Minerva Fabrics Stretch Velvet Beauty

I used McCall’s 7186 to make this Minerva Fabrics stretch velvet beauty. Not to toot my own horn, but this dress is gorgeous! I attribute that not so much to my own skill, but to the fantastic fabric.

The Fabric

Minerva gifted me this fabric. I am a Minerva Brand Ambassador. This project featured a new exclusive fabric for them. It’s called a Crush Velvet Stretch Knit. It washes and dries beautifully (in the washer and dryer-cold water, low heat).

The Pattern

The drape of the dress is why I chose this. I made View D. There are gathers at the shoulder that create the drape in the front of the dress. This is the second time I’ve made it and this view. Although the pattern is OOP (out of print) it’s available on Etsy or Ebay.

This is a pattern designed for knit fabrics.

Alterations Made

Because I made this pattern some time ago, I needed a bit more room in this one. I am still able to wear the dress I previously made, but it was a little tight and I just want more breathing room. 1″ was added to the center back seam and 5/8″ added to the side seams.

Once I got the sizing the way I wanted, this was a very quick make. I love making things that look like I spent a lot of time on them. The reality is, the majority of the sewing was done on the serger, so this only took a few hours to make!

Helpful Hints

A walking foot is a terrific help in sewing stretch (or any) velvet. It will keep the layers of fabric feeding into the machine at the same rate so that your seams will line up properly.

Be sure to use a press cloth and/or an iron shoe. Velvet can easily “scorch” and you could end up leaving a mark on your garment.

Conclusion

This is a fantastic dress pattern that is perfect for a stunning fabric like this.

Brother walking foot

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Here’s my YouTube video I made about this dress and the sewing process:

A Button Up Shirt With Simplicity 1538

I decided that sewing a button up shirt with Simplicity 1538 would be my next project. And I also decided to use a piece of plaid fabric that I’ve had for several years.

I had purchased the fabric from Fabric dot com (no longer in business). It’s a very soft but weighty flannel.

The Pattern

Because I wanted something that would fit me well, I chose Simplicity 1538. This is a pattern I’ve used before. It’s a fairly straightforward shirt pattern. I did want to use this pattern rather than McCall’s 6613 that I have used recently.

I like the fit of this particular pattern because it is not a blousy. Because this pattern is designed for women, there are darts on the front which, of course, give it better shaping.

Simplicity 1538

Plaid Matching Gone Awry

So, I did attempt to match the plaid on the front in particular. When laying out the fabric and pattern, I started with the back. Since this is the largest single piece, I thought it would be easiest to start here. I had already traced the back patten piece so that I had two pieces that could be put on the fabric (fabric right side up). Then I moved on the the back yoke. I think I my main issue is that I intended to cut out the front placket on the bias. I completely forgot to do this, and therefore, it is as it is. Oh well. It will most certainly be worn by me.

Contrast

The contrasting fabric is something that I had leftover. I purchased this from Spoonflower. I have used this for holiday placemats. Luckily, that fabric has the same colors as the main fabric, so it works well together.

The Result

Sewing a button up shirt with Simplicity 1538 or another pattern is a fairly easy process. It’s easier, of course, if you aren’t using plaid or a pattern that you want to match up.

As far as the buttons are concerned, I used some flat silver buttons that I had in my button stash. They go very well with the gray of the shirt.

When applying buttons, I start with the button at the bust, that way I can more easily avoid gapping there. Then I measure the distance for the others so that they are spaced evenly (for the most part).

If you’d like to see my YouTube video about this process, you can watch this:

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Plaid Matching Using Butterick 4463

I decided to try plaid matching using Butterick 4463.

The Pattern

Butterick 4463 is an older pattern that’s out of print (OOP). It’s from 2005 but I think that these days, it would be called a shacket. I have made this multiple times before and it is one of my favorites. I believe it’s available on Ebay and Etsy.

The jacket is unlined. It features two inseam pockets, front and back yokes and collar. There are a couple of lengths and a belt pattern included.

My Jacket: Plaid Matching Using Butterick 4463

I used this fabric I was gifted from Minerva for this project. It is the perfect weight fabric for something like this. It’s medium to heavy weight suiting and is terrific for an unlined jacket.

Since this jacket doesn’t have a center back seam or gathers in the back, it was a bit easier to figure out how to match this plaid. I laid out the back piece first with the fabric folded and pinned so it wouldn’t shift or move around. Then I matched up the back yoke with fabric right-side up. After that, I used the notches in the pattern pieces to do the best I could to match up everything else. Luckily, that worked out.

It’s always nice when all the effort works out and things match the way you want. But I have also learned not to stress too much about it. Nothing is going to be perfect. I would proudly wear this jacket regardless.

Because I wanted the buttons to blend in, I made covered buttons using the dark part of the plaid fabric.

Doing the buttons this way also meant that I didn’t have to worry about matching the plaid on the covered buttons.

Conclusion

Overall, this is an easy pattern and fairly quick to put together. Of course, if you choose to use a plaid fabric, the layout and cutting phase will take a bit more time and patience.

As far as this Minerva polyester viscose suiting is concerned, it is fantastic to sew. As I stated, it is the perfect weight for an unlined Fall season jacket. Here is the post I wrote for Minerva featuring this project.