Two More Swap Garments

As I continue my Swap sewing, I'm thinking about why I joined Swap 2009. Well, I guess it was the challenge and in a way, an excuse to sew clothes (even though I don't need any more clothes).

Am I enjoying it? You bet! I love the camaraderie of the whole process at Stitchers Guild.and the exchange of ideas and the encouragement of other members.

Would I do it again? Probably not! I don't find it stressful-I have plenty of time to sew and enjoy every minute.So why not?

Well, I just don't need all these clothes,really.I'm making things that I'll certainly wear, but if I weren't doing Swap ,by now I would be thinking of sewing something for spring. Instead, I'll be sewing winter things for another month at least.

Has it been a learning experience? For sure.I know for certain that from now on, I'll always Sew With A Plan, only on a smaller scale

This week, I hadn't expected to sew because I was suppose to have laser eye surgery. I went for my consultation only to find out that I'm not a good candidate . I was disappointed but I went home and spent two days sewing. I managed to finish the skirt I had already started using Vogue8543 and View C of the Marci Tilton top V8497

Here is my skirt. I really love this skirt. I cut a size 12 with an inch extra at the side seams but I didn't need it. The only alteration I had to make was to flatten the rounded hip area by a half inch and it fits perfectly!



The fabric is rayon/poly/lycra. I used size 80/10 needle and a straight stitch. I stretched a little as I sewed to avoid thread breakage later.All the pieces fit perfectly together and the style looked a lot more complicated than it was.I just followed the instructions step by step and encountered no problems except for the bulkiness of the pleats which want to stick out a little.I used a tricot lining and closed the back slit at the back because it really wasn't necessary.



This skirt is the first piece of a three piece "little black suit"
which I've been wanting to make for a long time. The pants will be part of my Swap but the jacket will be an "extra"piece.

For the top I used a poly/lycra knit with four way stretch.I had planned on making an oriental style top with this fabric but made this instead.I used an 80/10 universal needle and a small zigzag stitch(.16 long and .15 wide) It fits very well but needed the extra inch I added to the centre of the side pattern piece.



I sewed a dart just under the arm so it would fit the sleeve.This is a view of the underarm showing the side piece with the dart sewn to the sleeve..




What I like about the top is its trim fit, not too loose and the overall silhouette.The neckline is not too low and I really like the fit of the sleeve which probably is due to the strange shape of that side piece.



What didn't work was the extra inch of length of the side piece. I really didn't like that so I hemmed it even with the rest of the top. The other thing is that the front shoulder seam wants to slide toward the back. I'll take the front shoulder seam off and add it to the back seam to fix this problem for the next time I use this pattern.And, the back neck is a little too low so I think I'd raise it a bit.
I wore the outfit today and it was very comfortable and easy to wear.So, two more Swap pieces makes seven but I am having reservations about a couple of the pieces.