A Great Tip

At some point I plan to make a friend of mine this top from McCall's 6034 pattern.










Well I honestly don't want to buy 4 spools of thread to use with my serger since I won't likely sew anything else in this color.

Thankfully a quick search on PR turned up this very useful tip:

https://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/review/readreview.pl?ID=1589

I'm calculating I've just saved about $7 in thread on this top alone. Woo hoo!

In the Navy

I don't know why but I feel like I should sailing when I wear this jacket and the fact that it is navy doesn't help, lol

Butterick 5332
Pattern Description: I made view B which is a Loose-fitting, unlined jacket with collar, double-breasted front button closures and stitched hems.

Pattern Sizing: Available in 8-22. I cut a 14

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes!

Were the instructions easy to follow? I just looked at the illustrations and went from there but it seemed that this a pretty straight forward jacket so I'm sure the instructions were easy to follow as well.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? This jacket helped me find my mojo! Honestly this jacket went together in just a few hours. There are all of 6 pattern pieces to cut and when I sat down to sew, I blinked and it was done. I keep saying to myself, this is it?
I will say that I didn't like how they left the inside edge of the front unfinished. I used my serger to finish off all the edges including for the back facing when the instructions tell you to stitch a scant 1/4 inch hem. Because of the stretch in the material I used, I didn't want to fuss with it or risk having an unsightly bumps or puckers. Of course I had stitched several seams before I realized I hadn't changed the serger thread from black to blue but shhhhh! I did remember to use navy thread when top stitching so it's still good.

Fabric Used: I used a medium weight wool suiting that had about 15-20% stretch to it. Since the jacket isn't lined, the weight of the material makes it suitable for a number of seasons. That being said, the material did stretch some while sewing, particularly around curves, so there are a few puckers here and there but it just gives the jacket some character.


Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I lengthened the sleeves so they are full length instead of elbow length. My buttons are 7/8" so I had to play around with the placement of the buttons and holes so they were still centered.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would love to sew this again in view A to pair with a floral skirt for spring. I absolutely recommend this pattern to others. It really is a fast and easy project that produces a great jacket.

Conclusion: This pattern is fashionable without being too trendy and the result is great.

Bottom Line:
Roughly 2 yards of fabric @ $4/yd=$8
Notions: thread and facing from my stash
Buttons: 4 buttons @$1.94
Total:$9.94

Romeo and Juliet

O Mojo, Mojo, Wherefore Art Thou Mojo?

I have a smaller but much more functional studio to sew in but my mojo must still be packed up somewhere. I have cut out all of the projects I want to sew this month but haven't had the least bit of motivation to put them together. We've had a few days of snow/ice here so you would think that I would use that unexpected time off to get some sewing done but nope. Oh well I am off to continue the search.

February to do

Yay me for meeting my sewing goals for the month of January! So what's up for February?

First up is simplicity 2633. I am loving some of the version that I have seen so I want to see what I can do with it. I plan on doing the view with pleated sleeves and the neck band with flaps.

I want to make a pants suit as my BIG project for the month but we will see how that goes. Since I said I was going to make a pair of pants this year anyway and I am going to go ahead and try simplicity 2700. I am pretty confident after reading the reviews on PR that this is a good pants pattern to start with. For the jacket I am still looking at simplicity 2810. I am still undecided but I am leaning towards doing the view with the shawl collar and welt pockets.

To round out the month is B5248. I threw that in there in case I need to step away from the pants and/or jacket to keep my sanity, lol.

I would really love to finish V8480 but I am not banking on it. It's about 75% done but these sleeves are giving me a fit! (Clearly sleeves are my trouble spot right about now.)

Oh and to meet my goals for last month, I sat down and cut out all the projects over one or two nights. I did a little pinning between cutting so that when I was ready for construction I could essentially sit down and stitch away. It really help me stay focused and meet my goals knowing that I didn't have to do everything at once. I also didn't skip around between projects, which I am notorious for doing. It was made a little easier since I needed different color thread for each one. Hey whatever works right?

A cozy wrap

Pattern Description: Simplicity 2606 Misses knit top and cardi-wrap. I made the cardi-wrap

Pattern Sizing: Available in XS-XL. I cut a medium for the body and a large in the sleeves.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Absolutely

Were the instructions easy to follow? Very!
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really like how quickly this pattern went together. After wrangling with my last project for what seemed like forever, it was great to crank this out in about 2 hours. I dislike having to cut this out with a single layer of fabric as well as installing the elastic in the neck. Next time I will just gather the center neck seam so it isn't bulky or stiff.


Fabric Used: A mystery knit from my stash. I had it labeled as 'Naples' which is either the color or where I bought it from. I'm pretty sure it's the color though, lol. The fabric was very slippery and as a result I have puckers in my sleeves from where I couldn't get them set in quite right. I think this is a combination of fabric and my cutting the sleeves a size larger so that I can layer. On the bright side they are pretty evenly spaced out so it still looks good.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I cut the sleeves in a large since other reviewers noted that it could be a little snug when layering. I also opted not to finish the hem that never ends and instead took the needles out of my serger and ran the edges through so the knife could clean up the edges. Does anyone else do that? Oh and I also lengthen the sleeves as I wasn't crazy about the cuff but still wanted long sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would sew this again and plan on it. I would like one in a dark color, probably black. I highly recommend this to others. It went together very quickly and is quite versatile. I'm so glad I found this link which shows you how to wear it many different ways. It's like the infinity dress!
Conclusion: Solid pattern that I'm glad I picked up. Go get it and make your own fabulous cozy!

Bottom Line:
Fabric: 3 yds @ 1.93/yd=$5.79
Notions: thread and elastic from stash
Total: $5.79

Butterick 5328

Pattern Description: Semi-fitted wrap tops with inside ties and tie ends, front gathers into bands, back darts and yoke, collar and sleeve variations.

Pattern Sizing: (8-22) I cut a 16

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Of course!


Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were fine.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love the wrap style of the top. It is a great way to add a stylish top to my work wardrobe. That being said, this shirt took me what seemed like forever to finish. The collar still isn't like I want but that could just be me being picky. Most of my dislikes had to do with getting things lined up. Just make sure to take your time and mark everything particularly on the collar.

Fabric Used: a winter white cotton sateen

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I raised/widened the front bands so the top wasn't as low cut as other reviewers have noted it tended to be. I used french seams throughout since I couldn't track down any additional white thread for my serger and had to make do with the lone spool I had in my stash. While I like how clean the inside looks, this did give me some headache as there were times when I was stitching through 6 layers of fabric. I also opted to use ribbon for the inside ties as the fabric was too bulky and looked like I had something growing out of my side. Lastly I shortened the top by about 1/2 an inch.


Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I have a number of other projects I want to do but I can definitely see myself making this top again, perhaps in a print. I do recommend it to others.

Conclusion: I can see how some sewers had to fiddle to make this top work and thanks to other reviews I had a heads up on things to expect. Like I said just be sure to mark everything and you should be ok. Depending on the thickness of your fabric you may have to use ribbon for the inside ties. This definitely isn't an instant gratification project but I am pleased with the finished result.


Bottom Line:
2yds @ $1.95/yd=$3.90