One pj set, two patterns

I love making my own pajamas and have made several over the years. For this set I used Burda Style 6742, but then also ended up using McCall’s 4320. 


Above is the BurdaStyle set as it’s supposed to be. Looks good even after taking the top out of the trash…


I really like the Burda pattern and all went well until I got to the part attaching the collar to the top. I’m still not sure what went wrong, but I just did not understand the instructions. If you’ve never made a Burda pattern, they are known for their minimal instructions. So, I think I attached the back/neck band wrong initially, and that’s what threw everything off. Anyway, I actually threw out the top at least 3 times. THREE times literally in the trash because I was so frustrated. That’s where the McCall’s pattern comes in.

I made the top in the second pic because I had already made the shorts and wanted a top to go with them. Whew!

I was determined to not let this pattern defeat me so I figured it out. It’s still not technically correct, but it works. 
 
I do want to figure out how to make this top the right way. The shorts – no problem. The solid yellow is gauze and the rest is just a cotton quilting fabric.


The shorts have a mock fly with buttons and pockets. Contrasting fabric can be used for the waist and leg bands.

That’s all for now. Hopefully my next project won’t be so maddening!

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…

Hot Patterns Montpellier Dress – Really is Fast and Fabulous!

This is one of those patterns that I knew I wanted the minute I saw it.

 
It’s just one of those easy, breezy simple to wear in the summer dresses. So I made this from a linen-like fabric in navy blue. 
 

 
There were a few alterations I made in order to get to this point. I did make a muslin of the dress and basically worked in stages so that I could see the effects of each change I made.
 
First, I shortened it by 3″. I knew it would need to be shortened just from the picture on the envelope. The muslin cut my leg off at a weird (unflattering) spot, so 3″ off to start. 
 
Then it was VERY full so I needed to reduce the fullness, but keep the shape of the dress. So, I marked the waist on the muslin, then added a dart in the front (you really can’t tell with the dark, solid fabric) that extends from the waist to the hem.




I reshaped the curve a little about 1/2″ to reduce it in the back. Since the back has a seam anyway, that was easy to sew the “new” seam. The front I actually did cut on the fold and added the dart as mentioned above. 
 
The only thing I had actual trouble with was the in-seam pocket. I really wasn’t getting the instructions, so I did it the way I knew how. I cut off the facing and reshaped the pocket to get it done.
 
While all of this sounds like a lot, it took a few hours to work out the adjustments. Actual construction was pretty fast (about 4 hours). This dress is perfect for a linen blend or some other breezy type of fabric. It’ll be great for summer weather.
 

That’s all for now. On to the next project…