Simplicity 3628

Pattern Description: Misses lined jacket from the Threads Simplicity Collection.  I made view C with a mandarin collar, pocket flaps, and top stitching.

Pattern Sizing: Available in 8-24.  I cut a 16 with no alterations.

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? Very straight forward instructions but be sure you are reading instructions on the correct view.  It does jump around a bit.  I did stray from them when attaching the lining because I prefer a different method.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really liked all of the different options from sleeves to closures that this pattern offered.  The princess seams and overall fitted style of the jacket were also a plus.  Disliked there were no pockets.

Fabric Used: For the jacket I used a khaki twill that has been in my stash for at least two years.  For the lining I used a lightweight cotton blend that was given to me by a colleague.  I wasn't sure what to do with it at the time but it worked well for this project.  The twill is nice and thick and I didn't want to add any more bulk or stiffness to the jacket so the cotton blend worked out great.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: No changes

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I do plan to sew this again and very soon.  It was slow going at first because of all of the top stitching on the collar, pocket flaps, and sleeves but it all came together very nicely.   I do recommend this to others. 

Conclusion: Really good jacket pattern that offers a number of options.  If it had pockets it would be an A+.

Bottom Line:

Simplicity 2424 Pics

Pattern Description:  From the Threads collection:  Misses' / Miss petite jacket, dress and knit cardigan.

I made the jacket which is view B and the dress which is view A.

The completed outfit

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!  I absolutely love the end result.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  Very.  The jacket was very easy to sew and went together quickly.  I honestly can't think of any one aspect of construction that gave me any hang ups. 

Close-up of sleeve gathers and band

The dress took a little longer to construct.  Because the fabric has some stretch I wanted to make sure there were no unsightly ripples or puckers especially with the curved neckline. 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  I was a little disappointed at how much blind stitching by hand and tacking down the instructions called for. 

The instructions call for you to take down the collar facing to the shoulder seam

I would have liked to see a more polished finish especially since the jacket was unlined.  I used my serger quite a bit to finish off edges as well as fusible web at the sides and center back seam of the jacket instead of blind stitching.  Despite that I really like the style of this pattern and how quickly it went together.

Here is the inside of the collar lapels

Inside view of the jacket

I finished the inside of the front dart but realized once I finished that it's actually covered up by the front facing

Fabric Used:  I'm not 100% sure as it was a gift.  I feels like it may be twill with a hint of stretch.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:  I shortened the pattern pieces at the waist and bottom for height but that was it.

I finished off the zipper edge with quilting square scraps

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  I'm not sure.  I am really pleased with the final product but the jacket is a bit too distinctive and I recently made a tunic with a neckline  similar to the dress.  If I do make the jacket again, I will lengthen the sleeves so they are full length as well as add an inch or so to the jacket hem.  It's fine now but when I put both pieces on my dress form for pictures, I noticed that the jacket is shorter than where the zipper stops which bothers me just a little.

You can see here where the zipper isn't fully lapped and is exposed because of the jacket's short length

Conclusion:  Solid pattern with no fit issues that went together pretty quickly.  A bit on the trendy side but a great wardrobe builder nonetheless.

Bottom Line:

Fabric: $0

Notions: zipper $1.50, thread and facing from my stash

Total: $1.50!  Well if you count the cute red belt I bought to match my red shoes then the total comes to $12.50 but who's counting, lol.

Butterick 5332 Take 2

Pattern Description: Loose-fitting, unlined jackets A, B, C, D, slightly below waist length has collar, front variations, single or double-breasted front button closures and stitched hems. A, C: short sleeves with button and button loop closures. B, D: elbow length sleeves. D: stitched pleats in sleeves.

This time around I made view C.  See my review of view B here.

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!  I think making this jacket is what I needed to get me back in the sewing game. 

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very.  Since I used this pattern before I was familiar with the construction.  I did read through them once just to refresh my memory.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  I love how simple yet great this pattern is.  It is not time consuming and produces a great result. 

Fabric Used:  A light blue pique purchased online.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:  In my previous review I mentioned how I used my serger to finish off some of the inside edges.  This time I opted to used french seams for the sides.  You could also use bias tape as some other reviewers have done.  I opted to omit the buttons and button loop closure on the sleeves.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  I won't sew this again but only because I have already made it twice.  I do recommend this pattern.

Conclusion: Solid pattern that I've made twice now with great results both times.  Highly recommend it.

Bottom Line: 
2 yards @ $2.75/yd = $5.50
2 buttons =$.78
Notions: thread: $1.50; facing from stash

Total: $7.78

Since I purchased this cut of fabric online, I was able to search back through my email to find details for the bottom line.

Simplicity 2896

Pattern Description:
Misses & Miss Petite Dress, Jacket, Pants, Shorts and Tie Belt

I made the jacket in view C

Pattern Sizing:
5-24. I cut a 16.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Very much so! Even down to my choice of fabric.


Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes! Easy pattern to construct that went together fairly quickly. My only hangup was that it took a little bit of time to get the sleeves in like I wanted. I'm not sure what I did on the right sleeve but I had a time getting it in right. I seriously spent about 4 hours on the one sleeve alone! Good thing was that the jacket was nearly complete so once I got the sleeve right I was done.


What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I had no dislikes about this pattern. I previously made the dress in view A and had great results with that as well.

Fabric Used:
An embroidered ivory eyelet for the jacket and I lined it with an ivory broadcloth. Both were purchased from fabric.com. I love the clean finish on the inside from lining it. I was worried about how that would look when using the eyelet but I think using my serger helped.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I shorted the jacket but that was it. I am happy with the length but if/when I make it again, I will add an inch or so back to it. I went back and forth over whether or not to add buttons. In the end I decided that since I wasn't likely to actually fully button (snap) the jacket closed that I would just add two buttons at the top for asthetetics and snap them closed. I only had black snaps when I made the jacket (don't judge me, lol) so I won't show them.


Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I am seriously thinking of making this again but not anytime soon. I would sew it in a solid pink linen. I would certainly recommend this pattern to others. I think by the time I am done, I will have made every view from this pattern!

Conclusion:
A fantastic pattern that is well drafted and easy to sew. I highly recommend it!

Bottom Line:

Fabric:
1.5 yd of embroidered eyelet @ $4.98/yd=$7.47
1.5 yd of ivory broadcloth @ $3.48/yd=$5.22

Notions:
Button, Thread, and facing from stash

Total: $12.69

One of my more expensive projects, lol, but I am very happy with the result so it's all good.

What's Jaymee up to now?

My mojo is back and in full effect and Denver Fabrics recently had a 50% off sale. So that means I am no longer thinking about winter clothes but ready to crank out some pieces for spring. Here is what I will be up to for the next few weeks:

I've already cut out simplicity 2732 and 2401. The top is already in progress and I should have a review up in the next few days. I decided to be funky and wear the jumpsuit to the wedding instead of the dress so that will be next and while the black thread is still in the serger. The last three will fall in place but I'm thinking jacket, dress, then top.

Come on spring and stay!

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

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?