Vogue 1177 Pleats Please

No, I am not talking about Issey Miyake's collection. It is more like "Oh gosh, Vogue 1177, how many pleats do you want me to make? Please someone do it for me..."


Vogue 1177
Source: Vogue Patterns

There are pleats and tucks to make in Vogue 1177. I began with making five tucks in each front yoke. It went well. My next task was making seven pleats in each front piece. Then fourteen in back. Then more in sleeves, which I had not even marked yet... If you are good at making pristine pleats, Vogue 1177 will be great for you to showcase your skill.

The above picture shows the yoke front after the tucks were made. I was happy with the result until I realized that I pressed the tucks in wrong direction...

So I re-pressed. Oh well, those unfortunate chopped ends of the tucks should be hidden under the neck binding.

Then the next unfortunate thing happened when I tried to join yoke and upper front. The length of each piece did not match. I had to redo the pleats on both right and left pieces. Luckily the back pieces had no problem. It is possible that I might have made the tucks bit wider or the tucks were marked wider than they should be on the pattern.     

After joining yoke, upper front, and upper side front, it looks like this:

Back piece inside view:



Guess what? All the tedious works were rewarded when the front and the back pieces joined together. I immediately fell in love with this unfinished top!

My plan was to make a blouse from this pattern. Now that I love how it looks wihout sleeves, I have to make a decision: Long sleeve, short sleeve, or no sleeve? Hmmm. 



Vogue 1177
Source: Vogue Patterns



Well, that is all for today. I am hoping to show you the finished blouse next time. 

Until then, cheers to you all!

Vogue 1247 Rachel Comey Outfit

There was a reason why I was in such a hurry to finish up my orange skirt last weekend. I wanted to wear it on my mini vacation in Sedona.

Vogue 1247 Top and Skirt

Vogue 1247 Top and Skirt

The skirt sits slightly above my natural waist. The length is 4" longer than the original pattern. (Blogged here.) I like its A-line shape. It is not too triangle yet so comfortable - especially when I sit. Driving in this skirt was no problem at all.

For the detail on the top, please go to my previous post.

I came to realize that basic skirt did not have to be in neutral color. This orange skirt is surprisingly versatile. I can match many of my tops with this skirt because my top often includes orange in its design. 

Vogue 1247 Skirt Front

 

Vogue 1247 Skirt Back


I did not do Hong Kong finish on seam allowance but lined the skirt instead. I loved the result. I even wished I had made this skirt reversible.

Vogue 1247 Skirt Inside

Pattern: Vogue 1247

Fabric: Calvin Klein cotton sateen from Michael's Fabric.

Lining: J Crew cotton lawn from Sawyer Brook.

(I blogged about those fabrics here.)


I will post some pictures from Grand Canyon trip next time. Until then, cheers to you all!

Vogue 1247 Rachel Comey Top

Here is my test version of Vogue 1247 Rachel Comey top, shown with orange double knit fabric pinned to the dress form. This is a very loose-fitting top that you may not need to make a muslin if you can take a deep neckline. I wanted to test it because I narrowed the neck opening and raised V by 1 1/2" at the center. I also shortened the length by 1".

The fabric is silk charmeuse which I bought from Denver Fabrics so many years ago. I only had little less than 1 1/3 yard in 45" width of fabric so there was not enough to cut bias sleeve facing.

Vogue 1247

Source: voguepatterns.mccall.com

I had a false impression on the difficulty level of this pattern. After reading many reviews it looked to me that people made this pattern easily and quickly. Turned out it was not so easy for me.

One of the interesting design feature of this top is the lower front where four pieces of fabric joined together. Because of the french seams, the point where all the pieces met became very bulky. Sewing bulky seams on slippery fabric was not so much fun.

One more piece to add to this bulk...

All four pieces are joined

Joining the upper front pieces together at the center front was also a little problem. It was bulky where the neck facings met together. Precise marking and sewing are required in this step because two points - neck line and darts -must match at the center.







Lastly, making narrow hem on curved hemline on slippery fabric was not so easy...

Anyway, the top is done. 

I recommend using thin fabric for this top pattern. I thought my charmeuse was not thick at all, but it became bulky at some places. It will be helpful if the fabric is easy to press since you are going to press a lot to make french seams. Of course another option is not doing french seams and just serge/zigzag seam allowance.

Conclusion: I think the top is cute and great style for hot summer days. I do not want to sew it again, however, I will probably make a skirt using this pattern in the future.


By the way, Leo was taking a nap in the suitcase the other day. Cuteness! 

 


Until next time, cheers to you all!



Simplicity 2472 Milly Knit Top

Spring break, baby! I have just finished my first spring break project. I was excited to use this yellow knit which I bought in January (blogged here).





Fabric: Viscose knit from Sawyer Brook. This is a four-way stretch knit with ample stretch and recovery. It is very soft and comfortable.   

Pattern: Simplicity 2472. It is a very simple pattern which only has front, back, and binding for neck and sleeve. I made View C.

Does everyone like sewing bindings? Well, I found out I did not! It required lots of patience.  

Neck Binding: 

 



Sleeve binding: 

 

When I finished all the bindings and checked how it looked, one word immediately came to my mind: pajama. I like using a simple pattern for busy print fabric, but this time it looked way too simple and boring. Since the fabric was so soft and comfy I was tempted to just hem it up and wear it as a pajama but hey, this is Milly fabric! I wanted to make it wearable outside.

I liked the look on the right much better. I decided to add lower band to transform it into a top.

I cut off 10 inches from the hem, shortened its width so that it clings at hip, and folded it half to make a band. Then I gathered the bodice hem and attached the band.  

Lower Band from Inside

Lower Band from Outside

Here are the front and back view of the final result.

 

Yay! This fabric is a little bit sheer so I am going to wear it with a camisole underneath.
Update: You can see the picture of this top on me here.

Helper of the day: Leo

Until next time, cheers to you all!