The State of the SWAP

Dear readers, the deadline draws nearer! And it turns out, I have 5! patterns to sew in 2 weeks. Aargh. How do I manage to end up in this situation?

Anyway, I have a couple of aces in my pocket, if you will.(Small aces.) If I really run out of time, I have a couple of t-shirts and one button-down shirt that I made in the time period that I haven't included, so maybe, I'll just use one of those?

Sewing pattern review: BWOF 09-2010-122

Dear readers, if there's one dress I've sewn that I've reached for over and over again, it's my blue version of BWOF 09-2010-122. This dress is lovely, it makes me feel effortlessly stylish, and it works well with a cardigan and tights when it's cooler, and by itself when it's warm. I've worn it to work, I've worn it to parties, I've worn it cleaning... (ok, that last bit is a lie...) I don't think I can overstate how much I love this dress. 

And so, when I was thinking through simplifying my SWAP plans, I was pretty sure I'd be making another version of this dress. 

And here it is, and how I love this version as well! Do I look smug? I feel smug. 

Review stuff:

This time around, I didn't even bother looking at the instructions - I looked quickly at my last version, and got to it. The pattern is incredibly well-drafted, and the numbers on the corners that show you what seam to match up with is all you need to sew this dress. 

Sizing - I cut a size 19 on top, size 20 on the bottom. I shortened it too, I took about 3-4 inches off the original length - this version hits just below the knee.

Other things: 

- The 2.5 dot rating on this top is completely bogus, atleast if you leave off the sleeve flaps. Super easy. I made it in 2 hours, and I'm not fast. 

- As before, I left off the sleeve flaps. I can't see myself in sleeve flaps. 

- I interfaced the armsyce and then just folded it back and sewed down. For the neckline, I contemplated interfacing it, but then got lazy and didn't. I did scoop it slightly deeper than my first version though. 

Et voila! 

Unacceptable use of pattern tissue

Sweet little Biscuit,

The pattern sheets of my Vogue 8667 are not to be used as a bed.

Love,
Reethi

Sewing pattern review - Simplicity 2936

I bought Simplicity 2936 for it's resemblance to the Violet shirt by Colette Patterns, and a couple of weeks ago, I cut it out at the same time as my McCalls short-sleeve shirt. 

What a fun pattern! I used a really spring-like cotton for this, fabric that I'd bought sometime last year at Fabricland. I really loved how this turned out, and in fact, I wore it out the same day I finished it.

I've nothing useful to say about the instructions, I barely glanced at them. Here's things to note:

- I made a size 10 in the bust area, size 12 waist and hip.
- I was looking for a super-boxy top - this is actually a little bit fitted. Next go around, I think I'll add a bit of room to the hips to make it more floaty.
- The sleeves take up a lot of fabric! I shortened them somewhat, cause I was running out of fabric. In a perfect world, I think I'll add another inch or two to the sleeve length.
- The button placket is really wide. I should have interfaced it, I think - it sort of collapses a little, and I did tug at my top a lot as I wore it, since I was afraid of a combination of the wide neckline and gaping. It isn't bad - but it made me self-conscious, and it's easily fixed on the next go-around.

Up next is one of my favorite dress patterns. I've already cut it out and started to sew it - I've about an hour of work to finish it - tomorrow evening?

Or maybe I should just clean the patio instead - it's super dusty and gross. Bore.

Revamping the SWAP with another version of McCalls 6035

It's time to face the music, dear Readers. After some loss of sewing mo-jo in the last few weeks, with about a month to go for SWAP-end, I'm not going to be able to stick to my original plan. Instead, I'm going to have to simplify, substituting shirts for jackets, dresses for raincoats, etc.

Towards that end, here's another version of McCalls 6035. I've made this pattern three times before, so it was fairly easy sewing. I'm pretty happy with this version - I think it's the best version I've sewn yet. (For the SWAP, this will serve for the "button-down shirt with collar" category.