Monthly Archives: July 2012

Just a little bit crazy revisited

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This is the second time I have made this New Look 6940 garment. I had some leftover fabric from a previous top I made, so decided to make another everyday top (two for the price of one, I do love a bargain).

Front View

Without zips, pleats, or tucks it was simple and quick to make.  I am finding my gathering skills are coming along nicely.  This top has horizontal and vertical gathers through the centre, this being my second attempt at the horizontal gathers, I think they worked much better.  I do have to mention though that gathering sleeves is a bugbear of mine and subsequently I don’t feed I do the best job, I would much prefer to fit and wear a flat sleeve rather than all the puffiness on a garment of this nature.

The top has a centre back seam, a centre front seam and a v neckline which was steering towards round rather than v shaped once the bias tape was  added, I inserted a couple of stitches at the centre and the v returned 🙂

I think my next creation will again be one I have made before but the fabric will be more vibrant, there has been quite a lot of black recently, stay tuned.

A little less ordinary

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Front ViewMoving on with my knitted material, I am on a role now and getting quite used to how defiant some fabrics can be. I bought this particular material before I had a design in mind. I thought it needed something slightly different, a bit out of the ordinary and a touch adventurous if I am honest. So a little off the shoulder number was just the job.

The top comprises of a gathered shoulder seam, inside half length facing and a casing with elastic around the underarm to keep it in place. I used bias tape again on the armhole. All in all it took me about four hours to make, not enough time for the fabric to start curling at the edges out of sheer boredom.

Now all I need is a night out so I can wear it 🙂Shoulder

Knitted and fitted

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Front ViewI made this top from a new Simplicity pattern 2364, which includes a number of different versions which are made from knitted material.   I wanted to make something that I could wear every day, at home or work.  This type of design is typically me.  I decided to use simple black fabric that would go with everything it also has a slight stretch.  An easy option you might think but this particular pattern relies on right and wrong side of the material very much and plain black does not have a right and wrong side, that was my stumbling point, the more I manhandled it the more it decided to curl up in protest at the edges.

The yoke is sewn onto the back, gathered and attached to the front under the armholes, I thought this was a lovely alternative to a traditional plain round neck.  The front section is folded through the centre to give a reinforced neckline which gapes slightly and can be teased into various different positions.

The material is extremely soft and comfortable to wear and quite flattering too.  I can see this becoming a favourite of mine, I also had enough material left to make something else 🙂

A little bit of extra detail

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I am really getting through my old patterns now, it has saved me a fortune and while I am currently in the “learning” phase again it has been good to refer to my old favourites. Some I remember making years ago and some I don’t (probably didn’t emerge out of the wardrobe when they were finished).

Hem Detail

This design is part of a pattern for a dress which is altered, the same as the previous top I made. Again, I used a concealed zip in the back. As always bias tape was used on all the facings and I put a little added detail on the bottom to make it more interesting.

Front ViewThe material is very thin, so making the top was more of a challenge than I first thought, a few obstacles to overcome as usual, one of which was my first casualty in a long time, my sewing machine needle broke in the middle of my creative flow, I suspect it had a tussle with a pin that was hiding in the garment 🙂

Half a shift dress

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Front viewThis top is made from the same pattern as the fully lined block shift dress, a slightly shorter zip is used and the pattern has a guide where the top should finish. The material has a embroidered detail on it which I thought was quite nice and a little less plain, it is also quite thin so the lining worked very well with it.

I have to say I found the top extremely strange to put together as the lining is attached to the material all the way round. I had to turn it inside out from the side and sew the side lining seams by hand later, (hand sewing isn’t really my thing), the further I take my creativity I realise that patterns aren’t always right or practical. On the plus side the concealed zip went in first time, oh happy days, less unpicking and more sewing this time 🙂Concealed \ip Time to move on once again….