UglyCute Designs

Should I even keep blogging???

2013-01-11T21:28:00.001-08:00

I've decided that I suck at blogging. I'm sorry readers, but since college I haven't had to write much and my skills have deteriorated. I thought blogging would help, but it did not. I thought I would enjoy making tutorials and sharing new information that I learned in school and at work. Tutorial writing is a pain in the ass! Those of you who do it know how tedious it is and I think you are AMAZING for creating them. I'm also just not motivated to write anymore. I do like tracking my projects, but it is very hard when I wait so long to post.

I think I'm going to keep the blog going for a while longer. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Just because...

Despite my absence from the blogosphere, I have 6 new Followers:

Hot Mess Heifer
BigChoc
Jenny
Kat Campbell
Kathy of Kathy Sews: She made some cute dresses and has a giveaway going on!
elianeBatalha

Thanks Ladies!

Peplum Top Pattern Adjustment Tutorial

2012-11-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

I promised a picture of the New Look 6130 peplum top facing pattern I redrafted and here it is:

Front facing.

Back facing.

The idea of having a neckline facing and an armsyce facing flapping around inside the shirt was gross to me, so using the main body pattern pieces I drafted my own facing and I think it worked pretty great.

Here's how I did it:

First, draw on the sew lines on your pattern pieces. In commercial patterns, this is usually 5/8." I, however, changed all my seam allowances before I cut the pattern so my seam allowances were 1/2" for most seams, and 1/4" along the neckline and armsyce. I also left a 5/8" SA at CB where I was inserting the zipper.
Match up your sew lines on the front bodice pieces. See my pattern below. Can you see how the armhole matches up perfectly on the CF and SF bodice pieces?
Place a piece of tracing paper over the pattern and pin/tape down.
Your front facing should be 2-2.5" wide at the CF neck and 2-2.5" down from the bottom of the armhole, depending on how you will finish your edges. This is 2-2.5" from the sew line, not the cut line.
Make sure your facing is square (at a right angle to) the CF vertical line. At the sides seam, square a line the distance down from the armhole that you decided upon.
Trace the shape up the armhole 2-2.5" from the armhole, until you get to where an armhole notch might be. That is where the shape starts to get a little wonky. (the dashed lines curving around the armhole are 2.5" away from the cut line)
Use a french curve and/or a hip curve to connect the two lines (one starting from CF, one from the bottom of the armscye). The shape should look smooth and natural. See how it didn't on the back facing and I corrected it.
At the sideseam, mark 1/8" in at the bottom of the facing. From that 1/8" mark to zero at the underarm, draw a line. This will be done on both front and back. this small removal of fabric tightens up the facing a bit and prevents it from creeping out of the bodice.
On the back, I did everything above, except the facing is wider (or longer?) at CB. I like (and was taught) to make wider facings in back. 4 inches is a good length down from the neck on this pattern. The back neck drop is fairly shallow, so this will work well and it won't be too deep. Basically you don't want the facing overlapping your scapula bone (your chicken wing!). Just like you don't want a tight facing going over your boobage!
One thing I forgot to do, but do it all the time was to decrease the shoulder width on both sides by about 1/16 - 1/8" depending on fabric thickness. What you will do is mark both sides of the shoulder seam (on front and back facing) and blend to zero to about 2/3 the way to CF and 2/3" down the armhole, whatever blends naturally. It's easy to see once you are doing it.

the first step.

That's it!

Let me know what you think!

Thanks to my newest followers!

scherimm
Becky Ensinger
Nina
Angie Newell

180! That's Amazing!

Here's a fun picture of Pearl:

Pearl modeling Fritz's Halloween costume...A Giant bath sponge!!! Yup, I made this one too in about an hour for $3.00.

HAHAHAHA!

It's Halloween Time! Ch-Ch-Ch...

2012-10-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

CHIA!

When I was a kid, I loved Halloween. As an adult, I'm not a huge fan of it. But I do like dressing up my dogs in ridiculous costumes every year. This year is the best by far. I would like to introduce you to the newest knick-knack to adorn my bookshelf:

Ch-Ch-Ch-CHIA PEARL! *

It's like playing "Where's Waldo?"

Here's how I started:

A long time ago I drafted a onesie pattern from an existing dog outfit. I made onesies before here and here. I redrafted the pattern this time, making it a little more professional. My sewing has greatly improved since the last time I made Pearl's onesie so the construction method changed. It went together fairly quickly and the fit is a lot better than before.

Here she is before her pjs became Chia-fied....

Pre-haircut...

I then took apart fake hydrangeas I bought at Michaels and glued the individual buds to the base. This process too two nights. I used a stuffed animal roughly the size of Pearl to make it easier to glue the flowers. The glue and the flowers formed a hard shell. I was not expecting this, but the outfit still fits the dog.

I couldn't resist placing her on the bedside table. She looks just like the real deal. I wish I had video of her scurrying around on the floor as a chia pet. It's almost eerie because at first glance it looks like ceramic dog

And lastly, a close-up of Pearl. I couldn't resist. Her face is so cute in this picture.

I'm entering Pearl in the Pattern Review contest again this year. Vote for her!

*Coming to a Walmart near you.

Lavender Waste of My Time

2012-10-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Please ignore the shoe choice.
I threw on the first pair of heels I found just to give me some height.
Also the wrinkles are atrocious. The dress was balled up on my desk for
over a week before I took these pictures. Excuses, excuses, excuses...

Eww.

I'm still here, just not making as many things as I would like. I've been working for 2.5 months as a Technical Design Assistant (woohoo!) and spending the evenings with my family and the Boyfriend. This dress took me 2 weeks to make, just because I would work on it for a little bit, quit for a few days, work on it some more, quit, etc., etc., etc....

I bought the fabric for I believe $2/yd. at the FIDM Scholarship store in L.A. It is a yummy rayon/spandex blend I think. Feels great, but wrinkles like crazy. It was purchased with the intention of it being "muslin" fabric, specifically with this dress pattern in mind. Oh, I forgot, the pattern is McCall's 5974, the Palmer/Plesch Faux wrap dress. I thought I would try the pattern and if I liked it, I would use it with a gorgeous bird fabric I purchased from EmmaOneSock. The pattern was good, but I don't think I will ever use it again.

I'm calling this dress a wadder. It just isn't flattering on me. The style and the color feel very "mother of the bride." I made the smallest size and I feel it is still too big in the bust, arms, and waist, but it shows all my lumps in back! In this fabric (and the potential bird fabric) I would need to grade down another size or two. The ties were also entirely too much around the waist. Wanna here something funny? I asked my mom to try it on and it fit her really well and flattered her figure.

My review will be up on PR in a day or so. In sort, I didn't follow the directions on the tie construction and used a self binding instead of hemming the neckline.

I'm currently working on New Look 6130, the peplum blouse. I'll share pictures of how I redrafted the facings to be an all-in-one armsyce/neckline facing soonish. On the blouse, I have to just take in the side seams a little more and hem it. Almost done....

Thanks to the new Followers! I'll give a proper shout-out next time when I'm not falling asleep as I am typing.

She Sews Seashells Down by the Seashore

2012-08-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

With the leftover fabric from this dress, I decided to make myself a maxi skirt. I bought a simple black maxi last winter and it is probably the most comfortable thing I have ever worn. For a while now, I've been wanting to knock it off, and that is exactly what I did! I used the skirt to make a pattern and now I can make a million replicas if I want. Hooray!

The skirt is only 2 pattern pieces because the front and back are the same and the fold-over waistband is made with just two slightly trapezoidal rectangles.

This skirt was one of the fastest things I've ever made. It seriously sewed up in about a half hr. I started before dinner, ate yummy mediterranean food and drank too much wine and then serged on the waistband when we got home. So easy a tipsy person could do it!

I waited a week to photograph it because I wanted to do it on location and just didn't have the time or energy to do it before now. After work, my brain is fried. I get up around 6am every morning and by 9:30 or 10pm I crash. I've only been doing little sewing projects like this on the weekends.

Thanks to the Boyfriend for going to the beach with me for literally 5 minutes! We couldn't find a parking space and parked illegally just to get these pictures. :)

The "Everyone and Their Mother Dress," Part II

2012-08-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas I made my mom a black double knit dress using Vogue 1250 and she requested another one a while ago. I definitely owed her a present. Months ago we went to Michael Levine's to find a suitable knit and she fell in love with the sea shell fabric. It has the loveliest hand and drape. We weren't quite sure what pattern to use and settled on another V1250. It worked out great because my mom had been wanting a summery version of the dress.

The dress sewed up very quickly with no major problems. My Brother NX250 hates sewing stretchy knits, so the tucks and the neck binding were a challenge. I constructed almost the entire dress on the serger and used a double needle for the hems.

I think my mom likes the dress.

There was a little more than a yard left over and I made myself something too. Photos to come!

Flea Market Tote

2012-07-25T08:00:00.002-07:00

One of the other projects I started a long time ago from the Heather Ross book was the "Everything Tote." I used Echino fabric I purchased on sale at the Purl Soho warehouse in Tustin. It has owls and deer on it!!!! I was so excited to make this new bag, but it was nothing but trouble! The instructions were atrocious and if you follow them, the handles turn out to be tiny and nothing like the picture. The amount of fabric needed is incorrect as well. The pattern calls for 1/2yd of the self and lining fabrics, but I think you need 1.25yd each.

What I did differently:

* Pleated instead of gathered the bag front and back
* Used a completely different handle treatment. The instructions did not make sense and there are many other ways to get the same look.
* I added buttons on either side and used a hair-tie as a quick closure.

* While cutting out the lining pieces, I accidentally cut into my fabric TWICE. This allowed me to practice my corner seam technique. They came out beautifully. :-P

One the plus side, this bag holds a whole lot and because I used an off-white lining, it is very easy to see and access all my "stuff." It's a great flea market bag!

Also, it can carry an assortment of dogs.

It turned out cute, but I would not recommend this pattern.

A Weekend-Only Picnic Skirt

2012-07-23T08:00:00.002-07:00

Weekend-only, you ask? Well, the reason is because I got a job! I'm officially an Assistant Technical Designer and this skirt is just too short to wear to work. I've had a full week of training on just the company info, hard and soft lines. This week I start job-specific training. Last week was so great and I'm so thankful the company put so much time and effort into training. I feel so lucky to have found this job.

Yay! Back to the skirt. I saw Tilly's skirt and thought it was really cute, but never intended to make it until I went to the swapmeet and found almost the exact fabric (for $1.50/yd. I might add). Yes, I know I could have made it with different fabric, but it really wasn't on my list of things to do. I followed the instructions for the most part because I honestly didn't want to have to think. Hehe. I omitted the pockets because I wanted to draft them a little differently from the instructions, but didn't want to take the time. I started the skirt last Sunday night, the day before my first day of work. Being the moron that I am, I decided to not make a paper pattern, which caused me some trouble. I accidentally cut the skirt too short, hence the skimpiness. It is totally wearable, but I can't bend over too far. :)

The buttons are from an estate sale find. I do love them.

Thanks to my newest followers! I'm so sorry for the neglect of the blog. Thanks Cynthia and Danielle!

Just Because...

2012-06-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make SOMETHING from Heather Ross' "Weekend Sewing," the first sewing book I purchased. I fell in love with the design and the projects were very cute. I'm really glad I waited a long while to use the book because honestly the patterns are pretty poorly drafted and the instructions are awful. So many errors! Trying to make something from this book when I was a beginner would have been disastrous. Luckily, I found the help I needed on the good-ole internet.

I used this awesome Echino fabric I got on sale at Purl Soho to make the Weekend Away Travel Bag. I've been waiting for it to go on sale because it reminded of the car my best friend had in college. It was a bright green Datsun (Al, is this right?). For the inside I used scraps from another Echino fabric with owls and deer on it. I'm on a deer kick right now. Luckily I know how to restrain myself from purchasing too much random crap.

Anyways, the bag went together fairly slowly. Unfortunately, the instructions failed to mention that one way prints don't really work for this pattern. Also, the inner pocket dimensions are incorrect. I omitted the pocket anyway. The bag is nicely finished on the inside, but the final sewing step was a PITA and I had to redo it twice. If you make this bag, measure the lengths of the two pieces you are sewing together and adjust the zipper panel piece accordingly.

I included a lavender eye pillow, Andes Mints, and a home-made stitched card.

I might make another bag again as a gift, but not for a while.

:)

Job Hunt Update: I've had 2 interviews for an Assistant Technical Designer position and am scheduled for a third. I really like the company and my potential boss. I think this job will be challenging and am excited to both learn a lot and work hard. I really hope I get it! Thanks Gwen for the encouragement on my last post.

Job Search 2012

2012-06-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I've been MIA for a while due to the Great Job Hunt 2012...

I'm in desperate need of a job right now and I've been sending out applications all over the place. I would really like a position in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I think I'll take anything right now for some experience. Sewing for myself is not a priority (although I wish it was) and instead I've been listing items on Ebay that my parents want to get rid of. Anybody want a French Poster from the late 1800's??? :) They are paying me, which is really nice and I've made some pocket money. Also, I am doing some alterations for my dad. He has A MILLION silk Hawaiian shirts he has never worn because they are all too long on him. I've been shortening both the shirt hems and the sleeves.

Well, that's it! I do have a little sewing project I can show you in a couple of days. It's a surprise present and I don't want to spill the beans before the recipient even receives the gift.

Thanks to my newest followers Ashley and Eleanor! I'm at 170! Hooray!

McCall's 6241: The One Yard Wonder.

2012-05-14T16:10:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been needing, well wanting new tops. Easy T's and quick blouses to spruce up my jeans and a t-shirt uniform. I love skirts and dresses, but I'm always cold, so I rarely wear them.

Here is my latest top experiment. McCall's 6241.

I call it an experiment because though I've been wanting to make it for some time now, I recently read the reviews and they were far than glowing. I figured, that I'd call this a wearable muslin and move on to something else quickly. Luckily, it was very quick and I finished it in an afternoon.

Some notes on the top:

I made View A, the short sleeve version. As you can see in the picture below, I drafted an attached facing to flip under so I would not have to narrow hem the cheap jersey. This facing worked GREAT and the neckline stays perfect all day long. For the back neckline, I removed some of the seam allowance and drafted a binding that I just serged on, then topstitched. It was a great solution to the narrow hem problem.

The cool thing about this top is that it only took 1 yard because I made a size 8 and the fabric was 60" wide. The pattern calls for a 1 1/8 yds., but I squeezed it in! I think I'm going to enter it in one yard PR challenge for the heck of it!

More Pics:

If I ever make this again, I will shorten it by a few inches and choose a nicer knit, but I doubt I will ever work with this pattern again.

Pixelated Camo Blouse

2012-05-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

I finished my blouse a last week. It's not bad, not great, but it's definitely wearable. The fabric I used was a poly crepe de chine I got at the swapmeet and it was a pain to work with. Extremely difficult to cut out. It also does not lay as nice as silk would around the neckline.

I used S1806, View E. I thought the instructions were pretty good, but the top was not difficult to put together. Pressing was the hardest part. the back pleat would not stay pressed and therefore shifted even with plenty of pins and basting. My only problem with the instructions was with the sleeves. The pictures were unclear as to where to stitch the bias binding. My SA was not 5/8" so the armsyces are a little snug, but its not a big deal. I also had to tack the back of the collar down to the shirt because it would not lay correctly. I tacked the neckline facing to the shoulder seams and the 3 seams in the front. I chose to do french seams throughout to make the shirt pretty inside.

More pictures:

That's it. I'll be posting a review on PR soonish. :)

Review: Sewing Kit iPhone App

2012-05-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

App Store

When I got my iPhone in December, I downloaded an App to help catalog and organize my sewing patterns. It is called Sewing Kit by Vesta Software. I haven't heard of any other sewing bloggers using it so I thought I would do a review. Lately, I've been spending ALOT of time taking photos of my patterns and putting them on my phone. Already over 125 patterns! Below is the description from the iTunes App store and I'll tell you a bit more about my experience with the program.

Description (taken directly from the App Store site)

Sewing Kit is your new home for all of your sewing needs!

If you have ever been in a sewing store looking at patterns, but couldn’t remember if you already bought the one you like, or if the fabric you like will work with the project you are working on, then you will love Sewing Kit!

Now scan the pattern envelope while in the store to look it up, and add it if you don't have it!

Sewing Kit lets you search through all of your patterns, fabrics, projects, and people to make sure you are not buying something twice, or getting home and finding out you forgot to get something you really needed!

With Sewing Kit you can store and search on all of your:
- patterns
- fabrics
- projects
- measurements for people

All of these things, all in one place.

Features:

For Patterns, each entry has: company name, pattern number, size, brand, your own rating of it, where you are storing it, “unlimited” photos, “unlimited” notions, “unlimited” types of fabrics, and much more!!!

Also - for each pattern from Butterick, Kwik Sew, McCall’s, Neue Mode, Simplicity or Vogue, Sewing Kit will _try_ to download the envelope images (including the back panel) if they are available on the company’s public web site (Butterick usually requires a "B" as the first digit in the pattern number for this to work, "M" for McCalls, and "V" for Vogue). Not all images are available. Not all sites have the back panel image available. All images remain copyright of their respective web sites.

For Fabrics, each entry has: name, color, material, amount, been ironed?, been washed?, where you bought it, where it’s stored, “unlimited” photos, and more!

For Projects, each entry has: name, who its for, notes, “unlimited” photos, pattern being used, status, type, and more!

For People, each entry has: person’s name, “unlimited” photos, and “unlimited” measurements!

Sewing Kit is also highly customizable! You can manage your own list of Pattern Companies, Fabric Types, Notion Types, Ratings, Measurements, and more!

Sewing Kit has been localized into English, Spanish, and French! Let us know if there are other languages you would like to see Sewing Kit in.

SewingKitLT (our Lite version) is also available (for free!) to try out all of the features, before buying the full version.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Ideas for more features?
Come by our site at http://www.vestasoftware.net or drop us a note at ideas@vestasoftware.net, or if you find bugs, bugs@vestasoftware.net

Please let us know what more we could be adding to make Sewing Kit even better!

These “unlimited” items are limited by the amount of free storage space on your device, not by Sewing Kit.

Examples from the site (these photos are very accurate. looks the same on my phone):

App Store

I like the app a lot, but it has a few bugs. Firstly, it crashes from time to time in the middle of uploading a pattern. It used to do this more often, but now it is less frequent. Also, it rarely has older OOP patterns or very new patterns in their database. It almost never has the back of the envelope with the size and yardage information. Usually only the tech drawings are included. This means I have to take photos of every pattern front and back first. I use a different app from the Camera App included on the phone, transfer the files to the Camera Roll, then insert them in the Sewing Kit App. By taking the photos in the Sewing Kit App, the pictures tend to come out blurry. The process is time consuming, but it works for me. Oh, one more negative thing. The customer service is pretty bad. I emailed months ago about the freezing that occurs. It was driving my crazy. (It is much better now). I got no response and there wasn't an update for months. It worried me, but the program is working better now.

What I love about the App is that it is truly customizable. I have added tons of vintage patterns to the App and have added the Pattern Company names (Hollywood, Advance, Marian Martin, etc) to the Pattern Company List. Under Categories, I have included tons more (children, men's, accessories, etc) so when I search for something, I can find it by category.

I also like how I can put people measurements in the phone. I have only done it for my mom, which has been very useful because she can never remember her measurements. When we go pattern shopping, this comes in handy.

It has been very helpful when I shop for fabric too. I don't have to bring patterns with me. This is great for the delicate vintage patterns and saves room in my purse.

Right now the price is $4.99. I think I paid almost $10, and that is really disappointing. It is worth the 5 bucks, if you are willing to spend HOURS cataloging your patterns. I don't know if I will do the same with my fabric.

Even with the bugs, I think I would recommend it.

Does anyone else use this App or another one like it? How is it? Do you like it?

A Little Sewing at Disneyland...

2012-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've been loving the vintage sewing displays on Main Street in Disneyland. Thought I'd share them with all of you:

So cute, I think this is the newest display.

A close-up of the back wall of another.

And my favorite: Shot glasses and a vintage sewing machine. Hard liquor...just what you need after a long day sewing....

Thanks to my latest followers frau tipmatic and chesneykat. Check out chesneykat's blog at Room for Sewing.

Teal Garden Dress: Cynthia Rowley S2443

2012-04-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

I bought a really nice teal double knit at the swapmeet not too long ago and had plans to make my mom a another version of V1250 because it had some additional stretch in the lengthwise direction. She liked the fabric, but wanted the dress is a print instead. I decided to try the Simplicity Cynthia Rowley pattern S2443 again. Last time, I made this jacket. At the time, I attempted the dress, but I used the wrong fabric and had a horrible time with the zipper. Also, the amount of gathering at the waist was too much so I gave up.

This time, I took about 10 in. total from the gathers (to prevent the oh so flattering pregnancy look) and omitted the zipper. I also only interfaced the waistband and shortened the dress 4 inches.

I wrote a lot more on PR.

I'm really proud of this dress because it was supposed to be a quick and easy project, but turned out to be more challenging than it should have been. I had to rip out the sides 3 times on each side just to line up the side seams of the waistband and skirt. Such a pain in the butt. I overlocked almost the entire dress, including the attachment of the very curvy straps without basting. I've already worn it twice!

Thanks for the comments and suggestions on my pants both on the blog and PR.

I'm currently working on this:

View E (pictured)

It's almost done, but I've had a lot of distractions lately and had a bit of trouble getting the back pleat to lay properly. This may end up being a wadder.

2 Legit 2 Legit to Quit

2012-04-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

It's Hammertime....2012 style...

I've been wanting McCall's 6514 for some time now, and bought it at the Joann's sale. I can't get motivated to start working on my own slopers again. I would love to design my own clothes, but right now I just want to sew and make things, so commercial patterns it is.

I cut a size 8 (ViewA- girl in the hat) and made no adjustments at all though I should have shortened the legs about 3 inches before I did any cutting. I planned for them to be a wearable muslin...lounge pants really. And I used a very drapey gabardine that I picked up at the swapmeet for $1.50/yd. It only took a few hours to construct them, and once I tried them on I realized I needed to narrow the leg a more and take in the crotch a bit too. I only narrowed the outseam, because I was too lazy to pick the already overlocked and topstitched seams of the inseam and crotch. Oh well, like I said, they are a wearable muslin. And man...they are comfortable!

I really like the pleating on the front, but I think the elastic on the back makes my butt look long and saggy. :( I don't know, they are kinda cute in a weird hammer pants kind of way. If I ever make them again, I'll definitely narrow the legs on the pattern itself and adjust the crotch for a better fit. I do want to make the wide leg version also pictured in a nice jersey.

pocket and pleat detail.

I can't decide if these pants are Awesome or Awful? Any opinions?

Review here.

Thanks to my newest followers too!

Marie
Jill
tshania_sedai
Lara G
Rachel-Lou

Check out their blogs!

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

2012-04-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend's friends just had a baby girl (Lucy), and with my new found free time, I decided to make an outfit for her. It's Effing CUTE if I do say so myself! My boyfriend says the F word and cute just don't go together, but I have to disagree. I can't stop cussing when I look at the little outfit. :-P

I used McCall's 6303, a pattern I picked up this past Sunday at Joann's for 99 cents. I bought the blue pincord fabric a while ago because I was shopping on Fabric.com and needed to reach $35.00 for free shipping. I know....excuses, excuses. I'm not a big fan of super girly kids clothes. So I bought blue, because it could work for either sex. The diamond print was in my mom's stash and she let me use about a yard of it for the outfit. I made view C, but added pockets for extra cuteness. The rickrack was awful though to attach. New rickrack is made of such nasty fibers that it frays as soon as you cut it. I always try to use vintage, but I didn't have any white in the right size. I made covered buttons with a vintage metal button maker kit and it works every time. I'll never buy new cover buttons kits if I can avoid it. I highly recommend the vintage sets.

Now on to the Review:

Pattern Description:

INFANTS' DRESSES, PANTIES AND HAT: Sleeveless A-line dresses A, B, C, D, E, F, G have trimming variations; dresses A, B, C, D, E have self or contrast fabric lining and a button closure at each shoulder; dresses A, B, C have criss-cross back; dresses D, E have open sides with contrast ties; dresses F, G have binding at neckline and armholes forming ties at shoulders; dresses B, D, F have front patch pockets; panties and hat are also included.

Pattern Sizing:

S-XL, I traced off a M for a 3-6 month old. Hopefully it fits!

The hat is one size and it is large!

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes!

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Very easy, except for the hat. Not the best instructions there. McCalls omitted the fact that you need 6 crown pieces for the hat lining. Oops! I new it couldn't be right when I read the pattern instructions, but I figured it out. The instructions for inserting the elastic are ridiculous. I'll have to come up with a better way next time. Make sure you leave a big enough hole in the dress lining and the hat lining so you can fit your hand in the aid in pressing the dress and hat, and inserting the elastic in the hat. If you don't you'll be sorry!

Also try to find vintage rickrack, it does not fray nearly as bad as the new, crappy stuff.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

It's Super cute. Like I could die it's so cute!

Fabric Used:

Cotton/poly pincord from Fabric.com and quilting cotton from local discount fabric store.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I added the pockets from another view. I also used self-covered buttons and made the dress reversible with careful sewing on of the rickrack and adding buttons on the lining side. Oh, and I took off about an 1" from the top of the panties because other reviewers said they were too big.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Definitely if I have a baby or I need to make another gift.

Conclusion:

EFFING CUTE!

More Pictures:

The back

Self-covered button and rickrack detail.

Pocket!

Adorable hat, the bunching is from the elastic. I love the bow!

It's reversible!

Dad's Long Sleeve Button Down Shirt

2012-04-21T17:00:00.001-07:00

My dad requested a long sleeve, french cuff, button-down shirt for xmas 2011. I bought McCall 2447 for the project because it had a back yoke and french cuffs already drafted in the pattern. The only thing I was going to have to change was the front band. My dad wanted a contrast band so I had to split it off the right side of the shirt and slightly redraft.

Perfect pattern to work with for this project.

I originally purchased some grey fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics and was going to use some Liberty of London fabric as contrast, but Ann accidentally ran out of the fabric I requested and I had to find something else. Fortunately, she said I could pick out anything else, up to $14.00/yd to replace the fabric I ordered. I found the reversible doubleweave cotton fabric pictured below. I think the color is the most accurate in the first photo. The second shows the other side.

The fabric was beautiful, but a pain in the ass to work with because it was so loosely woven, and after cutting, the layers separated from each other. Very shifty during cutting and sewing. Also, it was a little thicker than I liked, but my dad sure likes the shirt.

More pictures:

And the Review:

Pattern Description:

MENâ€™S LINED VEST, SHIRT, TIE IN TWO LENGTHS AND BOW TIE: Vest has front welts, back and back belt are cut of lining fabric; shirt with buttoned front has back pleated to yoke forming forward shoulder seams and cuff variations; lined tie in two lengths and bow tie also included

I made the shirt with the french cuffs.

Pattern Sizing:

(S-L) (XL-XXL), I made the XL for my dad.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Pretty much, yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

I think so. I didn't use them much. I've made many shirts like this now for school, so I'm pretty use to the construction.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I thought the sleeves were a little too poufy. I think I'll try the new men's Vogue pattern next time.

Fabric Used:

A beautiful cotton double weave. Very loosely woven, and shifty, so it was difficult to work with.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I made a separate front band on the right side so it could be in a contrast fabric. I shortened the shirt also. I also redrafted the under collar so it was slightly smaller and would turn under better. I hate that the BIG 4 patterns use the same pattern for the under and top collars. I got a little creative with the contrast fabric. It was used on the inside back yoke, under collar, inside collar stand, right front band, cuffs and sleeve placket. I used the David Page Coffin method of making the placket. I also flat felled the sleeves and french seamed the side seams.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, but not for a very long time. Sure, if you like fuller sleeves. I like slimmer shirts personally.

Next up, a baby outfit. Finished it in a day and a half, and its already in the mail. Pictures and review to come.

It's April, and a Very Merry Xmas to you!

2012-04-20T17:00:00.001-07:00

School got in the way, so I never posted pictures of what I made as xmas gifts this year. Here they are:

Vogue 1250! The "Everyone and their Mother Dress" Coincidentally, I made it for my mom. She said she loved it and wants another.

Another Simplicity 2603 Cardi-wrap for my sister. She requested another one this year:

A dress I drafted from my sister's favorite Michael Star top:

And knit scarves for my sister and my niece. My sister got the brown and grey infinity scarves and my niece got the zebra/black braided scarf. Its from a tutorial I found somewhere on the internet, but unfortunately I don't remember where:

And of course the shirt for my dad which I just finished last week. I've taken pictures and will post it soonish.

It's Cursed! Simplicity 3835

2012-04-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

I made a cute, quick top. Totally inspired by Faye's Top-A-Thon, but I did not participate in the actual event. I would have liked to, but once I get going on a project, I don't stop and start something else until it is done. So my Dad's xmas present got in the way.

The pattern I used was an old Built By Wendy top, Simplicity 3835. I made the shirt yeeeaaaars ago, and I think it was the first project I made with my serger. It was awful, both in fabric and construction. What I love about the pattern is how much it looks like a RTW Express knit top I bought years ago. Maybe I'll enter this blouse into the RTW contest, even though it's not that special.

And if you want to know why it's cursed, read the review below:

Pattern Description:
The top is a peasant style with a gathered neckline and short, gathered sleeves. The mini-dress is shown with elbow-length sleeves with a band at the lower edge of the sleeves. The band has extensions which can be tied. There is also a band at the neckline which the top of the dress is stitched to. The regular length dress has pockets, elbow-length sleeves without the band, and a yoke/band at the neckline.

The dresses have back centered zippers and darts. The top is pullover without darts or closure. The top uses the same pieces as the dresses so this means whereas in the dresses darts take up excess room, in the top back there is a slight billowy effect due to the absence of darts.

(Great description taken from RenRen's review)

Pattern Sizing:

4-14, I made the 12 because I wanted it loose!

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

I modified the sleeves, so yes and no!

Were the instructions easy to follow?

I did not use them at all this time. I think they were good the first time a made the top (pre-bloggling and PR). I just did not like the material I made the top out of the first time so it got chucked.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I love the casualness of the top and the ease of construction. It only took a couple hrs from cutting to finish, and I'm slow and easily distracted.

Fabric Used:

$1/yd cotton/rayon? lycra print from the swapmeet. Woo, woo!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I made the 12 because I wanted it loose and breezy. I also removed teh CB seam as I felt it was unnecessary. I also did not use elastic on the sleeves. It looks less peasant-like and more modern IMO. I constructed the entire thing on the serger except the neckline casing and used a twin stretch needle for the hems.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes and yes!

Conclusion:

I love the top, unfortunately it is cursed! While trimming the hem, I cut a hole in my fabric! And then my dog, who occasionally has bowel issues and leaves little presents on her behind, left me a "little present" on my shirt when I picked her up. I'm going to re-hem the bottom to hide the hole and of course wash the shirt!

More pics:

Also thanks to my newest follower, KnottedRose, who recently made two cute floral tees!

160 Followers! I need to get a giveaway going soon!

Vintage Contest: 1969 Skirt

2012-04-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Just finished a skirt I've been planning to make for a very long time, but never got around to it until the Pattern Review Vintage Contest sparked my interest in sewing for myself again.

Here's the pattern:

Vintage Pattern Wiki

Simplicity 8418; ©1969; Young Junior/Teens' and Misses' Skirt in Two Lengths and Mini-Pantskirt: (Including a Tissue Lesson Chart ... "How To Handle Pockets"). The skirt V. 1 & 2 and the mini-pantskirt V. 3 & 4 with patch pockets have side zipper and waistband. V. 1 is regular length. V. 1 & 4 have shaped pockets with button trimmed flaps. Mini-length V. 2 has round pockets. V. 3 has top-stitched contrasting round pockets with flaps.

Here's the review:

Pattern Description:

Simplicity 8418; Â©1969; Young Junior/Teens' and Misses' Skirt in Two Lengths and Mini-Pantskirt: (Including a Tissue Lesson Chart ... "How To Handle Pockets"). The skirt V. 1 & 2 and the mini-pantskirt V. 3 & 4 with patch pockets have side zipper and waistband. V. 1 is regular length. V. 1 & 4 have shaped pockets with button trimmed flaps. Mini-length V. 2 has round pockets. V. 3 has top-stitched contrasting round pockets with flaps.

I made view 2, the mini skirt.

Pattern Sizing:

Young Jr/Teen
size 13-14
Waist 26
Hips 36.5

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

The shape yes! I did some additional topstitching.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

I glanced at them, and they were very good. Sparce, but good. The extra information on handling pockets was very cute and had some good information!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I think the pattern was a little long. I made the mini skirt and it hits me just above the knee. Not a true mini, but I'm okay with that.

Fabric Used:

Denim that was supposed to be 100% cotton from Fabric.com. I swear they sent me the wrong fabric because there was definitely a lot of lycra in there. I pre-washed the fabric twice and each time it got stretchier and stretchier as the sizing washed out. Also, when I received it, there was this bad fold line down the center. Washing it out and pressing did not work so I worked around it. Ended up topstitching to hide it.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I added 1" total around the waist, but ended up taking it back in the same about. I guess with the stretch of the fabric, my 27" waist did not need the extra inch. Instead of using the half circle shape pocket facing piece, I just cut 1 circle of denim and 1 of the contrast lightweight cotton. I sewed them RST, clipped and turned. I really hate sewing on patch pockets that are curved. Very difficult to get the right shape, so this was easier for me and didn't compromised the look of the design at all. I did a lot of topstitching too! It was denim and all. Used a button closure instead of hooks and eyes. Oh, and a turned down the pockets a little less than in the picture on the pattern envelope.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I woud not sew it again as I have too many skirt patterns I was to try and draft! I would recommend it though.

More views of the skirt:

Hope you all like it! Vote for me :)

Worst Blogger: Follow up to "Bad Blogger"

2012-04-14T14:52:00.001-07:00

Sorry everyone! I suck at life, and blogging apparently. School's over! I'm a graduate...again. I've been piddling around for almost a month now trying to recuperate and psych myself up enough to sew for myself and look for jobs. I absolutely hate looking for a new job. It's quite scary, isn't it? I'm almost ready to jump in head first!

Thanks to all of you who stuck by the blog even when I was absent. And all the new followers! I haven't forgotten you either!

Thanks to:

Denise
Chrissy
Sarah and her singing chihuahua
Andrea670
Julie
Debi from My Happy Sewing Place...Love the Marlene suit!!
RebThack

I'm still reading blogs, but rarely commenting. So sorry.

I sewed many gifts for xmas, one of which, a long sleeve, button-down shirt for my dad, I just finished. Hahaha! Thanks FIDM for giving me no time to work on presents for my family until after term. :-/

So I have xmas presents to blog about, the shirt, and the 1969 skirt I just made and have to post on Pattern Review for the contest. The skirt will be first.

Pearl misses you guys too!

Pearl really enjoys reading...

And the worst blogger award goes to...

2012-01-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

This girl!

Sorry folks for being MIA. Last quarter was rough. It wasn't all that difficult. Actually, I had relatively little work and very little to show.

I've been avoiding blogging because I've been too P.O.'ed about the Red Dress experience and have nothing to show except my sketch and some pictures of the half finished dress. I was so angry the last day that I didn't even bring a camera to take pictures. We were told there would be pictures taken of the dress though so I'll have to follow up on that.

I'll talk about my other classes briefly, then the Red Dress class. I only took 3 classes:

The Red Dress Special Project Class

Creative Design Analysis and Collection Development (CDACD)

Computer Pattern I

I enjoyed Computer Pattern making. We use the Gerber Technology AccuMark pattern making software, and I think it is kind of fun. The system is a little wonky and not intuitive at all. Nothing like Photoshop of Illustrator. I enjoy it though because to me it's like solving a puzzle.

CDACD was a fun class because we designed 2 bigger collections with little to no restrictions. My teacher was very nice and informative if you asked the right questions. I really wish there had been more structured and organized lectures. The syllabus was not followed at all and I feel we lost a lot of valuable information.

Oh the Red Dress class.....I think I had a hard time this quarter blogging because the only thing I could really show you was my progress on the dress and I was not in love with my design, the fabrics, and most of all, the instructors. I absolutely regret this class and wish I could get my money back and take Industry Pattern instead. I can honestly say that I only learned 3 new things this entire quarter and all were explained to me in hindsight...after my dress was done.

1) DRAPE AND FIT IN A FABRIC SIMILAR TO THE FINAL GARMENT! Yes, I know I've read this before and even fit my own garments this way, but my instructor insisted that draping, patterning, and fitting my bias skirt in muslin would not be a problem. Only on week 10, the last week of the class, did she mention doing test fits in a similar fabric. My dress didn't fit the form even though it fit in muslin.

2) When cutting out bias pieces, hang the bias pieces unassembled overnight in the direction they will hang on the body. Then place the pattern pieces over the "stretched" pieces and adjust the hem that undoubtedly became distorted.

3) Sometimes, on a bias garment, the CB needs to be raised a bit to adjust and balance the side seams from swinging backward.

I should have dropped the class in week 4 like I intended, but I was assured the class would get better, and I would learn something. All the demos were haphazardly planned it seemed, unorganized and usually postponed to following week...and the following week....and the following week until there was not enough time. There were too many students and not enough working machines and work space was limited. All the special feet were only available to us when the sewing machine repair man? was available to come in to class and bring them to us. The first week he came, we hadn't even made our patterns yet. He didn't come to every class so there was no way of knowing what equipment would be available to us.

I truly believe every student in the class felt the same way I did about the instruction and the way the class was run. I know some students enjoyed the class because they believed in their design and liked making their dress, regardless of the lack of organization, space and instruction. I am really glad that some people were able to make the best of the class.

Okay, and now for some pictures, and what you've all been waiting for:

The first 3 sketches:

I chose sketch #1 because I thought it would be fun to flat pattern. I ended up draping almost the entire dress...oh, well. One day I will make sketch # 2. I love this dress and would love to see it made up in silk velvet.

I first drafted a pattern and made a muslin (but don't have any pictures). The skirt was way too Sleeping Beauty and the insets were so-so. My instructors suggested I change the triangle insets to flaps. I had to redraft the entire skirt portion, change it to princess seams, and I also changed the godets to inserted, inverted pleats. (Say that 5x fast!)
Here is my second muslin with some fabric pinched out where it needs it:

And delerious me "piecing" together my 3rd muslin. I'm so glad I took a quilting class a few years ago because it saved my sanity making this dress:

Muslin # 3 on me. Unfortunately, the dress was way too big for me:

The final sketch:

And some images of the almost final dress:

I actually really liked the fabric in the end. It was a heavy silk charmeuse. The dress looks awful IMO though....

Back close-up:

I love the beading. I ended up ripping out these beads and replacing them with darker narrow bugle beads. They were much better. I beaded the back collar and the triangle front flaps with scallops and evenly spaced the beads about 1/2" apart along the front of the neckline (not pictured).

Bodice close up:

Maybe one day I'll have better pictures....

Thanks to the followers that were concerned about my absence. I'll try to keep up the blogging.

1940 Vintage Illustrations

2011-10-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

In my Creative Design Analysis and Collection Development class, my instructor brought in a couple of vintage books to share with the class to give us some inspiration and a look at vintage pattern drafting. One of the books she had was falling apart, but had the most beautiful illustrations in it. Luckily, I was allowed to scan a few images. I went down to the Annex, where students have access to a ton of computers, crappy printers, and a couple scanners to scan the images real quick in the middle of class. No scanners were available and I had to wait. I got annoyed and nicely told some girl, who was looking at her facebook, NOT SCANNING, to move and that the scanner stations were 15min only. Facebook, I mean, come on! She was pissed, but moved anyways, and I got my beautiful illustrations. I think I can scan more next week.

In other news, I'm working on my Red Dress and not loving it or my class. I expected more instruction and feedback on my design, but it seems like the class is more of a free for all. I regret not taking Industry Pattern instead. I think I would have learned more. I haven't learned a thing yet in class, just using what I learned from other classes. And the class is a waste of time too. For the first 3 hours, nothing happens. It shouldn't take 3 hours to talk about individual designs. It didn't in my other pattern classes! It's ridiculous. We spend most of our time wandering around, looking at other people's designs, chatting, or waiting for feedback. To add insult to injury, there is absolutely no room to work on patterns. Oh, and we don't get to keep the dresses. We are paying for fabric with our tuition, but the dresses get donated to the American Heart Association. Thats all fine and dandy. I'm all for charity, but the dresses should be auctioned off, not kept crammed in the directors office for YEARS. I'm not happy about that.
The longer I attend FIDM, the more I would not recommend the school.

On to new Followers!

Thank you:

Ms Hepburn I think this vintage blog is great! I was referred here because Ms. Hepburn featured the hat pattern I was inquiring about a few posts back. It was so weird because I designed my red dress before school started and then found this blog. My dress is very similar to one of the 1930's patterns displayed on the blog! Her post was almost 2 weeks after I designed my dress, and I swear I had never seen that pattern before! I should have been a designer in the 30's.

Kimberly, who's been blogging about corsetry and boxers.

Kelsey. She has a sewing blog, and a tea blog! I heart tea!

I can't believe I have almost 150 followers. Thanks everyone for following!

Vintage Hat Pattern Vogue 6121

2011-10-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

My mom and I found this cute 1960's head scarf pattern at the flea market today. It was such a good deal that we didn't even bother to open it up to check for all the pieces and instructions. Well, we should have because the instructions are missing :( Views A and B seam pretty self explanatory from the pattern pieces, but Views C and D confuse me. I think I could figure it out, but my mom could not and she was hoping to make a hat/scarf today :) Bummer, huh?

Does anyone have a copy of this pattern and could scan the instructions for me? I'd be forever grateful and the good karma fairies will make a visit I'm sure :) The wonderful pattern site Blue Gardenia has a copy of the pattern in mint condition, but it is too pricey for me.

I also got this sweet children's book "Love is a Special Way of Feeling"

I love the illustrations in it

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. It's back to sketching for me..... :(