On Fire!

Well, I'm on fire... in the sewing mojo sense anyway!

Firstly, I hemmed the black pants and wore them last night. They fit so well and are so comfortable, I will definitely make some more and this time will add pockets. Although I have a Burda pants pattern I want to try next.

I finished my Butterick B5187 jacket. I made view C with view D's notched sleeve detail.

I've made this jacket before (View A) with some wool knit fabric and this one went together perfectly as well. It's an unlined jacket and a pretty quick make. I lined the yoke pieces with some cotton hibiscus print (which I didn't photograph for some reason) and sewed the sleeves in flat. This is a really well drafted pattern and a really simple make. The fabric is some interlined wool in a herringbone weave that my Mum bought in the '70's (I have some white too) and unlike the colour on my monitor, it is a really bright lime green not so subdued as it is here. I made sure I pressed all the way through this sew as I tend to be in a bit of a rush sometimes but it paid off as it looks very professional. 

This jacket was a perfect base for the button I chose to use. This is a large glass shank button that was in a jar of vintage buttons that a friend gave to me. It is the perfect button for this jacket and there was only one of them. It is heavy and I didn't really think about interfacing the inside yoke - remember I cut this out and half made it two years ago and it didn't even occur to me until I went to do the button hole. It worked out ok (the photo here is pre button hole) but later I remembered I thought to sew the button but have a large snap to actually close the jacket which I think would have been a much better idea, but it's done now and it's ok.

Here's the little notch in the sleeve which I think is a lovely detail and so easy to do.

Here's a back view on the mannequin. Yep, it's green but brighter! When my photographer comes back I'll get him to take some photos with me wearing it.

Now I've started a basic shirt. This pattern I've had eons (since 1996 apparently) buying it because it's just a basic and you always need basics... hence in 2015, I finally use it! It doesn't have a back yoke but I made it with one and a pleat in the lower shirt back. (I just put the pattern piece on the fabric, cut it a a depth with a seam allowance, the cut the bottom part on the fold a couple of cm out from he fold for the pleat and added the seam allowance). I made the yoke burrito style so it's fully enclosed. 

This is a peek at the fabric... it's a cotton gingham with the squares about 1cm in a lovely green and white. It's perfect for a shirt but I felt it needed some punch to make it less something and more something else... interesting?  I used a bit of scrap for some little feature bits.. and I mean from scraps. I like the contrast and interest this gives the shirt.

This top is a Sandra Betzina Vogue 1058 top just to try the pattern sizes. It's a t shirt with a dart but the armholes are a little big and I'm testing putting some other dart there (you can see it pinned there at the moment) to try and see if this looks ok. A feature to the outside world. The fabric is a knit but that has negligible stretch and I think is cotton. I lowered the neckline as it was too high for my taste. Hopefully it will be wearable but no real loss as this is a piece from an Op shop a few years ago and cost $2. I tried to 'sell' it to my son for some shorts but he wasn't sold!

The flower fabric used as my feature in my shirt above was from a Vogue pattern I made years ago but the dress was way too small (even though I cut a 12 and it should have fit - a very small cut) now given to a friend's daughter who loves it. I used a scrap of this fabric for a wearable (hopefully) muslin of a shell top below. This is Vogue 8916. I made a size 10 with a FBA adjustment for a dartless blouse that I used from Maria Denmark. It worked ok, but I will try a shell blouse pattern that has bust cup sizes to see if it's a better fit. This one still needs facings and a button close on the back. Too cold for this now however. 

Should have cropped this so you didn't have to see my Dad's trousers that I'm reducing the waist on. I was pinning them up on the floor... but you didn't need to see it..

 I have started a notebook with the pattens I have started and working on .... I think I have 6 items in there. I really want to sew up the Style Arc Dotty Blouse pattern I have had cut for a while but I can't find the instructions, although I'm sure I can work it out and really, they don't have a good reputation for detailed instructions do they?! How many things do you work on/have cut out at a time?