New Pics!

My sister let me take a ton of pictures of her wearing all the maternity tops I made this fall. Poor thing--she's having the baby tomorrow and she still changed in and out of all these outfits! So sweet. Anyway, here is my favorite--the autumn roses Simplicity top. The only bummer is that it fits so well at the empire waist that the shirt is difficult to get in and out of. I think I'll make her another one, a post-pregnancy top that she can wear anytime, and either give it a side zipper or add in some elastic somewhere. As it is, the top is probably a bit too snug when she sits down. Still, pretty adorable. Plus, she loves it, so that's what really counts.

9 months!! Baby time tomorrow!

Knocking Off Banana Republic

I really like BR's clothes--they are classy, usually well made, and generally fit me pretty well. Wearing their clothes, though--especially the dresses or suits--always makes me a little nervous because I'm convinced I'll show up at an event and two other women will be wearing the exact same thing. Normally that wouldn't matter, but since I only ever get dressed up for class or professional events, that makes things awkward. Nothing like being caught wearing the same clothes as your students!

I generally can't resist their clothes, though, because we live near a BR factory outlet (score!). And when they have sales, they have really, really good sales. A few weeks ago, for example, I got this very cute shirt for $8.32. I couldn't buy the fabric for that price! Well, I can't buy the fabric anyway, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, I love the cut of this shirt. The gathering along the sleeves and the bodice mean the shirt is pretty form fitting. I especially like the back of the shirt, which picks up the gathering motif, as well. In fact, I liked it so much that I got two of the shirts. One I wear and the other I pulled apart to pieces to use as a pattern.

My sister has a BR maternity dress that she loves that has a similar style, so I decided to make her a maternity version of the shirt. All the pattern pieces remained the same except the front panel. I did added about 10 cm in width and a bit extra length to keep things even at the hem. I then just gathered the piece at the empire waist and that solved that problem. On the muslin I had problems keeping the gathers in place on all these seams, so for this version I used clear elastic and that helped a lot. The only tricky bit was the bias binding along the neckline. I hate doing a binding in a knit. My stitching always always comes out wonky and ugly on the inside and there's always one section that is visible from the front, no matter how much I try to stay in the ditch. Sigh. I think this is partially my machine, which is not very. . . precise. But I think I need to play around with the foot pressure. I'm sure that is affecting the quality of the stitching.

It is a cute shirt and I think I'll probably make it again, although not as a maternity shirt. Actually, I think it would be really nice to extend it into a dress. But I probably won't make it again until I can figure out how to do a more precise neck binding. Otherwise it will just bug me and I'll never wear the shirt.

Autumn Roses: Simplicity 3956

I'm just going to admit up front that this fabric seems like something both my grandmothers would love. And I bought two yards of it. Twice. That's right--I liked it so much, I went back and bought more. I've never bought fabric with roses on it. Or with red. Firsts all around! For a poly chiffon, though, this is really, really soft, light fabric. It drapes beautifully and it didn't unravel terribly. And for whatever reason, I'm really into dark reds all of the sudden. I've never liked red in the past, but in the last six months I've become a convert. At least of shades between maroon and brick (somewhat limiting, yes).


Anyway, this is Simplicity 3956. I figure that if I'm now buying mature woman fabric, I should at least pair it with a younger style. And it's a really cute top--the "skirt" is cut on the bias, so it drapes really nicely and hugs the figure rather than poofing out. I wasn't crazy about the slanted front for version A, so I just used the other pattern pieces instead.

What is it with cross-over bodices? I just can't figure them out. Either I'm cutting the wrong size (and I triple checked on this one) everytime I make one of these, or these patterns are just wacky. Using the center seam lines on this pattern will leave a huge amount of fabric flailing around on your bosom (heh--that's what my grandmother used to call them ;). I always end up having to cross the pieces much father over, which throws everything else off. The other problem is the gathers. As they are drafted, they'll end up somewhere near your armpit. Awkward. I moved them underneath the breast points and that solved that. It isn't a perfect solution, but it does avoid that weird fabric bubbling that occurs, making everything look a bit deflated, if you know what I mean. I know nothing about pattern drafting, but I think this one must be based on a C cup--maybe that's why everything is more spread out?

The other major change in this version was shortening the zipper. Hopefully my sister will still be able to get in and out of this shirt! I used a shorter zipper mainly because of the linings. I like to use the lining to conceal the zipper edges and that would have been impossible with the longer zipper because of the bodice crossover. This way, though, everything is nice and neat on the inside. I used french seams for most of the vertical seams and only serged the bodice seam and the armscye. I could have done a french seam along the bodice seam, but frankly that would have meant six layers of fabric along the front crossover. This chiffon is thin, but it still would have been bulky. The black lower layer, by the way is a "silkessence" from Joann's. It has a slight sheen and crinkle to it, which plays off nicely against the matte of the chiffon.

My only other comment about the shirt is that the ties are not terribly long. I simply knotted them here--they don't serve any purpose except decorative--so if you want a bow, then you should either attach the ties at the side seams or cut them considerably longer. I actually like the knot--it is simple and doesn't distract from the rest of the shirt--but some people like bows.

Anyway, this was supposed to be a maternity shirt for my sister, but I think it is long past wearable for that purpose now. The bias cut means the shirt stretches nicely over a more swollen belly, but nine months pregnant might be pushing the limit. Oh well. She can wear it for a while after the baby is born and then drag it out of the closet as soon as a sibling makes his or her presence known.

The serged bodice seam (front)

The serged bodice seam (back)

Ha! Almost looks like I matched the pattern. Sorry, I'm just too lazy for that kind of thing.

French seams all over the place

Optic Blossom Shirt

Sadly, I made this shirt so long ago that I don't even really remember which pattern I used. I'm pretty sure that at least part of it is the back and bottom of New Look 6669.

I'm pretty sure I also used the sleeves, come to think of it. But the crossover bodice is from Butterick 4444 and not from the New Look pattern. I like the Butterick crossover better because it is pleated, rather than gathered. I also really like that I didn't have to insert a side or back zipper for this shirt--it just pulls over. The quilting cotton is a bit stiff, but the pattern is so lovely I couldn't resist. The only part I dislike is that I accidentally cut the bodice so that the repeat is visible. Oh well. Still a nice shirt.

Spring=Yellow

It's already heating up here, mixed in with some frigid (for me) days in the 60s, so I'm making spring and summer tops right now. And really, who doesn't enjoy making yellow tops when it is still slightly grey outside? This is New Look 6179, made with a poly chiffon from Jo-Ann's. I bought this fabric last summer; for weeks, every time I went to Jo-Ann's I'd come across this fabric and think it was pretty. It finally went on the clearance rack (crazy!) and so I bought three or four yards. So glad I did--the shirt turned out really well and I still have enough leftover to make a nice summer dress that I might actually wear.

Sweet and simple.

Detail of the fabric--it has brown, dark grey, light grey, red, green, and blue in it. Hard to believe all those would look good together, but it works out nicely.

New Look 6807

I'm a big fan of New Look and I especially like this shirt pattern (6807)--simple and easy to modify. I made these two shirts out of some remnant material I picked up a while back. I think it would be fun to make this pattern with long sleeves, too--maybe 3/4 length--but probably not the bell sleeves in the pattern. I just left the bottoms of both shirts unhemmed. The deconstructed element actually looks quite nice, especially in the mauve, since it contrasts with the slightly shimmery fabric and the vintage color.