Copy cat Top #2

First of all, thank you for your nice comments on my post. You welcomed me back and made me want to continue.

These days, rather than using commercial patterns, I'm much more likely to draft my own patterns either by using my Surefit Designs kits or by copying something I've bought (which is not that often ).I also often take a pattern and change it in various ways. The important thing of course is the fit.

I really love figuring out how to  draft the pattern for whatever my inspiration is.

The top of today's post is a copy of another one I found on Pinterest, this one .

The hardest thing about copying this top was finding the fabrics. The one in the pic has three prints I think and I could only find two so I used the plain off white instead.

I'm quite happy with the result although I didn't get It exactly like the picture, IMO. I really thought the pocket completed the design.. My top is a 30 "tunic with side slits at the bottom and only slightly fitted.

ppl

At first I cut the back all in the houndstooth but I didn't care for the look so I changed it to this.

The fabric is a lovely, soft wool blend sweater knit bought at Fabricville. All four colours/prints are from the same collection.  

A  close-up of the button detail.

I'm happy with this top. It's so cozy and warm. It's more of a dressy piece than the last one but it doesn't hurt to dress up a little even if it's just to stay home . My birthday is next Sunday so that's when I plan to wear it.

Stay safe everyone. We sewers are so lucky to have an " escape" in these hazardous and worrisome times aren't we!!! 

More later from

        

A Copycat Top with Surefit Designs Pattern System

I'm not going to say it ! Well I have to . It's been a long time ! 

I've been missing blogging lately and I just made this great top that I love so much and just wanted to share it with somebody !

We are in more or less lock-down stage here in New Brunswick, Canada but that doesn't bother me much because I have my sewing which is my escape. 

I'll start with the image I copied from. I think I got it on Pinterest and saved it to my photos

I used my Surefi.t Designs Dress kit bodice to start with. You could use any t-shirt type pattern that you are happy with though. I already had drafted a non-fitted top pattern that I was really happy with. I added a bit to shoulders, sides and sleeves to get a moderately loose fit like a sweatshirt. I divided the front and sleeves to match the picture and added seam allowances .

My fabric is a cotton French Terry sweatshirt knit and so soft and luxurious feeling. My top has a neckband ,cuffs and a loose fitting bottom band.

A funny thing about this sewing project is that when I showed my husband, who is my best critic, the picture, he didn't much care for it. I decided to go ahead with it anyway since I had spent $40 on the fabric.

When I was finished and modeled it for him he was blown away and loved it!  So did my daughter and sister-in-law . And I'm very happy with it. It turned out just exactly the way I wanted.

Here it is...

.

What do you think? Does mine look like the original ? Thank you in advance for any feedback .  

My Summer Sewing

Well ! Again it's been a while ! Somehow, blogging has stopped being one of my "Things to do on Sunday " In any case, I've had a lovely time sewing just for me this summer. I've dug in my stash and used some fabrics that have been lingering far too long. Now don't get me wrong. I've also added to the stash at an alarming rate too. I'll never live long enough to sew all that stuff up , but ,oh well,. We all do it, don't we !

I'll start with a new dress I made a couple of weeks ago. I used an OOP  Vogue Designer pattern that I made 12 years ago and still have in my closet. It's 2900  by  DKNY

Here is my original dress  made from an embroidered cotton voile.

And here is the new one made using a stretch poly sateen.

k

The original was lined but I didn't line this one as I wanted to get to wear it before summer's end so it had to be a quick make. Luckily, my weight has stayed pretty much the same for the last 15 years or so.The only alteration I had to add to the pattern was a rounded back adjustment.  This is s a great church dress worn with
a purchased little cover-up (no pic ) .

The next piece I want to show you is a dress I made for a special event My husband and I attended last June. I resisted making a cocktail dress that I would never wear again. Instead, I chose this pattern ,bought on ebay because I made it in 1980.

In 1980, I made it out of black wool jersey purchased at Natural Fibers  Fabric Club.  I loved that dress and although  my shape has changed a lot since then, I thought I could make the pattern work for the evolved me.

Here it is on Antoinette.

The fabric is a very drapey (maybe too drapey ) , rayon jersey. I chose it because it was available in the opposites print. The difference is not very discernible but I was happy with the result.

I remembered that in 1980, the zipper in the wool jersey had given me a lot of trouble so I decided to leave it out in this dress. It easily slips over my head in spite of the waistline seam.

I wore this one to church this morning and I think I was the only woman who hasn't already switched to fall clothes !! So sad to see summer end !

I get  compliments whenever  I wear my retro dresses especially from my hubby.
I like the longer lengths and the fuller skirts for a change.

That's it for now. I hope to be back again soon to show all the shirts I made this summer. I sort of got carried away, LOL.

have a great week everyone from





                                          

Vogue 9341 A Reversible Jacket

Another big thank you for the warm welcome back. I feel so blessed !

As soon as I saw Vogue 9341 among the new Vogue patterns for fall I knew I had to have it.

                                

The jacket on the pattern envelope is a work of art and gorgeous but I know I'll never make one like that or maybe I  will one day but for now I just want to make it my way.

I decided to make a mock up first because I'm never sure which size to make when the sizing isn't  numerical. My first make was in medium and was too big but no worries because it will be offered at my Feb. 28th Fashion Show. This is that one.

The fabric is a sueded double sided coating fabric I've had in my stash for a while.

This pattern has only FOUR main pieces + the pockets ! No facings ! Easy peasy but so cute on .

I used a knit binding on all edges . I lengthened the sleeves so the jacket would be more serviceable for the climate here in Canada .

I changed the pocket as well and placed them on the jacket front.

For closures I used simple snaps.

Here is an alternate way of wearing it

Now for my own jacket ! It's reversible !

                                                                

I found this really interesting knit jacquard at Fabricville and knew right away it would become this jacket.

The navy striped side looks more casual and the taupe variegated side looks like raw silk.

I used the selvedge to finish all the edges , turned it to the navy side and top stitched.

This resulted in a nice clean finish on the taupe side.

 I like this side view !

I decided against buttons for this version as well and opted for snaps. I may re position the snaps at the collar for this one as I prefer the way the collar looks on the first jacket.

 As for the pockets, I sewed pockets to each side of the coat. I did this by positioning each pocket exactly over each other and stitched from the taupe side and they turned out great

            

This pattern is a really simple sew. What surprised me is just how cute it looks on for being unstructured.

If you're looking for a quick something to make to satisfy your sewing urge, I highly recommend this pattern. My Sewing Class is very enthusiastic about making their own versions.

Next week , I have a special dress to show you that I made for a special occasion in my husband;s life. Please come back to have a look.

My Little Red Jacket, Vogue 8262

I'd like to really thank everyone who visited my post last week and especially those who left comments. I appreciate every one of them so much. You made me feel so glad to be back and you made me really enthusiastic to continue blogging.

Today I'm going to show you a little red jacket I made last fall. I had long wanted a red jacket to wear to church or as a dress-up option. Here it is. It didn't photograph well at all !

Oh dear that looks just awful!!!.

I used a well-loved old pattern for this one, Vogue 8262.

 I made this  version years ago when I  I participated in Swap .

The Fabric I  used is a lovely silky ponte knit bought at Fabricville of course. It has a fairly heavy hand and was just right for a jacket

I lengthened the pattern by about  3 inches. I also increased the width of the front pleat by an inch. In the back instead of a pleat I sewed darts all the way to the hemline . I top stitched  but was a little sorry I had bothered as I wasn't pleased with the result.

I had a really hard time to find buttons that were the right shade of red but these  are cute I think.

I finished most of  the seams on the inside with a Hong Kong finish which as you know is one of my favorite ways to finish seams . I so love the look of the inside of my jacket! If you want to know how to finish your seams this way look here for a quick tutorial.

To wear with my jacket,  I couldn't resist this beautiful animal print scuba knit fabric also bought at Fabricville .I made it into a pencil skirt and palazzo pants.

I love the jacket and skirt together.

As for the pants I haven't as yet warn them  with the the jacket but I have worn them a lot especially over the holidays with a sparkly top I made using a pattern I drafted myself for one of my fashion shows.

The fabric is a sparkly, copper coloured textured, poly knit that is really soft and beautiful.

If you haven't sewn with scuba knit yet I want to recommend it especially for pants, skirts ,and dresses. It has just  enough weight  for any one of these garments. It presses well and the finished product ,in my opinion, looks high-end, not to mention it is so very comfortable to wear. I have to admit I don't particularly like it   for tops though. I guess I simply prefer a lighter knit for  tops

I hope you enjoyed seeing these additions to my wardrobe. I have quite a few more things to show you so please come back next week.

And in the meantime