Burda Capri Pants and Simplicity 1716

The capri pants are from the 04/2013 issue of Burda Style Magazine. I still have to figure out my sizes in Burda patterns. I made these in a size 40. They are a bit wide, but very comfy. 

 

 

 

 The top I am wearing is Simplicity 1716 in view E without sleeves. The fabric is a structured knit I picked up last year at Denver Fabrics.



 



 

Here a back view. The top is a very easy quick project, and I love the draped front neckline. There is really not much more to say about this top.

 

So far I made three pairs of these capri pants. This is actually the third one. I had some leftover fabric from the border print I used in the last skirt of this post. My initial plan was to make it completely in the plain fabric, but there was just enough fabric left to squeeze in the legs. So I ended up using the border print (which is actually embroidery not print) as the waistband. And as it turns out I love it.

 

All seams are serged.

 

 

 

 

This is the back waistband

 

And the front waistband

 

 

Here a detail of my first ever used piping

 



 

This was the first pair I made. The fabric was leftover from a pair or Thurlow Trousers I made. (blog post to follow) Brown piping.

 

And another pair, again from leftover fabric of a pair or Thurlow Trousers. White piping.

 

I do love that they have a side zipper instead of the front fly. But I miss pockets. Besides that this is the perfect pair of pants for summer, since I am not a fan of shorts.



Simplicity 2614

First off I want to share my current favorite song with you. Jake Bugg performing his song "Broken".

Now to some sewing news. Simplicity 2614 is an out of print pattern, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Here are just a few tops I made from this pattern. As you can see, my favorite is version D. View B and C (without the tie) are definitely on my to-do list for fall. And whoever designed this pattern was a genius! I never had a facing, especially on a V-neck, fit that perfect, even with silky fabrics!

This version is a semi sheer polyester fabric with little black dots on it. Honestly I have no clue what kind of fabric this is. I don't bother writing down what kind of fabric I buy. Only when I buy it do I pay attention to the fiber content etc. This picture also shows the skirt made from some kind of knit fabric.

These two versions are made from Shot Cottons by Kaffe Fassett. Oh my god! That is some of the nicest fabric ever! The colors are astonishing, and sooooo soft with lots of drape. I just want to make everything out of Shot Cottons!

I bought this fabric at JoAnn's. It is for sure one of the nicer fabrics they carry. Such a soft hand and drape, and it feels amazing to wear.

But back to the pattern. First I had some fitting issues, nothing major though. According to my measurement I am a size 12, but a lot of times I have to go down a size because of the amount of ease in these patterns. With this one I traced a 10, and it would fit, but snug around the shoulder/back area. I can wear it, but it is slightly tight. So I traced a size 12 in the back/shoulders grading down to a 10 below the armholes. I used mainly soft draping fabrics, and due to the bias cut it sits perfect all around. In the past I had some issues with seemingly beautiful tops that turned out to look too boxy, even though made up in light fabrics. 

The heaviest fabrics I used are Cotton Couture by Michael Miller Fabrics. That is about the heaviest fabric I would recommend. Any other heavier fabric probably wouldn't drape enough and make the top look awful, especially in the back.

The top itself is sewn in an hour or two, depends on how fast one sews.

So far I made 10 tops, and I have some very nice chiffon waiting in my stash to be made up in one :)

Simplicity 1916

Here is another knit top I finished. Well, so far I only made a wearable muslin. Simplicity 1916.

I made view E, it's the cutest of all the options, in my opinion anyway. I don't car much about flowers or flounces hanging off my wardrobe. But view D and E are really cute. A and C are in consideration as well. 

I bought the fabric dirt cheap at a local store. It's quite sheer, but it works for lounging around the house. Another quick and easy top for the summer. More to follow for sure.

Here the back view. The only thing I want to change next time is omitting the seam at the center back. It seems quite unnecessary.

 

Simplicity 1716

Here is my first go on Simplicity 1716. I made view F without sleeves.

The fabric is some kind of structured knit. Another fabric from the big pile of fabric I bought last year at the sales section at Denver Fabrics in Denver (not the website). It's a really easy and quick pattern. And the hanging neckline makes for a fancy look. I am not sure, if I will ever be making the tunic or dress version though. Not quite sure if it is a style that fits me. But we will see. I will for sure make another top or two.

I have some jersey in my stash with a nice soft drape, which I will use for view F with the sleeves of view E. I also got a lot of use out of my serger the last couple of weeks with this and a couple of other projects, which I will share in another post.

A close up of the neckline.

And the back view.The stripes don't really match up, but I don't care. It was supposed to be only a wearable muslin anyway.

Simplicity 3673

A couple of weeks ago I made this dress. I still have to hem it, but don't know yet what length I like. It is a very nice pattern, and really easy to make. The only thing is it turned out to be just a tad too wide. I made the usual size 12, which normally fits me like a glove. I plan on wearing it in the winter with a white or black turtleneck.

 

I think wearing something underneath will fill out the room I have around the waistline. And one needs some room to breath and move, right?

The fabric is Queen of hearts velveteen by Anna Maria Horner

 

  

Only the bodice part of the dress is lined with Bemberg. If I should make this dress again I will line the skirt part too. 

Looking at this picture now I guess I also have to add a hook and eye above the zipper :)

This picture shows pretty good how much room the dress has around the waistline. We will see, maybe I will add another dart or two, if a sweater doesn't fill it out enough. But that will have to wait since I have to finish two skirts, a pair of pants, a jacket, a quilt, and a blouse.

Lisette Passport Jacket

This weekend I finished the Lisette Passport Jacket in grey corduroy. This project was on my list now for a while. I got around cutting out six projects two weeks ago. And finished five so far, this is one of it. I am very happy with the end result, even thou it drove me nuts a couple of times. The buttons could be placed better. I should have moved the lower three up a bit. Oh, well. I like it anyway. I bought the fabric at Joann's a couple of weeks ago.

 My serger got used quite a bit too with this jacket.

But the instructions drove me a little nuts. It wasn't mentioned to apply the fusible interfacing on the front and pretty sure I didn't. So I had to do that AFTER I already had sewn the front and side front together and had finished the seams. The result is crinkles in the fabric. The instructions to finish the seams of the pockets and the including seam was misleading. I had to finish that seam with a zigzag on my sewing machine. It should have been serged before putting it together. But as I said before, I am happy with the result regardless the couple of downturns in the construction.

Lisette Market Skirt and Blouse

I finally finished the Lisette Market Skirt.

This project was jinxed from the beginning. I only start to figure out how to use the serger, and I have to say this skirt isn't the best project to make if one doesn't really know how to finish seams with it. In the end it turned out to be very cute, and luckily people will see only the outside. I finished the blouse a while ago, but unfortunately the sleeves are too snug for my arms (too many muscles, haha). I will make the blouse again but a couple inches longer and with wider sleeves.

I really like the Lisette patterns. So far the ones I tried out were really easy to make with clear straightforward instructions. The designs are simple with enough cute details. I made the blouse without the row of buttons down the upper front and I like it better this way. It's so easy with these patterns to change little things like this, at least for beginners like myself. I am looking forward to the next Lisette project. But for now I am occupied with the Prairie Girl dress, and my first try with knits.

Lisette Continental Dress

Last Sunday I finished the Lisette Continental Dress.

It turned out pretty cute. I made it with the same fabric as on the pattern cover and I love it. The fabric is very light and soft, with a nice drape. Perfect for a casual summer dress.

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Right now I am on an involuntary break from garment sewing. My used serger came without the holders, nets, and caps for the big spools and I had to order it at Singer. It will take 2-3 weeks to arrive. I will go to JoAnn's on the weekend to get some small thread spools for now but until then I am staying busy with some little projects like a water bottle carrier. Check out this tutorial at Pink Chalk Studio.

Current Projects

Here is a picture from the projects I am working on right now. The Favorite Things Prairie Girl Dress to the left. In the middle the Modkid Kyoko Dress. I already cut out the pattern and one part of the fabric arrived today in the mail. Above that is the Amy Butler Liverpool Tunic with the fabric I chose for it. I still have to prepare the pattern on freezer paper. To the right is the Lisette Continental Dress and parts of the already cut fabric.

And this is what I got so far of the Lisette Continental Dress. I hope to finish it today and maybe wear it tonight when we go out for dinner at the Bistro to listen to our farrier Doug and my piano teacher Mariam play there.

New Blog

So, I decided instead of starting a whole new blog I would just rename this one. From now on I will blog about my sewing adventures. I'll blog about past finished projects in between my current ones. And I'll start with my Poppy Dress.

I used Simplicity 2884:

Main Fabric: Karen Tusinski Gallery Fiori Large Poppies in Teal
Contrast Fabric: Karen Tusinski Gallery Fiori Tonel Poppie in Red

This picture is without finished hem. I didn't get around taking a picture with the finished hem. I also had to take in the top because it turned out a little too wide. I plan to wear a red petticoat underneath.