Rewind it Back - New Look 6340

I've seriously been walking down memory lane of my previous makes.  Part of it is because I don't wanna fit a new pattern.  Part of it is because these garments worked for me and I need that in this updated body. So, today I'm revisiting New Look 6340 which is still in Simplicity's catalog. This is my newest version.

Between 2017 and 2020 - I made seven garments from this pattern - 2 sleeveless maxi dresses, 1 tunic, and 4 different dress versions.  My favorite was this denim version:

I wore this one and the linen versions the most.  And only one still lives in my closet - this maxi version.

Supplies ~

3 yards of a midweight linen print from Mood Fabrics online purchased several years ago

22" light blue zipper from the zipper stash

2 7/8" black buttons from deep in the button stash

2 yards of black piping from Daytona Trimming via the trim stash

Construction ~

Thankfully, when I pulled the pattern out of the folder, all of the alterations had been done to the main pattern pieces. There was even the maxi version in pattern form.  So, happy about old me now.

The only change I made was to add a 1/2" to each sleeve side seam. I remember these sleeves as snug fitting and wanted to make sure that they didn't look tight on my even more bodacious biceps.

I added piping to the neckline, sleeve hems and pockets.

The pockets were getting lost in the busy print.  So added piping along with 

the black buttons to make the pockets stand out.

Added a facing to the sleeve hems to encase the piping.

Otherwise, it was a simple sew.

Wearability ~

I wore this dress to work this week and took pictures in my office.  This dress was comfortable to wear, however, because of the fabric's weight, it's not as drapey as I would like.  The thing that bothered me was that it tended to bunch at my knees when the wind was blowing. Otherwise, it was a good wear.

A few more photos ~

I'm glad I reused this pattern.  Since I own loads of linen for future makes, I will definitely sew this again next spring/summer.

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...as always more later!

Do I?

I'm in a quandary.  Do I continue to add to my wardrobe by making new?  Because we all know I own the raw materials to do so.  Or do I deconstruct and remake?  I've made some beautiful dresses over the years using some amazing fabrics.  During my weight gain, I gave a lot away because I could make new. But now that the weight is gone and will probably stay gone...do I give away again?  Or do I remake?

Y'all I've never been a remake sewing woman. The alterations always annoyed me so I made new.  BUT some of these summer dresses are just gorgeous and I don't want to say goodbye...

Dresses like this:

I loved this Hope Dress.  It and every iteration I've made is now being packed away.  I can honestly say I'm not dealing with those tiers!

Every McCalls 7969

You get the drift. I did reclaim a few dresses and skirts:

Made this skirt in 2019.  Re-wore it last week.  Wearing the denim version next weekend.

A rayon crepe version of my TNT flare skirt made in 2017 went on vacation with me and has been worn to work this summer. I've pulled the pattern to make more.

A couple of Myosotis dresses have also been reclaimed:

From 2020

From 2019

From 2018

While I have reclaimed some older pieces that I thankfully didn't give away, there are so many more that will go in the donate pile.  So do I reclaim or do I donate. I will keep you updated.

...as always more later!

Let's Do It Again - Vogue 2947 - Part 2

In the previous post, I shared the first two garments made from Vogue 2947.  Originally I thought both would be dresses, and I would be done with this pattern. It didn't turn out that way because I had fit issues with the pattern.  I made assumptions.  I didn't check before I cut. I made mistakes.

You would have thought I would have given up. I probably should have, but I was being stubborn, because that dress if it fit would be perfect in my new summer wardrobe.  So I pulled a rayon/linen blend from the collection and started over.

I thought if I did a pivot and slide for the front and back pieces like in the original dress I would be okay. 

I forgot that I wrote this in the original blog post, "Cause I made a whole list of alterations and then I took out all of the space I added in."  The same thing happened with this one. I added 1.5 inches to the waistline of both the front and back piece. When the dress was sewn together it was very loose. Now in the last post I didn't list what I did to fix the dress but IF I ever get the idea to make this again, the steps are now posted.

1. I removed 2" from each side seam.  
2. Then I split the front down the center and added a 3/4" seam to the front.
3. Finally I added armhole darts to the front to make the armholes stop gapping.

This removed most of the excess fabric.  The dress is still loose fitting but it works for now.  Because I need clothes. See, quite a few of the garments that I thought would work with the weight loss are too big/loose.  Something I didn't count on. So, every additional garment I can add to my wardrobe is a plus and I'm going with that.

A few photos ~

Finally, I realize why this dress was made only once.  I've also realized that even though my measurements are about the same, and my weight is also about the same, my 66 year old body isn't. I can't take my TNT patterns from 10 years ago and just sew them.  I will need to check fit with each of them if I choose to use them again.  Right now, I'm thinking I'm better starting with a new pattern.

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...as always more later!