A Pattern with a Purpose The Pattern Review Lillian Blog Tour

New Pattern Alert! Deepika at Sewing Pattern Review has released a new pattern, and she asked me and some talented bloggers to make it up. The Lillian is a knit top or an A-Line dress with a V-Neck Yoke and cap sleeves. The front yoke allows for subtle bust shaping as well as infinite design opportunities. The pattern sizes range from xs-plus. I made the pattern in size small for my pieces. 

        

After seeing the super easy pattern with the yoke, I knew it was the perfect canvas for a hand-sewn element. 

         

Blue is my favorite color, and I love the combination of navy and baby blue together. I stenciled using silver paint, and I stitched the layers together with slate colored button and craft thread. I secured the v-neck with a herringbone stitch from my sewing machine. I used navy thread to keep it invisible. I did not want to distract from the applique details.

This top is sewn in a single layer of cotton jersey except on the yoke that is a double layer. The seams are all felled to the back and top-stitched in contrasting thread to add more visual interest.

Apparently, I have a multiplication problem because I made another version of the Lillian. What is with me and double makes lately?  This time, I made the dress version. I added reverse applique to the yoke and to a section of the lower skirt.

    

This is a new color combination for me. I used sage green jersey for the outer layer and beige (not nude :P)  for the backing layer. The shapes of my stenciled motif are accented with gold airbrush paint. The hand-sewing was done using Dogwood colored button and craft thread. The v-neck bias strip of this version is secured using a parallel stitch. 

        

I started this dress on Sunday and it was done by Wednesday. Granted, I am not new to this, but even for me, that is quick. The larger scale of the motif makes this super fast to sew. The dress when sewn in regular knit fabric can be sewn in 2 hours! 

This stencil image is free in my Craftsy store if you want to give it a try. If you want to give it try, but want to save a step or 2, I have "you cut" stencils in my Etsy Store.

 

This pattern was inspired by Lillian Weber of Dresses for Africa and 20% of the sales will be donated to to that organization in her memory. You can read more about that here.  

I have written a Pattern review of these makes that can be read here.

Want some more inspiration to make yours? These talented sewists will be posting about Lillians on their blogs this week, so be sure to check them out.

Oct. 24th Jstarr4250 (Julie)

Oct. 25th Sue Parrott - Blog - http://sue-parrott.blogspot.com/

Oct. 26th GoodbyeValntino (Sarah) - Blog- http://www.goodbyevalentino.com/

Oct. 27th ecs81 (Eryn) - Blog - http://www.stylesewme.com/

Oct. 28th creatingitgap (Margo) - Blog - creatinginthegap.ca

Oct. 29th beanchor (Bianca) - Blog - http://thanksimadethem.blogspot.com/

Oct. 30th satdaynitestch (Hila)-Blog - http://saturdaynightstitch.wordpress.com/

Happy Sewing,

Bianca

Leather Contrast Jacket Using Simplicity 1070 PR Sewing Bee Round 3

So here we are at Round 3 of the Pattern Review Sewing Bee, the lined jacket challenge. Grrrrr! When I think of jackets, I recall my days of meeting with lawyers, VP's, and members of law enforcement in my job as a University Dean of Discipline. I have hung up my Kasper suits and not looked back. This challenge unfortunately,  immediately got me thinking of clothes I rarely wear.

Given the time crunch, I hit the ground running and got off to a rough start. I made the beginnings of two jackets, one I will complete. I decided to switch my plan up in favor of Simplicity 1070.

The body of the jacket is made with a brown double knit. The contrast is leather repurposed from a skit in my stash. I bought it for $.25 at a resale store. The lining is a leopard print polyester knit, also from my stash.
I cut the body of the jacket out and began construction.

I thought I had two D-rings in my stash, so I did not buy them when I bought the pattern. On step 2, I could not find them and had to improvise. I found a leather tab and buckle closure that I removed from a damaged purse in my leathercraft stash. I thought it would make a wonderful design element while maintaining functionality. I trimmed it to fit and was delighted to see it work. In addition to following the pattern instructions, I stabilized under the buckle on the knit side with heavyweight interfacing to support the weight of the closure.

The construction required the use of two sewing machines; one for leather and the other for the knit. I switched between the two as necessary to save the hassle of changing needles and adjusting the machine settings. Additionally, I like the look of the longer stitch length that is achieved on my leather machine. It mimics the stitches of the pieced leather from the skirt. 
   

For the lining, I found a leopard print knit tucked away on one of my sewing shelves. I did not buy this fabric on purpose. I likely, bought it in a bundle at an estate sale or resale store. I did not remember I had it and it was a happy surprise to find it. It is similar to that of the pattern envelope. I wanted a fun lining to add some pop to the inside and add contrast to the cuffs when rolled up. You can read about the lining process in the complete Pattern Review here.

I really like the versatility of looks that can be achieved with this one. My version is a subtle contrast, but imagine the drama of a stark contrast. I am not likely to do this, but  consider the possibility of wearing it lining side out.

So we are at the round I was eliminated in last year. I can really say I do not know what the judges want. There is no feedback on why someone is eliminated or advances. We are not privy to the judging rubric. If you make it to the next round you don't know it you were number 2 from winning the round or one shy of being cut. This round says "lined jacket" no closure needed. It is a strange balance between having creative freedom and uncertainty. Say a prayer for my nerves as I wait.

Happy Sewing,
Bianca  

Make The Fabric Your Own: PR Sewing Bee Round 2

So I have advanced to Round 2 of the PR Sewing Bee. The challenge for this round is, to "add surface embellishments to existing fabric... then make a garment out of the fabric(s) that you embellished." We have 10 days to complete the garment, photograph it and write the review. Obviously, hand embellishing a jersey knit garment is the first thing that came to my mind. 

The time crunch is a limitation, but if there is a round for me to do well, it is this one. I decided to make a reversible "Texas Springer" ;p cardigan using Mccalls 6844. I have made this twice before, so I did not have to cut the pattern or worry about fit issues. I decided to use a stencil I used once before to future save time. I decided to combine hand-sewn and machine sewn elements to add texture and interest.

I immediately got to work on my airbrushing, cutting and stitching. I have been sewing in every free moment of this week! I am ahead of the deadline and oh so tired! I have a long list of "must dos" to tackle, so I had to hustle on this one. 

  

I  used navy blue for the exterior, light blue for the reverse and green and white for the interior reverse applique exposures. Don't miss this, I used two colors under the blue! This is completely new to me and I have not seen it done before anywhere else (granted, I have not been looking), but isn't it AWESOME?!

The main base layer is green and the white areas are achieved with circular inserts placed strategically behind some of the pointed flowers. I then machine stitched them in place before adding the green layer. This layer is secured by hand-sewing around the flowers before cutting the centers out.  

With all of the loose thread ends from the hand sewing, the inside needed to be lined. I decided to make the cardigan reversible. I added an applique feature to the reverse side along with exposing the seams and cutting a rag texture into them. 

Just as cool on the flip side.

Applique on the reverse side.

A little shoulder interest.

 I have written a full review for the contest, that can be read here.

Happy Sewing,
Bianca

The Great Pattern Review Sewing Bee: Round 1

I am so excited! I have entered another contest on Pattern Review. You can read all the rules for The Great Pattern Review Sewing Bee by clicking the link. The first round project of this four- week challenge is to make an A-line skirt.  Given the time constraints, I chose to use Simplicity 2314 for the body of the skirt and Simplicity 7454 to add pocket details.

For fabric, I used Ikea Hildis 100% Cotton and lined it in grey fabric of unknown content. I was given it in an estate sale liquidation my guess is it is gauze. I would not have lined this skirt because of the weight of it, but for the contest I had to so I went with something ultra lightweight. Craftsy has a great tutorial "How to Attach Lining to an invisible zipper With a Sewing Machine", if you want to an easy way to do it. For a bit of creative interest, I added dark red piping to the exterior pockets and lower edge of the waistband.

Lining side

Red Piping

Here is the completed project in a motion GIF. Picassa, surprises me daily. It made it automatically. Now, if I can figure out how to edit that fuzzy one out.

I modified the pattern by adding three inches to the body and lining of the skirt. I omitted the center front seam and cut it on the fold for better flow.

Here's hoping I advance to the next round of the contest. If you haven't yet entered and sew quickly, there is still time.

Happy Sewing,

Bianca