McCall's 7975: The Summer Version

Hello, hello! I'm back today with a new top for Mehetabel.  This McCall's 7975 is a fun pattern; it's easy to make, but looks more complicated because of the twist.

I wanted to make a top that Mehetabel could wear with her new olive green linen blend pants (Simplicity 8841) blogged here. This top is made from a jersey crepe from my stash; luckily, this paisley print has olive and peacock blue--and I just so happen to have a peacock blue Robert Kaufman chambray with which I plan to make another pair of Simplicity 7975 pants.

I find it difficult to hem cap sleeves so I decided to hem them prior to installation.  Speaking of installation, I sewed the sleeves in flat which is my preferred method.

All seams were sewn on my regular sewing machine using a stretch stitch.  All seams were trimmed and finished on the serger.  The hems were coverstitched.

This is my second version of this top.  I first made a long-sleeved version last December, blogged here. Like that top, this one fits well in the shoulders and is a bit baggy through the torso. Mehetabel, though, prefers the loose fit in the bodice.  Also, a looser fit will probably be a little cooler that a tighter version.

This is a distinctive top because of the twist, so I don't know that I'll make many more, but I do recommend it!

Apropos of nothing, here's a photo of my design assistants, Bjorn and CJ, taking the day off work to play in the lake at a local state park.  Happiness!

Simplicity 2599 in Souvenir Fabric

These times of isolation have brought out the need for more diversions--at least in my family. First, Aloysius learned to sew (blogged here), and then Mehetabel wanted to sew a top! And to all this I say: Yay!

Simplicity 2599 top with a Talbots cardigan

Now, Mehetabel has sewn lots of things: curtains, pillow cases, scrunchies, ski bags, and masks. She has even sewn some apparel, including this very 90s outfit of pull-on baggy shorts, lined vest, and matching scrunchie.  Here she is on the 4H catwalk showing off her creation. For this, 9-year-old Mehetabel chose the fabric and patterns, and I answered any questions she had. She doesn't look very happy in this photo, but as I recall, she was quite nervous!

Present day Mehetabel likes to have a variety of shells to wear with her multitude of Talbots cardigans. So, last year, when we took a trip to the UK, she purchased several remnants from Sew Over It with the idea of making them into sleeveless tops. Now that the fabrics have been suitably aged, she asked me if I'd help her make a shell from one of the fabrics. Of course! The selection of which remnant to use included a lengthy phone conversation wherein we compared centimeters to inches. Mehetabel selected a remnant that was about a yard, washed and dried it, and brought it to my studio.

Mehetabel at Sew Over It in London

Meanwhile, I remembered a top from Simplicity that fit her well, and found it in my fairly well-organized pattern cabinet. I've made this top a couple times, and for sleeveless versions, I had already made all-in-one facing patten pieces. The pattern calls for a bias tape finish for the armscyes but after some discussion, Mehetabel decided to use the facing pieces instead (which also would be my preference).

This Simplicity 2599 is still in the wardrobe rotation. I think I made it in 2013.

The fabric, a very lightweight crepe--probably polyester--was super skittery, but Mehetabel persevered. She didn't have enough of the fashion fabric to cut out the facings and the fabric is sheer so the print would've shown through, and although I would've preferred a light beige fabric for the facings, she used what I had: white batiste, which worked fine.

I think (but I could be wrong) this was her first time sewing darts! And, after making so many masks, it was a little difficult for her to adjust to sewing curves, but she did it like a champ!

The back closure is a button and a fabric loop. Mehetabel attached the button by hand. The hem was turned under twice and topstitched on the machine. She also topstitched around the neck and armscyes. The facings, which were cut 1/8" smaller at the neck and arm, were stitched in the ditch at the shoulder and underarm seams.

The pattern is Simplicity 2599 which is out-of-print. One of the things I like about this pattern is that it includes cup sizes. We didn't have enough fabric to sew any of the embellishments, but the plain top is versatile. In fact, I have only sewn plain versions of this top, either sleeveless or with capped sleeves.

Mehetabel worked on this top, size 14 C-cup,  over the course of several days--two(ish) hours per session. All seams were sewn on my Pfaff 3.5 Expression, and she serged each seam allowance on my Babylock Imagine.

This was a straight-forward sewing project, and I think Mehetabel found it to be fairly easy. It really made it easier that she's recently helped sew hundreds of masks for which she used the same sewing machine that she used for this top. She was confident and comfortable using the machine--and that goes a long way toward success. She also made sure to snip all threads and press after every step which keeps projects from falling into the "Happy Hands at Home" or "Becky Home-ecky" categories!

And, for just a couple pounds/dollars, she has a great top and several cardigans to go with it. Huzzah!

Another Outfit: Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan, Jalie Eleonores, & New Look 6150

Hello, hello!  I hope you are all doing well, staying healthy, and keeping your marbles!  I'm so happy to be getting through some of my backlog of sewn pieces.  Today, I want to show you another Helen's Closet Blackwood Cardigan--actually, this whole outfit uses the same patterns as in this post but from different fabrics. Why re-invent the wheel?

Like my first version, this Blackwood Cardigan is without pockets as I thought the fabric wouldn't support them.  The fabric is a super soft poly/lycra sweater knit from Fabric.com purchased in December 2018 for about $8 per yard.  

Mehetabel is wearing the sweater with a now out-of-print New Look 6150 shell in double knit, blogged here, and another pair of Jalie Eleonore jeans (other colors blogged here and here and here and here and here) in sapphire stretch twill from Michael Levine.

Except for omitting the pockets, I didn't make any changes to the pattern.  Twill tape was sewn to the shoulders for support, all seams were sewn with a stretch stitch on my Pfaff, the seams were trimmed/finished with the serger, and I used my coverstitch to topstitch the front facing.  Very easy, very quick, and I think it looks great on Mehetabel! She could go down a size, but Mehetabel likes it as is.

The Blackwood Cardigan is a great pattern! I foresee making many more of these for both Mehetabel and me. 

TTFN!

Black Lives Matter

RIP George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor
Photo credit: CNN.com

There is so much scary stuff going on in the world right now--like the global pandemic--but there's something else that's been going on for a long, long time, and I'm going to take this moment to share my thoughts.  I have been horrified and disgusted by the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd (among others). I wasn't going to write about this, because I like to have this blog solely for my sewing projects--nothing heavy or political. But, after reading the thoughts of so many black Americans, I decided to put my toe in the water and share my feelings about race in the U.S. 

I am a white woman in my early 60s, and I have lived a life of privilege and often of ignorance. I don't feel like there's much I can say or do to change any situation in this country, but adding my small voice and my vote will add to the many other voices and votes, and hopefully make an impact. This blog post is my announcement that I will not tolerate racism, that I support the black community, and that I will do what I can to be a better and more aware person. I am learning about implicit bias and hope to rid myself of any ingrained reactions that are negative. 

Thank you for reading. I will get back to my regular posting soon.