Food and Fitness

Monday, May 20, 2013

A Little Sewing on the side

I recently agreed to do a little test sewing for a new indie pattern company which is so exciting to me.  I love seeing and being a part of someone realizing their dreams.  I am on a tight completion schedule though which meant that I didn't get to do much "recreational" sewing this weekend but I did complete another version of V8815 which I will take pics of when I wear it this week.  I'm hoping to knock out the "have to" sewing tomorrow so I can make at least one more piece to wear this week.  I also need to start planning dresses for me and the Princess for Father's Day or should I say narrowing down my choices because as usual, I have too many ideas.

Monday, May 13, 2013

M6744

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day.  I wanted to go out because not cooking is huge for me since I'm the only one who really cooks.  I didn't necessarily want to deal with long waits and huge crowds since the weather is pretty warm and we have little ones who expect to eat when we show up at the restaurant, not an hour later so we went out Saturday night instead. 





When I tried the dress on in the house the hems were flapping and that made me a little worried about wearing it out so I decided to add weights to the hem in order to keep it from flying open in the wind and to help it hang better.  Perfect solution.  I also used Mimi G.'s method of encasing the weight in interfacing before adding it to the hem which made it so much easier to handle and stitch.




Pattern Description: MISSES' DRESSES: Pullover dresses have bodice variations, elasticized (seamed) waist, and narrow hem. A and B: fitted bodice. C and D: mock wrap, very loose-fitting bodice with elasticized shoulders.

Pattern Sizing: Y(XSmall-Small-Medium), ZZ(Large-XLarge-XXLarge)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? YES!

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions are very easy to follow.  This would be a great pattern for a beginner

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? No dislikes.  In general, I like creating a casing for the elastic with the seam allowance technique that is being used now.

Fabric Used: A cotton lycra

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't have to make any of my usual pattern adjustments.  This pattern may run a little big as I think I could have comfortable gone down a size.  I did however add weights to the hem because the skirt features a hem to waist opening which is not stitched down so I didn't want to the wind blowing my dress open and risk being arrested for indecent exposure.

Would you sew it again? I could see myself making this view once more but there are other views on this pattern that I can see myself making over and over again.

Would you recommend it to others? I would definitely recommend this to others.

Conclusion: This dress has great details including the faux wrap elements to the top and skirt and the elastic at the shoulders.

M6684



I saw the cutest little baby dress made with this fabric either right before or right after I had the Princess.  I have of course bee obsessed with finding this fabric ever since.  I finally found it at JoAnn Fabrics and I believe it is a JoAnn exclusive.  It's super busy but the colors are great and I think they look fantastic on her. 





She loved her dress and was actually into the "photo shoot" but would not hold still for the flash.  I immediately began looking for fabric for other versions. 

Pattern Description: TODDLER'S TOP, DRESSES, ROMPER, PANTIES AND PANTS: Pullover top, dresses and pull-on romper have elasticized neckline and waist. A,B,C: narrow hem. Panties and pants have elastic waist. D,E: elasticized (bands D) legs. C,D,E: purchased bias tape finishes armholes and leg openings E. F: hem bands and purchased trim. B,C,F: yokes.

Pattern Sizing: Combinations: CAA(1/2-1-2-3-4)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Definitely

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Nothing to dislike this went together nicely

Fabric Used: Quilting cotton from JoAnn fabrics

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: The only minor change I made was to do a rolled edge hem on the ruffles in a contrasting color thread instead of just turning them under as suggested.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will definitely make a couple of more of these for her to round out her summer wardrobe. I will also probably make some of the other views.

Conclusion: This was super fast to make and even with all the extra finishing that I did (serged seams, rolled hem, etc.) this dress was completed within two hours.  You get a lot of bang for your buck with this pattern, not just with the dress I made but because there are two dresses, pants a top and a romper, you could really sew a complete wardrobe using this one pattern.