Swap #5 Vogue 8497

I've had this pattern and have been wanting to try it since last summer.This week I planned to make my daughter a surprise Valentine dress. I am working on it but I got side tracked when I realized I had a lot of the red fabric left.

Well, my lucky daughter is in Las Vegas right now, and there's still plenty of time to finish her dress .Once I got the idea about this top ,I couldn't stop.I think this pattern just begs you to interpret it in your own original way. This is what I came up with.



The fabric is a wool double knit -like polyester and it was a dream to work with. The trim is a cotton/lycra blend. Since both fabrics were prewashed, I hope the different fibres won't be a problem when I wash the top.

I cut the black polka dot fabric on the bias in order to make the best use of the dots. I simply zigzagged the edges with red thread and sewed the trim to the unfinished edges of the garment again with a zigzag stitch. Then, I trimmed both very close to the stitching.
As you can see on the photos, the trim is used on both the front, back, and sleeves.





And then, I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I made this corny flower which probably makes the top scream HOMEMADE.I have a few pics on flickr to show how I made the flower. My photos of the steps for the trim were fuzzy for some reason so i dudn't post a lot of them






This top will work well with my black and grey bottoms of my Swap.
For more pics, look here.

I got an Award!!!

Thank you Ann of Ann'Fashion Studio and Animat of Sew Fit for sending me this award. You are both so nice to think of me!

I know that I'm suppose to pay this forward to 7 bloggers. I follow many blogs and I've chosen three to name here. The others I wanted to name already have this award.

So to Nancy of Encue Creations

Dana of Lean Mean Sewing Machine

andLisa of Sew Random

I pass this award on to you because I find myself regularly checking out your blogs to see what you are up to.Keep on being creative and productive. I love seeing your work.

Happy Sewing from Diana

Swap Garment #4 - V1034

This is the first" bottom" of my Swap wardrobe.




I used Sandra Betzina's Vogue1034 for these charcoal grey jeans.



I can't say enough positive things about this pattern. Sandra's patterns don't always fit me and I've had to give up on a couple of them, but not this one!

I didn't make a mock-up of these pants. Instead I compared the pattern pieces of V7608



which I altered with Sandra's help at her workshop which I attended in 2006(sorry I know I've mentioned that many times before)with the pattern pieces of 1034.

I made more or less the same alterations on the new pattern.The fit is pretty good. There is one little glitch at the lower hip area.For all skirts and pants ,I have to shave off about a half inch at the hip area for about 6" starting about 9" below the waist.This is because I don't have feminine curves in my hip area. I'm just plain straight instead. I didn't go down far enough and there's a little bump. I'm going to let it go because I can't bear to take out all my beautiful top-stitching right now.That means that one day I'll take a fit and do the right thing,but not now.Here is a picture of my alteration.





Now about those pockets!
At first, they looked daunting. I dived in and it really didn't take that long to accomplish not only the double pockets but the pseudo studs trim as well.



I took pictures of each step of the pocket construction not only to maybe help make it easier for someone else, but also for the next time I make them because for sure I'll make these again.(The colour is really off in these pics.)










The steps are explained in detail here.

All the pattern pieces fit perfectly together including the ones for the back pockets which I think are great fun!




>


Unfortunately , I forgot to get my photographer to take a picture before he had to go out so I'll leave you with a side view and one of the back.

Vogue 8262, Again

I decided to make the burgundy version of V8262 and my third Swap garment right away so the construction details would still be fresh in my mind.So, here it is.



I really like theway this one turned out.I needed a top to wear with this Coldwater Creek skirt I bought last winter when everything on the Outlet site was 70% off the lowest price and I think this shirt is just the thing.




This shirt will go very well with all my Swap bottoms,( black skirt, pants and culottes, and a pair of grey jeans ).It will also fit very well into the rest of my wardrobe.For example here it is with a grey flannel pantsuit I made a few years ago and still wear.



Also, this suit which I made after attending the Sandra Betzina Fitting Workshop,and really love. It has both rust and burgundy shades in the fabric. I can wear this suit with black, brown,cream and now burgundy.



After completing and wearing the blue plaid version of this shirt, I realized that it was short-waisted, so I added an inch to the waistline on both the front and back pattern pieces before cutting my silk version. I find that it now fits much better.

I added a style element to the sleeves. I got this idea when watching a fashion Show on Cityline Fashion Friday, one of my favorite TV shows.In this photo, I have just placed the buttons on the sleeves temporarily to give you the idea. I want to use the smaller version of my button but that will have to wait till I get to the fabric store.



To get this effect, on the wrong side, I sewed a one inch tuck along the midpoint lenghtwise from below the elbow to two inches above the wrist.



I like the result and it worked because I had cut the sleeve about three inches longer than the pattern called for as I didn't really know what I wanted to do with it.I was therefore able to put in a
4" hem before sewing the tuck.

As usual, there are more pics on my flickr site.

My Second Swap Garment

My second garment for Swap (Sewing With a Plan ) is from Vogue 8262.



This garment is sort of accidental. My plan was to make Vogue 8262 out of burgundy silk dupioni and I will. This version was to be a mock- up or sample to test the altered pattern.

As I was sewing it ,I realized I really like it and it fits quite well. I had already decided to change one of my planned bottoms, the blue corded faux suede pants because the shade of blue of the fabric really didn't match well with a couple of other blues in my plan. I'm going to make a black culotte instead. These will fit in very well with the contest rules of a wardrobe for a real week in my life.( We have to wear black bottoms to work at Fabricville.)This shirt will combine very well with all my bottoms.

So here it is. It is in a plaid polyester taffeta. The background is a bright navy,almost royal blue and the horizontal part of the plaid is black. Plaid is very in at the moment so I will be in style!.



This pattern wasn't suitable for plaid. There's a weird dart on the front pieces that sews into a princess seam and it threw the matching off just below the shoulder area.You can see it in this photo.



But I've seen a lot worse in retail so I'll not be embarrassed to wear it as is.

I could also possibly wear it as a jacket over a black sleeveless sweater.



Here it is on me in my dark wash jeans. I think it's a good look , one that can be casual as above or quite dressy



When I make this again in the silk dupioni, I'll lengthen the pattern at the waist a bit as well as somewhere between the waist and the hem. I find it a bit short-waisted and I'd like it to be about 2" longer over all.


For more pics and details on how I altered my pattern click here

Butterick 4665 , Altered

004.JPG (image)

I made this coat last year with the larger collar and I found myself not liking it and not wanting to wear it.
This morning, I was suppose to take down the Christmas tree first thing but somehow ended up in the Sewing room instead. I don't often get to alterations but I decided if I want to get back to my Swap sewing, I have to fix this coat .

It really didn't take me long to cut out, interface and sew the new collar ,which is from view C,D&E.I also made a fringe trim to match the trim on the pockets. I took out the old collar and sewed in the new, all in an hour and a half.

Here it is now and I like it so much better.



I found this great scarf in my closet which matches it perfectly.



I don't love this coat but I will definitely wear it more now than before.

Now on to taking down the Christmas tree.

Happy sewing from Diana!