Flower to the People

My husband has this endearing habit of talking to me randomly while taking pictures, and shooting only when I respond.  You can only imagine the amazing faces he captured today.

Pattern: Sewaholic Alma

Fabric: cotton voile from Mood

Notions: invisible zip, lightweight interfacing

Notes:

Remember the hard time I had with my first Alma?  Yeah. This time I made size 10.

Problems solved.

I am a dork.

I did, though, add 2" to the length.  And I honestly don't think I'd want it any shorter.

I also stitched the facing down on the blouse back, and you'd never know from the busy print.

And that is all.  Honestly, this is a completely drama-free project.

All I'm saying is thank God there were no ill-placed flowers.

Three cheers for serendipity!

In the wardrobe contest lineup, I have 1 more completed top, that I may yet go back and tweak.

My sewer's choice items are nearly finished, and I just have one last item to start.

 I think I can do this!

Finally, I have yet to finalize my Me-Made-May pledge.  I'm currently waffling, not because I don't have enough to wear, and not because I don't think it's interesting and worthwhile, but more because I think at this point, I know where my strong and weak points are.  I think instead of focusing on wearing clothing, I should work on fixing clothing that's not quite right, so I do wear them more.

Still cogitating there, but it will come, I'm sure.

Pendralma the Second and Alma Part 2

Okay, so I made these over a month ago, and due to severe Hate-My-Current-Project-Itis, sadly never blogged these.  Enjoy!

Pendralma the Second

  

Details:

Pattern: Sewaholic Pendrell + Sewaholic Alma neckline and collar

Fabric: 1 1/2 yards of cotton voile; Palos Verdes Albalone Cove grey/orange (sez Fabric.com)

Notions: none.  well, thread. and pro-sheer light interfacing in the collar

Notes: Not my first rodeo on this one: see here.  Also, possibly the fastest completed garment ever...how many is too many for 1 wardrobe?

Alma Part 2

Details:

Pattern: Sewaholic Alma, retraced and amended, with plain collar and cap sleeves
Fabric: 1 1/2 yards of cotton voile: Palos Verdes La Venta green/gray
Notions: invisible zipper, uh, and thread
Notes: Not my first rodeo on this one, either: see here. Except dumb-butt-me complained last time about shortening the front waist darts, but brilliant-me realized I could just not sew them.  Problem solved!

With both blouses, I used sorcery to save fabric.  Okay, not really.  On the Alma, I cheated by tracing out a complete front and back so I didn't have to cut them on the fold.  That way I could squeeze more pieces on the the flat fabric.  With the Pendrell, I cut a good 3 inches off the length of the pattern, so I could squeeze those pieces together on the fabric.  In both cases, I pieced the bias neck tape for the neck and arm facings.

I have one more piece of Palos Verdes cotton voile.  Should I wait for the new Sewaholic Belcarra blouse? Or veer off for parts unknown?

Pendralma

Pendralma

or

It's Late, and That's the Best I've Got

Today was a long day back at work after a wonderful warm and sunny vacation.  Sunshine, Floridian beaches, shorts, night swimming, and bare toes digging in the sand were all a wonderful respite from the loooonnng winter. But spring had come here, too, while we were gone: my tulips and irises had started  bursting forth--sure signs that winter won't last forever.

Sand Angels

It's late, and I've worn this all day, so you're getting wrinkly kitchen photos.  

I love sewing hard things.  I like the challenge of new things.

But I also love quick and easy things.

Enter: Pendrell blouse + Alma collar + bias binding for neckline.

Not hard; just right.

There's not a whole lot to say here; I traced the Alma neckline onto the Pendrell bodice pieces.

And I used bias binding on the neckline rather than facing.

I hate facings.

Close-up of collar, because it turned out well.

This photo probably is the best depiction of the colors in the shirt.  

About the only thing I messed up here is the width of the bias binding on the neckline. I  trimmed the seam allowances down before attaching the binding, and it ended up really wide.  BUT, the top-stitching is covered by the collar, and I'm pretty sure most people will never know.

I also stuck a tag over the ugliest part where the seam binding meets. 

Because it's late.

Details, in the briefest way possible:

Pattern: Sewaholic Pendrell + Sewaholic Alma neckline and collar

Fabric: Tula Pink The Bees Knees cotton voile

Notions: Pro-sheer interfacing for collar

Alternations: took 3 inches off length of blouse.

And, I'm off to sit on the couch with a drink, and avoid thinking about argumentative essays.

For as long as I can.

A Perfect Alma* in 15, Maybe 16, Easy Steps

*Perfect being exactly what I had pictured in my mind.

1. Make size 8 in fashion fabric, adding 2" to hem, based on pattern reviews.  Realize it's too tight to raise arms comfortably. Curse.
2. Compare back shoulder on pattern to well fitting blouse: realize it's 1/2" too short for comfort.  
3. Look at pattern.  Size 10 is just right across the back.  Hmm.  Recall previous problems with sewing all long sleeved blouses. Decide it was also unflatteringly tight across belly, muslin entire size 10.
4. Laugh at ridiculously large purple gingham muslin. Try again.
5. Grade from 10 at back shoulder and front high bust through the armscye, using 8 for bottom of armscye and below. Keep 2" added length. Straighten out side seam shaping. Muslin that in badly dyed green plaid. Omit zipper, because it can slide over head.

   

   altered armscye

   
   

   

   straightened side seam

6. Ah, much better arm movement.  Except--tidal pool thing going on with front when arms raised over head. Fabric rushes up with arm tide movement, then gets stuck in one giant fold above breasts when arms lowered.  Yank down front; muse for a while.  



Add caption

7. Pick top ends of front darts so fabric doesn't high-center across bust.  Raise arms, then lower: Success!  Lower dart top by two inches on pattern. 
8. Critically study sleeves and arms.  Self-diagnose slightly forward shoulders. Rotate sleeve cap to provide more ease at front of shoulder.  Decide it was better before.
9. Go to bookstore and buy fitting guide. Read that perfect fit may need to be compromised for ease of movement.  Remember that writing on whiteboard in front of children is a job requirement.  Cut into 2nd fashion fabric with bodice as planned.
        
10. Test fit.  Decide to deepen back darts by 1/4" each, resulting in removing 1" of fabric across back waist.  Add zipper, noting it is much easier this time with straight-er side seams.  Test fit, do happy dance.  Mark back dart alteration on pattern.  

    

    back view with deepened darts

11. Muse on using sleeve as originally drafted vs. one with ease shifted 1/4" toward front.  Realize that last of tracing paper was used on tracing size 10 bodice, and cannot retrace sleeve pattern. Decide to go with altered draft. Perhaps issues were with construction, not pattern.
12. Nope, sleeve still not great.  Realize should have used a size 10 sleeve, but too late now.  Fudge armscye seams by sewing shallower allowances.  Not perfect, but still not great. Settle for just OK.
13. Finish shirt with additional top-stitching, and narrow hem.
    
14. Retrace size 10 sleeve for next iteration.
15. Go sew knits for while.
16. (Optional) Pose ninja/gangsta style for pictures with locals.

Just the Facts:

Pattern: Sewaholic Alma Blouse

Fabric: Cotton/hemp blend purchased at the amazing Kaplan's over the summer

Notions: interfacing for collar facing, invisible zip, knit stabilizer for zipper opening

Time to complete: It's a good thing I don't pay myself by the hour.  Time spent in Research and Development always pays off in the end, though, right?

Bonus: that invisible side zip? Rates a solid A on the Erin McKean Dress A Day Zipper Grading System.  Boo-yah.