Butterick 5861 and I'm ready for Woodstock!

 

I really enjoyed making this top.  I know, the fabric is a bit crazy but I like it. I have always been a fan of Picasso and this print sucked me right in because of that.  The construction was unique and challenging, the fabric a delight to sew and the pattern a design that brought me back to 1968 and fantasies of bell bottom jeans with embroidered gussets and me and my friends with our thumbs out on the hiway hitch hiking. Yeah, we actually did things like that back then and survived.  

I have a lot to say about this top so grab a bev and have a seat. It was a fun ride, so much so that I've already started on tunic #2!

Pattern:

I saw this pattern, Butterick 5861,  made up in a FB group I frequent and just fell in love. I am generally not a tunic person but the style of this one, the options for embellishment, and the memories it brought back all came together to motivate me to search it out on the web. I kept waiting for it to go on sale and it just wasn't happening at that time.  Then one of my cyber sewing friends, una amiga Boricua, Ada Garcia, of Puerto Rico, messaged me and told me she had the pattern in my size, would never make it and would gladly GIVE it to me. What could I say? We talked, figured it out, and next thing I knew this lovely graced my mailbox. Thank you so so much, again, Ada. Besicos!

There are issues with the pattern so I will get those out of the way first. It is HUGE in the bodice. I made the smallest size, a size 8 for a 31 1/2 inch bust. The bodice for this size is 50 INCHES! What you see above takes out 4 of those fifty inches! Thank you, PR, for the heads up on that!  

Next the neckline, on a petite, goes lower than I am accustomed to. That's OK. Generally, I wear my necklines a little higher and have already cut version #2 without thinking but would cut it higher in the front. I also have two rather heavy beads on the front ties and I think they are pulling it down. So you may want to reduce volume if you make this unless you would like that extra ease. 

This is a pattern where you really have to pay attention. I will come right out and say this is not a beginner's pattern. You will quit sewing on those shoulder yokes. I will get into that further on. I love the shoulder yoke detail shape and placement.  They fit perfectly. 

This pattern is long as well.  I cut off 3 inches. I have a mini skirt on. It would have been as long as the skirt if I hadn't so watch that length!

Positives: The volume, while a lot, is comfy and gracious. I solved the volume issue with a thin belt. I prefer to emphasize my waist anyway. 

Much better proportion, don't you think? 

I also cut back my sleeve length two inches but that was a general petite thing. I love the sleeve fullness. 

This pattern has shirring in the back at the waist which I do like but it will get hidden by the belt. More on that in construction. 

The pattern offers 4 interesting views. Two button down the front with long tucks and one of those has a contrast band.  Then there are two that don't button down the front but have insets at center front. The CF insets have tie closures and surface embellishment that matches the surface embellishment also on the shoulder yokes. I love the shoulder yokes on this top. 

I did no surface embellishment or insets on my version. I wanted it very plain due to the vivid design of the print fabric.  I accomplished that by simply cutting the CF on the fold and adding a faced slit.  More on that in a bit. 

Fabric:

This is from Fabric.com and described as a "Telio rayon slub challis". It was a delight to sew. It had a tendency to shift and ravel like most rayons but this was tamed with spray starch. I cut out my pattern pieces and by the second piece saw this problem. I proceeded to cut and then  took them all to the ironing board where I sprayed each seam area lightly and ironed with a dry iron. Then I repeated the process. All seam edges got this double starching.  After that the pieces were put back on their pattern tissue and trimmed and recut as they had stretched out of shape in that process. You can see the distortion below. A lot of recutting and a lot of scraps to prove it! 

Starching kept the raveling to a minimum.  I would definitely sew this fabric again,

Construction:

I made changes to the construction due to my fabric and style choices. First change was making all seams into French seams. Next I decided to use the Burrito method for the faced shoulder yokes but let's start with the elimination of the embellished inset at upper center front bodice first. I decided to make a simple slit neckline at CF and even did a practice version on a scrap first just to be sure I could pull it off.  There was enough going on with my fabric choice and I felt no further embellishment was needed. 

A line was established down center front. A piece of the fashion fabric was fused to woven cotton fusible. It was cut into the shape I wanted for the facing, which was small, and the edges were serged. 

I simply sewed down the slit in a 1/4 inch seam and sewed across the bottom in a small curve. No fuss. 

Next come my changes to the shirring on the back of all the views. I went into this in detail in a previous post as I know a lot of people out there are making shirred garments right now and those elastic threads are failing. This method, which I detailed here, is stronger and I personally like the look of the triple zig zagged elastic better. It's a little fussier but you don't have to wrap any bobbins with elastic thread and I do detest doing that. 

Now it was time to deal with the shoulders. The pattern has you simply treat the two layers of the shoulder yoke, top and facing, as one and sew it into the sleeve and bodice with a simple seam.  I wanted something cleaner than that. I did a classic burrito method which was really simple here. 

I sandwiched the sleeve between the fashion fabric and the facing piece and stitched all three layers together. Seam was then graded, pressed away from the sleeve and voila!  This unit was then attached to the bodice front and back with French seams, all clean. Nothing on the inside of this garment is open other than the serged inset facing edge and bottom hem. 

A lot of attention has to be paid her to where the yoke piece fits in on the sleeve. One maker on Pattern Review inserted it upside down/backwards.  The longest edge, opposite the neckline is stitched to the gathered sleeve. Of the two remaining short edges, the longest edge of those two goes to the front bodice and the short edge goes to the back bodice. Follow the notches down on the sleeve if you are confused, The pattern instructions are very confusing on this. Just take your time and it will make sense. Here is how it all lays out.

Like I said, this is not a beginner pattern. 

After this it was smooth sailing with French seams easily accomplished on this fabric. The last challenge was the neckline. This requires a long bias strip that was first sewn into tubes/ties other than the neck area. That was left open to be sewn separately to the neckline and then finished with hand stitching on the inside. I did mine opposite. It just seemed to lay better when tied if I did and I fell stitched it on the front side with tiny stitches. You can get a better idea of how that came out on the close up above of the shoulder neckline area. Just click these to get them larger. 

On my next version I will interface the bias strip in hte neckline area just to help it lay a bit flatter. We'll see how that goes. 

In Conclusion:

I really enjoyed this pattern. Why? It was very challenging, the fabric, the design, the construction, my chosen changes and the pattern itself. I really enjoyed making it. It is definitely not for a beginner, IMO, and that is something I very very rarely say. I am happy with the outcome, WITH A BELT, and know I will wear this a lot. I wore it on Thanksgiving and it was a hit. Left a lot of room for turkey, too! I recommend if you are up to a challenge and looking for a top that is comfortable and feminine and will work on any woman's shape.  You just never know when the sixties will call and want you back. You'll be ready!

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This is a peek at version #2. The fabric is far less cooperative, a rayon georgette crepe or what we used to call "crepon". The shoulder insets and CF inset, well, I did my own thing. I made bias tubes, tied them in knots and ran them down the pattern pieces instead of the turned tucks the pattern calls for. More on that later! Six hours making  tubes and knots!!! Happy Sewing!...............Bunny

Thank you!

Thank you to all of you for your kind words and unbridled encouragement regarding the "wedding" dress. You spur on my creativity more than you know and I greatly appreciate it. Each and every comment is always savored and appreciated. 

 I love that you endorse the wearing of hats. Wouldn't the world be a much prettier place with lovely hats around every corner?  Let's face it, it's the only reason I watch the Kentucky Derby. 

A bit more info:  I pegged my skirt even more than I mentioned in previous posts, pegging each of the four skirt pieces in by 3/4 of an inch.  A total of 3 inches was removed from the skirt width  near the hem. That was done by tapering in from below the hips. This pattern really needs that, IMO,  otherwise frumposis sets in. 

I loved the collar on this dress. Many of the reviews I read stated they had a hard time getting it to fit properly. I just followed the markings and let it land wear it felt like and I think that worked out just fine. On different fabric it would be lovely with a brooch right where the two collar ends meet. 

Now, just a couple of responses to Su-z and Marysia. 

To Su-Z:    This Very Easy Vogue pattern has great fit opportunity with all the darts and cup options as well as the impressive back curvature. I don't think it will take much to make it work for most sizes without too much frustration. I hope you give it a go. 

Beading the zipper really is quite simple and as long as a back stitch is used, it is quite sturdy. My dancing proved that! 

To Marysia:  Doing a blogpost on adding a vent to a skirt sounds like a great idea! I will do my best to squeeze it in. Our home is taking a lot of our attention right now so I have to really squeeze my sewing time in with competing projects and temptations. The rain has worked to my sewing advantage but I don't know how long that will last.  Thanks for your vent idea. 

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I am very near completing the Rusted Layered Tunic and here's a little tease. Last night I cut out a muslin for the sleeve and basted it in. I learned that trick from Claire Shaeffer. The sleeve is "hung" in muslin after the jacket or top is fitted and complete. Adjustments are made and a second muslin is recut and basted in if needed and I will do that tonight. If it works, the sleeves will be cut out and installed. This top feels and looks so comfy.  Sleeves always look so weird once adjusted so I will definitely sew in that second attempt. Till then....................Bunny   

The Denim Workshirt - McCall's 6613

The work shirt is done. I hope it is the first of several. I like the roomy-ness and casual attitude of it all. I will wear this to death. I hope to make a couple more. The way you see it here is one way I would wear it, with jeans and brown leather boots. There are just so many ways a good ole' boy workshirt can be feminized.

Pattern:
This is McCalls 6613, a Palmer Pletsch Unisex pattern.  It is sized by chest size and I made the smallest size,  34-36 chest, and that gave me a finished chest measurement of 40 inches. So this is very roomy. There are not darts or any fit for that matter. This is not a difficult pattern. I actually never really looked at it. But I did refer to the Zieman Collar and the Colllar Band Tute in the sidebar tutorials.

Fabric:
This is a hundred percent cotton denim from Joanns, nothing special other than I did not want lycra and I did not get any. It's not easy finding denims without stretch. It is relatively lightweight. It is too light for jeans but it is a bit heavier than a chambray, what work shirts are often made of. It washed really nicely and took the topstitching well.

Construction:
I did some changes with the garment fit. I cut down the pockets all around by a 1/4 inch . You can see they are still pretty large. I think I would cut them down a bit more the next iteration. It's a petite thing. I try to make any details smaller to be more in scale with my proportions. I also cut down the collar band by a 1/4 inch width as well as the collar. I am glad I did. I think you'll agree the proportions are good. This is a unisex shirt and they compromised the details toward the male wearer, IMO. Did I "petite" the cuffs? No. I like deep cuffs and actually recut them to the width that I wanted. I felt their cuffs were too narrow. Seams are stitched and serged and topstitched. The topstitching was with variegated "denim" thread. Never again. It looks spotty once stitched and I don't recommend it. Live and learn! I used my monster old Kenmore to do the buttonholes. Facings with graded interior seams and collar band buttonholes are just not anything I even wanted to try with my computerized Pfaff, just too much aggravation. The old Kenmore sails through buttonholes perfectly no matter how many odd layers it has to go over. I treasure that old machine and it is always set up in buttonhole mode, at the ready!

One thing I did not care for but it was too late when I realized it, was the placket for the cuffs. The pattern would have you do a simple seam, ironed open and clean finished. I never would have chosen to do a placket that way and next time won't. I was able to save the situation by lapping one seam allowance over the other and double topstitching. The interior edges were serged. It looked a bit more finished than just a pressed open seam.

All in all, this is a pretty good pattern with some adjustments made to more flatter a small female. I can see myself making this again. I would do the pockets differently, smaller and maybe with a flap. It's a keeper!

Today was a daycation, a sewing one! We are in the throws of , no kidding, an epic blizzard. This area pretty much shut down at noon today and it looks like it will take major digging out tomorrow. We already have a foot and we haven't had the worst of it yet. The storm warning is on till 8:00 tomorrow night. They are talking2-3 feet of snow, temps in the single digits (we are almost there now) and very heavy winds and "thunder snow". Hubby and I are hunkered down and it doesn't look like we will have work tomorrow. 

I managed to prep my pattern and cut out another ITY top. This one is a tunic and a Very Easy Very Vogue pattern. It is oddly cut for fit adjustments. I am hoping my flat pattern measuring will serve me well. It looks like it will fit other than a couple of small tweaks. More to come......Stay safe all in the path of Vulcan...Bunny

Tunic #2, Vogue 8924

This is my second iteration of Vogue 8924, that tenty little tunic that is so comfortable to wear and looks great with leggings and boots. You can see the first here.  I have worn it numerous times to work. Between rushing in the morning and looking frazzled in a dark winter evening, a self modeled picture isn't coming any time soon. But Graciela, today's name for the form, will accommodate the modeling! One day the form will get a proper name. I am trying out several and leaning heavily toward Graciela.

Pattern:
Vogue 8924, a simple, widely cut tunic with a shaped hem and large pockets.

Fabric:
This is a polyester dotted blouse weight for lack of a better term. I keep buying gray lately, which does give me wardrobing advantages, but I always feel I have to add a spike of color. I did this here with  some yellow and white retro buttons and a bit of shibori stitching in yellow on the back above the pleat. This fabric is very drapery, different from the first iteration, so looks good with a belt and has more of a blouse look. 

Construction:
I did a few changes to the pattern this time. Because I was using a nasty synthetic and because somehow the stay stitched neckline stretched out getting the bodice to fit the collar was a bit of a challenge. Here you can see the nastiness.

A natural fiber would have eased in and pressed out nicely but petroleum based fabric just does not do that. What to do?  I fudged and fiddled and decided it looks great with the collar turned down, not my usual style. I found a good break point for the placket and added a button there and I think it worked out fine.

 I also  changed out the pockets to something a little more fun. Actually it was all about funning up the dour gray fabric. On the pockets I flipped a corner down and secured it with another retro button as you can see in the second picture above. 

This was all pretty much stitched and serged. Nothing fancy happening here. But I did get a good basic garment that has been perfect for  work with some leggings, shoebooties, and a long  sweater vest. Library ladies wear lots of sweaters.  I did get lots of positive feedback when I wore it. And I was comfortable, something oddly becoming more important with each day. I love how this looks from the back. 

While I think I may make more tunics, I think I will retire this pattern for now. I definitely can see it for the summer in some linen with slim white crops. Highly recommend. 

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 My holiday sewing is all out of the way now and I will get going on my winter coat. Finally! I have cut and prepped the pattern and interfacing, a hair canvas sew in. To keep things nice until I get to work on them further I rolled up the tissues on cardboard tubes, one for lining, one for fashion fabric. Have my muslin fabric at the ready and just need to cut. I am thinking this could be a simple project. We'll see....Bunny

Tunic Time, Vogue 8924

Love this design. Generally most tunic proportions are really bad on me as I am so short. They seem to end at my exact middle, not a good look. But this one I made just a bit above knee length so a little better proportions. My hubby LOVES this outfit. He's always looking out for what I call "cute comfort".  He likes it when I am his idea of cute and my idea of comfortable. Works for me, too!  Here's all the deets;

Pattern: Vogue 8924, a Very Easy  Very Vogue and it is. The design went together really quickly and the way I made it used three pieces: a front, a back, and a pocket. Simple, simple, simple. I did view B.

 Fabric: This is some sort of jacquard from the local JAs that I picked up on clearance last year. It appears to be a cotton/poly blend and is a suiting weight, nothing particularly special but with this pattern it's day in the light had finally arrived. It is a bit "springy" but that's OK. I like that this will be worn with a turtleneck or crisp white shirt and leggings or tights.It is PERFECT for my work. I plan to make another really soon.  It is a definite positive/negative coloration between the front and back side. I used the more gray side for the tunic and the more black side for the pockets.

  
Construction:  This was so easy to make and would have been done long ago save my handwork on the back. All the edges were serged prior to construction, definitely worth the effort. This was quite ravel-y. I also chose to line the pockets. I just liked line pockets but once topstitched a teeny bit of the lining showed despite favoring the fashion fabric to the lining side. I think next one will just be turned and stitched, no lining. This has no zippers, no facings, and no set in sleeves, wahoo!

Once completed I thought it was likeable but rather dour. It also gave off a Japanese apron type of vibe to me so I decided to embellish the upper pleat area in the back with some pickstitching and a bullion and french knot motif. Rising sun? Aster? Mum? you decide but it took it from being too serious and I love the embellishment. Up until that point it was just another VEVVogue simple pattern.

 Bottom line: I highly recommend this pattern. It is a nearly instant gratification project with no fit issues. I used the size 4-6, extra small. The bust and hips on this pattern are about 50 inches in that size so keep that in mind particularly if you are smaller than me. I will cut the above fabric, for another much more drapey version. It is a poly blouse weight. I will also use the version with the sleeves and collar, I think. Back to the studio.

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The voting closes tomorrow at midnight for the Sew Stylish jacket contest. Whether I win or not I would just like to thank all of you who voted for me. I so appreciate your kindness and effort...........Bunny