Big Thoughts

Did anyone else notice something new when the fall McCall patterns came out? If you don't wear plus sizes, maybe not. I do, but it still took me a second to notice it.



Khaliah Ali is now designing for McCall instead of Simplicity. I'm not sure how I feel about this. When I first looked at the new patterns (before realizing this was kind of a big deal) I thought, "This is just more of the same."  Then, I took a closer look at the third one.

Here it is in all its glory:

                            

If you looked at this and thought that you needed to make that immediately, please let me know. Apparently, I am further from the pulse of fashion than I thought and I need counsel. Is this the modern muumuu?  Big girls, don't give in! We gotta fight this.

The state of plus-size fashion makes me a bit sad. Fit -- acknowledgement that there are different body shapes withing plus -- still isn't completely there. When I go into stores like Lane Bryant and Ashley Stewart, I see fashion, but the clothes are cheap. To be fair, I find that in regular sizes too. When did linings go away? I love the Encore section at Nordstrom, but it has its drawbacks too. I'm thankful for the better quality, including less polyester. The trade off is that it isn't as fashion-forward. Lined dresses and skirts are still few and far between. Lined pants are nonexistent.

All the more reason for me to start taking sewing more seriously. Speaking of which, I made a second muslin of the Vogue 8787 bodice after my shoulder alterations. I still need to lower the back neckline. That's on today's to-do list. I think the upper back is a bit tight too.

Peace and blessings.

Pattern Envy

It's been a sec since I waxed poetic about patterns, partly because I'm really trying to limit my pattern purchases. I'm out of storage space -- at least until I sew through an entire bin of fabric! However, there are some recent releases that have me excited.

Starting with Simplicity.  I love maxi dresses. The back of this one is so sexy.



Butterick best bets
5872 -- lined!




5886



5894 -- at last!! Although, I;m confused about why this wasn't issued as a McCall Plenty by Tracey Reece pattern.


Moving on to McCall
6760 -- Damn!



6473 -- hello summer!



6741

6751



6750 -- with all these darts, fitting should be easier!


Vibing with Vogue!!!

8902 -- Custom Fit!


8895 -- Custom Fit!


8906


8893


8907

This is How You Do It!

This email popped up in my inbox earlier this week.

Get the Perfect Fit - Fashion For Every Size at Simplicity

It made me very happy, but it also reminded me of a source of great frustration. This is not a rant about the lack of plus size patterns. Since Carolyn put the industry on blast so eloquently, I feel no need to elaborate. (Insert plug here for Barbara Deckert's Plus Size Pattern Fitting & Design on Craftsy.)

This is a rant about website design and functionality. Simplicity.com makes it so easy to find patterns for me. The links for plus-size and patterns with multiple cup sizes are wonderful. I remember when McCall's started adding the bra icon to its patterns to denote multiple cup sizes.  How about a clickable link to all such patterns across Vogue, Butterick and McCall's?!

This is not rocket science, but marketing common sense. The powers that be figured out there was a market for patterns with multiple cup sizes, but make them hard to find. Vogue's patterns with multiple cup sizes (Custom Fit) are always in the Very Easy Vogue line. There isn't even a link to Very Easy Vogue when you first see site's main left-hand navigation, but it is a separate section in the printed catalog. On the site, you have to first select a category like dresses to get to to them. Then you have to look at each one of the patterns to figure out which are Custom Fit. Geez. Make it easier for me. What if I wanted to see all of the Custom Fit tops and dresses at once?

I'll end my rant by pleading for more patterns with multiple cup sizes. I heart Silhouette because the work is done for me. Palmer/Pletsch has great merit in teaching fit, but I honestly prefer being able to choose the correct cup size. Shout-out to In-House Patterns because they start with a D-cup and give you instructions to add or subtract as you see fit.

Hot Dresses

I have been anxiously awaiting a sale so I can purchase these McCall's dresses!  Aren't they awesome?

How cute is 6553 from the new Fashion Star line? It happens to be the $2.99 Item of the Day on the McCall's site, in case you can't wait. Beware of the $4 S&H.


Honorable mention to 6552! It feels a little like KS3856, which is a knit, and S2031. This pattern is for knits and wovens!



6555 makes me swoon! The color blocking is wonderful. Talk about drama!



Next up is 6558. Hoping I'll be blessed with the ingenuity (skill and the spirit of completion) to turn it into something like this.



Last, but not least is 6557. Simply breezy.

New Simplicity & McCall's Patterns

McCall's and Simplicity have released their early fall patterns. I'll start with the positive. I found three I really like from Simplicity.

This skirt reminds me of Christine Jonson's Travel Trio Three skirt.



I love views A & B of this jacket!

I like the top and cardigan. The I haven't seen many cardigan patterns with a waist seam.


On to McCall's. I didn't find a single pattern I will buy for the stash. I once praised McCall for edgy knit tops; they went too far for my taste this time. I thought twice about this jacket, 6407, but I have no idea how to do an FBA for it.

New McCall's

Look at what I spied today! See them all here.


I've really been impressed by the knit tops in the last few collections. That's so not the case with this one, but this dress makes up for that. Lovin' this version of the infinity dress, M6353!



M6350 is so sweet. It comes with multiple cup sizes.


M6357 is perfect for hot days.

New McCall's

New McCall's Early Summer patterns. What a pleasant surprise. I found some "maybes" in the collection; nothing has me checking for next pattern sale.

Jersey Girl

I'm still tweaking M6078. This is moving slower than expected. The culprit is the Vera Wang jersey I'm using for the muslin (best Fabric Mart Deal ever. I wish I'd bought more for muslin.) This is my first time working with a slippery, thin fabric. It's all over the place, even with my machine's integrated walking foot. It shifts even when I pin every 1/4 inch.

So, I have questions for you who know what you're doing :-)

• How do I keep the fabric from moving so much?

Look at the pleats:

• What stitch do I use for sewing the pleats? I'm using a tiny zig zag. Should I be using a straight stitch? If so, do I need to stretch the fabric as I sew?
• Is my tension too high?
• Should I switch to a fine or silk thread?

Also, my 2nd-favorite Chicagoland Hancock store is closing. All patterns, except Kwik Sew, were $.99! I didn't do too badly LOL. I stuck to my resolution and didn't buy any fabric. Although, if the matte jersey or ponteroma gets any cheaper, y'all will need to pray for my strength.

New Simplicity & McCall's Patterns

It's time to start sewing for spring. Ha! I'm still working on a fall project. Anyhoo. I picked up one of the new Simplicity patterns a couple of weeks ago. Upon closer review, I need more! Here are my picks:

I have absolutely nowhere to wear the formal, but I want the pattern for future reference. The bodice is gorgeous. Now, what really got me excited was the new McCall patterns, M6287 View A to be exact. Love it!

Out With The Old & In With The New - Resolutions & McCall 6078

Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to great things this year. Let's start the year off right with a review, M6078. I thought it would be cute for Watch Night service. According to Pattern Review, this is one of the easiest tops in the world! Construction was easy, but fit is a challenge. It runs very large in the shoulders, but I need all the room I can get in my hips ;-)

I love the pattern and I'm going to work on it more today to tweak the fit. Funny how I started with four yards of fabric and it's still a work in progress. The fabric is a sparkle (maybe eyelash) sweater knit I scooped up at Hancock years ago. I originally purchased it for V7264. I'd kinda decided I didn't really like the fabric. In hindsight, I'd fallen out of love with the pattern. The fabric is beautiful and I want more.

Back to the pattern at hand. I started with a medium in the shoulders, but it was way too big. I scrapped that one and cut a small. The small is still giving me fits. I thought that because I traced every size from the armhole down, I would be able to just taper to the XL for the hips. I still don't fully understand why, but that doesn't work. When I cross the back pieces using the CB line for a small, I need more width on the side of the pieces that didn't have the multi sizing. I'm not above admitting 100% user error.

In the meantime, I'm going back to the medium I cut and adjust the shoulders. I'm also going to add bra strap holders via this tutorial. Does anyone know if you can buy these as sew-in kits? I searched online and I found disposable ones and gadgets that were not supposed to be sewn in. The one I have now will be great after I lose some weight! No worries. I was happy to have something remotely wearable! The new one will be even better, but not perfect. I plan to make one or two in a plain rayon knit and those will be just right right :-)

Pattern Description: Top A has front and back stitched pleats, front drape, lapped back and extended shoulder seams 


Pattern Sizing: XS-XL 


Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Exactly! 


Were the instructions easy to follow? Easy enough for even me.


What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love the style of View A; it's figure flattering for me. It can be dressed up or down in both fabric and accessories. I've seen versions for a night on the town and some perfect for Saturday afternoon errands. I'd like to see how it would look under a jacket. It sews up quickly too. My dislike is the sizing. This would have been perfect except for the sizing. The shoulders are huge!


Fabric Used: Black sweater eyelash knit 


Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I'm determined to keep tweaking the fit, so I'll start with XS at the shoulders and taper to XL at the hips. I also want to insert bra strap holders. 


Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Because it's such a cute top, I'll have several of these before it's all over! It's a definite recommend.


Conclusion: 'Tis fabulous!

Since it is Jan 1, let me tell you about my sewing resolutions!

• Strengthen my sewing skills. I have too much fabric and too few clothes!
• Take a fitting class/workshop
• Complete 12 projects
• Become a more disciplined sewist
• Tissue fit
• Make muslins
• No UFOs!
• Be more organized (neater) as I sew
• Stop sewing over pins (I think I've learned my lesson)
• Be more patient
• And the biggie: STOP HOARDING FABRIC
• I will only buy fabric for what I'm currently making; not for what I'm planning to make.
• I will stop choosing fabric over food ;-)

I started going through fabric withdrawal yesterday! As I get ready to head downtown, I'm talking myself in and out of a trip to Vogue. I need to go to New Rainbow Fabric, which is across the street, for a silk organza press cloth. How can I not go to Vogue when they have this?

I think it will be the perfect replacement for the fabric I'm using now. It's brown, but I love the eyelashes. If I work on it now, I'm not breaking my resolution and I could have a snazzy version that fits now .... Problem solved! The stores are closed anyway for the holiday.

Happy New Year!

New Patterns

McCall's and Kwik Sew have new patterns.  Here are my favorites:


M6246


KS3827


KS3825.  It looks better with a print and no sleeves.

Here's where I'm torn, KS3826 and KS3823:



The dress looks horrible in the misses size, but the top looks great.  The plus-sized dress rocks, but the top looks terrible. I think I may have the best of both worlds because I'm misses up top and plus below :-)