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!

Kwik Sew Peplum

I finished this the other day. It is Kwik Sew 4112 – a double peplum top. The pattern sizes for this run from XS to XL. I made this in medium. I combined View B which has the neck I want with View A, which is just a regular sleeveless top. I didn’t want to add the sleeve flange which is part of View B. I also added piping around the waist seam just to break up the pattern of the fabric a bit.

I always like the things with princess seams since it’s a more flattering fit for me. This is a pretty simple top to make. It took me longer to get the piping in the way I wanted than anything else, so next time, I’ll probably just leave that out.

Even though the fabric stores around here are getting in their Fall material now, I still have more summer sewing I want to get done! After all, it’s only the second full day of summer here in the mid-Atlantic region, so we have a lot of very hot, very humid weather to get through.

Happy sewing everyone!

Simplicity 1616 skirt

This summer is all about easy to sew, easy to wear clothes for me. I don’t want to fuss to have to wear something (or make something). So, the latest thing I’ve made is this skirt from Simplicity.

The pattern is for woven or stretch knit fabrics. I used a woven fabric. I made View D with some changes. I shortened the skirt by about 14″. I also eliminated the slit. It’s a full skirt, so a slit really wouldn’t be needed anyway.
In addition, I did “stitch-in-the-ditch” to secure the elastic. The pattern says that the elastic should “float” in the casing. I didn’t want that, so I did secure it.

I used a cotton that I bought at Hobby Lobby to make this. So, more easy, breezy sewing for summer to come!