Another Knit Top

Here's my second version of Simplicity 4076. This one has the same cut as my first top, in respect to the neckline and lengthened hem (see the details here), except this time around, I allowed a for bit more ease and tried a sleeve variation.





The fabric is a bright orange, cotton/lycra jersey knit from Fashion Fabrics Club. It actually has a bit more stretch than the material for the last top, and it's also "slinkier" than the other because it stretches in both lengthwise and crosswise directions. I pretreated it by machine washing and drying it twice to eliminate any significant shrinkage.

To construct the top, I followed the same basic steps as I did for the last one, but I wanted to have a little more wearing ease in the armhole and side seams, so I stitched using a 1/2" seam allowance instead of 5/8." Also, to stabilize the shoulder seams, I used clear elastic instead of seam binding.



When I altered the pattern for the sleeve, my original intent was to gather only the top part of the sleeve. I altered the pattern as pictured below:



My plans changed after I'd hemmed and set the sleeves; their fit was looser than I'd hoped, and they were a little droopy. :-( I decided to pick out the hem stitches and gather the lower edge to a band, similar to the finish of the neckline. In a way, I'm kind of glad it ended up happening as it did because I actually like the sleeve bands better.

Brown Knit Top

This is a brown and tan printed top, which I completed early last week, using Simplicity 4076 (view D) and a length of polyester jersey. As evidenced by the other projects I've posted, I haven't sewn much with knit materials in the past, mostly due to negative experiences in which my machine stretched them beyond recovery. Late last year, however, I was able to acquire a four-thread serger/overlock machine, which, coupled with a need for more tops and blouses, has given me a bit of incentive to try knit fabrics once again.



Pattern Changes
Since this top basically fits like a T-shirt, I didn't really need to make any fitting adjustments; my focus was more on learning to construct a garment with knit fabric. I did lengthen it by nearly three inches at the hemline, though, as well as bringing up the front of the neckline slightly. To raise it, I cut the neckline along the line for the largest size at the center front and blended it with the lines of the size ten, as shown below.



This caused the neckline opening to become slightly smaller, so I trimmed the neckband piece by about 1.5" to 2" to compensate for the loss of length.


Construction
When constructing the top, I followed the instructions provided with the pattern, except for the portion on setting the sleeves. The pattern recommends assembling the sleeves and main part of the garment separately, then setting the sleeve "in the round," but I found it easier to hem the sleeve, set it into the armhole, and then stitch the underarm and the garment's side in one continuous seam. When the seams were complete, I pressed them toward the back of the garment and topstitched them in place at the hems of the sleeves, as often seen in ready-to-wear (the topstitching is barely visible in the photo below).



Working with the Fabric
Prior to stitching into the actual garment pieces, I spent some time testing scraps of the fabric on both machines to become more familiar with the knit material and adjust the stitches and settings. Once everything was finally ready, assembling this top was fairly simple.

When sewing all of the seams, I used a four-thread overlock stitch on the serger. With some of the seams, such as the neckline and armholes, I found it helpful to set the differential feed at 0.3 to slightly ease in the fabric. The easing didn't show in the finished garment because the fabric was only being eased enough to counteract the stretching that would have been caused by the feed dogs, had they been at the normal setting.

When working with the sewing machine, I used the straight-stitch foot for the basting and topstitching; the foot's narrow hole for the needle helped prevent the needle from pulling the fabric up and down. In order to prevent the fabric from stretching too much, it also helped to reduce the the pressure of the presser foot. The hems were sewn with a twin needle, using a stretch stitch - not the triple-stitch type, but one that greatly resembles a zigzag stitch, where the needle doubles back with each stitch it takes forward. Finally, I also hand-wound a bobbin with wooly nylon thread to lend the hems a bit of stretch.

In Conclusion, I think I actually had a bit of fun experimenting with knits. It seems that once the stitching and construction issues are resolved, this type of material can be somewhat forgiving in the way it fits the body. Aside from preferring just a tiny bit more "wiggle room" at the side seams, I'm pleased with the outcome of the pattern. And since it never hurts to get more practice, I might just find myself using knits again in near the future. :-)

Rust Orange Fall Jacket

Well, I suppose it's about time that I've posted this, since I made this garment in September and have had the photos floating around on my computer's "desktop" for quite some time now! I needed a jacket to wear this past fall, and PatternReview.com just happened to have a jacket-making contest in progress at the time, so I decided to enter with this project. Even though I didn't win the end, I really enjoyed being part of it because it motivated me to actually finish the jacket in time to wear it in the fall, and it was fun to watch what the other contestants made, as well. Anyhow, here are the pictures:






Here's a copy of the review I wrote for this project at Pattern Review (for a link to the original, click here):

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Pattern Description:
"Semi-fitted, double-breasted jackets A, B with princess seams, notched collar and lapel, sleeve variations and belt." I made view B, which is entirely lined.

Pattern Sizing:
Misses' 6-8-10-12-14. My measurements correspond with those of size ten, but after comparing them with the finished garment measurements printed on the tissue, I cut a size six. This pattern seems to have a generous amount of ease in the main jacket body, so I'd recommend checking the amount of ease to help determine the correct size.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, I believe it did.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, they were very comprehensive. I followed them loosely for the main construction of the jacket body, but I followed separate instructions for making and inserting the lining (more about this below).

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
First of all, I like the style lines of the jacket. I also like that the under collar is cut from two pieces on the bias and that the under collar and lapel facing pieces have already been adjusted for the turn-of-cloth. Perhaps these features aren't too uncommon among jacket patterns, but it's helpful when this work has already been done.

One thing that bothered me, however, was the sleeve, as it did not fit in as smoothly as I would have liked it to. Even when testing the pattern in muslin, it was difficult to smooth out all the puckers in the sleeve cap. Before cutting into the fashion fabric, I measured the seam lines of the sleeve and armhole to see if the amount of ease might be reduced, but after finding only about 1-inch of ease, I decided to leave it be and make the best of it in the construction process.
The back notches also did not align on the sleeve and armhole pieces, and in the sleeve there was not quite enough length of seam line to fit the armhole at the back underarm. As a "quick fix" for this issue, I let out the top of the sleeve's seam by about 3/16" to 1/4" in the back only. Other than this issue, however, the rest pattern fit together beautifully.

Fabric Used:
A tightly woven cotton/nylon blend with a "peach skin" finish on the right side; it was somewhat difficult to penetrate when sewing by hand, and it was easily marred by pinholes, making minimal hand sewing ideal for this project. The lining is a "silky" polyester fabric with a coordinating print.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
Fitting Changes:
As mentioned above, I cut the jacket body two sizes smaller due to the generous amount of ease, but after making a test garment, I found that I still needed the larger sized armholes and sleeves. To correct this, I used the size 10 pattern lines (still intact) to trace a larger armhole into the size 6 jacket body.

In addition, I reduced the amount of fullness in the darted princess seams (SBA), made my typical short waist adjustment, and added 3/8" shoulder pads to improve the fit of the shoulders and sleeves. The pattern doesn't call for shoulder pads, but my garment needed them to correct some "drooping" at the back underarm.

Design and construction changes:
To start, I interfaced the front of the jacket with batiste, rather than using a fusible interfacing on the front facing as the pattern says. For added structural shaping, I also fused interfacings to several areas of the batiste. This is repeated in the under collar pieces, as well (click here for a photo).

For further structural support, I made a back stay from broadcloth, fused the sleeve caps with a knit interfacing cut on the bias, and inserted sleeve heads and shoulder pads.

After seaming the jacket front to the side front panel, I also taped the lapel roll line to prevent stretching and help the lapels roll smoothly.

For the lining, I followed the instructions in Claire Shaeffer's High Fashion Sewing Secrets From the World's Best Designers to alter the pieces for "bagging." In addition to instructions for creating a back neck facing, the book shows how to alter the shoulder slope and sleeve cap to accommodate shoulder pads, as well as how to make the lining's armhole sit slightly higher so that it won't bunch up inside the garment's armhole. The result is a lining that fits smoothly inside the jacket (this information can be found on pages 140-142 and was very helpful, so I definitely recommend it). At this time, I also took the opportunity to change the lining sleeve from two pieces to once piece. The second seam is only an ornamental feature for this pattern, so eliminating it simplified the construction.

To attach the lining, I also used the Shaeffer book's instructions for bagging a jacket, which involves sewing the lining into the garment almost entirely by machine and turning the jacket right side out through the sleeve seams, which are left partially open for that purpose. Afterward, the openings are edgestitched closed to completely finish the inside of the garment.

Finally, I finished all the hems by machine-topstitching them in place, rather than stitching them by hand. As a finishing touch, I used small buttons against the front facing to reinforce the outer buttons.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Even though I like this jacket, I probably won't be making another one in the near future, as I don't really need two of them. I would recommend it to others, though, along with making a muslin to fine-tune the fit.

Conclusion:
Overall, I'm happy with the way that this pattern turned out, and aside from the little issue with the sleeves, the construction was fairly straightforward. The design is very cute, and with a belt to cinch in the waist, it would look wonderful paired with a full skirt :-)

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Brown "Trumpet" Skirt

This post is really about more than one skirt, as this skirt design didn't come from a commercial pattern, but is a copy from a ready-to-wear garment. It all started when I bought this skirt I found on a sale rack about four years ago. . .



It has eight identical panels that are trumpet shaped - starting very narrow at the waist and curving out to form a flared hemline. I liked the way that the skirt fit so much that I wanted a second one. I decided that it couldn't be too hard to take a pattern off the skirt and make it myself, especially after I'd met a girl a week or two before who had described to me a method for doing it.

I didn't take any pictures at the time, but I'll describe it the best I can: I found a piece of corrugated cardboard that was at least as big as one of the skirt's panels and placed it inside the skirt. Smoothing one of the panels out to be completely flat and centering it over the cardboard, I inserted sewing pins in all of the seam lines along the edges of the panel. Pushing the pins into the cardboard created a series of holes that outlined the shape of the panel. I then removed the pins, pulled out the cardboard, and used a marker to "connect the dots" preschool-style with the marks the pins had left. After that, all I had to do was re-trace the shape onto pattern paper and add seam and hem allowances.

It was very easy to do because I only had to copy one panel and there were no darts in it. Eager to test my new pattern, I made this skirt:



This brown skirt is the most recent garment I made with this pattern, when I needed a basic brown skirt this past February/March. The construction is super simple! Seam eight panels, add a waistband and a zipper, hem the lower edge, and it's finished.




I finished the inside of the waistband with a cotton print to add a bit of color.

Cross-hatch Denim Jumper

This is a jumper from Simplicity 4097, made using a cross-hatch denim with a slight stretch.

Materials:
-Denim (cotton/spandex)
-Cotton lining
-Interfacing
-Invisible zipper
-Thread

Fitting Alterations
I made a muslin to test the fit of the garment and took a tuck in each of the skirt panels when cutting it out, on account of my short waist.

The first fitting issue was that the entire bodice was hanging too low, with the lowest part of the front neckline running along the bust line. To fix it, I took up the shoulder seams until the bodice was centered over the bust line, as it fits in the photo on the pattern envelope. Afterward, I lowered the back neckline and armholes back to their proper positions, since taking in the shoulder seams had pulled them up too high. I eventually lowered the pocket stitching lines on the skirt, as well.

The next adjustment involved an excessive amount of fabric in the back, where the jumper was very baggy from shoulder blade to . . . um. . . well, never mind. I eliminated most of it by taking a small amount out of the empire waist seam in back. The only alteration after this was to add a bit of room in the hip area.

Construction
The denim I used had a bit of stretch along the cross-grain, so the horizontal seams had a tendency to stretch out of shape under the pressure of the machine's presser foot. To prevent this from happening at the "waist" seam, I basted a strip of bias-cut broadcloth (with all of the elasticity pressed and stretched out of it) along the seam line before seaming the bodice to the skirt.

Also, when lining the bodice, I kept the lining free from the zipper and waistline seams, rather than including it as the instructions say. This way, I could turn under the seam allowances and slip-stitch it over those seams later on.



As mentioned above, I did use a bit of interfacing, even though the pattern didn't call for it. I fused it to the upper pocket edges to prevent stretching and the zipper area for a bit of stabilization.



Overall, this jumper was fairly simple to assemble, and I love it when I get a chance to add a bit of color to the interior of a garment with a contrasting floral print. . .

Black Gabardine Skirt

I've finally got a few pictures of a black wool skirt that I had worked on and completed in December of '08. I meant to post about it sooner but hadn't taken photos until just now. At any rate, here's a view of the front:





For the pattern, I used Simplicity 9825; I've used it once before to make a denim skirt and pulled it out again to use up a generous scrap of black gabardine left over from another project. I modified its design this time by adding hip pockets and flaring the hemline. Here's a side picture; if you look closely, you can see the pocket opening:



To make the pockets, I drafted a simple pattern by using the dimensions of a pocket on a ready-to-wear skirt. The hemline of each panel has been flared by 4 to 5 inches at the side seam. I would have liked to flare them even wider, but I was somewhat limited by the size of the fabric scrap ;)



Other modifications include an added lining, an invisible zipper instead of a lapped zipper, and swing tacks connecting the skirt and lining hems. The construction was fairly simple, but the wool gabardine did not hold creases especially well, so I catch-stitched some of the seam allowances in place when working on the yolk. I also recommend this blog post by Dawn of Secret Pocket; I found her hemming tip very helpful when stitching the hem into place =)

More Fall Sewing

Several weeks ago, I finished another denim skirt for fall.





I used Simplicity 5914 again; I must be one of those "pattern repeaters"!

I lengthened this skirt by 5 1/2 inches to make it super long for the cold-weather months. This caused the gored panels to become even more flared than they would have otherwise been, resulting in a very, very full hem (great for the twirly-skirt-loving people). Here are a few more details:

Materials and Notions Used:
- Medium-heavyweight denim. I pre-washed and dried it twice to discourage shrinking, then I soaked it in a salt and vinegar solution to help prevent crocking or bleeding, and finished the process with a machine rinse and dry. This is the first time I've tried this method of sealing the fabric's dye.
- Denim colored thread (black for the bobbin)
- Navy invisible zipper
- Bias cut strips from my fabric scrap box (used to bind facing and hem edges)

Seams:
For the side front and side back seams, I sewed welt seams. I used them not only to add detail, but also to minimize bulk and to prevent the seam allowances from being ruffled about when laundered. The side seams are plain seams.

Hem:
I hemmed this skirt the same way I hemmed my other denim skirt, except that this hem is deeper (a telltale sign that this skirt is not ready-to-wear! Generally, on a RTW garment, the fuller the hem, the narrower it will be).


I also made a jean skirt for my sister, which is identical to my last denim skirt, except that it's ankle length (sorry - no pictures!). Having used this pattern seven times, it's needless to say that it's one of my favorites when it comes to sewing skirts!

Pink Shell Top

Here are a few pictures of a pink shell top that I recently made, using Simplicity 4368:

I needed a top to wear under the tailored jacket I made, so I decided to borrow the shell from this pattern :) These pictures were taken before the top was hemmed, but the finished garment doesn't look too much different. Here's a picture of the front. . .

. . . And a picture of the back.


I've also been making an apron using a vintage pattern that Simplicity reprinted (pattern number 5961; it has already gone out of print, however).

I'm making view A, which is the green apron on the upper left, and I really like the way this pattern is coming together so far! All I need to do now is sew on the shoulder straps, finish binding the top edge, and sew the hem (sorry, no pictures yet).


-Rebekah

Simplicity 9825 {pictures}

Here are some photos of a jean skirt I made using Simplicity 9825.

Front:


Back:


Zipper detail:


Yolk detail:


Inside detail:


Hem detail:


Details of the construction can be found here.