Here’s My Take On Butterick 5534

I’ve had Butterick 5534 for quite some time now. This pattern was released in 2010 (not sure if that classifies it as vintage), but I kept it because I really like this look. Well, I finally made a garment from the pattern. So here’s my take on Butterick 5534 with this vest I made. If you aren’t aware, vests are “in” nowadays. It seems that my trendy clothes are always classics.

Pattern

The pattern includes a vest with two variations for the collar, a skirt and pants. Vests are semi-fitted and lined, while the skirt is straight and above knee length. Pants are semi-fitted and straight legged. Again, these are pretty classically designed garments that are stylish for any time.

Fabric

I bought the fabric at JoAnn’s Fabrics (you can see it here). It’s a soft and washable fabric that would make a great suit. I consider this medium weight fabric.

Sewing Process

First of all, I haven’t made a tailored garment in quite some time. The last time I made a vest was more than a decade ago. And for whatever reason, constructing a lined vest is one of those things that seems to confuse me. I can make a lined blazer without these problems.

The part that I find confusing is in attaching the front facing to the lining. I’m actually not convinced I did it correctly, but I got it done. Because the fabric is weighty, there is some bulk in the seams. That’s something to keep in mind for the next time.

I’d like to make another vest just to get the process right!

Overall, I like the tailored look of this. It didn’t take too long to make, even with the problems I had. The pattern is out-of-print (OOP), but it’s available on Etsy and Ebay.

Have you made a vest or a tailored garment late? Let me know.

Making Palazzo Pants With Butterick and Minerva

As a Minerva Maker, there are numerous fabric to choose from basically on a monthly basis. So when I saw this gorgeous fabric in a viscose challis, I knew that was the one I wanted. I also knew what I wanted to make. Making palazzo pants with Butterick and Minerva was the perfect combination. The ease of sewing and the movement of the fabric is awesome.

This is a Minerva exclusive viscose challis fabric that is soft, has flow and is oh so comfortable to wear!

Butterick 3460

I made View E for my pants. This is an easy pattern that includes pants, shorts, and skirts in two lengths. Although the pattern is for outerwear, it can be used for pj pants or shorts (I haven’t done that). The fabric selections are offer some variety, but just think flow and movement. I would not recommend a fabric that doesn’t have any type of movement to it. So , mid- to light weight fabrics are best.

My Palazzo Pants

Because the pattern has so few pieces, it’s quick to put together. This viscose challis fabric is perfect for a garment like this. I did use a lot of pins in order to keep the layers from slipping when I was getting ready to sew.

I did serge the edges of the material to keep the fraying in check. If you don’t have a serger when working with fabric like this, then you would want to look into alternate ways of finishing your seams. For example, pinking the edges would work as well as doing French seams.

B3460 back-making palazzo pants with Butterick and Minerva

The only alteration done was to shorten the front crotch seam. Honestly, I could have shortened it more. But it is an easy wear style of pant. It can be used as loungewear or worn very casually. Here is the previous pair that I made.

This pattern, if you have it, or something similar is great for beginners. The pattern is for woven fabrics. This particular fabric is an exclusive viscose challis from Minerva Fabrics that was gifted to me by Minerva.

If you would like to check out my post that I wrote on the Minerva site, click here.

Be sure to sign up for email notifications as well so you don’t miss a post!

A Great Piece For Your Fall Wardrobe

I made the Style Arc Estelle Ponte jacket last week and I love it! It’s a great piece for your Fall wardrobe or your transitional wardrobe. I also like that that this ponte knit jacket has pockets, which you don’t always see in knit clothing.

The Pattern

Style Arc Estelle pattern and line drawing

As you can see, this pattern is rated “easy” to make. There are only four pattern pieces (front, back, pocket, sleeve) so it’s also a quick pattern to put together. The styling, like many Style Arc patterns, is modern yet classic all at the same time.

The Fabric

For my jacket, I used double-faced interlock in the color Auburn/Blue. It is one layer of fabric that has two “good” sides. I got this from https://www.angelawolfpatterns.com/. But I don’t believe there is any more available.

This is a medium weight fabric that has a bit of stretch, but not too much. It washes and dries great (always prewash you fabrics).

My Jacket

Because I only had 2 yards of this fabulous fabric, I really wanted to make sure that I would have enough. The yardage chart does show 2 yards for the size I made, but I usually like to have a bit more just in case. I shortened the jacket by about 1.25 inches. The sleeves I shortened by about 1 inch. Sleeve on patterns are often a bit too long for me. And, this pattern doesn’t have hems, so you will want to make sure that you don’t have to hem it if you don’t want to.

Style Arc Estelle-a great piece for your Fall wardrobe

I did use my serger to make the majority of this jacket. If you don’t have a serger, then use your regular machine with a zigzag stitch. That will work just fine!

Since I used blue thread in the serger, I used that to serge all the edges once the jacket was complete. So, from the back it shows contrasting thread. This is a great jacket for your Fall wardrobe because it can be very versatile. If your fabric is a solid color, then your jacket will simply be the same color on both sides.

Here is another project I made with a different ponte knit. It’s a stable knit fabric that is very comfortable to wear.

If you are a beginner to sewing with knit fabrics, be sure to sign up for my knit sewing checklist. I give some tips to make things easier.