Two TNT patterns!

I really love this Butterick 6330 pattern.  I've made it at least 3, if not 4 times.  

We've all seen how this Jalie Helene Shaw Collar Cardi is getting a lot of love and deservedly so!  I am included in all that love! 

I decided to combine these two looks with a simple modification or two and here is what this match looks like!

At first I thought, this cardi reminded me of a lab coat!  Not a look I was going for!

But somehow after seeing photos, things can look better, right?  

Here's an inside peek at the pockets and a modification I made which was to miter the front and lower hemlines.  

Yes, I do still need to get my applique scissors out and trim away the excess fabric.  

And here's the dress!  I so love this fabric!  

You can tell I shortened the sleeves of the cardi to elbow length. On the dress, I, for once, followed the instructions to make a narrow hem at the neckline and shoulders.  Typically I cut bands and sew those to the garment, but since this knit was so fabulous to work with (no rolling edges, stretchy but returned to original shape) I decided to follow the directions and simply make a narrow hem (gasp!).  Guess what?  It worked.  :)  

You'll see more versions of these garments in the future.  I'm not done with either of these patterns yet!

Thanks for reading!

Sue 

Flowers anyone?

Yes, you've seen me make this pattern before but I wanted so badly to make it again!  I had to make one with that super cute drawstring waist.  In case you missed round 1, this is the Vanessa fluid pant from Jalie.



Choose your size based on your full hip measurement.  There is a bit of ease there and you don't want these tight at all.

I love the pockets--just the right size!  I stabilized the curved seam of the pocket with stay tape--just in case.  After all, I did purchase this stretch denim from JoAnns.  I hope it doesn't disappoint me in the long run.

See those fun grommets?  They aren't difficult at all to insert.  I ended up stabilizing that entire front band piece--it's about six inches across with fusible interfacing.  I do wish I could have found a better cord.  This was also purchased at JoAnns.

When I tried these on for photos, and asked the hubby if he thought these were as awesome as I do, he replied they were something.  I don't think he likes them.  :)

I almost didn't add the elasticized bottom but I thought they might be a tad short if I didn't.

Aren't these just so fun and colorful?  

So now for the top.  The pattern is New Look 6246.  I purchased it for the pants but haven't gotten to those yet.  I do really like the shape of the tee.

                           

And that is what the purple is made from that pattern.  I am really stoked about the neckline.  Check it out!  This is a bamboo knit that was in my stash.  I used it on another project and had just enough to eek out this top.

I want to show you the steps I take to make a good looking neckband.  

I stabilize the area with stay tape.  One side is nubbier than the other and that one I put next to the wrong side of the fabric.  With this pattern having a 5/8" seam allowance, you can see in the photo above how I line everything up. The stay tape is about 1/8" over the seam allowance and will be covered by the neckband when finished.  

Next, serge the seam in the neckband.  Yes, I meant to clip that seam.  As long as you don't go all the way through the left needle thread, it will never fail you!  Now you can press those seams in opposite directions so you don't get any annoying bumps.

Sew your neckband on.  You can sew it wrong side up if you'd like but as you can see in the picture, I did not.  I do like to baste first using a straight stitch before serging.  

Here is what is look like prior to pressing and topstitching.  

And this is what it looks like afterwards!

Thanks so much for reading!  I hope you all have a blessed Easter!
Sue

Some of you have asked which stitch I used for my topstitching.  I used #22.  Which you can see above.  

Happy Sewing!

Sue 

I have a new favorite cardigan pattern!  Have you seen this one?  It is the Helene Shaw Collar Cardigan by Jalie.  I love everything about this!

The pockets on this are so clever and just the right size for your phone, extra kleenex, etc.  

I used a cotton/Lycra knit from Stof.  I wish you could feel how AMAZING this fabric is!  I really love the color as well.  

Oh, I made the dress as well!  It is also from Stof.  And, it is equally as amazing as the blue!  The dress is an old reliable Simplicity Cynthia Rowley.  I've made this one numerous times!  I only had a yard of the print, not sure what made me decide on only a yard, but it was a great length for a tunic!  

When I wore this for reals, I wore it with Navy blue leggings.  I received quite a few compliments and it is as comfortable as can be outfit!

I really love this fabric maker and I LOVE Jalie patterns!

Thanks for reading!

Sue 

Butterick 6425

There are so many things I don't need in my life--one is more patterns and the other is more fabric.  But, since I am unwilling to give either up, I keep buying more!  This c-c-cute little pattern is a fairly recent purchase and I have been waiting for the right fabric to make a cold-shoulder top.

This is a super simple pattern.  There are only a few steps (less than 10 total) and you have a top!
I made view A with the shorter sleeves of D and B since I had limited yardage.

I made my usual swayback adjustment, FBA, and sloping shoulder adjustment.  My fabric was super stretchy and I made a larger than normal swayback, but it wasn't quite enough and if I don't have this pulled down, I have some minor wrinkles.  Win some, loose some, right?  It still fits way better than anything RTW, and I really like it so I will wear it with pride!

My fabric is from a manufacturer called Stof.  The content is 94% cotton and 6% Lycra.  It is amazingly soft and the colors are very vibrant!  The pattern is off-grain a bit which is a disappointment, but like I said earlier, win some, loose some!

I really do like this top.  I have very few cold-shoulder tops so I am glad to add this to my closet.

I also added a neckband as I don't mind folding a 1/4" hems and stitching with a top stitch, but the neckband just bugs me.  Your top will be lower than mine by about 1/2".  

Thanks for reading!

Sue 

McCall's 7543 ready for spring!

I officially feel ready for spring!  I've sewn another off-shoulder top.  I sewed an off-shoulder dress last summer that I love but I wanted a sort of casual top.  

                   
This is a super simple pattern to create and just look at those sleeves on views B and C!  I love that little detail and honestly is the reason I purchased the pattern.

I always seem to have several photos with a sort of goofy look on my face.  Sorry about that!

I do love those dang sleeves!  Aren't they the bomb?

This was my muslin.  I had thought this fabric was all cotton, but it wasn't.  When I went to iron it, I melted part of it and luckily had enough to re-cut the piece. It still works, but darn.

I made my usual FBA.  I wish I would have lengthened this slightly.  Just an inch or two.

Also, I noticed that my top doesn't sit as low as the model's.  That's okay with me. 

                 

The back fits really nice.  I really do love this top.  It's an instant gratification project that is fun to put together!

Thanks for reading!
Sue :)

Sadie Tunic and Vanessa pants

Like most sewers, I have some favorite pattern companies that I tend to try and sew everything that the design and disseminate into the sewing world.  I am sure you can guess my favorite companies! That's right my all time fav is StyleArc and even though I don't sew a lot from Jalie, they are quickly becoming my all time 2nd favorite!  So here is your warning--be prepared to see many more Jalie reviews!

For today's post, I combined the Sadie Tunic and the Veronica pant.  The Sadie is from SA and of course the Vanessa is a new Jalie pattern.  Here they are if you are unfamiliar with them:



The sleeves are what drew me to this pattern.  This is the year of the sleeve--or so it seems and I couldn't resist this tunic with a funky sleeve detail.



I love the casual vibe of these pants!  Now I need to find some lightweight denim to make these again!

This is a freaky amount of blue so I won't wear these together but I do love them separately.

For the tunic, I made my usual alterations: FBA, swayback, sloping shoulders.

I also eliminated the back loop closure as the pattern suggests to try the tunic on and if it fits comfortably over your head then maybe eliminate the button.  It fit great--even over all the curls I have!

The construction of this top is simple and straight forward.  It took a few minutes to figure out the geometry of the sleeves, but if you just remember that when you cut out your sleeves, you are going to twist the fabric and you'll see the wrong side of your fabric on the back of the sleeve.  Does that make any sense what-so-ever?

I should also mention that I used the designer linen from Fabric Mart for this post.  It is really lovely stuff!  It calls for dry-cleaning but I washed and dried mine.  It behaved beautifully.

Let's not forget about the pants!  These are super comfortable!

I love the wide elastic waistband!  So comfortable and it doesn't roll or shift around.

The optional elastic at the ankles is pretty cute as well.  Sorry I didn't get a photo of how the fit in the back.  DH was getting a bit impatient with photos.  It was his bowling night after all and he needed to get going.  :)  Just a reminder, I am 5'7" with long legs and I didn't alter the length at all.  Keep that in mind!

I appreciate you reading about my sewing adventures and love hearing your comments!
Happy sewing!
Sue