Cotton Lawn Tunic

With all these tunic posts I've been coming across lately I decided to see what all of the fuss is about and make one for myself.

I opted for Simplicity 1461 view D. It is offered in misses' and plus sizes. I love the length of tunics and am already thinking about others I can make.

I need to look up reviews for A, B, and C because they just seem like they would be really revealing...

I love how this pattern has different pattern pieces for bust sizes. I'm lucky and rarely need bust adjustments on patterns. But for those who need to make adjustments all of the time this can be very time saving.

I do unfortunately still need to make adjustments for my hips. So I sewed my standard size 12 top and graded to a size 14 for my hips.

I love the fabric I used. It is called The Hit Parade Lawns Unicorn Hunt Orange and you can find it at Fabric.com. It is a combed 100% cotton lawn.

The only thing I would do differently is fix the placement of the unicorn. I really did not mean for it to end up on my stomach. Lower left/right would have been better. But oh well. 

Cotton lawn does wrinkle easily. I did iron it before the pictures. Me iron? I know, shocking. But I did. But after sitting it looks like this. Probably won't be a top I put in my suitcase for my cruise...

The sleeves were simple and turned out well. On these I did purposely place the unicorn on them.

This is the stitching looking at it inside out. I do like how on the tunics they are stitched a second time about an inch or so in. Not only does it give the top a higher end look, it keeps that darn interfacing from being able to pop out.

Overall I really like the top. I think next time I will try it with higher end soft material like a silk or something. I'll have to do some more peaking around blogs to get ideas. It is definitely a pattern I'll keep around.

Simplicity 2372 - A work top

I still need more tops for work. This one seemed easy, boy was I in for a surprise.

I decided to try Simplicity 2372 view C.

I should have noticed all of the pleats. The ones at the top were fine, I think I have those down okay. But they also have them on the sleeves. And darts on the sleeves. Also, although you can see it if you look closely, the front and back total 4 pieces, not 2 like I expected. A lot of things for a newbie like me. It made for a longer process than expected.

The fabric I used is called Whitecap Gray Floral Printed Silk Crepe de Chine and I bought it from Mood Fabrics online. Sadly, it is now sold out. But it is on their website still, maybe they will restock?

I did pre-wash the fabric in my washing machine with cold water. Mood recommends dry cleaning all silk fabrics but, ain't nobody got time for that.

If you look at the front you can see it pulls up in the middle. Yep, that's because I failed to line up the bottom when I connected the front right with the front left. If this would have been one piece it never would have happened. Luckily though when I'm moving around and wearing it it's only noticeable if you're looking for it.

I lined up the back better than the front. It's just wrinkled. There I am being lazy with the ironing again.

All that time spent making the pleats and with this fabric it is barely noticeable. If I were to do it again I would skip pleating the sleeves for sure. Might even skip pleating the front too. To me it just makes it seem wrinkled. 

Overall I do like the shirt. Even with my screw up in the front. But I doubt I would ever make it again. There are other tops I've made that were easier that I would wear just as often. But of course I'll keep the pattern around, because maybe once I have more sewing under my belt I'll think this was easy.

Super SIMPLE knit dress!

This dress and pattern is PERFECT for beginners. A very easy and quick sew. A good way to practice with knits.

It's also perfect for you advanced sewers. Why? Because it is a comfy knit dress of course!

The pattern I used was Simplicity 1358. I had intended to use view B but ended up using view C. This happened because I obviously don't know how to count and did not have enough fabric to make view B. I debated on ordering more fabric but decided I couldn't be patient and went with the shorter dress.

The dress only took a couple hours to sew up. Luckily for me my mom is letting me borrow her sewing machine until I can buy a better one so I actually could use a stretch stitch.

And here is the dress..

I love the fabric, It is very bright colors. Perfect for spring and summer. Right now it's warm enough to wear during the day, just not mornings or evenings. But soon I can wear it regularly. And I will.

The fabric is called Aqua Green Peacock-Inspired Polyester Jersey Knit and I got it from Mood Fabrics.

I used a size 12 pattern and cut it out to a size 14 for my hips. No other modifications were made. 

And because it is knit it is super easy to bend down and stretch while wearing.

Yep. I have backyard chickens. Because, why not? These are my two girls. They are terrific. Raised them from babies. Fresh eggs from free range hens.

Mmmm fresh eggs...

And because this is a sewing blog, not a backyard chicken blog. One more shot of the dress..

Simplicity 1363

My plan was to create the perfect nautical themed outfit. The sailor pants I attempted to make were supposed to be the bottoms. This was supposed to be the top. I have to get the pants to fit because I love this top. Super comfortable!

So the pattern I used for the top was Simplicity 1363 view D.

It says "easy to sew" but I would have to disagree. How to make the neck band is like a foreign language to me. I could not figure out what the heck Simplicity wanted me to do. I started an online search to find other bloggers who may have made it to see what they said. Well, I'm happy to report I'm not the only one who had problems with this pattern. Seems a lot of people made it up as they went. So that's exactly what I did.

For the neck band I just put it right sides together raw edges even then sewed 3/8". Then I understitched. It seems to have worked fine.

And the result?

I know it's crooked on the bottom on this picture, but I promise it does really lay straight :)

The fabric I used was Chagall Crepe de Chine Scrolls Navy/Creme, which I bought at fabric.com. The fabric is lightweight, almost opaque, and very soft and comfortable. The only negative is it is 100% polyester.

The back of this pattern has a button closure. But it is loose enough that I can easily pull it on and off.

I'm already pear shaped so I think this might influence it more. Probably not the best thing for me. But I still like it.

And this is the reason why I wanted this top for my sailor pants. Short in the front to show off the cute front of the pants.

My first pants!

I have finally attempted my first pair of pants! My inspiration for these pants came from Erica Bunker and her blog post here. The second I saw them I knew I wanted the pattern to make a pair of my own. The next day I went out and got it.

The pattern is Simplicity 8058. I just love everything nautical. This is a good way to get it without overdoing it.

So, I did go to the store and picked up the pattern the very next day. Where I messed up was grabbing the size pattern I usually get for tops (size 12). Well, I'm definitely not a 12 in pants. I'm not even sure what size I am, probably an 18.

Once I had the pattern I knew I would have to add width to it. So I carefully measured out to a size 18 and marked the pattern (or the fabric) to make up for the size. And of course, made a muslin to try out.

I tried on the muslin (without a zipper) and it seemed to fit fine. This is cotton and my actual fabric is ponte knit so I knew I would have extra stretch in the real pair. I figured I was good to go and make my pants.

So once again, I carefully marked out the pattern to a size 18 using navy blue ponte knit I bought at Joann's. 

It took me days but I worked my way through the instructions. Somehow I managed to sew the pockets closed. WTF did I do? I have no clue. I made tons of pockets on all those pajamas I made...

And the final result? Well, you won't see me modeling them for you. They don't fit. I'm so sad, because I love them so much. They are just barely too small. Something went wrong somewhere. Or, I just picked the wrong size. I can get the zipper halfway up, but not all the way. Time to lose some weight! And now I have just another reason to do it.

But I did finish them. So here are some poor lighting indoor shots for you (sorry).

That was my first time ever dealing with a zipper. Not even back in high school did I attempt one in my sewing class. It's not perfect. But the pants are wearable, if I could only fit into them.

Sorry the picture is sideways. The blog I use doesn't have cropping or editing features for images. The zipper top is supposed to be tucked between the layers but it slipped out when I was sewing and I didn't notice until it was too late.

So those are my pants. If ever I fit into them I will be sure to add some pictures of me wearing them.

Simplicity 1467

This has most definitely been my most time consuming make so far. Not necessarily difficult, but a lot of steps. And a lot of interfacing. Very slow going for me. But I finished and have another top I can wear to the office. Yay me!

This is the Simplicity 1467 pattern, view A. I used the size 12 pattern, my standard pattern size for tops.

Did I mention interfacing? I went through quite a bit. All the top pieces and the arm holes all have interfacing. It calls for lightweight, I used featherweight because it was what I had. Doesn't seem to have made a difference. Don't skip the understitching, everything will constantly want to pop out.

This pattern also had the tiny loop you had to make for the buttons. Which of course, consists of sewing a teeny tiny piece of fabric then having to flip it right side out. I used a small safety pin I got from one of my RTW outfits when they give an extra button. It worked great for this small loop. I also didn't follow the directions, it said to sew at 1/4", but that would have put it halfway across, so instead I did it at approximately 1/8" so that I would have a larger hole to pull the fabric through.

And the final result...

A top that is a little too small at the hips. Haha. I'm slightly pear shaped. I really need to keep an eye on the finished measurements so my tops fit better at the waist. Looking at the model I should have realized this was closer fitting than the other tops I made. And this material is not stretchy. At All.

Sorry, I'm also squinting in the sun. You either get a dark picture, or me squinting.

I'm thinking of maybe adding a solid color dart on the side to expand the waist some. Because of all my cardigans it is not often someone will see the side anyway. It's wearable as is, but I think this would make it more comfortable. And it will lay better in the front and back.

My first time doing anything with buttons. I like them. I'm shocked I really didn't have any issues there.

This top also called for gathering in the front. My first time with this as well. Basically you use a long machine stitch, then pull the strings, even it out best you can, then it is sewn in place. Gives it a nice look.

This is a cheaper fabric. I cannot remember where I got it or what it is. I know it either came from Joann's or Hancock Fabrics. On all future purchases I will track this!

So instead of posting the few things I did when I first started sewing in 2015 I have decided to just put them here. After this I can start fresh with all my 2016 garments and can keep better track :)

In December I was dreaming about Summer. Maybe because I booked a cruise. So I decided to plan for he heat and make this tank top using the Simplicity 1372 pattern.

I opted to use some cute linen fabric I found at Joann's. For the straps I used silky fabric (I have no idea what it really is - Joann's had it under "silky types")

Here is the finished product:

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Then, my next attempt was my first knit project. I quickly learned I do not have the machine for the job. I can't use twin needles, I have no stretch stitch of any sort, I only have the small zig zag you turn until it's a big zig zag (I'm sure there is a name for it). So, I put it on the smallest it would let me and went with that. Hopefully I don't break the seams...

I used McCall's 6964 pattern, only the long sleeve version rather than this short sleeve one below.

And this is how it turned out:

One thing I learned from this one, other than I need a better machine, is be careful when pulling out threads! It is a lot harder with knit. I accidentally made a hole in my shirt! I had to pull it up slightly on the left to hide it behind the neckline. So sad!

I had one more shirt for 2015 but I don't have pictures so I'll just let it go. For my future projects I hope to get better pictures of me actually wearing the items so they wont seem so baggy on my tiny dress form.

My first blouse

This is the first blouse I made after all of those pajamas. I'm actually quite impressed with myself!

This is the pattern I chose to use. Simplicity 1280.

You know what is amazing? I actually found the exact same fabric for view B (the one on the model)! I got the fabric at Joann's. I'm starting my sewing journey with cheaper fabric before I move to those wonderful fabrics I am finding online.

Sorry, I do not have any step by steps. I wasn't planning a blog when I started. But here is my finished product. No so bad for a newbie huh?

The only thing I changed was extending the length of the sleeves. I'm not a fan of 3/4 sleeves. Everything else was exactly to the pattern. Pattern size 12.

Now I just need to find a photographer so I can get pictures of me wearing it! My dress form doesn't do it justice. Considering it is like a size 2, and I am not.

The main thing I learned from this project. Always write down or take a picture of the care instructions and fabric type! I have no idea what this fabric is or how to wash it.