Simplicity 2599 Polka Dot Shirt

This weekend I finally took a stab at Simplicty 2599. I've been excited to try this out because it's highly recommended around the interwebs. The pattern includes pieces for different bust sizes.

I tested it out using a thin brown polka dot cotton fabric even though the pattern suggests using more silky fabrics. I haven't even tried using silky fabrics yet, so I wanted to check the fit first.

I love the way it turned out. It's loose, but form fitting enough for me.

I made a bunch of alterations. I prefer longer sleeves, so I lengthened them by 1.5 inches. I also lowered the neckline by 3 inches or so. In hindsight, I could have lowered it even more.

At first, I cut out the back piece on the fold so I could avoid making a button closure at the top, but then quickly realized I forgot to remove the seam allowance. So, I ended up sewing up the back anyway, but letting out the bottom five inches for more room in the hips.

And because I made so many changes, I had to make my own bias binding for the neck. I like that better than neck facings anyway, especially for a see-through fabric.

Biggest lesson learned: Fabric choices.

Okay. I know that fabric choice is important, but it really hit me recently that I have been focusing way too much on buying cotton fabrics. Basically I was trolling around Anthropologie's website the other day and started to notice that the shirts I liked were either made of silk, rayon, or t-shirt knit fabrics. Regular cotton fabric just doesn't come into play much there. And looking at my closet, my cotton shirts are more of the button-down structured type, which I'm not ready to create myself...yet.

I've realized that I should focus on buying more silky fabrics right now so that when I do make stuff for myself it's more approximate to something I would buy. I would like to hopefully create more upscale shirts that I can wear to work, but won't cost a thousand dollars like Anthropologie. I'm hoping this pattern will help me get there.

Cowl neck t-shirt

How do you like that? No, not the sunset. The shirt! It's a real shirt, like something I would buy. I've been waiting for this moment ever since I started sewing clothes. Granted this is only my fourth shirt, but still. It's been a long time between each shirt, so I've been thinking about it forever.

The pattern is Vogue 8634. I eliminated the empire waist seam because it looked like it would not fall under the boobage correctly based on the other reviews at patternreview.com. The shirt turned out looser than I expected, but I kind of like it that way. The fabric was from the Japanese flea market. I was quite lucky with that. I never would have had enough fabric if the guy didn't give me some extra yardage free. 

But I think I owe all the thanks to the serger. I suppose I could have tried it with my regular machine, but I never had confidence in using that for knits. Thank you, serger! I love you and I'm sure this is the start of a beautiful life together.

Red Flower Shirt

Here is my latest endeavor: Simplicity 2696, view B. I really needed some more summer shirts and I thought View B with short sleeves would be nice, especially since it had so much ease that I could postpone the dreaded FBA once more.

Because I'm still nervous about my skill level, I made this shirt out of some old sheets that I love. I always thought I would make lounging pants or something out of them, but I love the way this looks. Granted, it's not perfect. The front placket thingy was difficult to put in. I could NOT get that one curve in correctly and it has a slight bubble at the edge. Oh well.

Little did I know, the sleeves would be the most annoying part of the pattern. I now call this view B for Bitch....as in Bitch-ass sleeves.

The sleeves did not fit. Period. It was like an inch or more extra fabric. I took them out again and overlapped them a little more to take out the extra fabric. They still looked floppy and weird, especially in the under arm area. So basically I undid the top of the sleeve and pull in one edge to tighten it. It's fine now, but it was so annoying.

I even made up a little song as I was sewing. Something to the tune of The Grinch. It went sort of like "You're a mean one, Mr. Bitch. You're never going to fit!"  Ha ha, I don't know why I started singing to that tune.

Summer is over now, I know, but I actually made the shirt at the end of July and only had the sleeves left to go. But I got distracted. Things have changed around here and I've been very busy... buying a house. Eep! I can hardly believe it. 

I have so many things on my mind to sew and have shopped quite a bit in preparation, but I guess that might all have to wait. I just don't know how much I'll be able to accomplish with closing on the house, my Japan trip in October with Sarah, then moving!, and three weeks in South Africa for Christmas. Everything has changed. Good changes, but just a lot.

Shirt #2. Better than shirt #1.

For shirt #2 I decided to switch patterns. It's hot and short sleeves are in order. Well... sort of. Because it's cold as hell in the office and you know I'll end up wearing a sweater every day of the year.

I went with simplicity 4589 and used the ocean blue shot cotton that I was going to use for the other pattern.

It turned out okay. The boobage area is a bit too tight. It was only last week that I realized what FBA means, but I still don't know how to actually make a full bust adjustment. I made this shirt off of my high bust measurement instead of the last shirt which was made from my real bust measurement. No wonder it was so huge. I actually have tiny shoulders.

And I used a smaller seam allowance by mistake, a 3/8 instead of a 5/8 inch seam. That may account for the neckline gaping out. I'm actually wearing the shirt backwards because it looks better this way!

I'm wondering now if I should be taking some sort of clothes sewing class. I just want everything to be perfect immediately and not have to alter patterns every single time. That's not the way it works, though, and maybe a class would help me learn how to do those alterations. I've looked up a couple of classes and some of them want to teach you how to sew before you learn to make clothes. I'm sure there are lots of other quilters out there who branch out into clothes much later. There has got to be a class that fits my skill level.

For now, I'll continue to teach myself and read up online. I think my next pattern will be a summer dress with different cup sizes already built into the pattern.

Finishing

Here it is.

Okay. It's a little big. I think I picked the wrong size... even though I went by the measurements and not the "size". I was trying to do the right thing.

And it is a little stiff, but what can you expect from a quilter's muslin? Still wearable, I think. It looks less prego in person than in photos.

Lots of lessons learned:

1. Always keep your Singer: The Complete Photo Guide to Sewing at the ready. You never know when a term like "ease" will show up and you have no idea what that means. You know that sleeves are a bitch from reading several other clothing blogs, but still.

2. Don't sew your collar on backward. It just doesn't work that way.

3. Allow 12 hours or so for sewing and trying on and eating pizza and questioning the whole endeavor.