Burda Challenge November - 11-2015 #112

Here’s my November Burda and it’s on time too. Yes, I do rock. I decided to make the woven top with shoulder zipper detail. I made it out of wool flannel. Yes, I know wool against the skin, ewww. Except, I love that feeling. It’s the feeling of being warm. I’m constantly cold so wool is my friend.

 

I had to really, really, really lighten these so you can see any detail. First a word of warning, this top is hard to get on. Like pull, tug, pull, pull, pull, pull. I could have made the seam allowances smaller maybe but I think the main problem is the armholes. I think it would be much better if my fabric had even a hint of stretch. It doesn’t. I can’t wear a regular bra with it. I’m wearing a sports bra that kind of flattens my cheat. I think the armholes are also too low for such a fitted shirt. On this picture, it almost looks like the shoulder also also just a titch too wide.

 

It does fit well as long as I just stand around, look awesome, and don’t reach for things.  I’m exaggerating a bit. Not about the sports bra, mind you. I really did have to put on a sports bra. But I wore this for several hours this weekend and there were only a few things I struggled to do.

 

The back fit is nice. I even tried a swayback adjustment. I know, right? How many years did that take me? I took it in about a 1/2” along that CB seam and the fit is almost perfect. I did add my standard 1” about the bust (I always leave the armholes alone).

 

See how tight it gets? If I pull up from the shoulder and snug up the armhole, it’s much more comfortable.

 

And I have the perma-cowl below my neck. My neck thrusts forward a bit so this is probably a result of that. Most of the time, my tops don’t go up this high, and if they do, they are in a knit.

 

The darts end in the right spot, but you can see a little fold at the armpit/bust.

 

I was super excited about this pattern because of the interesting darts, simplicity, and pop of color at the neck. I’m disappointed that it’s too tight. I still like it, I’m just not sure how often I’ll be reaching for it. I’m worried I’ll pop an armpit seam at work.

 

I love the zipper/ribbon detail. Burda recommended 1” grosgrain ribbon. Mine is 7/8” I think thinner might work better with this area of the shirt. You can see on my pictures that the ribbon makes the neck area really stiff.

 

I hand sewed (yes! me!!) the hems and neck facing.

 

A little disappointing but it would rock in a stretch woven. With a bit of armhole fiddling. I’m working on an Ottobre dress I think you guys will like.

Has anyone else tried this pattern? I still think it has lots of possibilities. I loved the dress variation in the magazine.

Jalie 2563 - Sports Bra

Yes, I know these are not exercise pants. Focus on the sports bra. I did a really fast photo shoot while everyone was out walking the dog.

I love this pattern from Jalie. Not only does it have this comfortable, supportive sports bra, but it also has another sports bra and a pair of running shorts. I’m particularly excited about the shorts because they have a seamless crotch (why does this keep yelling, “crotchless panties” in my head when I proofread?). Instead of four seams meeting at one spot on your lady bits, there is a panel that runs up one leg, across your, ahem, bits, and down the other leg. I’m very interested to see how comfortable they are during a run. I’ll probably wait on those until summer though, since it’s about 30 degrees here.

 

Anyway, back to this bra. I made the main part out of a swim lycra and the straps and back out of a stretch mesh. The front is also lined with the same stretch mesh. To make it more compression-y, I took it in about a 1/2” on each side seam after it was made. I also made the bottom elastic about four inches smaller than recommended.

 

I love the cut of the back. This back isn’t quite as narrow as the Anne-Marie tank/dress.

 

I spared you my face in this one. After seeing my arms, you can only imagine. I wanted you to see that there is nothing popping out at any angle.

 

Fuzzy, but you get the idea. It covers all the stuff you want covered. Sometimes, in certain sports bras, I’m a bit exposed on the side. Not in this one, though.

 

I changed one thing in construction. They have you put the lining in the front and baste it to the main piece of fabric. Then you treat them as one and attach them to the strap. Instead, I sandwiched the seam allowance between the lining and main fabric.

 

I can see many, many, many more of these in my future. I ran six miles in it today, so it’s supportive enough for a run. This is also the pattern that Melissa uses for quite a few sports bras.

 

My November Burda Challenge is done! I’ll post that in a day or two (hopefully).

Meet Penny!!

So I've been wanting a dog FOREVER. Like YEARS. My last dog was lost in the divorce and he lived with the other side of the family. My husband is anti-hair and anti-mess. I finally convinced him to get a dog that is of the "doodle" persuasion because of the lack of shedding. I'm not sure how I feel about being the sort of woman that has a "designer breed," but I'm okay with it if it means both my husband and I will be happy.

So, meet Penny. She's a German Shepherd/Poodle mix, or Shepadoodle. She should be about 60-70 pounds when she is all done growing. She's about four months old and is the calmest puppy I've ever seen. We are currently working on her with the standard sit, down, come commands and she is picking themup quickly. She should be smart since she comes from smart parents and smart breeds. Her mom is a white AKC registered German Shepherd and her dad is an AKC registered dark brown Poodle. She is mostly dark brown with random white hairs on her back and tail.




She has giant feet and she is just the sweetest dog.




She wasn't quite sure about the "white stuff" when she got here, but she has adjusted well.




Between my morning running and her running around with the kids, she's a tired puppy at night. Literally.



You'll be seeing more of Penny because I'm super smitten with her. If you are my FB friend, you know I've been posting lots of pictures. Sorry (not sorry)!


I also have some sewing stuff to show you too. More Jalie and Ottobre!

Ottobre 05-2015 #20 Jazzy Look Dress

Okay, first off, who isn’t going to long a long-sleeved knit dress with all these details? I think this was going to be a win whether I tried hard or not.

 

But I do have to say, I am freaking loving my version of this dress!! Some of the detail of the topstitching is lost in the crazy print, but I’m okay with that.

 

The fit is pretty good on me. Some damn day, I’m going to have to break down and learn how to do a stupid swayback adjustment. This would have been a perfect pattern for it.

 

I added a little contrast fabric to the pockets.

 

 

The pockets on this may be my favorite part. I love them! I have to give credit to my
Janome CoverPro. It did an AMAZING job with the three thread coverstitch. In all this coverstitching, there was not one skipped stitch or broken thread. I used regular Coats and Clark in the bottom thread and serger thread in the top three threads. I’ll have to figure out what the perfect thread/tension/needle combination is, because you know, I’ve tried this before with crappy results.

Me looking all smug. It’s warm, comfortable, and awesome. Who doesn’t love black and white animal-ish print. And yes, I checked, this is the real way the fabric goes. I thought about turning it sideways for a more zebra look, but decided against it.

 

The inside looks just as nice as the outside with all this “press seams open and topstitch” jazz.

 

A few detail shots of the stitching. This is the hem.

 

Isn’t it amazing?? I am going to write down every setting so I can remember how to do this exactly. It may also have to do with the weight of this fabric. It’s a double knit, so it’s pretty firm.

 

This square neck is what really drew me to this pattern.

 

All this topstitching and not one skipped stitch or thread. I need to make this again with a solid print and contrast topstitching.

 

I really love this dress!!!

Jalie 3349–Gymnastics Leotard

You guys know I love me a good leotard pattern. And, of course, Jalie is my most favorite pattern ever. Like ever. I think they design EXACTLY for my body. It’s weird how well they fit. Anyway, what’s in the cat is in the kitten, and my twins are built a lot like me. They have their mother’s swayback and her loooong torso.

 

I decided to make the View A which is the plain front and back to test the fit. I ended up making a size L (size 8) for them and added two inches of length to the body of the leotard. Yes, I know, TWO INCHES.

 

And I would say they need all two inches!! I extended the arms to the size M because they are long and lean.

 

The fit is spot-on. I love, love, love the long sleeves. I also love the fit around the legs.

 

For the back, a split back and swayback adjustment would fit her better. They are just like me. Although, I wonder if I could just take out a horizontal 1/2” and ease in the front? I think that might work too. Even with that slight pooling, I think the fit is great.

 

She loves it and that is all that matters. This is a fantastic base pattern. Think of all the things you could do to this basic shape. There were many, many cartwheels during this photoshoot, but being that these were taken inside, things were way too dark.

 

Here’s the other view. I want to do this one next. I love the high v on the twist top. This is actually listed as a ballet pattern, but it’s awesome as a gymnastics leotard. Oh, I forgot to tell you that the full front is lined.

Love it!!! Another Jalie winner (how many times have I written those words on my blog, I wonder)!!!!

I have a fun Ottobre dress to show you next.

Another Pair of Eleonore Pants!

See? Look how excited I am!! This is my fourth (??) pair of these and I love them, love them, love them. I think I truly could live in the Jalie Eleonore Jean, the Jalie Dolman Top, and one of their cardigans (either this one, this one, or this one). I could make a whole mix and match wardrobe from just those patterns. That purple top is a Jalie Dolman top; I blogged about it here.

 

What can I tell you about these? Let’s see, the denim baaaaarely has enough stretch for this pattern. Getting them on makes me shimmy, but once they are on, they are comfortable. I did have to let the knees out on these pants after I made them because this denim is stiff. Like coated, stiff. This is denim I bought to make jeans with, forever ago. Like really, YEARS. AGO. It literally does seem coated with something that makes it slick and stiff. They are a chocolate brown and I think they will go with everything.

 

You can see there are lots of leg wrinkles near my knees. I think it’s mostly because it is so stiff. I’m hoping they soften up with repeated washings.

 

I did my double topstitching (front fly, inner legs, pockets, etc.) with my coverstitch machine. It’s just regular serger thread. The pockets, bar tacks, and hem are using white Gutterman upholstery thread and a topstitching needle.

Another versatile pair of jeans. I love this pattern!!!! I love them in this color too!!

Jalie 2975 - Favorite Hoodie Ever!

How freaking cute is this hoodie? I love it!!! I see many more of them in my future. I’ll definitely be making these for the Little People in my life too. I already have a request for a color blocked one. WITH a hood. These people are so particular. Sheesh.

 

I know the lighting and focus aren’t the greatest. I’m working inside with bad lighting. There are a couple things I really love about this hoodie. One is the sleeve length. I hate it when jackets are too short and when you move your arms, your poor little wrists freeze. Not so in this jacket. The arms are nice and long. Second, I love how it grazes the hips and is a bit longer. Third, I love the welt pockets. The directions made it really easy. And fourth, I love, love, love the collar/hoodie itself.

 

Ignore my Resting Bitch Face. My children are “helping” me in these photos and apparently I wasn’t happy with someone. I love how the collar stands up even when the hood is down. Super cozy on a chilly neck.

 

I made my normal Jalie size of S. I added an inch above the bust like I do for almost all patterns. The fabric is a PolarTec PowerStretch fleece. It’s water and wind resistant and plush on the inside. I forgot to take a picture of the inside. Oops!

 

The hood is shaped with several pieces, so it fits the head really well.

 

More Resting Bitch Face. Happy little photo bombers.

 

I’ve had this jacket done for weeks but only just photographed it. I wear it constantly inside. I get chilled easily and this is the perfect throw-on jacket for inside or to run outside and check for chicken eggs (we get three a day now! I think one is a dud? She’s never laid anything!). I love all the topstitching and the seaming; great details that make it look very high end.

 

I made this as part of the Jalie Hoodie Sew Along. I finished it way ahead of the deadline because I don’t like to start multiple projects and I like to finish my tasks quickly (I’m a total list-checker-offer).

 

Next up? Another pair of Eleonore Pants and an Ottobre.