Vogue 1644, Kathryn Brenne

 

My husband's first words? " That will be great for going to lunch with the girls." I tend to agree. In the picture it looks rather tweedy and heavy but in all honesty this is one layer of pretty normal cotton, just a step above quilting cotton. I did not underline it or line except in the sleeves. I do think it desperately needs a big flower or pin or scarf as it is so nondescript but that's OK.  It went together quickly and the pattern definitely has finesse. With the princess seams and center back seam, Kathryn Brenne did not fail to take advantage and add in subtle shaping wherever she had the opportunity. She did add Dior darts to the  princess seams which I mindlessly sewed, never thinking to adjust them to my bust level. Luckily,  they pretty much camouflaged out and they did land in an area where I go narrow and do my petite adjustment so their placement didn't seem to make a big difference fitwise and the fabric texture and design hid the fact that I screwed that up. That and another bit of stupidity would have you thinking I was under the influence but in the end it all came out OK. I do love the fabric. Now for some details. 

Pattern:

This is Vogue 1644,  a Kathryn Brenne design. I do favor her designs. 

Vogue still appears to be holding on to it's pattern descriptions, thankfully,  and it says" Fitted jacket...unlined and has button trim with snap closures." You didn't need a masters in Literature to write that description. I would add that this design has armscye princess seams front and back and Dior darts on the center front.  The sleeve is two piece.  It is rather straight cut but I think it is fine. Others who have made it have said it was too full. I found it just right but I altered it to turn up a couple of inches and appreciated the fullness. I found these directions quite clear and logical and the only thing that took some fiddling was the eventual placement of bias strip on the back neckline. I went with it but would have done it a bit differently the second time around for a bit less bulk but it really was not a big deal. 

Fabric:

This is another Sevenberry fabric marketed by Kaufman.  It reads black from a distance but really is navy. You can get it thru quilting shops and online. It is heavier than quilting fabric and has the texture and weight of a light to midweight linen. Sevenberry markets it as a canvas, but maybe in Japan, where it comes from. It would not pass for canvas here. That may be a translation issue.  I really like this fabric and am wearing pants made with it as I sit here and type. They tend not to hold on to wrinkles like most cottons and that goes for a jacket that is not underlined.

                         

I did do Honk Kong seams as well with a colorful leftover poly blouse weight . It's the gift that keeps on giving and I have used it for so many HK seams. When you consider that most lengths in blouses are fairly short, it makes sense to keep your lightweight scraps for just this purpose. Sometimes I will actually cut them up into bias strips an inch or so wide and wind them on empty thread spools. Then they are at the ready for HK seams when needed. 

Construction:

This is a pretty basic top and would be good for a beginner to stretch their legs on. There is a lot of fitting opportunity here with the princess seams, Dior darts and two piece sleeves. Just remember to check where the Dior dart lands when and if you move your bust point. 

Not the greatest back view but the best I came up with all alone today. It does give you an idea of the subtle shaping to all those seams. I do believe on the next version I will pull in the shoulders and hips a bit. I always cut my hips larger but now see I need to do a ten instead of the usual 12. The rest of this garment is a 6.  I did a three inch hem on the sleeves so I could fold them up, the way I like them.  I also cut the hem off about three inches as well. The scale is close to the same look as that of the model on the envelope but  I did a deep hem on the jacket as well. I wanted that weight to help pull down that light weight cotton fabric.

Above is my big faux pas but you really can't tell. I always make sample stitchouts before I start a new project, auditioning thread, stitch lengths, tensions, etc. I grabbed what seemed like a small pile of scraps from my cutting  table and brought them to the machine for try outs. I stitched away and made my final decisions.  Time to start! Well, when I got to the part when I had to sew the side princess panel to the center front panel the first one went in just great. Where is the second princess side piece? I went crazy looking for it. Then I realized I had zipped it thru my serger over and over to test out the stitching. It was in serged shreds. Now what? I did not have a piece on grain and long enough to cut another. You can see how critical the grain is here. But I did find two pieces that would be big enough to put together and make the whole side panel. How about if I make it look like they are connected by a welt pocket? Well, I did just that and it's crazy but you can barely see the welt pocket but it's there. Saved by the welt. 

The pattern calls for 1 1/4 inch buttons, 3, down the front and snaps underneath. I decided on covered buttons and explained how I went about doing that on this blogpost. These were big snaps and they worked out well.  Reflection makes it look otherwise, but they are all square and placed on the diagonal, easy to sew. 

A peak at the inside shows the Hong Kong seams and deep hem and snaps. The princess seams were stitched and serged, no HK seams. That would have been too bulky.

Here you can see that little Dior dart higher than it should be and the larger  concave shape of the princess seam wrinkling up to fit into the convex shape of the opposing seam. This is why you don't do the HK seam on the princess seam.  This serged seam lies much flatter. 

In Conclusion:

* I will bring the shoulders and hips in just a bit the next time. 

* I will remember to lower the Dior dart next time.  

* I might underline the sleeves as opposed to lining them. I think I would underline         the whole jacket while I am at it. 

* I like the deep hem and cuffs. 

* I will style this to have some vibrant color, SOMEWHERE, PLEASE.

! I would not do buttons as big as specified but go with a one inch and probably a bound buttonhole instead. 

! I will handle the back neckline with a slimmer HK seam finish next time. 

There really is not much to be displeased about with this pattern.  I would definitely recommend. I just have to find a mask, a restaurant that has enough help to be open at lunchtime (unlike my last visit with a friend where it took 3 tries to get lunch) and some girlfriends.  I think I can look a bit "ladies who lunch" as Hubs said ;)   ............................Bunny

Vogue 1387, The Ditsy Blouse

 

Well, the Ditsy Blouse nearly drove me Ditsy. This blouse is finally finished. I was so excited to make it.  Lucy of Sew Essentials made one for herself and I was immediately smitten. The style was totally out of my wheelhouse but it snagged me.  It offered the following:

* All the current trends and rarely do I jump on trends but what the heck!

* Tiny ruffles

* Big, puffy statement sleeves

* Tiny,  ditsy print fabric

* The opportunity to do a little creative fabric "painting"

* Details I haven't sewn or worn in a long time and looked forward to sewing and wearing. 

I was in on this full bore. I watched Lucy's videos on her ruffle making and the blouse several times and then did my thing. She suggested a specific pattern but surely in my stash there was something similar and there was. This Vogue Rebecca Taylor blouse on the left was a near match with just a bit of of alteration. That became the understatement of the year. I changed this pattern tremendously and often it wasn't just because of design decisions. It just didn't make sense logically at times from a construction standpoint as you will see. This ended up being the most frustrating item I have made in years and it came so very close to visiting Waddertown.  As I go through my experience you will see how this pattern has some serious issues, at least in my opinion. That opinion does not seem to be shared by those on Pattern Review or the model on the envelope, so go figure.

I do intend to try the sleeveless blouse on the right, however, as it is a totally different top and unrelated at all to the other view. Let's get started. 

Description: "Top has self-lined yokes, front pleats, shaped hemline, and very narrow hem. Back longer than front, loose-fitting, front bands with snap closing, and long sleeves with pleats, placket and snaps cuffs. A, B: Wrong side shows."

Pattern: 

This is Vogue 1387.  As we go along here, notice several things.

First, watch the shape of the yoke seam in the front. Next, keep your eye on those tiny pleats. Most of all, watch that button band! Ok, also, look closely at the bottom edge of the front yoke. it is hard to see but there is a thin bias cut strip between the yoke and the pleated bodice. 

ETA several hours after posting: I just really looked closely at the yoke on the pattern envelope and the pattern pieces for the yoke and my sewn  yokes. You can see them closely in a photo below. They each have an entirely different shape.  The yoke on the model ends mid-armscye. The yoke pattern piece's bottom edge ends two inches below the armscye.  It is not sewn in backwards. I made quadruple sure of that and had tapes on each piece to direct me. You can see how it matches the paper pattern in the pic. Hmmm.......

I have no idea where the wrong side spoken of in the description  shows.  I did like the idea of the snaps and ended up using Kam snaps and was pleased with the results. 

Fabric:

For this project I needed one of the currently popular "ditsy" prints. These are small prints, often floral, but not always, that repeat all over the fabric to blend into an allover effect. My ditsy print was a bit abstract and I liked it's more contemporary colors.

The actual fabric was a 100%  poly charmeuse, a fabric I usually run from fast and hard, but in this case  it had the perfect look I wanted and so many are out there saying out these polies have improved. Have they? Not sure because I haven't worn this blouse for several hours in the summer heat but it was not too, too  bad to work with using careful techniques. It did not ravel too badly either. I starched every seam before sewing and that helped a great deal. I used my serger throughout and french seams on all vertical edges.  I can't say I had any issues that I wasn't prepared for and it worked out fine.  It was in the print and texture I wanted for my impulse project and I went with it.  One thing about poly charmeuses, they shine, A LOT. I do not care for that shine so I constructed this blouse with the wrong, matte side of the fabric being my "right" side. 

For interfacing, which is only used in a thin strip in the button bands and collar band, I used SF101, a fusible woven that worked  fine. 

To get the ruffled edge effect I loved in Lucy's blouse I needed to replicate her ruffles. She did a black rolled hem edge on the edge of her small ruffle and I wanted the same. Unlike Lucy, I wanted a simpler, to me, way of doing the ruffle edge. 

I tried various stitches, lengths and techniques, and in the end painted the folded edges of the ruffle with my black sharpie and also zig zagged them so a bit of the "zag" creeped out of the painted edge.  I did lots of samples and washed and dried them and they held of beautifully without the slightest of fading. 

Fit:

Due to the complexity of the yokes I did not do my usual Petiting of the pattern. I did not do an FBA either. I carefully flat pattern measured everything. I never take for granted the measurements given by the pattern company. I did choose to add some additional width to the bodice and hips by adding gathers at the fold on the center back. I ended up with 40 1/2 inches for my bust and hips. I measure 37 1/2 at my last measure but know I have lost a bit lately as you may tell from pics. Also, on this lazy, very rainy day I wearing a sports bra. My fit issues with this pattern were the same with a well engineered underwire. I also chose to shorten the bodice but I did that at the waistline. This is the result. 

The top snap, installed as per the pattern, twists and sinks into my mid chest and forms a cone. It is weird and awful looking. I followed the pattern exactly for snap placement.  Not happy. 

Construction:

I will go through this section by section as it is rather involved and each section had it's challenges. 

THE YOKES: 

The yoke and yoke facing are curved on the bottom edge. The front yoke is longer .  It is stitched to a rectangular bias strip that will fit between the curved bodice front and the curved front yoke. The yoke facing will then be hand stitched at that curved edge and cover everything. 

There are small pleats in the bodice that were not easy to deal with using this slippery fabric. On my first attempt I did not have a ruffle planned for the yoke but halfway in decided I  really wanted one. I  needed to pin the wiry ruffle into the seam. Above you can see the pins and basting tape used to help. I got this facing completed and realized that, #1, you could not tell if there were pleats or gathers under the ruffle so don't waste your time on the pleats if you plan to ruffle and #2,  that added bias strip detail just made no sense. It was practically invisible on the print and greatly complicated the yoke construction. I realized that the yoke FACING was longer to accommodate that bias strip so I re-did the yokes without that silly bias strip detail which served no purpose and did not even show and just used the yoke facing as my yoke front. It worked out perfectly, was the exact same finished length, and easier to install. No size of anything changed. I ditched the pleats as well and used gathers.  Upon completion and wearing I realized the pleats and gathers seemed to point toward that first snap, just thinking, here. 

THE COLLAR AND BAND:

 

I hope you can see this. The green arrow points to the intersection of the collar band and the button band. Both connect to the now solid one piece bodice front but don't touch each other.  IMO, it is very important that the bodice, right at that ruffle intersection has a small bit of fusible interfacing for reinforcement. I would also stay stitch the  seam line there as well. It is not referenced in the pattern but you  definitely need to clip into the bodice if you have sewn to the edge. I did not see any dot signaling you to stop sewing at the seam line or any direction in the pattern telling you to do so either. So reinforce into the seamline and then stop sewing when you get to the seam line when you sew the yokes to the bodice.  Then you can cleanly connect your collar and after that and separately, connect your button bands. 

THE SLEEVES: 

I did not want the sleeves in the pattern, but rather the puffy, elbow length sleeves that Lucy had on her blouse which sported elastic at the hems.  I dug through my patterns and thought I found a pretty voluminous sleeve but when I made them up they were far from being as full and pretty as Lucy's. Thank heavens I had purchased a lot of extra fabric for this project!  I measured and played and decided to just add a triangular godet to the center of the the failed sleeve and it worked beautifully. It looked intentional and gave me exactly the fullness I wanted. If you click on the above picture to enlarge you will get a better idea of how I did this, stitched and serged where you see the black lines. With all the fullness you can't even see the godet but it does look totally "design detail". 

Then I made two little poly organza sleeve heads to keep my puffy sleeves nice and puffy! 

I do hope I remembered how to do these correctly. It has been a while!  I ran an elastic cord through a 1/4 inch turned hem and that was that for the sleeves. French seams for the underarm seams. 

HEMS:  All hems on this blouse are done at the very start of construction. Sometimes I am comfortable with that method but this time I wasn't. It makes it difficult to make any length corrections when you get the end and have to place buttons or snaps in this case. No matter how perfectly things can match on the table, they may not match on yourself.  Do the hems at the very end. I don't think I am going to fall for that one again unless it's a knit. 

THE BUTTON BANDS:

Look at this picture closely, as well as the one on the pattern cover. When I purchased the pattern I remember looking at and questioning these button bands. They are a strip of fabric cut on straight of grain. YET, they are installed at the side of the neck, come in at an angle, and at the upper bust button together and go straight down the wearer's body.  Physics was not my strong  point in school but something told me the neckline really needed to be cut at an angle above the  bustline up to the shoulder seam.  I laid out and installed the snaps exactly  where the pattern directed.  Now, normally I would have petited this pattern in the upper bust but with the curving yokes I decided that I would remove a bit of length below the bust level and at the hem.  I did not do an FBA either as there was plenty of room for my Ccup upon flat pattern measuring. Watch what happens when you button all the  buttons. 

You end up with a cone forming below it with the button band. 

If you button just the top button the button band wants to follow it's grain and keep moving on a slant as shown by the green lines above. The line on the right indicates where the other button band is sitting underneath. 

You can see how the under band leans to the opposite side, not falling down straight. 

Here you can see that if I leave the top snap undone it is a bit better but not much. If I leave two undone it is a lot better and cleave city! That takes it below the bra band. 

Do I dare take the snaps out and redo them all on the diagonal?????? It is the only way those bands fall on grain and the top looks right. This may not bother the rest of humanity at all but it bugs the crap out of me. This blouse is never ending. What would you do?

The whole thing is just crazy.  Is it my body that is making it do this? No FBA. No Petiting the upper chest like I always do. Is this shirt meant for the less endowed? That's fine but don't let me work out my fantasy shirt and all of it's quirks to end up with this because I simply am a Ccup, LIKE MOST WOMEN, if that is even it. Or is it just plain poorly designed? Did someone take a shortcut when all they had to do was shape that button band with a bit of an angle and it would be perfection. ?  This is the first time I have been disappointed in a Vogue Designer pattern like this. I will wear my top with my distressed skinny jeans like Lucy did but I'll know it could have been so much better. Please tell me if it is my sewing as well. I am open. My body? My sewing? My pattern?  Thank you. 

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I am almost done my "house dress" . It is darling and coming along wonderfully.  Moving right along positively!

Happy Sewing!

Is it just too Simple - icity?

I have two  evening weddings to attend this fall. I am considering something along these lines.

Here is another version I like:

What I really like about these two outfits are the tops. I cannot find anything in patterns with the extended scooped out neckline like the red one above. Simplicity has a wonderful possibility in  Simp 8380 which could easily be worked up into a top with the scarf effect. I love the forgiving value of that scarf on the shoulder!

There are lots of versions online of this look. I think it is so feminine and very "Amal" and of the moment. These skirts have been a favorite of mine for many years, featuring my waist and hiding those wide hipbones and booty. I think I can work this. Here's another:

What I really want to talk about here is Simplicity Patterns. Ah, the name, Simplicity, Simple, right? I really don't think so. In my very young sewing days, when I was far more observant than skilled, I decided I didn't like them. Just     too   simple.     I really think they were back then. I can remembert my mom saying "We'll start you off with Simplicity patterns" and it sort of stuck. By fifteen I was knocking out the Vogues and criticizing the Simps. My biggest complaint which some may remember and which I thought at the time was just horrible, is that every pattern had two darts at the back shoulder seam. I would see those darts on the backs of people I knew and tell myself, "that's a Simplicty. Look at those two darts." Rarely did the Vogues have them. What impresses us in our teens, who can explain and what little did I know about shaping?

Fast forward and today I feel totally differently. I know we all have our favorite pattern companies and I would probably still say Vogue for numerous reasons. But, time and time again when I am searching for a design still nascent in my head, I start my search with Vogue, then McC, then Butt, and lastly Simp. Every stinkin' time exactly what I am look for pops up quickly in Simplicity. And the really interesting thing is that it is almost always a Cynthia Rowley design, my favorite designer.

This will easily make my envisioned top with the scarf on the shoulder. I will lower the darts obviously, and probably build a bra into the lining. I hate strapless bras, but we will work it all out. Funny how I still can't get over my dart issues with this company but keep finding just the right styles for five foot tall me and in my favorite designer. I wonder if   Rowley is petite?...Bunny

Petiting Vogue 1515

This is a sneak peak of the fabric I used for the second version of Vogue1515. You can see this one coming down the road, can't you? But you know how I love to mix prints and do it fairly often and almost always with children's clothing. When I was reorganizing the new studio this two fabrics ended up being neighbors by accident and it was kismet. I had to do something that involved them both. Vogue 1515 is it!  Now to how to petite this pattern:

The first thing I did was cut the smallest size, Size A. The body measurements for Betzina's Size A are a couple of inches smaller than mine other than the waist but there is massive ease in this design and Size B was way too large. Then I did my usual petiting. This means removing length across the front  and back bodices. I am five feet tall, fairly proportional lengthwise and take out 3/4s of an inch by doing a 3/8th inch fold across the bodices usually right below the notches. That area usually keeps the shortening from interfering with necklines and other details but you can move it where it works best for you. Obviously if you carry your shortness below the bust you would make this adjustment there.

By using the Size A an additional 3/4 inch total came out of the shoulder seam. Add that to the petite adjustment and you have 1 1/2  inches in length removed from the incredibly low original armhole front and back. That takes care of that armhole business. Now for all that ease. I like the ease and it is part of the design but it was way too wide for my narrow torso. At the side seam under the arm I went in one inch from the cutting line on both front and back and angled that out to the original hem. I drew that in but before cutting the piece I folded in the dart so that when I cut it came out with the right angles as you can see above. On the original black linen top I added an inch in length as many PR reviewers suggested adding up to three inches in length. I guess they are not petites! I added nothing to this one and it should be fine.

Here's a little peekaboo for you. It will be a few days before I get to  model these for you as we have some commitments happening but I am looking forward to it. It has been fun doing these tops and I may even make another...................Bunny

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My husband and I have really been enjoying the beauty of New Hampshire since we have returned. This is from the White Mountain National Park and is the famous Kancamangus Highway. It is one of the prettiest places in the country. While this is a national park, we've made a bucket list of every state park in New Hampshire and are on our way!...Bunny

Vogue 1515, oh, my!

Talk about not come out as planned! I wanted to do a bit of fabric painting and decided on my design and paint, etc. Now for the fabric! I went digging and thought it would be interesting to have my background be black and that this linen in black would be a perfect foil for my plan. Now to pick a small top. I didn't want to do the recently made green linen top again and hunted for something different. That's when I found this top, Vogue 1515,  from Sandra Betzina, that I have wanted to make forever. Bingo! Now, I love SB, and I know her fit philosophy and it's difference from the Big Four. Despite being a fan of her style and adjusting the fit, it rarely works for me. Knowing this I went into this project eyes wide open. But, wow......................

I looked at all the pics on line, PR reviews, etc. I liked the look but some didn't fit the way I'd like the top to fit me. Another crazy issue here is my getting adjusted to a loss of weight. I can't seem to trust a pattern size I haven't used previously and/or I am hung up on my decades of FBAs, I just don't know. Those wide open eyes flat pattern measured everything. There was plenty of ease, but, geez, my bras still fit so I must need an FBA. I did one. I used size B. It seemed closest to my new measurement except the waist larger than mine, trademark Betzina. But this top had no waistline so, who cares? I really should have used the smallest size, A, with no FBA, but even then I think I still would have had issues.

I got the thing sewed up and it was HUGE. I even went back and looked at all the pics again. Reviewers said the armholes were too low. Yup on that! No one complained of the ease, however. It is 'loosely fitting" and it really is. But here is the issue accross the board as I look at other's tops and my own. The shoulders end in an odd place, IMO. They are not wide enough to be a bit of a flattering tiny cap and they are not narrow enough to further feature the unique collar and some nice shoulder bones, if one has those. They are just an odd length, IMO and I took a half inch off the shoulders, a lot for me, and they still sit "out there".

Low armholes? Bigtime. Loose fit? Bigger time. In all honesty and respectfully, I think SB has designed this top as more of a vest and that explains the fit. It works that way and I may use it that way one day. But, I have seen so many pretty summery tops made with this pattern. I think if the armholes were drawn higher and the additional width flared out from the top of the side seam it would all work as a lightweight top. But the extra width of the pattern makes for the " step right up and see if my bra is clean" look that is not for me, that is unless a bulky sweater is underneath.

When starting out I thought if it was a bit too large I would just take in the side seams  and all would be fine. I did sew the side seams a  quarter inch deeper. What to do, what to do? I am loving this top and it's cool collar. I reached into my heirloom sewing bag of tricks and pulled out a fairly common one from vintage garments. A child's sleeveless dress was often made far wider than needed. The excess was folded under the arm into a pleat that could be taken out as they child grew larger. Our Depression Grandmothers really knew how to make things last. Damn it, I'm going to do the same. You can see above a full three inches has been taken out from the entire side seam with the pleat. Now times two sides, that's six inches I removed from under my arms. It gives a better, sleeker fit to the front but still has all that ease and flare. I like it better! This will be topstitch in around the armhole, more pics later.

 To eliminate unwanted bulk and ridge lines when ironing, a linen hazard, I out another  vintage trick. The facing edges were simply pinked ans stitched. Worked like a charm.




Most seams are Frenched. Next time I do this collar I will do opposite of the pattern directions. I will attach the inside first and then top stitch on the outside. Too much drama involved with getting this collar right but it looks good now. It actually looks good inside out with one side not elasticated, just a big pouf, so I may do that to. I did seam binding as a flat casing for the elastic in the collar and that worked fine.

There will definitely be another one of these. I have the fabric picked out and will start tomorrow. I am determined to master this one as it is so cute. When done, I will model both so you can see what I do with the smaller size and different approaches to the details. The painting project, on hold for now but that's coming. Long weekend ahead! ......Bunny

ETA: Just want to say I love Sandra Betzina and her designs. I believe this pattern would be great as is, even for me, if it is used as a sweater vest of some sort. I can see it in a boiled wool with cut edges, so just keep those eyes open if you are contemplating a thin, blouseweight fabric. For a sweater top, use it as designed.;.Bunny

Vogue 9305, an asymmetrical delight!

I am really pleased with this top from Vogue 9305. It is basically four pieces with turned up hems and edges. Doesn't get much easier! It goes together quickly and is great for a bit of instant gratification.

First, let's get a bit of housekeeping out of the way. I wore this with flowing white linen pants, perfect combo, this past weekend. They are in the wash and I didn't want to hold up the review so used this white cotton twill number. This flow-y top definitely styles better with the softer, wider legged, slightly cropped white linen pants. Next, as we start anew here, you will  my find my photos have me with no makeup other than lipstick, just warning  you. I have  recently developed excema in my eyes. It is responding well to treatment but makeup, even foundation or concealer around the eyes is out Thank heavens lipstick is fine! So you may find my face not quite so dressed up. I do miss my makeup as I love that girly stuff!

I had to lighten the pics a lot to give you a better grasp of the detail and fabric.

Housekeeping  done so let's move on to this top!

Pattern:

Vogue 9305 is described by Vogue as a "fitted tunic with sleeve variations and shaped hemlines."  Vogue warns that the wrong side of the fabric will show and it does so keep that in mind when purchasing fabric for this design.

You will notice in the photos that the junction of the left and right side is at the left hipbone. I felt this wouldn't be that flattering for me and chose to make that intersection closer to my natural waist and thereby elongating the leg, that petite thing!  Aside from vanity, I also felt raising that slit would help me cut this pattern down to my petite frame. It seemed to be a better proportion for me. On the last post there was discussion about this pattern possibly not working for those of shorter stature. I disagree. With the right adjustment I think I got it to work.

Above you can see I removed 3/4 of an inch from the upper chest. I knew these sleeves would be too low, as they always are for me, so didn't hesitate to just tuck out some length strait across the upper chest and into the sleeves.  The next length reduction was from the lengthen/shorten line on the pattern near the waist. I took out 2 inches there. The last reduction was  a bit above the half way mark  for the curved right front hem. I took another two inches out there. The same amount was taken from the right front flounce piece as well as across the back in the same three places. This got the longest part of the tunic about 6 inches above the floor which felt right for my five foot frame. Removing all this length meant the side seams had to be trued before cutting and that is the white paper you see on the sides of the pattern pieces. I simply used ironed on freezer paper. You can see the 4 or so inches where the flounce connects to the right bodice with a serrated line above.

I did more altering to the pattern as well. Based on reviews I lowered the center front collar two inches and removed a half inch from the rest of the collar. I recommend this. It may enable you to make this dress without a center back seam or closure, further insuring this design to be a quickie construction. I am able to easily get it over my head now.

No FBA was done this time but I have lost a bit of weight so no need.

Fabric:

You can really get a good idea of the fabric in this photo of the rear on my form. It is a rayon crepe in a navy and grayish tie dye colorway.  It prewashed beautifully with no shrinkage. Hard to believe, right? The tie dye pattern runs along the grain for the most part. The fabric is VERY flow-y which I think this design warrants. You will also see here that I didn't have enough fabric to make this tunic or at least to make it so the design ran on grain. By deciding to add a waistline seam to the back of the garment and cutting  the upper back bodice on the cross grain the amount of yardage worked . The back skirt was on the length. From the get go I did not want a back seam or  closure but unfortunately laid my new back bodice out without the benefit of clear thinking and put the fold 5/8 of an inch out, thinking it was a seam. I did not have enough fabric to recut and just moving it over did not work with the sleeve design. To solve this the back bodice gained a center back seam, which actually was a 5/8 inch tuck. This put everything into the proper place and life went on. Here is a closeup of the neckline to give you a better idea of the crepe finish to the rayon. All of the pictures have been lightened substantially so you can  better see the detail and fabric.

Construction Detail:

Easy peasy!!!

I serged all edges before construction to eliminate the raveling this fabric could provide. Hem edges were simply serged and turned. The underside of the hem is visible with the flounce but it blends in and works. For the neckline I did a French binding, aka, double fold bias binding, that I understitched and turned to the inside. I really didn't want topstitching here. There is a lot of weight hanging from the neckline edge and shoulder seams. To secure it I took some light grey DMC floss and embroidered French knots all around the neckline. Shoulder seams were stabilized with selvedges. Do you cut off all your selvedges and keep them in a jar for these moments? Comes in handy! 

The center back seam was eliminated by cutting the back skirt on the fold. The back bodice also would have been cut on the fold if I hadn't mucked up but the tuck came to the rescue. 

I suggest cutting the neckline larger as it is quite close for a summery look and probably not that comfortable or flattering. Doing that, along with cutting on the fold eliminated any need for a closure, making this quick pattern even quicker. 

In the end:

I would definitely make Vogue 9305 again and recommend it highly. It CAN work for petites with the right length alterations which are easy to do. Make sure you use a fabric that is not stiff. A well washed linen would be lovely. Stabilize those shoulder seams as they carry a lot of weight and it wouldn't be a bad idea to stabilize the neckline too with a light tricot fusible in the binding or on the neckline seam, extending a tiny bit into the bodice. I really hope to see some of you try this pattern. I think it could be quite flattering on the large, the small, the short and the tall. I can see it being made in a chiffon and going over a strapless or tank-ish jumpsuit. Highly recommend! Vogue, you hit  a home run with this one!

Next up....................the Burnside Bibs. Can this grandma carry off  Rosy the Riveter meets Mr.Greenjeans?..........Bunny

Paco's shirt, Vogue 1526, completed!

This is a WONDERFUL design and pattern by new Vogue Designer, Paco Peralta of Barcelona, Spain. Many of us have followed Paco for some years and are thrilled he is now collaborating with Vogue. I have no affiliation here but I am so impressed with this pattern, Vogue 1526. I did take a couple small liberties with his design and will explain that further. This was not done because the pattern needed any improvement, far from it. I just tried to make it do things for my particular fabics.

Let's get started and then I want to comment on plaids, specifically.

Pattern:

Vogue 1526, designed by Paco Peralta. The pattern consists of a lined  jacket with short sleeves and assymetrical collar, a cuffed shirt with dropped shoulders, asymmetrical collar and off angled pocket. Pants are also included in the pattern and I look forward to making those as well. I had no concerns with this shirt other than making it work with a plaid and also lining it. I will wear this a lot and it is perfect for our winter climate.

The directions were divine. You start with a cut on facing, folded and instructed to "sew invisibly" along the long edge, my kind of pattern and directions! In step 2 there is very clear instruction for a unique inseam buttonhole at the very top of the shirt, easy peasy. As the pattern progresses, I found no areas or issues that were not clear and easy to execute. This shirt has details that boost it up to a fine garment yet the directions are clearly written and drawn.

Fabric:

The shirt is made with 100 % cotton flannel in plaid. It was a refreshing change from the dark plaids seen so much around these parts and I felt the lavender and cream gave it a more feminine vibe.

The lining is a very thin poly silky, actually a bit lighter than most linings I considered. By using it on the wrong side the finish was duller and more true to the look of silk.

For interfacing, I used a woven fusible, not sure of where it came from so won't guess.

Construction:

This is where the fun began! and where I veered a bit from Paco's design. My challenge was to make it work with the plaid and I think I did. Let's talk about that first.

Thoughts on using the plaid:

• You have to pick your battles with plaids. You also can make your life much easier with an "even" plaid. The fabric used here  is an even plaid. Each unit of plaid is equidisant and exactly like the other units that surround it. Using an even plaid is highly suggested for your first plaid effort. This PDF has a lot of great info on this. I also found Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Guide to have the best and most information out there. 
• The hem on this shirt is curved and uneven a look I think is flattering for those of us who are short. A decision was made to have  mostly the cream part of the blocks meet the hem. Why? Because  plaid is a very straight line and the shirt hem is curved. Trust me on this one. Uneven hem - don't end it on a bar. 
• Now that the length of the plaid was decided on I need to decide how it would work on the width. I decided to have the cream part of the blocks be at center front. I like the effect. It looks simple enough to line up. Don't kid youself. This was the hardest part of the whole project. This had yet to be cut and I knew that I had a folded cut on facing. And I had to have it match. It was challenging, made me think very hard, but eventually I got it. You can see how I managed it in this post. 
• My length and width are now set. Did you see the half dolman sleeves? They will not match, Don't even think about matching this perfectly. With plaid matching, you have to go for the obvious. Since I am short, maybe lots of people will see the tops of my shoulders but in reality, I don't think it is a focal point like center front and back. So, don't worry about it. 
• Now I had to match the lower sleeve and then its cuff. After A LOT of thinking, I walked away, came back and decided to just cut it on the bias. I centered the bias diamonds with the shoulder seam. I didn't seam it on bars but with mostly the cream centers meeting the dolman edge, the less to emphazise that it isn't matching and never will. 
• For the cuffs I went back to the straight of grain, matching bars with the corner of the plaid which you see in the pic in the woods. 
• Hours can go into placing plaids. Using allover prints or solids eliminates that and the shirt should go much faster than mine did. 
• Bottom line: Straight edges get bars. Curved edges get the cream blocks. Problems get the bias. Placement is important even if you don't match and requires thought. 
• This all needs to be figured out before cutting the first seam. 

With that out of the way. let's get to my next change. This shirt is not lined and that is fine. But a cotton flannel sticks to your clothes and it's cold up here. I had to have a lining with this. I decided on one of my favorite techniques, flat lining which finishes the seams with a Hong Kong finish and lines the garment at the same time. There are challenges with this as it works best on vertical seams. What to do with the underarm curve of the upper sleeve?

I did two lines of stitching in that area, trimmed back to the second stitching and zigzagged the edge. The seam allowances were cut on the bias  and folded under and stitched to make a clean edge as you see above. 

For the hem I faced the area with a bias strip of lining and catchstitched it to the lining. 

The plaid also made me deal with the collar a bit differently. I hope Paco approves. I like it. His collar is an asymmetrical design. I like it but I wanted my plaids to flow evenly where I could and to be symmetrical. I also had planned to used the buttons on the bars. This meant that I did not use his wonderful top buttonhole. I did make it anyway and it's one of those special little secrets just I know about, hiding in the seam! Making the collar symmetrical and lowering the buttonhole causes the collar to open evenly. I LOOOOOVE this collar. I got many compliments on this shirt when I wore it and more on the collar. It has such a pretty roll line and it is so nice and deep. 

 Here is that awesome little buttonhole that makes an asymmetrical collar with little effort, beautiful detail and typical Paco. 

If you have read me for a while, you may remember that I really don't care for long sleeves or any fabric around my wrists. My plan from the start was to fold back these lovely, deep cuffs and that worked well. You can see them on me all folded back but here is what they look like otherwise. 

Parting shots: When I make another I may take a tiny bit of length out of the back waist area. My issue is one of width,  a narrow back and wide hips. I always have this space. I can fit it away but then I have a different look to the garment. I don't want a fitted shirt here. I like the ease exactly as Paco designed it. I flat pattern measured the pattern and found there was substantial ease in a size six to not make any further adjustments. The dropped dolman sleeves also added to the ease of fitting. Since I planned to roll back the cuffs from the get go, they may have been long for me othewise. Other than that I am really pleased with my fit and it was with little effort. 

In conclusion:  I will definitely make this again. With Paco's clear instructions and the beautiful simplicity of the design it would be fine for an advanced beginner if done in a solid fabric and following his directions. While this is a couture pattern, this is doable by those who maybe have never used a couture Vogue pattern. I highly recommend. The design is so versatile and would be stunning in a white linen or pique. A beautiful look for dressier winter wear with jeans would be in  a washed velvet, yum. Thank you, Paco, for a beautiful design!........Bunny

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for some reason the crop didn't work in my editing software tonight. Hopefully it will rectify with shutting down the computer. I will be back to fix it in that case. And, oh, did you notice the winning button? It is the lighter ringed buttons. I really appreciated all your opinions on that. Thanks to all of you.....Bunny