Three-Generation Fail! Vintage McCall's 6350

September 29, 2017

This project has a long story, so strap in. When Jo over at Stuff Jo Has Made announced her intention to only sew from her stash for the month of September, I was gung-ho to do the same. Since I hadn't selected or bought fabrics for most of my "to sew" list projects, I started going through some of the stash boxes (over two dozen boxes of fabric alone) to see if anything spoke to me.



While we have since done a full clear-out and reorganization of the fabric stash, a couple of weeks ago there were still boxes that I had never opened. In one of those boxes, I found pre-cut pieces of flannel with the accompanying 1978 pattern. McCall's 6350.



Mom is pretty certain that this project was started by her mother sometime between 1978 and the very early 1980s, to be sewn for Mom's younger sister. Mom had originally sewn the pattern for herself. We found the scraps of that first version when we sorted through the stash. Nearly 40 year old scraps, but still big enough to be useful. So we have two generations involved so far in this; grandmother and mother/aunt. Since the pattern was in my size, and already cut (my least favorite task) it was clear that I had to pick up where they left off. Third generation! 

A couple of hurdles came up early on. First, while the body and sleeves were cut, the bib and collar pieces were still folded neatly in the envelope. Luckily, I still had plenty of white flannel left over from my recent pillow project. Second, when I fully unfolded the blue pieces, I discovered some large brown stains on the back. No clue what they are (coffee? rusted pins?) but a dark brown splotch on the lower rear is not attractive. Nevertheless, I continued on hoping the spot would wash out. 


On the whole, the pattern is fairly simple and came together easily. I did add some light interfacing to the button plackets and band collar, which is not called for in the pattern. This was my first time sewing tucks, so I added a new technique to my repertoire. But when I tried it on after sewing in the first sleeve, I realized that there was a bigger problem than the stains. I do not like this design. At all. The body and shoulders are very baggy. The sleeves are too wide. And I remembered I haven't worn a nightgown since about 1999. I put the other sleeve in anyways, sprayed some stain remover on the spots, and ran it through a hot wash cycle. The stains didn't come out. There was a little lightening, but not much. Proceed to a few hours in an Iron-Out solution, in case it was rust. Again some lightening which made the smaller spots much less noticeable, but the big spot was still there. Fail!

Ultimately this will likely go back in the stash unfinished again. If the fit of the top/sleeves was better, I would consider cutting it to tunic length above the spots for daytime wear. If I wore nightgowns I could just dye the whole thing a darker color. 

Dress

Autumnal dressing- Simplicity 1755

September 22, 2017



Welcome to Fall in the northern hemispheres! It's feeling more like summer around here, as we're back to 80 degree days. But the leaves are changing colors, so it's a perfect time to share one of my favorite autumn dresses. I think of it as an "autumn dress" both because of the color palette and the longer hemline and sleeves to ease into the cooler months. The design and fabric choice is also perfect to bridge the business casual/business professional dresscodes I often flip between at work. One of my bosses said that the plaid looked just like one of his favorite suits!

This dress was finished in the Spring of 2015. I wasn't sewing much at the time, so this is a mommy-made garment. Mom and I had a pretty sweet deal at that time. I picked out the fabrics and patterns, provided encouragement, and presented myself for fittings, and she did all the sewing and cutting and finishing. She wasn't too happy that I made her put an invisible zipper in this, but she did a great job!


The pattern is the now discontinued Leann Marshall for Simplicity 1755 . The purchase of the pattern was largely inspired by Dixie DIY. I totally copied (or instructed Mom to copy) her idea to cut the front on the fold. What a relief to avoid matching the plaid.

A few construction notes:
  • The bodice is lined, but not the skirt. I tend to wear a full length slip with this dress. 
  • We skipped the waistband/belt/bow bit. Aside from the waistband riding lower than I like to have my waistline, I thought a bow would be too twee for workwear. I always wear it with this thin leather belt. 
  • The plaid is a suiting fabric from Field's Fabrics. I can't remember the fiber content, but I think it has some wool in it. The eggplant for the sleeves and collar is a wool suiting from The French Seam. 
  • Those pockets hidden inside the pleats are fantastic. We enlarged them a little bit so I can easily fit my phone. 

Fitting notes: 
  • As usual, we cut a 10 in the bodice and a 12 at the hip. Pretty standard Big 4 sizing for me. 
  • We also raised the waistline (1/2 inch maybe) and took in the seam at the top of the sleeve to raise the entire bodice (About 1/4 inch). 
  • Mom would like to point out that the raglan sleeve was an unexpected challenge for fitting. We both have more experience with traditional set-in sleeves, so we had to do some research on how to adjust the fit of the raglan. 

Overall, I'm very happy with this dress. The fabric choice emphasizes the professional appearance of the collar and the silhouette is very classic, but the raglan sleeve and pockets jazz it up. The muted colors look much nicer, in my opinion, than the brights used on the pattern envelope. And a proper suiting fabric elevates this over some versions I've seen made with quilting cottons. We made up another version in a navy blue suiting that I'll get around to sharing someday.

Lillian Crossbody Bag

September 14, 2017




May I introduce, the "Lillian" handbag. That's what I'm calling her. I was very much inspired by the J. Crew Signet bag which was everywhere last summer. The boxy shape has been all over this summer as well, with many brands introducing a version of it. I drafted my own version with a removable strap, a front zippered pocket, and four slip pockets inside.

This is 100% self drafted. All done by hand on paper with only the aid of a calculator to ensure that the gussets fit precisely around the rounded corners. Thank goodness for pi. 


I made a first-draft in a lightweight denim with medium/heavy weight fusible apparel interfacing and 1/8 inch piping. I quickly realized that the bag needed much more structure and the corners were too round. The photo above shows it stuffed with scraps and supported from behind to keep it upright. The final version below stands on its own.



I redrafted the corners to be a little less round and looked into my interfacing options. While Joann's was having a good sale, I bought both Pellon fusible foam interfacing and 71F interfacing. I tested swatches of them on the denim. It turned out that where my swatches overlapped was my favorite mix of structure and softness. This was my first time using either product, and I'm totally hooked on the structure it provides. I've applied the foam first, and then the stiff interfacing on top. 

Fabric: The body of the bag is a heavy black denim from the stash. The piping and strap are covered in a black cotton twill from the remnants bin at Joann's. The lining is a red and white striped printed quilting cotton from the stash. The small piece that ended up in the stash seems to be neverending, as this is the fourth project I've made with it. 

Hardware: I struggled to find appropriate hardware, but ended up with these gunmetal colored metal zippers and Dritz D-Ring/clasp kits.  I needed one strap adjuster and used a black plastic one from the stash. 

Other bits: The piping is 3/16" cotton/poly clothesline. The base of the strap is black 1" cotton webbing. The lining is interfaced with a variety of fusible apparel interfacings. A firmer one for the pockets and lighter for the rest. After I completed the bag, I sprayed it all with two hearty coats of Scotchgard. If nothing else, the treatment seems to have reduced the amount of lint the bag picks up.   I went through no fewer than four denim needles, three of them in quick succession while stitching the side where the top gusset, zipper, bottom gusset, and strap all meet. Apart from hand-stitching the lining inside, I hand-basted the piping to the sides and hand-basted the sides to the gusset. It was a time-consuming project, but I think I've already spent more time using it than making it. 

Improvements: When I make this again, I expect I'll make a number of changes.
  • I need to re-draft the lining pieces. I cut this lining using the same dimensions as the outside, but due to the thickness of the foam the lining turned out very baggy. I crudely cut it down, but it would sit better if I were to account for the inner volume when cutting. 
  • I would prefer different strap fasteners. These clasps turn all the way around. Often when I grab the bag it will be upside down and my purse detritus is on the ground! It's a good way to clean out the candy wrappers, at least.
  • I would leave off the front pocket. It's bulky and I don't like how it distorts the shape. 
  • The top zipper really should be stitched to the interfacing. I fused the interfacing to the gusset after inserting the zipper as it was easier to sew. However, I think the bag would benefit from a bit more structure along the zipper as it turned out a bit floppy. 
  • I must get better at applying piping. I should have measured and marked the piping rather than just applying it freehand. I had to hand stitch the piping to secure it to the body because I couldn't manage to stitch it close enough with the machine. I probably need a special presser foot for larger piping to get a cleaner finish. 
I'm surprisingly excited to make another version of this bag. It's a great size for me as I can fit my wallet, keys, sunglasses case, snacks, lipshit, and phone inside. I'm thinking either a pastel or jewel-tone for the next version. Maybe with embroidery, applique, or patches to embellish the front instead of the pocket. Have you ever drafted your own handbag before? What did you learn?

Butterick

Butterick 6101- A Positive review

September 13, 2017



It has come to my attention that many people have shared negative reviews of the Butterick 6101 Katherine Tilton tunic pattern, or have been unsatisfied with the results. I would like throw my two cents into the conversation and suggest how you, too, can successfully sew up this awesome pattern. I made mine up last Fall, and it was in regular rotation throughout the Fall/Winter/Spring. I'll be pulling it back out before long.

Before I get into my tips, a brief review. Butterick describes the pattern as "Loose-fitting pullover tunics have collar, left side pocket detail, sleeve variations, hem band and top stitching." However, there are awesome pocket details on both sides, not just the left. I don't think any written description can do justice to the amazing designs of the Tilton sisters. They are the epitome of art-teacher chic.


This pattern is fantastic, as I will say many times throughout this post. The pockets come together like magic. It has an unusual shape you don't often find in stores. Butterick lists the sewing rating as "Average". I would call it Adventurous Intermediate. You must have a good grasp of the spatial reasoning that goes into sewing (seeing how flat pieces are seamed into 3D garments), attention to detail, and a level of comfort/confidence when sewing with knits. If I had to change one thing about this I would take a bit of width off the back shoulder, but I can't see it when I wear it so it doesn't bother me that much.



Now. Here's my advice if you are adventurous enough to try this. You must make good choices regarding size selection and fabric.

 Mistake #1: Bad fabric choices. The pattern calls for "lightweight woven and stable knit fabrics.FABRICS: Linen, Jerseys, Challis." If you try to use ponte knit or sweatshirt fleece, you're going to have a bad time. Just look at the photos on the cover; they all feature extremely drapey fabrics. That's what you want for this, a fabric which will drape closely to the body to balance the volume of the design. There are a lot of seams below the bust, and if you use a fabric with lots of body, and then layer it up through the seams, you're going to end up with stiff seams that don't lay nicely against the body.

I used a lightweight, almost sheer, poly/cotton burnout jersey. For a close-fitting top this fabric might be too lightweight, but the volume and drape of the tunic balance that out. The drape also conceals the pockets, the most interesting feature of this pattern.



Mistake #2: Size selection. This pattern gives you the option of using a knit or a woven. View B on the envelope appears to be a very lightweight linen blend. While I'd like to make something like that in the future, let's talk about sizing for knits since most people have chosen that option. You will likely want to cut a size that has very little ease. For reference, I typically cut Butterick patterns at around a 10, maybe sizing up to a 12 at the shoulder or hip depending on the style. For this garment, I made the XS, which is a 4-6 by Butterick's standards. It is still very roomy. The pattern has built in about 7" of ease at the bust and 10+ at the waist. I sized down and still have over 5" of ease at the waistline. When choosing your size, take a tee that fits you well and compare it to the flat pattern measurements at the shoulder and bust. I can imagine that unless you normally do a significant FBA, you could size down throughout the body, perhaps grading up at the shoulder if necessary. This is not a pattern that is easy to "take in" after you've basted it together, so take the time to consider the sizing before you cut. All of the pieces except the sleeves and neckband are unusually shaped, so you won't be able to easily adjust on the fly.

Also regarding size, think about your height! I think the pattern as drafted is a good tunic length for those 5'4" and taller, but it might be overwhelming on a shorter person. (Unless you have the bust to fill it out. I clearly do not). You will need to adjust for this before you cut, as the hem is shaped. If you need to take off (or add) length, you will have to do it around the waist area, above the pocket pieces. The pattern doesn't have lengthen/shorten guidelines so it will be a bit of extra work to take the length off evenly all the way around.

I hope to see many more versions of this tunic as we head into fall here in the Northern Hemisphere. Just remember to make fabric and size selections that are appropriate for the pattern and you'll improve your chances of success. If you have made this, please share it with me!



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