Ottobre Woman 2-2007: Capri

These started out as my muslin, but they turned out so good, I wore them to work today!! (excuse the wrinkles!)


This is the Wide-Leg Capri Pant from Ottobre Woman 2-2007. I have been wanting to make these ever since I saw JuliaS' wonderful capri's on PR. I'm pretty amazed at how few alterations I will need to make these really nice-fitting pants!

My measurements put me between a 48 and 50 in Ottobre's size charts, but I'm chicken and always expect LOTS of alterations, so I cut a 52. I used a fairly lightweight cotton gabardine from stash (no stretch).

For this pair, I made NO alterations whatsoever to the pattern, because I wanted a true muslin. They fit pretty awesome right out of the box!! They are definitely a size too big, especially through the waist, which I tugged at all day to keep from slipping down. I probably could have used a 48 in the waist area. (I will probably trace off a 46 waist, 48 pant for those times when I want to use a stretch woven, because there is lots of room in this non-stretchy fabric.)

Since I sew and expect a REALLY good fit, there are things I will still change. There's something going on in the crotch area, but it's hard to decipher since the pants are so roomy (I can pull these on and off without unfastening the waist/unzipping!) I think I need to scoop out the back crotch a bit. They also sit pretty far down from my waist (definitely more than an inch) and I will be raising that. Don't want to be flashing anyone!

Here's a back view:


Really, not a bad fit in the back either, although I do have some smile lines! Is that the crotch thing?? But you know, these fit as good or better as any RTW pants I own. (I'd really like PERFECT capris, still, of course!)

When I cut these out, I only cut one waistband and forgot to cut the facing! Duh. Since they were a muslin and I was feeling frisky, I cut the facings from zebra quilting cotton. :D (And I smiled every time I went to the restroom today and saw that waist facing!) I also used trouser hooks instead of buttons on the waistband tab.


I really, really like these pants. And they went together SO fast. The instructions were pretty straightforward, although I did use Sandra Betzina's Fly Zip tutorial from Power Sewing (I always watch the video on the Threads website if I need a refresher too!)

I'll be making more of these for sure! And I'm pretty excited about trying out the denim capri's in the same issue out of some stretch denim in stash.

Short Project

Another quick project for Lu, brought to you by the holiday weekend...Simplicity 4162:

Simplicity 4162 View E

Pull-on shorts that were quick & easy to sew, but have an added little zip with little pockets on the front and a button tab & cuff on the hem. I used a linen blend from stash in aqua blue. I really like the cuff with button tab. We used a fun JHB button from stash:


There is also a drawstring ribbon tie, but the drawstring is non-functional. You stitch 2
buttonholes on either side of the CF seam, and then after the waistband is finished, thread a length of ribbon through the button holes to tie in a bow. I stitched in the ditch in the CF seam after running the ribbon through to keep it in place. Normally I would have made a self-fabric tie, but these little blue shorts needed some "zip", even after we added the snazzy buttons, so we picked out a hot pink gingham ribbon from the stash bucket.

The pocket pattern is the same size for all sizes in the package, which is probably my only complaint. We've had this pattern a while and made it a couple of years ago and the pocket was cute on that size. It looks a bit small, however, on this size. Next time I'll enlarge the pocket a bit.

Next up on the sewing table is the sleeveless top from this pattern, View C.

Saturday Afternoon No Brainer

This UFO has been sitting by the sewing machine for 2 weeks waiting for ribbon ties.


Fun project to do because it's ONE SEAM! All of the other design work is done for you. These pre-smocked/gathered panels were on sale at Hancocks a few weeks ago, so Lu picked out this juicy summer stripe for a sundress/top.

We scored the perfect matching ribbon for ties.

I finished this project & planned another while rewatching the BSG miniseries (Season 1), i.e. the good old days.

We miss you too, Captain Apollo.

BWOF 2-2008 #122

A "Mod Tunic"...not my usual style, but with all the skinny leg stuff in the stores, I thought it was worth giving a whirl! Plus, I had this Mod-ish knit that might work in stash.


As I said before, I added an FBA to the front pieces, and eased that new dart in the side seams rather than actually make a dart. I suppose I could have rotated the dart into the pleats in the front, but I was worried enough (rightly so) that this top already had too much fullness over my bust.

The neckline is VERY cute on. But the shoulders are very narrow and very widely spaced...almost falling off my shoulder spaced. Here's a closer shot of the neckline:


Sadly, I'm not thrilled with THAT much fullness falling from my bust area. It's TOO full. I'm thinking I might decrease the pleats to just tucks instead. The tunic actually does have some shaping to it, you just can't tell with all that fullness in the front.

I didn't do the back zip, but cut the back pieces on the fold instead. I'm working with a knit instead of a woven/stretch woven as suggested. Surprise, surprise but the instructions for this one are really pretty decent! The only thing that was cagey was the yokes, because it sort of left out the part where you stitch the yoke facings to the yokes RST. It does tell you to turn them though. (It's just up to you to figure out what to turn!)

I also stitched the sleeves flat before doing the side seams. With a woven I would have followed the directions. Sadly, I stitched the sleeves in BACKWARDS!!! Entirely my fault, and I didn't notice until everything was serged and basically finished except for hems. Drat it.

I'm not sure if I want to fiddle with ripping it out and re-doing the sleeves. That's an itty-bitty seam. Plus, there are a few other things I'd like to tweak on this one. Like maybe widening that shoulder area on the yoke, and lowering the armscye a bit. It's pretty snug under my arm, although I can't really tell how much of that is the BACKWARD SLEEVE. Argh. AND since I'm not crazy about the fullness in front, I can adjust that too and have another go.

Luckily, I have another Mod-ish print in stash, but I'm not sure I've got enough to give it a go with this tunic. I'll have to lay it out and see.

More later!

Yay for the Long Weekend!

First up is clearing out some UFO's! A LH Swing Skirt in blue rose print with a dotty pocket:


and this cute tunic from BWOF 2/2008-#122:

And the line drawing...I used a funky knit for this one (unknown origin!) I did add a FBA, which I will ease in on the side seams rather than make a dart in my knit. Now hopefully the goofy thing will fit. The square neckline is a bit weird. It's very wide. I think I may have to wear a tank top or something under it to cover my bra straps. Shoulda made a muslin!

I cut the back yoke on the fold (minus seam allowance) since I was using a knit and don't plan on inserting a zip. Ditto for the back piece. The front & back yokes/linings are finished, understitched and all. The neckline was way too wide at first, so I made a center seam to take out the extra. With this print, you can't really even see it though. See below :


Barely noticeable, huh?! I've also got the pleats basted down on the front:


Now it's just a matter of sewing the backs & fronts to their respective yokes, add sleeves (which I will be adding flat rather than set-in as directed), side seams and hems. Yeah, OK, that sounds like a lot. But it should go fast.

Be back later, hopefully with good results!