Vogue 8997

I LOVE this dress! It’s feminine without being frilly or fussy. It’s also surprisingly easy to make. This is one of those patterns that I bought because I really liked the style, but then put off actually making. I thought it would be far more complicated than it was.

I used a linen blend fabric (washable) that I’ve had for a while and a solid purple lining. The only change I made to the pattern was to raise the neckline about 2″. After making the muslin, I decided that that would be a more comfortable neckline for me personally. Originally, the front and back neck are (I believe) about the same depth.

This is not only a great summer dress pattern, but has enough variations (including long sleeves) that it can be made all year.

Until next time… Happy sewing!

Easy Spring/Summer Shirtdress…McCall’s 6885

I made another dress for warm weather. This time I used M6885 which is a shirtdress with a front band/placket. This pattern is for woven material and has a variety of sleeve and style options. Frankly, I wanted to make a shirtdress and this one was much easier than some of my other patterns because it only has the four buttons in front, rather than several going down to the hem. With that being said, this is a pull-over style dress.

I made View C, which they say to use cording as your belt. I like it unbelted, but you can certainly use what you like for the belt.

I didn’t make any changes to this pattern. The material I used is a cotton shirting so it washes well and is lightweight (great for hot, humid summer days).

Now, on to the next project (once I figure out what that will be). Happy sewing…

Simplicity 1421 Blazer – Done!

I decided to enter the sew along started by “thatblackchic”. I didn’t find out about it until it was about to start and I didn’t have the pattern, so I was playing catch-up from the start. Actually, I was just behind from the start. I had the blouse to finish first (see my previous post). Anyway, I got it all together and got the blazer made in about 3 days. I think that is a record for me.

I had seen this pattern before and liked it. It’s basically a structured/tailored unlined blazer.

I like the tailored look for blazers anyway, and unlined is crucial here (it’s heading to about 90 degrees F today so it’s HOT!). I don’t want anything that’s going to add extra heat to me.

So to keep it cool, I chose a blue and white striped seersucker from G Street Fabrics. It washes great and is easy to work with. And because the stripes are thin and small, I didn’t even bother matching and there was no problem with that. I just made sure to keep the pattern pieces straight when cutting.

I used my tailor’s clapper to set the crease in the lapel. As you can see, I went with matching blue binding rather than white. I didn’t make any adjustments to the pattern and love the way it looks. I did not add shoulder pads, which is an option for this pattern.

It’s very comfortable and I recommend this pattern to anyone willing to give it a try!

Now, it’s time to clean up the sewing room because it’s a mess after two quick back-to-back projects!