One More: Vogue 1455

Really, I just can't get over this dress pattern. It is one more reversible pullover dress with ribbon front ties.  

Happy Sewing!

Just Can't Get Enough: Vogue 1455

Seriously, in my humble opinion, Vogue 1455 is one darn cute child's dress pattern. And it's fun to sew. 

I've lost count of how many times I've made this pattern but I will say that this one was the most challenging of the bunch. It's made for a little one whose favourite colour is turquoise. I didn't see that one coming! I'm used to hearing answers of "pink" or "purple" as favourite colours, never in a million years, "turquoise."  

The challenge came in trying to find turquoise coloured fabric. I found some lovely turquoise fabric at Fabricland recently but it was a cotton / silk blend that was much too sheer for this project. And when I was about to give up on ever finding turquoise coloured fabric, I remembered I had this in my stash. Thankfully, there is still enough to make a pair of pants or a skirt because it's rare to come across this gem. It's hemp fabric that I found at Marshalls a few years ago. But it's turquoise, or as close to turquoise as I'm going to get. It does look like turquoise, right? Well, we'll find out soon because children are honest and will tell it like it is. 

The reverse side is my favourite but it's not for me, I'm just hoping that the recipient of this dress will be please and will enjoy wearing it.  There is one more to finish sewing for their older sister. I have creative rein of the next one. 

Happy Sewing!  

Vintage McCall's 7352: Jumper

McCall's 7352, circa 1994, is part of the NY The Collection line from by-gone days. Yet it's a pattern that I've longed to tackle for decades and I recently worked on it. 

With a recent weight loss, I thought that I might be able to squeeze into a size 12 but gave myself a little extra ease at the side seams. There was high hopes that this project would turn into a wearable toile / muslin.  Ah, but it wasn't meant to be.  

Lengthwise, after shortening the lower length by two inches, it was perfect. It just fell snug around the mid-section. My fabric choice has some stretch but even with the extra ease at the sides and gently pulling it at the front, I'm still not all that comfortable. I let out the side seams to provide more ease around my mid-section and hips but markings were left in my fabric and I wish the centre fronts were extended. And let's talk about the back darts. Oh my goodness, they fall really low, much lower than any other back darts that I've sewn but the curves they create make them an absolute love-it feature. I also adore the placement of the side-to-back ties which are positioned higher than the waist-line.   

On the upside, I can work with this to modify the pattern and hopefully, one day, have a copy of this jumper to wear.  I also think I would like to add pockets. If I could get more ease, maybe in the front from the princess seam.  

This didn't turn out to be a wearable toile / muslin but it has inspired me to dream on. 

Happy Sewing!

The Iris Dress

It's not the greatest looking photo. It's kind of a hot mess and could use a iron to get rid of those wrinkles in the front but it was photographed just as it came off the sewing machine and it was a long day and who am I kidding, I don't like ironing. I do like this dress though.

This is the Iris dress by Tina Givens.  These patterns have a Bohemian-Victorian vibe, not really a work appropriate look. But in the right fabric, I think it will work.

But when I saw this photo on the Tina Givens website I was convinced to give this pattern company a try. Once the pattern arrived I was taken by the familiarity with Lynn Mizono's Vogue 1410 sleeveless dress pattern. How do they contrast and compare. The exaggerated hip shape of the pattern is about all these two patterns have in common.

The Pattern:  

The Iris dress has sleeves and pockets.  What is doesn't have are shoulder, centre front and centre back seams. The pattern piece for the dress is placed on two folds! And the fit is lovely. I didn't have to shorten the length at all. And I'm pleased with the length. The sleeves on the photo above are shown to be 3/4 length but on me they're full length. It is missing something though, oh yes, notches.  There is a pocket pattern piece and no notches only a illustration to suggest the placement of the pocket.  My guess was off about two inches and the pocket does fall a little low for my liking. The instructions are illustrated and written on the pattern paper.

I got as far as French seam the collar on the pattern instructions and then went off on my own. I didn't like going back to the large pattern sheet to access the instructions. Besides, it really is an easy project. I did eliminated the neckline binding and French seamed the neckline as well. 

One thing that I would do differently is not to have the right sides together when I sew the collar to the neckline because of the way it folds the wrong side of the fabric shows. Next time I will sew the wrong side of the collar to the right side of the dress so that when the collar drapes over the shoulders when worn, it will be the right side of the collar that is showing.  

No pattern alterations at all and I'm happy with the length on the hem and sleeves. For a muslin, I'm actually pleased with how it turned out and don't mind wearing this one. 

The Fabric:  

To try out this pattern, I used a light-weight cotton knit from my stash. The edges curled and it was challenging to pin it down before taking this project over to the sewing machine for stitching. I interfaced the hems with Knit-N-Stable tape for some control of the edges. The most challenging part of working with this fabric was getting it laid out before I could lay out the pattern pieces. With the pattern demanding two fold lines, lengthwise for the dress front and back and crosswise for the shoulder and sleeve, I found it challenging to smooth out this fabric, contend with the edges curling and making sure the folds were straight. I don't think I will want to make this in another cotton knit even though it is very comfortable for this humid weather. It looks like another one will have to wait. 

I would like to make this in a fabric similar to the website photo and I did find a lovely sweater knit over at Emma One Sock. More appropriate for autumn wear.   

This is a Tahari wool blend double-knit that I thought would be nice but at $26.00 / yard plus international shipping this piece of fabric is destined to remain in my dreams. Maybe a ponte knit would be nice if I didn't give up man-made fibres. 

The Statistics:

Fabric:  3 metres light-weight cotton knit

Interfacing:  Knit-N-Stable tape

Pattern:  The Iris Dress by Tina Givens

Additional supplies & tools:  Burda tracing paper, pencil, cutting table, pins, rulers, pin cushion, scissors, tailor's chaulk, thread, thread clippers, sewing machine, walking foot, serger, tweezers, iron, ironing board and water.  

Happy Sewing!  

McCall's 7630: Pullover Top

It's an easy sewing project for a loose-fitting pullover top. It's my second go with this pattern and I still want to make another just because it's so comfortable.  

And the pattern offers sleeve and hemline variations making this pattern a keeper. This time I made view B minus the breast pocket. I wanted a top that would go with this skirt I made three years ago. Finally, I have a top that I think goes well with it. But would you believe that I found it also goes with other items in my closet like this skirt. There is nothing like a good basic in a neutral colour.    

The fabric is my favourite, silk noir, a rare find at the fabric store now-a-days. I wouldn't let any scraps of this fabric make it to the garbage bin. It's too precious and I plan to piece it together for a future project. That's the plan.  For now, I just plan to enjoy wearing this one.  

The Stats:  

Fabric:  1.3 metres

Pattern:  McCall's 7630

https://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m7630

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Iron, ironing board, cutting table, scissors, pins, tailor's chalk, sewing machine, serger, threads, and a cup of coffee.  

Happy Sewing!

  

In Sewing News Today...

The sewing mojo has taken a hit lately. There has been mending and alterations work going on and on and on.

This summer sandals have made it to the sewing table twice this summer.

This is a ready-to-wear (RTW) shirt that I've had for many moons. It hasn't seen the light of day or night since I gained weight and it didn't look as good as it once did. Until a recent weight loss occurred, this shirt wasn't even on my radar for alterations.  

The hem shortened, cuffs and a bit of the sleeve length cut off to earn this shirt a place in the closet. 

More hems. 

The sewing mojo might return with the arrival of this pattern, Tina Givens' Iris dress. I'm not a fan of the pattern cover photo but this photo captured my imagination. The dress shape reminds me of Lynn Mizono's Vogue 1410. I really like the Iris dress pattern for its large collar that drapes over the shoulder, the fact that it has sleeves and, wait for it, POCKETS! This will be my first Tina Givens project and it will be interesting to see how the two patterns compare.  

Will see what sewing in July turns out... 

Happy Sewing!  

Vogue 1455: Revisiting a Favourite Pattern

Recently, Lynn Mizono's reversible dress pattern made it onto the cutting table this week. The biggest challenge became the decision on fabric. I chose a navy and white Japanese cotton for one side and then a white and black cotton combination for the reverse side, which was quickly nixed in favour for this colourful combination.  Moms know best.  

Top L to R (clockwise):  Green swiss dot cotton, floral print cotton, 

purple eyelet cotton and Liberty print cotton.  

And the little gal's Mom was right because happens to turn out to be one of my favourite combinations.  All of the fabrics were pre-treated with a tumble through the washing machine and dryer and a good steam press prior to cutting. Do you pre-treat your fabrics? 

What I really like about this fabric combination is that the ribbons can be changed to pick up on any number of colours featured on both sides of this dress.

Let's talk about this pattern!  

This pattern, Vogue 1455, is an American designer pattern. And it mimics the adult version, Vogue 1410, of this design. The only difference is to the basic shape that has been divided to create a contrasting bubble hemline effect. This creates a hem band that allows for adjustable lengths and for growth spurts. Gotta love a flexible pattern! This is an easy very easy make and can easily be made in an afternoon including cutting time. This is the first time I made one in the largest size, size 8, and I do think it's just as adorable as the smaller sized versions. But I might be a wee bit biased in my opinion. Most important, it's a fun project.  

The Stats:

Fabric:  5 metres

Ribbon:  2.4 metres

Buttons:  4  

Pattern:  Vogue 1455

Additional Tools & Supplies:  Iron, ironing board, cutting table, scissors, pins, measuring tape, tailor's chalk, thread clippers, sewing machine, buttonhole foot, walking foot, seam ripper, serger, tweezers, threads, hand needle, and a cup of chai tea.  

Happy Sewing!