Burda 8280, round one

Another wearable muslin, in process (main seams done, that's it). This is a gorgeous peach French provincial cotton I got on sale at Pierre Deux in Manhattan many, many, many years ago. Flash washed out the color; I've tweaked it almost right. The fabric was going to back a large quilt, but that never happened. I came across it not long ago and thought, "wow, would that be wasted on a quilt back."

I have high hopes for this pattern. American patterns have such a ridiculous amount of ease built in, and are so much too short for me (I'm only 5'8" but that seems to be at about 4 inches taller than whatever "standard" height they design for) that I haven't had much luck finding any that truly work for me, even with adjustments.

So far this is my best bet for a future "TNT" (tried and true") skirt pattern. Burda stated somewhere they design for 5'6" so we're starting out a bit closer in the height department. If I were as slim as their models I'd be all set.

I cut this out yesterday (short length) and stitched up the seams for a test fit this morning. Would have been super fast and easy if I hadn't fussed so much over cutting and pinning and stitching to get the center front and back seams to match for that perfectly symmetrical effect.

Photo above has just the main seams done, no darts yet. I need darts, being a curvy gal, but decided to try pin-fitting them this time. Pattern has one generous dart on each side front and back, but -- inspired by the most flattering/best-fitting skirt in my closet -- I've decided to try two smaller darts each side. That's eight darts to sew, rather than four, and sewing darts is not one of my fave tasks, so fingers crossed it's worth the effort, too.

I also plan to put a lapped zipper in the left side seam, rather than a center back zip. I'll leave that for when I've mastered invisible zippers. I haven't even done one yet, and am not sure I have an invisible zip presser foot for my new machine...

In the meantime, I've encountered a problem. This pattern has a tulip shape, nipping in just a teeny bit below the hips, before flaring out again. It's a subtle shift from a straight seamline, but happens to narrow in right at the spot where I flare out a little. It's not like I have a horrible saddlebag problem, but there's a bit more to my outer thigh than this shape accommodates.

Oh well. That's what a muslin is for, right? I'm gonna rip out the top half of the side seams and eek a little extra there. Could do the center front/back seams, too, if this were a different fabric, but no way am I gonna mess up my perfect match job:

It's only a little bit snug through the thighs, so worst case scenario I can stash this in the closet while I exercise a bit more and eat a bit less for a while. I probably only have to shed 3-5 lbs to take care of the fit problem. (Hah, like that's gonna happen in a hurry! I can dream, though, right?)

After trying this on and discovering the thigh-fit issue, I changed to go do some errands and realized that my every-day all-purpose white chino skirt fits perfectly just where the Burda encounters problems. Aha! I can do a flat measure of the chino skirt and use that to get the Burda to fit.

That's the plan, anyway. If I conquer fit issues, I think I will love this skirt. And if I love it, I'm gonna make a bunch of 'em. Yeah, I know this pattern's been around for years, but STYLE is all about knowing what looks good on you and sticking with it. Fads are just fashion (not the same thing!) and don't interest me much at all.

Am I crazy to think this skirt might finally answer the question of what to do with another length of stash fabric? Specifically, this Amy Butler Nigella twill, an impulse addition to an online buy over a year ago...

I was thinking of doing a plain old pencil style with it, but I think it will really shine with that extra touch of shaping.

This print will be an even bigger seam-matching challenge, and frankly the design is so big I don't know if I have enough yardage to match it. But if I do, it could be truly great.

Butterick 5179 in progress

It says right on the pattern envelope: "fast and easy!"

Oh, so not true, but that's my fault. First, I dithered for about 4 months on what fabric combo to use. These are all Amy Butler, BTW (my obsession continues). Funny, the main fabric was a last-minute choice. I had yard and a half of it, barely enough to cut the main body pieces from and needed wide borders to make it just-above-the-knee length.

It looks shorter than it is because it's so wide. Which I'm kindof okay with. I did baste it all together and try on, because I want it to have plenty of ease in the hips. Headslap moment: for some reason it totally escaped my mind, at that point, to check the underarm fit.

So then I unbasted all the seams and redid them as french seams, and fussed with getting the bias tape finish to the armscye just right (including ripping out one and redoing it), and then fussing with the yoke. Especially in the back, where I had the ridiculous idea to extend the two sides of what should be a center seam (oh, right, I left out the zipper... seriously, why bother when you can pull this on over your head?), lap them, and add two not-functional buttons just for fun:

It wasn't fun, really, getting that all to come out right. But it's a nice touch.

Anyway, after all that, and then deciding it was too long and cutting two inches off the body and reattaching the borders... this was not even close to fast or easy.

Partly because the yoke assembly is a bit of a bear. Yes, they way they do it means you don't have to edge-stitch, which is a nice clean look if that's important to you. But this is my third curved-yoke pattern recently, and the worst yoke assembly process of the lot if you ask me. Won't do it that way again. One problem is it makes any bodice width adjustment at the yoke impossible. Argh to that, because I'd like to move the point where the bodice meets the yoke at the arm out just an inch. Can't.

The other problem is the horrific, mind-boggling, record-setting gaposis at the underarm, especially the front. Yikes, it's awful. How is it possible I missed that when I tried this on and posed and peered and turned in front of the mirror? Note to self: Raise your arms next time, and check what's goin' on under there!

Anyway, if this were just for around the house wear I wouldn't care, but I want to fix it. And that means ripping out the bias tape (again!) and putting in a dart, 'cause there's too much extra to ease away, and then re-doing the bias finish. I've been waiting a week now to collect the fortitude to tackle that, and haven't found it yet.

Maybe this weekend, if I'm not too busy playing with Burda 8280.

Butterick 4985 in progress

I've been inching along on sewing projects, all these days I haven't been posting. It's slow going, a few minutes in the morning at a time: cut something or pin something or sew a seam, or press the little bit I sewed yesterday. But eventually it adds up to progress. Here are some things I've been working on...

Butterick 4985 (not yet hemmed, awaiting buttons/buttonholes)


This is a wearable muslin from stash fabric. You can't see any of the nice details or shaping to the blouse in this photo, so here's the official view (I made the version at lower left, with band collar):



If I ever figure out how to fix the fit issues it will be better than I'd hoped.The print suits the pattern better than I expected, and I'm looking forward to wearing this... someday.

For now, it's back in the UFO pile. I made a bunch of adjustments to the pattern, adding length both above and below the empire seam, and to the sleeve, and increasing width at the bust, and gathering instead of a dart, etc. All that measuring and double-checking and remeasuring took forever, and although it's close to okay (better than it would have been without the adjustments) it still manages to be too big across the back shoulders, and not wide enough across the front.

How the front can be too narrow in the center and still have too much fabric at the front underam area is a mystery. Will probably just have to live with that. And the extra at the back doesn't bother me much. Big problem is where to find room to have enough overlap at the front for buttons...

Got this far about a month ago and set it aside to come back to in a bit for a fresh take on problem-solving. For now, I have other things in the works. I do want to get this right, but have no enthusiasm for going futher at the moment.

What I learned from this is that my bust measurement may match the pattern size exactly, but I need to cut a size smaller at the upper back, and add an inch to the center front. Too late for that with this one, unfortunately. I'll come back to it someday, because I have some luscious Kaffe Fassett fabric to make this from if I can get the fit right.

Oh, the Possibilities!

My Kaffe Fasset fabric binge arrived this week. Oh man, are these prints gorgeous!

All of these were purchased on impulse due to a half-price sale (would this be a good place to confess that I have, already, as of the last day of January, purchased HALF of my target yardage for the entire year?). I got mostly 1-yard cuts with a few 2-yards from prints I thought I might want to wear.

Mostly I had in mind a paper-pieced quilt project of some kind, so made sure to get some darks, some brights, some pastels, and some prints that--in small pieces--would yield multiple pattern/color impressions.

What I've ended up with are some combos that I so want to wear that I'm gonna start with fashion projects, and use the scraps for future quilting. As indulgent as these photos may seem, there are about 4 more prints I haven't photographed. Maybe more than 4. I'm too embarrassed to go count them.

Here's combo #1:

There's a blouse in there somewhere. The little strip of pink/red showing in the middle is the only one of the prints purchased that I am not completely 100% gaga over. That doesn't mean I don't like it (what's not to like about KF?), just that the drool factor on that one is lower than expected. But I like how a hint of it pops with the other two. Don't have a pattern in mind yet, blouse-y contemplation still going on.

Combo #2

The Paperweight print in "algae" colorway (far left) I already had... waiting for me to acquire something to go with it. Et voila. I'm picturing a long sleeveless tank dress from these, maybe with gathered tiers to the skirt, maybe with a somewhat shaped bodice (princess seaming, plain old darts?). I have a few rayon numbers of that ilk in frequent wear rotation for inspiration. Probably will grab a bodice pattern from somewhere, improvise the skirt.

Combo #3

These have to become an ankle-length peasant skirt. They just have to. I'm giddy with anticipation of wearing the finished garment, and cringing at the thought of tackling yet another gathered monstrosity.

I'm only about a third of the way through Peasant Skirt #2 (from blue/green Amy Butler fabrics, stay tuned for pics of that), and man, the basting, the fussy gathering and pinning. Ugh, what a chore. I took me months to recover from the mind-numbing tedium of making the Parrokeet Peasant Skirt . I'm sure I'll be as sick of the gathered-tier process again by the time I'm done with the AB one.

So what has got into me to already be planning another?

Well, I wore the Parrokeet skirt the other day, and remembered how much I like it. It's so ultra-comfy, and fun to wear, and I get a kick out of the goofy fabric and bright colors. I'm much happier with it than with any of the garments I've made from patterns lately. And they're a great way to mix and match gorgeous fabrics like these.

So perhaps I should give in to impulse, embrace my bohemian side and make/wear lots and lots of peasant skirts.

Excuse me while I go add "patchouli oil" to my shopping list...

Come to think of it, I have a bottle of Mandarin Orange and Patchouli body wash in my shower, and it's divine (i.e., not overly patchouli-y). A quick visit to the Nature's Gate website reveals they make a body lotion in that fragrance, too. Hmmm, maybe revisiting my youth isn't such a bad idea.

Yes, I'm old enough to have done the peasant-skirt-and-patchouli thing the first time around, in case you were wondering.

It was fun. I think I'll do it again.

Simplicity 2962

I finished this top just in time for what passes for wintry weather here in Hilo, but it was warm enough yesterday afternoon to wear for several hours. Nice and comfy, but sheesh, it's big. I made my size and yikes, I'm swimming in it. The yoke is too wide (I have broadish, square shoulders, fit there is not usually a problem), and the armscye is gapier than it should be. I thought I liked that the front yoke is lower than in similar other patterns, but when I wear it I wantto hike it up an inch or so at the shoulders.


I ended up making View B (shorter length) with a contrast yoke, and skipped the pockets.

I chose this pattern because I like the pleats (rather than gathers) in the front. I'm not so thrilled with the square yoke in the back, and would prefer a circle yoke that goes all the way around. But this is intended to be around-the-house wear using up some stash fabric, so the yoke issue isn't a big deal. Original plan was to add the cute pockets in the yoke fabric, but I ended up deciding on a shorter length, so pocket placement would be awkward.

Haven't decided yet whether to stick with this length or add a contrast band of a third fabric at the hem to make it long enough to be worn as a short dress. A dress would fit my need for steamy-day-around-the-house wear more than a top does, but I don't have a fabric in my stash that looks right with this. Theoretically I could purchase another half yard or so of the yoke fabric, but the whole idea was to use up my last piece of that. So it may stay a top forever. Whether it will stay in the closet, or see regular wear, is as yet unknown.

Construction was pretty easy, BTW, although getting the yoke and yoke facing all lined up just right was a bit fussy. The back of my bodice ended up about an inch wider than it should have been to fit the yoke width (I suspect that's my error: I did not intently heed the instruction re trimming S/A at the armscye), so I took a small pleat in the center back as well, which you can see here:

Remembered to add a fake tag to the inside yoke, too, just for fun. It's not exactly centered, big deal.

I skipped the back ties. They don't really seem necessary, since most of the extra is in the front. I made ties, but didn't insert them when I sewed up the side seams because I wanted to check placement first. And then I decided not to bother, as most of the extra size in this is in the front. I might take in the sides a couple of inches, see if that helps it feel a little less gargantuan. Yeah, I wanted loose and cool, but there's loose and then there's gigundo.

I've got a similar pattern to this (Butterick 5179), with a higher yoke, in dress length. I'm gonna try that before attempting this again. If it fits/looks better and I want another top, I'll just make a short version of that one.
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UPDATE: I've worn this top several times now, and am liking it more and more. It's just so comfy. I think I will make it again, going down a size and see how that fits. I also want to try out those cute pockets and make a shortish (not mini, I'm too old for that, but a couple of inches above the knee) dress length for hot day wear. That may be one project, or two.

I've got other things higher on the fashion sewing list, though, so don't know when I'll get back to this. Probably around the time the weather gets warm and sticky again and I feel desperate for light, loose clothing.

Wonky Log Cabin improv block #1

I had so much fun making this: my first "improvised" block, and my first Wonky Log Cabin. Now I'm itching to do more.

This is my (first?) contribution to the charity quilt action over at Project Improv. I'd love to make a pink/orange block, too, but don't know that I have much of those colors in the stash. Although I will when my Kaffe Fasset fabric binge (many reds/pinks) arrives. Oh, I so totally lost control. Feeling equal parts ashamed for succumbing to temptation, and so excited that another parcel of gorgeous fabrics is on its way to me. Perhaps I can attone by making some charity blocks from it when it arrives?

Pincushion Caddy

What a clever idea for a pincushion!

Not that I can claim credit, it's from Anna Maria Horner's book, Seams to Me, and worth making. It's a substantial size, as you can see, which I like, because my small ones seem to always be hiding under a piece of fabric or somewhere on the floor. I don't have to look for where this one has gotten to, plus, I don't have to look for my snip scissors, thread, or seam gauge, either. So handy! And pretty, too.

As usual, I strayed from the instructions, but only a little bit. My construction tip: I found it easier to hand-sew all but the first step of stitching the outer panels together. More can be done by machine, but it's so fussy, you might just as well do it by hand. Doesn't take long, and if done in front of the TV you won't feel quite so much like life is passing you by while you sit on the couch watching Biggest Loser.

I made two, but the first one came out rather misshapen. I'll take credit for that, as I'm new to stuffing shaped things and seem to have done a poor job with that. Perhaps the stuffing wasn't the best either: I pulled it from the middle of an oversized "read-in-bed" pillow that's at least 15 years old. The cover of that one disintegrated, and the pillow itself wasn't in very good shape, so I figured I'd cannibalize the insides of it rather than make a special trip to purchase a bag of stuffing when I only needed, well, way more than I thought, but not all that much, really.

The pincushion deemed photo-worthy here is attempt number two. I used three green fabrics: two for the outer panels (alternating), and a third for the center compartment.

There are many more examples of these at the STM Flickr group page. Either they've all been thoughtfully photographed, or other crafters out there are better with the stuffing-it step than I am.