Monthly Archives: March 2015

Cool Summer Shirt

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I love this new pattern by Marcy Tilton! Vogue 9089, a tunic length shirt, is a fairly quick sew and feels fantastic on. My BSF and I got together and both made a version. Her shirt is out of heavier weight cotton, and she is wearing it often and getting tons of compliments! I made mine out of a cotton lawn so it’s a little early in the season. I did wear it yesterday when our temps hit the high seventies. I took these photos for the blog, and it was so comfortable that I just kept it on for the afternoon.

The only fitting change made was the addition of a FBA. A dart just helps the fit on my body type. In addition I made two minor design changes. I made the sleeve ¾ length, and then I made a crazy change! I like my obvious asymmetrical elements, so I re-drafted the top of the center back panel to land a couple of inches further off-center where it meets the collar. Marcy-V9089-Shirt_3Marcy-V9089-Shirt_2Since I’m new to pattern drafting this probably took me over an hour to figure out and get right. Was it worth it? I like the result, but it was a little picky, and I’m not sure anyone but Marcy Tilton herself would notice. In order to show off my little change the seam is hand stitched.Marcy-V9089-detail

Am I making this again? Definitely!

Summer Clothes are Here!

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My BSF Debra has been pushing me (I needed the push) to start on summer clothes. There are several patterns we have wanted to try, so we pulled them out and chose Butterick 5891 by the uber talented Katherine Tilton.

Side Note: My BSF and I are going on a tour of Paris in the fall with Katherine and Marcy Tilton! We’re so excited!!!!

Both of us agree that this is NOT an easy pattern (as stated on the pattern envelope). A typical shirt would have from 4 to 8 pattern pieces and this pattern has 15! Then there are some funky folds and an unusual collar finish. Top that off with 3 different fabrics and this baby took several days to finish.Katherine-top_3

It seemed early in the season to make a sleeveless shirt, but I solved that by making the arm opening a little larger so I could wear this as a vest or shirt.

I made a muslin and added a dart for my very first time! The dart came out fine, but will be better next time. I need to perfect this skill so woven tops fit correctly. The size I choose was to big on me (despite the muslin). This pattern doesn’t have full length side seams to adjust fit, but it does now! Not an afternoon project, but it did come out pretty cool in the end.Katherine-top_2

I’m very happy with the project, and it will feel great on a super hot day.  Several fellow bloggers have made fabulous versions of the jacket, sometimes as a jacket, vest or shirt. I may have to make that one very soon. Katherine-top_1

TNT 8962

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One of my favorite TNT (tried and true) patterns is Vogue 8962. I have made it several times before here and here. It’s easy, flattering, fast and just what I needed to end the winter season heading toward spring.  Snow was falling, but I knew that the sun will shine in a few days and it is here today! I grabbed some fabric from my stash and whipped up a new top by afternoon. I’ve worn it several times already.

TNT-Brown-stripeThe interesting thing about this pattern is how the stripes meet in the back forming a “v” shape. I love it! The pattern picture shows a stripe fabric, but never from the back so it was quite a surprise, and in a very good way.TNT-Brown-stripe_3