Simplicity 2250 Cynthia Rowley Collection: linen mix jacket

Simplicity 2250 linen mix jacket

I have long admired Erica’s version of the jacket from this pattern, and when I saw Lori’s seafoam linen version I knew I just had to make one for myself! Fortuitously, I think the day after I saw Lori’s version there was a huge Simplicity sale on in the UK, and I scored 2250, along with a few other Simplicity patterns (can you not tell I have made at least 2 other Simplicity patterns recently)?

Anyway, my version is made in a light beige colour linen mix. I can definitely see this being a summer staple, although of course today it has been pouring steadily with rain (the sun has just begun to peek out), so indoor shots only for this post.

Simplicity 2250 linen mix jacket

What’s to say about this pattern? It is such a simple, easy to make jacket pattern. I used french seams/ mock french seams throughout, and overlocked the arms once set in. The pattern has you cut two front panels, one to use as a facing, so the inside is clean finished (the jacket is unlined). The edges are bound with self bias binding (a pattern piece is included to allow you to make the appropriate length of continuous binding – I like!)

Simplicity 2250 linen mix jacket inside shot on dress form – back/ side panel

 I added 3 inches to the length. I cut my usual bust size, grading out over the hips. I think I might shorten the sleeves slightly. Although I could roll them up I guess.

Simplicity 2250 linen mix jacket

Here’s my pattern review:

Pattern Description:

Misses’ Dress in two lengths, jacket and tie belt by Cynthia Rowley.

Pattern Sizing:

6 – 22

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes. But I didn’t make the belt.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I love the simplicity of this jacket. I think it is just a great summer weight jacket, and I made it longer so that I can wear it over my skinny jeans etc. There’s  nothing I dislike as such about the pattern.

Fabric Used:

Linen mix.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Lengthened jacket by 3 inches.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Maybe and yes.

Conclusion:

This is a great easy to make and wear jacket.

Simplicity 2250 linen mix jacket

McCalls 6694 dress: now you see it, now you don’t.

McCalls 6694: Now you see it….

McCalls 6694: and now you don’t (the ruffle, I mean)

Ahhh….McCalls 6694. A relatively simple, casual dress. But, as Sarah from Goodbye Valentino wrote in her most recent post, don’t confuse casual with easy.

After years of studying for a PhD and a career in the pharmaceutical industry I gave up my career a year ago to be a stay at home mum. I don’t regret spending the time with my little girl. She will be going off to school in September, so I may go back to work then. But in the mean time my wardrobe requirements have changed somewhat. I used to wear a lot of tailored dresses and smart clothes. Now I still want to look nice, but I just don’t have the need for formal tailored clothing. So I am trying to sew a smart casual wardrobe. Easier said than done. 

Enter McCalls 6694. Looking at the photos, I actually think the style is a lot like the Simplicity dress I did back in September. Eeek, I must have a thing for wrap bodice dresses with ruffles on the bottom! (No more!) The difference is that McCalls 6694 is made from cotton jersey. A very soft, lightweight cotton jersey, which as you can imagine was not all that easy to work with.

I mentioned a few posts back that for mothers day Phil was kind enough to buy me a serger. I love it! Revolutionary! I went ahead and purchased a gathering attachment especially for this project. Here’s a picture of the scary looking attachment:

The gathering attachment screwed on to my Janome overlocker.

It might be scary looking, but let me tell you that it produces beautiful, even, professional gathers. BUT, you must have double the quantity (pretty much exactly) of the fabric to be gathered in relation to the fabric to which it is going to be attached. Here’s the finished gathers from the inside:

Inside of gathers made on overlocker using my gathering attachment

So, anyway, the problem is that this dress is a fabric hungry monster! It looooves to gobble up fabric, because, of course, you are supposed to cut 6 pieces of fabric for the ruffles on the bias, as well as the two back pieces on the bias (which, incidentally, I didn’t bother doing – see below). So, I didn’t have quite enough fabric to get a decent set of gathers for the upper ruffle. But, just for your kind information, I basted the upper ruffle on and you all get to see kind of what it would look like with and without the ruffle. I took the ruffle off in the end because it just looked terrible on my backside without enough ruffle in it. Also, the pattern has you attach the ruffles with a raw finish to the skirt portion of the dress. I was able to attach the lower ruffle using the gathering attachment. The upper ruffle would have been sewn on, as basted, with a raw heading.

McCalls 6694: now you see it….

McCalls 6694: now you don’t see it.

What do you think? Did I make the right decision taking the ruffle off?  

McCalls 6694: jeez. Is my bum really that big? That’s a rhetorical question BTW!!

And don’t even ask me about the stripe matching on this dress. There isn’t any. Except for the centre back, which as I mentioned above, I didn’t cut on the bias. I feel there is no need if you are making this from a stretch fabric.  Basically, going for diagonal striped jersey was a bit of a bad choice for this dress. A straight striped jersey would be much better!

 To conclude, I love the feel and movement of the jersey fabric. It’s so light and the ruffle at the bottom moves beautifully. I would definitely advise going down a size (I did). The neck is wide. I used cotton tape to stabilise the (bias cut) front edges and I know it looks like it is hanging precariously from my shoulders…but it doesn’t gape. I also put tape in at the shoulders. The armholes are very low, and I hope that after a wash the “sleeves” won’t stick up as much (due to the bias binding facing). IF I ever made this again I might make the armholes smaller.

Here’s my pattern review.

Pattern Description:

Pullover dresses have loose-fitting bodice variations, raised (elasticized) waist, and applied, bias ruffles (raw edge finish) with heading. I made view D which has a mock wrap, bias bodice and sleeves cut with the bodice. Purchased bias tape finishes the neckline, and armholes.

Pattern Sizing:

6 – 22

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I like the pattern. Its a fun, easy to wear dress. I don’t like that it takes a lot of fabric

Fabric Used:

Lightweight cotton jersey

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I cut a size smaller than I normally would. I did not cut the back pieces on the bias. I didn’t think there was a need too given the stretch fabric I was using. I think this pattern does run large so cutting on the bias may make it stretch more than necessary. I didn’t add anything to the length. With the ruffle it is a good length for me (5’3″). I sewed cotton tape in to the shoulders and along the bias edges of the bodice fronts. I finished the raw edges of the elastic casing before sewing it in place. I used a gathering attachment on my overlocker to create the lower ruffle, rather than the suggested sewing on to create a raw edge finish. I ended up removing the upper ruffle as I didn’t have enough fabric to create an adequate ruffle.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Not sure I would sew again. Yes, I would recommend to others.

Conclusion:

With the fabric I used and the lower ruffle this dress makes me feel fun, flirty and feminine. I can see me wearing this dress a lot over the summer months.

McCalls 6694

Megan Nielsen Kelly Skirt + Simplicity 2365 Tunic Top = one mammoth post!

Kelly skirt with Simplicity 2365 top

Warning: this is a pretty long post, but you are getting 2 items for the price of 1…I need to share all the details with you

I have seen many great versions of the Kelly skirt since it came out. Probably my personal favourite is Miranda’s kelly green kelly skirt over at her onelittleminute blog site. That was probably the inspiration which led me to have a go at creating my own poppy red version.

Firstly, how difficult can it be to fit a pattern which is essentially 4 rectangles and 2 pocket shapes? Hmmm….a little harder if you are more amply endowned in the hip area, is the answer. I ended up adding inches to the front placket and the side seams of the back piece, but then making each individual pleat almost an inch bigger to overcome the large excess of material at the waist. I still don’t think I have got the fit perfect. There is some pulling between the middle of the two pleats in the back…next time around I need to eliminate that.

Kelly skirt with Simplicity 2365 top – rear view

Will there be a next time? Yes. I think so. This is a pattern which really has so many possibilities in terms of fabrics that you could use. Cord, denim, wool, cotton, lawn, even silk.

I do love the details on this skirt. The scoop pockets and of course the button front placket which is what really drew me to the skirt. And the A-line shape helps to hide heavy hips.

Kelly skirt with Simplicity 2365 top

Here are some of the close up details:

Poppy red Megan Nielsen Kelly Skirt

Close up of polka dot lining in pocket

Close up of brass effect studs – very easy to use!

 Here’s my pattern review:

Pattern Description:

High waisted A-line skirt with fitted waistline. Features button front placket, wide waistband, large scoop pockets and pleating in the front and back.

Pattern Sizing:

XS – XL

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes, very. An illustrated booklet is included with the pattern which talks you through each and every step.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I have long admired the pattern for its button front placket, pockets and A-line shape. I do think it will take people at least one attempt to perfect the sizing; getting the hip to waistband ratio correct is harder than you think, IMO.

Fabric Used:

Poppy red stretch cotton twill, with matching topstitching thread and brass effect studs.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I ended up adding inches to the front placket and the side seams of the back piece, but then making each individual pleat almost an inch bigger to overcome the large excess of material at the waist. I still don’t think I have got the fit perfect. There is some pulling between the middle of the two pleats in the back…next time around I need to eliminate that. I also added two inches to the length.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes and yes. Now I have a feel for the fit it would be so easy to whip up other versions in a multitude of different fabrics.

Conclusion:

If you can perfect the fit this is a great skirt to have in your repertoire.

Asleep yet? Good, let’s continue…

Once I started making the skirt, I then realised that the poppy red colour meant I could enter it in to the 2013 Spring Pantone Contest, currently being run by PR.com. (Plus I really needed a top of some kind to wear with the skirt!) The essential rules of the contest are that you have to sew a two-piece outfit, each piece of which must feature one of the spring pantone colours as their prominent colour, so that you end up with an outfit featuring two of the spring pantone colours. 

Here are the pantone colours:

2013 Spring Pantone colours

I decided to combine my poppy red kelly skirt with a top which features dusk blue as it’s prominent colour, with floral accents, which I made using Simplicity 2365. Here’s how the fabrics looked together:

Poppy red stretch cotton twill and dusk blue floral print cotton

I do think this is a competition which is slightly open to interpretation, in that computer screen resolutions can result in different colours being displayed, and even the conditions in which you photograph your fabrics/ outfits can influence the appearance and final outcome. And no, I don’t have one of those fancy Pantone colour chart thingys.

Simplicity 2365 tunics pattern – line drawing

For most of you seasoned sewers, Simplicity 2365 is not a new pattern. To me, it is, and therefore this top is a (very) wearable muslin. Overall I am quite pleased with it. It has many endearing little features. The pintucks and the collar, the sleeve tabs and the little puffed sleeves. I would have preferred this top to be a little longer. It is fine to wear with my Kelly skirt, as the high waist of the skirt dictates that I would have to wear a tucked in blouse anyway. But to wear over jeans etc I would prefer to make it longer. Next time I will do that. I read this pattern has a considerable amount of ease (6 inches according to the pattern), so I went down a size at the bust, shortened the bodice by an inch, and added an inch to the length. Oh and I graded out at the hips. Looking at the pictures, I think the fact the top is tucked in to the skirt makes my boobs look (even) bigger than usual

Simplicity 2365 close up of pintucks

Simplicity 2365 close up of sleeve tab and button

 Here’s my pattern review: 

Pattern Description:

Misses’ sewing pattern tunic in two lengths with front variations. I made view B.

Pattern Sizing:

6 – 24

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I didn’t particularly dislike anything about the pattern. It’s a great pattern! I love the little features like the pintucks, the princess shoulder seams at the front, the collar, the sleeve tabs and little puffy sleeves.

Fabric Used:

Cotton.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I  didn’t want too much ease so went down a size at the bust and graded out a couple of sizes at the hips. I shortened the bodice by an inch and lengthened the bottom by an inch.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes and yes. Next time I would make it longer though.

Conclusion:

This is a great tunic/ blouse pattern with some great little features.

Phew! Almost at the end. My final conclusion? Would I have chosen to pair “dusk blue” with “poppy red” under ordinary circumstances? Probably not, no. Am I glad I tried? Yes. I am more happy about tackling the challenges I faced with the patterns I chose and I think I have ended up with a cute spring outfit. And I do think next time I go shopping I will look at stepping away from my usual colour combinations and trying out new ones.

Kelly skirt with Simplicity 2365 top – pat on the back for staying with me until the end!

Simplicity 1716: knit top with cowl neck

Simplicity 1716

This is my second versionof Simplicity 1716. I blogged about the first version here. This time around I used a heavier weight cotton jersey. I decided rather than doing a sway back adjustment I would make the bust and arms a size smaller, and go up a size over the hips. I think this has resolved the issue of excess fabric in the back.

Simplicity 1716

The first version of this top had a twisty neck detail. This version has a cowl neck. I do wish the cowl was perhaps slightly lower…if I make again I might try and adjust this.

Simplicity 1716

I also cut this version at the tunic length (mid length of pattern options). A much better length for me!

Simplicity 1716

All in all, this is fast becoming one of my favourite patterns. I do need some new casual tops to wear with jeggings etc, and this pattern, with its choice of lengths, necks and sleeves is brilliant! Expect to be bored with at least one more version

New Look 6205: kids floral cotton summer dress

New Look 6205

New Look 6205: this is the dress I was going to make Kezia for Easter but then we ended up not going to church on Easter Sunday anyway, and I got waylaid on other things.

The fabric is supposed to be ex-Boden stock, and is a beautiful dress weight cotton. I love the bright colours, and so does Kezia:

New Look 6205 – the ballet poses

There is not so much I want to say about this dress except that I LOVE this pattern. I love the raised waistline seam bodice with its cap raglan sleeves, I love the pleated skirt and I love the way the inside of the bodice is finished so there are no exposed edges (I did fully line the dress; the pattern states to just line the bodice).

 

New Look 6205 – hanger shot

New Look 6205 – front lining shot

New Look 6205 – back lining shot

The thing that I am probably the most proud of is the lapped zipper that I installed (my first one):

New Look 6205 lapped zipper

Pattern Review

Pattern Description:

Child’s dress with full skirt pleated to bodice at raised waistline seam has back zipper, round neckline, short or cap raglan sleeves and assorted trim options. Perfect for party or play time. I made view D.

Pattern Sizing:

3 – 8

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes. I added some lace trim around the neckline and the hem.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes, very, except for I was confused initially with how they explain how to sew the lining to the bodice to get a clean finish. I ended up unpicking it and tried it again and this time it worked beautifully.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I love the raised waistline seam bodice with its cap raglan sleeves, I love the pleated skirt and I love the way the inside of the bodice is finished so there are no exposed edges. There is nothing I particularly dislike about this pattern.

Fabric Used:

Ex-Boden cotton with cotton lawn lining.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

None, except that I added a lace trim around the neckline and hem.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Not sure if I will sew it again, but love this pattern, and highly recommend.

Conclusion:

My daughter loves twirling in her new dress. One happy bunny!

New Look 6205

New Look 6205 – the ballet poses continued!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tessuti Gridlock Sewing Competition….I won a prize!!!

New Look 6067 gridlock dress

I know boasting is a sin, but if a sewing blog is not about blowing one’s own trumpet, then what is it about?!

A couple of posts back I wrote about this dress which I made to enter the Tessuti Gridlock Sewing Competition. You simply have to check out the Pinterest page which features all of the entries. There were some amazing, amazing entries.

The (very worthy, IMO), winner of the $1,000 AUD prize was Sandra’s coat. Cute, right? A fantastic frankenpattern, if ever there was one.

Sandra’s Lekaloru coat

Anyway, the ever so generous Tessuti people have decided to also award five entrants with a $100 Tessuti voucher….and one of those entrants is me!! After seeing the standard of some of the other entries I really never expected to win anything, so I am absolutely thrilled.

Check out the details of Sandra’s coat and see the other 4 runners up from this link.

Until later….bye from a very happy me!

Simplicity 1716: knit top with twisty neck detail

Simplicity 1716

Happy easter readers!

This easter day, instead of going to church as I normally would, I had to take my daughter to see a cbeebies show some 60 miles away. This may mean nothing to those of you without children, and also those of you who are not in the UK. cbeebies is a children’s TV channel, and some of my daughters favourite characters were in a live show and my husband very kindly (ahem) booked tickets for me to take her to see this show (his excuse: he is working), not realising that it was easter sunday! So not only did I have to contend with losing one hours sleep last night (it was our daylight saving time change), but I also had to miss my usual easter celebrations and drive my daughter to see the show, whilst my husband went round to my mum’s to dig into a yummy easter meal!!

Well, to look on the positive side of things: Kezia did enjoy the show. We made it back in one piece, and my husband did buy me a Janome overlocking machine for mothers day a few weeks ago, which in turn, has enabled me to make this top, which I wore to the cbeebies show.

Simplicity 1716

I have realised that I do need more casual tops to wear over jeggings etc. Expect to see other versions of this top (and others) appearing in the next few weeks! Here’s the pattern envelope illustration:

Simplicity 1716 envelope

I do like this top, but I am treating this version as a wearable muslin. It does need some refinement. I think it needs a sway back adjustment; the arms need to be tightened and I have done something a little strange with the bottom hem! I think the top is quite a neat fit over the hip area and next time I will enlarge it slightly. I cut the longest length as I wasn’t sure what length I would hem it at. I decided it was snugger than I wanted over the hips/ tummy, and decided to try and ruche it up with elastic sewn in the side seams. But then it just didn’t look right, so I shortened it and hemmed it. Like I say, wearable muslin. But all in all, if you can just get your head around the fact that until you sew it you can’t see how the pieces are going to go together (at least I couldn’t!), I like it, and I like the twisty detail. I think this is a very versatile pattern, and I have seen a few cute dress versions of this top too.

Simplicity 1718

Here’s my review:

Pattern Review:

Pattern Description:

Misses’ knit mini-dress, tunic and top can be made with a front twist or draped neckline with five different sleeve variations to choose from. I made view A, which is actually the mini-dress length, not knowing what length I would be happy with.

Pattern Sizing:

12 – 20. I think the sizing is pretty true. I didn’t want a mega tight, fitted top, but found the cut to be quite slim over the hips/ tummy area. Mind, it probably doesn’t help that I serged one of the seams incorrectly and then had to cut that seam off. Oops.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Amazingly, yes. I say amazingly because it is quite hard to get your head around how the top with the twisty neck detail is going to come together. But it does. Also, as mentioned above, I serged one of the seams incorrectly and had to cut it off, and also serged a hole in the front which then had to be incorporated into another seam. Yikes! How I got a wearable muslin I don’t know….

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes, actually they are.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I love the twisty neck detail. It makes this top a little bit more unusual. I have seen other reviewers of this pattern make this top into dresses, and I think that is such a cute idea.

2 points to note about this pattern: 1. the instruction at point 2 in the pattern, where it tells you to cut a piece of elastic to a certain length to sew on the inside of the centre back neck to produce a ruched effect: the length they tell you to cut does not give adequate ruching in my opinion. Just letting you know. 2. If you follow the instructions in the pattern you will end up with an unfinished edge on the upper front: consider finishing the edges before sewing.

Fabric Used:

Viscose jersey

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Absolutely none. It is supposed to be a wearable muslin. But next time around I would do a sway back adjustment, tighten the arms and widen over the hips.

In case you are wondering I did something a little strange to the hem of this top. I found this top to be quite a neat fit over the hip area. I had cut the mini-dress length and initially decided to sew elastic in the side seams to produce a ruching effect. But it looked terrible, so I cut it off and hemmed it, but there is still a little bit of elastic left in the sides. Like I say, wearable muslin.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes and yes.

Conclusion:

A great, versatile, easy to sew pattern. Needs some refinement for me, but one I hope I can perfect.

Simplicity 1718: grumpy easter face

How ever you celebrated this easter, I hope you had a peaceful and enjoyable one with family and friends.

New Look 6067: Tessuti Gridlock Sewing Competition

New Look 6067 gridlock dress

This is my entry into the Tessuti Gridlock Sewing Competition. First of all, can I compliment Tessuti for their outstanding delivery service? I placed the order for this fabric on a Sunday lunchtime (UK time), and it was with me – all the way from Australia – by Wednesday morning! Now that’s what I call speedy service.

Tessuti Gridlock fabric

The competition was to design an outfit made from their Gridlock fabric, which is a jacquard type fabric made of cotton, poly and polyurethane. It has a light stone coloured background, with a beautifully textured blue embroidered surface (although some entrants have also used the reverse side to great effect). You could sew anything you wanted “Sew something that you’d like to wear, something that suits the fabric and something that suits you“. Also, the brief seemed to be to “[make something] you can wear often and can be worn as daywear”. Of course, for me, that was always going to be a dress.

New Look 6067 Envelope illustrations

I was determined to use a pattern that was in my stash. There have been some great versions of New Look 6067, including the beautiful version that won the 2012 Little Black Dress competition over on PR.com. My review of the pattern is below.

I will confess that when I initially opened the (beautifully wrapped) pack, I was a little nonplussed by the fabric. I mean, I didn’t hate it by any means, but I didn’t oooh and aaaahh over it straight away either. However, now that the dress is finished I have fallen in love with the fabric and the pattern. It is quite an unusual fabric, very modern, and I can see it suiting lots of complexions/ colourings. Whilst it is quite a hard fabric to photograph, I think (in real life at least) it looks like a quality fabric. The thing I like best about it though is the fact it suits slightly more structured garments, but has that polyurethane in it so the finished garment is not too stiff and constrictive.

Enough about the fabric already! Let’s talk about New Look 6067. I love the bodice part of this dress the best. The clever pleating just moulds around the upper body to give a great shape. I also love the belt detail (very flattering). What I didn’t like was the instructions that came with the pattern…see below for major biaatching about that. Oh, let’s just get on with my review!

New Look 6067 gridlock dress

New Look 6067 gridlock dress

Pattern Review

Pattern Description:

Misses’ pleated dress in two lengths with sleeve and belt variations. I made view C, with the neck and sleeves from view A.

Pattern Sizing:

6 – 16. I found a size smaller than my normal size fitted me fine in the bust and shoulders, with my usual enlargement over the hips. If I made this dress again I would probably have to make the hips larger still: there are still some diagonal pull lines at the hips.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

NO! In all fairness, all the instructions are there, but, as other reviewers have mentioned, they jump back and forth an awful lot. Also, they would have you insert the invisible zipper on top of the lining (so you will have to finish the raw edges first), and put the sleeves in last. I basically ignored the instructions and did my own thing.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I love the bodice part of this dress the best. The clever pleating just moulds around the upper body to give a great shape. I also love the belt detail (very flattering). What I didn’t like was the instructions that came with the pattern.

Fabric Used:

A jacquard type fabric from Tessuti fabrics made of cotton, poly and polyurethane, with an acetate lining.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Enlarged the pattern to suit my measurements a tiny bit at the waist and more over the hips. Lengthened the skirt by 3 inches. Inserted a full lining.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, maybe. I think this is a very classy looking dress that would work in so many fabrics. Yes. I would recommend it.

Conclusion:

Love the combination of the fabric and the pattern. A classy, versatile dress.

New Look 6067 gridlock dress

Some of the finishing details/ tutorials that I used for this dress:

New Look 6067 gridlock dress full lining – front

I used this great tip from Beth of Sunnygal Studio to get a clean finish to the facing: sew the fusible interfacing, right sides together, to the dress facing piece, then flip and press. So simple, but such a great tip!

New Look 6067 gridlock dress lining sewn to zipper tape

I used the tutorial from the The Slapdash Sewist to machine stitch the lining to the invisible zipper tape, and the tutorial from A Fashionable Stitch to sew the lining to the vent.

New Look 6067 gridlock dress lining sewn to vent

And I always refer to this tutorial by Amanda to sew in  my invisble zips, and make sure the intersecting seams match.

New Look 6067 gridlock dress

Head over to Tessuti’s pinterest page to see all of the entries….there are some jackets in particular which are amazing!

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DIY men’s shirt McCalls 6613: conquering (another) sewing fear

McCalls 6613 men’s shirt

Readers, this is my husband, Philip. Philip, meet my readers. They are a very nice lot!

Introductions over, today I want to share with you that I have conquered another sewing fear: sewing a tailored man’s shirt. This is the first shirt I have ever sewn, so prepare to be bored to death with the details (I am understandably very proud of myself). And how did I accomplish this you may ask? With the help of the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Pamela Howard and her Craftsy Classic Tailored Shirt lessons. I bought these lessons during the recent valentines sale, and they are worth every penny IMHO.

So what do you get for your money?

Well, you get 12 lessons, ranging from between 10 minutes and 30 seconds in length to 1 hour and 5 minutes in length, introduced by Pam herself, and her soft, hypnotic voice. Yoooouuu wiiiiilllll beeee abbllleee toooo dooooo ittttt.

Whilst a pattern is not included in the price of this course, Pam does give suggestions for patterns to use, namely Kwik Sew 3555 (which she makes during the tutorials), Kwik Sew 3027 (a darted ladies shirt), Kwik Sew 3586 (plus size ladies shirt) and Kwik Sew 3422 (a men’s version). I had actually bought my shirt pattern before I purchased the Craftsy tutorials, so I used McCalls 6613, a unisex men’s/ women’s shirt….more on the specifics of that pattern later.

After introducing herself, Pam talks through the anatomy of a shirt, including adjusting the seam allowances for the Kwik Sew patterns mentioned above, as these patterns only have a 1/4″ seam allowance, and you have to add 3/8″ to them to get your final 5/8″ seam allowance (worth bearing that in mind if you are lazy, like me ). Pam then demonstrates laying out and cutting out the shirt pieces, including how to lay the pattern pieces on grain. She even gives tips on the best way to hold your scissors to make cutting out easier and more accurate…these are tips you just don’t get from books!

Note that there is a 10 minute 30 second lesson on “shirt front options”, which covers sewing darts (for the ladies), a 19 minute 20 second lesson on sleeve plackets and cuffs and a 22 minute lesson on pleats and cuffs, all of which I omitted as they didn’t apply to the style of shirt I was making. This is the advantage of the Craftsy platform, I have lifetime access to do back and view these lessons any time I want too.

Pam shows you how to sew your front bands (note that the McCalls pattern I was using had separate front band pieces – see my review below, but I just sewed these on using the instructions from the pattern, then followed on with Pam). Pam also shows you how to accurately create and sew a patch pocket, how to sew the shirt back and shoulders, including a brilliant yoke trick (I believe it  may also be called the burrito method?), which avoids the need for any hand sewing and leaves a neat, completely enclosed finish.

There is a lengthy lesson on sewing the collar and band, which will ensure you end up with professional, accurate results. Actually, this lesson contained the only thing I didn’t like: Pam suggests hand sewing the folded under edge of the collar/ band unit to the shirt to enclose the raw edges. I chose to machine stitch this part. Pam also shows you how to insert the sleeves in flat, and then using a flat fell seam to finish the sleeve and side seams.

Other things which Pam covers in the lessons include how to drape fit the shirt and even how to give your finished shirt a final press.

Can you tell how impressed I am with this set of lessons?! Philip is very proud of the shirt I have made for him and I actually really enjoyed making it!. So huge thumbs up from me. This is a completely independent review that I have chosen to write and it is my honest opinion!

Now on to the McCalls pattern and the details of my shirt….

McCalls 6613 rear view – note pleat in back piece

McCalls 6613 side view

Pattern Review

Pattern Description:

MISSES’/MEN’S SHIRTS: Fitted (men) shirts have collar, collar/front bands, self-lined yoke, forward shoulder seams, and narrow hem. A: stitched hem on sleeves. B: flaps, pleated pockets, opening for pen/pencil. C: bias front band/pockets, snap closings. B, C, D: long, two-piece sleeves with pleats, button cuffs (seam opening). B, C: rolled sleeves (wrong side shows). Collar, collar band, yoke, tabs B, C, cuffs B, C, D: cut on crosswise grain of fabric.

I chose to make view A, but with the curved shirt tail hem as per views C and D.

Pattern Sizing:

SML – LRG

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes, I think it does.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Well, here is my complaint about this pattern. I bought this pattern because it is a Palmer and Pletsch pattern for McCalls, and I was hoping the instructions would really excel. Whilst the instructions do make adjusting the pattern easy (adjustment lines are indicated on the pattern e.g. to do a FBA, sway back adjustment, rounded shoulder etc), the instructions DO NOT allow you to create a tailored shirt. That is why I disregarded the instructions completely and used Pam Howard’s Craftsy Classic Tailored Shirt tutorials, which I HIGHLY recommend. If you followed these pattern instructions you would end up with a shirt which would need to have seams finished e.g. serged and the sleeves would not be inserted flat but eased in – you would not end up with a men’s shirt as you would find in RTW.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

See above! Also, things to note is that the front bands for this shirt are cut SEPARATELY from the shirt fronts, on the bias, interfaced, and then attached to the shirt fronts. I can see how this makes more of a design feature of the front bands e.g. if you use a plaid, but if you don’t want this extra step then you probably should avoid this pattern. Also, there is no separate undercollar piece (do I sound like I know what I am talking about?! This is all thanks to the Classic Tailored Shirt lessons!). I cut the undercollar about 1/8″ smaller than the upper collar to allow for turn of cloth.

Fabric Used:

A checked cotton from my local market. I also used Vlieseline H250 for the interfacing….it seems ok, but I would love to know what anyone else uses for shirts?

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Absolutely none. This was really a wearable muslin to see how to fit the husband, and it fits fine. The only thing I would change next time is to add maybe an inch or two to the length of the sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes and yes.

Conclusion:

So very proud of my first ever shirt, but couldn’t have done it without the Craftsy course!

McCalls 6613 – note I have not sewn on the buttons at the collar as I need to get slightly smaller ones for there

McCalls 6613 – I have to highlight my machine sewn on buttons – the first time ever I have used this feature on my machine.

McCalls 6613 – one happy customer!

So readers, what are your greatest sewing fears, and how are you going to tackle them? I know Victoria from the Ten Thousand Hours blogspot and Karen from Did You Make That (with her Sewlutions) are helping lots of you face your fears, but I would still love to hear. Until later….