After a wonderful trip across the Pond-she’s back and ready to show us what she made this month 🙂 What have you made?
Meeting times for Garment Sewing Group (GSG): All begin at 10:30 am
Thursday (today), November 9 at Creative Sewing, Apple Valley and Fabric Swap
Saturday, November 11 at Sewing Lounge, St. Paul
Wednesday, November 15 at Lakes Makerie, Minneapolis (yes, this is the 3rd Wed.)
Missing two pics but someone is across the Pond :))
New class starting Thursday, November 2-Garment Sewing 2.0, 10-12 pm at Creative Sewing in Apple Valley. Meant for those of you coming back to sewing for yourself and not sure where to start-indie patterns, new fabrics, changed body!!! Make a garment while brushing up on skillzzzz.
Debbie’s Garments:
1. The only fit adjustment I made was a narrow shoulder.
2. I interfaced the collar and facings – pattern does not use interfacing. However I was surprised how often the serger was mentioned for seam finishes.
3. The construction method is done while most of the jacket is flat except for sleeves. I did set in sleeves, buttonholes and then the hem.
4. Other than putting the buttonholes too far in from center I am really happy with it, especially the pockets. The jacket is a fun make and the directions are very good.
Brick/Tan Raglan Tee
Butterick 6207, view A with curved hem
1. This is my favorite pattern for a Raglan tee. Great for layering under my utility jacket.
Cream Banded Turtleneck
Simplicity 9385, View D
Ribbed sweater knit blend
1. Another TNT pattern.
2. The knit is very drapey so I added the band to prevent the length of the fabric to grow.
3. As the weather gets cooler I will layer this under my utility jacket.
4. I was pleasantly surprised to find two classic shirts in my closet that with also layer well with this jacket. I have a mini capsule!
Tartan Plaid Peplum Shirt
1. I adjusted fit by narrowing shoulder, shortened between shoulder and bust, shortened 1 inch between waist and peplum hem and shortened sleeve 1 inch.
2. The sleeve calls for a basic 1 inch hem but I did a split cuff instead.
3. Instead of adding belt loops for belt I secured belt at center back just below peplum seam.
4. Matching the plaid for this pattern was difficult. I let the pattern photo fool me. I would make this again but definitely not in a plaid!
1. Did not do any fit adjustments.
2. Instead of using facings for the hood I lined it with a lightweight ponte knit. Nixed the hood and added a cowl/turtle neck instead. I also faced the hem with the same ponte.
3. I did not add draw strings to bottom hem.
4. It’s a fun top and easy to make.
5. A lighter weight and more pliable fabric would work better for the hood.
Kristin’s Garments:
1. Cut shoulders, neck, armhole and sleeves as Small-remainder in Medium.
2. Pattern has lining pieces. I cut a back neck facing instead of lining. Used ponte fabric for facing.
3. Used lining fabric for pockets for slipperiness.
4. Topstitching made the berber look cheap and crushed so I handtacked in numerous places to keep facing in place.
5. Went together well, collar’s inside corner turns well. Serged most seams but curves and collar sewn on sewing machine. Snuggly coat!
1. Pattern is made for wovens or faux fur-I subbed rib knit for sleeves and collar.
2. I was attracted to the vertical “bust” dart. It is trimmed after sewing. Fabric frayed so I zigzagged.
3. Pattern calls for interfacing both upper and under collar which I did since it was a knit. Pattern directions show a corner on the collar but the pattern piece is definitely rounded and the photos also show a rounded corner.
4. I didn’t originally interface the front facing but after pinning the heavy collar into the flimsy main fabric I added a wide strip to center fronts.
5. Sleeve is two pieces which I kept even tho it was a knit. Sleeve head went in well-didn’t need to cut down and it isn’t a sloppy fit.
6. Pocket seemed small and not useful and I didn’t have any of the woven fabric left so no pocket.
7. Another Burda winner pattern for me!
1. Had to make it once more-comfy tee-boxy fit.
1. Looking for the perfect tee-not sure this one is it. Very high sleeve cap that makes for sloppy armhole.
November Garment Sewing Group
Thursday, November 9, 10:30 at Creative Sewing, Apple Valley
Saturday, November 11, 10:30 at The Sewing Lounge, St.Paul
Wednesday, November 15, 10:30 at Lakes Makerie, Minneapolis
September 2023
Debbie’s Garments:
Burda 7062-I like the contour waistband, side zip and ankle slits.
Simplicity 9275, View A, without pockets
1. Shortened between shoulder and bust and did a narrow shoulder adjustment.
3. Quick and easy make and the fabric was also easy to sew.
2. Due to weight of fabric I did a single layer hem versus a narrow hem as pattern instructs.
1. TNT pattern that is easily hacked. The fabric makes this Tee.
1. Shortened between shoulder and bust on front, back and sleeves. Also shortened sleeve length by one inch and length of body 2 inches.
2. I appreciated the pattern instructions regarding cutting interfacing – nice tip.
3. To create less bulk and to construct as much as the garment flat I changed the order of construction. I constructed the left sleeve with zipper first rather than what the pattern instructs. I also do shoulder seams, neck edge before any side seams if possible.
4. The pattern instructions lack any mention of clean finishing zipper edge. No mention of serger – instead you are instructed to double stitch.
5. It’s a fun pattern that puts a standard tee up a notch.
Last of my summer Makes:
1. Shortened 1 inch between waist and hip.
2. Changed order of construction – Stitch one shoulder seam, apply first strip of bias binding, stitch other shoulder seam and complete binding construction. I used serged wrapped method of applying binding.
3. Great pattern – definitely will become a TNT.
Kristin’s Garments
1. Looking for an oversized, but not sloppy, tee.
2. Klimt fabric is cotton and neckband fit pretty close.
3. Navy is rayon and heavier and drapier.
4. Correct pattern, great basic.
1. Stripe is rayon/botanical print is cotton. Fun pattern.
2. Front hem shorter than back.
1. Fun shirt pattern with back yoke and gathered back.
2. Instructions for front yoke are very good.
3. Hand stitched hems.
1. This pattern is a bit narrower than Barry Pant/Stylearc and not quite as bubbly.
2. Hem facing and 3 darts make the leg shape. I added 3” to length.
3. Lots of interesting sewing techniques, especially the pockets and paper bag waistband but I didn’t want those options.
1. Added 4” to length of skirt and pant underneath.
2. Fabric was good to sew on. Clips were easier than pins.
3. Made waistband half the width but the stretch of knit was different and wish I would have made it wider.
October Garment Sewing Group
Wednesday, October 11, 10:30, Sewing Lounge, St. Paul
Thursday, October 12, 10:30, Creative Sewing, Apple Valley
Saturday, October 14, 10:30, Ginny’s, Rochester
Here are the garments and pattern review made by Debbie and Kristin in August:
Debbie’s Garments:
Summer Blue Pants
Jalie Vanessa Pants
Cotton/linen blend
1. A favorite relaxed pant pattern due to the fit and comfort.
2. I do change the construction techniques. – I use a one piece waistband with no drawstring insertion. I also shorten the width of the band and use 1 and 1/2 inch elastic rather than 2 and1/2 that pattern calls for.
Copied RTW using McCalls 6964 (Butterick 6848)
1. Tees are my summer staple and I am always looking for an added detail. In this case I added contrast cuffs and a side insert – it breaks up the print and adds some interest.
2. I removed 2 and 1/2 inches from front and back side seams starting at hem and going up to nothing 6 inches from armhole cut edge, including seam allowance.
3. I didn’t want black contrast at my face so I added interfaced neck facings instead of neckband.
1. Fit adjustments including shortening between shoulder and bust on front, back and sleeves, narrow shoulder adjustments and shortened the sleeves. I did not shorten length.
2. The construction techniques work as pattern directs but would do it different next time.
3. When it came time to construct the cuff I did it my way – the pattern does a very unusual placket insertion on sleeve- I felt I could make it easier and better looking. I also do not care for inside upper pocket finish.
4. Overall it is a good jean jacket pattern and if and when I make another I would use this pattern.
1. I made a tee first as my muslin to check out fit and drape. I was satisfied with the results and went on to make the dress with changes.
2. Shortened length one inch and use straight hem.
3. I raised the front neckline one inch.
4. Quick and easy make that could be a summer staple.
Itch to Stitch Lago Tank
Itch to Stitch Lago Tank (pictured 2 above)
1. I had left over fabric from Laundry Day Tee so I thought I would give this free pattern a try.
2. I raised the neckline 1 inch and shortened the length 1 inch.
3. I made the neckband and armhole bands wider than pattern.
4. Tanks are in my wardrobe to be worn under tops or as pj tops. For the little amount of fabric required and the ease in constructing the tank I will keep this pattern close and cut more of them to make good use of my left over knits.
Kristin’s Garments:
1. Great pattern for leftover narrow pieces-had to selvage this fabric!
2. Lots of seams make for easy fit adjustments at hip. Bias finishes at neck and armhole.
Knit Robe
1. Side tie is what drew me to the pattern. Basic assembly-attaching band at tie point is a bit fiddley but works well. I reinforced with fusible interfacing at front facing/band points.
2. Fabric print attracted me-fabric content should have stopped me 🙂
1. Old pattern/still in print. Always wanted to try the tank. Many fine tuning fit adjustments and I still didn’t look like the drawing (!)
2. Had fun making shell tuck edging on bias binding and applying to neck and arm edges.
1. The waistband was the draw on this pattern. Had an inspiration pic I wanted to copy.
2. Followed pattern with very few exceptions but eliminated left tie wrapping all the way around as waistband is close fitting. Attached band at left side seam and love it that way.
3. A straight skirt would be a great variation to this pattern.
1. Inspiration pic pointed to Chalk & Notch Fringe Dress or Lyric. I chose Lyric because of the set in sleeve and closer bodice fit. Fringe Dress pics always had a back tie or didn’t look like what I was after.
2. Shortened bodice two inches to change the look.
3. Construction went quickly with bias bindings on neck. I chose to let binding show instead of turning under which gave some sweet angles to the ending points. Turning under the center front facing made it easy and neat.
4. Eliminated the front vertical darts as bodice is close fitting. Added to front and back armscye based on previous experience with Love Notions patterns.
5. Skirt has two options-I chose the straight gathered option and used the width of the fabric instead of a more gathered skirt as suggested by pattern.
September 2023 Garment Sewing Group
Wednesday, September 13, 10:30, Ginny’s in Rochester
Thursday, September 14, 10:30, Creative Sewing, Apple Valley
Saturday, September 16, 10:30, Lakes Makerie, Minneapolis
July saw our largest attendance for a very long time-thanks to everyone who follows us and makes garment sewing and the sharing of it a priority. It wouldn’t be as awesome without all of you!!
August meetings start on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at Lakes Makerie, Thursday, Aug. 10 at Creative Sewing and Saturday, Aug. 12, Sewing Lounge all starting at 10:30 am.
So here is some of what we saw in July (Saturday’s pics have been posted previously).
Big week of Garment Sewing Group meetings and classes-
Garment Sewing Group:
Wednesday, May 10, 10:30, Ginny’s Fine Fabrics, Rochester
Thursday, May 11, 10:30, First Sewing, Blmgtn. and Fabric Swap!
Saturday, May 13, 10:30, Quilter’s Haven, Rosemount
Classes:
Thursday, 1-3:30, Sew Social at First Sewing’s new space
Saturday, 1-4 pm, Basic & Beyond at Quilter’s Haven, Rosemount
Here are the garments that Debbie and I showed at the April meeting. There will be one more post with more of your garments.
May Meetings are two weeks away-can’t wait!
Wednesday, May 10, 10:30, Ginny’s Fine Fabrics, Rochester
Thursday, May 11, 10:30, First Sewing, Bloomington
Saturday, May 13, 10:30, Quilter’s Haven, Rosemount
Debbie’s Garments:
1. This pattern was in my stash – I like wraps and I like peplums so I thought I would give it a try.
2. It is a petite pattern so no length adjustments needed. I went up a size because I didn’t want too much negative ease. Also the necklines is too low .
3. I have other wrap tee patterns to try so I will give this one up.
1. I did make a muslin and worked hard to get a good fit. I did a narrow shoulder adjustment, shortened front, back and sleeve between bust and shoulder, cut width of collar and narrowed sleeve from elbow to hem.
2. I used light weight shoulder pads-the pattern does call for them.
3. Sewing with the leather was not a problem. My only struggle was where to use it on the collar-inside or out? Fabric matching was a challenge. The uneven plaid caused me to eat a lot of chocolate.
4. I would not use this pattern again but I really like the cut of the lining so I will keep it in my stash.
KwikSew 4069
1. Eleonore is a TNT pattern for me and the fabric feels great and a pleasure to sew.
1. Kwiksew 4069 is another TNT pattern. I added a cuff to the 3/4 length sleeves.
Kristin’s Garments:
Classic Slender Pant (worn with Butterick 6491 jacket and Vogue 9244 hack top)
Burda 7062
Gray travel fabric (polyester)
1. Added several inches-probably need a few more.
2. Sewed pants and then cut them down one size smaller. Not sure if that’s due to stretchy fabric?
3. Because the fabric is stretchy I omitted facing and zipper and serged 1”elastic to right side or waist, turned to wrong side wrapping seam allowance and topstitched down.
4. Slit has nice deep hem.
5. As usual, Burda makes a great fitting pant.
Double Wrap Top (worn with Vogue 1648 jacket)
Burda 5900
Version 1-Cotton knit, Version 2-poly knit
1. Basically you make 2 one shoulder tops and wear one over the other.
2. Version 1 has an interfaced deep folded facing. I chose to topstitch to tidy it up. The fold stretched out and the facing was tight.
3. Version 2-the facing has been trimmed off and a 1.75” band applied to “neck” edge. I like this version a lot better and could see sewing the side seams all at once to keep the shirt together. The Version 2 knit is also lighter and a better choice for the pattern.
Barry Pants/StyleArc Patterns
No stretch woven bottom weight twill or duck
1. Needed a pant to match the jacket-not quite sure why I chose something so stiff… but they still worked.
2. Straight of grain line is interesting after pants are sewn together.
Frill Neck Top
Burda 6146
Rayon
1. Straightforward blouse with bust darts and facings. Frill at neck is what drew me to pattern.
2. Frill is to pattern; hook and eye replaced ties.
3. Sleeves and cuffs were too large so cut down lower half of sleeve and omitted gathered cuff replacing with elastic and casing.
It certainly was a week of snow challenges but we came through it with lots of fun meetings and inspiration!
Here’s some of what we saw on Saturday-
Garment Sewing Group-March 2023
Debbie’s Garments:
Rosy Textured Zip Peplum Jacket
1. This is my second make from this pattern. It is a favorite.
2. The jacket is unlined but I added lining to the sleeves. It is difficult to find just the right zipper so I used a contrast and did some topstitching to match zipper tape.
3. I am not fond of the pattern construction order so I go about it my way-complete facings, and collar before side seams and sleeves.
Dolman Tee/Jalie 3352/Cotton Spandex
1. When I came across this knit I knew it would go with my jacket. However I had barely a yard of fabric so I pulled out my TNT go-to-pattern-when-there-is-a-fabric-shortage. It works almost every time!
Khaki Trousers/Love Notions Duet Trousers/Cotton blend bottom weight twill with a little stretch
1. This muslin was a lot of work but it might become a go to pattern for woven pants.
2. I eliminated the pockets – not necessary in a muslin but it is a great feature in this pattern.
3. I added one inch to front and back rise since the pattern is designed to sit below waist.
4. I shortened the pant length by 2 inches. I added a second dart at back and increased center back seam by 1/2 inch to lessen gapping.
5. The pattern offers a pattern piece for a curvy or straight waistband. The front waist is lower than the back . It also has a wide or straight option.
6. I added the split hem at pants bottom – a favorite of mine.
7. Overall a good pattern that I will try again.
1. I used view A with lots of fit adjustments – Shortened front, back and sleeves between shoulder and bust. I shortened the length by 2 inches on front and back but only one inch on sleeve. The bust dart needed to be lowered and I also did a narrow shoulder adjustment.
2. I just barely had enough fabric so I used a contrast for placket facing and cut the cuff width in half.
3. The pattern has great fit instructions and options such as vertical darts versus tuck at back yoke. It has a tower placket but I did a continuous placket due to lack of fabric and wanting a less tailored look.
4. There is too much slip stitching in this pattern. There is a double yoke but no info on doing a burrito roll. I stitched the rs of facing to ws of blouse front for a clean finish on inside and not having to worry about securing the facing.
Kristin’s Garments:
1. My goal was a soft, warm, throw-on jacket and I came pretty close!
2. The fabric has a napped side and for interest I alternated wrong side with right side on each piece. This was an interesting exercise in cutting out pieces-hint: not only must you layer fabric right side to wrong side (typically it is rs to rs or ws to ws) but you must also alternate actual pattern pieces right side up and up side down. So the upper bodice pattern piece will be face up and the lower bodice paper will be face down. Brain gymnastics!!
3. I added an interior zipper pocket.
4. My February version was too big through shoulder/bust/sleeve so I cut it down to a 14 (one size smaller) and that worked very well.
5. Fabric was too thick for machine buttonholes.
Vests
Hot Patterns Fast & Fabulous Foursquare T’s/Double sided wool knit (Vee neck)
1. Eureka has a sloped shoulder line and the underarm curves out to give some shaping. The Hot Patterns vest has a square shoulder and straight underarm to side seam.
2. Neck and hems simply turned under on Eureka crew. Center seam makes vee a snap on Hot Patterns vest.
Shirt from months ago: Helmi Trench Blouse by Named-Added tucks and shortened
Narrow Legged Trousers/Mitchell Trousers by Closet Core/Mystery fabric
1. Loved these in wide leg version so had to try narrow leg. Added 1.5”-should have added a bit more to hit shoe.
2. Be sure to mark pleat marking on all pieces.
3. Fabric was linen like with a backing so kind of wonky to work with but I knew that going in.
4. Trouser facings, pleat, pocket and fly zip make a bit of extra work but worth it.
April GSG
Wednesday, April 12, 10:30, Sewing Lounge
Thursday, April 13, 10:30, First Sewing
Saturday, April 15, 10:30, TBA
Wednesday, January 11-Not the best driving but we’re on our way over. See you if it’s right for you 🙂
Merry Christmas! Happy Snow Day! We won’t be at First Sewing for serger or Sew Social today-
Material Girl Sewing 