Simplicity 8259

For some reason I thought this dress wouldn't fit very well, so I had it cut out for over a year
before I got to it. And it fits really well. I've had a lot of sewing failures this year so this was a
welcome change for me!

This dress does have sleeves from another pattern (sorry can't remember which one).
I wanted a sleeve with more ease.

And I even had matching buttons in the stash!

 

Akinori Dress Pattern

Short dresses just don't look that good on me. I had even lengthened this, but I ran out of fabric to make it longer. I cut out my normal size in the big four patterns and that worked out well. 

Sewing the insert was a bear, but it does look nice and finished on the inside. Also the top is supposed to overlap in the front as it attaches to the insert. I couldn't get that to work but I'm fine with that.

 I also gathered the back under the belt so it would lay nicer and that worked out well too. I'm kind of iffy on this dress because of the length, might add a ruffle if I can find some coordinating fabric.

McCall's 7970

I've sewn up this pattern before and I like the first version better. The flowers on the bodice are just not in the best area, even though I did take note when cutting this out.

On this version instead of hemming the exposed ruffle I turned it under so it acts as a facing, that ended up working better than version one. I will wear this so I will count this as a success.

 

Burda Style 6224

I started out the day in this dress, then quickly changed out because it felt too constricting even though it fit pretty good. I made it longer and it is still too short for me. If I were to make this again I would add more length and probably not peg the skirt so much. I would also add a bit to the back width, both top and bottom, just to add to the wearability.

The sleeves are from a different pattern that's why this looks different from the pictures on the pattern. Once again the Burda instructions fell short even though this was from a pattern envelope not the magazine. Who knows if I did the pockets properly!

This dress might be good for going out to a restaurant or if you had to carry bulky things in your pockets, Ha!

 

Butterick 6591

This is the dress I changed into after wearing the blue dress. Normally, I get dressed once and wear that outfit for whatever I have to do that day whether it is cleaning, sewing, exercising, shopping, visiting or working in the yard.  The snow just left the grass, but I'm like the typical Minnesotan, put on your shorts or sandals when the temp gets in the 50's.

The dress is a franken-pattern of the two patterns shown below and I really like it. I like pattern mixing and I like adding a bit of velvet to the knit fabric. The fabric on the sleeves and hem flounce is a velvet burn-out in green and black.

I added width to the skirt because I didn't want this to be form fitting.

 

Burda Style 6135

Sorry about the bad pictures, but you know how hard it is to photograph black. I really like this Burda pattern for the jacket. I used my normal size for me and it fits perfectly. This is a pattern, but I think they have this in the magazine too. This pattern would work well for a little summer jacket as well.

The material is embroidered and I think from H R Harris, the fabric was difficult to work with, so glad I chose a simple pattern. The skirt is moleskin, just sewed the one seam and added elastic. Had it forever and I wear it every winter.

 

Mccall's 8147

Here we go again with the cheap JoAnn flannel. This flannel was not as good as it normally is.
When I shrunk the fabric the red bled everywhere. I had to wash it two more times to get the
color out and by that time the fabric started pilling, probably should have made rags out of the
fabric at that point. Went ahead with the project and this is what resulted.

I used a blouse pattern for the top and it seems to fit pretty good. The sleeves were way too long,
but I do have short arms, I'm also wearing shoulder pads to make the sleeves lie nicer. I may try the bow tie version of this pattern later date. I probably will donate this at the end of the season,
since I don't love it.

 

 

Saraste Dress

I've only had this cut out for over a year and finally got to it. The Saraste Dress is from the
Breaking the Pattern Book. I made the Solina Dress from this book too, but that looked nothing like is was supposed to because I had to take out the tucks and ties from the front to make it fit.

Second time around the sizing is better, it's a tiny bit tight in the bust and too short, but I ran out of fabric. I used different sleeves because of the shortage of fabric. I find that the sizing is
about the same as Burda patterns.

The fabric is my standard (for winter) cheap ($2.99) flannel from JoAnn's. But it's bright, warm, durable and did I say, cheap!

 

Vogue 1410 and Burda Style 11/2021

This outfit is made from really old fabric, I think from Minnesota Fabrics and Mill End Textiles, both gone and still missed.

I've made the Vogue pattern twice before this and it is so simple and distinctive. The top is from BurdaStyle Magazine 11/2021. This was super simple to sew, with not fitting required a win-win!

 Tonight I'm going to watch women's figure skating, the long program even though I know the outcome...all I can say is this "Karma".

McCall's 7977

This dress is made up from two different fabrics, a mesh from Minerva and a purchase from the garage sale for the Textile Center in St. Paul MN. This sale had been postponed because of Covid and when they had it, you reserved a time. That was fantastic, I could actually shop because the mob scene did not happen and the sale was organized.

For the skirt, I just went ahead and cut and it worked out. There is a pattern like this in the Burda Style Magazine and I think I would try that before using this again. The collar was hard to sew on and a little tight, a self-fabric binding might be better.

 

Simplicity 8248

I spent a lot of time sewing this dress and when I first put it on I did not like it at all. But, after wearing it for awhile it's good. I did not like that the waist was too loose, so I just needed to think of it as oversized and luckily that is in style now. Yes, I am wearing knee highs, I hate tights!

The top is Simplicity 8248 and I did check the pattern for size because it was a vintage pattern. I'm glad I cut a larger size than normal (except for the waist) because it would have been too tight. The sleeves are from a different pattern as well as the skirt. McCall's 6742 is the skirt. I used black velvet and brown velvet for the color blocking, but it's hard to see. 

The dog pin and the shoes make the outfit!

And Now I Like It!

I added just the ruffle to this dress and it went from sitting in the closet to something that I will wear and feel comfortable in. The ruffle adds to the pizzazz of the dress and also the length.

The fabric is a very stiff silk that I had in the stash for quite awhile and it's perfect for this.

 

Simplicity 3831

Does this count as a TNT pattern if it's the second time I've used it? This is a pretty good dress for free. I ordered the fabric online and when it came it had a huge white streak throughout the entire length of the yardage. Luckily without too much trouble they let me have this and sent a replacement fabric (different because they were out of this). So, I had to squeeze in this pattern and did not get the ideal placement of the design in the fabric.

Next time I sew fabric with a nap, I need to remember that I like it with the nap up, because it has a richer color. On this dress it is down when you pet it.

Did you notice my squirrel friend chowing down? We have a whole family of five fat squirrels living in our trees. Can't grow tomatoes because of them, but I like them anyway.

 

McCall's 8032

My last few items I've made have been wearable, but I'm just not thrilled with them.  This pattern does fit nicely, with my normal adjustments, including making the dress longer.

I like that this is a summer print that I can wear in the winter because of the faux suede trim. The sleeve flounce is strange because I decided to fold it in half without adding any width.

 

McCall's 8024

This top is pretty good and it was super easy to make.  I like the cuffs because there is not much fabric by the top of the cuffs and that they fit snug to the wrists. I don't like the wide neck opening and how much fabric there is in the mid-section and bottom.

I would probably use this top as a pattern for the bodice of a dress with an elasticized waist.