Tammy Goes to Austin



I spent the day in Austin with DD#1 and DD#2. Come mid-morning, it was time for caffeine. Here I am at the coffee shop wearing my new outfit.

The pattern for the top is Stretch & Sew 1582 and it dates from 1978. I sewed View C using the View B short sleeve (or View B with the drawstring from View C-take your pick). The fabric came from either JoAnn’s or Hancock’s and was far enough in the past that I don’t remember which. Although polyester, it lacks the typical ick factor and is comfortable. Oh, and the center fronts do match up, just not in the photo...

The pants are Burda Style 02-2011-123A, downloaded from the BurdaStyle website. I cropped the leg and added the front jeans pocket from Simplicity 7581. The black cotton fabric likely came from Fabric Mart and I used scraps from the top for pocket lining. I didn't put any pockets, welts or otherwise, on the back; nor did I include the belt loops.



Burda Style 02-2011-123A

The top went together very quickly. The pants took longer as I had to incorporate the Simplicity pocket pieces into the pattern.

I’ve been having an easier time sewing pants lately. The only thing I am doing differently is cutting them two sizes smaller. I'm finally ignoring the measurements/sizing charts and going with what actually fits.

By the way, DD#1’s bird skirt has been finished and that rivet press is amazing! To keep her skirt different from her sister's, I used two colors of topstitching thread - red and gold. I also changed the shape of the back yoke and used a different front pocket – Simplicity 7581. Yeah, I like that pocket.

DD#1's life is on fast forward for the next few weeks, yet I’m hoping she will be able to model her new skirt for us. However, if she can’t, here is what it looks like:

 

I am officially done with the Ottobre bird. Have a wonderful week!

Stretch & Sew 1568 - Oxford Blouse

As you know from prior posts, I had ordered some clearance denim from Fabric.com but didn’t end up with it. Yeah, I still bummed but it wasn’t a total loss as I had also ordered a few other fabrics to meet the free shipping minimum.

This white polyester was one of those other fabrics. It is nasty! I figured it would be, but at $1.95/yd. I also knew that the intimidation factor would disappear when trying out view C of this Stretch & Sew pattern from 1982.

Before I started, I compared my Bernina My Label shirt pattern to it.  Other than lengthening the body and shortening the sleeves, the patterns were similar in size.  However, there are no bust or waistline darts on the Stretch & Sew pattern; also, the collar stand and collar are shorter. I like the smaller collar though the narrow stand was more difficult to sew at the center fronts.  The box pleat at the back yoke and the traditional sleeve plackets are classic shirt details that the My Label shirt lacks. I followed the instructions for the plackets and they turned out fine considering I hadn’t sewn this type of placket before and the polyester would not press into crisp points.

The sleeve cuffs, like the collar, are not as wide as the ones on my Eddie Bauer or My Label shirts.  I can live with that.  And, if I decide I can’t, it would be easy to merge the two patterns.

For buttons, I pulled some from the stash.  I chose these as the white buttons I have were too big or else had a yellow or gray cast to them.  These, at least, were the right size.

Other than the icky fabric, the styling of this shirt rivals the ones in my closet.  However, I’m thinking I need to figure this buttonhole thing out.  Since this shirt was an experiment, I decided it was an excellent opportunity to make friends (finally) with the Bernina 930 buttonholes.  I very carefully marked the shirt, using a fine point Mark-B-Gone pen, and sewed the buttonholes. Yes, they were quite easy to create but after taking a ruler to them, I find I have a variety of sizes…..

I’m sorry, but we’re still not friends and I’m confident that it is all my fault.  I haven’t given up, though I must admit that I’ve paid a visit to eBay and purchased a vintage Singer Professional Buttonholer for my Singer 403A.  What can I say?

Stretch & Sew 2046 – Or, What To Do With Leftovers Of Leftovers

I am taking a brief (heh, heh, brief - get it?) break from the Sommermode t-shirt and decided that a small project utilizing the scraps of the muslin (which came from the scraps of the Butterick Clash top) would make sense.

In flipping through my patterns, I found Stretch & Sew 2046. I’ve had this pattern since the early 80’s and just never got around to trying it.

There was barely enough fabric for the pattern pieces. Based upon my measurements, I cut a size 10 (37” waist, 46” hip) of the hipster (the style on the left) and sewed the pieces together, using 1” knit elastic for the waist and ¼” knit elastic for the legs. I chose knit elastic instead of lingerie elastic simply because it was already here. Ignoring the elastic lengths given on the pattern, I determined what I wanted them to be by placing the elastic around the appropriate places and added for seam allowances.

The result wasn’t bad for a first attempt, but not wearable and certainly not photo worthy. I had created granny panties! The fabric isn’t that stretchy, so it wasn’t due to a fabric and pattern mismatch.

Next, I cut a size 9 (34 ½” waist, 44” hip) out of some similar leftover fabric and tried again. This time it worked, but still not wearable. The elastic is too loose on the back leg. I think while attaching the elastic to the back, some additional elastic stretching has to occur. Dividing the fabric and elastic into quarters and then matching them up does not put enough stretch into the back leg. The ratio is off.

Another issue is the cut of the front leg. The pattern for the next pair will be updated with a higher front leg thanks to a French curve and a Sharpie.

The pattern instructions are written well, but you could skip them as the illustrations clearly show the construction steps.

Now, just because they came from fabric that normally would be discarded, these hipsters are not free. The elastic has to come from somewhere. However, after a few more attempts, I might actually end up with something that fits better than what I currently wear. And that, dear friends, is very appealing.