Fall sewing McCall’s 6803 sweater & McCall’s 6474 nightgown

I finished these two items last week. 

First, the sweater (M6803). This is SO easy to make. and, for me, it’s the perfect style of sweater – V-neck cardigan with buttons and pockets. I made mine from a cotton knit. I’ve had the striped material for at least a year. The black band was from material I had saved from a previous project. 


This is a “unisex” pattern, so I made the medium. I love that this can be made from a regular cotton interlock knit (what I used), or it can be made from sweatshirt fleece or sweater knit! That gives you plenty of options to make it as thick and warm as you like, or you can keep it lighter and use it as a layering piece.


There as also welt pockets, in-seam pockets or the patch pockets that I used. This is definitely something that I can see myself making again!

Now the nightgown. I had enough fabric left over from the sweater that I made this short-sleeve nightgown too. It’s M6474. The pattern has a long or short sleeve or sleeveless gown or top. It also has a tunic top or shorter top with long pj pants or capri pants. 



This is also easy and quick to make. It took less than an hour to put together. 
So, that’s all for now. I’ve got to get more fall sewing done!

Pattern Review Sewing Bee – Round 1 Entry

So I decided to enter the PR sewing bee this year – YIKES! I think (hope) it might be fun and we’ll see how far I get. 

The first round required us to make a blouse using woven material, set-in sleeves, some type of closure, etc. So I made Vogue 8772. It’s a blouse with a tie neck/collar.


I made View B. I figured this would be perfect for Fall (and it’s very on-trend right now). I used a silky polyester fabric that is very soft and smooth.


This type of paisley print is one of my favorites. I used brown buttons with red buttonholes because I really like the contrast.


I also like the shirt-tail hem of the blouse. This is something I can see making again. Anyway, I’ll see how far I get in the competition. In any case, I have a great blouse that I never would have made this fast if not for the sewing bee!

Jalie #3461 Pull-on Jeans!

So, when I saw people raving about this pattern and these jeans, I knew I would have to give them a try. It’s been around 90 degrees here, so making jeans has not been a high priority for me. But now that I feel that Fall is coming, I wanted to get these done. And I am SO glad I did.

I have to say, these jeans are as great as everyone has said they are!


They are very comfortable and are just like jeans, but pull-on. 



I used a stretch twill for these. I used this pair as a wearable muslin since I didn’t know how they would fit. While the pictures look like they are really pulling in the front, they don’t feel that way. You must make sure to use a fabric with the correct amount of stretch as the pattern tells you. I used the measurements on the envelope to determine my size and that’s what I made. I needed less adjustments with these than with regular jeans patterns. The only thing I did was to slightly pull in the elastic in the back in order to eliminate any back gap I might have (as is the case with regular jeans).


While there are no actual front pockets, the back pockets are real. 

This is a pattern I can see making again. I’d like to find a patterned stretch twill or denim for the next pair.