Although the depth of the neckline is modest,  I would have preferred it to be 1" higher.

Modifications
My usual petite adjustment at the waistline and narrowing the upper back from the center back.

I took in the side seams an additional 1/4".

Removed 2" from the lower edge before hemming and top-stitching.


Tried to keep the continuity of the print while cutting the fabric pieces, especially at the under bust seam.

Omitted top-stitching the under bust seam and the neckline seam.


Other Thoughts
After more adjustments in the upper back and accordingly to the collar, I would sew this top again. I still would recommend this top, with my only reservation of it being loose instead of "close-fitted" as described by Vogue Patterns.  Being in my stash for quite a bit of time, this is one of those "why-had-I not-sewn-this-sooner" types of patterns.   

Oops, I Stitched It Again!

This two-pieced pattern got me "hooked".  I already made four versions of this pattern, two dresses and two tops.

First blog post of pattern 123: first two versions
Second blog post of pattern 123: third version

 

I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone and create a unique color-block dress while the color-block/silhouette trend is still going strong.   An upcoming concert of one of my favorite cover bands in March gave me an incentive to work on this dress.  For my fourth version, I used a medium weight knit and I cut out 4 "protractor" shapes of themed fabric on the bias.

 Some inspiration for the "cutouts", Cynthia Steffe, her "Rory" color-block shift dress.

I sewed each pair at the ends, wrong sides together and clipped the curves to reduce "bunching" before stitching them to each of the two cutout portions of the dress that started two inches below the lower armscye.  The cutouts of the dress have the same shape as the themed fabric but each edge taken in 1" to accommodate the 1/2" seam.   Stitching the fabric cutouts to the dress was unexpectedly quite a fiddle-some task and occupied the most time in the process.  The cut-outs came out 2" lower than intended on my figure, but maybe it was better that it turned out way than the cutouts affecting the chest/bust area.

After stitching in my "noir-wear" land,

Other Modifications

The dress needed further tweaking to go from "frumpy" to "dinner-and-dancing" ready.

*Removed 3" from the length that I used for the previous dress from the same pattern (third version)

*Also removed 2" from the sleeve length (past the shoulders), tapering to 0" at the lower armscye (under the arm).

Call it avant-garde, bizarre, straying from the norm, or a fashion risk when I look at  my original design.   After seeing some "interesting" designs making the headlines, I put aside more of my own personal doubts. Now I "feel fine" that I have a "little black dress" with my first attempt at color-blocking with unconventional fabric.  I am still not sure about it, I will take a fashion risk and wear it at least for one evening out...

For the "one pattern, many looks" PR contest: