You like me...you really like me!

...thank you Sally Field!

The SWAP winners are up on Stitcher's Guild and the winners are:

3rd Prize: Yorkshire Lass' Black Rainbow SWAP

2nd Prize: Kbenco's First Rung SWAP

Grand Prize: Carolyn's Midnight Blue SWAP

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who voted for my collection.  I so appreciate your support and encouragement and for thinking me worthy! 

Photo Shoot Outtakes

Okay the pictures and the voting requirements are up on Stitcher's Guild.  You can find the info here.  You must be a current member of Stitcher's Guild to vote in this contest.

I promised outtakes from the photo shoot so here they are:

I call this one the big legged shot

so of course it didn't make it into "The Final 10!"

And I just couldn't stop giggling...

Again with the giggling...

I am soooo not a model

Me and my stylist

Finally this is one of my favorite Analysts at work.  I helped hire her as a Summer Intern and she is just an amazing young woman so of course I had to take a picture with her during the photo shoot:

Yes, most of my pictures were taken at my job and I want to thank my co-workers who were so encouraging, my friend Maritza and my boss John who took the pictures!  All of your help was sooooo appreciated!

Now don't forget to VOTE and as always...more later!

SWAP Dress Number 5 is complete!

ETA: Pic of me wearing the dress ~ see below!

I really wanted the title of the post to say "DONE!" but I still have 1.5 hours of sewing left on the SW Mission Tank which is cut out in an ivory silk crepe.  I can finish that up tonight when I get home...and finally my SWAP will be done.

But this last dress is F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D.  It almost made me cry uncle several times because there is 8 hours of beading in this dress.  I lost the lace for the lining of the dress and spent a precious hour looking for it only to find it on the cutting table.

please forgive the rug but it's standing in the hallway

waiting for me to empty my bedroom and lay it down!

The sleeves were made on Sunday evening but Monday I discovered that I cut them too long...so tonight they were recut, the lace reapplied and then once I started beading the first sleeve, I realized I didn't have enough beads.  So it had to all be unbeaded and rebeaded using the beads in a wiser fashion.

To say I'm tired is an understatement...I've worked on this dress for 10 hours today!  But it fits and looks lovely on...sorry but I only have close-ups and a hanger shot for you.  Do you want to see it?  Well here goes:

The dress in the pattern does not have a lining...but since I made mine from a linen/silk blend there was no way that it wouldn't be lined...and I added my signature lace to the hemline of the dress because it deserved no less:

3 yards of black lace @ $3.98 per yard  from M&J Trimmings

It took three days to get all of the beading done.  I also added a touch of piping at the front neckline to "finish" it off.

Beads and beading supplies (thread & needles)

from New York Beads Inc - $28.85

The navy linen/silk blend was from Fabric Mart at $9.99 per yard - I used 2.5 yards for this dress.  And the blue rayon bemberg lining was purchased from fabric.com at $6.99 per yard.

Even if I don't win the SWAP contest ~ this dress is priceless because of all the techniques I used on a simple McCalls dress that turned it into a knockout....wait until you see it on...

I'll probably post one more group shot of all the pieces prior to the photo shoot but right now I'm off to bed...I'm one tired cookie and I have to work tomorrow!!!

SWAP Dress Number 5

Okay could someone please explain to me why...seriously why...I pick the hardest thing to do at the very last minute!  SERIOUSLY...I have decided to hand bead a yoke to this dress:

...five days before the contest ends!  Now this wouldn't be so mind-bendingly stupid if I didn't have a full-time job and a three hour commute every day...but both of these things are constants in my world...so what the f*ckery have I done!

*sigh*  So here I sit hand-beading while watching Dancing with the Stars...yes, I have lost my mind!

...more later...from the mental ward!

And the winner is...

Thanks everyone for participating in the drawing.  The posts you picked were pretty kewl and I couldn't choose one on my own...so I went with the random number generator to help me out.

drumroll please....and the winner is:

Stephanie of neurosesgalore.com!

Stephanie, please send me your email address and I will get the prizes out to you this week!

I have no sewing to show you...well I do but I'm in the midst of a time crunch right now.  It looks like I'm going to make the SWAP deadline ~ don't know how I pulled that one out!  *LOL*  The Vogue dress 7542 is done, the cardigan is done, the SW Mission tank top is cut out and will be sewn during the week because its the easiest thing to finish up. 

And I totally went for it and cut out another dress...yes, I did!  I know I'm mad but the fill-in dress was just that a fill-in that wouldn't play as well with the other pieces.  So a new dress it is!  The fabric and pattern are laying on the cutting table as we speak, I'm just taking a quick breather before I go back in!  I figure I have another four hours tonight and then I will probably leave work early one day this week to finish it up.  But I think I'm actually going to finish my last stitch by April 30th!

We have until May 8th to submit our photographs....I'm aiming for May 7th because a friend has offered to take the 12 pictures I need to submit for the SWAP.  No impatient child saying hurry up for these photos...no way, no sir! *LOL*  I will work on my SWAP paragraph during the week and captions for the photos...and I will put up the outtakes on the blog for all to see!

Okay, I have a fresh glass of Mountain Dew...and I'm heading back in!  Wish me luck!

...as always, more later!

Vogue 7542 - Part One

I am writing this post in two parts because there is just so much work that I've done on this dress ~ which is not finished, btw ~ that for clarity of thought I have to write about it in two sections.  But first a warning, DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT go looking for this pattern or pull it from your pattern collection/stash to sew.  This pattern has a copyright date of 2002, and it must have been at the height of Vogue's vague pattern instruction days because the instructions on this pattern suck.  Seriously, they suck!  I'm not sure that if I had attempted to make this dress back when I first bought the pattern, if I would have had a successful outcome.

So onwards...the fabric I used was a ltwt tropical wool in a navy blue with an orange pinstripe.  So I knew it would have to be lined.  That was the first of many challenges because the pattern does not suggest a lining for the dress.  The second challenge is that nowhere and I mean nowhere does the pattern instructions tell you how to deal with the pleat after you make it.  Here's a pic of the inside of the dress with the finished pleat:

Nowhere in the pattern instructions does it tell you to remove the basting in the pleat, how to handle keeping the pleat flat on the outside of the dress or how to stabilize the pleat overlap inside the dress.  And then since the dress is unlined, won't the pleat innards wear poorly without something to protect them?

My solution was to add a row of topstitching down the center front piece on both sides of the pleats.  Then I edge stitched the pleats to define them, finally pressing the heck out of them and using my clapper.  Lastly to stabilize the pleat overlap in the back of the dress, I used some stitch witchery.  It was the only invisible treatment that I could think of especially since any hand stitches would show on the front of the dress.

That was my pattern challenge.  My most pressing fit challenge was that this is a SEMI-FITTED dress even though it it does go up to a size 24...which was my starting point.  And to add space to this dress, I couldn't just cut and spread the center front piece because it would throw off the pleats but I had to add more space because the finished lower edge width was 57" and I like more like 62" to 65". 

The good thing about this pattern is that it is a princess seam pattern so there are plenty of opportunities to fix the fit in the back, the side seams and the front before you get to the pleated section.  I also needed to adjust my sleeve biceps because like everything else on this pattern they were too small.

So here are my pattern alterations:

• The center front piece which is placed on the fold was pivoted and slid 1/2" at the waistline down to 1" at the hipline.
• Both the front side and the back side pieces had 1/2" added at the waistline increasing to 1" at the hipline and 2" at the hemline.
• I added one inch to the center back piece from neck to hemline.
• The sleeve pattern was sliced in half and 5/8" seam allowances were added at the sleeve cap and the sleeve hem.  A bump for the bicep was added about 1 1/2" on both sides of the sleeve seam.

I basted the thing together and put it on, then closed my eyes, took a deep breathe and looked at myself in the mirror and IT FIT!  I unbasted it and cut the lining pieces from the front and back pieces.  Now this is the "don't do as I do part, just do as I say!"  *LOL* 

The proper way would have been to cut lining pieces from all of the altered pattern pieces and stitch it together figuring out a way to omit the pleat in the front.  Instead I laid the already adjusted, unbasted front and back pieces from the fashion fabric onto the rayon lining and cut them out that way.  I had no intentions of trying to "line" the pleat or of making seams in the lining. 

I did get the sleeves into the garment but the shoulders are too wide and the sleeves hang funnily.  They also need to be shortened but by this time I was "tired" of this dress.  So this is how it's hanging now...waiting for me.

I will finish the dress.  I do like the pleats in the front.  But as with all very conservative dresses made from boring pinstripe fabric...it is bland.  This dress will need serious jewelry, shoes, hair and make-up to get it work ready...however, once those things are added it will be appropriate for the days that I need to look banking bland...ooops that's banking trustworthy during those long and tedious meetings...oops again, that's those informative and revenue generating meetings.

Once I've solved the shoulder/sleeve thing...added some jewelry bling and visited hair and make-up, I will share pictures. 

This is SWAP dress #4 which is taking a whole lot longer to finish than I anticipated.  I may have to punt and use one of the dresses I've already made this year (when I should have been sewing SWAP!) for the collection. If I do that, I would have 5...count them 5 dresses and I would only need to make two tops.  Since I'm going TNT with those, I'm almost positive (don't want to offend the fabric gods with too much confidence here) that I will be done this weekend.  That would mean that I would only need to take pictures the weekend of April 30th.  Or I could get a burst of energy and come up with one more dress...seriously, OMG seriously (she says hysterically)...or maybe not!  *LOL*

...anyway, as always more later!

A Neutral is a good base!

This dress was made to be a base for cardigans and jackets especially my SWAP toppers.  It's not suppose to have any "WOW" factor on it's own...it's suppose to support and enhance whatever I desire to put on top of it!

The dress with the Vogue 8623 jacket

Beige print with beige neutral -

The dress with a RTW cardigan

The dress with a bright purple RTW cardigan

A softer side of neutral -

dress with RTW pink cardigan

...and of course the floral orange print topper and the green RTW cardigan will work with the dress too.  Also in the photos is one of the two pairs of nude colored shoes that I recently purchased, so they are out there ladies...I know I took alot of time to find them! *smile*

Finally Kristy asked this question:

"Does the lace around the bottom of the lining catch on your pantyhose/stockings?"

No I've never had that problem but then again all of the lace is washed and dried before it's applied to the fabric so maybe that helps. 

....more later!

A Little Bit of Nude ~ SWAP Dress No. 3

Swap Dress #3 is all about my new obsession with the color nude.   So tonight I came home and finished hemming it during "Dancing with the Stars!" so that it would be wearable before the weather warms up any more.

Some stats:

Fabric:
2 yards of beige wool crepe
2 yards of beige bemberg lining

Notions:
22" invisible zipper
3 yards 1/2" polyester lace
3 yards striped bias binding

Pattern:
TNT Dress Pattern ~ princess seam version

This nude sleeveless version was based upon the original navy blue dress.  I loved how the original one wore...close fitting without being too tight.  The fabric had a little stretch in it so it was perfect for work and the fabric kept its shape during a long day of work...no sagging...no bagging.  

Since I used the wool crepe for this version, I cut it a little bigger thinking that I needed to make an allowance for the stretch in the navy fabric.  Wrong!  I ended up removing almost all of the extra that I added.  Somewhere in my mind, I forgot that wool crepe grows when you add body warmth to it and that the dress didn't need any extra...duh!

Otherwise this is the same construction except this version is sleeveless and lined.  I used some more of the striped bias binding that I made last fall to finish off the armholes.

I also added lace to the hem of the lining.  I just like this look and part of the reason the dress hung so long waiting to be hemmed was because I didn't have any lace on hand.  A trip to Pacific Trimmings last week after work solved that problem.  Then an evening in a tea bath gave me the hue I wanted for the lace.

Now I'm sure you are wondering why I would use the same pattern again...well it works! And it is a good dress to wear under the jackets/tops that are a part of my SWAP plan.  I used a fashion color on a traditional piece to make it trendy yet classic at the same time, thereby insuring that this dress will work in my wardrobe for years to come.

One final pic of me wearing the dress with the sweater that I purchased to add another color to the SWAP plan.

Hopefully I will get an opportunity to work on finishing up the shirt jacket before the weekend because I really want to get started on my next dress which will be made from a tropical wool blue & beige pinstripe fabric!

...as always, more later!

Weekend Update

I had a good sewing weekend even though I STILL don't have any finished pieces!  *LOL*  But I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and these two garments will be finished soon.  First here is a hanging shot of the front of the shirt jacket (Butterick 5261) and another version of my TNT dress:

The dress was basically completed last weekend.  However, it still needs the hems finished.  I will get to that...well I guess so if I want to wear the outfit out of the house! 

Today, I worked on Butterick 5261 - the Connie Crawford Shirt Jacket.  And I have to tell you that I've forgotten how wonderful it is to work with a woman's size pattern...no pattern alterations...just choose your size, cut and sew.  Even the sleeve bicep measurements were perfectly fine.  I love that!

For this shirt jacket I used a very loud printed silk twill fabric from Fabric Mart. 

I've had this in my possession for months waiting for it to become Simplicity 2566 but when I pulled it out of the envelope, I JUST noticed that it's a pullover top and not a button front blouse. Seriously...I couldn't believe it.  So since I had this look in my head, I went with the Butterick version.

The first challenge was cutting the fabric out to maximize the print.  I had 4 yards of the fabric and I took my time to figure out where I wanted those large flowers to end up.  Since the back had a pleat detail, I thought one of them would look good there.  I also cut a piece of the collar using the center of the flower to go with the big flower on the back.

Then both sleeves (since they are raglan and pretty flowy) were also cut with the major portion of the sleeve showcasing a flower.  The fronts were cut with more of the beige area showing...I didn't want any bullseyes in the bosom area...and the bands were also cut out with a lot of the beige background showing.  I think I was successful in getting the placement of the fabric the way that I wanted it.

Otherwise the pattern goes together easily.  I did choose a size larger than I normally would because this blouse will have a matching sash that I will use as a tie belt.  I want to be able to blouson the blouse and have a full look to it so I sized up.  If I make this again, I will definitely make it a size or even 2 sizes smaller depending on the look I'm trying to achieve. 

There are still buttonholes to be made, and the shirt needs a hem & buttons need to be sewn on before its done.  I still have about 2 or 3 hours worth of work to have both pieces wearable but it was a good sewing weekend...at least I know that I will end up with some new garments in the closet this month and not have a repeat of last month!

...as always more later!

Not One Piece!

Today is April 1st...and I can honestly say that I sewed nuthin, nada, zippo or as the title of the post says, not one piece during the month of March!  Now how did that happen?!  It's been over a year since I went an entire month without sewing and I couldn't tell you how it happened this time AT ALL.

However, I have some good news...as I said in the previous post my mojo showed up at 5pm on Sunday evening...in just enough time for me to cut out and start work on SWAP dress number 3.  And I have to tell you, I'm mighty worried about whether or not I'm going to be able to finish this SWAP!  I'm going to have to put the social life on hold to spend every weekend this month working it out! 

I still have 3 dresses and 3 tops to make.  I broke down and added a purchased sweater to the collection, for two reasons:  1.  I don't know if I can make 7 pieces this month...maybe if I had a week off but no such luck!  2.  It adds such a pop of color and helps transition the first pieces from winter to spring that it has to stay in the collection!  The rules say that I can buy a piece so I did.

The patterns and fabrics have been chosen for the dresses and tops...I'm a little leary of sharing them here because I don't want to jinx getting them finished.  Let's just say that if I work this out...you are going to be reading alot about SWAP this month!  *LOL*

I have Good Friday off so I will have 2 days to sew this weekend.  I'm hosting Easter Dinner again this year, so I'm not counting Sunday.  Hopefully, hopefully I can make this work!

Thanks to everyone who read the last post and shared a story...it is appreciated!  And as always...more later!

Changing my SWAP

...not the name...I'm still calling it "Midnight at the Oasis"...no I'm changing the option.  I'm seriously losing interest in the first version that I was creating and am in danger of not finishing it at all.  So after a week of deliberation, I've decided to go with the dress option.  Because seriously that's the option I should have been creating anyway! 

Here is the original option I chose:

Option #2:
2 dresses - single pieces consisting of top and bottom that can be worn alone.
6 tops - t-shirts, shirts, blouses, or camisoles
2 bottoms - jeans, pants, shorts, skirts or kilts.
1 your choice (not an accessory) 

Here is the option that I'm now going to use:

Option #3:
5 dresses -single pieces consisting of top and bottom that can be worn alone.
4 tops - t-shirts, shirts, blouses, or camisoles
1 bottom - jeans, pants, shorts, skirt or kilt.
1 your choice (not an accessory) 

I've still got quite a few garments to make but at least now I can plan garments that I actually want to sew.  Have to figure out what the three new dresses will be because I do want to continue using new patterns and not relying on just my TNT patterns for garments. 

I still have to incorporate these features:

1 will be a matched print or stripe.
1 will feature embroidery, beads or sashiko
1 will have buttons as the star feature OR use unusual or alternative closure(s). 

And now I only have to make 4 tops instead of 6 which helps because tops are not my strong suit.  I normally purchase tops...too busy making dresses, skirts and pants that I like instead of something that I usually can find in RTW. 

So here is a pic of where I'm at right now:

Jacket Vogue 8623; Pants from TNT pants pattern

Dress Vogue 8593; Dress from TNT dress pattern

Sorry the picture is so dark...however, it has shown me something...I do need to lighten this set up considerably ~ its looking a little dark and dreary!  I'm feeling like I'm on the right track now because I really don't want to drop out of SWAP.  I hate leaving things unfinished. 

...as always, more later!

Next Up is Butterick 5446

Lately I've been feening for jackets.  I mean really wanting new and different styles to put together with pants, skirts and dresses to wear to work.  As you know I work in a very professional workplace which requires a lot of suit outfits.  Now I have no problems coming up with outfits from late March to early December when the temperatures aren't in the single digits or there isn't so much snow on the ground.  However, from late December through the beginning of March I tend to live in pants.

I know there are many women who are fans of pants...and I believe they have their purpose in my wardrobe, but they are not my most favorite article of clothing to wear.  So now that I'm deep into the coldest part of the year there is just no escaping the fact that I wear pants more than skirts or dresses.  Of course to me, this is the area of my wardrobe with the biggest holes because I need quite a few jackets to balance out the pants and have a "proper" suit type look.

However, I HATE notched collar jackets...am quite uncomfortable in them...and just don't wear them.  It has taken me a minute to acquire enough patterns and inspiration looks to come up with some different jacket types...so now I'm feening for new jackets.

Butterick 5446 is one of the new spring pattern offerings from Butterick.  The description on the back of the pattern envelope is:

"Misses' Jacket:  Loose-fitting, unlined jackets, slightly below waist length have collar, double breasted front button closures and stitched hems.  View A has short sleeves with button and button loop closures.  View B has elbow length sleeves."

Butterick 5446

photo courtesy of http://www.butterick.com/

I like this pattern because it reminds me of the yellow version of the Michael Kors suit that Michelle Obama has worn:

You know just to continue my ongoing fascination with her wardrobe! *LOL*

As usual I'm using the bones of the pattern with some slight alterations.  After reading through the instruction sheet, I realize that the only closures on this jacket are at the top neckline and I'm wondering if wearing it through the day will cause it to flap open unattractively.  So I'm going to add a side tie at the waistline to help with keeping it closed.  If that doesn't work I will try some snaps but the tie will be my first choice. 

My second change will be to the sleeves.  Okay, those large bell shaped sleeves are quite trendy...just a little too trendy for me.  I will shave a little of the width off below the elbow and add elastic to a casing at the sleeve hem.  Still trendy but a little more office appropriate, to me.

My fabric is in the dryer...its some of that blue/black polyester brocade from the Vera Lavendar collection from fabric.com.  It was one of the few $1.95 per yard purchases I made...I mean I've bought so much of it during the previous sales that there was very little left that I wanted when the last few pieces were reduced to $1.95 a yard. 

I don't have many pattern alterations to make and I'm also planning on making a pair of black lined pants to go with the jacket.  The black pants will be one of the bottoms in my SWAP collection so even though I am making something new...I am pairing it with something from the SWAP and killing two birds with one stone!

Well I'm off to sew and I'm sure that I will have more to share later!

Sewing My SWAP!

"You are making great progress on your SWAP. Three pieces, including the jacket, which is one of the more labor intensive pieces. It seems like you planned out your SWAP work load really well."

Audrey left this message in the comments today and it made me think.  This is my 4th SWAP "contest" so I do have an idea of how to sew for one...but more importantly, I think that everytime you participate in one, you hone your wardrobing skills just a little more.

There are several things that I'm doing differently this time around because of my experience in the other three SWAP contests.

1.  No storyboard
I know that this idea is considered heresy because the storyboard is the starting point for most sewists when they begin a SWAP.  Technically, you really do need one since the entire point is to "Sew With A Plan."  However, I've found that being so tightly bound to a list limits my creativity and causes me to be bored with the plan before it's finished.  Then I start to sew other stuff in the meantime and I wind up doing all night sews at the end just to complete the SWAP...so NO storyboard!

2.  Sew the most complicated garments first
This is when your enthusiasm for the process is most high.  Knock out those all-encompassing pieces first.  It allows you to feel a measure of success and will encourage you to press on to the finish line.

3. Don't be married to your plan
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ONE!  Make allowances to veer off on another path.  That's why I just purchased the last piece of fabric that I need for my plan...and there are still chances that something can change! *LOL*  Leave room for creativity or inspiration to strike...you just never know...you may end up with an amazing reversible dress!

4.  Don't enter the contest to win
This might be controversial but what the h*ll, my blog, my opinion.  I've never seen a plus size woman win this contest anywhere.  I don't know what's up with that, but I'm of the firm belief that I can't win this contest due to my size...so I'm making a wardrobe FOR me!  The prize is that I will have all of these great new garments in my wardrobe and I will feel wonderful wearing them!

And this is the biggest change of all for me and this SWAP...most of the garments will come from new patterns and not a TNT pattern!  Now I'm not going to remake the wheel for a pair of pants and even one of my dresses is from my TNT dress pattern, but most of the tops in this SWAP are from untried and new patterns...the ratio is something like 40% TNT and 60% new!  Yeah, I know...

Here's a preview of some of the new patterns that will be incorporated into my SWAP:

Vogue 1750

Simplicity 2566

So that will be four new patterns included so far in the collection...there's a chance that one more will yet make the cut!  I also chose a different color this year...in the past I've used basic colors or in the case of my first SWAP a brightly colored lime for a summer SWAP that didn't really impress anyone...even me!  *LOL*  The choice of color (navy) was to expand my wardrobe horizons and hopefully by working with it and some new color combinations, I won't be bored!

I will be working on the bottoms or the two pairs of pants for the SWAP this weekend.  I want to get them out of the way so that I can concentrate on the tops.  If you've noticed, I don't make a lot of tops and in the last SWAP I participated in, only two of the tops I included actually got any wear.  One got donated pretty quickly after the contest so I'm trying to make sure that each top that gets made this time will actually get worn.

That's an update on my SWAP...my thoughts...and a little bit of a sneek peak of where I'm going!

Diary Bits:

This is a new section that will be making periodic appearances here.  It will sometimes show up at the end of a post and sometimes it will be the post.  It will just be a bunch of thoughts that I want to share...

Tonight's Diary Bit is about my Vogue 8593 - navy blue doubleknit Michelle Obama knock-off dress.  It's been finished since December but today was the first time I wore it to work.  And I can't believe the number of compliments that I got on this dress.  Both bosses were impressed...with one saying that she couldn't believe how great this dress was...even the "evil one" in my office took a second look!  So even though I more than likely won't make this dress again...it was a home run!

...and as always...more later!

Vogue 8623 is Done

This is the third piece in my SWAP Collection, "Midnight at the Oasis."  It's my "Your Choice" piece - chosen because I want it to go over everything in the collection.

Usually I have a list of alterations that I've made to the pattern to make it work for me...not so this time!  Because this is a "Custom Fit Pattern" that allows you to choose your cup size for your front pieces...and because this is a generously cut princess seam jacket pattern...I needed to make no alterations to either the jacket or the sleeves.

I can't remember the last time that I was able to sew a garment from the pattern without making ANY alterations!!!  So for the fact alone I love this jacket and plan to make it again!  Okay, some pics:

Jacket on Lulu open

Jacket on Lulu buttoned

A glimpse of the lining

A back view showing the pleat

Some stats:

Fabric:
navy wool tweed blend from the Vera Lavendar collection on fabric.com
light blue polyester lining also from the Vera Lavendar collection

Notions:
4 large blue & gold buttons from M&J Trimmings
4 large covered snaps from Pacific Trimmings

Construction:
The outer shell construction is pretty straightforward.  If you choose to make the jacket, just make sure that you carefully mark the pleat notches on the back jacket pattern piece.  Forming the back pleat is what gives the jacket interest and it's easy to do if you mark the fabric correctly.

The lining is what held me up.  I don't know what it is about me and jacket linings but I always feel like I need to take a deep breathe and set aside alot of time because each one makes me feel inadequate...even though this one inserts fairly easily, I did dance around it awhile before settling down and inserting it.  However, I did not serge finish the ends of the lining fabric which raveled terribly.  I stitched each seam twice - 1/8" between stitching lines and using my pinking shears, pinked each edge.  Then I pressed the seam lines flat.  Although I did serge finish the neckline and the hems of the sleeves and the jacket. 

The only change I made to the pattern was to fold over the fronts of the jackets 1" and attach the lining that way.  The pattern instructs you to make a second front from the fabric and interface it.  I just thought that with the fabric I was using this would make the front very bulky.  If you are using a smooth fabric, this won't be a problem, but no one wants all of that extra fabric on the front of them!

The lining was probably the most time-consuming issue besides all of the hand stitching needed to apply the snaps and the buttons.  Because even though the pattern envelope shows the jacket with buttons and buttonholes, the pattern instructions recommends buttons and snaps.

So three pieces down and eight more to go! *LOL*  I'm going to work on the bottoms next.  I'm making two pairs of pants from my TNT pattern and then I'm going to work on the tops.  With my trip to Moods, I bought the last piece of fabric that I need to make the tops and that will allow me to finish up the rest of the garments in the collection.  However, I have to tell you that I'm aching, I mean aching to work on a dress!  *LOL*  See I have a problem...

...as always, more later!

Vogue 8623 - My Your Choice Item

I picked this pattern to use for the jacket or my choice item in the SWAP because it has a funky collar and an interesting back detail. 

So here's where it stands now:

(back view showing pleat)

The outer shell is completed...the lining has been cut out and I've started sewing it together.  The jacket still needs the collar to be made and the lining inserted...

However, this is the first time in a long time that I've made a garment straight out of the envelope.  I didn't need to make any adjustments to the size 24 that I started with...probably because the pattern is a custom fit pattern allowing you to pick your cup size for the front pieces.  I started with the D cup front pattern pieces for anyone who wants to know. 

Since the back has the pleated detail and offers a looser fit, there were no worries that the jacket would be too tight through the body.  And normally I need to make an adjustment to the sleeves because of my bodacious biceps but that wasn't a concern with this jacket either.

The pattern goes together easily, the back pleat makes up quickly and without any issues.  The raglan sleeves are a nice detail that is formed from a separate pattern piece for the front and the back. 

I know that I'm known for the changes that I make to patterns to make them work for me, but I only made two changes in this construction.  The first was to add black silk organza to the center front pieces instead of using fusible interfacing on the boucle fabric. 

(black silk organza basted to center front pieces)

The second change was that I didn't cut out 4 center front pieces from the fashion fabric as the pattern instructs. I thought it would make the jacket center front too bulky using a double front from the boucle fabric.  Instead I cut my second set of front pieces out of lining fabric.  I will share pics of this once I've sewn the lining together and inserted it into the jacket.

This is just an update...I wanted to share with you how wonderful it is to work with both the pattern and the fabric. I believe this is going to be a great addition to the two dresses that I've already completed for the SWAP.

One more shot of the unfinished jacket over the plaid sheath dress...hanging from my closet door:

Oh and the fabric is the navy/creme poly blend boucle from the Vera Wang Lavendar Collection from Fabric.com.

...as always more later...

How about some pictures?

Up first - me wearing the TNT plaid sheath dress with the matching cardigan:

The dress alone:

Next, me in the cardigan/top and pants:

And here is the newest dress and the second piece in my SWAP Collection, "Midnight in the Oasis!"

This dress is made from my TNT dress pattern...well it's a SWAP collection people and the best way to get it finished is to combine a little old with the new! *LOL*

Some stats:

Pattern: 
TNT Dress Pattern

Fabric:
Wool/lycra blend from Fabric.com's Ralph collection

Notions:
22" zipper

Construction Tidbits:
1.  I drew new pattern pieces of the front and back of my TNT dress pattern to make a center front & side front piece and a center back & back side piece.  These pieces were used to make the princess seams in the dress front and back.  I left the dart  on the side front piece so that I would get a good bustline fit.

2.  I started sewing with the back pieces first and put the zipper in.  I only had a regular zipper so I used the center back application.

3.  I sewed the back side pieces onto the center back and pressed the seams toward the zipper.

4.  Next I sewed the center front pieces together leaving an opening from the neckline 5" from the top.

5.  Then I stitched the side fronts to the center front piece.

6.  The center front seams were pressed open and flat, the side front princess seams were pressed towards the center front piece.  I then topstitched the entire piece using the triple stitch feature on my machine stitching from top to bottom to ensure smooth lines.

7.  I also topstitched the bust darts.

8.  The back piece was then topstitched but as I topstitched around the zipper, I noticed the seams pulled away from the zipper.  It was a kewl affect so I kept it.

9.  The sleeve hems were pressed up and topstitching was added to the sleeve hems.

10.  The dress was then assembled as usual ~ shoulder seams and side seams sewn together.

11.  Instead of facings for the neckline...this dress is unlined...I made one inch bias binding from the fabric and used it to finish the neckline.  The binding was then handstitched to the body of the dress.

12.  The hem was also handstitched down.

Some more info:
I loved working with this fabric.  Even though fabric.com says that it is 96% wool and 4% lycra - the fabric had a very stretchy, spongy hand.  I used the topstitching to create vertical lines for a slimming appearance and to mimic the pinstripe fabric that will be used in several other pieces in the collection.

Originally I thought to add a lining to just the top of the dress, however, I settled on binding the neckline.  The fabric was very stretchy and I was concerned about using a regular rayon lining in the dress...plus the fabric is kinda dense so it doesn't really need the additional layer.

Even though the topstitching was time consuming and it took some time to find just the right shade of tan...I sewed slowly because this is the first time that I used this stitch on the Janome 6600...I also had to make several samples to get the tension just right.  However, I'm glad I added it to the dress.  It makes the seams pop!

This is the second piece in my SWAP collection.  Both dresses will go with the jacket that I plan on making from Vogue 8623:

I feel like I'm right on track for getting my plan finished.  I'm making the more complicated pieces first then I will make the bottoms followed by the tops...and as always, more later!