My Grad Gala Dress

In March there was a Grad Gala for Teachers' College to celebrate that the year was almost over and we were almost teachers. I decided to make a dress for it so looked in my stash to see what I could use. I decided on a magenta silk dupioni that I got from Denver Fabrics before it was bought out. I picked this fabric before I found out that the theme of the Gala was "Black and White" but I figured why not go ahead and stand out a little bit. For the dress I wanted something with a vintage feel to it and picked Simplicity 2444.



Simplicity 2444
Pattern Description:
Misses' Dress with collar and sleeve variations.





Pattern Sizing:
4-12, I made size 8.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Sort of, I made some changes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were easy to follow but how they have you put it together, you can't try on the dress to check for fit, etc. until it is almost completely finished. You sew the front to the front skirt and then the back to the back skirt, then the front to the back. As well, the instructions for yardage give you the yardage by which design elements you are using. If you go by this and use the same fabric for all the design elements, you will have bought too much fabric.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I loved the vintage feel to it. It's kind of 1950's, 1960's ish. I also loved that it has pockets. One thing that I disliked is that this dress is unlined and I wanted it lined because it's made out of silk.

Fabric Used:
100% silk dupioni from the old Denver Fabrics. I got it during their going out of business sale for a song. I underlined the bodice and skirt with silk organza from Thai Silks. The pattern doesn't include a lining, but I added one because organza and dupioni can be scratchy. It's made out of bemberg lining material.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I shortened it at the shoulders, cut a different neckline, added a lining, didn't use the facing pieces, and shortened the hem by 1 3/4". I put in an exposed zipper to make it a little edgy and not too princessy. I also made a belt for the dress.





Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would definitely recommend this pattern. It's easy to make and looks really cute. I'm graduating from teachers' college and we had a grad gala and I needed a dress. This was perfect for the occasion.

Conclusion:
This is a great pattern that is well drafted and easy to put together.

Here is a picture of me wearing the dress:

Comparison of Jalie Low Rise Panties

Comparison of Jalie Low Rise Panties (2564 and 2568)

From the patterns:
2564: View C Bikini (low rise) or brief (high rise) finished with visible fold-over elastic, stretch lace trim or fold-under (1 cm) knit elastic.
2568: View B bikini with lace-trimmed waistband and picot elastic at leg openings. Panties are offered with a choice of high or low waistline.

Here is a photo that shows the two patterns and how they are different:


So obviously, 2564 has a high waist and skinny coverage on the backside and 2568 has a lower waist and more coverage on the backside.

As well, the panties are constructed differently. 2564 has a separate crotch piece so that when it is attached the seams are enclosed. 2568 has the crotch piece and the front as one and so when it is sewn the back crotch seam is enclosed but the front of the crotch lining piece is not sewn down except at the sides.

Here are views of the panties made up (2564 can be made using FOE or Fold-under elastic as there are different pattern pieces designed for each type. 2568 is designed for fold-under elastic. I used fold-under elastic on both, except at the waist were I used FOE.):





Conclusion after trying them on: I like the higher rise of 2564 but the coverage is too skimpy on the backside. 2568 seem low but the backside coverage is much better. I think if I were to make bikini panties again I would use 2568 but just make the waist higher.

New Panties

I just finished some new underwear. I made 3 pairs, another pair of the hipsters from Jalie 2568 and two bikini styles; one from Jalie 2568 and one from Jalie 2564.

Jalie 2568
Pattern Description:
Camisole with lace-trimmed rounded square front neckline. The scoop back neckline and armholes are finished with picot edge elastic. Hipster (A) with lace-trimmed waistband and hemmed leg openings (no elastic). Leg opening can be finished with picot edge elastic for better support. Bikini (B) with lace trimmed waistband and picot elastic at leg openings. Both panties are offered with a choice of high or low waistline. Brazilian hipster (C) designed for wide stretch lace and available in adult sizes only.

I made view A (navy blue pair) - hipster - with FOE at the waist and lingerie elastic at the leg openings and view B (white pair) - low waist bikini - with FOE at the waist and picot edge elastic at the leg openings.





Pattern Sizing:
F-FF 22" to 53" hips. I made size U (39" hips) for both.

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

Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions are very clear with short written instructions and detailed drawings.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the style and fit of the hipster panties. They are just like the American Eagle underwear I buy. I also love Jalie patterns. They are well drafted and the results look very RTW. I don't like the bikini's as much but that is just personal taste and has nothing to do with the pattern.

Fabric Used:
Navy and white cotton lycra knit (90% cotton/10% lycra) for the panties and a beige cotton lycra knit (90% cotton/10% lycra) for the crotch lining.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I extended the crotch lining so that there was more coverage towards the front. Also instead of using lace on the waistband, I used Fold-over elastic.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I have sewn the hipster view many times in the past and will make many more.

Conclusion:
Great underwear pattern.

Jalie 2564



Pattern Description: View A: Long camisole with built-in shelf bra and adjustable straps. View B: Double front pull-on bra with adjustable straps. Both tops can be finished with fold-over elastic or stretch lace trim. View C: Bikini or brief finished with visible fold-over elastic, stretch lace trim or fold-under 1 cm (3/8") knit elastic.

I made view C - bikini with FOE at the waistline and fold-under elastic (picot edge elastic) at the leg openings.

Pattern Sizing:F-FF 22" hips to 53" hips. I made size U (39" hips).

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

Were the instructions easy to follow?The instructions are very clear with short written instructions and detailed drawings.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I liked that the style is very current, no granny panties here. And I liked that it was a Jalie pattern which means it went together very well, is well drafted and the result looks very RTW but the coverage on the backside is a lot less than I would like.

Fabric Used:
White cotton lycra knit (90% cotton/10% lycra) for the panties and a beige cotton lycra knit (90% cotton/10% lycra) for the crotch lining.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
No changes other than to use FOE at the waistband.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I don't think I would sew these again because I would like more coverage but if you want a skimpy bikini panty this is the pattern to use.

Conclusion:
Good pattern but not my style.

My Ella Moss Knit Top

I finished my version of the Ella Moss top and it was very easy to do.
I did use different colours for my top. Instead of black I used a navy fabric and the accent colours are obviously different too. Here is a picture of me wearing the top.



New Look 6702Pattern Description:
Misses' Knit Tops

Pattern Sizing:
6-16. I made size 6 (size 16 at the hips for more material, see below) though by my measurements I should have made a size 10. I find the commercial pattern companies have a lot of ease so I went down a couple of sizes. This way there was zero ease. The pattern was supposed to have 1 1/2" of ease.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?Yes and no. It has the same silhouette mostly but I made some changes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?For the most part. The instructions for the twist were a little vague and I wasn't sure I was doing it properly but it turned out ok.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I liked the pattern because it was almost the same as my inspiration top. It was going to be very easy to adjust it.

Fabric Used:
Cotton lycra knits from Fabricville.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I changed the sleeves to 3/4 and went out to the size 16 at the hip to give some more flow to the skirt pieces. I changed the back to have an empire waist with gathers. I added 2 1/2" to the lower back piece to give it the gathers. Here is a lightened photo of the finished back so you can see the details.


For the lower front, I split the pattern into three pattern pieces instead of one.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
This is a very easy pattern that looks quite cute. The twist seems a little daunting but turns out ok. This pattern worked quite well for me.

Ella Moss Anthropolgie Knit Top

I was browsing on the Anthropolgie website looking for sewing ideas and found this awesome top by Ella Moss.

I decided that I could recreate this top because earlier that day I had just picked up by chance the New Look pattern # 6702. (I wasn't planning on getting this pattern and only bought it because it was in a bin of discounted patterns.) it had the exact same lines as the Ella Moss top except the sleeves, which are easy to adjust. It seemed that fate wants me to make this top. I hope to have some time tomorrow to work on it because I only have one class and my boyfriend is hanging out with his friends tomorrow night.

Back to School

Well, I started school on Tuesday. I am going to teacher's college to become a high school history and geography teacher. My work load is huge so I don't know how much time I will have for sewing. I hope to have some as I want to make some work clothes for my practicums. We'll see what happens.

My Birdie Sling

I just finished my Amy Butler Birdie Sling. I absolutely love this bag. It is so big. It's perfect for carrying my school stuff around campus. This pattern is really easy. It just requires a lot of cutting pieces out because all the pieces are interfaced. In Canada we don't have easy access (well I don't at least) to Pellon products which are what the pattern suggested. I used some fusible fleece for the lining pieces and a lightweight woven fusible for the exterior pieces. I didn't want something too heavy for the exterior pieces so I went with the lightweight. Great pattern!