30 October 2015

Butterick 5786...Shirt all done

Butterick 5786 - View C
It's a good fit.  Buttons and buttonholes?  Not a problem. My challenge continues to be the finishing of collar and cuffs; this smooth cotton poplin was especially not forgiving when slip stitching the collar and cuffs over the seams, even though fabric has a slight stretch (I have had better luck with other fabrics, e.g., linen and knits).  Bottom line: all done.

Now on to the next shirt.  I want to keep making shirts until I can sew stand up collars with perfectly crisp and precise corners, with my eyes closed of course.  That's my goal.  

24 October 2015

Shirts

I have looked and looked at shirt patterns and finally selected ones that I like and think will sew up nicely.  I need shirts to wear with skinny jeans/jeggings.  I recently took stock of my fabric stash and noted...oh my!...that I have bunches of fabric suitable for shirts.  Often, I refer to my sewn garments (shirts/blouses/tops) as house blouses.  If it wrinkles too much, if the design has too many nips, tucks, flouces in odd places, one that does not wear well behind a seat belt, those kinds of things, I think of that garment as a house blouse, something to wear casually at home. I like linen, chambray, cotton, lightweight poplin, lightweight denim, easy care fabrics that breathe, all reflective of the fabrics in my stash.

BUTTERICK 5786 - View C
I like the drape of this shirt; it will go nicely over skinny jeans/jegging, in fact, I've made it before with a black handkerchief linen fabric, so I know it will turn out well.  Here it is, in the making, using a lightweight stretchy poplin.

16 October 2015

Tessuti Valerie Top


Tessuti Valerie Top
Tesstui, one of my new favorite pattern sites, this one based in Australia; simple yet stylish.  Pictured is their Valerie Top.  Because Temecula's climate runs warm even in late October, I'm still cranking out sleeveless cotton tops for casual wear.  The Valerie Top has gathers part way around the front and back sides; otherwise it's a straightforward simple slip-on tank.  This pattern came as a .pdf file which I had to piece together; yes, a little time consuming.  I have become accustomed to downloading patterns; instant access and cost effective.  I like!