Simplicity 3893/Vogue 8151

When it rains it pours! I was on a roll last weekend. This week the only sewing going on around here was in my head. I couldn't even convince myself I needed to snap pics of these two finished products to share and review!

I ran outside this afternoon before I lost the sun, just for you. (because I lub you all so much) That doesn't mean I got all fixed up with hair & face & Oh snap! shoes.


No, just yoga pants and fuscia fuzzy slippers. (in other words, headless shots ahead. no pun intended, hehe.)

First, Simplicity 3893. I've made this before (as I said last week.) I only wore that top once. Good news about this one, I've already worn it once! The fabric is a poly georgette. It gave me fits hemming, so Shannon had a brilliant idea and suggested roll hemming it. That welcomed piece of advice saved this one from the UFO pile! (Thanks Shannon!)



I also left off the elastic at the bodice seam. Actually I put it in, hated it, so picked it out. Then I felt like it still needed "something" at that seam, it was a little too "meh". So I stitched a black satin ribbon over the seamline. I like how it looks, but it does restrict movement in that area just a bit. You can't have it all, folks.

(ps...it's 29 degrees right now, thus the 3 shirts in the shot above! White tank, black turtleneck, georgette top. I didn't realize the turtleneck wasn't pulled down over the white tank. Doh. It was too cold to run back outside for retakes.)

Next, Vogue 8151, a TREASURE of a pattern!! I love this one. It went together so fast & smooth, and the fit was wonderful. I think I made size E out of the DEF range. No FBA needed (woot!) The pattern has a dart, but I trimmed the excess dart point away & gathered this area instead. I'm not sure I would like a dart in a tee, but I might try it in the next one.


The only flaw in the finished top is my mismatched stripes on the neckband. I just didn't have enough of this stash knit to do something creative. No one but another seamstress will probably notice, so I will still definitely wear this! I haven't added the ruching to the side seams because I think I'm going to hem it a bit shorter. It hits me just a tad longer than I like. (I'm really short-waisted, so shortening tops from the midriff-hem is normal for me.)

And that's about it for me in the sewing arena! Today I bought 10 patterns on sale for 99 c, thus completely failing New Years Resolution #3 by 8 patterns. This, cracks me up. I'm not at all remorseful so I think I might be beyond hope in regards to stashing patterns (and resolutions).

boomer

Sooner!!!

Yes, we lost. But this kid is cooooollll as a cucumber. Being an Oklahoma girl, I grew up loving football (& the Sooners).
The first Sooner national championship I remember being fully vested in was in 1985, and I had just turned 14.

The G-man worships all things Crimson and Cream, and he just turned 14. I really wanted the boys to win last night. It would have been a nice symmetry.

We watched together, and had trouble falling asleep after the finish. But we're still Sooner fans.

And there's always next year!

king.

This post brought to you by a borrowed laptop...

My power cord is kaput, and until Amazon ships my new one (please be today!!) I'm basically "offline". Boo!!

I even have 2 new projects to share, the dotty georgette Simplicity top and the Vogue tee (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE! Why did I let this linger in the stash so long??) I have pictures but its too complicated to transfer to this computer for the time being, so we'll all just have to wait a few more days. I'm getting desperate for my PR and Flickr and blogs though!! AAHHHH!!!!

For my mom...

Happy Birthday to Elvis song

(mom's favorite)

edit to say...Amazon is my homeboy. My powercord is here (and my BSG Season 4.0 dvds!) So I am most definitely BACK!! Yippee!!

LH Cowl Top

This is a fabulous top. I finished it Friday afternoon and wore it Saturday! It's warm, snuggly, perfect sleeve length, fab fit. Yay! Projects like this get my mojo all revved up!


This pattern is really generously sized, from XXS to XXL. I'm smack in the middle at a L, although I did swing out to XL from the underarm to hem as a mock FBA. Since this is a knit it worked fine.

The shoulders are slightly dropped (which Loes likes and I don't) but I don't mind on this sweater. The dropped shoulders are slouchy (why I don't like them, makes a top feel "too big" to me) and comfy and all-around add to the warm fuzzies I get while wearing it.

Loes likes DEEP hems in her tops too. Usually 2" or so. I've never figured out the logic on this one, because deep hems to me belong on little girls dresses. So I normally trim that away and do a more RTW looking hem.

(the biggest picture of my bum you'll ever see on this blog)

On this one, since it was a tunic length, I left the hem allowance so I could try it on before removing the excess. Then I just left the deep hem, because I liked it. I guess that's why she makes patterns & I don't.

Since I was feeling so accomplished & "on", I went right into the next project. I started Simplicity 3893. I've actually made this before, and only wore it once. It made me feel on the fluffy side:


I even reviewed it HERE. In retrospect, I think it was the loose pants + loose top combo that was making me feel too loose. (Stick Girl, no comments outta you.) I've even dug through the closet a couple of times in search of this top and can't find it so it's possibly been donated (or is visiting a landfill somewhere in Oklahoma or Kansas. Hey, at least it's biodegradable.)

I'm using this yummy cream with black dot georgette to make the same view as above:


And I was feeling all smug and smarty pantsish when I found this fabric in my stash.... all "ooh, nevermind the black windowpane georgette lookie what I found". Um, until I read my review from almost 2 years ago and discovered I had ALREADY PLANNED this top in this fabric in April of 2007.

At least I'm consistent.

The top is constructed, just needs hems. I've procrastinated the hems for an entire day because the mostly poly georgette doesn't like the small hem. Man I wish I had some black or cream satin to make a bias binding for the hems!! Ah well.

It will be finished later today so hopefully I can get a picture for you! Then I will move on to the next project, most likely the NL wrap top. Altho I saw a fabulous Poet's Blouse from the 1/08 BWOF issue, and now it's kinda calling out to me too.And I have this really great dotted batiste-y fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics that would be just wonderful for it too.


Hmmm. I think I'll drink my cocoa and think on this one for a bit.

resolute

I made 5 resolutions last year, mostly dealing with my life & being happy in my existence. And I did a fair job with keeping them. The first two were dicey (less time on the net? What was I thinking?) but the rest I actually tried to embrace, and they're so natural now that I had forgotten they were a resolution. Now they're just what I do.

This year I have fewer things I'm feeling resolute about, but I do have a couple of sewing related ideas:
1. Set aside time each week for sewing! I admire some of my peeps out there for the way they schedule sewing time into their daily routine.
2. Sew at least 1 BWOF & Ottobre pattern from each issue. I get HOW many new BWOF & Ottobre patterns each time in my subscription? Surely I can handle one from each issue.
3. Each new pattern I buy will cost one stash pattern sewn up. I've got WAY too many patterns, and what's the point of collecting if I never sew any of them? I'm not buying any new ones unless I've sewn an equal number of patterns from stash. I may have to add a little marker system over on the sidebars to keep track of this one!
4. Develop a TNT basic wardrobe of patterns. This is a big one, but how much fun would it be to sew when you get the hankering, if you had the BASICS all ready to go? Here's my own list of basic TNT's I want to develop:
a. Trouser
b. A-line skirt (I'm pretty close on this one)
c. Scoop neck tee (ditto, my Ottobre is awfully close)
d. Sheath dress
e. Classic white shirt
f. Jacket (I'm not sure if I need an excessively tailored jacket, but a go-to princess seam jacket would be great!)

That's it for my New Years resolutions. If I just get #1 & 4 accomplished, I'll be ecstatic!

Yesterday I sewed up Butterick 5247 in a really pretty, sort of heavy, black ribbed knit. I was making the short sleeve tunic version, rather than the dress.


Unfortunately it's a bust (having nothing to do with my bust, teehee). No, this pretty fabric was a $!#$ to sew. And it has NO drape, even though it's a knit, and you absolutely can't tell that by feeling it. It has something to do with the ribs, I think. Here's the wavy sleeve seam:


And here's the armored cowl collar:


Moving on. I cut out this very aged stash pattern, Loes Hinse Cowl top. This sucker has 37 reviews on Patternreview!


I'm making the LS cowl version. I really like a loose cowl, & if I can layer something under it, even better! I choise this very drapey, chocolatey brown sweater knit. It's not as "pill prone" as it appears in the photo. I actually have no idea why it photographed that way. Hmmm. It's soft & yummy in any case. Maybe it just needs a shave.


I'm really impatiently waiting for my January BWOF to arrive in the mailbox (TODAY please). I want to make this skirt out of my black & white glencheck plaid that is just like Dawn's. Of course it only goes to a 42 in the mag, so there be alterations ahead.


And this tee with ruffly sleeves is pretty cute too. I like the pieced sleeve alot. Although it might be the color that's calling to me, I LOVE this apple-y green. ALSO only up to 42. Grr.


And in preparation for the Stash Contest over at PR, I cut out a couple of patterns in my stash I've been meaning to tackle for a while now. This popular Vogue Today's Fit tee (8151)


New Look 6729, the LS wrap top:


NL 6815, a safari-esque ensemble. I need to jump on that safari thing before its "out":


I've made this one before, but I pulled it out to try it layered over something else. I was only "meh" about my first version, but I'm thinking this black windowpane georgette I've got might just be the ticket for another go at this, Simplicity 3893:


How much do you love anthropologie? Do you love it as much as me? I could browse that site for days and still not get tired. I've been using Paint.Net and combining pieces & accessories, to make an Idea Book. My best buddy Shannon got me a journal for my birthday (among other fabulous things!) and I've been using it to keep a sort of Sewing Journal.

I thought I'd share my little composite pictures, because I'm going to attempt to find patterns for most of them. I absolutely love the jacket in this one, and there was a 2008 BWOF pattern exactly like this! Score!
And this kimono jacket is awesome. The fabric makes this jacket, but it's not a print. It is actually embroidered! Maybe I'll get all creative and hand embroider a piece for this jacket. I absolutely love it. (I prolly won't be caught dead in skinny jeans either, even though I think they really do look fabulous with this ensemble.)


I should probably get off of here, or I'm going to fail resolution #1 before the year even gets started!