Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sleeveless Top - New Look 6160

I've had this pattern forever, and lately I've had quite a hankering to make some t-shirts and tank tops.  I've always loved the pink and yellow version on the front of the pattern envelope.  I now have some pink stretch in my stash, and I'm sure I have some yellow spandex buried somewhere.  That'll be my next version.
The fabric I used for this was some white/heather gray t-shirt knit that I bought at Davey Fabrics from the discount bin.  I'm not a big fan of wearing plain white, but for some reason, I just love this colour.  I decided to use the funky stripe spandex from my latest kimono sleeve top to use for the shoulders and neck binding.  
I measured my favorite fitted t-shirt, and I made the following alterations to my pattern:  I added 2 1/2" of length at the waist.  I cut an 18 at the bust/shoulders, and a 16 at the waist and hips.  The torso is perfect.  
Before
I ended up with some gaping at the armhole, but I decided to go ahead and stitch down my armholes and see if it made a difference.  It didn't.  I had to make a bust dart at the armhole.  On the pattern, I will be transferring this to a 
side seam bust dart.  I don't mind having darts in a t-shirt, if it means it'll fit as good as this!
After
Another minor adjustment I did was to hem the armhole 3/4" at the shoulder, instead of the recommended 3/8".  Next time, I will also do a 1" swayback adjustment, and add the same length to the hem at center back.
It feels slightly odd to have a t-shirt that feels, well, tailored!  I like it!  I'm going to tackle the other shirt from this pattern, and make the same changes.  I don't have a lot of t-shirts, and I need all kinds: long-sleeved, short-sleeved, sleeveless, racer-back, etc.  I'm excited to get started on the next one!
I topstitched everything with orange thread and the coverstitch on my serger.  I like how it looks.
I'm beginning to see a trend here.  When I have a pattern or fabric that I really like, I will make it at least twice.  I've made 2 kimono sleeve tops (with at least one more to go!), and I've used this funky pink fabric twice, and there's lots more where that came from!  Also, remember the fucshia/purple/orange flame fleece I made my onesie out of?  I have enough left to make a Jalie hoodie!  I'm so excited to dig into more of these projects.  Plus, working with knits is quick and satisfying.  
Yay! sportswear!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Kimono Sleeve Top; Round 2 - Burda 7866

I whipped this up on Friday night after supper.  I thought it would only take me an hour.  Apparently, I'm slow.  It took me an hour and 55 minutes, which is only a 10-minute improvement from the last one.  And I only sewed my seams once, not twice.  Hmm...  Call me a slowpoke.
I wanted the stripes to all be going sideways, but the main pattern piece looks the same no matter which way you turn it, so I accidentally cut the stripes vertically instead of horizontally.  I didn't even notice until I sewed the waist seam and saw that the stripes were perpendicular.  Oh well.  It still looks good this way.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with this top.  It's bright and funky, and very comfortable.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Batman Onesie for Ken - McCall's 6251

Ken's Batman Oncsie is done and mailed!  I did slightly better for time on this one.  It took me about 3 hours and 40 minutes.  
Ken is 6'2".  Based on his measurements, I cut a size XL with the following alterations:


I added 1" at the chest and 1/2" at the hip on the side seams (4" ease at chest, 6" ease at hips), essentially making an XXL.  
I added 3 1/2" of length to the sleeves.
I added 5" of length to the body: 2" at the torso, 2" mid-leg, and 1" at the hem.


I did a little better with the neckline ribbing this time.  How it curves down at centre front is good.  I sewed the neck seam with 1/4" seam allowances.
Here's my label.
I told him to send me pictures as soon as he gets it.  Until then, I'll just have to trust my instincts that it will fit him.
I bought these boxes so I could send pants back and forth to my brother.  They're the perfect size for onesies!  
What a fun project!  I hope I can make many more of these!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Onesie!!! - McCall's 6251

This is my Christmas gift to myself.  Almost 2 months late.  That's how I roll!
Anyways, back in November, McCall's came out with some new patterns, and I almost freaked when I saw this one!  Finally, a onesie for grown ups!  
McCall's 6251
I bought the pattern with the L and XL, so I chose the Large and made some changes to it.  Based on one of my favorite t-shirts, I decided 4" of ease at the chest and hips would be sufficient.


These are my alterations:
Took in side seams by 1" on each pattern piece = 4" total
Lengthened sleeves by 1" and legs by 1 1/2"


For a first try, it's pretty good!  The crotch is a little long, and the hips are too snug to move around comfortably.  Otherwise, everything is great!
Next time I will:
Cut the Medium, altering for 4" ease at chest and 6" ease at hips
Shorten torso by 2"
Alter the length of sleeves and pantlegs
I was inspired by Sue Sylvester from Glee and her Adidas track suit.  It has a ribbed neckline that tapers to nothing at the zipper, which I thought would be perfect for this.  I cut some ribbing 2/3 smaller than my neckline, and just winged it.  It worked!  I topstitched my seams down so it would stay nice and flat.  The only thing I would do differently next time is take only a 1/4" seam allowance at the neck.  The neckline is huge!  The ribbing helps to fill it in a little.
The ribbing for the sleeves is a smidge smaller than what they called for, because I was using scraps and needed to be stingy.  I like them like this.  I think I would do the ankle ribbing almost as tight, because it's kinda baggy and doesn't really do anything.
I wanted to make sure my zipper didn't go all wonky on me, so I was careful not to let anything stretch out.  I basted the seam together, pressed it without pulling, and immediately slid one of my big rulers underneath it and pinned my zipper in place so it wouldn't stretch out when I sewed it.  Turned out perfect!  
And, of course, I had to put in my funky label.
This onesie only took me 4 hours to make.  So much fun!  


I'm making a batman one for a customer tomorrow, so I'll be sure to share pictures when I'm done!  I can't wait to make more!  I have 2 sewing friends who are going to make some, and I hope I've inspired some of you seamstresses to make some too!  Wouldn't a red one with a back flap be so cute?