Soooo, this pattern *says* it has 3" of wearing ease at the waist. I call bullsh*t. It does not. I found out too late when I went to do my first fitting that there is no ease. I double and tripled checked my measurements after trying it on, hoping it was my mistake, nope. I … Continue reading Pattern Review: Simplicity 8257
The single welt pocket is a staple of business attire, commonly found on blazers, pants, and the occasional dress or skirt. Differing from a patch pocket, the single welt pocket is a pocket inside your garment, with a strip of fabric covering the pocket opening on the outside of the garment. While there are many … Continue reading Science of Sewing: Single Welt Pocket
Pattern Description:Close fitting lined dresses have princess seams and strap variations. A: Contrast overlay. C, D: Uneven hemline, wrong side of fabric will show. Includes separate pattern pieces for A/B, C, and D cups. Pattern Sizing:6-22 with A/B, C, D cup sizing Fabric Used:The pattern fabric is quilting cotton from Spoonflower (I'm recreating a design … Continue reading Pattern Review: McCalls 7718
I made a wrap skirt from a UFO dress from 2017 (pattern is lost and I didn't have some of the pieces anymore). Wanting to not be plain Jane about it, I decided to do a scalloped edge on the overlapping piece to add even more visual interest to an already punchy skirt. So if … Continue reading Science of Sewing: The Scallop Edge
Pattern Description:Misses' tops with sleeve variations & neck closure with ties or elastic loop & buttons. Pattern Sizing:Sz. 16-24 (I cut a straight 18 though with how much ease there is, I could easily have cut a 16 with no worries) Were the instructions easy to follow?The instructions were simple, though this is a fairly … Continue reading Pattern Review: Simplicity 9233
Pattern Description:Loose fitting top has back hook and eye closure and sleeve variations. Pattern Sizing:6-14 or 14-22; I cut an 18. Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?I made a number of alterations, but the bones of the shirt matched that of the picture. Were … Continue reading Pattern Review: Vogue 9285
Enlarging a sleeve is something I have to do all the time! I don't have the pencil arms patterns seem to think are normal, so I am constantly redoing the sleeves. I helps that I love a gathered sleeve head, that makes it even easier to alter. I'm working on a project that requires a … Continue reading Science of Sewing: Enlarging a Sleeve
When I originally bought this dress from Ann Taylor, I didn't inspect the fit as well as I should have. Totally my fault, I fell in love with the stripes and the shirtdress style combined, so I was blinded to the issues that were quite apparent that made the dress rather unflattering. While not too … Continue reading Altering an Unflattering Dress
Pattern Description:Misses' Vintage Dresses With Sleeve & Neckline Variation (1960's) Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?It definitely did. Though I did make some rather major cosmetic changes. The construction minus those cosmetic changes was rather close to the pattern. I did completely change out … Continue reading Pattern Review: Simplicity 9104
Let's talk about fabric choices, details, and why we pick the fabrics we do. I touched upon this briefly when I talked about making Arwen, but that was a project where I was working to achieve a close recreation of a particular look, while sourcing materials that didn't break the bank. This time around, let's … Continue reading Elevating Eilonwy