Thursday 31 March 2011

Vogue Dress Pattern 1220

This pattern is from the new Vogue Spring catalogue; Donna Karan Collection Vogue 1220.  It has pleats in the centre back neck seam and side fronts.  The skirt side seams have a diagonal slant, front pockets, and back waist darts.  Front buttons are hidden.  Sleeves are rolled and have french seams.  The hem of the dress are completed with a hem facing.  


The fabric is a green cotton stretch sateen.  It was great fabric to work with especially with the easing around corners.  The belt has a rolled hem.


Rating:  

I loved working with this pattern and that is why I gave this pattern a score of three out of three needles and threads; the fit is great and the pattern was easy to follow.   

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Tops...


Butterick Pattern 5561 found in the Spring 2011 catalogue.  The fabric is 100% polyester in a rich blue colour with cream and silver spiral patterns and a 60's vibe going on...


The neckline has soft gathers in the front and a full length pleat off centre.  There are shoulder darts.   

Rating:  
Three spoons out of three!  The pattern pattern is easy to work with and I would love to make this top again.  

******

This is a Anne Klein Vogue pattern from years back.  It has tuck pleats long the front and back along the waistline.  Short sleeves have pleats at the cuff that tie together.  Buttons were made in the same fabric as the blouse.  
Who doesn't love shoes?  This black and white cotton has a vintage shoe print.  


Rating:

 
I would give the pattern a 3 out of 3 spool rating!  I love the shirt details but not keen to make the top again.  I'm not a skinny as a once was, and it is fitted at the waist, it is just a personal choice.  I love the sleeves, and the pin tucks.  

******

Vogue Pattern 1401, circa 1993.  This pattern has three pieces; a dress, a shirt (which is so roomy that it could easily be a dress for someone with petite stature), and pants.  I made the pattern for the shirt.  It has very full sleeves, a front tie/scarf sew into the body of the shirt (shoulder and armhole seams), and hidden button front.


I goofed when I was making the shirt.  I made a narrow hem on the front tie/scarf which resulted in excess fabric at the shoulder seam.  The pattern does not call for gathering at the shoulder but it was the only way that I could make it work without taking the seam ripper to the hem.

I made the shirt in a green polyester.  I love the colour but I don't think that I would use the same type of fabric if I were to make another shirt like this one.

Rating:

1/2
I would give this pattern a two and a half out of three spool rating.  The armhole is quite deep and I wear this blouse with a tank top or camisole underneath.  I would make the adjustment to allow for the narrow hem on the scarf and choose a light weight cotton or silk.

Thursday 17 March 2011

Cozy Sweaters make Cozy Blankets

What better fabric to use to make a blanket than the fabric found in the pile of old cozy sweaters that you no longer wear?  That sweater that no longer fits, or the sweater that is no longer in style but you just can't part with is just the perfect pieces to make a blanket! 



Sew the cut out pieces from your old sweater collection and serge them together on a baby lock serger.  You can finished the edges by serging them too. 


Ribbons, lacing, zippers, buttons and buttonholes that were part of the original garment can add interesting details to the blanket.  


Stash busting: Wool cardigan / OOP Kwik Sew 4192

Back in September, I made a simple pull-on  wool knit skirt with the intention of sewing a matching pullover top  to go with it.  The pullo...