See & Sew Success (B6368)

This is one of those patterns I’ve seen around social media that I thought I’d try. It’s B6368 See & Sew very easy pattern for a cardigan, top (tunic) and pants. And by the way, this pattern is for knits.

First I made the cardigan. I love this one! It fits well and is very easy and quick to put together. I didn’t make any changes to the pattern for this.

B6368

This is very comfortable and can be worn as a casual or dressy cardigan.

The top, which they refer to as a tunic was a different story. On the pattern envelop the top looks like it should be long enough to belt. That was not my experience with this.

It’s a nice top, but not what I would consider a tunic. It fits well and I used the same fabric I used for the cardigan for the sleeves. I did find that the sleeves were short on this top. Even taking it out of the envelope, they looked short. So, I added a cuff to make this wrist-length.

Overall, I’m happy with the results of both pieces. I used fabric I bought at JoAnn’s for the cardigan. It’s a stretch velvet-type material (found in the knit section). I would say that if you are under 5’5″ tall, you might want to shorten the cardigan unless you want it long. It’s funny that the cardigan looks shorter on the pattern envelope, while the tunic looks longer, but whatever…

Depending on fabric choice, you can get a great looking outfit with a pattern that only costs about $2.95. I often don’t bother to even look at these. Not because there’s anything wrong with them, but they really aren’t on my mind. So, don’t ignore the cheaper, easy patterns because you could be missing out on something really great.

Classically Styled Knit Dress

Most of what I make tends to be fairly classic in style. I like to make things that I like, that I’ll wear, and that suit my needs. In other words, I spend my time making those things that I will really enjoy wearing and whose style can transcend trends. McCall’s 7186 is one of those patterns.

M7186

I used this green ponte knit that I had in my stash which is a great weight for this type of dress. It’s not too thin but is more of a medium-weight knit fabric so it’s easy to sew. That also means that it’s going to hang well on the body.

This is one of the few garments I’ve made that I didn’t make any alterations to (I made View D). In the future, I certainly could make the sway back adjustment (which I’ve never done before – need to learn how to do that). I think that would eliminate some of the excess fabric in the back at the waist. But overall, I’m still very happy with the results. And because it’s knit, it’s very comfortable to wear.

I’m always challenged by certain pattern styles. I’m not challenged by whether I think it would look good or not, but I’m often challenged by whether the neckline is going to be too low or make me uncomfortable in some way. I don’t know if any of you go through this, but I am constantly wondering if I’ll be able to move freely without exposing anything that shouldn’t be exposed – LOL! Well, this particular dress is not a problem for me in regard to movement. It’s very comfortable to wear. I also like the fact that I can put this on and go about my business without thinking about what I’m wearing. There’s no pulling, tugging or readjusting needed. That’s what I’m looking for in my me-made wardrobe.

A Tale of Two T-Shirts

Many sewists use the McCall’s 6886 dress pattern as a sloper/base for making different styles of the dress that’s featured.

I decided to take this pattern and use it to make a T-shirt. I saw this done years ago, and figured I would give it a try. I have been trying to do more things like this (pattern hacking) in order to stop buying so many patterns, especially since I’ve noticed that there seems to be very little difference in some styles. Besides, you can make your own unique garment by putting together only those elements that you want. I’ve also noticed that this process gives me a better understanding of patterns, my own body, what looks best on me, and how garments are made.

This red top was made using View A which is the round/crew neck version.

M6886

This Halloween top was made using View D neckline which is more of a scoop-neck. The only thing I changed for these tops, besides shortening from dress lengths, was to attach a separate neckband rather than just hemming the neck. In order to do this, I decided on the width I wanted for the finished neckband, added a seam allowance (1/4″), then measured the length of the opening. I made the neckband about 2″ shorter so that it would pull a bit and not be loose. I probably could have made it a bit shorter, but these seem to have worked out well.

Each garment I make, especially those that I’ve changed in some way, teaches me something. I improve my skills. I become more patient (LOL). I continually think about what I can do differently next time to either improve the fit or change the look completely. I learn to take a few more chances with my sewing which makes everything better and gives me a more unique garment. I encourage you all to take some chances with your sewing as well. It doesn’t have to be something drastic unless you want it to be!