Raglan T - McCalls 6288

8/30/12 Edited to add final photo. I LOVE this pattern. I think I will raise the neckline in the front another 1/2" or so next time I make it so it is more appropriate for work.

How cute is this fabric?!! The French theme includes images of the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and a lovely french dame. I wanted to highlight the fabric in a simple t-shirt.

I love raglan sleeve shirts. I think that love stems back to the "baseball shirts" that were popular in the mid 70s. Remember this look? I had a few of them in middle school and thought I was ALL THAT when I wore them. How goofy. LOL

There don't seem to be too many patterns out there with this sleeve style, so when I saw a review last year for such a shirt, I looked up the pattern, McCalls 6288. I must admit I never would have noticed this pattern - the collection looks quite boring - but the t-shirt pattern is exactly what I was looking for.

 

There were a couple reviews at PR and I'm very thankful for the one that recommended raising the neckline and bringing in the shoulder edge (so bra straps don't show). I added an inch and you can see, it's still fairly low cut. I'm happy with the shoulders but I think I will raise the neckline a smidge more next time I make it. The top is not quite finished, still needs the neckline binding and a hem, but I am very happy with how it is turning out and will wear it with my red skinny jeans or maybe a red skirt as Sherril suggested!

Other Details:
Fabric is an ITY-type knit purchased from Spandex House in NY in May.
I cut a straight size 10. After basting, I decided it was a little too snug at the hips so I reduce the seam allowance from the waist to the hips to add an extra inch ( 1/2" on each side).

This pattern (as tweaked) will become a Tried and True for me.

My Sewing Machine Inventory

The chronology (I'm journaling this for my own benefit):

• 1990/1991 - purchased my first Bernina - the1020, a mechanical workhorse. It has never had a single thing wrong with it and it runs as well today as it did 20 years ago. I think I paid about $1000.    

         

• 1992 - purchased a Bernette Bernina serger in 1992 when I moved to Cincinnati. I think it was around $500. This entry level machine has also been very reliable.
• 2011 - purchased a Bernina 1300 MDC serger; My sewing machine dealer was offering great deals during the International Quilt Festival and I purchased for $1099. I still need to figure out how to use all the features!                                                         
• 2011 - purchased a used Bernina 1630 from a seller on Pattern Review for $500.  I decided I wanted a second machine to bring to Florida but after I received it, I decided to keep it in Cincinnati.

    

• 2012 - Was happy to find a used Activa 125 S on Craigslist within 60 miles of Bonita Springs. Purchased for $400.

• 2013 - Purchased a brand new Bernina 635 for $2700 (retail price $4600!!)  

• 2013 - Purchased a  used Babylock Coverstick for $745 including shipping (retail $1300 new)

So much more fun to collect sewing machines than say.... coins... or baseball cards..... Dontcha think?

Quilt Progress

Taking a little mid afternoon work break to post progress on my grandson's (boy does THAT sound weird - "grandson") quilt. After finishing the four-patch squares, I've moved on to the appliques. I started with the police badge squares. It's my least favorite of the three applique designs so I figured I would work out all my rusty applique skills on it. I'm happy with how it turned out even though I still don't love the design. Looks too much like a grinning badge to me but I couldn't figure out another design while keeping the lines simple. I finished both of them yesterday morning.

 

Next up are the car and hat designs. They are cut and wonder-undered and ready to be appliqued. I adore the hat and think it looks so much cuter in person. The striped fabric appears to be purple but it isn't. Blame it on the iPhone photo taken in artificial basement light. 

Do I remember how to quilt?

My daughter and husband are expecting a baby boy in December and have decided on a policeman theme for the baby's room in honor of his daddy. What a cute idea, right? We must be the only ones that think that because there is no bedding or baby items with a police theme anywhere. Fireman, yes. But no police. "No worries, darling daughter, I can sew." It slipped out before I could help myself.  You sewers know how that happens! I love quilts and have made a few but the last one was 18 years ago in anticipation of my youngest child. Ay yi yi!

How hard can it be, right? Well, it turns out there are no quilt / applique designs in that theme either. So, I had to completely start from scratch.  After looking at quilt designs that she liked, we decided on a mix of applique and simple four-patch squares for the quilt top. For the appliques, I found a very cute car design in "Quilts, Bibs, Blankies... Oh My" (adorable designs!!)

   

but no luck finding anything else police related (except for handcuffs and guns but we thought that might not be too child friendly!) I found a couple coloring book pages that I used to create templates for a police hat and shield.

 
I practiced with some scrap fabric until we came up with the final templates for the appliques.

I drafted the design (hee hee, that sounds so official for the chicken scratch shown below, doesn't it), calculated the measurements and converted to fabric quantities.

Next came picking the fabric. Turns out my daughter is quite picky when it comes to the colors she wants. She said blues and greens but that's not really what she meant. She meant very, very, very specific shades of blues and greens. Four quilt shops, hundreds of blue and green fabrics and three hours later and we had the fabrics. Four-patch squares are done. Appliqued squares up next!

Sunny Dress (Butterick 5780)

Edited to add a photo that better shows the lines of the dress:

I loved the lines of this dress when I saw the pattern introduced. In spite of the difficulties mentioned in the lone review at PR, I decided to make it anyway. It was a challenge!! The bodice construction was quite clever but I could have used more directions and/or illustrations in the pattern to help me through. I'm happy with how it turned out (but secretly, very glad it's done!!)

Particulars:
Pattern: Butterick 5780 with modified sleeve
Fabric: A medium weight ponte knit
Omitted zipper

 Jazz Hands for Nancy!


More details related to the construction in my PR review here.

The Dress that wanted to be a Tunic (B5495)

Edited to add the tunic versus dress photo:

There are many great versions of this pattern out there. Some people have made it as a top, some as a tunic and some as a dress. I was really inspired by Lori's versions (Girls in the Garden) and decided to make it as a dress. But after I got it done, I just wasn't sure if I should leave it a dress. I've made quite a few knit dresses with a busy pattern and I find that I only want to wear them a couple times and then I get tired of them. The same thing does not happen with tops, oddly enough. But I still couldn't decide so I posed it to my Facebook sewing group. Probably 30 people responded and don't ya know, it was split right down the middle. What finally pushed me to the tunic was that I needed a comfy outfit to wear for the shopping day during PR NYC in May.

The pattern is Butterick 5495 (View A lengthened) and the fabric is an ITY I purchased in Austin last November at a PR weekend.

I never took any photos of myself in this but here are a few others took at Mood.

Here I am with Swatch the Mood "mascot".

Here I am with Sherril, Meg, Connie and Karen.

White Jeans (Jalie 2908)

The Jalie 2908 stretch jean pattern is one of the hot patterns at PR. I wanted a pair of white jeans this spring and found a nice white stretch twill at Denver Fabrics. I made a practice pair first in some lightweight stretch denim and thank goodness I did - I cut and sewed a size T, which is actually larger than my measurements and they were way too tight. A handful of the reviews said they thought the pattern ran small but not enough that I considered going up a size. Based on my muslin, I cut TWO sizes bigger (a V) and they fit fine. Perhaps could have been a tiny bit tighter in the butt but overall, I like the fit. My twill had lots of stretch so I'm not sure why the sizing worked as it did.

I wore them yesterday to a family birthday celebration with my recently completed top (McCalls 6078) and was thrilled to receive some unsolicited compliments, including from my daughter:

Daughter: I thought you said you were making a pair of white jeans.
Me: I DID. I finished these yesterday.
Daughter: You MADE those? WOW, they are really good.

Smiles smiles smiles....

Derby Dress 2012 (S2588)

Every year, our good friends host a Derby party. The ladies get into the spirit and tend to dress up as if we are actually at the Derby, hats and all. I wore the same black hat as last year but forgot to include it in the photo.

This year I chose a Simplicity Project Runway design that allowed me to pick and choose elements of the dress to get what I wanted - straight or full skirt, sleeves or sleeveless, skinny neck band or yoke, belt or tabs or no trim. (Simplicity 2588 (straight skirt, skinny neckband and sleeveless) It was a little difficult to determine how much fabric was needed because of the options. My dress used approx. 1 3/4 yd (60" width).

The fabric is a satin twill I purchased from Gorgeous Fabrics about a year ago, intending to make a flowy skirt. The fabric ended up having a little heavier hand than I expected so I decided it wouldn't be suitable for the skirt I had in mind. But it worked beautifully for this dress. I trimmed the waist with a braided piping purchased from Rainbow Fabrics in Chicago.

Pattern sizing was true. I had to make my typical adjustments for small upper body. Overall, the dress ranged anywhere from a size 10 (through the shoulders and bust) to a 12-14 (lower bodice to waist) to a size 14-16 (at the hips)!

Prior year Derby dresses:

2007 Dress
Not sure what I wore in 2008
2009 Dress


2010 Dress
2011 Dress

Missoni-ish Top (B5527)

I'm finding all kinds of unfinished posts. Pictured above is a top (Butterick 5527) I made back in October or November. I purchased the knit from Banasch Fabric in Cincinnati and wore it to the PR Anniversary weekend in Austin last November. Imagine my surpirse when I walked into a fabric store in Austin and saw my fabric on the rack and made into a dress. Too funny!

To be honest, I didn't love this top. I don't think the peasant style is flattering on my body, makes me look larger than I am. The top has since been donated to Goodwill.

Baby & Big Brother Goodies

I thought I had posted this before but I guess I didn't! Mark's son and daughter-in-law had their second baby in January, a baby brother to their four year old son. I made the baby some goodies including the duck bathrobe above, dinosaur cuddly fleece blanket and knit blanket shown here. Big brother fell in love with the ultra soft dinosaur blanket and claimed it for his own. I told him I would make him a matching bathrobe out of the fabric but JoAnn's had sold out. Instead I purchase a cute monster print and made him the robe shown below. I gave it to him about a month ago and found out yesterday that he wears all the time when he's home.

Yarn for Sale

As I continue my house purge in preparation of moving, I am destashing some yarns. The following are listed on ebay. Click on description for link to ebay:

SOLD - Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn Color S40, Lot C

SOLD -Luna Yarn Endless Summer 10 Skeins

SOLD - Tilli Tomas Evening Bag Kit with Berrocco Boho

SOLD - Manos del Uruguay Cotton Stria Yarn, Turquoise #10

SOLD - Schaefer Yarn Marjaana, Colorway Jane Addams 5-0/50 Merino / Silk

SOLD - Noro Big Kureyon Yarn; Color 17 (2 1/2 skeins)

SOLD - Knit Picks Wool of the Andes yarn - 6 skeins; pumpkin (4) and winter night (2)

 SOLD - Noro Kureyon Yarn; Color 153 Lot A (4 skeins)

SOLD - Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora Rose Pink (15512) - 2 skeins

Another cowl drape tank - M6078

This is my fourth version of McCalls 6078. I tried View C this time. I followed Elizabeth's lead (AKA Queen of the Bathroom Photo) and took a photo in the restroom at work. Quality is not good but you get the idea! I wore it to work with a jacket over but it would be so cute in summer over a little pencil skirt or some skinny jeans (maybe the white ones I'm working on!)

Thanks to Carol's comment, I am editing to add that I purchased this fabric during PR Anniversary Weekend in Austin in November last year from TexStyles. It was just a tiny remnant, maybe 3/4 yard?, but plenty for this top!

Other versions:
Version 1  View B
Version 2 View B
Version 3 was a bust - I made it from a cotton overlock knit and the fabric was simply too heavy for the design.
I  guess it's obvious I love this pattern!