Category Archives: Vogue

Just “Another” Pinch

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JAP Front

I completed another Just A Pinch vest. This one made from a lightweight cotton/linen blend fabric purchased at Hancock’s (Boo Hoo to the loss of Hancocks – we are all still in mourning).

No changes to this from the previous vest.  I had added a bust dart, along with center back seam for my round back adjustment.

JAP 1Indoor picture because it has been too hot and humid here to be posing outside.  I also made the t-shirt underneath.  I used V1363 again, and did an experiment.  I removed the bust and back shoulder darts.  Because the knit is so lightweight, I thought darts would be too noticeable.  I am happy with the result.

V1363

V1363

This fabric for this vest is a very neutral beige color and needed something to amp it up.  The t-shirt fabric is a rayon spandex I picked up at Joann on sale.  It is very soft and I like the print and soft colors.  The knit was easy to sew too – it doesn’t curl on the cut edges.
JAP stitchingClose-up of the top-stitching I did.  This is on the collar; I used a rayon embroidery thread and the built-in Sashiko stitch on my sewing machine.  It is very subtle, but since topstitching was needed, might as well let it stand out a little more than matching thread would.

 

Side view:

JAP side

Next post will be for another Cutting Line Designs pattern…stay tuned.

 

The Contest Entry

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Sandra Betzina, designer of Today’s Fit patterns for Vogue recently held a contest.  Sandra also has a website, Power Sewing.  The contest was called “Inspire and Layer Yourself”.  Here is a description of the contest and prize.

ENJOY! IT’S WINTERTIME OR GET A JUMP ON SPRING
Because there are so many creative people using Today’s Fit patterns, Power Sewing would like you to share your creativity with us. Since this season is all about warm, fun and classic layering, Power Sewing is having a contest. Make one of the 4 Today’s Fit Patterns (V1574, V1569, V1564, V1540) and send us photos of anything you would like to enter.

The coat/jacket/topper/tabard will be judged on (1) overall impression, (2) creativity, (3) use of fabric and detailing, (4) execution.

And the prizes for the winner:

1 Lucky winner will receive the grand prize of:
• 1 signed copy of Sandra Betzina’s All New Fabric Savvy book
• 1 Ron Collins Vogue Men’s Pattern, V9290
• 2 Power Sewing Skill Series DVDs: DVD#6-Pocket Particulars and DVD#3 Pillows With A Punch
• 1 Fast Fit book by Sandra Betzina
• 2 Mystery Sandra Betzina Out-of-Print patterns
• Nifty Notions Brass Seam Ripper
• Collins Wash Away Wonder Tape
• Trio of Schmetz needles
• Buttons from Sandra’s special stash
• Mystery bag of sewing notions
• 1 copy of book 111 Places in San Francisco That You Must Not Miss
                         Grand Prize Valued at $250

So, I entered my latest version of Vogue 1540.

 

Vogue 15410 on form

The main fabric is from a gray, quilted polyester knit fabric. The quilting was done with silver metallic threads. I did not quilt the fabric; this was in my resource center and has aged quite well. The reverse of this fabric is black with silver thread stripes – quite gaudy for me. The solid is a lightweight rayon/spandex gray knit that matches exactly.  I applied a whisper weight interfacing to the band to make it have the same body as the quilted fabric.  I did not make any fitting changes to this version, but I did shorten the front pattern piece and band about 3 inches.  I am happier with this length than the front length of my previous version.  The trim was purchased from JoAnn Fabrics with the help of my hubby.  It is a polyester organza fabric sewn to a piece of mesh in such a way that it looks like fur.  Here is a close-up on the jacket.

trim close_up

And the backside of the trim so you can see how it is sewn to the mesh.

back of trim

I did not have enough quilted fabric for the sleeves, so I got creative.  There is an insert in the sleeve, so I decided to cut the insert and the top portion of the sleeve (just above where the insert ends) from the quilted fabric; and cut the rest of the sleeve from the solid fabric.  I did not interface the solid fabric on the sleeve.  Hard to describe but here is how the sleeve looks.

Jarvis Details

So, how did I do in the contest?  I received a honorable mention!  This was really the first contest I entered, so it was exciting.  Sandra sent a very kind email to me complimenting my work and creativity.   She also sent a small gift; one of her patterns and a piece of trim.  I have been thinking about making that coat, so now that I have the pattern I will add it to my very long list of things I want to make.

Contest gift

Update:  A post is on Sandra Betzina’s blog showing the winner and honorable mentions.

As Sandra’s note said ..”Happy Sewing”!

See you next time.

The Artful T-Shirt (Vogue 9057)

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There is a Craftsy.com class called “The Artful T-shirt“, which I have in my embarrassingly large class list.  The pattern that goes with this class is Vogue 9057. Normally the art to wear items are not in my wheel house, but I thought I would give it a try.  A slightly blurred photo of the pattern envelope and line drawing below.

Pattern Envelope

V9057[1]

Fitting:  I did a pattern mash-up of Vogue 1363 (mentioned in this post) for the shoulder to bust area because I know it fits.  I placed V9057 on top of V1363 and traced the area below the bust to achieve the angled hem of View B.  My first version was a test, so it is not very “Artful”.  The print is a cotton spandex from Fabric.com and the sleeves and neck binding are a cotton knit from the scraps in the resource center.

V9057 Summer version front

The second version could be considered artful.  The print is a poly spandex from scraps of a previous t-shirt that was eliminated from the wardrobe due to poor fit.  The orange color is a cotton knit also from scraps.  I don’t recall what I made from that so it must have been a long time ago.  I chopped up the pattern and also did some piecing as you can see on the back to make the fabric fit the pattern pieces.  The two fabrics are slightly different weights, but still seem to work together.  The brown fabric is a sheer cotton burnout jersey use before. The yoke is two layers of fabric so I could use the burrito method to finish it – but also since it is very thin 2 layers were needed for stability.  The sleeves are 1 layer and not hemmed.  This fabric stretches when the hem is sewn, so I just left it raw this time.

Front (on me..)

Front

And the left back:

V9057 Side back

I enjoyed the creativity of pulling together the various fabrics for this.  The jury is out on the style, and I am finding I am not crazy about leggings on me.  My knees are not thin so I don’t think leggings are my most flattering look.  I need a little more room around the thighs and knees. Will I wear this?  Yes, around the house since I work from home and want to be comfortable while working, but still look decent when I go outside to walk the dog, answer the door, etc.  This outfit will probably not see a lot of public wear.  But it is fun to try new things!

Thanks for visiting!