Two Tops; M6571 & M6641

Where does the time go?! I wrote this post over a month ago, and totally forgot to post. So here it is. Better late than never. 

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Not sewing for 3+ weeks, I missed sewing.  Upon returning home from the trip, I got busy sewing immediately!

The fabric is a very stretchy cotton/Lycra  blend I got a while ago.

I took my usual 2-inch petite adjustment on the length. 

I followed the directions and fused interfacing on the neck facing, which was quite wide. However I ended up cutting most of it because it felt just so bulky.

It dawned on me that many, if not all, of my RTW T-shirts and tops don't have any neck facings. So, next time I will not even bother with it.  I will simply fold the edge inside and stitch. I like a wider neckline opening better anyway.

That was McCall's 6571. A simple boatneck T-shirt.

 I have been in need of simple tops and wardrobe builders. Of course, I could find some suitable patterns for that in my pattern stash!

Next up is a casual sweatshirt type top.

This one was easy, quick, and fun to make.

Lightweight T-shirt knit. 

With a light weight corduroy!

I've had these two fabrics for a long while, waiting for just the perfect design to show up. 

I have omitted the neckband. This gave me a scoopneck design which I like.

Again, I took the usual 2 inch length adjustment, however, it turned out it wasn't long enough, so I ended up leaving the serged hem as is. 

The pattern being unisex in size, I was expecting the extra small to be still rather on the larger side. But not so much.  It's comfy and I love it. My son wants me to make him a hoodie from this pattern so that's on my list of "To Sew".

Topstitching provided by my trusty 'topstitch machine', my vintage Snger 15–91.

A couple of easy, satisfying projects.

Happy sewing, everyone!

Staycation Tees

It has been a heck of a month.  Things finally calmed down a bit, and I really needed to recharge. I decided to take a 3-day staycation. Though I had to do a little bit of work from home yesterday, I managed to stay focused on sewing! I've been craving for some sewing time!

Yes, a red t-shirt! It's Butterick 5354 pattern that I purchased back in March. With the RTW fasting, I am in need of making the basics. With the summer approaching, I need some new t-shirts!

View C is what I made. The fabric is a cotton/poly light/medium weight knit. It was a remnant someone gave me a while back. There was just enough for one t-shirt. Hey, it's virtually a free t-shirt.

I love the neckline. I love the walking foot. (Have I said that before?!)  It's like night and day. No more struggling with any type of fabric. You just had to have the right kind of tools, I learned.

The back neckline. This was a happy accident.  The neckline seam is supposed to be folded toward the inside of the shirt. When I had the front and the back of the t-shirt put together, I made a mistake! I had the wrong side of the back on the outside!  But I rather like the effect. On this fabric, you can hardly tell the right side from the wrong side. So, I decided to leave it as is. I'm happy with the result.

The sleeve set in nicely.

I just don't have any photos of me wearing it yet.

Here is the t-shirt #2.

It's Maria Denmark's 101 Kirsten Kimono Tee. This fantastic free pattern is downloadable from her site. A fellow RTW faster told me about it when we had a meet-up at the Puyallup Sewing Expo.  I cut the small, but used the extra small neckline for the front since I like a little more scoop on the neckline.

This fabric was also a gift/donation. A neighbor was moving and downsizing. She gave me a whole bunch of fabrics from her stash. (I mean a WHOLE BUNCH, like 5 large trash bagful!! Mostly high quality wool! Well, that's another blog post.) In it, there was this light weight, very stretchy and good quality knit remnant. I love this blue-gray color. There wasn't even a yard of it left, so I couldn't cut both front and back in one piece. I had to cut the front in two separate pieces. I meant to do some embellishment along the front line where I sewed the two front pieces together.

However, I ended up deciding to do the embellishment around the neckline instead.  I pinned the black lace around the neckline to see how it would look. I liked it. It reminded me of one of my favorite t-shirts I have. It's an Ann Taylor t-shirt which has a little lace embellishment along the neckline with the raw edge left exposed.  I decided that I'd like to do something similar.

Here is the finished neckline. I just sewed the lace along the neckline, leaving the inside raw edge alone which flips up and does a little peed-a-boo.

I love it.

The front middle where I had to sew the two pieces together is almost invisible.

This t-shirt was put together so fast. I love the design, I love the simple elegance.  I will definitely make it again. This t-shirt is so clean and simple that it's perfect for playing with little embellishment. The shirt just tickles your creativity.  I think I will also check out other patterns by Maria Denmark.

The actual color of the fabric is a little darker than it appears in the photos.

Tomorrow is my day three and the last day of Staycation.  I'd like to make at least one more something. Ok, so far, two free t-shirts made from someone's unwanted remnants. That's the spirit of Urban Recyclist, right?!

Simple V-Neck Butterick 6084, Done!

                             

I've been needing to refresh basics in my wardrobe.

                              

So I began paying attention to simple tees and tunics patterns.  This is one of the patterns I found a few months ago.

 

It's an older pattern (1999) So I wasn't sure if I would like the length and the shape. I did a trial run with a 'scrap' fabric I had.   Was it easy? Yes.  Did it really take just two HOURs as it says on the envelope?  Uh, no. It might have been if someone else cuts the pattern and the fabric, and marks everything for you, and even finishes all the seam allowance raw edges. (yeah, for me, it's never two hours no matter what they claim.)

The neck interfacing was way too wide and would be bulky, so I made the neck interfacing narrower. The length was too short for my taste. But other than that, I really like the way it fit me, and I'm keeping this test shirt as an "around the house" shirt. (I'm not too crazy about the fabric colors and pattern, if you know what I mean...)

                      

 

Here, the new version on me.  I lengthened it by 4 inches from the original pattern, after taking the petite adjustment as shown on the pattern..

                         

 

I've been needing to get some simple tops like this to wear for work, under a jacket. I don't like shirts or blouse that much and so I almost always wear a top like this with suit, or under a jacket with pants.

                                   

Do you know how difficult it is to find very simple yet stylish pullover RTW tops?  I've been looking high and low for years, and only every once in a while I get lucky and find one.  But usually, nothing I see that I could wear for work, looking professional, and fun at the same time. Comfortable rayon or cotton blend knit tops I see at stores are often either too casual, too frilly or otherwise with design details I don't want for a professional look.

 

This one, however, I think I can wear under my jacket and coordinates well with black pants, brown pants or even with beige. The fabric is chocolate brown with sage green. I know, it's hard to see the colors in these photos. Rayon/poly light weight knit. Another one from the Expo.

The V-neck opening is just deep enough, not too deep.

I have enough fabric leftover to make another top or summer dress.  I think it screams for a summer dress.

For a more casual look, I think I will use a heavier knit like the one I used for the test run. Easier to sew anyway!

Have a happy weekend!