Goooooooals! Looking back (2014) and looking ahead (2015)

If you can stand one more self-reflective post from me, I want to go over how I did on the sewing goals that I set for myself back at the beginning of 2014 and set a few new goals for myself for 2015. If you can't stand one more post of this nature, go ahead and mark this as "read" in your blog reader; I won't be offended. Like my hits and misses post, I'm writing my goals post mainly for myself to help assess my sewing journey.

Let's start with how I did last year.

2014

Let's face it--I got a bit carried away with the goal stuff last year, so much so that it took me several posts to write about all of the goals that I was setting for myself and the convoluted systems that I was using to track those goals.

Here are those posts:

• 2014 Sewing Goals: Pattern Stash
• 2014 Sewing Goals: Non-stash related
• 2104 Sewing Goals: 12-piece capsule wardrobe

Gee, with so many rigid goals that I set for myself, how ever did I lose interest? 

I did manage to do one re-assessment (when I was still sort of on track) back at the end of Q1 of 2014:

2014 Q1 Sewing Goals check-in

And then I pretty much gave up. But let's see what I accomplished, anyway.

Stash goals

The following statement gives my "stash goals" for 2014:

"I, Michelle of happilycaffeinated, commit to using at least 15 patterns from the candidate pattern stash and using at least 20 pieces of stash fabric in 2014. Stash includes any fabric or patterns on hand/purchased prior to the date of this pledge, 8 Jan 2013."

And then I had a spreadsheet (of course) of "candidate patterns" to choose from. Here are the ones that I actually sewed from that list:

1. Mr. HotPatterns Nice & Easy t-shirt (I sewed 2 of these for my husband.)
2. HotPatterns 4 Season Kimono Jacket
3. HotPatterns Tailored Trackpant
4. Oliver + S Playtime Tunic and Leggings (sewn for my daughter)
5. StyleArc Slip-on Suzie dress
6. StyleArc Olive Spliced tee
7. StyleArc Amber top

 So, 7 out of 15. Meh. My use of stash patterns really dropped off as the year progressed and more new patterns came out because "Ooooh! Shiney!" I need to be more realistic about my tendencies to get distracted and just go with them instead of trying to fight them. So no pattern stash goals for 2015.

Yes, the Colette Hawthorn was on that "candidate" list, and no that never did get sewn this year.

I did track whether the fabric that I used for a given project came from stash or not, as well. "Stash" fabric was any fabric that I owned prior to January 8, 2014.

By my count, I used 23 pieces of stash fabric, so yay, me on that one!

Non-stash goals

Here are the more interesting (I'd imagine) goals that I set for myself, based on my blog post:

• Sew a water-resistant jacket with a hood. This didn't happen in 2014, but I still very much need one of these. This will be one of my few carry-over goals, which I'll discuss later in this post.
  
•  Sew a winter coat.
  
  Well, we all know how that is going. This is still very much in-progress. I will finish at some point this month (January). Can I ask for an extension on this one or get partial credit for a coat that's about 2/3 of the way finished?
•  Sew my daughter's Halloween costume.Done. You remember my daughter, Queen Elsa?
  
  

  

  Queen Elsa trick-or-treats at my office.
  

• Sew a capsule wardrobe.Well, I did sew a capsule wardrobe, although it was 4 pieces and not 12, and it certainly wasn't the wardrobe that I spent an entire post rambling on about.  Partial credit.
  

• Get over my fear of fly zippers.
  
  A weird thing happened with this one. I did sew a number of zippers this year, albeit none were fly zippers since I didn't sew a single pair of fly front pants. But you know what? I don't feel any sort of dread of sewing fly zippers any more, either. I can't give myself credit for this one, though. We'll talk more about fly fronts and pants in my 2015 goals.

•  Execute a wearable set of welt pockets.
  
  I did this! But you all don't know about it because it was on that pattern that I tested. It's a single welt, inseam pocket. By funny coincidence, I'm actually wearing this top today. So yeah, it's wearable. Here's photographic evidence that doesn't give away the pattern before it's released.
  
  

  

  Welt pocket

  Not perfect, but certainly wearable. Especially when not viewed in an overexposed photo at close range.
• Fabric out for the year should be 50% greater than fabric in.Hahahahahahahaha!
  
  I stopped keeping track of my purchases back in June, when a work deadline caused a few stress-related online shopping binges. I did, however, track that I sewed 77.5 yards this year (including 4 yards for the coat that's still not finished) and donated another 50 yards. I don't want to think about the "fabric in" portion of that, though.
• Explore the functionality of my Babylock Evolve.I definitely played around with a lot of stitches on my Evolve.  I think we can count this one as "accomplished".

Non-goal: RTW fast

I didn't actually set out to do a RTW fast this year, but looking back, the only RTW that I purchased in 2014 was underwear, socks, bras, and a couple of souvenir t-shirts. I'm kind of amused that I accomplished what is sometimes a major goal for us sewists without even trying, but that I didn't achieve some of my easier sewing goals. That's life, I guess.

2015 Goals

In 2014,  I did better on the more general goals than the more rigid goals. I'm not sure that having rigid goals really accomplished anything for me beyond stealing my sewjo. In any case, 2014 is over. It was a crappy year for a number of personal reasons that I haven't blogged about (mostly family and pet health-related issues).

To quote the Counting Crows, "Maybe this year will be better than the last."

I'm going to keep my goals more project-based this year, for the most part. I am interested in stretching my sewing and fitting skills a bit, but I don't want to take on more than I can realistically handle.

In general, I want to be more thoughtful in my sewing this year (it seems like everyone has been saying that as a goal, doesn't it?) and also concentrate more on woven wardrobe staples and not just sew quick knit tops and dresses.

Here are the things that I want to accomplish:

Finish that damn winter coat.

I will finish it, and I will finish it while the weather still allows me to wear it. And then I'll have a nice, warm winter coat for next fall/winter, too. I finished inserting the lining at the facings/hem over the weekend. Currently, I'm trying to figure out the instructions for attaching the sleeve hem/sleeve lining hem. With the coat turned right-side-out, you're supposed to pull the sleeve and sleeve lining through the neck opening, anchor the armscye seam allowances together, and stitch the hems together. I couldn't wrap my head around how this would work. I'll google and see if I can figure it out, but if not, I'll just hand stitch everything like I've done in the past.

Bathroom mirror selfie verifying my coat's progress

 I'm really, really hoping to have the whole thing done in the next week or two.

Pattern stash goal: none

One thing that I learned about myself last year is that I really do enjoy picking up a pattern on a whim and diving right into it. Trying to deny the "Oooh, shiney!" nature of choosing my sewing projects sucks some of the fun out of it. In general, though, I am going to try to avoid jumping on bandwagons and buying a certain pattern just because it's the hot new indie pattern that everyone is sewing. I might do that, but only if I truly see myself sewing up and wearing the pattern.

Fabric stash goal: Shop my stash first, shop local for wovens, and quality over quantity

One thing that I learned this past year in semi-tracking my fabric purchases and comprehensively tracking my fabric usage is that knits, especially knit prints, don't stay in my stash for long. I probably have fewer than 10 cuts of better-than-muslin quality knit prints in my stash and another 10 of good quality solid knits. Wovens, on the other hand, are another story since I sew those a lot less frequently.

I really want to stop my impulse buying at FabricMart sales where a big box of 6 cuts of fabric arrives on my doorstep, and I sew 2 cuts right away, and the other 4 go into the stash for god knows how long. In fact, I have one those boxes sitting at my desk at work because I was embarrassed to have it sent to my house and didn't want to have to deal with the "More fabric?" from my husband. I am keeping this box at my desk as a reminder to myself to not order more fabric, unless it's for a specific project and fabric that I can't find locally. (We do have a pretty decent assortment of apparel fabric stores in Seattle.) I know that doing a total fabric fast is unrealistic for myself, but I do want to hold myself to shopping my stash first, then shopping locally, and then shopping online (where the real shopping danger for me lies) if I can't find the "right" fabric at home or locally.

I will continue to track my fabric usage, if only because I like seeing the yardage number go up throughout the year.

Sew a water-resistant jacket with a hood.

Here's that hold-over goal from last year. I still need this. Ideally, I'll sew two of these--one lightweight for spring/early fall, and another, heavier version for colder, rainy weather. Part of why I've stalled on this goal is that there really hasn't been hooded jacket pattern that's spoken to me. I want something with a hood and a zipper--something like the Sewaholic Minoru, but not drafted for the completely opposite figure type of mine and actually available in my size range without grading up. I also really like HotPatterns Mr. HP Hemingway Windcheater, but it's a mens' pattern--those details are perfect for Seattle. I am really tempted to at least muslin it and see how much of a stretch it would be to feminize the fit.

Jeans! Jeans! Jeans!

I've been wearing the same three pairs of RTW jeans for the past year and a half, and two of the pairs are looking pretty worn. I really want a go-to jeans pattern. I'm looking at muslining the StyleArc Sandra narrow leg jean and Closet Case Files Ginger jeans (the non-skinny version) and going with whichever one has the more promising muslin.

Fit and sew a button-down blouse.

A button-down blouse that fits without gaping is pretty much the unicorn of the uber-busty, isn't it? I really like the yoke and details of the Grainline Archer and have had the pattern forever, so that's probably what I'll go with. I'll need an FBA and will leave the bust dart in mine for shaping. There's also a McCall's pattern (with shoulder princess seams and cup sizes!) that's really similar to the Deer & Doe Bruyere shirt that I really want to make, so that's another candidate for this goal. Maybe I'll even use two button-down blouse patterns this year!

Watch and complete the relevant projects for at least two of my Craftsy classes.

I know that my Craftsy class stash isn't as bad as some people's, but I do have a handful of classes that I've paid for and never watched. In particular, I'd like to watch/take the two sloper classes (skirt and bodice) that I bought for $19.99 each when they were on sale a little while back.

Final thoughts

So that's it--seven goals for myself for the year, and nothing tying me to a specific pattern or anything like that, beyond finishing my winter coat.

With me planning to fit and sew more wovens this year, expect to see a lot more "muslin" and "in progress" posts from me. I'm sure that those bore some people, but I'm personally fascinated with the evolution of people's muslins to their finished garments, so I'll be posting mine. If you haven't figured it out, I tend to post the same types of posts that I enjoy reading on other blogs. Plus, I think that muslin posts are helpful for people who find your blog via googling a pattern that they're working on or planning to make--you learn that "Oh, she had that fitting issue, too?"

Happy 2015 sewing, everyone!

2014 Roundup: Hits and Misses

I know, I know...everyone has been posting their "top 5" hits and misses over the past few weeks. I'm sure that you're sick of reading these posts by now, but I also know that there's a certain rubbernecking pleasure to be taken at seeing what didn't work out for someone. I won't try to shoehorn this post into a "Top 5 Hits/Top 5 Misses" format, but for the curious who want to know about the longer term wearability of some of my projects, I'll run down what got worn a lot and what didn't quite work out this past year.

The Hits

Here are my "hits" for the year, in no particular order. No, I didn't whittle it down to 5, but these 6 garments/patterns jumped out at me right away as garments that I still wear a lot (seasonal considerations aside) many months later.

Honorable mention: That pattern that I tested back in November (scheduled to be released later this month) gets worn All. The. Time. lately. According to the designer, many of us had the same fit issues, and she's fixing them for the final release. I'm really looking forward to getting a copy of the final pattern and making that up. I'll do a comparison post when I do, if only because I think it will be interesting to compare the "draft" pattern to the released version.

StyleArc Olive Spliced Tee

Outside of the warmest months of summer, this top has been in regular rotation in my wardrobe ever since I made it. In fact, I'm wearing it right now as I type. It's both a comfortable and stylish top, and I like the turquoise color in the yoke/sleeves.

StyleArc Olive Spliced Tee

McCall's 6966

I love this skirt. The pain of cutting it out quickly faded, and when it's not so cold that I need leggings and boots, I reach for this one on a regular basis.

McCall's 6966 Maxi-skirt

HotPatterns Riviera Cote D'Azur Dress

Here's a dress that I've actually been wearing year-round since I made it. I feel like it "winterizes" better than some of my skirt/dress projects in that it doesn't look "off" when paired with leggings and boots. Sadly, the fabric is starting to pill and fade a bit, so I doubt that I'll have more than a few more months of wearing it, but I'll continue to wear the heck out of it until that time comes.

HotPatterns Cote D'Azur Dress

SBCC Tonic Tee

Remember when everyone was making the SBCC Tonic Tee? I made, like, 4 of them. Of those, this striped version is my favorite and the one that gets worn the most frequently. Unfortunately, the purple/Plantain knockoff suffered some pretty significant progressive shrinkage and is only used as a base layer these days. Even worse, the red version became the Red Shirt of Death (more on that below) and got thrown in the donation pile. So, of the 4 tops that I made, I still regularly wear 2 versions.

SBCC Tonic Tee

Colette Moneta

Like everyone else who sews, I made a couple of Moneta dresses last year. I still wear both, but the version of the polka dots is still my favorite and gets worn a bit more than my turquoise version. I still want to make a long sleeved version of this pattern for cooler weather.

Colette Moneta

HotPatterns Weekender Daytona Hoodie

I live in Seattle, work in tech, and have a 2.5-year-old. Don't tell me that you're shocked that my favorite pattern of the year happened to be a hoodie pattern with roomy pockets.  Counting the wearable muslin that I made for this that I wear far too often (but never blogged), I made this pattern three times. The version with the red print/white contrast sleeves is my favorite.

HotPatterns Weekender Daytona Hoodie

The Misses

Of course, not every project works out, right? Here's what I made and never or rarely got worn.

StyleArc Slip-on Suzie

This was supposed to be my easy faux wrap dress for the Curvy Sewing Collective wrapalong, and I rushed it and completely f'ed it up. This one is all on me. I'm holding onto it because I think I might like it if I lost 10-15 lbs, so this one will stay in the "magic dresser" a little longer.

StyleArc Slip-on Suzie

SBCC Tonic Tee #4 (aka the Red Shirt of Death)

This simple t-shirt was a comedy of errors, especially that I had successfully made this pattern three times before this version. First, the ITY knit was really, really thin. I wanted a red t-shirt, but this particular cheapo cut from FabricMart showed every lump and bump and vividly advertised when I was cold. Then, I managed to get some mystery stain/splotches on it (I blame the toddler), and no matter what sort of stain removing agent I used and how many times I washed it, I couldn't completely get rid of them. I'd resigned myself to using this t-shirt solely as a base layer at that point, when it ended up in the wash and turned my white hoodie pink. At that point, I finally banished it to the donation bin.

SBCC Tonic Tee - red version (*sad trombone sound*)

StyleArc Amber Top

Huh, a second StyleArc on this list. That surprises me a bit, considering that I've generally had good luck with their patterns, but a miss is a miss.

I just never felt like this top was particularly flattering on me. On top of that, the "good" piping that I used as a trim frayed terribly in the wash, even though I had carefully sewed it into the seam and hem allowances. No amount of Fray Check seemed to be able to fix the problem. I wound up wearing this three times before it ended up in the donation bin.

StyleArc Amber top

Lekala 4319

My first attempt at using a Lekala pattern (custom sizing!) produced one of the wadderiest wadders that I've ever created. There was just no saving this one. It looked awful on me, and was beyond salvaging. Interestingly enough, the versions sewn up on the Russian Lekala website, on much slimmer women than me, have a lot of the same issues. I'll chalk this up to being a lemon of a pattern. Unfortunately, it's made me a little hesitant to try other Lekala patterns, even though I know that a lot of people have had really good luck with the.

Lekala 4319

Final Thoughts

Four wadders on the year isn't too bad, although I suspect that if you strive for wadder-free sewing, it also means that you're probably not taking too many risks. In my text non-pattern release post, I'll talk a bit about how I did on my 2014 goals that I set last year and set some new goals for 2015.

BTW--I'm still working on that Simplicity Leanne Marshall coat, which unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish while I had a week and a half off from work. I do have the lining/interlining constructed, and I have the outer coat constructed except for setting in the sleeves. So next up, I set in the sleeves, insert the lining, attach the 2nd zipper half, and then do the collar/hood. The instructions for the lining take nearly an entire page of Simplicity's instructions, so I'm anticipating that process to be one that drags out way longer than it feels like it should.

This week in patterns (19-Dec-2014)

We only had one actual "release" this week, but it was a good one. McCall's released their Early Spring patterns. You can make a joke about it being the dead of winter, but outside of that cold front that caught the PNW (and most of the rest of the country) back in November, we've been having a very mild winter in Seattle, so far. There are some real gems in this collection, I think.

If I can get my coat finished before the end of the year, I might even try to tackle one or two of these new patterns before I head back to work in early January!

McCall's - Early Spring Release 2015

As has already been discussed over at Sew Crafty Chemist and You Sew, Girl!, McCall's flat-out knocked it out of the park with their Early Spring release this year. (One warning if you follow them both--many of my picks are the same as theirs.) So...many...patterns...that I want...and so little time to sew. There's barely even anything to make fun of in this release, so let's look at everything that I plan to pick up over the next few JoAnn/Hancock pattern sales.

Just going through my picks, in order, from the McCall's website:

M7081

Lynelle at You Sew, Girl picked this dress as being like "the Cake Tiramisu, but without the drama." I both laughed and agreed. The main differences are that M7081 is designed for lightweight wovens, has set-in (not cut-on) sleeves, has a much shorter waist inset than the Tiramisu, and has different collar and sleeve options. I like that it has a bit of a shirtdress vibe, but without the buttons. The pleating on this one makes it a good option for those of us needing larger FBA's, too.

M7081

M7084

OMG, it's a shirtdress with the following features:

• Shoulder princess seams (much friendlier to those of us with very large busts than darts or even armhole princess seams).
• Pockets.
• Different collar and sleeve options.
• Front button bands.
• An option for godets(!) in the skirt. (Must resist the urge to mimic Anna's coronation dress from Frozen here..and now that I've typed that, I have "For the first time in forever" stuck in my head.)

M7084

M7089

The dress has some fun seamlines in the main photo, but then you get down to the last photo for the pattern, and there's some WTF-ery worth of Burda.

M7089

M7089 - Human/dressform hybrid

M7099

I feel like I shouldn't like this jumpsuit, but I do, I really do. It's designed for knits. And it has sleeves. And it looks like something that a grown-up might wear. It's also quite similar to the StyleArc Carly Jumpsuit, but the Carly is designed for wovens and doesn't have a sleeved option. Maybe I've just been brainwashed by seeing that commercial with Jennifer Garner wearing her sophisticated surplice top-style black jumpsuit too many times. This pattern even has a romper and a capri view, if you're inclined to do a summer version.

M7099

M7100

If you're looking for a Big 4 version of the Papercut Rigel Bomber Jacket or the HotPatterns Sakura Bomber Jacket, M7100 would be a good option. It's a very close match to the Sakura--right down to the panel seams and in-seam pockets (the Rigel lacks the seaming and has welt pockets). I actually already own the Sakura and have a version in-progress (set aside while I work on the Leanne Marshall coat), but if I didn't already own it, I'd be all over this.

M7100

M7093

M7093 is a cute, pieced raglan-sleeved blouse with secret pockets in one of the color blocks!

M7093

M7094

I'm not sure how I feel about the view with the butt flaps in back, but these drapey blouses with this neckline are everywhere right now. The shoulder pleats are FBA-friendly, too. I prefer shirt-tail hems on myself over straight hems, so I like that several views include that option.

M7094

M7098

I initially passed right over this pants/shorts pattern, but eagle-eyed Nakisha caught that these have seaming in both front and back. I haven't personally had good luck with the crotch curve on Big 4 patterns, so I rarely bother, but I'm wondering if the seaming on these would make them easier to fit, especially if I morphed the curve from a HotPattern or StyleArc onto the pack piece. In any case, with this many view options, pockets, and a fly front, this has the potential to be a real workhorse of a pattern.

M7098

M7103

Stuffed sharks as tall as a toddler? And a pattern that includes three different shark types? The only thing that I don't like about this is that it didn't come out in time for Christmas. My two nephews and daughter all would have gotten sharks for Christmas. My daughter will get one at some point, though, because she got really excited about the pictures for this pattern.

M7103

Final Thoughts

I've got a whopping 7 patterns from the McCall's release saved to my phone. To put that in perspective, I usually buy 1-2 new patterns per Big 4 release. This means that if JoAnn's/Hancock does one of their "5 for $5" sales, as they often do with McCall's, I'm going to need a second sale to get everything on my list. This release didn't include any jackets or coats (understandable given that it's an "early spring" release), but outside of that, I really think that there's something for everyone in this batch. If you don't have access to JoAnn's/Hancock sales, these patterns are on sale now for $3.99 each on the BMV website at the moment.

Top 9 Sewing Happenings and Trends in 2014

As you probably know, December means "recap" time in the blogging world. I'll be doing a single Top Hits and Misses post at some point this month, rating my most-worn garments of the past year and biggest flops. I'm also planning to do an assessment on how I did on last year's goals and set some new goals for myself for 2015. I do know that the barrage of recap stuff bores some readers to tears, but remember, part of the reason why I (and many others) blog is to keep sort of a journal of our own projects, and I think that stepping back and reflecting a bit is an important part of that.
All of this year-end wrap-up stuff also gives me something to write about while project-wise, I'm still in coat purgatory. I'm going through the tedious process of underlining my lining pieces with my interlining right now, which doesn't really give me anything to show you.

To kick things off, I'm posting my Top 9 observations as to what big events and trends impacted the online sewing community and our sewing, in general, the most this year. Why 9? Because I couldn't think of a 10th one that didn't feel like filler.

  9. BMV embraces social media

Vogue-McCall's-Butterick finally hired someone (former blogger LindsayT, also known as "Meg") to blog and handle social media full-time as a way to interact with their customer base. I think that this was a great call; I've particularly loved Meg's posts showing the "guts" of some of the designer garments in the BMV offices. Now, we'll see if the comments that we repeatedly see with regards to the Big 4 manifest themselves in any way over the coming months (more cup size patterns, please!), but it's nice to feel like we have a direct, accessible contact to BMV. I don't know if the recent, awesome McCall's release is a possible reflection of feedback, but it's nice to imagine that it might possibly be the case.

8. Interesting shorts patterns

I know that last summer seems like a lifetime ago to some of us, but this past summer saw quite an interesting array of shorts patterns released. If you wear shorts at all, there probably was a length and a style that suited you, from the wrap-over shorts patterns released by BurdaStyle and Simplicity to the City Short pattern released by StyleArc to the pleated tap shorts released by Katy and Laney:

BurdaStyle 06-2014 #124

StyleArc Jennifer City Short

Katy and Laney Tap Shorts

7. Everyone is sewing bras (but me)

Do you read your blogs via a blog reader (such as Bloglovin' or Feedly), like I do? If so, in the past month or so, on any given day you probably have at least one or two posts from sewing bloggers showing off their new bras and other lingerie. It seems like there's been a decent number of new bra patterns released lately, and these are the new bright and shiney objects in the blogosphere. Of course, much like in RTW, if you wear a larger bra size, you're mostly out of luck with these new patterns.

Cloth Habit - Watson Bra and Bikini

On a personal note, I'd love not to have to pay $60+ for a single bra (you can't just walk into Kohl's and buy a bra off the rack at my size), so I'm intrigued by the idea of making my own. However, I can't say that the handful of existing patterns that reach my bra size (currently 42G) provide much inspiration. And then I'm sure that fitting will still require many muslins and be a nightmare, when I'd rather be sewing something more "fun", so there's that, too. In another lifetime and about 50 lbs ago, I did do a bra-making workshop with Anne St. Clair and came out with some wearable bras, but my skills weren't really up to the task at that point, and by the time they were, I'd gained weight and sized out of the pattern that she'd altered for me.

6. Elsa dresses

If you have a little girl in your life, you probably sewed an Elsa dress for her this year. I know that I did. Maybe it's just an awareness issue, since I have a daughter who's at that age, but I can't remember the last time that a movie dress became as iconic as Elsa's blue "Snow Queen" dress so quickly. Kate Winslet's "jump dress" from Titanic? Maybe Keira Knightley's green dress from Atonement? In any case, McCall's and Simplicity both offered patterns for this dress for little girls, and by now, both have misses' versions of these dresses, too. (Note that the Simplicity versions are the officially licensed versions and, especially in the case of the misses' versions, are more accurate versions of what Anna and Elsa wore in the movie).

Simplicity's Frozen costumes for girls

5. Neoprene/scuba fabric

Remember how Ponte di Roma seemed like the fabric that was all the rage last year? This year, it seemed like everyone everywhere was sewing with a different type of double knit fabric--neoprene or "scuba" fabric as it's sometimes called. The name is a bit of a misnomer in that this isn't exactly the same neoprene used in wetsuits or in laptop sleeves. Instead, it's a beefy, drapey doubleknit that's often available in bright and crazy prints. Because of its body, it can really make the fullness of a full skirt stand out and camouflage lumps and bumps in closer-fitting garments.

Galaxy Eye neoprene from Gorgeous Fabrics

Admittedly, I've jumped on this bandwagon and have bought several cuts of this type of fabric, but I haven't actually sewn with it yet. I suspect that I'm not alone in that regard.

4. Galaxy Print Fabric

For a few months this past summer, it seemed like Galaxy print fabric was everywhere--knit dresses, leggings, and t-shirts, to name a few places. I'm not sure if it was the revival of the Cosmos series (with Neil deGrasse Tyson on PBS), or if people just thought that the prints looked cool, but these prints were all over the SBC for a while.

Galaxy print fabric by Timeless Treasures from fabric.com

3. Skater Dresses

 One of several fashion staples of the 90's returned in a big way this year--the skater dress, which is a (typically knit) dress with a fitted bodice, a waist seam, and some form of circle or gathered skirt. Between the super-popular Lady Skater and Colette Moneta patterns, we saw tons and tons of skater dresses this year in the online sewing community. Reflecting the previous trend, we also saw a lot of skater dresses made up in galaxy print fabric.

My first Moneta

As easy as it is to make fun of these dresses for their simplicity, they do have merits in that they're easy to sew, easy to fit, and can easily be dressed up or down depending on fabric and accessories. I've made two Monetas and both are in regular rotation in my wardrobe.

2. Expanded pattern size ranges

The indie pattern making world seems to finally be acknowledging that they might, in fact, have customers with busts larger than 40" and hips larger than 42". This past year saw numerous indie pattern companies expand their size range to the lower plus sizes, and a handful expanded their size ranges well into plus sizes. In most cases, the designers didn't "retrofit" old patterns with the new size ranges, but have been offering their newest patterns in the new ranges. Just off the top of my head, the following pattern companies expanded their size ranges to at least a 44" bust this past year:

• Colette Patterns
• Papercut Patterns (previously one of the worst offenders of having a small size range)
• Liesl & Co.
• BlueGingerDoll
• Blank Slate (the women's range)

1. Indie pattern explosion

This year, sometimes it felt like every time I sneezed, some new indie pattern designer was releasing her first pattern. The explosion of new indie pattern companies really became apparent to me when I started writing my weekly pattern recaps a few months back. Some weeks, it was difficult for me to keep up with all of the new releases. As with anything any time there's a "bubble", the new pattern companies seem to be a mixed bag; some are released by professional pattern makers who want their "own" thing, others are released by popular sewing bloggers who may or may not outsource the actual pattern making and grading to others. Some designers released their patterns quietly, while others released theirs accompanied by never-ending blog tours and other promotions.

On PatternReview alone, the following screen shot shows the number of companies selling digital patterns, which doesn't even include popular newcomers, like Muse. This is simply what could fit on my laptop screen without scrolling:

Some of the digital pattern companies available on PatternReview

Final Thoughts

So that wraps up this post. Did you partake in any of these trends? What made you smile or cringe among these? Also, was there anything that you observed as a "big deal" in the sewing world that I missed?

This week in patterns (12-Dec-2014)

So, last night, after I thought that this post was ready to go, McCall's sent out an email that their "Early Spring" collection had been released. I took a quick glance through it and did like a few of the patterns. Interestingly (to me at least) none of the standouts were dresses, which are usually the patterns that catch my eye. However, since my parents are in town visiting for an "early Christmas",  I won't get around to writing about those patterns until next week's post.

That said, we'll keep things short this week, with only two new patterns outside the new McCall's release.

Muse Patterns - Natalie dress and top

New pattern company Muse of the Jenna Cardigan and Gillian Wrap top and dress has released a new pattern--the Natalie dress and top:

Muse Natalie

As with Muse's other patterns, the Natalie includes several options for sleeve length and garment length (dress, top, or maxi-dress). The big design detail for the Natalie is a triangular inset piece with ruching on either side.  I liked the Gillian wrap dress and the Jenna cardigan, but I suspect that that triangle inset/ruching feature isn't going to be a friend to the uber-busty like myself. That said, usually when a design is a horrible idea on a figure like mine, it usually looks great on someone smaller busted or pear-shaped.

Now, Debbie at Stitches and Seams, tested this pattern and it looked good on her, so maybe I'm wrong about this not looking good on a full bust? On the other hand, there's a difference between having a full bust and being uber busty, and this pattern might look good on the former but not the latter.

Pauline Alice - Quart Coat

I don't know if you've noticed, but in these pattern company re-caps, I try to only include companies whose sizes go up to a 44" full bust. The reason for that is that's the size limit that I'm comfortable working from, from a pattern alterations perspective. (My high bust is currently somewhere between 42" and 43", depending on how snug the measuring tape is pulled.) With that in mind, technically, 42.5" is within an FBA-able range for me, although I'm likely to going to be adding ease/grading up in areas where I'd typically just grade up to the next size. That said, I've seen some really, really lovely projects made from Pauline Alice patterns, a Spanish indie pattern company. I think that, like a few other smaller size-skewing Euro indies, such as Deer & Doe and Named, they're worth including in these posts, if for no other reason than inspiration/pattern eye candy.

Take the new Quart Coat for example, a military-inspired double-breasted coat with a pleated skirt and zippered sleeves. Unfortunately, there don't appear to be any line drawings for this pattern, but here are a few photos showing the details:

Pauline Alice Quart Coat

Obviously, this style would look terrible on me with the wide double-breast overlap, but I still really like it for the unusual details. At 8 Euros for a PDF download (there's a more expensive print version available), this pattern is pretty affordable, as far as indie coat patterns go.

Final Thoughts

Neither of these two patterns is for me/my body type, but at least they're interesting patterns. I'm looking forward to taking a closer look at and writing about the new McCall's release as I recall there being a handful that I pegged as "wants" when I did a quick flip through them on my phone last night.

In Progress (part 2): Simplicity 1254 - Leanne Marshall coat

So, I finally have the muslin photos of my Leanne Marshall coat that I said I would take!

I took this set of photos on Sunday. Note that these were taken after I took the hips/bottom of the coat in by a few inches (just guessing at how much to take in).

Leanne Marshall coat muslin - front

In this shot, it does look like there's some pulling across the bust. I can assure you that there should be more than enough ease through there, so I'm thinking that it's just the way that I'm standing, possibly. To be safe, though, I'll add a tad more room through there on the final coat.

And here's the back:

Leanne Marshall coat muslin - back

Here, you can clearly see that I need to let the hips back out a touch, at least in back. I think I overshot how much to take them in by. I wasn't getting that pooling/swayback wrinkling before I took the hips in. Good thing that this is a muslin, right?

I took a couple of photos with the hood up, as well.

Coat muslin with hood - front

Coat muslin with hood - back

I'm planning to make the following changes to my paper pattern pieces before cutting my coat fabric and lining:

• Full arm/bicep adjustment for the coat's upper arm.
• Let the hips back out a bit, especially at the back/high hip.
• Add a touch more ease through the bust. I'm still not convinced that this is needed though, based on how the coat looked before I set in the sleeves. I suspect that the pulling here is either caused by how I'm standing or the tightness of the sleeve.

Another thing to note is that I messed up inserting the second half of the zipper. The instructions tell you to place the zipper tape 1/2" away from the "edge". At that point, without having inserted a lining in my muslin, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to insert it 1/2" away from the folded edge of the front or from the fabric edge itself minus seam allowance (what would be the seamline between the self-facing and lining.) I guessed and went with the fabric edge itself.

You can see here what this produced in the next two (poorly lit) photos.

Here's the zipper all zipped up. Looks okay, doesn't it?

Coat muslin zipped up

But then here it is with the top flap pulled aside. You can see that my goof created a second "top" flap over the second/right side of the jacket/zipper.

Oops!

So, if you're making this coat and have gotten confused on this step, the "edge" refers to the folded edge, which I assume will be more apparent once you've got your lining in.

Next up, another round of pattern alterations, and then I'll cut and construct my lining/interlining.

This week in patterns (5-Dec-2014)

Wow, so we had a TON of new releases this past week, many of which look like they have a lot of potential for being fun, wearable garments.

StyleArc - December Release

As you all know by now, a new month means a new release from StyleArc! One thing to note about this month is that StyleArc's member discount has been increased from the usual 10% to 30% for the month. If you've been thinking about buying a membership (price includes the discount, one free pattern of your choice, and a length of StyleArc's stretch bengaline), December would be a good month to sign up.

Cindy Jean Jacket

Okay, so I love this. I'm not sure about the "optional neck ruffle", but I love everything else about it, and the ruffle is easily enough left off. My StyleArc Stacy jean jacket that I made two years ago is still in regular rotation in my closet in non-freezing weather, and I still love it. I'm totally on-board with making another, more femininely-shaped StyleArc jean jacket.

StyleArc Cindy Jean Jacket

Roxy Shirt

Next up is the Roxy shirt, an overshirt with a cross-over detail over the bum. This is okay. I don't really wear shirts tucked in, and while I think that the back detail is interesting, the first thought that sprang to mind was "butt curtains".

StyleArc Roxy Shirt

Misty Stretch Pull-on Jean

I should hate these, shouldn't I? I should be making jokes about "pajama jeans" and "giving up" and stuff with regards to these, right? I don't. I'm intrigued. They're somewhere between a jegging and a jean, and in theory, no one would know about the elastic waistband except for me, right? And with the 30% discount, they're $7.50 USD, which isn't really more than a Burda envelope pattern or an on-sale Kwik Sew.
 

StyleArc Misty Pull-on Jean

Tammy Knit Dress Combo

Of course, in a month where there's a 30% discount and two new release patterns that I really like, of course, the freebie pattern-of-the-month is something that I'm totally "meh" about.

The Tammy Knit Dress Combo is a 4-in-1 pattern with options for a short-sleeved top, sleeveless top, short-sleeved dress, and sleeveless dress, all with an optional overlay piece.

With my huge bust and short waist, I suspect that overlay would look hideous on me and just make me look like on giant block of boob. Without the overlay, though, there are worse things than a free t-shirt pattern from a company whose drafting you like.

StyleArc Tammy Knit Dress Combo

Jennifer Lauren Vintage - Enid Sweater

Jennifer Lauren of Jennifer Lauren Vintage, which brought you that Bronte sweater that was ubiquitous in the SBC for a while has released a new pattern. The Enid Sweater is a retro-inspired cropped sweater designed for sweatshirt knits and ribbing:

Jennifer Lauren Vintage - Enid Sweater

Honestly, this one reminds me an awful lot of the recently released Bonnie pattern by BlueGingerDoll, although the two patterns sport different necklines, and the Bonnie is drafted for a D-cup bust. Neither pattern is really my style, but these cropped sweaters do really seem to be on-trend right now. The Enid also differentiates itself be being designed to be cut on the bias, which seems a little odd to me for a sweatshirt with a band at the bottom that doesn't really seem to use drape much. I guess it's for the stretch factor?

Colette Patterns - Seamwork magazine (December 2014)

Colette Patterns launched its new electronic magazine earlier this week. The magazine content itself is free and available to read on the Seamwork website:

https://www.seamworkmag.com/

If you subscribe for $6/issue, you'll have access to three PDF download patterns, all of which Colette say can be made in 2 hours or less. For this first issue, the patterns are an open cardigan, a tote bag, and a clutch.

Colette Seamwork Cardigan

Colette Seamwork Tote

Colette Seamwork Clutch

So far, I've read two of the articles from the issue--the one on draping and the one on Pendleton wool --and they had pretty pictures and were interesting. The patterns don't really tempt me. The cardigan is nice, but I know that I have similar patterns in my stash. I do like, however, that clothing patterns from this magazine will include Colette's expanded size range (up to a size 3X).

BurdaStyle Plus - December 2014

The fabric choices and styling in this collection are really horrific, which unfortunately, doesn't seem to be unusual for Burda, especially with their Plus collections. Going off the line drawings, however, there definitely are some interesting and wearable offerings here.

Satin Jacket 12/2014 #137A

You know how we've seen a trend in recent years of jackets being made out of ponte knits and such? This jacket is sort of the opposite of that--a cardigan style made out of a drapey woven. I'd never wear this in satin, as pictured, but I really like the idea of this jacket--easy to sew and can be worn like a cardigan, but made out of a woven.

BurdaStyle Plus 12/2014 #137A

Contrast Panel Blouse 12/2014 #142

If you've liked the interesting seamwork in patterns like the Stepalica Nougat dress or Deer and Doe Centauree Dress, but like me, are beyond the size range of their patterns and have no desire to grade up that many pieces, the contrast panel blouse might be an option.

BurdaStyle Plus 12/2014 #142

Granted, there's another view of this as a two-piece dress where the model looks about 6 months pregnant with the shape of the waist seam/peplum, so that might be something to watch here. I'm still intrigued by this one, though.

Contrast Pencil Skirt 12/2014 #138B

Yeah, so let's take the second most prominent part of my anatomy (after my giant boobs) and put a giant satin panel across it. Yeah, no.

BurdaStyle Plus 12/2014 #138B

In a different fabric choice, though, this one might be okay and offer decent fitting opportunities for those of us with particularly large or small backsides.

Kimono Sleeve Dress 12/2014 #140

While we don't get a seamed sheath dress in this Burda collection, we do get the other staple of Burda collections: a kimono-sleeved empire waist tunic/dress. Here's the dress view, which we've seen variations on in other Burda Plus collections many, many times before:

BurdaStyle Plus 12/2014 #140

Ruffle Hem Tunic 12/2014 #141

Meh. That's all I have to say here.

BurdaStyle Plus 12/2014 #141

HotPatterns - Althleisure (mini) collection

Today (Friday), HotPatterns released two new patterns from a new collection of loungewear that they're starting and calling it the "Athleisure" collection. (If you haven't noticed, HotPatterns has a number of "collections", which group patterns with similar aesthetics and styles.) The first two patterns from this collection are a pair of seamed lounge pants and a new hoodie pattern.

HotPatterns 1180 - Athleisure Sunday Morning Sweatpants

The Sunday Morning Sweatpants are a slim-fitting pair of loungepants with a forward side seam, pieced legs, and front patch pockets. I'll admit that when I first saw these, I asked myself, "Do those have a dropped crotch? After Burda tried to (unsuccessfully) force that on us for how many of the past years?" No, it's not a dropped crotch--it's just an optical illusion of the line drawing caused by the piecing of the inner leg. With that in mind, I like these a lot for a running-around-town on the weekend pant.

I think that you could have a lot of fun with contrast topstitching and/or doing a coverstitch finish on these. Trudy also is going to be hosting a sewalong for these starting January 8th.

HP Sunday Morning Sweatpants

HotPatterns 1179 - Athleisure Big & Beautiful Oversized Hoodies

As you know if you following this blog, I will buy and make just about any pattern with a hood and pockets. This pattern will be no exception. I can't decide which view I like better--the longer one (with pockets) or the shorter one with the gathered "skirt" (but no pockets *sad face*).

HotPatterns Oversized Hoodie

I will point out, as someone who has made a lot of HotPatterns over the years, that when Trudy describes something as "oversized", she means it. I'll check by flat-measuring the pattern, but I expect to go down at least a size, probably two, from the size chart, as a starting point. You'll also want to stick with really drapey fabrics on this one to get the look of the pattern envelope.

Simplicity 1254 - Leanne Marshall Coat Update

In unrelated news, I finished my muslin of the Leanne Marshall coat. As expected from my preliminary fitting, I need a tad more room in the upper arm, and I want to take the hips in a bit on my muslin and see how that looks. Outside of that, I think it looks pretty good. I muslined the collar/hood, and I think that's going to look pretty good on the final coat. I'll get some muslin pictures this weekend when I actually have access to daylight, if you're curious.

I'm not going to make a second muslin for those relatively minor tweaks, so *deep breath*, this weekend I'm going to pre-treat my fabric (didn't want to jinx the coat by doing that before I muslined) and get started on it! For those who plan to make this coat but haven't started yet, I recommend going with your expected adjustments for Big 4 patterns, and when you make your muslin, you'll probably be in the ballpark of where you want to be fit-wise. The one exception would be that if you typically grade up one or more sizes in the hips, you will likely either be able to skip that with this coat or grade up fewer sizes.

One thing that amused me, now that I've read all the way through the instructions, is that whoever wrote the instructions for this coat clearly hates hand-stitching as much as I do. The entire lining is bagged except for a small section of the neckline that you slipstitch up at the end. The zipper instructions are a bit odd, so I'll take photos and try to help with that as I sew up my actual coat.

Final Thoughts

I really like the new StyleArc jean jacket, possibly the pull-on jeans (I know, I know) and the new HotPatterns lounge pants and hoodie. I also like that cardigan-style jacket from the Burda Plus release. Now that I read back over the first sentence here, all I can think are, "Wow, those are some turkey eatin' clothes!" Of course, we'll have another round of turkey eating at my house in a few weeks, and I feel like you can never have too many comfortable clothing options.