Simplicity 3692: Built by Wendy top

A finished top AND two posts in one day!

The verdict?  Cute in theory.  Let's start with the good!

The fabric is very sweet, a vintage, lightweight cotton c. 1980 I'd guess?  My mom made me a blue rosebud nightgown out of very similar blue rosebud fabric in 1980 for a talent show...I sang "Would You Like to Swing On a Star", while my Brownie & Girl Scout troop flitted about behind me in costumes to match the verses.  Wish I had a video!

My piece of fabric was thrifted at a nearby flea market.  I had just enough for this little top.  Actually I didn't have quite enough to do the bodices & lining, so I cut the bodices on the selvedge and seamed them.  I covered the front with a raw-edge ruffle and a white bias tube:

Here's a closer view of the center front, I had to add a couple of tucks too; the front bodice was too wide:

The back, I just left seamed.  No one will notice!

I lined the bodices in white Imperial batiste, and used a bias binding of the same batiste for the armholes:

Simple turned up & stitched hem...

 

All well and good, right?  Bah.  I made this pattern last year or maybe it was the year before.  And I had a ton of trouble with the bodice.  I guess I never went back and fixed the pattern?  Because I had the exact same problems today!  The back bodice is too narrow, the front bodice is too wide.  The neckline is too high. I added tucks to take up the excess width, but then I get some pulling at the bustline that wasn't there before I added them.  

Also, the gathering is in the wrong spot, I think.  All in all, just not a pattern that works for my particular figure.  But, it's cool and not uncomfortable, so I'll wear it around home.  I did want to share a photo of me wearing it though...  No reason to only share successes right?

I guess this pattern and I are parting ways now.  A shame, as I really like the style.

reading obsession: Her 5-Year Diary

Are you reading this?

Because I'm totally hooked!  I can't wait each day for the new post.

Today I'm working on a Built By Wendy top...

I'm doing the sleeveless version, no drawstring/elastic.  I also lengthened it a bit.  I'm using a thrifted, super soft white cotton with tiny blue rosebuds.  Reminds me of a nightdress I had when I was 8.  (That would have been 1979 if you're keeping track).

So...I may end up looking like I'm wearing PJ's.  Hmmm...

Simplicity 3835 tunic

Well, its finished for now. I foresee some changes to the finished product before I absolutely love it though.

I know I said "dress length" yesterday, but technically I cut somewhere between the dress & tunic length. And its still way short! No way I could wear this without leggings or something. Which makes it a long tunic, not a dress.

Now, to be fair to the pattern, it IS basically a peasant-style dress (i.e. sack) and it pretty much looks like that on me. I was hoping the subtle sideseam shaping and back darts (and minimal gathering for the neckline) would translate into a cute but airy dress (er, tunic) but the truth is...if you have boobage, this dress has to be sack-like everywhere else to accommodate. Sigh.

The sack-ishness is really apparent on the hanger (never a good sign!)


Both the cut and the color reminds me of a housedress my grandma wore when I was little. I always wondered why she wore such an unflattering color, which totally cracks me up now since my family tells me ALL THE TIME how much I'm like her. Heh.

Little quirks I discovered while making this... I made the top version (with elasticated neckline) last summer, and had a tiny bit of "swayback" issue, so I altered the pattern before I cut this out. Well. I ended with a BIG swayback issue anyway. My large booty + high hip fluff needed more room than this dress provided, and I ended up using 1/4 seams over the hip area to make it wearable. It will still require occasional tugging back into place to smooth out the back. (Drat.) I also left out the back darts, in the hopes that would help. (It didn't.)

The neckband is very small. Very. Small. I trimmed at least 1/4 inch off the inside neckband pieces before sewing the facing on because I could tell after trying it on that it was too high and tight. It wasn't "cutting into" me, but it was definitely a fitted neckline. Choke.

After my alteration...it's still too high. If I bend over, it squeezes my front neck. I do have a high rounded back (I'm just a plethora of fun back issues, aren't I? That probably explains the people stopping and staring at the mall.) I didn't make any sort of adjustment for it in this top because I thought it was such an easy fit (and I've already made it. Doh.) Maybe I should have.


See, doesn't look so high & tight, right? Trust me, It's a pretty close fit. I topstitched the neckline because it seemed very plain. Then I wished I hadn't because now it looks uneven with the other side NOT topstitched.

I cut out the floppy bows for the sleeves, but in the end determined to leave them off and went for a turned up & stitched hem. No complaints about the sleeves. I'd read on some other blogs that the sleeve was very tight at the lower end, so I tissue fit and I did have to add to the pattern piece. It fits pretty perfect!


I made a very narrow (1/2") hem on the bottom of the dress/tunic because I was still delusionally thinking I might be able to wear this as a summer dress. HAHAHAHA.


On the plus side, the invisible zip was very easy to insert using my NEW INVISIBLE ZIPPER FOOT!!


Back when I did my podcast interview with Lori, I mentioned that I typically avoid this zip type like the plague because I didn't have the foot and they were too fiddly to put in without it. Well, Lori very sweetly sent me one of her extra invisible zipper feet for my Viking Lily, and then a couple of weeks later the very thoughtful Marie sent me one for my Bernina!

This little dress was put together on the Bernina Activa 220, so Marie's foot was put to good use. And, WOW, you guys were right. Using the right foot makes ALL the difference. Thank you so much Marie & Lori! The sewing community surprises me all the time with its wonderful generosity and kindness. I hope to be able to "pay it forward" soon.

Here's one last shot of the dress on me. Get a good look, I'm considering removing the neckband and applying a simple bias band, and whacking off the length to more of a "top" length.


I still love this pattern, and I even really like this version of the dress. The fit through the neck/shoulder/chest area is really nice. Not too poofy, not too "Imma goin to the squaredance ya'll". It definitely has potential. I just may need to draft my own neckband.

Oh, and underneath, I'm wearing my 2nd muslin of my denim BWOF 2/10/111 pants, but they're not hemmed. You can see threads hanging, haha! Plus, they're a bit of an unflattering length right here. Well, they WERE sliding down off my butt too though, I didn't add the waistband since they were too tight to begin with.

While I sewed up this lovely dress (I love the fabric too much to give up on it yet!) I watched the fabulous Barbara Stanwyck in Balls of Fire (1941) on Netflix streaming.


Really cute film I had never seen. Sort of a "screwball" comedy. A young Dana Andrews has a small role, and I really love him so that was a nice surprise. Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, SZ Sackall...really do you get much better than that?

built by me. again.

You might remember this cute Built By Wendy Simplicity pattern from last summer, I had good luck with it in a woven (although it's technically for a knit). Simplicity 3692:


I'm thinking another woven, something light and airy. I have lots of cotton prints in stash that would love to be used up (so I can buy more...uh, more on that in a minute.) I also have a striped knit that would like to be that nautical version.

I also want to make this one up again. You'll remember I just did reconstructive surgery on a top (adding sleeves) here. (Hmmm. I never did show you the finished product did I? Will have to get on that asap.) Simplicity 3835:


Both of these patterns remind me of my beloved Japanese craft books. If only I didn't have to do such major alterations to these patterns (i.e. grade WAY UP) to make them work! (The ONLY reason I haven't ordered Machiko Kayaki's newest book.) They're mainly for inspiration.

And about that need for new fabric...The more I sew up my stash, the more my stash begs to be replenished. I've been trying to stick to "sales" and ebay or etsy. All of these cute finds are winging their way to me as we speak...

Jessica Levitt Timber - Apple:


Adover Ohh La La Paris Market:


Bernatex Happy Trails Cowboys:


Heather Ross Equestrian:


Heather Ross Frog Pond:


Erin McMorris (Free Spirit) Go Bicycle:


I am SO in love with the little gray bicycle fabric!!! Oh ok, I'm in love with all of them! As usual I only have a very vague idea of what they'll end up being in garment form, but that's half the fun.

Guess I better finish that stack of UFOs and take some pictures before they all get here, huh?

ps...Weight loss update...I'm at the halfway mark! Woohoo! I don't know how that happened. I fully expected to be stalled this week (again) but no! I lost! Just in time too. I was maybe a tad discouraged the past couple of weeks, and this has pushed me back into the eating better groove.

have a great Monday everyone!

Simplicity 2863

I've been trying to get home early enough to snap a photo of this all week! Remember my first post about this Built By Wendy dress?


Well, a whole month later, I finally finished it! Click for a really big picture! Note how the camera couldn't focus on those crazy stripes!


So two things I should say now that you've seen it.
1. I have a neck. I must have misplaced it for this photo shoot.
and
2. This dress doesn't have a black banded hem. It's just the shadow from the flash.

Anywho...I wore it Monday with black leggings, my black turtleneck, & a pair of cute black ankle boots (which I cut off here. Still haven't quite got the hang of my new tripod and completely FORGOT I have a remote for the Nikon, so was using the 10 second timer. Doh.)

But back to the dress...here's the back view (which I rarely show on the net! So enjoy! But no need to click for the super size version. Really.)


And here's an up close view of the ruching at the back waist, the only thing providing shape to this dress:


I especially like this cropped picture because my butt looks rather small. This photo should have that rearview mirror disclaimer: Objects in these photos are larger than they appear...

About the pattern (because who knows if I'll ever get around to reviewing it!) It was super easy to construct because it has cut on sleeves (making it a 4 seam dress!) And the hardest part of construction is the ruching back. You could definitely do elastic thread in the bobbin for this, but the pattern has you sew a strip of fabric to the back, stitch channels, then run elastic through the channels.

Now, had my brain been functioning when I was sewing this, I would have done this FIRST, before sewing the side seams. Instead, I read the instructions and they have you do this AFTER you sew the side seams and I blithely followed along. Um, that's 10 times harder to maneuver. I perservered though, and it's pretty straight. Honest. (Next time I'll be doing the channel thing first though.)

I used a really drapey rayon/poly/lycra knit in flaming red, with a black burnout stripe. It seems really see-through until you put it on and then it's actually not. I can't explain it, but I did wear it to school, and I didn't get arrested.

Next up is that Nanette Lepore plaid dress knock off with my Favorite Things dress pattern. Scroll down to the snoop post to view it, I'm too lazy to go find the link. Happy Friday!!

a thank you...and a project

Thanks so much for the sweet condolences on my uncle's passing. He had a full life and that's what matters most I think. Something I didn't know until I read his funeral announcement...he had served in the Navy during WWII.

Today I'm bouncing around my project to-do list again! I have this cut out in the dress version (b&w below):

in this red & black poly-rayon burnout:


Note the super crappy picture. Yeah, my camera settings are screwed up and I can't find the manual to revert to the defaults and start over! Likewise, I can't figure out which setting it is, so I'm having trouble figuring out where to start. (It won't auto-focus, and it continuous shoots, even though its not in continuous shooting mode. Grrr.)

Although, the above shot is sorta 'arty'.

I'm hoping the burnout section isn't see-through, so I don't have to wear a full-length of something under it. I was planning on my leggings and maybe a black lightweight turtleneck!

Of course if I don't get off the internets I'll never get it finished (and it's SO simple to make, that would just be plain wrong.)

laters!

Simplicity 3964

I've been at a stand still on this one since Sunday, and its still not quite finished. It's pretty cute and different than any other version out there of this pattern! The sleeves/armholes are unfinished (more on that in a second) but here's the mostly finished top:


The fabric is a chambray rayon, and it is awesome! So light and drapey. Perfect for this little top (that started out with a LOT of volume, AND as a dress!!) I couldn't like the dress. I tried to like it! I got really close...but in the end I decided the very wrinkle prone fabric would make me self-conscious as a dress, so I whacked it off into a top.

I did put on the little flange-ish sleeves, but even with this very drapey rayon, I didn't care for them. Very Spock-like. So off they came as well. I'm going to use the chopped off skirt pieces to either make little capped sleeves (with a bit of puff maybe) or I'll make some more bias and I'll bind the armholes. It's pretty cute sleeveless!

Here's the shaped yoke, which is my favorite part:


I made a mistake in construction when I went to do the topstitching. I simply wasn't paying attention and I topstitched the INSIDE (lining portion) of the yokes! They ended up looking better than the "right side". Since I hadn't sewn side seams or sleeves or anything else yet...the inside is now the outside!! HA! Here's the topstitching around the cute yoke in detail (I couldn't get those sharp corners on the "right" side, so I plan to make this mistake the next time I make this top too.)


My other gripe about this one, and one that was almost a project-killer for me, was the voluminous skirt portion of the dress/top. I had always envisioned it with the belt, but even with tying the belt around me, it just looked sloppy. So...I stood in front of the mirror and played with belt placement until I liked it and marked a line with my washaway pen.

Then I ran a line of gathering stitches in the middle 2/3 of the front. The gathering extends from the center front to about the half point of the shoulder. I pulled up the gathering and tried it on again to make sure I could still get in and out of it (no problems there). Lastly, I topstitched my belt permanently in place over the gathering. The belt hangs free and ties in the back.

Topstitched belt:


Adding those gathers (in the rightplace) changed the entire look of this top from a frumpy, "I'm not sure I'll ever wear this dangit" item into an "I can't wait to put this on with my white jeans & gold gladiator sandals" item. (you know, once I finish the armholes/sleeves.)

The neckline is finished with a simple bias binding and ties in back:


I actually plan to make at least one more of these really soon, because I already have fabric picked out! I have some changes I'd like to make though, namely leaving off the gathering at the shaped yoke. I don't need that much volume, and I really want one of these without the attached belt. I also plan on making that topstitching mistake again, for perfectly pressed yoke corners & stitching! ;)

I feel like I've been away from the old blog a long time! I realize it's only been a few days, but it feels longer! I had a school workshop Monday and Tuesday this week so no sewing on those days. I've also suffered a migraine (since Sunday for Pete's sake) which simply will not completely go away. I've tried ice, heat, sleep, the usual drugs, caffeine, diet changes, etc... And still I sat here for most of the day today with an ice pack on my head.

I really want to get on to my next project, which is almost halfway completed. I can give you a peek...it's this BWOF top #111 from 4/2007:
As per the usual for BWOF, I never looked twice at this top in the issue because the fashion photo is so ridiculously unrevealing. This sucker is really cute though. I love the princess dart! I'm doing a short sleeve version, and even though the line drawing looks like your basic "white shirt"...of course I took a bit of a different route.

If you're good (and my head doesn't implode) I'll have something to show you tomorrow.

Simplicity 3835: Built by Wendy

Another day, another Built By Wendy top! This time I tried 3835, the peasant top version.

I love this one! I cut out the 18 and did an FBA using Nancy Zieman's pin & rotate method (I'm sure there's another name for it.) I was a little worried about the armhole depth since that was a problem on the last one, so I pin-fit before cutting out. No problem with the armhole this time!

It's a simple pattern to put together, elastic casing on armholes & neckline (note the super cute red & pink dotty print, another "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" print by RJR):

I did a simple turned up hem. I made a little tube to tie into a bow at the center front, like a drawstring (totally fake.)


I only have it pinned now, because I want to make one of these also, which would add another cute detail to pin on.

Rosette Tutorial on Plumtickled

Or this one by my old ebay pal Meg:

Fabric Flower Tutorial on Boutique Nutmeg

And here's me in yet another not terribly good picture. (My hair, for one thing, isn't that red in real life! It's more the color it was in Sunday's photo!) I'm also way blown out by the sunset. Still...I think you can see what a cute top this is! It's very cute on, like a semi-fitted peasant top. The neckline is just perfect.


All in all, I'm very impressed with the Built by Wendy pattern line. I'm going to have to try one of the button front items, a jacket or her cute top. I do have the Sew U book that includes basic patterns, but they only go to a size 12 (who's brilliant idea was that anyway??)

I also hung laundry out on the line today, including more quilting cottons for future project.


And I made zucchini bread from my dad's neverending stash of fresh zucchini (a loaf for me and a loaf for my dad & mom!) I used Paula Deen's recipe on Food Network. It was YUMMY. (this obviously isn't a foodie blog, because we always eat the food before I remember to snap a pic! HA!)

Simplicity 3692: Built By Wendy

A new summer top...


I was inspired by this summery, cotton top by All Buttoned Up. I was wanting to use a woven too, so her cute variation was like permission! Be sure to visit her blog, she has lots of cute projects and a wry sense of humor I really enjoy. Here's her top (from last summer):


Now just up front I'll admit I wasn't looking for high fashion. I was looking for the easy, simple lines of the Built By Wendy line of clothes and patterns, and I went into this knowing this wasn't going to be super flattering for us chestier types. I'm OK with that. I just want to use some of my pretty 100% cotton prints and there's just so many skirts I can wear in this lifetime!

Now on to the pattern details! There is plenty of ease in this pattern, even though its for a knit. I started out cutting a yoke size 18 just to be safe, but ended up taking out about 5/8" from the front yoke. It was pretty gape-y. I can't imagine how big it would be in a knit, so just be aware.

The neckline was also a lot higher than I expected, and higher than I like. I can live with it, but I've already altered my pattern. Lastly, the armholes are way high and tight. I haven't fixed those yet. I'm going to sit and pick out my armhole bindings tonight while watching tv, then lower those suckers. Once that is fixed, I think I'll lose the bit of pulling under the arm that I get now when wearing the top, because it fits great everywhere except there.

Here's the little tucks I added (in the corner of the squared neckline on each side) to take up the excess neckline. You can't even see them in real life really. Isn't this a cute print?? I LOVE IT. It's from the RJR line of fabrics and is called "Everything but the Kitchen Sink". I think it's so feedsack-ish and reminds me of my Grandma Edna's housedresses. Of course since I was using a sweet calico, I had to add rickrack. Right?


I bound the armholes with a grey cotton fat quarter I had lying around. Lying around because....who needs a grey FQ?? I've got plenty left over to fix the bindings later.


And here's me in my barefoot, cuffed denim glory. I'm sure I'll wear this lots after I fix the armholes. It's too hot and humid to wear much of anything besides cotton!!