HotPatterns Superfantastic Shirt and more Derby Sewing

Today I finished a "first version" of the HP Superfanstastic Shirt.  I would call it a muslin, but it only needs some minor changes for the final version, so I'll call it a "first version."  Had it not been wearable, THEN it would have been a muslin.  See how that works?

Two hints in making this shirt...make sure you trace carefully and transfer your markings for the front placket very carefully, and second, watch the construction video.  The placket construction is actually much, much easier than it appears on the pattern.  You can find a link to the video on the HP website.

Anyway, here is the finished shirt.  I used an inexpensive lightweight twill from fabric.com.  It is a poly-cotton blend, so it wasn't fabulous to sew with, but perfectly serviceable for a muslin:

The one change that I will make is to shorten the darts and angle them slightly lower.  On me, the darts are not as high as they are on the dress form, which was padded to match my heavier self.  Here is a closer photo of the center placket.  You can see that the placket forms a little pleat in the front that if you have a bit of a tummy, it will do a bit of camouflage.

The rest of the construction is fairly standard, there is not a ton of ease in the sleeves, so you can sew them in flat, which is very convenient.  The shirt also has some nice menswear-style details like a back yoke, center pleat, and sleeve placket.

I will make another version, but I think that a lighter weight fabric will be the way to go.  I have a whole pile of lawns in the stash to choose from.  I also used my new (to me) Singer 301 for all the construction.  It is a great little machine, that has a perfect stitch.  Since I was using the serger to finish the seams, the fact that it was straight-stitch only didn't matter at all.

It also came with it's own button hole attachment, you can see how little it is compared to the 1960's version I use on my 401, 503, and 603e:

I have also been doing more Roller Derby sewing.  This week it has been numbered arm bands.  If you don't have arm bands with your number on it, you have to write your number on your arm with a marker so the refs can see who you are.  

I made a pair of arm bands for myself, and when people saw them they decided that they wanted some, too.  So I made a bunch.  They are pretty simple, all you need is some black t-shirt knit and some white fabric to do your numbers on.  I start by tracing the numbers, then I use a transferrable marker to make an iron-on stencil.  I got some transferrable pens from amazon that work great for this:

Then I use a very short zig zag stitch to outline the numbers and sew them to the black band:

Then make a tube, leaving a small opening in the seam to turn them,  close the ends, and attach your velcro:

Now, no more drawing on ourselves with sharpie!

As ever, more updates later.  Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Some Plans for Spring and a New Version of the HP Three Graces Tee

Getting back in the sewing room has made me start thinking about what I would like to sew, rather than just finishing things that were already lying around the sewing room.  I go to Anthropologie for inspiration quite a bit.  You can go look at the fashion shows on Style.com...but those are a bit more avant garde than what I can wear to work smack in the middle of the country.  So, I tend to default to the Anthropologie-style quite often since it is not as staid as Ann Taylor and Talbots, but still appropriate for my lifestyle.

Poking around the Anthropologie site the other day, I stumbled on this dress:

I really love the ease of it.  So pretty!  But, there are three problems with it:

1. It is yellow.  No offense to those who like yellow, but I look like Walking Dead in yellow.
2. It has a gathered skirt.  Gathered skirt, plus wide hips and big butt equals unflattering.
3. It is $398.00.  Three hundred-WHA?  It's not even a complex pattern. I bet every piece in there is just a gathered rectangle!  $398.00?????

Aaaannnyway....December 2011, this pattern was in BurdaStyle:

There are a couple of things that make this dress a little bit better than the version in Anthropologie:

1. The skirt is not gathered all the way around, it is only gathered at the center front and center back.
2. Look at those adorable sleeves!
3. Seams for shaping in the bodice, not just gathering.

I also have a length of charmeuse that I think would be super-cute as a dress, and...is not yellow:

Isn't that fabric cute?  And let's face it, I was probably just going to make ANOTHER pussy-bow blouse with it.  To go with the 4 already in my closet.

In other sewing, I finished a version of the HotPatterns Classix Nouveau Three Graces Tee that had been lying around the sewing room:

I used a rayon jersey burn-out that was much more sheer than it had appeared online.  So I thought the draping and multiple layers on the front of the shirt would help prevent show-through.  You can see just how sheer the fabric is here:




the back remains pretty sheer, but a cami underneath would be just fine:


























I did make some minor changes to the pattern.  I had made this once before, and while I was happy with the way it looked I found that the "cowliness" of the neckline bothered me.  Combined with all the crossover, that cowl added a lot of fabric to the front of the shirt, and I found myself fiddling with it all the time and eventually safetypinning it down under the drape.

So, I altered the front pattern piece to be more of a scoop neck that was hidden behind the drape rather than a cowl:

To do this, I just redrew the center front piece:

I also made one other minor change to the construction, and that was to sew down the back facing.  I really like the back neck facing on these shirts, but I don't know if it is my fabric, or my choice in interfacing or what, but that facing ALWAYS wads up on my shirts.  So, I sewed it down:

More UFOs Finished

So the quest to complete UFOs continues...

I tend to cut out a lot of patterns at a time, so that way I can sew any time I want to and not have to worry about cutting (which is probably my least favorite part of sewing). Because I have this habit, there are PILES of patterns already cut out in my sewing room, including piles of the same pattern cut out in different fabrics.

Since I have been trying to finish the unfinished objects, I just grabbed a pile and started working...this pile happened to be cardigans, as well as some shirts to make twinsets. All were cut from McCalls 5978, a very basic but classic pattern. Here is one of them, made from a leopard print sweater knit from Fabric.com:

And here is the whole batch:

There are 4 cardigans, the leopard print, and then red, black, and white...all also from a rayon/lycra knit from Fabric.com. There was also a top cut from the leopard using New Look 6735. Normally I am not a huge fan of New Look patterns, but the shirt in 6735 has some really great characteristics. The front is cut longer at the bust than in the back, so there is some shaping there, as well as some shaping at the waist. There is also a center back seam (although I don't use it, I just cut it on the fold) if you need to make a swayback adjustment. There is also a turtleneck made from the ubiquitous BurdaStyle 09-2010-121 in the black knit

Also, per a number of requests, here is the tunic from the previous post "on the hoof." I wore it to work on Wednesday, and got lots of compliments. It is also pretty comfortable. In a cotton, it makes a great summer shirt...but in the charmeuse it is plenty heavy for winter.

This photo is about 25 pounds down from the last time I posted any photos of myself on this blog, which was not even at my heaviest. In fact, there is very little photographic evidence of my highest weight. Probably the photo below is the best example, every other photo from that time period I have strategically placed a husband, niece or nephew directly in front of me so the true extent of my weight gain was largely undocumented.

Since that photo was taken, I went back on Weight Watchers, and got active...biking, kettlebell, and roller derby. I still have a long way to go, but you can definitely see the difference that 25 pounds makes in my workout clothes. Here is me ready to go skate:

My preference for all black workout clothes doesn't really help in illustrating physical changes, but so much skating has resulted in a big change in the overall shape of my body...as in, instead of getting smaller, the butt got bigger.

I can live with a big butt. At least I know how to adjust a pant pattern for it.

I have also gone from a BMI of 34 to one of 29...and 29 is almost out of the risk area. Ideally, I would like to lose another 30 pounds, but would be happy with just overall good health. Even as a youth, I was never active or athletic...so the idea that in kettlebell I can lift half my body weight above my head...or that I can skate for 2.5 hours at a time...or that I can ride my bike 20 miles...all of those things are completely astounding to me. So really, the weight loss is secondary to improving my health overall.

Hopefully, I will have a chance to sew a bit more this weekend...perhaps something much more exciting than a drab old cardigan.

Slowly Getting Back to Sewing (and Blogging)

Since this is my first blog post in MONTHS...I should probably explain what has kept me away for so long. As many of you know, I have struggled with hidradenitis suppurativa, and unfortunately one of the treatments is massive doses of steroids. If you flip back through these blogs you can also see me growing in size from said steroids. Go through them fast, it's like a cartoon! Last summer I made the decision that I was going to seek alternate treatments and attempt to reverse the weight gain from the steroids. To that end, I started riding my bike. Not very far at first, but working up to 20 miles at a time. Because my weight was fluctuating so much, I basically quit sewing anything at all, because it wasn't worth the effort to try and fit anything.

When winter arrived, I had to seek out other outlets, and started working with a personal trainer who specializes in kettlebell. I also joined a roller derby league. Yes, roller derby. In fact, it was roller derby that rekindled my interest in sewing, because I was asked to make "helmet panties," the helmet covers that denote who can score points in a jam:

After completing many, many sets of "panties," I was bitten by the creative bug once again and started sewing for myself. The first thing I did was start finishing up the UFOs that were lying around the sewing room, including a charmeuse tunic I had started on in June.

This tunic was inspired by a Pucci tunic that I saw online some time in 2010. Of course, it was much too expensive for me, so I thought...I can make that.

I have long contended that sewing does not save money. However, that is not an entirely accurate statement. In today's world of discount retailers like Old Navy/Target/WalMart/Cato and their massive inventories of cheap goods manufactured in overseas factories without care for basic human needs such as a minimum wage or laws against child labor...there is no way that a home sewer can beat the prices. $30.00 jeans and $8.00 t-shirts? Fabric alone is more expensive.

On the other hand...if your skills are good, you can refine the fit of patterns, and you are willing to take on more complex designs, you can make some beautiful garments that are similar to designer goods. For example, this Pucci tunic retails for $885.00:

$885.00!! For a shirt!!! Gorgeous though it may be, there is NO WAY that I would ever spend that much on a single item of clothing (even if I COULD afford it). I am sure that it is made from a scrumptious silk...that is probably so delicate I would fear to wear it.

On the other hand, I am a complete SUCKER for a charmeuse. So many fabric retailers have available an incredible number of vibrant fabrics...and let's face it, I just cannot pass up a wild charmeuse, even if it is polyester. Plus, I have a trick for sewing with charmeuse that doesn't work on dry-clean only silk....

If you have a slippery, slithery poly charmeuse that is fighting you while you are trying to work with it...just starch the heck out of it. When I have a charmeuse that I want to sew, I hang the whole length of fabric over the shower rod and just spray it all with heavy starch. Let it dry, and then cut out your pattern. It will stay stiff, and won't slip and slide all over while you are trying to sew.

Anyway, given $15.00 worth of poly charmeuse and an OOP McCalls pattern, a reasonable facsimile of said Pucci tunic can be made:

It feels great to be back in the sewing room...and there are dozens more UFOs to work on. Hopefully, I'll have some more updates soon...

Finding and Following RTW Trends

Normally when I am purchasing fabric and planning projects, I make an attempt to locate something similar through snoop shopping some of my favorite RTW locations. One of the reasons that I do this is because if your goal is to make something that is current, fashionable, and cannot be readily identified as handmade...it is important to make sure that you are following current trends. Some of the things that I look for in snoop shopping are:

1. Fabric type
2. Colors and prints
3. Details like buttons and embellishments
   

For example, patterns often make recommendations for buttons that are much larger than what you typically see in RTW clothing. Also, fabric stores do not necessarily carry all the current trends/prints in fabrics. When I deviate from following the "rules," I find that I start to cross the line into "Becky Home-Ecky," as Michael Kors says on Project Runway.

My most recent project is one of the best examples I have put together lately of following the RTW trends.

Earlier in spring, I had saved to my "inspiration" folder the following shirt that I had seen on the Anthropologie website:


Then...I found some really nice cotton lawn on the FFC website:


Combine this with Hot Patterns 1043, the Vintage HotPatterns Boho Deluxe Peasant Top:


And....voila! My Anthropologie knockoff!


Unlike the newer Hot Patterns, this one has un-illustrated instructions that are separate from the rest of the pattern sheets. Even though, I found the top to be easy to put together. It is a simple raglan sleeve top, just like one of a million I have put together before. There are two options for necklines, a flat neck band with the shirt gathered onto it, or a casing with gathering. I opted for the flat neck band since it looked a little more finished to me. Be sure to make yourself a "tag," otherwise you can't really tell the front from the back!


I got impatient sewing it...and when I didn't have the right color thread, rather than wait for a trip to the fabric store I just used white thread. I think it looks fine:


As always with new Hot Patterns, I always sew a muslin. There is nothing really to show here, other than my proof that I am actually SEWING FROM STASH!


The only thing I learned from the muslin was that I needed to contour the side seams more, and shorten the top by 2 inches. It's actually pretty handy using a plaid for muslins because the grid helped me move the alterations from the top to the pattern...you always have a line or some other marker that you can measure to or from. Oh, I also learned that I am too damn old for tiny puff sleeves. No worries, though, the shirt will not go unloved...a co-worker has already laid claim to it!

Happy Snoop Shopping, All!

Another Summer Tunic, Simplicity 2365

It seems that tunics are kind of my "thing" this summer. I have already completed two others, and this weekend I finished up a version of Simplicity 2365, a tunic with shoulder princess seams and a pintucked bodice. 2365 is very similar to Simplicity 3786, except 2635 has a center back seam. I had initially purchased 3786, but noticed the lack of shaping to the back and reconsidered.


Simplicity 2365 is one of those patterns that suffer from some really unattractive pattern art...which seems to obscure the fairly nice lines of the pattern (not the one with the belt, that one is awful). Sometimes the line drawings can be so frumpy...Kwik Sew is guilty of this, too. I pass them over all the time for being old fashioned...until I see a review on PR that looks fabulous and I have to go back and reconsider.

Fortunately for me and my tunic obsession, it also seems that tunics are popular in RTW this season. For example, I found one with similar pintucks on Bluefly.com:


Bright colors and florals are certainly in right now:


Given that, I felt fairly confident that the tunic that I was making would not be off-trend for the season:


I used a floral printed dotted swiss, in shades of pink and white:


I used the sleeve option with the button tab that would hold them when they were rolled up. My grandma loved these kinds of sleeves. Think I will immediately start tucking kleenex up my sleeves and complaining about being cold?


I also used french seams throughout so that it would look cleaner when the sleeves were rolled up and also so a serged seam would not show through the light-weight fabric. I even managed a french seam on the armscye...something that I hadn't attempted before. Starting with that skinny seam allowance actually made easing the sleeve cap a lot easier, I may just start doing this all the time:


I ordered a couple more lawns from the recent sale on cottons at Fashion Fabrics Club, one could be a ringer for the navy and white Anthropologie tunic pictured above. Hopefully I'll get a few more summer shirts out of the way before it gets too hot. I also have been working on some alterations to the Hot Patterns Summer in the City shirt...stay tuned...it is massively different than the first version! I also need to put together a few pairs of drawstring pants to slouch around in...so I'll have quite a bit of sewing on my plate the next few weeks.

New HotPatterns Shirt

This weekend I completed HotPatterns 1108, the "Weekender Sunshine Summer in the City Shirt, Tunic and Dress." I made the shirt version. Here is the pattern art:


And here is the description from the HotPatterns website:

"Easy, breezy and totally gorgeous shirt style, this works best in drapey shirt weight fabrics like soft chambray, rayon, crepe, silk twill, washed linen, voile, or even a knit jersey.

Semi-fitted shirt has classic collar and stand; front and back are gathered onto a yoke. Choose from 3 lengths...shirt, tunic or shirtdress, all finished with a shirt-tail hem. Shirt offers 3 different short sleeve options... rolled up with buttoned strap; elasticated; and ruched with self fabric drawstring.

Perfect for casual weekend looks but also great for low-key day or evening outfits, this beautifully relaxed style is a must-have addition to your HotPatterns wardrobe...wear the dress version belted for a casually chic outfit; try the shirt version tucked into a slick pencil skirt and wear the tunic version over slim or relaxed-fit cropped or rolled-up pants."

From my experience with this pattern, I can say that you must follow the fabric recommendations. I think that mine might even have been a bit stiff. I'll launder it a couple of times to see if the gathers calm down, but I pressed the gathers down on the back to keep it from "pouffing" (of course, if you watch the video posted on the website, Trudy's pouffs on the back, too).

Number two, there was a little oddness when attaching the shirt fronts to the yoke. If I matched the notches exactly...this is what I ended up with:

The portion to the left in the image is the shirt front (button placket to the top of the image) and the yoke is to the right. You can see there is a bit of offset at the end of the yoke. So, I did this:


And that seemed to work perfectly fine, the end of the yoke seam is hidden in the collar stand, and the collar stand fits perfectly. Here is the finished shirt:


The sleeves look a bit forlorn just hanging there on the mannequin, but in reality they are quite cute. I guess you could say they are kind of a modified Kimono sleeve.

Here is the shirt from the back:


You can see that the back is heavily gathered. The gathers are a much softer look than pleats.

And here is the shirt ready to go to work:


You can see the length since I opted not to tuck it in. This is the shirt length. I found the shirt to be a bit roomier than what I normally wear, being a bit heavy I normally try to avoid extra volume in my clothes. To minimize the volume I ended up belting it to wear it to work today.

There also seems to me to be a little too much fabric under the arms...I know that with a kimono-type sleeve there is always going to be fabric folded under the arms, but I thought that I could minimize that in a second version (I started the alterations this evening after work, which everything was fresh in my mind).

When I make it again I will make two changes:

1. I will use a significantly smaller size. I cut a 16 based on my measurements (and this is why you should always make a muslin, of course, I didn't) and I have a LOT of extra width, which bunches up under the arms. I realize that with the drop shoulders this is going to happen regardless, but I just feel that it is a bit too much. The neck is also a touch big, so I think I might go down as far as a 12 for a second version.
   
2. I will eliminate some of the fullness in the back and contour the side seams more. Right now, the shirt cannot be worn unless it is belted or tucked in...although if I get pregnant this will be my "go to" (banish the thought, I'm too old and my eggs are expired). Not that this is necessarily a problem, I have lots of shirts I only wear tucked in...but if I were to make the tunic length it would be intended to be worn out...not tucked. And right now the fullness is fine for the dress or for the shirt, because either of those would be tucked in or belted.

Overall, a nice addition to the wardrobe for the summer...not to mention, I used fabric as well as buttons from stash...Yay for not buying more stuff!