Victory Patterns 1002: Ava Dress

I seem to be going back through my old patterns lately and sewing them up! I made this as the blouse a couple of years ago. I always wore it with a wide belt though as it had a tendency to poof out on my stomach so I got rid of it in the big wardrobe cull of 2015.
This time I wanted to correct the things that bothered me with the first version - added a waistband to eliminate the poofyness, used smaller bias binding to make the binding sit smoother, got rid of the darts and added princess seams. Otherwise its a fairly similar colour palette - purple ponte and a basic black lace!

Pattern details;

Size 14
Added 1" FBA
Changed darts into princess seams
Added the waistband.
Dropped the neckline by 1"
Left out the zipper (hooray for ponte!)
Sewed the side seams last and took it in by 1/2" each side.
Took 1.5cm out of the bodice length (once the skirt was added the weight dropped it all too low)
Made the length somewhere in between the short and long length.
Added pockets from the Burda dress I last made


Fabric;
Ponte from Clear-It
Lace from the salvos (its just a cheap Spotlight one though)

Insides are all serged and I reinforced the shoulder seams with some selvage since the dress is quite heavy

I like how unpretentious this dress is in regards to sewing the lace, no fanciness, just sew it up like any other fabric. For someone who's still a little scared of lace I like how basic it is. No couture techniques here, just serge it all up and no worries!

I'm really happy with it, its a pretty dress that I can still wear with a shrug to work. And I am so much happier with the fit now compared to my first attempt!

Daughter approved!

McCalls 7199: Drape jacket

I am a sucker for a drapy knit cardi and McCalls really do seem to do the best ones. The sizing is pretty predictable though, I always have to size down a few sizes (I think I'm a 20 or a 22 on the size chart and I made a sz16 here), the arms are always too short and way too tight. There's something a little funky going on at the back of the armhole, I want to wash it a few times though and see if its the fabric being a bit stiff or if I need to trim some off next time.

Adjustments;

• Size 16
• 2" FBA
• 3" bicep width
• 1" to arm length
• 1" to armscye height
• 1" back width
• 1" to hips

I like the seam lines on the back especially and I really want to make a contrasting version eventually.

I read in the only review on patternreview that the weight of the facings dragged the top forward when wearing so I decided to leave the facings out and left the front edge unhemmed. This meant I stitched the back neck seam the other way from the instructions so the seam would be hidden

The fabric is a purple/grey ponte knit from Spotlight

I wore this to work this week and its one of those tops that looks so much nicer when you are moving around instead of standing still, it has great drape and I love the seam lines. I thought about making it look more fitted by taking it in at the back by adding a centre backs seam but I have been way over-fitting my clothes lately and need to just take a chill-pill and relax so I left it long and swingy.

Simplicity 2446: Ponte jacket

One thing I've really missed wearing is a fitted stretch jacket. I used to have a couple of them and wore them to death and never replaced them when they got too small. I've tried on RTW ones since and they are all ridiculously too big on the shoulders. This jacket is my first attempt to fit a TNT stretch blazer.
I picked this pattern up at the latest Spotlight sale, cut a Sz18 with the c-cup front. These patterns come with a 1" seam allowance so you can fit as you go. Its a good idea but if you use the full 1" seam allowance you end up with ridiculously wide shoulders on them, so just keep that in mind if you make one.

I added a 1" FBA and 1" bicep width and then muslined this up. Pretty good fit width wise, I used the 1" seam allowances on the upper back and nipped it in at the waist. Added a bit to the hips on the back. I did take in the princess seam above and below the bust and also narrowed the shoulders by about 1".

I wanted to keep it casual so didn't add shoulder pads and didn't worry about the inseam pockets or the faux pocket flaps.
Fabric is a poly ponte I picked up at a Lifeline shop, its very spongy and very 1970's plastic feeling but feels like it could be blown up and would still be wrinkle free, lol. Lining is a stretch satin that I also used for  my Lekala 4329 jacket.

 

 The fit still isn't perfect, I still have too much excess across the upper chest and I think the button spacing looks funny, I actually lowered the placement by about an inch but I think they need to be lowered again. I might lengthen it by an inch or two as well, it looks a bit short. I need to wear it around a bit first though and then tweak it, I picked up some nice uncut corduroy this weekend that I want to make the next version out of.

Vogue 1364: ponte jacket

 

I ordered a couple of patterns in the latest vogue sale and this was one of them. It didn't look that great on the pattern cover but I did like the line drawing and I do wear a couple of waterfall front cardigans a lot to work in the cooler weather.

The pattern does say its a loose fitting jacket and it really is. I cut a size F and graded in at the waist to a size E, which is 3 sizes smaller than I should have cut. I didn't make any bust adjustments and it looks ok, so it is pretty forgiving in the front. Material is a ponte knit from Lincraft

I really, really like the pockets, they are a single pattern piece which is sewn to the front of the jacket, you do see the stitching lines on the front but they sit beautifully flat and are a really neat idea, I will be using it again on casual jackets and I think they would work well on pants too.

I did shorten the length and the sleeves by a couple of inches. The collar was a bit of a pain, it sat beautifully before I did a rolled hem around it but then it just wouldn't sit smooth. I ended up stitching down the collar from shoulder seam to shoulder seam to make it sit properly.

However, I don't like the shape on me. It has no waist definition and I don't think the front drapes as nice as a basic waterfall front cardigan, it looks kind of bunchy where the darts release. The proportions are a bit off too, It needs to be a fair bit shorter I think, but then I would have to cut the pockets in half so this was as short as I could hem it. It was well drafted and sewed up really quick but I can't see myself making another one.