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Monday, November 24, 2014

Abbreviated V2900 - Wearable Muslin

Peace!!!!

Ok. I have been searching for a full skirt that won't make me look as as big as a house. Also.... I have a lot of patterns already. Once you get a certain amount, you kinda feel like everything you need should be found in the collection. I mean a pencil skirt is a pencil skirt. A button down is a button down, and so forth. I have lots of full skirts in my collection. Something has to work.

Well something did... Vogue 2900! I've had this pattern for a minute. Once I purchased it, brought it home, opened the package.... I realized it had too many pieces. I ain't one for a lot of pieces. So back in the box it went. While perusing my stash I realized that this was the skirt I was looking for. I like that it has a drop waist... So I know it won't suffocate me... and pockets. It's full but not too full. I don't twirl. I don't need that option in a skirt. And it's long enough to meet my 3/4th requirement. This is a good skirt.

The fabric... I don't know. It doesn't seem like an external fabric or maybe it's for coats? It's too heavy to be quilting fabric. It's a little heavy to be broadcloth. I don't know where it came from either. I opened the armoire and there it was. For all I know fairies could have placed it there. I don't know what it is either. I burned some and it's still inconclusive. In some light, one side looks like cotton. The other side looks like cotton ironed too much. And on that note, my iron broke! It's not totally dead but the hoops required to get tit to work are frustrating and it doesn't last long. It keeps turning itself off. Phooey!!! this is not the time of year for money-out expenses. I also promised myself that my next iron would be an expensive iron. These damn Sunbeams are not irons for grown folks who sew. Because of the fabric, I consider this skirt a wearable muslin. But wear it I shall!

So here it is... my Abbreviated V2900 wearable muslin


Pattern: Vogue 2900, Misses dress

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the envelope?:Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?:
No. At one point I was completely lost and just decided to make the skirt in a way that made sense to me. Which caused me to be left with extra pieces.

How long did it take from start to finish?:
I'd say.... 2 hours. It went quick once I actually started sewing and stopped watching H2GAWM and playing solitaire

What did you like/dislike about the pattern?
I didn't like the directions. The pocket directions totally confused em and I ended up using a method that made sense to me and left me with extra pieces. Also there is a seam right down the center that I don't understand. I left it there because I was changing so much about the skirt that I wanted to keep a bit of it's integrity

Fabric used?:
No idea

Pattern alterations or design changes made?:
I abbreviated the dress to a skirt. So I had to add facing and interfacing.

Would you sew it again?:
I cannot wait until the summer so that I can make this dress in chambray

Would you recommend it to others?: Absolutely

Conclusion: Yay!!!! I got a full skirt!!!

For someone who NEEDS tops, I sure am making a LOT of skirts....

I made the top too. It has a matching skirt. That review is sitting in a queue just waiting on me to get a good photo. The stripes must make me dizzy because I keep dropping food on it.

Pro tip: crop tops are NOT for the buxom.



Peace!

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

V9030

Peace!

I'm not big on UFOs. I normally finish what I start. I made this skirt back in September but it just chilled in the sweat shop until this morning when I decided with 40 minutes to dress for work that I would hem said skirt. Do other people make these types of bad decisions? Strangely enough, I wasn't late for work. I was going to blind hem it... But I didn't really have time to fool with it like that so I bound the edges and ran a straight stitch. There will be other blind hemmable garments to perfect my blind hem. I'm sure....

I don't also usually stash. But this fabric has been in my collection for over 15 years. Do you know what that means? It means it was purchased in NJ, moved to GA moved 3 more times while in GA and found it's way to this skirt. That's a long time coming. Smelled like mothballs. The problem is... I don't really like it like that. I have another skirt (pencil) that is similar in fabric to this one. So much in fact that if worn the same week folks would swear it was a repeat.

I wanted a skirt that was close near the waist and flared, gently, at the bottom. I got that. Am I happy with how it looks on me? Not so much. But that's not the skirts fault. I'm old. My body is changing and doesn't look like it once did. I get that. I will need to figure how to dress this current body to my satisfaction. I swear... once you get something down. pact... everything changes!

Here we go.....


Pattern: Vogue 9030 Misses Skirt – C version

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the envelope?:Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?:Absolutely

How long did it take from start to finish?: 1 hour

What did you like/dislike about the pattern? Simplicity and style

Fabric used?: I don't rightly know. Something woven

Pattern alterations or design changes made?: Nope nothing

Would you sew it again?: Maybe

Would you recommend it to others?: Yes

Conclusion: I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It's just okay. Maybe I will keep the pattern and do the high/low version in the summer. We shall see.....

I have 1 more UFO on the counter..... But its a spring garment.


Peace

Monday, November 10, 2014

My Birthday Suit! McCalls 4862

Peace.


It's my birthday!!!! You do know what that means? A new outfit to wear! I insist on having new outfits for my birthday and Easter. It's Funny because I'm not even a Christian! But since it's a Serenity tradition it stands.

So I decided to give McCalls 6842 another shot. I used my Birthday machine to make my birthday suit! I made it before in the summer, but I wasn't crazy who the skirt came out. I was actually downright disappointed. I only wear it on the weekends in the house or short errands. But a lot of the bloggers whom I follow made the skirt with way more success than I got. This time I hit it. I love my skirt and I'm going to wear the hell out of it.

Issues I had with the previous skirt vs this one.... (1) I used the wrong fabric. This skirt need a substantial fabric, not shirting. And (2) I really think I didn't line up the panels correctly. It gets confusing and dicey. And the pattern pieces don't say where the enter pieces should go. You kind of have to figure it out. I think I did and labeled the pieces in case I wanted to make this skirt again.

I tried something new. I tried a machine blind hem. I googled all kinds a videos and my new machine had the foot for it, so why not give it a shot? I was 50% successful. It worked for 50% of the garment. Since this is a circle skirt that's a lot. I hand hemmed the parts that didn't take. I got to work on that. I have another circle skirt that is waiting on hemming.

So here we go.....


The top is a newly thrifted silk blouse. I like that it's not matchy matchy. My boobs always look so big in pictures.....

Pattern: McCalls 6842 Misses Skirt

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the envelope?: Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?: No

How long did it take from start to finish?: 3 hours.

What did you like/dislike about the pattern?
I like the style of it, but the pattern pieces could have been easier to read. I wish they would have put center front and back on the flounce parts so I knew I was lining them up correctly

Fabric used?:
Teal wool. I don't normally wear wool because it makes me itchy, but I have on a slip and a long sleeved blouse.

This pattern needs to be made with a HEAVIER fabric so that it falls properly

Pattern alterations or design changes made?: None. It came straight out of the package. Makes me feel like a smaller woman! Happy birthday to me!

Would you sew it again?: I would

Would you recommend it to others?: Sure. It's cute

Conclusion: I should be making tops and uniforms. Because that's where my needs lie but this is a really cute skirt


Peace