Itch to Stitch Seychelles Top

 This is my first experience with Itch to Stitch and it won't be the last. They recently came out with a new dress pattern (with a new release discount) that I liked, but wasn't sure about purchasing because I have a big stack of Burda magazines where I could probably find something to recreate it with and ItS was an unknown. Then I remembered that I already had their Seychelles top to make up and evaluate.

Seychelles is somewhat like a woven T top, with an interesting shoulder detail. I'm always on the lookout for things like that because they balance out my figure. The armscyes of Seychelles are cut in somewhat, and the sleeve cap is pleated. Other than that, it has a straightforward darted bodice and faced V neck. The pattern has separate front pieces for each cup size.

Step 1 was figuring out what size to use. The instructions walk you through this, and they had me in a 10 with the C front. I'm normally a 14-16-or even 18 in top sizes and a size 10 seemed crazy to me. The instructions also say to make a muslin (always good advice) so you can be sure I did, expecting them to be proved wrong.

It seems that size 10 was correct!😲 There did need to be a couple of adjustments, but they were easy. I needed to lower the bust dart 1-3/8", widen the sleeve, and widen the hip. The sleeve and hip changes were accomplished just by blending out to one of the larger sizes. I should also mention that the top is meant to be fairly long and I shortened it quite a bit.

 The dart was relocated like this (note: this diagram is from a different pattern):

draw a line through the dart point, parallel to the grainline

Draw a box around the dart, cut it out, and slide it straight down the amount needed

true up your cutting lines (green) 

This is the way my pattern piece looked after the alteration. You can see that I also needed to add extra at the hip.

This method preserves the original angle of the dart. 

The top is really straightforward sewing. The only fiddly part is making the pleats on the sleeves, but look how cute they are. The instructions cover everything, with links to online help.

The fabric is from Miss Matatabi and is the weight of a lawn.

I'm delighted with the way this top fits and feels. So yes, I did go back and buy the dress pattern I wanted, on the last day of the sale!

New Look 6449 tank

This is a great wardrobe builder pattern if it fits you. It includes a knit shift dress (sleeves or sleeveless) and a woven shirt dress with optional tabs for rolling up the cuff. Both easy to shorten for a knit top and shirt. 

I didn't have any experience with New Look, but liked the look of the knit dress. It has good shoulder coverage and almost a wide shallow neckline. 

The pattern pieces for the front and the back are the same for both the sleeved and sleeveless versions. This wasn't a total surprise, since it seems like most? all? of the big 4 patterns now create their sleeveless versions by simply leaving the sleeves off. That's really an argument for searching out vintage versions of classics like a plain knit top. In my recollection (I've been sewing over 50 years) you would get different pattern pieces for sleeveless versions.

And that's why I used some leftover knit to make up a test garment and make alterations. There was enough gaping in the armhole that it would have been unwearable. Applying the sleeve band helped a little, but not enough.

Here's the alteration: 

Slash from the front notch to the vicinity of the bust point (I drew the red circles so I could avoid getting a flower on my apex) and from that point to the hem. The test garment showed that I needed to pinch out 3/4 inch at the armhole, and doing that opened up the hem line quite a bit. I did need a little extra at the hip, but not the total amount, so I made another slash from the underarm to the first slash and pivoted the hem in about half of the distance. 

The altered pattern. Hard to see the changes...

for clarity: the red lines show closing a wedge at the armhole and spreading at the hem. The second slash in green let me pivot the hemline back in to reduce some of the spread.

Here is the finished top on. I really do like the neckline. It's nice and wide, almost like a boat neck, but it doesn't show my bra straps. I also like the shoulder coverage. 

It takes only a yard of fabric, so I can indulge in all kinds of cute knits. This one is an Art Gallery cotton lycra. It is a very nice weight and feels good to wear. Some knits can be sewn with a regular foot and microtex needle, but for this I needed the walking foot and stretch needle.

I love having TNTs of basics, and this is a good one to have. Ready for spring!

BurdaPlus 1.2023 #402 Dress

Here is a loose shirtdress from Burda. There are two views of this same basic pattern included in the magazine. One, the dress version, has a collar and stand. The shorter tunic version, has a neck facing turned to the outside. Both have long sleeves with cuffs and placket, and a tab to keep them in place when rolled up. Darted bodice, gathered skirt.

This dress was made because I didn't have enough of the brussels washer fabric to make the pants that were planned. There very nearly wasn't enough to make the dress, either, but I think the elbow length sleeves that I had to compromise on are a better choice for my climate.

The big news with this dress is that I tried a new-to-me alteration and it worked! I had made this pattern up before using just the bodice pieces as a shirt for a wearable muslin. Unfortunately, the shirt rode to the back and needed frequent pulling on the front to keep it sitting where it should. In the past, I've tried to solve that problem with all kinds of variations of forward shoulder adjustments that were never fully successful. 

Doing some research, I came across some old topics on Pattern Review that dealt with the issue. Some of the members said that their solution was to add to the back neckline.My test shirt shoulder seams for this pattern sat in the correct place when I first put the shirt on, or after I gave it a good yank to get it back into position. This made me think that the neck alteration would be a good one to try.

So here's what I did: slash from the curve in the back neckline to the curve of the armscye, and spread at the neckline. I spread 3/8 inch. This change means that the neckline facing/collar stand also need to be adjusted to match.

Yes, it worked! This dress sits nicely on my shoulders and doesn't want to move at all. It's a good day when you learn something so useful!

Other changes - I badly miscalculated on the fabric (for about a third time, ugh) and only had enough left to cut one of the front button bands. However, in the stash I had some rayon denim that, although it was not an exact match, toned in very well with the main fabric. In fact, I think having just that little bit of contrast makes the dress more interesting than it would have been. I made the facing and the button bands out of the contrast fabric. 

If I had realized I was going to be using contrast fabric for the trim when I was doing the breast pockets, I would have made top bands on the pockets out of the contrast. They were already completed, though, and the additional cuteness wasn't enough to make me want to unpick and re-do them.

Burda's instructions actually have you sew the shoulder seams, then sew on the facing (wrong sides together) and then turn the facing to the right side of the garment. Doing it that way would allow the exposed shoulder seam allowance to poke out at the neckline. Instead, I sewed the shoulder seams right sides together (towards the neckline) until the point where the edge of the facing would fall, clipped the seam allowance at that point, and then flipped the seam around to sew the rest of the way wrong sides together. That way, the shoulder seam allowances are enclosed under the facing and the inside looks like this.

I neatened up the serger threads later...

I shortened the sleeves to elbow length and finished them off with a stitched down cuff. Buttons were from a grab bag from Califabrics.

The dress has a cute shirt tail hem.

That's it for this dress. I have a number of dresses now that have gathered skirts on them. They sure are easy to fit, but for now I will try to diversify a bit and find some shift dresses or different types of skirts.

Spring is almost here! Happy spring to everyone.

Style Arc Hope

This is a pattern that has been sewn by many, many people. It's another one of Style Arc's easy to fit and easy to wear dresses. I've made it before, too...in a larger size and worse, a very crisp cotton. I never wore it. That fabric is probably going to become a jacket lining soon.

I'm happy with this version. It's made from a stable tencel poly knit, medium light-weight. Much better for me in a fabric like this with drape.

Changes from the basic pattern: went one size down on the bodice and sleeve. Kept my original size for the skirt - it just means there are slightly more gathers. Lengthened the skirt 1 inch by just adding on to the bottom. Topstitched the seams where the sleeves and skirt attach to the bodice, to give them more support. Instead of a facing, I did a bound neckline and think it looks right with the topstitched seams. Lastly, I made a wider casing for the sleeve elastic and think that looks nicer.

Down at the bottom is a bad photo of me wearing it. You can see how much taller I am than my dress form. I quit trying to adjust her height because she always ends up collapsing back down.

There's not a lot to say because this is such an easy pattern to sew up. Those huge sleeves do make it a fabric hog, but single layer cutting helps with that. 

topstitching and binding

3/4 inch elastic in the sleeves

ta-da!

It's nice to have a dress with longer sleeves and this is my only one. Hope is a very popular pattern and I do like it, but there are others I like more. It's possible I might make it again, but there are no immediate plans.

Burda 01.2025 #116 jacket to bathrobe

Presenting my 2025 Resort Collection. 😄

First project of 2025 addresses my need for a swim suit coverup. I've started a water aerobics program and the walk from the locker room to the pool (and especially when wet from the pool to the locker room) is long and cold. This program was not part of a new year's resolution. I actually started right after Thanksgiving because I didn't want my efforts to meet the fate of most resolutions! A couple of months' experience at the gym let me know what I wanted in the way of equipment/accessories. Something absorbent and warm was top priority. This robe should take the place of the extra towel I've been packing.

Rather than search for terry cloth yardage, I found some oversized beach towels on sale at Land's End. 3 of them gave me plenty to work with as far as positioning and matching stripes, and kept fabric costs low. They shrank up a bit and thickened considerably after a pre-wash. It's really kind of like a french terry, with loops on one side and a smooth surface on the side with the stripes.

Here it is, fresh out of the dryer, and photographed without pressing because that's how it will always be seen. In fact, it will usually be fresh from the gym bag and will probably look a lot worse.

Style-wise, I wanted something just a little different from the usual kimono bathrobe. Something that would cover up my neck a little bit for added warmth. Something without a lot of seams to shed terry cloth lint. This unlined jacket from the current issue of Burda Style had a raised neckline and loose goes-over-anything kind of fit.  It had caught my attention because the original length, just below the waist, would make it a great little jacket to go with wide legged, high waist pants. 

Another attractive feature was the way the sleeves are narrow at the wrist. That's an easy alteration to make, but it was nice to see them that way in the line drawings and photos. The effect of a loose fit can be offset a bit by just tapering the sleeves.

One nice thing about tracing patterns id that it alerts you to drafting niceties. That shoulder line might appear straight , but when you put a ruler on it the slight concave and convex curves become apparent. There is shaping and draping built in there. Thank you, Burda. 

No changes other than adding at the bottom to make it knee length, and removing the slight taper at the hem - cut it straight up and down.

Construction was really simple since there are just three main pattern pieces. Burda gives the pattern two dots out of four for difficulty, but the only thing remotely challenging is the neckline dart.  Unless the fact that this style has traditional Burda instructions rather than the more complete, illustrated instructions that some styles have gets it an extra dot.

My only construction problems came because of the thickness of my fabric. The serger balked, so my seams were finished with zig zag overcasting on my regular machine. Actually, the stitches sink into the pile so that no one could tell the difference anyway.

In the magazine, they made this little jacket in a boucle-like fabric they say is a jacquard and also a very chunky knit. Both are cute. Simple lines like this are a good showcase for interesting fabrics. They also recommend sweatshirt knits and firm jerseys. All would be nice and cozy. I could see making this again with the intended short length when a really interesting knit comes along.

Reflections on 2024

 

given by a friend!

This was a year with more sewing going on than the previous two when I was recovering from surgeries and mostly wore my bathrobe. 

It was the year I rediscovered dresses, because when I finally started getting around more, they were easier to put on. Much to my surprise, I also enjoyed wearing them! One nice thing about getting older is the disappearance of a lot of insecurities (maybe not all…still human), especially regarding appearance.

Patterns

For years, my main pattern source had been Ottobre Woman. With Ottobre on hiatus, I resubscribed to BurdaStyle. I do enjoy Burda’s fit and drafting, but I am a basics kind of a girl and Burda is kind of anti-basics. To use their magazines, I usually have to scan through them to find a style that I can strip of their details to make what I have in mind. There’s fun in the search, though, and I affirmed that by renewing my subscription for the next year. In the latest issue, Burda says they will be celebrating their 75-year anniversary with retro patterns each month. They are also bringing plus sizes back into the magazine. Sounds good to me.

In 2024 I gave Love Notions a whirl, and had mixed results. A couple of their knit patterns worked well for me, but I don’t sew that many knit things. Their woven patterns consistently don’t meet at the front and are tight across the shoulders on me, the only patterns I’ve ever sewn that fit that way. Wait, I’m lying. Back when Sandra Betzina’s line for Vogue first came out with “today’s fit” sizing, I gave them a try and they fit that way, too. Love Notions has plenty of fans, so they are doing something right. They just aren’t for me. 

Style Arc, on the other hand, has given me a lot of pleasure this year. In the past, I had sworn them off more than once because of confusing terminology and directions, but their styles kept drawing me back. They make patterns for things that I want to wear. I love the current barrel leg trousers, and Style Arc has lots of them. I also enjoy their easy fitting dresses. I love that they print the seam lines on their patterns. They have frequent sales and that doesn’t hurt, either!

I scan other indies and the legacy pattern companies now and again, but haven't felt like they were offering much that I needed. I did buy a couple of Palmer/Pletsch jacket patterns (Butterick? McCall's?) and a top from Itch to Stitch, but haven't made them up yet.

This seems like a good time to insert a pattern scorecard for the things I made in 2024. Not all of them made blog appearances. 

• Burda - 4
• Love Notions - 3
• Ottobre - 2
• Simplicity - 1
• Style Arc - 9

This year I made TNT patterns for several basic pieces, wahoo! 

Jeans - style arc carlisle

Big shirt - knipmode

Semi- fitted shirt - burda

Camp-ish shirt - style arc marley

Cardigan - burda

Jean jacket - burda

Still needed: basic trousers, woven shell, knit tank and tee. Toss in a pull-on pant and basic dress and that should give me almost everything I need to make variation after variation. 

a smart buy from Miss Matatabi

Fabrics

Stash report…this year I had an unexpected little income stream that I earmarked for fabric purchases. Because the money was not coming out of our regular funds, it helped me ease up on obsessive bargain-hunting (the feeling that I could not have nice things because they are too expensive) and the crippling fear of shipping charges (which meant that I would buy stuff I wasn’t crazy about just to avoid paying for shipping). Neither of those attitudes make good economic sense because they lead to a closet full of fabric that is not quite right - bought because it was on sale or to avoid paying for shipping.  The funny thing is, once I gave myself permission to buy whatever I wanted, I became very picky and made much smarter purchases. Guess what - nice fabric inspires better workmanship. 

The moral of the story is: buy less, get the good stuff, and do good work.

The “Make 9” grid from the beginning of the year didn’t work out. It’s better to just follow the flow of my wants and needs than to set goals in advance. With the fresh new year arriving, the urge to make lists and plans is strong, but I'll resist.

Best wishes to all for 2025! 

Burda Plus basic shirt and buttons that lie

Do you wear a lot of shirts? I do. Knit tops often make me feel lumpy, while wovens just skim over everything. I've been wanting a new TNT pattern for a basic shirt since spring, and have just managed to get the first iteration of it completed before the end of the year.

It's funny how you can flip through years of Burda magazines and not find what you want if you're looking for a basic style. The pattern I finally settled on is from the Fall 2008 issue of Burda Plus. Stripped of its style details, it had the features I was looking for: 

Collar with stand

Bust darts

Yoke with shoulder shaping (not just a back piece whacked in two)

Slight shaping at the side seams

Relaxed, but not oversized, fit

This pattern was easy to adapt and only needed a couple of design changes to become a master pattern. The original had a concealed button placket that I modified to be a cut-on self-interfaced front band. I also replaced the band and flounces on the sleeves with a standard cuff and tower placket. Added a center back pleat. And I traced the front vertical darts but did not sew them for this version.

The smallest size for this pattern is a 46. Normally, for a Burda plus-sizes, I'd use a size 44, sizing down using the method described in this blog entry . But since I wanted an easy fit, size 46 was just fine, blending out to a 48 below the waist.

The fabric is a really nice midweight cotton flannel from Califabrics. I loved that it combined 3 neutrals with a dash of red. There were no issues with the drafting. There was minimal ease in the sleeve cap, eliminating the need for that double row of basting stitches to help with easing. For some reason, I really dislike having to run and pull out those basting stitches! Interfacing was fusible tricot from Emma One Sock which gave the right amount of body to the collar and cuffs. 

Fitting alterations: none besides the blending of sizes. Next time I make this I will try a small forward shoulder adjustment and shorten the sleeve a bit. 

After auditioning several buttons, the ones that looked most at home were these that proclaimed the shirt to be "Authentic Lee". That's not true, but I doubt anyone will be getting close enough to read my buttons.

Another little extra has added more fun to my sewing than anticipated. I finally ordered some sew-in labels because I wanted something to help me tell the back from the front in some garments. The ones I got are printed on wide cotton twill and are not at all scratchy. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy having my own brand on my clothes! They are getting sewn into everything now, even if it is easy to tell the back and front apart.

This will be a much-used pattern and I look forward to making lots of variations on the shirt theme. There are so many distinctive little things you can do to them.  Glad to finally have this in the pattern drawer, ready to go!

I’m a lumberjack and I’m ok