Another Conference Capsule Selection: McCall's 7160 & New Look 6301

Well, the first dress I made for Mehetabel's conference capsule was a success, so I immediately duplicated it.  It is a mash-up of New Look 6301 (skirt and ties) with 10" added to the length of each, coupled with the bodice from McCall's 7160 (out-of-print).  

Like the last dress, blogged here, I modified the bodice significantly by eliminating the center front seam, drawing a new neckline, and adding a facing.

Also like before, the bodice was underlined with beige knit.  The hope is that this, along with the waist seam clear elastic, will provide the necessary support for the rather heavy skirt.

With the last dress, I sewed everything together but didn't serge the waist seam.  Then I attached the clear elastic to the seam line and serged it.

For this dress, I sewed everything except the side seams, and again, I didn't serge the waist until I'd added the clear elastic to the seam allowance.  After that I serged both side seams.

In my last post, I told you how I tried a Palmer & Pletsch method for attaching fusible interfacing. For this one, I went back to my usual routine--I block-fused the interfacing to a piece of fabric, cut out the facing pieces, and serged the bottom to finish it. Once the facing was attached to the neckline, I hand-stitched it to the underlining.

The fabric is from Fashion Fabrics Club.  It is a poly/lycra jersey and cost $4.46 per yard.  They describe it as a teal cheetah jersey.  But honestly, I couldn't tell what the print was supposed to be--maybe an abstract animal- or floral-print!

What's next?  I'm working on some slacks--still in the muslin stage--and also on a floaty faille blouse.  When will they be done?  Hmmmm....

Conference Capsule: McCall's 7160 & New Look 6301 Mash-up

You can probably guess that my daughter, the not-her-real-name Mehetabel, and I have a wonderful relationship.  I am so lucky!  And I love to make clothes for her because A) I can, B) she's so appreciative, and C) she's a terrific model!  There are other reasons, like, I love her, but these three will do for now.  Often, I just make whatever I feel like sewing, but occasionally she'll make a request.  This project was chosen by Mehetabel.

I'm calling this her Conference Capsule.  And this is just the first piece, because one dress does not a capsule make!

Mehetabel is a Ph.D student who has published papers and often presents the subjects at conferences.  I am very proud.  Well, last year, Mehetabel took a couple Mom-made dresses with her to a conference.  One was McCall's 6886 in hunter green jersey which I lined--I haven't blogged this version but I used the same process for this one.  Here's a closet selfie of the version she took to the conference:

When she wore this dress for a presentation, she realized she'd be more comfortable in a longer, fuller skirt.  If she needed to sit down, she felt this dress could show a bit too much leg.

So, she knew what she wanted:  a fitted bodice with a modest neckline, 3/4 length sleeves, and a skirt that wasn't too fitted and was long enough to cover her knees when she sat.  With further discussion, she decided she'd like an attached belt.  She wanted some pattern to the fabric--just in case her nerves caused her to perspire while on the dais, the pattern would help camouflage the evidence. Also, she wanted fabrics that would coordinate with her black shoes and bag.

Mehetabel loves color and pattern (me too!), but for her conference dresses, she wanted something more subdued--nothing that would be too jarring or take the focus from her topic.  

Oh!  I almost forgot!  She also wanted an easy-travel fabric like ITY (Interlock Twist Yarn) knit.  Just roll up the dress, stuff it in her carry-on, shake it out and hang it up at the hotel.  Hey presto!

With that in mind, I started searching for ITY knits that had some pattern, but not too much pattern, and in colors that wouldn't be wild.

I have several ITY knits in my stash that fit the bill, so I selected four of them, took a photo, texted it, and asked if any of them would do.  She chose her top two favorites, and off I went!

For the first two dresses, Mehetabel chose the top left and the bottom right

There was a bit of trial and error, but finally the winning pattern(s) emerged.  I used the skirt pieces from New Look 6301, first blogged here, to which I had already added ten inches in length, plus the belt piece--also with ten inches added to the length.  For the bodice, I used McCall's 7160, to which I eliminated the center seam, changed the neckline, and made facings.  Unfortunately, McCall's 7160 is out-of-print, but it does qualify for my pattern challenge!

The bodice pieces were underlined in beige knit.  The facing pieces were interfaced with Fashion Sewing Supply's pro-tricot deluxe fusible interfacing.

I tried something new with knit facings this time--although I've done something similar with wovens before.  I usually block-interface a piece of fabric and cut the facing pieces from that, and serge the bottom to finish.  This time, I sewed the interfacing to the facing at the bottom, trimmed, and flipped the facings so that the wrong sides were together, and them pressed them to fuse the interfacing. I think I first read about this approach in a Palmer & Pletsch pattern. This creates a nice, professional-looking product. After attaching the facing to the neckline, I finished the facing by hand-sewing it to the underlining.  I don't know if I'll do this method again, but it's always nice to have another trick up my sleeve.

The fabric for this dress was purchased from Fashion Fabrics Club, and I paid $4.46 per yard.

The shoulders were reinforced with fusible interfacing.  All seams were sewn with a stretch stitch and finished on the serger.  I used the coverstitch to hem the skirt and sleeves.

Coverstitched hem!

The skirt is pretty heavy, so in addition to the underlined bodice to add support, I also sewed clear elastic into the seam allowance at the waist before I trimmed/finished it with the serger.  Hopefully this will be enough to support the skirt.

So long, farewell...

I've Got Sunshine: Simplicity 8601

This was a quick top to whip up, and since we still have plenty of sunshine (and high temperatures), I figured it'd get some wear before it's time to bring out the sweaters.  Unfortunately, this version is...meh.

The top is Simplicity 8601.  I've had the pattern since it came out because I think it's not only adorable, but it seems to be on trend too.  And, yes, it's another entry for my pattern challenge.

I made three changes to the pattern--I made it sleeveless, lined it, and lengthened it by 2 inches. Many of the reviews I've read note that the top is quite short, and since Mehetabel is 6 ft. tall, I knew some added length would be needed.  Plus, I figured she wouldn't want to expose her stomach at school.

Need to go down a size!

The top is made out of cotton gauze from Michael Levine.  It's pretty thin, so I thought lining it would be smart--and--bonus! the lining made it easier to finish the ties.  I used the same fabric for the lining.

Match-matchy:  pins to fabric!

I might call this piece the burrito top as I used that method several times.  First I sewed the front center seam, the back center seam, and attached a button loop.  Then I sewed the shoulders and sewed the lining to the fashion fabric at the neckline.  Of course, I trimmed and pressed after each step.  After that, I sewed one armscye burrito-style, and then the other.  Next, I burritoed (it's also a verb!) the hems on the front and then the back.  Finally, I sewed up the side seams as one piece, finishing them with the serger.  All that was left was to sew the button on the back.

If you are unfamiliar with the burrito method, do a search on the internet and you'll get quite a few posts/videos about it that will explain the process more clearly than I could.  I first learned about it when I made the Jalie Scarf-CollarTop in 2012, and I also learned about it in a book I have about linings, but it was called the author's "favorite method...," and I found the explanation a bit confusing.

Jalie Scarf-Collar Top made in 2012 and where I first learned about the burrito method

All in all, this was a fun and easy item to sew, but my fabric choice and the sizing were off.  I'm glad I added the length, but if I make this again, I'll go down a size.  Also, while I like the clean finish the lining provides, the four layers of fabric make the ties too bulky.  Oh well.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Always a good time at Mom's!

Mehetabel is wearing the top with her Jalie Éléonore Pull-On Jeans out of white stretch twill from Vogue Fabrics.  I blogged about these jeans here.

She's also wearing a pair of my shoes--we have the same size feet--I bought these at Talbots last year, I think.  I just love these shoes.  So cute!  And since we live in the desert, why not have cacti on one's tootsies?

My Pattern Challenge, Organization, McCall's 6793 & Other Stuff

I'd mentioned in this post that I'd recently organized my vast pattern collection by creating a database in Google Docs and then sorting the patterns in numerical order by pattern company. The idea is that I can peruse the database (which I've also printed), select a pattern, and then find it in one of the drawers of my awesome cutting table created by Aloysius and Mehetabel (my son-in-law and daughter).  During the process of organizing my patterns, I realized I had a lot that I'd never used, so I'm giving myself a challenge to use at least one never-used-by-me pattern per month. Granted, that's only 12 patterns per year, but hey!  It's better than letting them languish in a dresser.  And maybe I'll do more than one per month!

Top left: 1 of the Simplicity drawers          Top right: Some of the categories

Bottom:  a selection from the outerwear portion of my binder; the pages are enclosed in clear sheet protectors

I'm starting this challenge a bit late--September!--because 2019 has had its challenges.  My mother moved into my house after Thanksgiving 2018 because she became very ill--too ill to live on her own.   She had several hospital stays and one operation between November and February.  After her last hospital stay, she opted for hospice care so she was able to come back to my house.  She passed away mid-February with Mehetabel and I at her bedside.  She lived a good, long life:  90 years.  She was also very creative and an excellent seamstress.  Mom made the majority of my dresses when I was a child, and in her 60s, she studied costume design and millinery, and employed her talents as a volunteer with a local community college theater program.

My mother in 1930 

Other things happened in 2019: Mehetabel and I took a trip to England and Scotland which was so much fun! But when I got back in early June, my house had a plumbing leak, and since the foundation is a slab, the whole house needed to be re-piped.  This was an expensive, lengthy, and messy process, but it is so nice to have running water again!  I don't think I'd have made a good pioneer.  Part of the re-piping process involved jackhammering the foundation so that new pipes could get to the kitchen island, so new flooring was also needed.  

Bjorn's not sure about this

That brings us to September!  As I write this, I'm wearing earplugs and sitting in my studio.  The flooring guys are tearing up my floors not with jackhammers, but something almost as noisy, and they're blast 1970s heavy metal music.  The hardwoods were original to the house and they were apparently glued in place.  They're not coming up without a fight.  But I am so looking forward to new floors.  I've decided to go with luxury vinyl plank instead of hardwood.  I've had LVP in a house before; it is waterproof and low maintenance.  It holds up well to skittering German Shepherds, snow, and furniture moving.

So back to sewing: In my studio, my cutting table sits on top of four Ikea Brimes dressers that are bolted together.  Each drawer can hold four rows of standard envelope/Big 4 patterns.  With my new system, it is relatively easy to find the pattern I'm looking for by selecting it in the database, getting the company and number, and finding it in the corresponding drawer.

I have a tendency to use patterns multiple times.  I guess it's because I've already tweaked the fit, I like the finished products, and why re-invent the wheel.  But now it's time to push some boundaries (gently, gently).

For my first pattern in this challenge, I made McCall's 6793 which is now out-of-print but still available on Etsy, Amazon, and eBay.  I made View B but sleeveless, using a polyester shirting from Fashion Fabrics Club.  I chose this fabric because I loved the vibrant floral print.  Also, I thought it would be a good back-to-school top for Mehetabel; she has several Talbot's "Charming" cardigans that coordinate with the fabric.  It's way too hot right now in our neck of the woods for more traditional fall clothing. 

Another organizational boon has been the Meet Cora app which I have on my iPhone.  It's been a great resource for keeping track of my fabric stash.  With it, I have fabric info at the ready:  length, content, price, where it was purchased, date of purchase, etc.  So, Cora tells me (among other things) I bought three yards of this 58"-wide polyester shirting and I paid $4.46 per yard. Of course, Meet Cora is only effective if one actually enters the information!  

This top was started on the first day the flooring guys were here, and mostly finished on the second day--except for hand-stitching.  I didn't make any adjustments to the pattern, and sewed the medium (12-14). I used my Pfaff to stitch all seams, and trimmed/finished them with the serger.  I hand-sewed the hem, armscye bindings, and the inside collar.

Mehetabel is wearing the top with another pair of mom-made Jalie Éléonore jeans (different colors blogged here).  The red stretch denim is from Sew Much Fabric.  Like the other pairs of Jalie jeans that I've made, all topstitching was done on my coverstitch, seams were sewn with a stretch stitch on my sewing machine, and all seams were trimmed and finished with the serger.

Now it's time for me to head back to the studio for some more organization.  That notions' dresser isn't going to sort itself!

Notes to self:  Pfaff 3.5; Stitch # 1; 1.5 . Babylock Imagine

Burda 6846 in Sweater Knit

Fresh on the heels of the double brushed jersey top, blogged here, I made another version in a sweater knit from Michael Levine which I purchased for $4.80 per yard.

This is a loose-weave knit in shades of salmon/coral and ivory in cotton/poly/rayon/spandex.  I wanted to see how Burda 6846 sewed up in a sweater knit and it turned out very well.  

In my typical fashion, I used a stretch stitch on the sewing machine for all seams and trimmed/finished the seams with the serger.  The hems were done on the coverstitch.

I considered adding clear elastic to support the raglan seams, but I was worried it might be uncomfortable and/or affect the fit under the arms. We'll see how well the sweater holds up over time.  

 Mehetabel is wearing Jalie Eleonores in navy heavy weight stretch twill, also from Michael Levine.

My daughter, Mehetabel, loves it.  Huzzah!

I don't have much more to say about this pattern.  It's quick and easy. The pieces fit together perfectly and I was able to eke it out of two and half yards.

I'll probably make at least one more version of this top, and I might make the skirt too.