Finally! The Simplicity 2343 skirt

She may have taken months to complete but she's finally done and in my closet ready for her first work appearance.  

Previous construction details are here

Total cost:

Pattern: Simplicity 2343 ($1.99)
Fabric:  1 yard of pear gold wool/rayon from FabricMart Fabrics ($9.99)
Thread:  Gutermann gold ($2)
Lining:  Cream color (stash)
Zipper:  Invisible cream color (stash)
Contrast Stitching:  Cream color silk embroidery thread (stash)
Time:  Forevah!  (at least it felt like it)

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Slow and steady - Simplicity 2343 skirt

Slow and steady wins the race - at least that's how the saying goes.  It's a little challenging for me to be sewing for more than a month on a simple pencil skirt, but my available sewing time has been reduced to 10 to 45 minute blocks of time.

The progress so far.

Feb. 17 choose the mustard yellow wool fabric to sew a skirt using Simplicity 2343)

I choose Simplicity 2343, because I wear my orange version fairly often.

Feb. 23, sewed upper yokes to front and back skirt pieces

Did you notice anything odd in the photo above? Think about it.  The piece on the left is the upper side yoke of skirt back. The piece on the right is upper side yoke of skirt front. I didn't even notice I had sewed it incorrectly until I was done pressing... And that is why you should not mix Margaritas and sewing.

Feb. 24, decided to do add embroidered running stitches to emphasis the yoke seam lines

Can you believe it? Me, a self-proclaimed hater* of hand-sewing, actually choose to take time to add embroidered running stitches to this skirt.  (* well, maybe not hater, but I do have a strong dislike for sewing by hand.)

Feb. 28, sewed the side seams and added the skirt waist yoke

I did a pretty good job matching that seams of the yokes at the side seams if I do say so myself. Of course it bugs me that the hand stitches didn't line up, so I'll probably adjust those too.

Feb. 28, couldn't decide on a zipper so set the skirt aside

I'm a huge fan of invisible zippers, and have not sewn a centered or lapped zipper application in probably two years.  So of course the only matching zipper I had was the "vintage" maize, which was not invisible. So I posted my dilemma on my Facebook page and received some great suggestions.  I love the Internet and my online sewing friends!

March 10, added a double tab to hide the non-matching zipper pull

After mulling over the potential zipper options, I choose the invisible zipper in a non-matching color. To hide the zipper pull I added to small tabs. The triangle shape was chosen to mimic the upper side yokes on the skirt.

Now I only have to cut and sew in the lining, hem it up and it'll be ready to wear as I transition from winter to spring.  Then I'm on to my next project - which is likely involve a great piece of designer fabric I purchased the other day at SR Harris.

By the way, are you following me on Instagram (SharonSews) or liked my Facebook page (Sharon Sews)?

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Burda Angled Ruffle Top #130-08-2012 #FAIL

Remember last month when I in my casual comfort sewing zone?  I sewed two cute tunics (Vogue 8817 here and Vogue 8831 here) and was pleased with both looks.  

Deciding I must be on a roll, I quickly traced, cut out and sewed the Burda angled ruffle top #130 from the August 2012 issue.

See how cute this looks?  Loose fitting for comfort yet ruffle details for style.  

Image from Burda (http://www.burdastyle.com/pattern_store/patterns/angled-ruffle-top-082012)

Um...

Well...

Hmmm...

After trying it on and then laughing hysterically, I took a few photos! 

I guess I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

A big old #FAIL!  And I do mean "big", LOL.

Goodness there is so much ease in this baby....

Thank goodness I used an old knit to try out the pattern before I cut into my silk jersey!

So, should you decide to go ahead and sew this one, be sure to take a few minutes to measure the pattern.  I didn't and by doing so I could have avoided this little failure.

Be sure to use fabric with no right or wrong side as the wrong side will show on the lower ruffle.

Bottom ruffle is sewn to lower edge of tunic in curved seam - one edge of ruffle is left unsewn

 

The unsewn bottom ruffle edge is folded up along the fold line

The bottom ruffle is folded up (wrong side shows) and sewn along the side seam forming another ruffle

The upper ruffle is a separate pattern piece and is sewn in place after adding the side ruffle

By the way, my version ended up being a #FAIL, but you can find a successful version on Burda's site. 

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Three Ruffle Aprons from Sew It All Vol 5 magazine

 

 Aprons and baking. They go hand in hand in my house.  I have multiple aprons and am always ready to add more to the mix. 

These ruffled cuties are three versions of the In the Mix apron from the latest issue of Sew iT All magazine (Volume 5).  It's on page 108 if you happen to have the magazine.

Look closely at the byline for the apron project. Yep, that's my name!  This apron is one of my projects in this issue. 


This bright version was sewn to pitch the project idea to the magazine editors.  I left the ruffle edges raw but discovered they raveled more than I anticipated.

 When I sewed the sample for the magazine, I lengthened the apron and hemmed the edges of the ruffles.  By the way, you can purchase a kit to sew this exact design. The kit includes the Westminster's BoHo fabric shown as well as the instructions.

 My latest version was sewn using a remnant from JoAnn fabrics with the ruffles sewn from an IKEA curtain. I used black thread to serge the ruffle edges to mimic the black outlines in the fabric.

It's fun to see how different a simple design can look just by changing the fabric. 

By the way, if you don't have the magazine yet, it's still available in stores or online - and be sure to let me know when you sew your own In The Mix apron.

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Casual Comfort - Vogue 8817 tunic

Another casual knit tunic has been completed. Perfect to pair with skinny jeans and boots for running weekend errands. Or at least it will be once the temps warm up again.  As I write this the temperature outside has reached a balmy 0 degree F.  Yea, it's a good day to hibernate and sew, which is what I plan on doing as soon as I hit publish on this post. 

This is the knit tunic that inspired me to color block the Vogue 8831 sleeves when I discovered I was short on fabric. 

The pattern is Vogue 8817, a Katherine Tilton design that includes this long version with the hi-low hemline as well as a hip length scoop neck tee.


This is the first Katherine Tilton Vogue design I've sewn as the truth is I'm not really an artsy  clothing kinda gal.  But something about this design drew me in and I purchased the pattern during a BMV pattern sale.  (By the way, there's a BMV pattern sale going on right now through 1/22/13.)

It's described as close-fitting. Hmmmm, maybe...you judge for yourself.  I sewed a straight 12 (shoulder/bust) tapering to a 14 at the hip with no alterations at all. 

The light gray fabric is a rayon jersey; the black is an ITY knit (actually a 99 cent dress from the thrift store); the body of the tunic is a silk jersey print from SR Harris Fabric Outlet.

I had originally purchased the silk jersey to sew a maxi dress, but discovered it was a bit more sheer than I had anticipated.  It worked beautifully with this tunic with its great drape. 

The pattern pieces fit together well and the sewing was simple. You can't see it in the photo, but each section is topstitched after being sewn together. The only change I made to the sewing instructions was to bind the neckline before sewing one shoulder seam - which is how I bind all of my knit tops. 

I'm loving the hi-low hemlines at the moment, but it's an easy change if that's something that doesn't appeal to you. 

You know it's a winner when you're daughter sees you wearing it and says "Can I have one just like it, please?" 

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