Simplicity 2865 daffodil tank

As usual, life has been pretty crazy around here. My good friend Ash got kicked out and is living with my mom and I for the foreseeable future. Even with her living in the sewing room spare bedroom, I managed to make this tank and cut out several other projects last week. 

Tank is from daffodil yellow jersey from fabric.com's clearance section bought supercheap at $1.95/yard. The buttons, which I hate, are from JoAnn. I am for sure going to rip them off and put yellow ones on, soon as I find some little yellow ones.  

Like my pattern weights? I figured the tealight candle thing out after vetoing canned food for being too heavy and too large to cut around. 

I forgot to cut notches before sewing in the side pannels the first time. See all of those puckers? Not pretty. I ripped both out and sewed them back in, this time cutting notches, and they went in much better... 

...but they also didn't line up. The notches on both were way off and both panels were about an inch too long on the ends. It's not very noticeable and frankly, I wasn't in the mood to rip them out again. Maybe this is why I sew so many wadders?

Overall, it's a cute pattern and I'd like to try the collared view in the dress length sometime. The racerback and fake-placket front are easy but stylish. 

Musings on Patterns, Babies, and Burda

About a gajillion years ago, many sewists pilgrimaged to JoAnn's Memorial day sale for cheap patterns. I was one of them. 5 Simplicity patterns for $5? So there!

Simplicity 2601 would be a great blouse for college interviews, which I need to start thinking about. I can see view E in a light fabric with some colorful contrasting buttons. PatternReview member hokidoki made a great version of it. 

Simplicity 2364 is going to be a great casual top with jeans and skirts. I like views D and F only, though. The fauxlero thing just isn't my cup of tea. Again, PatternReview is full of cute interpretations of this pattern. 

Simplicity 2369 is a simple wrap top or dress. I figured this would be a good pattern to keep on-hand for a really fun colored knit, should one ever fall into my lap. The elastic-waist pull on pants, though? I think I can do without. 

Vogue 8251 was my big let down. I was so excited to see this pattern because I love the bust detail, cute strap options, and twisty backs - all labeled "Easy," by Vogue. 

Well, PatternReview told me differently. Not a single "Easy & Great for Beginners," like I was hoping. In fact, this pattern even has one of the dreaded, "Difficult, but great for advanced sewers," rankings. That pretty much jinxed it for me. I'm in love with view C from this pattern, but I don't see my sewing confidence rising enough in the near future to consider myself an "advanced sewer."

Simplicity 2588 has a princess-seamed bodice with sleeve, yoke and skirt options. I can see lots of great dresses from this pattern. Plus, I think it would be a step in the right direction to improve my sewing skills without being too difficult. I need to start considering that as I don't feel I've made much progress lately. 

The lone Butterick came home with me because I intend to knock off the dress shown below (from Forever 21). Butterick 5313 is a good jumping off point, I think. I'll add a touch of volume to the sleeves for gathering, and then add a midriff band, and lengthen the layers. I can handle that. Plus, this pattern also has good reviews. That is very encouraging. 

I have a dark purple knit with the same heathered look to it that would really do the dress justice. Hopefully I have enough of this fabric. 

Fellow-minded readers are thinking right now, "thats only 4 Simplicity patterns, she said 5..." The final Simplicity from the memorial day haul is 2905, for baby rompers and coveralls. Don't get alarmed, I don't have any crazy news for you! My Aunt C is having a baby boy in late August. Her pregnancy was kind of a surprise to everyone because neither she nor her husband said they wanted kids, but the family is all thrilled. My grandma has even been sewing baby quilts, and she HATES quilting. 

Anyhoo... I plan to sew a set of two or three rompers from view B that coordinate with a pair of coveralls from view E. I picked up a yard and a half of the white knit pictured above while at JoAnn's that day, too, with the intention of matching it to other baby colors. You can sort of see how it is flecked with colors. 

I'm all ears if anyone has tips or suggestions on baby sewing or patterns - I have zero experience in this area. Any good sources for snap tape online? What fabrics work best for baby clothing? I would think natural fibers, but then again what holds up best to frequent washings?

My final tidbit in this rambling post is about the July Burda. I've been scouring kiosks all over Zurich, Berne and Basel in hopes of finding a copy. I've unearthed several June issues, but I already have an English version waiting for me at home. The top above is from the July preview online. I want that top. I need to have that top. I want & need to have that top in a grass green for day and flat black for night. 

I suppose its just a matter of patience, grr. I did find a copy of the new Burda "Eazy" magazine, but thats for another post. Officially, my eyes are peeled for July Burda and any issue of La Mia Boutique. Wish me luck! 

(BTW - any interest in a little giveaway? Is the BurdaMag too common to be a good giveaway? Would La Mia Boutique be more exciting? Or does the Burda "Eazy" interest anyone? Just theoretically, you know)

First day of Me-Made-May-Lite!

As always, my pictures are terrible. I'm wearing Simplicity 2863 with a pair of jeans from G by Guess and earrings of unknown origin. In the spirit of Me-Made-ness, I'd really like to purchase a pair of handmade earrings from Etsy. For the life of me I can't decide on anything. Look how cute these are.   Or these. Or these. 

In other news, the New Look 6178 wrap skirt is complete and I plan to wear it to school on Monday. Review and post about it will follow. 

Simplicity 2863

This is my less-than-satisfying version of Simplicity's Built By Wendy #2863 pattern, in view C. I used a 100% cotton knit from JoAnns on this, a fabric I really love. It's soft and delicate, and I'm a sucker for anything grass-green.
I went into this fully understanding that this is meant to be an oversized, slouchy top with  high neckline and button tabbed, cut-in sleeves. What I left with was an oversized rectangle with a slit at the top and too big button tabs. The neckline is so wide and the sleeve placement so off that my already wide shoulders are reminiscent of a line-backer. Not my best look, really.
**Please ignore the blue wrapping, I donated blood today.

Is it wearable? Eh, I suppose so. The neckline, which I folded down 2 inches further than it called for and is still unreasonably high, makes this shirt easy to wear off the shoulder, which I suppose makes it look a bit more intentional. I didn't bother finding "perfect" buttons or hemming this, as it is essentially a muslin now.
I say muslin because I feel that this would be an easy pattern to alter. Only 2 pieces really, and all that needs to be done is width taken off a bit. I can do this.
The pattern review is here.
More backlogged projects to come in the next few days!