PR Sewing Bee Round 1 – The Good News and The…Other News

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Some might say I’m crazy, but this year, I entered the Pattern Review Sewing Bee, a contest that contains four challenges, each a week in length. As a rule, I don’t usually get too excited about competitions, but I decided to try this one to push myself a bit. It’s time to try something new, I told myself, and to learn a few things in the process.  Sounds good, eh? Still, I waffled, until the specifics of Round 1 were announced. The first challenge was to make a fitted blouse. And wouldn’t you know, I already had fabric in my stash for another peplum blouse. Is that destiny or what?!?

For my contest entry, I used Butterick 6097, a fitted blouse with a peplum I made here and here. This time though, I wanted to try something different. Since my fabric was a linen that had a denim look, I decided to use french seams and double topstitching to play up to the ‘jeans’  vibe of the fabric.

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The french seams turned out to be essential as this linen blend unraveled every time I even looked at it. I overlocked in some places too. I thought sewing all the topstitching would drive me crazy, but once I got into it, I couldn’t stop. Really. I went a little berserk. I put those double yellow lines everywhere.

To fasten the front, I used snaps instead of buttons. For those who haven’t tried inserting snaps, it’s really quite fun! You get to pound them in with a hammer. The first time is a bit…well, scary, since a screw up leaves a hole in your fabric that’s too big to deny, but then, you relax right into it. The noise made my poor cat a little insane though.

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Once the shirt was done, I posted photos on the PR website, wrote my review and waited. And waited. If you haven’t taken a look at all of the gorgeous shirts entered in the contest, you really should. They were all amazing. I can’t imagine how the judges decided who would go forward to the next round. But, as luck would have it, I passed muster and am moving ahead. Yahoo! That’s the good news.

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The Other news? Well, here’s the description of Round 2’s challenge. To quote: “In this round you will add surface embellishments to existing fabric to make a piece of fabric (or fabrics) something truly unique. You will then make a garment out of the fabric(s) that you embellished. Because the embellishment process may take additional time, participants will have TEN days for this round.”

Say what?!?  My first reaction was, WTF! My second reaction was, ‘how much wine did I have the night I decided to enter this contest’? After a good night’s sleep and a nice long bike ride this morning though, I’ve settled into the idea of this challenge. Sure, I’ve never applied a surface embellishment (whatever that is LOL) to anything other than a bit of make up on my face, but hey. There’s got to be a first time for everything. And, with any luck, something like inspiration will strike in the next 24 hours (the clock is ticking here, brain!). I will swing into action and it will be fun. (Yes, this is a pep talk :))

A few of my favorite bloggers also entered the PR Sewing bee. You might want to check out their lovely makes – –  Saturday Night Stitch, Gray all Day, Thanks I made them, to name a few.

I hope you’re enjoying our lovely fall, and are finding inspiration everywhere you look. Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!

One is good, but two is better!

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One peplum shirt is good, but two is better, right? Of course! That’s why I’m making a second version of one of my favorite Tried ‘n True patterns – Butterick 6097.
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There’s a reason I’m sewing two versions of the same pattern back to back. Not only do I LOVE this pattern, but the Monthly Stitch August Challenge is Two is the magic number. So, if I’m going to obsess over a TNT pattern, what better time to do it?

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 Just like my last version, this shirt uses two contrasting prints. The truth is now obvious. I Love mixing prints! I cannot get enough of it. Even Mr. ElleGee has noticed my new found love. When I wore this shirt a couple of nights ago, he looked at me, tilted his head thoughtfully and said….”Oh. Well, that’s nice. But hey. Umm, aren’t you making a lot of those shirts now with the different fabrics up the front?”
 Well, yes, as I matter of fact I am.  How nice of him to notice :).
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 The print I chose for this particular shirt is from Cotton and Steel, purchased at Fabric Depot. The texture of this cotton is so yummy, I love wearing it.  The fabric is so light weight, I expected it would wrinkle, but it doesn’t. How great is that? These photos were taken after several hours of wear, yet the shirt still looks pretty crisp. (The contrast fabric on the front band and the collar band is from my stash, purchased long ago from who-knows-where.)
 There isn’t much I can say about this pattern, since I’ve made it before ( see it here).  It’s all about the box pleats in the front and back, you know? This version has three quarter length sleeves without a cuff. They’re rolled up a bit in these photos because it’s so hot and muggy today. In spite of the heat though, this shirt is comfortable. And this print is a bit easier on the eyes than the last print I used (see it here), so I’m sure I’ll wear this a lot, maybe with jeans or a skirt.
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Now, that I’ve made this shirt twice in a matter of only a few weeks, is my obsession over? Hmmmm, not sure I can guarantee that as I seem to have another version percolating in mind…..Oh no…….help me out of this horribly deep rut!
Please. Tell me I’m not alone, that you become obsessed with certain patterns too…?
Happy Sewing! And thanks for stopping by!

I’m having a That Seventies Show moment

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I took to heart the advice I saw in a fashion magazine recently. When it comes to fall fashion and prints,  more is more! Apparently, the old maxims about print on print should be damned.
Okay. It’s nice to know that my over-the-top shirt is on-trend, because then, perhaps I’ll have the guts to wear it! Personally, whenever I look at this shirt, all I can think of is ’That Seventies Show’.
imagesThe gang here, giving us some attitude!
I guess that isn’t a bad thing because some fashion experts insist the ‘seventies comeback’ trend in fashion is here for a second season. Okay! Bring it on because I Am Ready!
How did I end up with this print/look? Well, it’s a now familiar story. Both fabrics were in my stash, and I’ve been so In Love with the mixed print look that’s all around in RTW!
Here are some of my favorite examples. Burberry Prorsum is mixing up the prints in their Autumn 2015 RTW line.
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OMG. I need that. The seventies’ vibe is pretty obvious here with more of a folksy interpretation.   I’m going to have to find some fabric to recreate a mix and match look like this soon.
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Love the print and texture overload here, accented with bands of black.  And the fringe on that bag. Please! Can I have some!
Here’s a close up of my wild print. Sure, it’s not as cool as the Burberry print, but it cost only $12.99 a yard…Ha!
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I used one cotton print for the bodice, skirt and sleeves, and used the contrast for the front bands and the collar band. The cotton is so crisp, it sews like a dream (Fabric Depot). I think this cotton is meant to be used for quilting, but that’s never stopped me before, nor will it in the future. The fabric has just enough body to give the peplum a bit of a kick, and what’s not to love about that.
The top I made is Butterick 6097, a fitted shirt with a collar and peplum variations, princess seams and a front button band.
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I chose this pattern because I’ve made it before (here) and I like that fact that it has a bit of structure. Also, the style works with all sorts of bottoms; shorts, skirts, and jeans. To me, the peplum style has a slight retro vibe, which I always, always love. Peplums are nice for Waistless Girls like me, because they fool folks into thinking we actually HAVE them.
I made view B, a long sleeve version that I modified. My sleeves are closer to 3/4. I added a 3 inch cuff, so that I could push the sleeves up if it got too warm (rolled up here because we’ve had more than a few 100 degree days in Oregon this summer…EEK!).
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Because the pattern is so fitted, I chose to go up a size in the waist (since I don’t really have one), then cut my usual size through the hips. These adjustments are the same I made in my previous version. The pattern went together easily and it fit with just a bit of last minute seam adjustment at the sides. The peplum pleats were super easy to sew. You just have to mark them well.
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So, what do you think? Is this print just a bit too much? I’m not sure, but I think I’ll wear this top anyway. The fabric feels so good against my skin, and for me, that’s often the bottom line in terms of a garment’s wearabitliy.  I do love this Butterick pattern, so much so, I’ll be making another version of it this week (more is more?) and posting it here and on the Monthly Stitch Blog, since the August Challenge is ‘Two is the magic number’.
Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!!