Summer tops: not quite what I planned

Actually, I don't really know what I planned. Or didn't plan. The sewing this summer is all over the map, what with not really needing anything (at all!), not going anywhere, and then deciding to use this time to try new styles and shapes. Thus I've had a few clunkers, things I just wouldn't wear. Right now I'm sewing things that the wearability doesn't really matter - just trying to see if a pattern will work and feel comfortable on me. So far the out-of-my-comfort zone has served to reinforce that I like streamlined shapes, details, a minimum of ruffles and I don't really like big sleeves.
Here are a couple of things I sewed recently - looking at the pictures the first one is more wearable than I thought, and the second falls into the category of "what was I thinking" due to fabric choice.



I had this coral eyelet fabric in my stash, no idea where it came from but I really like the color.
This is the drawing from the July 2020 Burda magazine, pattern # 110.  I wanted a sleeveless top but that was an easy change to make.

However  - that gathering and pleating at the center front and center back waist was just too much for me. It make the lower part stick out, I tried it on and felt like I was wearing a ballet tutu. There is the before (left) and after (right). I took off the bottom part, smoothed it out, made a couple of pleats at either side and reattached.   In a perfect world this top wouldn't have any seam in the middle but it was already done so I had to work with that.




I know a lot of people finish garments and if they don't like them they just move on, perhaps donate or give away but I like to try and re-do if possible. I'm still not crazy about it but it's a lot better.







That is the most accurate version of the color, which is really pretty. I just made some bias binding from fabric in my box of plain cottons, the binding is pink but it blends just fine. Quarantine sewing, make do!  Who are we kidding? I would never go out and buy fabric just to make binding, I always rummage around in the stash and scraps.

Next up is the what was I thinking top. Well the top itself is not too bad but I think the fabric just looks goofy. I saw this on the Mood Fabrics website and I think it was the palm trees and the ocean that grabbed me. It looked very tropical and all my travel will be of the virtual, a girl can dream variety for the time being. So I ordered it and then when it arrived I thought, hmmm, not so sure about this one. But I decided to make a tunic top which would use the border print. Thus we have this.



Seriously, I will never wear this. It's just too weird. Also I wasn't quite sure how to deal with the border print, as you can see it goes from dark on the bottom to light in the middle, and then the other edge was darker, which I used for the sleeves. I think I only ordered about 1.5 yards also, so not really enough to make something else. A maxi dress or caftan might have been better but I didn't have enough fabric. And I never wear those things :)







There's the drawing from the magazine. Once I made it I realized the center V placket is a bit too low for my liking. I can see now that it is below the bust darts. I didn't really pay attention to that. I do like the shape and collar, so I could see sewing this pattern again with just raising the bottom of that placket a bit.






So that's it for these less than successful tops. I have a few other things that didn't work, so stay tuned for more :). But also a few winners lately including the jumpsuit from the June 2020 Burda.




Stay well everybody and stay cool if your weather is like mine - it was 106℉ here today and supposed to be over 100℉ for the next 5 days in a row!!!!!!

Happy Summer Sewing, Beth

Today's garden photo, this albutilon which I bought at the local junior college horticulture department sale a couple of years ago. They didn't have the sales this spring which was really a disappointment, I'm sure for the students as well. It's a hummingbird favorite.

Fabric Store recommendation and review of McCalls 7094 top

Where do you buy fabric? The web has opened up every possibility to us all, and I'm like many of you - jumping from one site to another because you saw a great fabric on an IG or blog post. I'm sure a lot of us are disillusioned with the chain fabric stores. It seems the fabric they sell, while sometimes useful, is kind of the lowest common denominator of fabric choice. At the same time I am coming around to the idea of supporting local and small business owners - particularly when they are selling products for so many of the things I love, be it fabrics, garden supplies, books, the special produce market in my neighborhood or the hardware store with the helpful guys who know how to fix everything.
Which is a long way around to introduce a fabric shop, The Confident Stitch, owned by Kate who I met a few years ago when she came for a sewing and fitting lesson. She is originally from my corner of the bay area but moved years ago to Montana and has now fulfilled her dream of owning a fabric store. I don't think I will every make it to Missoula but happily we all can order from their lovely selection.

I like the way she lists the fabrics on the site, the photos show the color and drape of the fabric. I saw some interesting Japanese fabrics and even the ever elusive tencel denim (I love tencel-cotton blends and in denim colors they are great for a wear-everywhere shirt dress.) But for a coat and jacket maker like me I was really pleased to see the pressing tools listed - they sell a 2-in-1 Tailor board very similar to one you have probably seen on my blog. Plus lots of marking tools, like Chalkoner chalk markers and Frixon pens. If you have been lamenting that you can't find these tools near you give a look at The Confident Stitch website.

Fabric - Kate offered to send me something from their website so I chose a couple of cotton lawns that I had seen in person as I met the fabric designer (who is based here in my local area).

First up is this dreamy floral print, the poppies evoke California (our state flower) but the color way is a bit different than the usual poppy prints with the pink background. It reminds me of Japanese porcelain. I decided to try out a new pattern, McCalls 7094.



I've been on a tunic top kick lately as I will be teaching a Sew a Tunic Top class at Hello Stitch Studio in Berkeley which starts next week, so I made a few different patterns to check them out.




This pattern has pleats at the shoulder which I like, and a sewn-on placket plus an interesting collar that meets at the top of the placket. However I will say that this part is a bit tricky to sew. It's one of those areas where you have to stay-stitch and then snip the fabric to the stitching, and then apply the placket and collar precisely so they meet and create that v-notch on either side of the neckline. It looks nice and this fabric had enough body to deal with that little minefield but I think in a silk or something that ravels like linen it would be a nightmare.




Do you ever make something and think it is really pretty then try it on and it's "just not you"? I don't have that happen very often but when you are on a kick to try new silhouettes you encounter some that just won't work. I felt like it was both much fabric and and a bit frumpy on me. But I loved this fabric - so mentioned to my pal Alice that I had made a new top which she might be able to wear to work, an extra pretty scrub top if you will. When she came over she said, "oh no, that won't be for work, that is going in my actual wardrobe. And it looks great on her!



I'm coming to the conclusion - when in doubt about my sewing choices - give it to a tall friend and it will be fine :)  Or try to grow a few inches myself. Which is probably not going to happen.

Here's a closer look at the neckline and fabric.




I also chose a coordinating fabric from the same designer, and used that to make up my favorite tunic top pattern (New Look 6688 which I have sewn several times already, in eyelet, silk, silk, and rayon. So version five is in cotton lawn and the name of this fabric is Sun Spots - which I didn't realize but is kind of fitting for me.



This one is great with my red jeans but I am seriously tempted to remove the sleeves and have a top I can wear in our hot weather. However I think I will refrain and then have a cute casual top to wear a little bit now and then again in the fall when it cools off. I love the painterly dots of this print.



The pink lawn is just a tiny bit softer than the blue dotted one, I did wash both but probably with another wash it will soften up some more. By the way, both these cotton lawns are organic cotton. I've seen a summer quilt that incorporated these plus other fabrics from the same designer and it is gorgeous.

So that's the scoop on The Confident Stitch - check them out. Thank you to Kate for sending me this fabric at no charge and I'm sure I will find more to purchase on her site.

Here's me and Alice and a corner of my garden in full bloom - this is the best time of year for a California garden, still so green.



Up next - I have been sewing quite a few things for others, some I will share including a plaid coat I am working on, the boucle fabric is an unraveling mess but the result is turning out so well.

Happy Sewing,
Beth

today's garden photo, a close up of that yellow rose shown above. It starts out a bright yellow touched with pink and fades to a pale almost white.






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Border print silk top in jewel tones, New Look 6677

Some things you make and you just know they will be in heavy rotation in your wardrobe. That is the case with this silk tunic top - it has become my favorite item sewn this year. I predict my family and friends will start asking me if I have anything else to wear. But I don't care! I absolutely love it.




To make it even sweeter - a very nice friend actually gave me this fabric. Which is a gorgeous heavy silk, with a slightly sueded texture, and a border print too. The same person that gave me the green wool fabric which I just used in the green coat as well as in the tri-color coat. As she mentioned when she asked if I wanted this trove of fabrics "I just want them to go to someone who will enjoy them" which turned out to be the understatement of the year. As evidenced by my smile - fabric love on all counts.

This silk piece was about 2 yards and as I mentioned it had a border, only on one selvedge. So I did ponder a while what to do with it and I was really thinking about making a simple dress but then after my successful run of tops this summer I realized I would be able to wear it so much more as a top.



As for the pattern - a perfect combination with my year-to-date favorite pattern which is New Look 6677, unfortunately discontinued. For some reason the shape of the top and the way the neck placket and collar are designed fit me perfectly. Although I have only made the tunic version - the other top with the waistband is not my style at all. However a pattern with multiple views - got to give them credit on that score. Most New Look patterns have multiple views or even multiple garments plus all sizes in one envelope - a nice value.



I have sewed this pattern several times since I found it in a stack of patterns my friend Alice gave me early this past summer. Here is an eyelet version for her, and then a silk version for me. And I must be fickle because in the silk version post I said that was my favorite garment for the year - now surpassed by it's long sleeve version :)

A look at the collar and placket. The colors in this top are so perfect for me, saturated jewel tones.



The pattern instructs you to topstitch on the placket in rows, which I was not sold on but tried it out anyway on the coral/white silk version. I thought it might give the placket some more substance (on top of the interfacing which it has) and I really liked the effect so I did it again here as well.



Back view. If I had one slight regret on this top is that the border print has one dominant dark purple rectangle, and as you can see I happened to place that right in the center of the back and the front. I don't think it is particularly noticeable in real life but it kind of jumps out in the photos.



I carefully planned the length before cutting out as I decided I didn't want any hem, just to use the edge of the fabric. Which worked out, whew!




The color in this picture is a little strange, I lightened it up a bit but perhaps all the different shades of green are doing weird things to the overall hue. That is my way too big hydrangea behind me - which is still very green and has a few new blooms. In front of me on the right is the big gardenia which is covered with flowers - so strange for November! Plus a random pink azalea bloom to my left. The garden is very confused this year.



I'm also wearing this top in these pics which we took at Metro Textiles in New York, you can see that post here. 

Next up in my sewing queue is to start in on some of the fabrics I brought back from New York, and actually I think the first item will be the camel color cashmere that Alice bought at Metro Textile. Destined to be a long vest. Plus I have an unnecessary Burda dress almost completed that is a very cute pattern so I will post that soon. It actually will get worn in December because it is a slightly holiday color and then a few knit top ideas are bouncing around.

Time to start thinking about gift sewing - if I do any of that this year!

Although you can see plenty of fallen leaves in these pictures - it is still the never-ending summer here, I pulled weeds today wearing shorts! So weird.

Happy November sewing,
Beth

One last bloom from the garden and then it might be the end for flowers for a while. A dahlia which didn't give many flowers. I just pulled up all the dahlia tubers and stuck them in a paper bag and stored them away in the garage. I think that is commonly done in other locations where the ground freezes but it is very helpful here as when it does rain the ground gets really soggy and then they rot. I have stored them this way over the winter previously and it works really well. 

Sleeve variation on a tunic top, plus more sleeve talk

Why is it so satisfying to use a pattern multiple times? I know I'm not the only one that derives some extra sewing pleasure from pattern reuse. For my part, it mostly appeals to my thrifty side. By making another version that is perhaps one fewer new pattern purchased. Plus there is the saved time because I have already done the pattern fitting.
So what did I get my money's worth from this summer? It's the very simple but elegant New Look 6677. Which in fact cost me nothing as I found it in a grab bag of patterns that my friend Alice gave me some months ago. And used first to make her this blue eyelet top - a complete success. And then I made another version for myself.

I have neglected to share a few of the Craftsy sewing blog posts that I had published recently - I have been doing some how-to posts on sleeves and wanted to do a post on how to design a flutter sleeve. Which is not really my favorite but it is kind of useful, and looks really pretty when used on the right top or dress.



I decided to use this New Look top pattern to make a version with the flutter sleeves. This fabric was from Joann fabrics, it is nice rayon woven, lightweight and just right for a bit of flutter in the sleeves. I loved the color and saw it there in the front on a few different visits to the store (where I go mostly to buy random stuff that I don't have, like buttons for a specific project or lining) So with a discount coupon it was around $ 8. For this fabric, using the border print was no problem, it wasn't an issue to turn the fabric sideways and cut on the cross grain. But do take note of that, sometimes there are border prints, with some stretch, but by cutting on the cross grain it has the stretch running the wrong way (which is up and down instead of around the body). I have also fallen into that trap with a solid - in this post the second jacket shown I cut with the stretch going the wrong way and it bugs me a lot!)

These woven rayons and rayon challis are really nice fabrics to sew, although they do wrinkle a bit too much for my taste. But for dresses and blouses they are vastly better than quilting cottons, the drape is perfect for a lot of styles.

A look at the flutter sleeve. Once finished I think this didn't really go with the rest of the garment. A flutter sleeve looks much better with an open neckline, so you can guess what I did later.

Here is the link to my Craftsy post on how to create the flutter sleeve. I do think it is a nice sleeve used in the right spot - some people just don't want their arms to show, or require a bit more coverage but a regular sleeve seems constricting or too casual. This is a good sleeve to try if you want to avoid doing a bicep adjustment. Basically everything in the design book that I use can look fantastic or goofy - it just depends on using each design element in the right spot. For some reason I think of these sleeves on a bias cut satin evening gown in a 1930's black and white movie with a glamorous vixen running around with a fur stole and gardenia in her hair.



And here is a look at it on me. While I love the fabric I didn't like the look very much. Perhaps it is the proportion, the top might be kind of long but I was going for the tunic look. Also it would look good with white jeans but I think it was about 100˚F when we took this picture so shorts it was. It seems too covered up with that collar which works so well with the sleeveless version. As evidenced by a lot of my other posts, I am a proportion scrutinizer. I think that a part of sewing experience is being able to evaluate the shapes and proportions of a pattern or garment, not just as designed but as it looks on your own body.




You can guess what it did next. Actually since I had my doubts on the sleeves but needed to photograph for the Craftsy post, I just machine basted them on. Then I let this one marinate for a while, even putting it on one evening as I was going out to meet friends for a drink - but it just didn't feel right. So back on the dress form for some more contemplation. And finally this happened.



For me so much more wearable.  And here is a terrible iPhone timer photo taken late in the day when the lighting wasn't cooperating, thus the color looks really off. I like it so much better and have already worn it a few times. Plus tomorrow it is supposed to be 100˚ here again so I am still wearing my sleeveless summer tops despite autumn being just around the corner. Proved by the number of leaves falling in my front yard and the bedraggled look of all the plants which are very tired and just waiting for some much needed rain!



On the theme of sleeves I also did another recent post for Craftsy, on how to do the Tulip sleeve. Which is another variation that cleverly uses the existing sleeve pattern piece and is them modified. Which makes it easy to sew into the garment because you don't change the sleeve cap at all. Check it out!  And that grey dotted top pictured in the post was a test garment for a new to me New Look pattern, since I had such success with the one at the top of this post I checked out their pattern book for another and found this one, New Look 6374. Super cute pattern, hideous on the pattern envelope, and I have already made a couple of versions.



If you are interested in sleeve fitting and sewing, I have done a number of posts on Craftsy on various sleeve-y topics. Here some of my previous ones if you want to take a look. And I have another one in progress, soon to be published, deconstructing sleeve patterns with explanations on all the various markings. Whew! sleeves are an endless supply of topics, who knew?

How to make a two-piece sleeve (very good for fitting a full bicep)

Pattern Adjustment: how to ensure your sleeve fits perfectly

How to sew sleeves in a coat or jacket

Thank you everyone for your nice comments on my previous post, on the striped and pieced Burda dress. I was looking at the BurdaStyle website and see a version that is color-blocked - that might be my favorite version by far. I am really happy with the fit of the dress so that pattern will go in the "perhaps to be sewn again next spring" category. It would a great one for color-blocking using up smallish pieces of solid color fabric. It interests me that a lot of readers often suggest adding a cardigan in a bright color. I appreciate the suggestion - but I never wear cardigans :) In fact I think I might have two? I'm just not a cardigan wearer - either it is a pullover sweater in the winter because it is chilly or I wear a sleeveless dress because it is very hot here - so cardigan weather doesn't really happen. Plus if I sewed up a nice dress then I don't want to cover it up with a cardigan! Yep we all have our wardrobe quirks.  Now jackets are another story.

Speaking of jackets - I am just starting on a wool jacket. Because I am bonkers. OK not that. I did a big closet clean out a few weeks ago, however I still have soooooo many nice wool coats and jackets. But sometimes you just get a bug in your head and have to sew something new, right?  Speaking of bugs, I have a annoying cold this weekend (when is having a cold not annoying?) so I am taking it easy, catching up on my Tivo recordings and maybe doing a bit of sewing. I went to Seattle last week to see friends and it seems like a 50-50 chance that if I fly anywhere I get a cold, usually after the return. Anyone else experience this? Oh well, enough whining...

Because it was so worth it - one of my best friends moved up to the great northwest (as I call it) about 18 years ago so I've had the opportunity to visit often. While I always prefer palm trees to pine trees it is beautiful and green, and their food/wine scene is great. My friends just bought a vacation house on San Juan Island - so we did the ferry trip over there and I got to see that, very fun. I have a feeling I will be back. They have dungeness crab almost all year round - lucky them. It's a winter treat here in NorCal and last year the season was delayed due to environmental reasons. Which is tough on the local SF fisherman and also not good for our Christmas table.

But I will always be partial to the Golden State. So I couldn't resist taking this picture out the airplane window - look at that sunshine over the Golden Gate Bridge. And you can even see the Farallon Islands, which is our benchmark for how clear the sky is over the bay area. That is tiny Alcatraz island in the middle, and then Angel island on the right, which is a state park, has ferry service and you can even camp. Although I have never been there!



Happy weekend sewing,

Beth