Made by Me Files: The Perfect Pant (McCalls 6930/6711) and a Leftover Jacket (Vogue 8910).

It's been a long while since I wrote up any of my sewing projects!  I have quite a few projects I have sewn up, I just lost my steam to write over the last month, and both of these got left behind. 

First up I will write about my "perfect pant" pattern, which is a mash-up of McCall's 6930 and 6711.  I will then finish up this post with a very *brief* review of a bias cut jacket I made, Vogue 8910.

Evidence of country--horse.

I made these pants up before I left for Mississippi, as I spied this fabric at Joann's, and knew that its color and pattern would work well with this sweater jacket I made specifically for the trip.  I also knew that having a good pair of well-fitting pants in a stretchy cotton sateen is a wonderful idea for any trip (especially ones that involve sitting in cars for hours driving to get to places--Mr. Dina is from the country, you all).
 

Since I had made up some pretty decent fitting pants back when I was in the Fashion Challenge for Fabric Mart using McCall's 6711, and I had read that the block that McCall's uses for all of its pants patterns stay the same, I knew I would probably be okay picking out another McCall's pattern for pants and having it work for my lower half.  (I also had lost some weight from the challenge and the plaid pants I had originally made fit me even better so I figured a new pair would probably be the same.)

I loved the back zip and pockets from McCall's 6711, so I knew I wanted my new pair to have the same thing, but I also knew I wanted a traditional waistband.  Well, the only pattern I saw that had those three things were McCall's 6930, but that pattern is for capris and shorts.  Sigh.

But then, ding!, I realized I could mash-up the top portion of McCall's 6930 with the longer, slimmer leg of McCall's 6711, and have a perfect pair of pants for me.  Yes!

I did check to make sure that the McCall's 6930 crotch curve matched the McCall's 6711, and without fail, it was a near match, barring a slight style difference to accommodate a waistband and lower rise.  So I proceeded to get my shears out and get to cutting.

Like all cotton sateen I have worked with in the past, this fabric was no exception to the "easy to cut, easy to sew" rule.  I love cotton sateen so much.  And provided the sateen is in a print with some stretch, the fabric shows very few wrinkles making it perfect for anyone who travels or moves about a lot.

It isn't especially thick, but for my purposes it is a good all-weather pant.  I felt fine in these in the 75 degree weather we had the day I wore them in Mississippi (December 1, thankyouverymuch), but I also felt warm enough when I wore them recently in more *typical* winter weather (last photo of this review).

Side view shows that the crotch curve works for my particular lower half well.  I love that it both fits my longer and larger bottom, but also works with my flatter front yet slight front thigh bump.  Woo.  I thought only Burda allowed for us to have proper curves.  LOL.

I cut the size 14, btw, the same size I cut for 6711.  My measurements fit the 16 better, but in my experience McCall's runs about one size big across the board (I should wear a 12 up top but always cut a 10).

I wish I had a darker colored grey invisible zip laying around, but I seem to only buy the REALLY long zippers from G Street, and forget to buy the shorter ones, too.  (I like to have zippers laying around, I cannot tell you how many times I have needed one and was very glad I didn't have to trudge out to the store in the middle of a project to get one.)  G Street, btw, has the *best* notions department, at least the one at Seven Corners here in Northern Virginia.  I feel very lucky to have all the YKK zippers in every color, size, and function at the ready and only a few miles from my house.  The same can be said of their elastics, ribbons, buttons, shoulder pads, snaps, etc.  So much choice!

Anyhow, I never seem to have troubles unzipping from the back, but I guess I probably am alone in this.  I really just don't like front zips, except in jeans.  I always feel like the zip on the front feels weird and it bothers me.  Obviously I get over it as most pants are constructed that way, but for me, as a sewer, I will always prefer to put my zips somewhere else than in the front.

Okay so above is how I wore the pants recently here in Virginia.  The weather wasn't stupid cold, but it was only in the 50s that day, so I knew I would have to wear it with the sweater jacket that I had originally planned to wear with it in Mississippi.  (For all that talk about wearing the jacket on my trip, I only had the chance to wear it once--it was just that warm...THE WHOLE TIME.)

Above is Vogue 8910.  I actually wrote up two reviews of this jacket, one at the Fabric Mart blog (has a ton of photos, too), and the review at Pattern Review. 

Since I have clearly said a lot about it over there, I will just encourage you to check out those reviews instead of recreating the wheel here.  I just know that some of you need to see a photo of what you will be looking at to have a reason to get up and go over there.  ;-)

I know this sounds crazy, especially since it is my first jacket and it is really nice and took ME FLIPPING FOREVER to do, but I haven't even worn it out in real life yet.  I finished this jacket on December 11, took these photos and wrote the Fabric Mart blog post on the afternoon of December 12, and later that night found out that my friend, W., had died.  I feel like this jacket is just such a reminder of his death, and all the pain and confusion I felt thereafter, and I can't bring myself to wear it. 

Thing is, he was a huge fan of my sewing and even joked with me that he would wear one of my creations one day and show off his legs for me in it (I guess I was to make him either shorts or a kilt, lol?).  He supported me during the contest and considering he is a rough around the edges, burly and bearded, LUMBERJACK, the fact that he got into it so much means either he was hiding a secret fashionista side or he really just wanted to be a great friend.  I am guessing the latter.  ;-)

I know he would want me to wear it, and I guess I will, I just need to get past my mental block to do so.  I think I will figure it out, it just seems like such a shame to have this creation of mine sitting on the sidelines since I feel vulnerable wearing it.

Okay, that's all from me for today.  There will be one more creation of mine at the Fabric Mart blog tomorrow, so definitely check it out!  I really like that creation (and their is a mini one in there, too), and unlike the jacket above, I have actually worn that one for real.  

Made by Me File: McCall's 6844...Heavy Wool Knit Sweater Jacket!

As promised, this is the first post of four that centers around my first big project for the Fabric Mart blog.  The original blog post is here at their site.

What makes these four posts here at my site different is that I will focus on the individual pieces a bit more here, and end with a post on packing with these three pieces as my base for the whole travel wardrobe for my trip to Mississippi in a couple of weeks.  The rest of the posts will be published over the next week.

In 2013, McCall's issued the most amazing cardigan pattern, McCall's 6884, and I, along with every single sewer out there (including Mrs. C, who has made it five times?), purchased it.  Unlike every other sewer out there, I didn't get to my version right away since I am the world's slowest sewer (although my stepmom thinks that title should belong to her, lol).  In fact, though I pulled this one out multiple times over the past year, I never sewed it up until Julie over at Fabric Mart asked me what I wanted to do for my first blog post as an official contributor to their blog.

Because I am me, I had a gazillion ideas, one of which was to use this amazing heavy wool jacquard sweater knit (on sale today!) with view C of 6844.  I didn't know if the folks at Fabric Mart would go for it since it is a dear price for a couple of yards, but they said yes, and upon receiving it, I think I fondled it for about an hour.  It isn't that it is especially soft (though it is lovely to touch), it is that the sparkles from the silver threading combined with the heavily textured diamond jacquard pattern knitted throughout are stunning in real life (I hope you can get a sense of the texture in the above photo).  My stepmom was equally in love and was excited to see how it would look as a cardigan.

I do want to point out that if you are sensitive to wool, I would recommend lining this fabric, and since it is a lot like a felted wool woven, you should be able to do so easily.  If I needed to line it (I am not sensitive to wool, though), I would use something like this since it has a bit of stretch.

Well it turns out that because the fabric is so thick this cardigan is now probably closer to a sweater jacket because of the weight and heft of the fabric.  If you get cold in winter and like to have a wool knit that will keep you toasty, this is your fabric.

Here in Virginia, this is actually a jacket I can wear as outerwear in the fall and spring since there are always quite a few days where the temps will be in the low 50s, and this jacket is perfect for those conditions.  Otherwise this is a great dressy topper for chillier days when you need something to keep you warm inside.

If you can believe this, I had never sewn a sleeve in flat on an adult garment.  Ever.  Children's garments, sure, but not for me.  I was all set (haha) to set in this sleeve, just like the instructions told me to do, but after reading a gazillion and a half reviews of this pattern, especially Detective Houndstooth's awesome review, I decided that this fabric, while not the stretchiest ever, had enough give in it to properly set the sleeve in flat.  Above is how I did it and it worked perfectly.  So unless you have some reason to not sew it in flat, go for it.  I would dare say this fabric is pushing the limits of this particular type of sewing, so I suspect 99.5% of you making this pattern could sew the sleeves in flat.

Detective Houndstooth best describes this procedure, so I definitely encourage a visit to that blog post she wrote.

I know I didn't have to serge the raw edges of this fabric since it is a sweater knit, but this fabric is so special that I wanted to take the extra step to keep the edges tidy.  I didn't serge the hem raw edge, though, since the back peplum wrong side does show when wearing, and so far so good.  If the edge does start to unravel I will probably hand sew a edge finish (ugh...that's a lot of hand sewing!).

I want to point out that with a lot of steam from your iron, these seams were very easy to press.  I knew that I was going to keep the whole seam allowance intact, so I realized that fully pressed seams were the only way to go.  I used my tailor's ham for all of the seam pressing, and even at the armscye I got a very flat finish.  Success.  By properly pressing these down, I was able to control the bulk, and you can't tell from the outside that these were once very thick seams!

Speaking of bulky seams, in order to get what you see above (that is the join of the three fabrics where the collar attaches to the main body), I had to do quite a bit of trimming.

On the left side of the image you see the newly trimmed seam, where only the upper most seam was left full, the two below were trimmed to nearly an 1/8".  On the right side is the full thick seam as it was before the shears came after it.  ;-)

I first found the two lower seams and separated them from the upper layer.

I then cut the two lower layers with the scissors VERY carefully, leaving the top seam intact (it gets folded over the seams under it and is topstitched from the right side, which enclosed the lower seams under the upper seam).  Gosh, I hope that makes sense.

All cut away.  I would say the trimming took me a good ten minutes, and after that pinning the allowances so the upper layer encloses those newly trimmed under layers so it could be topstitched from the right side took another thirty.  Worth ALL the effort.  The topstitching looks great and the seams lay flat.  I didn't serge this seam, either.  Again, if it starts to unravel, I will hand sew a finish.  I really hope that its current state stays, since that is a lot of hand sewing.  ;-)

This pattern's view C is very extravagant.  That peplum flounce is not for the shy, especially in a thicker fabric like this one.  A lighter sweater knit would like fall more loosely and shyly, but this thick knit means that peplum will be super-pronounced forever.  And I am okay with that.  Obviously I don't mind clothing that is a bit dramatic.

What is great is that it is very easy to dress up, but surprisingly very easy to dress down.  It looks super cute with a tee and jeans, for instance.  And since this olive brown color is in my wardrobe in quite a few items (whether in a print or this exact shade), I will be able to wear it often!

Back view of the the pronounced peplum.  I have a rather large bottom, and this covered it nicely, so pear shapes, go for it.  Don't bother to grade up the bottom half, too, since there is more than enough room for all of our "assets."  ;-)

I did make a size small, but in a stretchier knit, I will likely have to size down to an extra-small since I suspect that the stretchier knit would make the small too large for my frame, especially in the shoulders and neckline area.

Even though I added snaps to keep the collar properly back like you see on the pattern cover, this collar looks darling when folded flat.  And since the snaps are black they don't even show up that easily (though my hands cover them in the photos I took from far away).  I may even prefer this way, especially with the collar up like that.

BTW, that is another bonus to this thicker fabric, the collar easily stays up, and I didn't even interface the collar.  (Can you imagine how stiff this would be all interfaced up?)

This is a photo I took this morning of it from above and though you can see the snaps, they are not that obvious, so I am fine with having added them.  It is really hard to get the collar to stay back without them, so it was a nice addition, in my opinion.

Close up shot of the snaps, both closed (right) and open (left).  I like this shot, too, since it shows off the amazing texture and shine of the fabric.  The fabric is not this light, though, I lightened the shot so you could better see how I did the snaps.  :-)

I haven't done this yet, but I did figure out a way I could add one snap to the front part of the collar to attach to the other snaps allowing for me to properly close the front of the jacket so it actually fully functions as a jacket.  I also have plans to belt this jacket since I bet that would look cute, too.  

Okay, that's it for now.  I am so glad I was able to finally sew up this pattern!  :-)

Thank you to Fabric Mart again for the fabric.  So beautiful!

Boden: Autumn/Fall 2014 Preview Picks (Coats, Shoes, and Accessories).

UPDATE (July 21, 2014): Some of the fall 2014 items have rolled out, including many of the below.  I have received a coupon from the people at the affiliate program.  You can find it below this first paragraph or in the sidebar of the blog if you need a coupon.  I will eventually be updating this post with proper links to the items that are available, so you can easily find the items you love below on the regular site.  :-)

15% off with free shipping coupon that is valid once you spend $50 or more!

Hey, all!  Happy Thursday!

Before I get started on the picks post (number three of four--this is the last one for womenswear, though), I wanted to let you all who want a popback on the regular Boden site to take a look around, because in the world of "perfect" timing (yeah, that perfect is sarcastic), the site got a whole bunch of popbacks this morning, *after* the better 20% off portion of the diminishing discount ended.  Now the discount is 15% off, which is okay, but it sure would have been nice to have some of those popbacks when the site was 20% off!  :-P

Okay, as you all know by now, to receive 20% off with free ship and returns here at the preview site, make sure to put the code H6G9 in the shopping bag page.  THIS CODE ENDS TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT, so bear that in mind.  After that if you order from the preview site, you pay the full amount (not recommended, btw). 

Reminder that the other picks posts can be found here for dresses/tunics/skirts and here for tops/shirts/knitwear. 

Okay onto the coats, shoes, and accessories.

Autumn Trench.  I have one trench from Boden, and my stepmom owns one, too, so we can definitely recommend these above to anyone looking for a great transitional coat.  These two above are unique, especially the one with the allover bird print.

I LOVE how the model looks in the animal print version, btw (very top photo).  Just beautiful. 

British Tweed Blazer.  I know I can't shut up about my J. Crew Bella Jacket in Pink Herringbone, but the color and tweed is so pretty and feminine together.  This jacket is a great option if you always wanted the Bella in pink tweed but missed out.  Although this collar is meant to be laid flat, you can always pop it to get more of the "Bella" look.  Plus take a peek at the cute London print lining.  Love!

Edie Jacket.  This jacket is actually short, 3/4 sleeve, and very reminiscent of the 60s.  This would be very lovely worn atop a little black dress and a pair of heels (may I recommend the Jackie Heels below?).

Eliza Coat.  Pink Coat Sickness. My adoration of pink coats knows no bounds.  Must sell other pink coats to make room for this coat.  LOL.  I will, too, especially if this one ends up fitting me well.

Lebdury Pea Coat.   This color is amazing, and would very much make you the brightest person on any grey day.  And if you are buying Boden, you know doubt think *that's a very good thing.*

 

Rainyday Mac.  In years past, people have sent me reviews of the Rainyday Mac for my BWRRs, and this is the very first season I have actually wanted one for me.  (I love the British print one with all the guards.)  Question for you fans...should I size up to an 8R?  It seems that the measurements would indicate that, plus the online reviews all say the coat runs a touch small.  If you could weigh in, I would be so appreciative.  :-)

Fashion Pointed Pump.  Colorblocked Flats are not my thing, but I know a lot of you love them, so I made sure to include this pink/aubergine colored pair in my picks for you all.

Flat T-Bar Point.  I love the look of a beautiful heel but as a flat.  Eventually I will try and grab these on sale a little further down the line.  It could sell out, but I will take my chances.

Jackie Heels.  These are so chic.  Everything about them is so polished and ladylike.  They come in half-sizes, too!

Low Heeled Loafer.  I am recommending the loafer again.  I don't own a pair like this, and since I wear loafers more than any other type of shoe, I know these will be one of my best "cost per wear" purchases of this next fall.  I really hope that these are a bit more subdued in real life, not because I can't handle the shiny, but because I am hard on my shoes and would prefer that any dings that happen don't immediately mar the appearance of the shoe.

 

Mary Jane.  Yoohoo, J. Crew fans of their Fall 2008 collection...you may just fall over from excitement at the fact that you can buy the Penelope Mary Jane (well a close approximation, anyhow) again.  From another retailer, but as we are all able to say emphatically...Boden's offerings are often more old school J. Crew than the current J. Crew can say.

Smithfield Boot.  So my relatives in Mississippi buy cowboy boots for reals in an actual Western shop there in their town.  I have to say showing these short cowboy boots off may be a real affront to true-blooded country-western types in the USA, but dang (said with a southern accent, of course), these are pretty darn great dupes.  From a British company.  Buffalo Bill Cody may just be rolling over in his grave.  Sorry, sir.

The Lace Up.  Okay, I am so not a fan of these, but I have seen they are getting a real buzz over at all the various social media that Boden has out there, and I would be a real bad Boden blogger if I didn't let you all know that, just in case you are a fan. 

Wellie.  Cute!  I could see Boden making these for the kids, so the fact that they made these for grown women is pretty awesome.  I don't wear wellies, but I probably should in the weather we often get.  (Maybe on sale, though, if they stick around long enough.)

Casual Shopper.  This bag is stunning.  The color, the piping, the subtle hardware.  Good show, Boden.  Your bags get better and better each year!

Draycott Bag.  This reminds me so much of the Edie bag.  I don't really love the Edie bag, but I *know* a lot of you did, so this may be just for you.

Thurloe Bag.  If you want the cute British print but don't want to wear it all over your body, this bag may be the right way for you to show it off.  :-)

Umbrella.  Yay!  This umbrella is so cute.  They have had specialty umbrellas shown off in their catalogs in years past, but they have never had them for sale.  They finally listened to the fans of their unique prints and made them available!

Okay, that's it!  Hope you have a great rest of your day, and thank you, as always, for spending time here at my blog.  I may not always remember to say it, but I am so grateful for all of you.  :-)

Boden: Catch of the Day. Tuesday!

I am in a bit of rush this morning, so this will be very brief, but I wanted to let you all know that today's catch of the day is pretty decent, with a good amount of choices throughout the ranges.

Women's has a lot of sweaters and jackets, and can be found here.

Girls' has lots of sweaters and coats and jackets, and a small number of shoes, and can be found here.

Men's has sweaters and jackets, like the ladies, and can be found here.

Boys' section is like the girls', but there are far less shoes on offer, and can be found here.

I have some reviews of three of the sweaters on offer in the women's section, but cannot get into detail yet, but will link to them with a few brief words.  I will expand the reviews later today.

Embellished Cardigan.  I have it in ivory.  Very pretty color with gorgeous, well done beading.  The sizing is accurate, but it does run short.  It is very soft.

Hand Knit Cable Jumper.  I did a lengthy review in this week's BWRR.  (Other sweater reviews can be found there, too.)

Cashmere V-Neck Jumper.  I am actually wearing the bright blue today.  That color is not on sale, but some of the colors are, so if you wanted one of the sale colors, today is your day to grab them.  The cashmere usually sells well for Boden.  Runs true to size, and is a nice length (not too short).  The cashmere is soft, but not as soft as the embellished cardigan.

Draycott Coat.  Haven't worn this out, but is a nice weight, with pretty and unique threading throughout the fabric.  The fit is true to size, but if you are a bit bustier, you may want to size up.  The 6 was perfect for me.

Below is the link for the 15% off with free ship code.  There is no stacking in this promo, but the free ship will work.  The 15% off still works on the non-catch items.  :)


Do you all have any picks?

OOTDs: Bring on the Jacket. And the Eiffel Tower Earrings. And Rush.

Hi, Ladies!  (And Gents, if you all are out there!)

How has your weekend been?  It s really pretty here in VA, so we have been soaking up all the glorious weather by moving non-stop from one activity to another.  Pluses?  The activities are tremendous amount of fun, and hopefully the memories of these fab activities will linger in our kids' minds.  Minuses?  Well, our kids are young and weekend full of activities equals less sleep for the little ones, which means there is just a *tiny* bit of crabbiness from them.  ;)

Today I decided to get two outfits from the recent weeks done, and tie them together because both outfits feature a jacket as a major part of the outfit.

First up is the outfit from yesterday, one that features the J. Crew Lexington Jacket in ivory and citron from the Fall of 2007.  (Featured in this catalog image from September 2007.)

Started off the day in this whole ensemble, but by about 1 pm it was too hot, and sadly the Lexington had to be put away.  At least I was able to have a few hours with this beauty completing my look.

If you open the image, you can see the information on the individual pieces.  The shoes are the wonderful Lena wedges which I have worn many times already this summer, but just couldn't make it look 100% right with the outfits, since the wedges were too "statement-y" for the more delicate looks I wore them with...(outfit 1 here, outfit 2 here, and outfit 3 here).  I finally feel like I have hit the right note by wearing them with the capris. 

Since I had an Eiffel Tower on my tee, I knew the Eiffel Tower earrings had to be pulled out.  Not every fashion moment has to be subtle, right?  ;)

No jacket and posing with my "ooh, it's the Eiffel Tower, Momma" baby girl.

I have now worn these Pure Collection pants twice.  They are so freaking comfortable but still look like proper trousers.  I saw them in the summer sale for something like $30 and thought, "eh, why not?"  Glad I gave them a shot.

For those of you who want more info on Pure Collection, I plan on doing my reviews in the next day or two.  Tomorrow starts a big ten-day sale for them (they are approaching their tenth anniversary on October 10), so I figured it would be very appropriate to schedule my first Pure Collection reviews around then. Until then, if you want to take a look around, here is a link: Pure Collection - 25% Off.

Yesterday's activities included a Rex tee-ball game, a lunch out, a visit to a movie theater to see "Hotel Transylvania," and church (the Bishop was there and blessed Rex and Angus!).  I knew I had to have something that could go to all events, be nursing friendly, and layered for either heat or cold.

The above picture was taken right after I threw in the towel on the jacket (temps had gone up to near 80 with full sun).

The Jacket. The Eiffel Tower. by dinagideon featuring forever 21

Above is the polyvore of the outfit.

So I was going to just publish the outfit photos from yesterday but then I remembered it has been a full three weeks since I went to the Rush concert (yes, that Rush, not Big Time or Limbaugh, bite your tongue, people).  And since this outfit featured both a jacket and the Eiffel Tower Earrings, I figured I would just go with it.

I liked my makeup and hair that day, but was very disappointed in my eye bags.  SLEEP.  I need more SLEEP.  (Thanks, Angus.)  ;)

The jacket is from Target.  I had briefly considered getting one of these jackets from either J. Crew or Boden when they had them in their lines, but I am so glad I waited.  I think this one is $25?  And it is super comfy and soft, too, so I think I chose the best one for me.

Look at the size of that beer.  I have never had a 24 ounce beer in a can.  I felt classy.  Yeah.  Classy is the right word.  Ha.

There's my concert tee from the last time I went to a Rush concert.  I was willing to buy another concert tee, but this time the women's tees were all very unfortunate looking.  I know Rush is not a girl's kind of band, but come on, there is at least a handful of us that enjoy their music AND enjoy dressing up.

Look at Geddy, up there on stage.  I think he totally appreciated my tee and my beer. 

After the concert, parking lot.  Mr. Dina and I were walking to the car and I got catcalled at...lol.  I haven't been catcalled in YEARS, and the first time it happens to me is in front of my husband.

Okay, all, have a great night.  Are any of you able to wear and enjoy your blazers and jackets yet?