More blouses from the Sew U pattern

Two blouses I made from the Sew U shirt pattern. The solid pink shirt was first, then came the striped shirt. A number of alterations done on the pink one, a number of them taken out on the striped one. Not entirely satisfied with the fit of either. HOwever, I do wear both blouses, and like to wear them. I especially like the cheerfulness of the bold stripes.

A Silk Blouse with a Flounce: I love this!

Pattern Description:
Burda World of Fashion Magazine: 06-2009-119 (Sleeveless Blouse) -
Lovely BWOF-speak: You'll simply float through the day when wearing this sleeveless blouse with concealed button fastening/closure .... It looks fabulously feminine thanks to the generous flounces and a waist drawstring.

Pattern Sizing:
36-44
I cut a size 38 at the top, tapering to 42 at the waist, tapering to 46 (or larger than what the pattern comes in) at the hips. Perfect.

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?
The instructions were good, no errors. I had a bit of trouble visualizing the construction of the hidden button band. But I tried with pins, retried, and finally it clicked, and it went fine. Not the fault of the instructions, just the first time I ever made a hidden button band.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Gotta love the flounce. I liked the flounce plus the very structured look with collar, collar band, and hidden button band.
I initially did not care too much for the drawstrings, but the blouse really needs them to be wearable -- otherwise it's just a tent.
So really: like everything about it!

Fabric Used:
Silk Chiffon.
I used a 70 needle, and G760 Interfacing from Freudenberg, as recommended. The interfacing is fine for collar & band, but for the button band, it adds too much bulk, I think. (I interfaced the button band and the buttonhole band).

Also, I used Soluvlies (water soluble vlies) for the zigzagging on the flounce edge and the hem edge -- and for the button holes. With it, things came out really neat. Without it (luckily I tested on scraps), it was a real mess.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Alterations for fit:
Even though this is loose-fitting, I still had to do my usual alterations for fit. After tissue-fitting, I added 1.5 cm width as a broad back alteration over the whole length, and I took out about 2 cm length at the center back for swayback.

Design changes:
I left out the button and buttonhole in the collar, as I never wear my blouses buttoned there.
Also, I made the ties out of self fabric: cut on the grain, ironed with my Clover bias tape maker, and stitched. -- And after pulling in one of them, I thought that that was enough, and left it as is. So it's tied on one side, and I like it like that. I leave it tied to pull on and off, which fits my laziness.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I probably won't sew it again with the flounce. But maybe I will sew it without the flounce out of a cotton as a summer blouse?
I would definitely recommend it to others: it's a well-drafted pattern, and has a lot of drama.

Conclusion:
Love it. Love the fabric, it's so nice to wear. And I think it's totally wearable for work-- and got compliments for it.

Pants for young people are easier!

J's pants are always dwindling in numbers: as he manages to decorate them with more holes at the knees and I patch them up, they survive a little longer than their natural lifespan of two weeks. But after more abuse and more patching, usually after two months or so, the pants are so thin they can only be made into shorts. So I thought I needed to go out and buy some, when I remembered I had enough fabric left over from my khaki pants to make him some. Ottobre had a pattern I wanted to try, and J chose to have black topstitching on it (I would have chosen red or turquoise).

J Hosenschublade wird immer wieder gefaehrlich leer -- und jetzt im Winter kann ich ihm ja dann nicht einfach Shorts anziehen, wenn keine saubere Hose da ist. Die Hosen leben ca. zwei Wochen bis sie dringend einen neuen Flicken brauchen. Und nach ungefaehr dreimal flicken, da ist dann ncihts mehr zu wollen, weil einfach kein Stoff mehr da ist, wo man einen Flciken draufsetzen koennte. Also wollte ich schon fast Hosen kaufen gehen, als mir einfiel, dass ich  noch genug Stoff ueber hatte von meiner khakifarbenen Hose, um einen Ottobre Schnitt auszuprobieren. Und J hat beschlossen, dass die Ziersteppnaehte schwarz sein sollten -- ich wollte eher rot oder tuerkis. Gestern hab ich dann noch eine zu enge Laufhose von mir zu einer langen Hose fuer ihn umgenaeht. Zwei neue Hosen, und eine Hose gerade wieder in den Muell gewandert. Netto plus eins.

J a constamment besoin de nouveaux pantalons -- vivement le prochain ete pour la saison des shorts. Je prefere largement soigner les bobos aux genoux a repriser les pantalons! -- Un pantalon vit a peu pres deux semaines ici, a quel moment il a besoin d'etre repriser. Mais bon, apres trois fois, ce cycle s'arrete, parce qu'il n'y a plus assez de tissus pour faire autre chose qu'un short -- chose qui doit attendre l'ete... Heureusement que j'avais assez de tissus d'un de mes derniers pantalons pour lui en faire un. Plus un. Hier soir, fallait jeter un pantalon devenu trop de trous, pas assez de tissus. Moins un. Hier aussi, j'ai fait un pantalon pour lui a partir d'un pantalon de jogging qui m'etait devenu trop serre. Plus  un.

Pattern: Ottobre Design Magazine    04-2009-20 (Cocoa Check Pants)

Pattern Sizing: 104-128

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
yes, like the line drawing.
I used a solid color fabric, so the checkered pants from the photo look very different.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, very.
Except for the zipper: I tried following the instructions -- and ended up with the zipper right at the edge of the fly, not hidden behind it. It's wearable, but it's definitely not great. Should have used the method from my "Sew U" book, that works perfectly. And really, I should memorize that method, so I don't have to look it up every time. Maybe at my 50th pair of pants (this is only the 7th pair of pants I make this year, and two of those did not have zippers but were pull-on)

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Love the cool cargo style. And, as always with Ottobre: the details that make it look so cool and so RTW. And so unlike the homesewn look of the clothes my mom made for us. (sorry Mom).

Fabric Used:
Cotton Twill, left over from my own pants.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
(1) I cut a size 116, because that's how tall he is. I shortened the pants by about 8 cm, and added (2) buttonhole elastic in the back waist. I guess I could have cut a 110 right away, and it would have been a good fit. Ah, next time. But then, next time, he will be taller....
(3) added patches at the knees -- so they will last longer than a week. Maybe two?

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I think, yes, I will sew it again. The best is that he loves it, and that the other moms were all very impressed. It's so nice to have an easy project like this, that does not involve any fitting issues, in between sewing for me. And all those details really make the garment, and they are so fun to get right.

Conclusion:
Love it. He loves it --and he decided on the embellishments with the appliques. Sewed those on by hand after the fact. He's wearing them right now and is not ready to take them off.

Second Pants Pattern, Take Three

I'm amazed at how much stamina I have to get these better and better -- but the next pair of pants will be a different pattern, I already have the fabric: a wool/poly boucle, quite soft and flowing, so will need a wide-legged pattern, not this jean-style cut.
But back on topic:

Pattern: Sew U Pants from Wendy Mullin's "Sew U" book
jean-style pants

Pattern Sizing:
XS, S, M, L

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

Were the instructions easy to follow?
well --
it's all there somewhere in the book, just not on the instructions page for the pants (belt loops, patch pockets, interfacing, stay stitching all are absent from the pants instructions page)

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the versatility, and how Wendy explains how to turn a basic pattern into a host of different styles.

Fabric Used:
wool blend suiting.
Unfortunately, this stretches out quite a bit during wear. While I love the fit when the pants are straight out of the wash, freshly ironed, I really need a belt to hold them up for the second half of the day...

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
This is my third try of this pattern.
first try, stitched as is unaltered with last-minute tweaking to make them wearable
take 2
This time, I started anew, enlarging the pattern to size 14 (it only comes in sizes up to 12). I compared the pattern piece to the altered size 12 piece from take 2, and decided that I still needed one alteration: I lengthened the back crotch by 3 cm.
Then I cut -- and I pin-fit the fabric before stitching the inseams and the side seams. At that stage, I noticed that I needed lots more room -- and added as much as I could, but what I added (about 1 cm, reducing the seam allowance from 1.5cm to 5mm) was not quite enough. Making for a wearable, really tight fit, and definitely not enough room in the inseam/hips.
I guess next time, there will be tissue-fitting before actually cutting the fabric. And then, I just might cut with larger seam allowances, just in case...

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I really love the style of these, and the versatility. And I will probably sew it again, after altering the pattern yet again. Yes, definitely recommend to others.

Conclusion:
The quest for the well-fitting pant has only just started, even though this is the fourth pair I make this year. It's also the pair that fits best, up to now, which is encouraging, as I am making progress.

Result of the Great Wardrobe Sewing Plan

The result of the great wardrobe sewing plan: I stuck to the plan, made four tops, one cardigan, two skirts and one pair of pants.

What I really like about this is that it made me think about how items of my closet work with each other. It made me plan my sewing, which is good -- and not just buy any fabric that I liked (and that, often, would have been a print). I have also learned a lot in sewing techniques, even if the whole fitting-thing is only just at the beginning. I learned how to use tissue paper when sewing with slippery silks, how to use bias-binding in a very clean way, flipped to the inside, learned how different skirt seam lengths really make or break the whole garment, and I'm on my way to discovering how different fabrics drape differently.

Overally, I'm happy with the process, and sooo glad for the internet, and for discovering SWAP.

-- And I'm already on my way to replace some of the items here, because I'm not entirely satisfied. So the process is on-going, even if the original plan has been completed.

Tissue-fitting: pictures of a process

I try to accomplish near-perfect fit in a traditional shirt pattern before actually cutting my fabric. After having made a sleeveless blouse without the waist-shaping darts from the Sew U Shirt, I now use tissue-fitting (cut out the pattern, pin and look for areas needing adjustments) to get nearer to perfect.

As is, I'm at my third try, and I think I now found my starting point (sic!). So, in order to achieve the perfect fit I'm striving for, still a lot more photos and trying on tissue, and alterations, and trying on tissue, and maybe some more alterations. Before I will then get to actually cutting out fabric, and of course, do some pin-fitting as I go, instead of just stitching it up.

Sewing was easier, when I still thought that patterns were meant to be cut and stitched as printed.

Sewing Books: the ones I used to get me started again this year

These are the books I had (Burda) and quickly bought when I decided to get back into sewing this year. My impressions of each one:

1. Burda Naehen leicht gemacht
This is very complete, but can be slightly intimidating for the beginner. English and French versions exist, and I think the cover might be orange by now. Every time I don't understand a step in a pattern, this is my go-to book before starting a google search.

2. Sew U by Wendy Mullin
Hm. I have mixed feelings about this one. While I love how Wendy explains the steps to take a basic pattern (skirt, pants, shirt) and make it into a host of different styles with slight pattern variations and style details, I find the lack of detailed instructions disconcerting. So, even though the book is geared towards the sewing novice, it is not sufficient, in my opinion, for a beginner. Unless, of course, you don't really mind that your pieces come out crooked, because the reference to staystitching is a couple of tens of pages away from the actual instructions of how to sew your skirt etc. Also, the book does not mention altering patterns for fit at all.
I still really like the book, and find it very freeing, getting me from following pattern instructions word by word, to wanting to venture into minor style variations.

3. Sew U Home Stretch by Wendy Mullin
This book is a sequel to the previous one, and explains all about working with knit fabrics. Two different T-Shirt patterns and a dress pattern, with lots of variations. I have not actually tried a pattern from here yet, but plan to, soon. And again, I love how Wendy explains how to take a basic pattern and alter for sooo many different styles.

4. Painless Sewing by Palmer Pletsch
This is a small book, packed full with sewing tips. From how to organize your sewing space, to altering for fit, to stitching several seams continuously to not have to cut thread: loads of tips. It is not a beginners' how to learn to sew book. But I really love it, and like reading through it and apply some of their tips.

5. More Fabric Savvy by Sandra Betzina
I am really disappointed with this one. Lots of pretty pictures. And some basic fabric descriptions. But honestly: I don't think I learned a single thing in this book. Now that might be, because I grew up in a household where I chose the fabrics for my own clothes, to be sewn by my mother from an early age. Let's just say the book does not correspond to my level of knowledge about fabric. And I really don't know thaaat much about fabric. If anyone has a recommendation on a "more advanced" fabric book, I would be really interested.