Lucky Ring Collars and Charms

I just found the opportunity to make the ring collared tunic, which I shortened to a top. This top reminded me of a dress that I made from a 60's pattern last year!





Vanity pics:



Pattern Description
"Misses'/miss petite dress or tunic with yoke variations." You also have options for embellishments such as bows, jewel trim, and buttons.

Directions
Four pages worth of clear and concise directions and reliable illustrations. The directions for the the sleeveless dress or tunic come first followed by the sleeveless yoke, "yoke with flat sleeves" and its corresponding neck band, "yoke with flat sleeves and slit openings", "yoke with flat sleeves and band", "yoke with gathered sleeves and band" and its corresponding neck band.

I interfaced the sleeveless front and back yoke pieces and stitched them together at the seams. I sewed the corresponding facing pieces (sans the interfacing) the same way. Then I sewed the facing to the interfaced yoke pieces, right sides together at the necline, armhole edgesand reinforced the inner corners with a few repeat stitches and clipped the inner corners. I also edge finished the facing.

On the last page, common to all versions are the directions for stitching the rest of the dress which includes stitching the front and back to the sleeveless yoke and the other yokes. I was not really impressed by the directions to insert a zipper. I could have omitted the zipper because I had more than enough clearance to slip the dress over my head.







Fabric
Last sewable remnant of my stretch cotton fabric, orignally purchased at Gorgeous Things.


Likes
*Easy to cut and easy to sew.

*The ring collar and sleeveless retro style

*Self-faced

*Versatility of pattern in terms of the types of yoke, sleeve and length options, and embellishments.




Dislikes

*The tunic/dress had quite a bit of ease. I could have done away with the zipper and stitch the back center seams. With the zipper closed, I was able to easily pull the top over my head.

*I cut a "14" which was somewhat baggy, which I would rather have than skin tight. I probably would have been better off with a "12."

*I did not like the instructions for the zipper. I find that Burda WOFS have invisible zipper tutorials that are decent.

*I did not like slight bagginess in the back caused by the gathered backs attached to the front and back yokes. I would redraft the back to eliminate the gathering, and to lessen the ease.





Modifications
* I shortened the tunic into a top because I was running out of fabric.

* I attached the zipper before slipstitching the facings over the seams created by the front and back yokes stitched to the gathered front and back of the dress. The directions have you slip-stitch after attaching the zipper.


Would you recommend this pattern? Would you sew it again?
Yes, I recommend this pattern if you like something simple to sew and if the styles on the pattern envelope appeal to you. If I use this pattern again, I would sew the same version, doing away with the gathers below the front and back yokes.

Conclusion
I found the sleeveless style the highlight of this pattern.

Pebbles and Wilma Are Home!

Jalie's very easy-to-make twist top!




Going solo!


Me and my mini-me!


After seeing and "flipping" over Shesflipped very cute top, I just had to make one and another!

Pattern Description
Women's twist front top with a spaghetti-style ties at the back of the neck, sleeve variations (sleeveless, short sleeve, three-quarters), an optional flounce along the center front seam below the bust, and an optional modesty panel if you are conscious about the low-neckline. I sewed the short sleeved version.

Size
Multi-sized child to adult. After making Heather's top (correlates to a girls' size "5") and seeing how easy it went together, I could not help but make mine right afterwards!

Fabric
Girly giraffe print in polyester/lycra jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics.

Directions
They are available on the pattern sheet and downloadable from the Jalie site. They seemed clear enough for sewists of any level. I relied on the illustrations when I thought the directions were insufficient or unclear.

The front piece (I cut 2 for the left side and right side)is curved below the armscye tapering into a large rectangular piece (panhandle-looking) that when cut, extends to near the entire width of fabric folded in half lengthwise. Referring to the illustrations before the twist step, there was what I call a "jump" notch located on the the neckline. I figured that this is the point where the neckline finishing stops for each front side.

The twist front is very simple to sew once I figured out that from the inside of the blouse, the left wrong side's under bust seam was created by taking the bottom curve and folding it into a sideways "U" or loop, matching the notches, and sewing right sides together, leaving a 2 cm opening from the center for the other front side to pass through. The under bust seam of the other front piece is sewn the same way, stopping as close to the twist as possible. The front center seam is formed by sewing the two fronts together below the twist. This is clear from the printable directions.


Likes
* I worked with only three pieces: the front, back, and the puffed short sleeve.
* Easy to make once I figured out how to create the seams under the bust and the twist front.
* The 3 sleeve options to get a variety of looks.
* The front neckline on Heather's version was very appropriate
* The neckline did not become wavy or gape after folding under the raw edge and made tiny zig zag stitches.
* Great style for any figure!




Dislikes
* I omitted the thin back tie since I did not care for it.
* The v-neck came about 1" lower then what I feel comfortable with. I wore a camisole underneath.


Modifications
*I redrafted the low neckline at the back by raising it about 3/4" to eliminate the need for the back ties.

*I raised the neckline by about 3/8". I wanted to raise it much more. However, I noticed that I would have to raise the under bust seam more to compensate later for the twist portion that would inevitably and naturally by construction pull down the neckline. Since I did not want the under-seam bust to be any higher, I could have left the neckline as is. Now I understand why Jalie includes the optional "modesty" panel.

*I omitted the bottom sleeve binding for the puffed sleeve version. I prefer the natural drape of the sleeves.


Would you recommend this pattern?
I definitely recommend this top which really comes together easily and quickly! The top can go from casual to dressy depending on what type of fabric you use and could easily be drafted to become a dress. Since this top does not take much material to make, it would be an ideal project for knit left over from previous projects.

Conclusion
Heather liked this twist top a lot(her first one) that she wore this top on her first day of kindergarten! Now, we have a new household favorite !Jalie earns a high mark for this pattern!

Seeing spots and a bit of stripes!

My-KEA Jacket

I now have a penchant for jackets with banded, puffy sleeves!

Take some daring print and colors...

...combine it with
Burda WOF, May 2008, pattern #123:



Technical drawing

....to get a "My-KEA" jacket. The moment I saw this fabric on IKEA's website, I wanted to purchase it immediately! It is bold, eyecatching, and looks attention getting! I enjoy making a fashion statement.

I really like the "hip" style of this jacket, but so what if does not exactly work with my figure type!

Happy Star Spangled Day!

From the review gallery, the fabric markings emphasized my figure in the wrong place, if you know what I mean, oops!

Although I sewed a jacket from an individual packaged Burda pattern a few months ago, I hereby officially call this my first Burda WOF jacket! I felt daring enough to venture out to "2 1/2 dotted" territory!

Pattern Description
"Short, sweet and stylish! This cropped blouson-jacket has short puffed sleeves and elegantly rounded lapels/revers on its unusual double-breasted front, with two buttons at the waist." Because do not have the model proportions of these Burda-ettes so I used two instead of four buttons.


Size
Sizes 36-42. I sewed a 42. I remembered this time to include the 5/8" seam allowances for each pattern piece (except at the armscye.....) and to cut out 3 rectangles (2 for the sleeve bands and the 1 for the casing at the bottom. I wanted to make sure I avoided such things as my collar and facing pieces coming out smaller due to forgetting the seam allowances!


Fabric used
Bold red/white home decorating fabric from IKEA. If you have been to IKEA recently, you most likely have seen it hanging somewhere throughout the store. The name of this fabric is "Fialena."


Likes
*The style of the slightly rounded collar and lapels.
*The puffed and banded sleeves which balances my figure
*The jacket's construction was not really that difficult. Omit the bottom casing and the jacket is simple to sew as a basic shirt or blouse.


Dislikes
*The elastic casing did not work with me as I had hoped for. The jacket would be roomy if I omit it.
*The sleeves felt slightly constricting due to riding higher on my shoulders than what I feel comfortable wearing. I wonder if this resulted from not adding the seam allowance to the armscyes of the front and back pattern piece. I prefer to wear sleeves with the sleeve heads situated to emphasize more shoulder breadth. By the looks of the technical drawing the sleeves seemed to be gravitating so much more inward than what appears on the dressform photo at the Burda website.


Directions
Surprisingly satisfactory! There are still some steps that could have been reworded for clarity. Maybe I have been acclimated to Burda's notorious curt and cryptic directions. I also made sure to include all the markings (asterisks and others) The steps for creating the triple casing for the elastic (two rows of topstitching the bottom band), attaching the collar, the front facing, and the back facing were sufficient for me to figure out, but would be big mystery if I lacked experience needed to make shirts and jackets.

Here's my list of experiences with what I call "Burdage Verbage" found in the patterns' directions.

* Burdage Verbage : "Cut elastic into 3 equal pieces and insert elastic into casing." Hmmmm.

There was no procedure mentioned on how do to this. I usually take a safety pin or my Dritz elastic threader to insert the elastic through the casing. After I passed my first strip of elastic through the first casing, I had a more difficult time with the next two strips due to the tightening of the casing (more so due to the nature of the fabric). I should have threaded the separate pieces of elastic through all casings simulaneously as I did in two or three of Heather's dresses to prevent the bunching. Oh well.

* Burdage verbage: "Pin facing right sides together with jacket. Build a little extra fullness into corners of lapels....".

My translation (or my wild guess!):
"Do what you can to prevent bunching at the corners."

From the technical sketch, I noticed that the collar edge and the lapels seemed fully disjoint. I carefully made a tiny clip at the corner and reinforced it with back stitching. The steps to face the lapels seemed fine ["stitch facing to hem edges, front edges and edges of lapels up the marking (corner)"] and I appreciated the fact I was told where to start and stop. The tricky part was to face section joining the elastic waistband. I looked at the outside and the inside just to make sure I was attaching the facing correctly at the front edge joining the casing of the elastic waistband. I encountered some tiny clipping at the corners and little positive ease due to the fabric. Also silly me, forgot to add a little more seam allowance to my front facings (which were cut from the extension of the front pattern piece) !


Creating and attaching the collar went smoother than what I had expected. The collar landed right in the middle of the front facings at the shoulder seams. I made sure that the facings remain above the upper collar before stitching.

* Burdage verbage: "Lay back facing up and stitch seam allowances together, close to collar joining seam."

I attached the back facing to the shoulder seams of the front facings and sewed it to the collar at the neckline (right sides together).


* Burdage verbage: "Lay facing down. Sew inside edge of facing to shoulder seams and hem band."

I turned the back facing in, tacking it along with the front facing to the shoulder seams and tacking the facing at the "hem band" (where it joins the elastic casing).


Modifications
*I stitched a sleeve band (right sides together) to the gathered bottom edge of a sleeve before sewing the sleeve seams. I trimmed off excess band length because I omitted what Burda calls the "underlap" for the button/buttonhole feature. Then I folded the band in half lengthwise to the inside so that I could slipstitch or topstitch the folded raw edge to the seam with the sleeve's edge. If I had included the "underlap" I would pivot from the seam of the sleeve and stitch the top of the band's excess then pivot to the sew the end seams.
*I used two pairs of large snaps instead of the two buttonholes
*I used two instead of four buttons. Somehow a combination of fabric, elastic waistband issues, and especially my hard to get rid of portion of my figure changed the front closure.


Conclusion
I definitely recommend this pattern if you like the cropped jacket look and would look great to wear over many of the cute dresses in this May 2008 issue. By the looks of my jacket, it would be ideal for the holidays and Valentine's day. Maybe I'll be daring and wear something blue underneath to celebrate the 4th of July! I probably will sew this again, omitting the elastic casing and lengthening it so that it is at or slightly below hip level. But overall, I had a pleasant instead of nerve racking experience with this jacket!

Red, White, and Rainbow Bright

Simplicity 6109 collared tops. Whoa! It's Kelly, Tiffany, Sabrina and Jill ready to go on a mission for Charlie!



More Than A Rainbow, More Than a Rainbow To Me...."


"How deep are your dots, deep are your dots?"

I have been searching for a collared wrap top suitable for knits and wovens. Here is one of my recent ebay wins: a 70's wrap top! I have been looking for a wrap top pattern suitable for knits with 70's flair! The high neckline is taboo in Burda land.

It's obvious I like that 70's collar which defined this top's signature look. which conjures up an image of John Travolta's iconic disco pose. Obviously many people like my mom would not want to be caught wearing these collars again. I understand. She and her friends were most likely envisioning some creepy Mr. Joe cool guy at Studio 54, flaunting his chunky chains around his neck, and of course, wearing that Haggar polyester butterfly collar jacket with swishy "Angel Flight" (remember that brand?) bell bottom pants.......You get the picture, but we all DO NOT want that picture!


Pattern Description
From 1973, "Misses Blouse: The front wrap blouse V. 1 and 2 with front gathered to back yoke at forward shoulder seams has "V" shaped neckline, collar, tie ends, fastened in back and optional top-stitching tri. V. 1 has elbow length set-in sleeves. V. 2 has short set-in sleeves. The top-stitched blouse V. 3 &4 with front slash opening has collar and long set-in sleeves. V. 3 has self fabric drawsting slipped thru casing.

I sewed view 2 the wrap blouse with short sleeves which consisted of 8 pieces: the front, back, yoke back, tie end, collar, front facing and back facing. It was nice that the pieces for each pair of views is printed on the back of the envelope as a handy preview.

Size
Misses' size 14, bust 36"

Suggested fabrics
Lightweight wool, double knit, matte jersey, jersey, challis, shantung, sateen, printed silk, crepe-back satin, surah, crepe, crepe de chine.

Fabric I used
First version: cotton knit from a local swap meet for $1/yd, which was easy to work with

Second version: Maggie London jersey with a bit of lycra/spandex from Emma One Sock. Slightly slippery to work with, but has a nice resiliency.

Directions
They came all on one page: the entire front consisted of the layout and a few tidbits on cutting, marking, and types of stitching. The back were the directions, nicely organized by view number (1-4) and in an easy-to-read format. Today's patterns could take a cue from many vintage patterns on saving paper by compacting the directions onto few sheets as possible. Unlike Burda WOF and even some of its packaged versions, nicely written directions with a clear illustration beside EACH step!

I easily became familiar with the steps after making my first version, that I was able to sew my second version with minimal reference.


Likes
*Pleated front.
I marked the fabric (dotted, solid lines), folded each of the three pleats following the up arrow from a solid to a pleated line and basted them to hold them in place.
*The iconic 70's collar
*The slight gathers at the front yoke below the shoulders
*The length which on me landed on my hips. On a person with a longer torso, most likely just past the waist.
*The drape of the short sleeves.
*The neckline did not droop. Yeah!

Dislikes
*The tops of the sleeves had a lot of positive ease (I was working with knits)


Modifications
*For my first version,I used a piece of fabric left over from Heather's retro circles dress for the upper collar to add some contrast. After doing this, the top seemed 50's diner/bowling/cosmic retro looking to me.

*I skipped the front facing and back for my second version. Somehow the front due to being cut on the bias did not stretched beyond the facings. I turned the raw edges in and made tiny zig zag stitches. I slipstitched the upper collar's tucked in raw edge over the lower collar.

*I lengthened the ties so that it would wrap around. The original ties were so short and appeared to be meant to be tied in the back.


Conclusion
This was really a fun pattern to work with. I might make View 4, the open square neck tunic looks with that style that seems to be revived in current patterns and in the fashion scene!


You should be dancing!(but not with those guys watching JT!)











Heather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gathered-Licious!

After the famous pop hit with this ending, all my mind has been too "icious"!

After seeing this top from Burda WOF's June 2008 issue, I had to make it!

I already made two versions of this asymmetical, gathered knit top!



I'm very happy with the results, despite some goofs along the way!


I call this "easy as 1-2-3" top my "Comedy of Errors". Unlike the other reviewers of this top, I made goofs that I could roll on the floor and giggle away! But then what makes life interesing is our unique experiences!


Pattern Description
"A T-shirt is just a T-shirt? No way! This style is a real highlight with its clever gathers and a mock wrap-over front!" My nickname for this knit top is "the asymmetrical knit top with gathering on the wearer's PREFERRED side." Something I learned about gathering on a certain side. If you have a certain preference, go with it! By the way the other front side is also gathered but at a lower section.


Size
Burda sizes 34-42. I sewed a "42".

Pattern pieces
Front (x1), left side front (x1), back on a fold (x1), sleeve (x2), front facing, on a fold (x1), back facing (x1). I borrowed a collar piece from a 70's Simplicity shirt pattern. I added 5/8" to the facings which seemed unusually narrow to me.

Likes
* Simple to construct once I was certain about the steps!
* Few pattern pieces to trace and cut
* Gathering at one side
* Versatile/adaptable


Dislikes
*Sparse directions
*The top seemed more asymmetrical on the front edge than what was represented on the technical drawing
*The neckline is lower and wider than I expected, but wait, this is a Burda WOF! So this should be expected!
*For my unusual figure type, the gathering/ruching works better for me if it were placed on my right-hand side, contrary to what's on the technical drawing!



Directions
Sparse but sufficient for those who have constructed shirts and tops before.

I'm one of those who could make more errors (due to taking things for granted!) on such an "easy" pattern as this one than those that are more advanced!


First version with Emma One Sock silky knit fabric
Maybe there was a subliminal reason why I cut two of the huge front piece and two of the left side front. I guess I have a force of habit of cutting two from a pattern piece. For the first step of construction, I gathered the left side of the front. Then I made a silly placement error of the left side piece to the front! The edges were so unaligned! My eyes somehow deceived me in the beginning because everything seemed to start off fine.

So instead of ripping apart the seams, I took my duplicate front piece which was the mirror image of the original and gathered the right hand side. So the top has gathers along the side opposite to what what was on Burda WOF. But it does not change the overall style anyway.


Second version with left over funky flowers jersey knit from my Vogue 8379 wrap dress.
I forgot to gather the lower right side of the top between the asterisks (oops, I forgot to mark them on the pattern piece!). Somehow I got away with it when I sewed both side seams of my first version. Then I could hum the Ms Spears' song, "Oop, I did it again!" with this second version! I realized that the back was obviously shorter than ther right hand seam. I know I cut the back piece correctly. Then I referred back to the technical drawings of the pattern pieces and realized that I was supposed to gather the right hand side of the front piece!

The directions are sufficient if you know the sewing basics. However, I skimmed over the directions, taking for granted, I knew what I was doing. Then,lo and behold, steps such as sewing the the seams of the front and back facing I thought were missing were written next to another step on the same square bullet!


Modifications

First version
* As mentioned earlier, I reversed the direction of the gathers.
* I added some elastic to bring up the wavy neckline. I should not have understitched because it loosened the neckline.

Second version
* I shortened the sleeves to 3/4 length due to shortage of material.
* I sewed in the sleeves flat instead of setting them in as directed.
* I added a collar for diversion from Burda's and decided to use the front and back facing.

After I tried on my second version with the gathering on the correct side (wearer's left-hand side). Then my inner voice said to me, "Hmmm. I told you so!" I noticed that since I am asymmetrical in the bust area (got more so as time goes on..), the gathering on my left-side emphasized it even more also causing the v point of the neckline to naturally shift in that area, causing more asymmetry! Having the gathers on my right hand side as in my first version provided some balance.


Conclusion
Despite some of my frustrations, I definitely recommend this top because it is really easy to put together! The styling is flattering to all figure types. I definitely recommend stabilizing the neckline with elastic instead of using the facing. I predict that this will be one of the "IT" tops for the season!

Digiticious

I just had to make another version of New Look 6621!



I got digitized, mathematized, integerized, you name it!

Reverse the digits!

Back of shirt


From my very first PR review, Heather's Numbers Dress from 2 years ago.



************************************************************************************
I cannot get enough of this pattern!
Back of shirt

From my very first PR review, Heather's Numbers Dress from 2 years ago.

I was inspired by Contrariwise's integer dress from the same fabric. I found the fabric on ebay for $8.50 a yard. Then I intensely searched the internet for this Alexander Henry "What's Your Number?" fabric. This is the first time I ever heard of this famous manufacturer for quilting cotton fabric. I did not have luck, but I found lots of groovy designs on several websites. So, I resorted to ebay and placed the next higher bid. I asked for more from the seller (5 yards!) and purchased 2 2/3 yards from what was remaining on the bolt. That's all she had left! It was better than nothing. I paid about $31 with tax and shipping.

Modifications
I sewed a "12" instead of a "14". I like the fit of the 12 better, especially in the bust area and more fitted in the hip area. I notice that the style of this shirt reminds me of Butterick 4985's, except that the Butterick has the front facing instead of the band.

If you have not seen this video, this is hilarious! Mathematicious!, set to the music of "Fergilious", which sounds like a rip-off of late 80's hit "Supersonic" by JJ Fad. A trip down memory lane for the late 80's/early 90's fans: Fergilicious, Supersonic comparison

The Floral Empire Shirt Strikes Back!

Having fun at the dressing room at Kohley's!




I just had to make this after receiving from the mail (PR sent this)!

More joyous modeling!


Close-up of this wild and groovy print! Yes, total flower power!


I hereby name this shirt, my "P & T" shirt because there's quite a bit of "pressing and topstitching"!


Pattern Description
I did not see any, but here's my best and brief one:
Fitted shirts with front princess-seamed panels, slight gathers below the bust, back darts, and collar and sleeve options. I sewed View B with the slightly 70's style collar and short puffy sleeves with banded edge.

Sizes
Misses' 6-16. I sewed a "14".


Suggested fabrics
Cotton and cotton blends, laundered cottons, poplin, sateen, lace, eyelet, silks, and stilk types, jacquards, laundered silks-rayons, batiste, voile, soft lightweight linen and linen blends.


Fabric I used
Printed cotton, 50% off at Jo Annie's. I used about 1 3/4 yard. The specs for View B mention 1 5/8 yard for a size 14 and 1 3/4 yard for a size 16.


Directions
Beyond mediocre! With all the great reviews of the pattern, I anticipated this! Every or nearly every step had easy-to-decipher illustrations. If you have made blouses/shirts before, the steps are straightforward.

I could not skim over the steps due to the order of construction differing from what I have been accustomed to. For instance, the hemming of the lower edge of the shirt preceded attaching the front band of the shirt whereas I am used to attaching the front facing of a shirt and hemming much later. I also noticed that the sleeve bands for the puffy short sleeves are attached before sewing the under arm sleeve seams.

It's been awhile since I attached a front band to a shirt (the last time was sewing my husband's Star Trek shirt). The directions and illustrations make it simple. Each front band is interfaced and sewn to its corresponding facing piece on the unnotched edges. The notched edges of each interfaced front band is sewn to the front edge of the shirt, right sides together. The band extends a little beyond the front lower hem as illustrated. The excess portion is opened up and folded right sides together and stitched 5/8" from the bottom edge or up to lower edge of the front of the shirt. After trimming the seam and folding the wrong side to the inside, the front band casing has a nice finish. The front band facings are pressed under and topstitched.

I really like the method of attaching the collar band to the neckline (while heeding the orientation of placement and the notches!) then followed by the collar and collar band facing. The seams are finished with more topstitching.


Likes
*Versatility such as the various sleeve and collar variations

*The princess seamed panels

*The back vertical darts

*The markings (dots, circles) and notches matched up pretty nicely

*The method to attach the collar band and collar


Dislikes
*Just as I read in the other reviews of this pattern, the upper chest area/upper bodice runs somewhat large. I could have used one size lower. The gathers below the bust area nearly reach my waistline.

*The neckline was a tad low for me (but not as famously low as many of those Burda shirts and blouses), but I could wear a camisole for modesty's sake.


Modifications
* I decreased the back darts width by 1/4"
* I used 5 buttons instead of 6.
* I plan to use a size 12 in the upper bodice


Would you recommend this pattern?
I definitely recommend this shirt for something fitted and flattering! Just be prepared for lots of pressing the raw edges under and topstitching! This is now my favorite princess seamed shirt and I plan to make another very soon! I would say this shirt took me one night to cut the pieces and interface the collar, collar band, and front band. Then another morning and afternoon for about 6 hours, which included doing other duties (probably less if I were a speedy sewist). It was a good thing to start off with some not-so-expensive fabric to determine sizing and fitting issues.

Conclusion
This is definitely a versatile and comfortable shirt!

CBS Rerun!

Oh no, another top with the "CBS Eyes" fabric! My fourth Jalie sweetheart neckline top! I made four version of this pattern four months ago.




Mini-me version:






My second version's neckline:




Oh no, another review of this pattern!

Next to chocolate chip cookies, I found a new addiction: Jalie's knit sweetheart top! Help!


I made four versions of this top 4 months ago. The one pictured is my fourth version and I could easily make my fifth in the near future!


Pattern Description:
"Top with sweetheart neckline, gathering at bust, neckline bands and choice of three-quarter or cap sleeve." I sewed not one, but four versions of View A, the top with the 3/4 sleeve!

Pattern Sizing:
27 sizes in one pattern! Wow! Instead of a "V" (37" bust), I sewed a "W" after reading the previous reviews regarding the fit.


Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, for the most part! I do agree that the neckline runs slightly lower than pictured on the model.


Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, after I worked with them before! The directions are printed on the folded pattern which was quite cumbersome. Again, I printed the #2794 directions from the Jalie website, stapled the pages and kept them handy.

This is the second Jalie pattern I worked with and I am used to their brevity in the descriptions of steps and satisfactory illustrations. The directions were organized in three sections:

1. Front
The steps consisted of stitching the center front elastic, attaching the front neck band, and easing the armholes of the front of the top.

There was the mark for the elastic placement which I missed the second time around! I found 9.2 cm, the recommended length of 1/4" wide elastic to be somewhat long for giving that "ruched" effect. I shortened the elastic by about 2 cm and was careful with the "stretch as you sew". For my first version, I used two pieces of elastic side by side because I was working with some really stretch mesh/knit! I noticed that my teal top had the nicest ruching. I had to really stretch the elastic for my third version to get it to even gather!

2. Yoke and back
The steps consisted of attaching the yokes (the bolero-like portions) to the back, attaching the neckbands along the edges of the yokes, right sides together. Again the illustrations helped. Jalie did not mention how to finish the center back of the neckbands (where they intersected). When I sewed my second and third versions, I joined the left and right neckbands, making about a 1/2" seam, which corresponded to the center back seam. Then I did not have problems "zig-zagging" the neckband to the neckline while lining up the front notches at the yoke

3. Assembly
The steps consisted of joining the front of the top to the back with the yokes, finishing the yoke/bolero bands, attaching the sleeves, and hemming the bottom

After reading the the vague "pin front to neckband seam allowances, matching notches", I was referred to the diagram that I looked at very carefully. The zigzagged portion of the neckband that was attached to the yoke is sewn to the armhole of the front of the top (right sides together, ease stitches adjusted so that notches coincide), which was easestitched in the the first section of the instructions.

However, the diagram was not clear on the location of the stitches joining front armhole to the band to the yoke/bolero piece. By instinct, I sewed them together about 1/4" from the edge of the front armhole. While working on my first version of the top, I looked ahead in the instructions and diagrams and noticed that ...a ha! The yoke/bolero bands, when pressed toward the center, will be topstitched which eventually cover those unsightly ease stitches!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the overall flattering fit of this top! The only thing is that the neckline is somewhat low, but maybe that was the intended design. The top requires as Deepika mentioned about 7/8 yard of fabric. As with working with any pattern for the first time, the only thing to dislike was encountering unfamiliar or unclear steps.

Fabric Used:
First version: meshy knit fabric, a leftover from my New Look 6729 Criss Cross top. Result: not great, but a wearable muslin.

Second version: teal fabric, a leftover from my Kwik Sew 70's knit shirt used for the bodice coupled with new fabric, smooth knit fabric with groovy circle print from Emma One Sock used for the bolero portion. Result: tight in the hip and waist area and I cut the neckband a little more than I should.

Third version: knit/spandex blend, leftover from my Simplicity 3682 knit top with drape front.

Fourth version: knit jersey, leftover from my Burda WOF tie blouse.


Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I shortened the top by about 1 1/2". For each top due to the variations in fabric, I fiddled with the elastic for the front center to get a decent ruching effect.

As an experiment, I reduced the gap in my second top (teal version) by shortening the neckband by about 1/2". As a result the yoke/bolero, moved towards the center thus decreasing the width of the sweetheart portion of the neckline!

I noticed that the necklines varied along with my fabric variations. The neckline of my first version has little ripples. The neckline of my third version was the most stable of the four tops.


Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I already sewed it four times! I plan to sew tops for other members of my family! Yes, I would definitely recommend this pattern! It does not require much time (especially after the first one, after you figure out some quirks) to cut and sew!

Conclusion:
I really liked this pattern and so far have been impressed with the Jalie fit and its current styles! This pattern provides the opportunity to use leftover fabric (reserved for those projects called the "I'll-make-something-from-these later" )to make something easy and wearable. Try this pattern and it could easily be your TNT with little or no alterations. You'll get hooked!

Mayberry Puffy and Twilly "D"!

The puffy sleeve jacket is making headwaves!
AGB's short sleeve jacket at Macy's for $72


Lafayette's New York Hollis Pinstripe at Nordy's for $468, huh?

This jacket was better than I had anticipated!


Smiling with my ray of sunshine!

Smiling in the garden!


Is the camera timer working?

Smiling in the bathroom!


Smiling in the kitchen!



Heather, I am not ready!



Pattern Description
"Semi-fitted jacket has collar, princess sams, shoulder pads, sleeve length variations and shaped hem; jackets A, B have pockets; jacket A has purchased trim; jacket B has sleeve band." I made jacket B, the one with the short and puffed sleeves with the sleeve band.

Size
Misses' 4-5-8-10-12. I sewed a "12".


Fabric
Suggested are mediumweight fabrics such as cotton, poplin, gabardine, linen blends, eyelet, patchwork.

I used a mediumweight denim with slight stretch at le Wal Marche. This fabric was easy to work with!


Directions
The directions are clear for sewists of any level who are familiar with basic sewing techniques: interfacing, bsting, gathering, easing a sleeve, hemming and so on. The illustrations speak for themselves.

Since the jacket is unlined, McCall's recommended that all raw edges of seam allowances be turned in 1/4" and stitched.

Since this jacket is unlined, there is a front facing and a back facing. The front facing is cut from the same pattern piece as the front of the jacket. I thought the back facing would make the back bulk from the back, but it pleasantly does not when worn. I decided not to omit the long vertical darts alongside the princess seams. They added some flattering shaping below the bust and still, I was so glad that I was able to button the jacket!


Likes/dislikes

Likes
* Princess seaming in the front and back of the jacket
* The long vertical darts started at the appropriate place below my bust, without any adjustments!
* The look of the wide (but not too wide!) shoulders and the short, puffed and banded sleeves which put more emphasis above the bust than below the bust.
* The elongated neckline and large lapels tapered by one button at the waist.
* Yeah! Finally I made a jacket of this style that fits! I have trouble with RTW to fit my short torso and curves!


Dislikes (although not too strong, just things that I noticed)
*I spent a little more time to get the collar to align properly, maybe because of the nature of the fabric. I wanted to ensure that the size of the notches match up after I turn the collar and facings in.

*There was quite a but of easing of the sleeves into the armscyes and the bottom edge of the band. While attaching the band over the right side of the sleeve's lower edge, I intermittently tugged at the threads to get the edge to line up with the band at the seam and notches. I noticed that sleeves on the pattern envelope were slightly less puffy than mine!

*It probably would have been easier to just line the entire jacket so as not to worry about hemming! After I turned the facings inside, I noticed that there was not enough of the bottom edge to turn up, forming the 1 1/4" hem per the instructions! I had allowance for only a 1/2" hem. There was no mention of machine stitching the hem. I handstitched the hem for a couture finish (McCall's mentions "blindstitching the front facing to side front seam and across hem".

Modifications
I opted for two buttons, instead of one as pictured on the envelope, to close the front of the jacket

I omitted the shoulder pads (I cannot wear shoulder pads with my frame) and took in slightly the armscyes.



Would you recommend this pattern? Would you sew it again?
Yes, I would because it is a great spring/summer or a transitional jacket between seasons. For those who are of average height and above, I would definitely recommend adjusting the length. You could easily adjust the pattern if you choose not to wear shoulder pads. The option for long and short sleeves make this piece very versatile for one's wardrobe. This jacket has a classic style that you could wear year after year! I would probably make another one in another color.

This jacket passed the "mom knows best" test. Heather and I visited her yesterday. I wore this jacket and my Vogue 8456 pants of the same fabric. "Another nice new outfit, where did you get it?" By the way, my mom's favorite store is Macy's.

Conclusion
This is one of my new favorite jacket patterns that really would flatter any figure type!