McCall 6032, Gathered Loop Front Knit Dress

McCall 6032 is totally my kind of pattern: a knit dress with a bit of volume in the front. I like the double V front and back neckline and the choice of sleeves as well. When I found the fabric at Fabric Mart ($5.99/yd) it seemed like a great match. The front of this dress is cut as one piece so it's a good pattern for a large motif like this, though the back has a separate bodice and skirt and a CB seam, and I did not handle the cutting layout very well I found when it was done! My main concern was not to get a giant circle over my boob, so at least I succeeded in that.

This calls for a center back zipper and for the bodice to be lined. To add insult to injury, the bodice lining is done the Bad Old Way where you have to sew the shoulders at the end, rather than the new, all-machine clean-finish way. This is a nice sturdy knit so it didn't need to be lined and as for a zipper in a knit, pfft.

When I made some unmentionables recently I finally pulled out the picot elastic I had purchased from Sew Sassy and I thought it was really cute and decided to use it as a neckline finish at the next opportunity. This presented the perfect project!

The front is cut on the fold, and I had cut the back bodice on the fold as well since I was not putting in a zipper. While cutting, it seemed like the back neckline was really low. When I put it together, the back neckline was indeed really, really low. The dress was overall a bit too large as well. And I was a little stumped as to how to get a good elastic application only by clipping into the seam allowance at CF and CB. I took a rather large dart at center back, taking up about 1.5 inches of fabric and finishing it a little above the waist. I cut it open and unstitched the first 5/8" for seam allowance. At the center front, I took a tiny dart only slightly longer than the seam allowance and slashed and unstitched it 5/8" as well. I cut two pieces of elastic, each slightly shorter than the distance from CF to CB, folded down the seam allowance on the neckline, and stitched in place with a twin needle, overlapping at CF and CB to make a point. I trimmed away the seam allowance only so it would like nice for the picture. Ha!

I was happy with the way the neckline trim looked--it adds a little pizzazz without being too obvious and using trim like this makes for a nice sharp V at center front and back.

Here's my dumb move and slapdash finish for the project. I cut the 3/4 length balloon sleeve, even though every time I've tried this look in the past it is a disaster on me. It makes me look shorter and like I have tiny Tyrannosaurus arms, and also widens me across the middle. And also looks like an old-fashioned nightgown. This look works for many people so I'm always lulled back into temptation, but on me it is all around bad.

Instead of first going to narrowing the sleeve to be fitted, I decided to chop them off in a fit of mania and see if I could do a puffed elbow length sleeve. That didn't look good either. So now I was stuck with voluminous, unflattering sleeves. I could have cut out a new set, but then I wouldn't have enough fabric to make the Simplicity 2580 empire waist cowl top. So I carefully serged my cut off lower halves back on using the tiniest seam allowance possible and narrowed the sleeves. Luckily, the joining seam really doesn't show from 5 feet away so I think I got away with it...this time. I hemmed the sleeves with picot elastic to echo the neckline.

You can see that the low back neckline creates room for it to slip off my shoulders a bit. I don't have to constantly pull it back up into place, thank goodness, but I might need to make some sort of sloping shoulder adjustment if I were to make it again. Bra strap keepers would help, too. The way it opens up creates those little dewlaps at my underarms, but at least there's no swayback! I made my usual swayback adjustment, of course. But perhaps swayback puddling would distract from the terrible pattern repeat there at center back.

This was another piece that got a lot of wear on my trip to Turkey. Love the bright colors and sturdy knit, and the cut flatters my shape well.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

So, it's cold now. Sadness. Cidell and I were talking about Fall/Winter sewing and she expressed skepticism that my knit dresses for winter actually keep me warm. They don't. The dresses are barely an afterthought in the scheme of keeping warm. First, you start with tights. Then come the wool knickers made out of thrift store merino wool sweaters. Lightweight, form fitting, and oh so warm. I think the wool knickers are the smartest sewing I have ever done. Now, don't get me wrong--they are so ugly that they are the anti-sex. Much worse than a chastity belt, because the chastity belt implies that someone wants to get at what's under there. With the wool knickers, it's like, "I wouldn't go near that with a 10 foot pole." But so warm.

Then you add knee high boots, a coat, a scarf, a hat, and gloves. Oh, and throw on a dress somewhere in there. The only place that isn't covered in a double layer is your knees, and if it's really cold you can put on some black Cuddl Duds (big fan of the product, despite the inexplicable spelling) or silk long johns, which can pass for tights on the commute to work but have to be removed in the office because they don't *really* look like tights. My office allows jeans on Friday so I usually do that, but other than Fridays I wore pants only one time last winter when it was too damn cold for a dress. Otherwise wool knickers/boots/coat/hat/scarf/gloves keeps you warm, despite the flimsiness of a knit dress.

Designer Inspiration: Fall/Winter Dresses

Yesterday was the most perfect day of the whole year, I think. Blue skies, breezy, not humid and not dry, not cold and not hot--somewhere in the mid to high 70s. The leaves are starting to fall and it was just like Hollywood's idea of Autumn, where the heroine walks through brilliant, drifting foliage in a sleeveless shift dress with boots and bare legs and it never rains or requires outerwear.

However, I know this enchanted Indian summer can't last (and indeed, it's much cooler today) and so my thoughts turn to what in the world to sew for Fall and Winter. After having inventoried my summer dresses and finding that I have over a month's worth I became sad when contemplating a long cold season with my paltry eight or so winter dresses. That's not even two weeks' worth! So I went on the hunt for some designer inspiration.




One of my top picks is this David Meister side pleat dress.
Vogue 7762 is a reasonable facsimile, especially if it is feasible to pleat rather than gather the side seam.




I loved the yellow and green colors shown in this recent post on Capitol Hill Style, especially the mustard and chartreuse. I will be heading to NYC for work in a couple of weeks and am hoping to fit in a little bit of fabric shopping on the day I'm not speaking, so I tried to tell myself I could look for a wool crepe in New York. But then I found a mustard wool crepe on Fabric Mart (still a few yards left) and was done for. I haven't received mine to verify that the hand is suitable for dresses nor that I can wear this tricky color, but I am in eager anticipation.







The mustard dress project will probably take a backseat to a quickie version of this Akris wool challis dress.
I'm thinking McCall 5661 is pretty much a dead ringer if lengthened into a dress, and with little fitting and the only complicated details at the sleeve and the neckline, this should be an easy $1390(!!!) dress.


I am still thinking on how, exactly, I will do the lining (wool voile is too sheer and lightweight to be unlined), but it's not going to be complicated. This will be great for Fall, and can transition into winter with a turtleneck underneath.










I thought I'd seen every variation on the twist but this Michael Kors is new to me and I *adore* it. How in the world you do a twist on a functional (?-so it appears) button placket is beyond me. It brings to mind a little bit Meli88a's fantastic Vogue 2742, but of course this out-of-print pattern doesn't appear to be available anywhere. Curses!!!! If you have this pattern sitting unused in your stash, I will happily purchase or trade for it.












Ah, Dior, you are so scrumptious. I could probably cobble together something like this from various patterns (hint: Vogue 2975 (now OOP) and Burda 08-2009-128) but I would not look like a 6 foot tall Amazon in it, more like a neckless pygmy with an abdominal growth, so it will remain in the realm of eye candy if I know what's good for me. But I love the demure high neck and knee length, with the fitted bodice adding a little frisson of sexy to the schoolmarm.











How is it that I don't have a pattern for this? It is such a great, simple shirtdress silhouette with the single drama element of the collar.







The closest I can come is Burda 01-2008-121 (starting size 38, ugh). Hmm. I guess the BWOF isn't actually that different, I'd just have to chop off the cut-on collar and add a new one. I would not wear it slit up to there, though.




This one struck me only because it is similar to vintage reissue Vogue 2787, although with the "coffin dress"* problem remedied with the S seam continuing onto the back. It had never occurred to me to consider this pattern in a knit, but I can definitely see it working (with a lowered neckline--when I made this I found it way too high--and more relaxed armscye).

*Although I wholeheartedly concur with Kathleen Fasanella's distaste for clothes that are fancy in front with nothin' going on in back, in the case of this circa 1948 pattern, I would guess it has something to do with lingering wartime shortages/fashion preferences for fabric-economical designs.

I found lots of other great pieces with great details that are beyond my capability to create, I just like to look at them. This vavoom Pucci is to die for! It would make for some hot winter date nights (I am already tired of my winter date night staple Vogue 1020 and I haven't even worn it yet this season!). And of course we have the magnificent Carolina Herrera.

Can I just say that I'm so happy I sew in a world where taupe is apparently the "loud" color? Ick! When skies are gray and all the trees and plants are hibernating, you have to bring your own color to the world, not succumb to the dreariness of black, gray, and taupe. I think that's why the Akris dress caught my eye--it's a (very very subdued) print with (very very subdued) color. Shocking!

There are plenty more pieces to drool and plot over in my inspiration folder.

What's on your sewing list? Seen any great dresses I should check out?

Simplicity 2369, Raglan Sleeve Wrap Top and Dress

I had never paid any attention to Simplicity 2369, even though it is a knit dress. But then I saw the awesome version that KayY wore to PR Weekend Montreal. Loves the overall flattering shape, interesting sleeves, and wrap look with plenty of room for a belly. I picked it up the next time I hit a Simplicity sale.

For my Turkey Travel Wardrobe, I made the short-sleeved dress out of a poly knit purchased from Fabric Mart in June of last year ($3.49/yd). I ended up liking it so much that when I realized it was going to be cooler than expect, I whipped up a long-sleeved top out of some rayon knit purchased in Hong Kong. I brought both pieces with me. Alas, I was only able to wear the dress once but the top got lots of wear.





I altered the pattern with my usual small bust adjustment method of shortening the diagonal wrap line, as well as a swayback adjustment. The swayback on the dress looks better than the top, but I think it is the difference in fabric.




I have a grainline question on swayback adjustment, if anyone can help. This little publication from New Mexico State University is an *awesome* capsule resource for almost every kind of pattern alteration. However, they only show a swayback alteration on a skirt. For a skirt, you fold out your wedge at center back below the waistline. The grainline on the skirt is unchanged and waist tilts down at center back. This has worked well for me on dresses with a back waist seam (I've found I don't need to alter skirts for swayback).





However, the back of this dress is cut as one long piece and I don't know where the grainline goes in that instance. Because this is a knit and grain isn't such a big deal, I just split the difference and redrew (well, re-eyeballed) the grainline so that the altered grainline was evenly distributed and neither the top nor the bottom were on the original grainline (which, after the alteration, is now an obtuse angle of about 160 degrees), as crudely demonstrated on the left. But for a woven, I don't know if this is the way to do it. I have a few woven dresses with one piece backs in mind and would like to clear this up before proceeding! It seems like a bad thing to have either the top or the bottom badly off grain, but perhaps it is worse to have both slightly off grain.

One of the things that attracted me to this pattern is that there appeared to be plenty of fabric over the belly coming out from under the wrap. It is adequately roomy, but I found that the extra fabric wanted to roll away from my belly over the sides, so I did a touch of hand gathering where it is safely covered by the crossover to make sure the extra fabric stayed where I wanted.

For the dress, I liked the roomy elbow length sleeve, though the proportion was too long for my arm so I shortened by folding out two inches between the cutting line for the short sleeve and the elbow length sleeve. The resulting length and width are flattering, I think. For the top, I didn't want that width, nor did I see the need for a two piece sleeve so I combined the top and bottom sleeve patterns, marking a dart where they diverge at the shoulder, and narrowed to a normal sleeve width. The sleeve looks great and I think it's the first raglan sleeve I've made where the dart apex is actually on my shoulder! (I have narrow shoulders and raglan sleeves can be a pain to alter for that.)

The only thing I didn't like about the pattern was the method of attaching the tie. You're supposed to sew the long edge and one short edge of the tie, turn inside out, and then just sew right sides together with the wrap edge. It's fine, but the attachment area is wide enough that when you knot the tie it shows a little and I thought there was a better way.

For the top, I completed the bodice as directed, and then took the unsewn tie piece and folded it over the pleated wrap edge of the bodice, right sides together, with the raw edges of the tie facing down. Then I serged the tie to the bodice along the short edge and sewed it for a few inches along the raw edge, using the serger to trim up to the stitching. I used the sewing machine for the long edge because I didn't want to accidentally catch in the bodice. Then I serged the freestanding short edge (the end of the tie) and along the long edge to within a few inches of my original stitching line. Turn the tie right side out through that opening and then hand-stitch to close. The result is a fully enclosed tie that looks a lot nicer than having the seam allowances hanging out.

To finish the necklines, rather than use the facing strip (sooooo much better than a shaped facing as used for wovens, which is what most knit patterns have so kudos to Simplicity) I turned under and twin-needled over clear elastic.

I'm really happy I gave this pattern a shot. I think it is flattering for a large variety of body types, and is fairly simple to make. I also like that it's seasonless (once you draft a long sleeve for it). I will have to try the buckle closure at some point.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Burda 08-2010-113 Stand Collar Jacket

I normally travel while it is warm at my destination, but this year my travel companion's work schedule pushed our trip to Turkey back to early October. I knew we would have cool nights, at the very least. I have been feeling the lack of an early Fall jacket for mid-50s to low-60s (too cold for a denim jacket, but not cold enough for a coat) for a while, so the trip provided the impetus for me to make a jacket as the centerpiece of my wardrobe.

I didn't like much in Burda's August 2010 issue, but I just *loved* the details on the Burda 08-2010-113 jacket (pattern available for purchase at BurdaStyle at the link--I suppose this is the good thing about the website "transition"): the cool variation on a standing collar, interesting slight V neckline that doesn't compromise warmth, princess seams (accomplished with a side panel--there is no side seam), cropped length, unusual diagonal dart, rounded front hemline. So many great details. I don't really get the extended front shoulder for a faux yoke-ish look, but it doesn't seem to affect fit or wear so whatevs. And it's a petite! Although, as they have informed us "petite" only means shorter; it is not altered to accommodate, for instance, a petite's narrower shoulders and for this particular pattern I think they forgot to shorten the sleeves.

I planned a purple and green wardrobe so that everything would go with the fuschia lambswool for this jacket, purchased from fabric.com when they were selling the Vera Wang Lavendar Label fabrics for $1.95/yd at the beginning of the year. The lining is the olive silk/rayon slipper satin from the same collection. I pre-treated by laying flat in the bathtub and sort of sliding it around without crumpling, hanging dry, and then washing by machine. It didn't come out with the surface intact, but it is fine for lining. I love the way the two colors look together. The buttons are from a Fabric Mart 4 pound bag I split with Cidell. I thought they were super ugly and didn't plan to take any, but she urged me to. I didn't have anything else that would work for the jacket so I used these as "temporary" buttons, but they have totally grown on me. I think they suit the tweedy vibe of the fabric and style very well.

I altered the pattern to include a swayback adjustment, shorten the sleeves (I like jackets to have knuckle length sleeves, but these were ridiculous), and a small bust adjustment by both narrowing the dart and flattening the bust curve of the side piece (as demonstrated here).

I pretreated the wool fabric by washing and drying in the washing machine and dryer. Yes, I am that brutal. After how easily ruined the VW slipper satin was, and how ridiculously much the silk chiffon bled (another project in the travel wardrobe possiblities), I wanted to make sure the fabric was worth sewing. Fortunately, it did beautifully and did not shrink very much, if at all.

The wool remained very soft after coming out of the washing machine, so I fused all the pieces with a lightweight knit interfacing to give it some body and hopefully cut down on wrinkling. Boy, is fusing boring.

The jacket is relatively easy to sew.

The very long diagonal bust darts require a little strategery, especially where they intersect with the princess seams. I had to clip the seam allowances to layer everything properly. In the end, my darts are not quite the same length. Oops.

The VW wool eased nicely, which was a huge bonus. For the princess seams, I ran a line of basting stitch just outside the stitching line; pulling up on those threads made it very easy to ease the pieces together without puckers.

I was very trepidatious about the sleeves after my Tuxedo Jacket of Doom experience. The body and especially the notched collar of the Tuxedo Jacket of Doom are beautiful but the sleeves are so bad that I will never wear it. There are puckers in the sleevecap (my fault, I suppose) and the sleeve folds and spirals in the most horrible way (not my fault, I don't think). The jacket is unwearable after all the work I put in. I haven't had a problem with Burda sleeves on non-outerwear (innerwear?), but that jacket was just so beyond that it scarred me!

First issue was the shoulders were way, way too wide. I do have narrow shoulders compared to the sloper used by the pattern companies, but I don't usually have too much of an issue in Burda. I trimmed about half inch off the shoulder edge of the jacket before setting in the sleeves. Because it is an outerwear jacket, which is not meant to fit like clothes but over them, I decided to leave the shoulder a tiny bit extended versus where I would place a blouse. In the end, I wish I had brought the shoulder in a full inch to my natural shoulder line, but it's not a big deal.

I planned to use shoulder pads but with the slightly extended shoulder and soft fabric (even after fusing) I decided it could also use a sleeve head. Using this information from Claire Shaeffer's Couture Sewing (thank you Google Books!) I cut a piece of silk organza on the bias 8 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide, folded in half, pinned over the sleeve at the armscye seam with the fold extending slightly over the seamline and hand-sewed in place (could have used machine but after how much easing the sleevecap required I didn't want to jinx my smooth insertion).

When the armscye seam is pressed toward the sleeve the sleeve head folds over on itself because of the fold extending beyond the seamline so it is four layers. I really don't know that it made a huge difference--in the photo at left, the side with the pin has a sleeve head and the other side doesn't. But at least I tried a new technique!

The back of the sleevecap needed a large amount of easing, but here I was working with wool so it went in a little easier than the TJOD. I ran a line of basting stitching near the seamline (within the seam allowance), pinned, and then pulled the basting stitch to ease. Then I hand-basted the back sleevecap in place. Then I sewed with the sleeve toward the feed dogs so they would take up some of the ease, counting on my hand-basting to keep it flat. It worked! I was inordinately pleased.


I don't really understand the point of the tiny back vent, as this is a cropped jacket, and it isn't really a proper vent anyway, just an unsewn bit of the center back seam. So I sewed the CB seam completely and dispensed with the vent.

The pattern is drafted with a patch pocket with flap at the waist and a welt pocket at the breast. I didn't want a breast pocket and I wasn't keen on the flapped pockets--seemed too fussy in my fabric. I did want pockets, however--you have to have a place to keep your gloves!

I didn't want a flat pocket because then the gloves would create an unattractive pooch, so I used the pleated pocket from Simplicity 2728. I don't think there's actually room to put a glove in each pocket without distorting the look, but I really like the pleated pocket, and spent some time making sure the pleat seamline of the pocket matched up with the princess seamline of the jacket.

Since this was a travel jacket, I contemplated whether I wanted a zipper breast pocket in the lining as a place to securely hold a credit card, but decided that the fabric was too thin and there would clearly be a credit card sitting over my boob. Obvious security precautions shout "I am a tourist with valuables! Please rob me!" So I just put in a button internal pocket large enough to hold business cards in my normal life and a credit card in travel life.

I have given up on professional-type jackets as each one I've sewn has been a disaster. However, I have had plenty of success with outerwear so I thought of this as outerwear in the construction.

I sewed this jacket in a little over a week, breaking up the construction into small tasks and setting goals for each evening. It was great to feel so productive, but that level of organization is not sustainable in my life, LOL. I have more outerwear pieces on the horizon for this winter. After three winters of heavy wear my green coat is completely dead at this point--threadbare and irretrievably filthy, so that needs to be replaced. I hope I can be as diligent for future projects as for this one!

I was beyond pleased with this jacket when I finished it, and it performed very well on my trip to Turkey. There is some slight pilling of the fabric on the inner sleeve and side where the sleeve rubs against the jacket, but it is noticeable only up close. Considering I wore this nonstop for 10 days, which simulates nearly an entire season of wear (10 days for 12 hours/day is 120 hours; normally I wear a coat maybe 2 hours/day, so that is the equivalent of 60 days of wear) I can say that the VW lambswool is of good quality!

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

Back from Turkey! and Travel Wardrobe Preview

I have returned! I actually got back last Saturday but caught a cold on the plane back and have been a little out of it. Although the weather was not ideal (two days of sun out of ten days in Turkey and a day and a half of rain in Athens), we had a great time. We especially loved our visit to Kapadokya in the center of the country--it has amazing geological formations (pictured at the top of the post) and fantastic hiking. Which I was able to do as I was cleared to leave the US without the boot. What a relief! You can see all of my photos here.

I went into a sewing mania before I left. It was almost to the level of unhealthy. Well, let's be real. It *was* unhealthy. I called Cidell and begged her to stop me. I was acting like a true addict, and kept saying, "OK, this really is the last one." And then I would sneak and sew something else.

Because I sewed so much it was more like shopping than planning. I just wanted a lot of pieces to choose from! In the end, I didn't pack quite right because it was much colder than the weather had predicted but I survived. I will eventually (I hope) blog about most of the pieces individually, but here's a few sneak peeks (click the photos to enlarge).

First and foremost, a new jacket! This is the fuschia lambswool from the Vera Wang Lavendar Label collection that Fabric.com was selling for $1.99/yd at the beginning of the year. I was not overly impressed with the quality of most of the fabrics from that collection, but this jacket held up well with 12+ daily hours of wear for nearly two weeks and better yet--I'm not sick of it! I am really happy with this piece. The pattern is Burda 08-2010-113. Here I am posing with a reproduction of a medusa head that is found in the Byzantine Cistern (photo in situ here)

A wrap dress out of the fantastic border print knit that was a gift from Marji (I also managed to squeeze another dress and a skirt out of this fabric, quite a feat as it was a double border, double directional print). I'm pictured here on the Acropolis in Athens in front of the Erechtheion. I persuaded the friendly German guy who took my picture to take another after a sudden gust of wind blew the skirt open to the waist in the first photo!

A wrap sweater, made from a gold sweaterknit I bought ages ago for the very purpose of making a wrap sweater. It's amazing when things actually happen as planned. I rubbed the pattern off a sweater I bought from H&M about 6 years ago. I loved the sweater so much I went back and bought it in the other color they had and I wear them all the time. I'm glad I finally got around to making this into a pattern! Also glad I got around to making it for the trip, as many days I wore two sweaters and a jacket to stay warm, so I was glad to have the extra layer.

In addition to these pieces, I made two more dresses (both came), four tops (two came), a skirt, a nightgown, and a sunhat (the very, very last piece made at midnight the night before departure--really needn't have bothered on that one, lol!!!).

I was looking forward to fabric shopping in the Grand Bazaar, as the little map in my guidebook showed a whole "street" of fabric shops. Well, I think home sewing is about as popular in Turkey as here because there were only 4 or 5 fabric stands, mostly with fancy sequined type fabric. I did manage to find two pieces. The one on the left was sold to me as cotton; I was suspicious of how soft it was but liked the print. When I pulled out out of the washing machine I confirmed for sure that it is rayon as it had that papery, woody texture. Oh well. The piece on the right I purchased from a man who spoke a little more English than I do Turkish (6 words instead of 4) so he didn't represent anything to me about the fiber content, and I knew it was poly anyway. I think it may be a rayon-poly blend, based on the burn test (a quick bright flame with almost no odor, but a hard bead after extinguishing). I just love the delicate print.

Now it's back to real life (*sigh*) and hopefully a healthier, more balanced relationship with my sewing machine.