New Look 6230

Well happy March everyone! If you are on the east coast, March is promising warmer temps and plenty of sunshine. The one good thing about February's weather was that I had plenty of time to sew due to the snow and bitter temperatures.

I was not very sure if this top was going to make it to a wearable. 

 The neck edge was too wide for my liking. Here you can see that I did find a solution and it did make it into my closet.

 While roaming pattern review, I noticed that the McCalls pattern that is like this had darts in the sleeves. So I trolled around reading up on sleeve darts and decided to try it. It worked. Now I must tell you that my sleeves are a double layer of knit. My front and back pieces are a little heavier than the sleeve fabric and I was worried that the inequality of the two pieces would be evident once it was on my body. 

 That is a 3 1/2 in dart in the middle of the sleeve piece. 

 I slashed the dart because of the double layers of fabric. I did not need all that bulk at the neck edge.

 I tried to get a close up so you could see the difference in the two fabrics. The sleeves are a soft light grey color and the front and back are white. I had to  recalculate my neck binding piece. I measured the finished edge and cut the band 3/4 of that measurement. This idea came from a tutorial from Grainline studio. The band was cut wider (2 1/4 inches).

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I made a size 14 and the instructions were very easy. The neck edge might be a game changer for some. I hope my ideas on how to make it smaller help someone out. Both fabrics were from Fabric Mart. I most likely will not make this again. I usually don't wear raglan sleeve tops. I know this style has been popular along with color blocking. That is why I tried it. Due to cold weather, I have not had a chance to wear it. 

Next  up is V8950. I am using a light and dark purple knit fabrics. 

Thanks for following along. Your comments are always encouraging! 

McCalls 6796

 This is my sewing project for January. I was not sure if I would like M6796, but once I made it, I really liked how it looked on me.

I am learning how to use the timer on my camera!! Hopefully, you won't mind the look of these pictures while I am learning.

I like the way the collar lays on my body. Now the color is a little boring, but I really wanted to sew this up. 

 Here is the back view. You can see how far the collar goes down the back. This fabric was a soft sweater knit I bought at JoAnns a couple of years ago. It is a very relaxed knit. Since the knit is soft, you can play with how the collar lays.

The sleeves are longer than 3/4 but not down to the wrist. 

All of my hems where completed with a twin needle. First I press my hems and put some Steam a Seam in the hems. Steam a Seam helps to stabilize the fabric. 

Also, I used my walking foot for all the hems. I feel that the walking foot kept the fabric from rippling while stitching with the twin needle.

The instructions are easy to understand. I did go with the recommendation of Gator Bunny to sew the collar to the wrong side of fabric neck edge. The collar seam is under the collar, but on the right side of the fabric. In the pictures below, you can see that I took about 5 or 6 hand stitches to bring the collar edges together so that you could not see the seam where the collar splits open. After I took those stitches, I tacked those stitches to the shoulder seam so that the collar would not flap around where it was split. There would be no chance to see the collar seam or have the collar shift.

I am planning to make this again. It is a quick project with great style. 

Up next is NL6230. I already have this top totally together except the hems. There are issues! The neck is very wide. I am going to be ripping a lot of seams so I can put darts in the sleeves. I hope this will help the neck problem. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

Here is look at the fabrics I used for the New Look pattern. Both are knits, but the one is a white on white paisley design. The sleeves are soft light silver grey color.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday! If you are getting tons of snow, I hope you are enjoying it from your sewing room!! 

Have fun creating!!

Just Checking In

There are no sewing pictures today. I needed to check in and up date my blog!! I do post more sewing pictures on Instagram.

I have been sewing. I thought I would try to take pictures of me modeling what I made, but it it was not as easy as I thought it would be. I will keep practicing using my tripod. I have read some good posts on photography for blogs, and they were helpful. I am so thankful for those in the sewing community that share their knowledge.

What I have sewn is summer pieces. It has been hard to step into fall. We had such great summer weather on the East coast. I have one summer skirt that I need to hem and then I am on to fall sewing. 

Next up for me is NL6230. It is a raglan sleeve sweat shirt top. It is shown in color block. The sleeves are in a different color than the body of the shirt. I have some lace type knit that I will use for the front and back.  Also to continue with color blocking, I want to make V8950. This has a yolk that continues to the top of the sleeve.

Also, I need to make a few skirts. I have some ponte that I want to use. My question is with ponte do you line your skirts? Do you use a thin jersey knit to line them? I would appreciate any and all thoughts on this question!!

Thanks for reading my picture less post!! 

Have a wonderful day of sewing and creating!

Little Dresses for Nicaragua

I started these dresses with my 5th grades as a service project. The one problem is that it is hard to find parents who know how to sew and have a sewing machine. Most of the dresses got completed half way by the students. It really is fun spending some time one on one with each student teaching them how to sew! They love to tell you if they have sewed before, the projects they made and who in their family has a sewing machine.

The dresses are made from quilting cotton. I used S2383 as a guide, but there are tutorials on the web for pillow case dresses. As you can see the I enjoyed picking out cheerful and fun fabric for this project.  

My goal for the classroom is for students do something tangible that will help others. Many times we ask for donations for organizations, but they need to use their own hands to serve. My past students have also made burp cloths for a pregnancy center and lunches for a shelter.

My church was also making dresses all year long to send with the mission team. I know there will be a report from the team and I am looking forward to seeing pictures of the girls who received dresses! 

I am going to try to make a dress a month to be prepared for next year. There are needs everywhere for these dresses, so our church will continue to sew.

My daughter arrived home from Indonesia after serving there for two years with the Peace Corps. She taught English to middle school students. We are so proud of her service and glad to have her home! It was tense waiting to see her after her plane landed!! I don't think I have hugged someone so tightly!! We enjoyed vacationing with her and shopping (she left most of her clothes there or threw them away).Having someone so far away for so long has given me understanding and compassion for those who have family members serving in the armed forces. 

 I have been sewing some summer things and they will hit the blog soon!!! 

Again thank you for the comments! 

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Final Me Made May

Finished my commitment for Me Made May! 

This renewed my excitement for sewing. 

First is S2892.  This is an oldie, but I love it! It calls for woven fabric, but I made it out of jersey. 

The pink top is a S2603. This is a pattern that everyone was buying for the cardigan.The top could be missed, but it should not! This little one yard top is a great addition to my closet. 

Finally this is S2599. Well this was a hot mess from the beginning!! It was too big, so I took in the side seams. Then the back needed a sway back adjustment. It just was not feeling right, but I liked the style. So I continued to work on it and got it to the point of wearable.

I really enjoyed taking on this project. It was fun seeing everyone's pictures. I also found many new blogs. 

What did I learn? I need to make some skirts and try my hand at pants/shorts. Also, I took time to leave comments and make new friends!! 

One week and my daughter will be home!!!! She is packed, said her goodbyes to her school and students. I am so proud of what she accomplished. 

Me Made Week 3

Here are my picks for week 3. 

First up is a "restructure". This "Pink Out" tee shirt was a normal crew neck tee. I am not crazy about wearing crew necks in the summer. I removed the neck rib trim and the sleeves. First I curved the side seams to make the tee fitted. Next I changed the neck and added back the trim. The sleeves have a little gather where they are attached to the arm hole. 

Next is S3696. This a PJ pattern with pants, shorts, nightgown, robe and top. This is a raglan PJ top that is very comfortable.

Finally, is NL6892. This is peasant style top. The fabric is sheer, so I wear camis underneath. 

One week left and the lesson I learned in week 3 is that I need to get to my sewing machine!! I have some things cut out that need to be completed. My daughter returns in two weeks from Indonesia, and there will be a lot of cooking, shopping, watching movies and family fun once she gets home, so I need to sew now!!!

I must tell you that a few days before Mother's day, my daughter was texting me about vintage style and patterns. She does not sew yet, but does other creative crafts. I sent her many links to the young women who are into vintage sewing and links to sewing blogs that I knew she would appreciate. It is so wonderful that there are so many young women who are sewing. I know the craft will continue for many years!!! 

On to next week!