More success sewing with jersey

I got very frustrated in the shirt sewing, I might just stick with jersey tops for the time being: this came together so easily, and the fabric does all the work.

Pattern: Ottobre 02-2009-2 (Wind Tunic) 

Pattern Description:
(mine) Tunic with boatneck, 3/4 sleeves and flared hemline at slightly below hips length

Pattern Sizing:
34-52
I cut a 38 on top, tapering to 42 at the waist and 46 at the hips.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
yes, very.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I chose the pattern because of the boatneck -- and I thought I could always change the hemline, if I ended up not liking the flare.
Turns out I loooove the flared hem. I got lots of compliments on the top when I wore it for the first time.

Fabric Used:
Fabric is three layers: white mesh on top, then loose white threads, and black jersey, all three stitched together with the swirly lines. -- I bought it at Stoffekontor in Leipzig (they do have an English version of the sitem, too), and I got lovely service from them -- NAYY.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Apart from tapering across different sizes, none.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I don't think I need another one of these, as the shape is quite distinctive. I highly recommend the top to others. Most of the knit tops and dresses of this Ottobre issue can be mixed and matched: different sleeve lengths, different neck openings, different hems. I'm sure to make at least one more top from one of these patterns. I looove the fit.

Conclusion:
I am very glad I tried the unusual shape, as it turns out it is supremely figure-flattering for my A-shape.

PJs for my son

While I'm trying to find a solution for the blog formatting -- I can't even say how much I hate bugs like these -- here's another actual sewing blog post: With PJs for my son. He loves them. I made two pairs.

Pattern: Burda World of Fashion Magazine: 11-2009-134 (Pyjamas) 

Pattern Sizing:
burda children's sizes 104 - 128
I cut a size 110 for my 116cm tall five-year-old boy - and the size is perfect!
It fits really well, with a tiny bit of growing room built in, so he can grow taller.

I made two pairs, the brown pair is actually more matchy-matchy with the ribbing matched to the solid-color jersey, and I like that less.

The fit is very large, also the neck opening is a bit larger than what I anticipated from the photo from the magazine, but it's ok.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
yes, very.

Actually, as I cut, I prepared the pieces directly for sewing, pinned the seams together. So I came up with a slightly different order from the BWOF instructions, but used all the instructions from Burda. This is a method from the Palmer/Pletsch books (Painless Sewing and others), where you prepare all the seams you can, sew them all in one go, and then do all the pressing in one go, prepare the next batch of seams, and so on. Worked like a charm to speed up my sewing.

Of course, for this to work, I needed to read the whole instructions set beforehand, decide which ones I wanted to leave out (eyelets) -- and I actually wrote down the order I wanted to follow. I guess this is just another time where prep work really speeds up the process, even though it takes time to do.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I really like the wide pyjama legs: My son says they are just like his judo kimono pants, and he loves them.

I absolutely love the twin-needle top-stitching on the pyjama top: all the ribbing is first attached, and then top-stitched, also there is top-stitching at the sleeve-to-top-seam. And it makes for such a finished, RTW look. Love it. And it's sooooo easy to do.

No dislikes.

Fabric Used:
Cotton jersey, from Hilco, bought at Tipp-Tapp Stoffe in Germany. Love the quality of this fabric!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I left off the applique, and I used bright colors and stripes instead of the grey they used.
Oh, also, I left off the pretend drawstring with the metal eyelets at the front of the pants.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I'm already sewing a second pair. And I think I will definitely continue to sew from this pattern, probably using a bigger size next time, once he's outgrown these two pairs.
Highly recommend the pattern to others: so easy and quick and you can have so much fun using color and prints.

Conclusion:
Love the pattern. My son loves his new pyjamas. Love all around.

Help? Housekeeping with blogger

One of my new readers told me that in Internet Explorer the old posts have a tiny, tiny, completely unreadable font size (thank you!). I tried to change that -- to no avail. I even changed the template in blogger, thinking that should have taken care of it. No. The current post looks fine, but not the old ones. -- And of course, in firefox, everything looks fine, which is why I was unaware of the problem. -- Short of migrating the blog to a different host, I don't know what to do. Anyone have a simple solution?

Keine Ahnung warum, aber in Internet Explorer sehen meine alten Posts winzig klein aus. Nur die alten, nciht der aktuelle. Und nur in ie, nicht in Firefox. Ich habe gerade versucht, die alten posts zu veraendern: keine AEnderung. Ein neues Blogger Template zu nehmen, was normalerweise alle meine Verbrechen aus dem Template rausschmeisst: keine Aenderung. Bevor ich mich jetzt dran mache, nach Jahren zu einem anderen Bloghost zu wandern, hier die Frage: kennt jemand das Problem und hat eine einfache Loesung?

Desolee, je m'apercois tout juste maintenant, grace a une nouvelle lectrice (merci!) que mes anciens posts apparaissent tout minuscule sous Internet Explorer. Juste les anciens, pas l'actuel. Et juste sous ie, en firefox, tout a l'air bien. J'ai tente deux manips simples (editions des posts pour changer la taille de la police, changement de modele sous blogger qui normalement enleve toutes mes editions manuelles) -- cela n'a pas marche. Quelqu'un aurait une idee de quoi faire? Sinon, je pense que je vais devoir changer de host pour ce blog. Des recommendations? (faut que ce soit facile, je suis nulle en css).

Sewing with a Plan: Stage 1, edition 2

I must say, I really like the process, here. Remember the great wardrobe sewing plan? I had completed the first edition of it last month.
Now, I'm proud to present the second edition, with six new items, replacing pieces that I wasn't entirely happy with. Because, really, what I am aiming for is a complete wardrobe of ten items that are suitable work wear. That don't look or feel homemade, that look elegant, and that I am not afraid to wear to a customer meeting. I'm not there yet, so you will continue to see further editions of this same stage of planned wardrobe sewing.

It is strangely satisfying to me to stay within this scope of planned coordination: I used to shop (and sew or knit) without a grand plan of having coordinating items and ended up with single pieces that I often had a hard time to put together into outfits.

Trying a different pants pattern

A lot of alterations for fit -- and the result is a pair of pants in boucle. Not your first fabric choice for pants you say? Oh, really? Have to admit I don't remember what made me choose this fabric for pants. And I'm not entirely sure these will ever leave the house. Details of the zillion of alterations I made are on patternreview.
Now, on the upside, I'm happy with the fit, and I find that tissue-fitting and lots of looking up things in Pants for Real People helps.

More blouses from the Sew U pattern

Two blouses I made from the Sew U shirt pattern. The solid pink shirt was first, then came the striped shirt. A number of alterations done on the pink one, a number of them taken out on the striped one. Not entirely satisfied with the fit of either. HOwever, I do wear both blouses, and like to wear them. I especially like the cheerfulness of the bold stripes.

A Silk Blouse with a Flounce: I love this!

Pattern Description:
Burda World of Fashion Magazine: 06-2009-119 (Sleeveless Blouse) -
Lovely BWOF-speak: You'll simply float through the day when wearing this sleeveless blouse with concealed button fastening/closure .... It looks fabulously feminine thanks to the generous flounces and a waist drawstring.

Pattern Sizing:
36-44
I cut a size 38 at the top, tapering to 42 at the waist, tapering to 46 (or larger than what the pattern comes in) at the hips. Perfect.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were good, no errors. I had a bit of trouble visualizing the construction of the hidden button band. But I tried with pins, retried, and finally it clicked, and it went fine. Not the fault of the instructions, just the first time I ever made a hidden button band.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Gotta love the flounce. I liked the flounce plus the very structured look with collar, collar band, and hidden button band.
I initially did not care too much for the drawstrings, but the blouse really needs them to be wearable -- otherwise it's just a tent.
So really: like everything about it!

Fabric Used:
Silk Chiffon.
I used a 70 needle, and G760 Interfacing from Freudenberg, as recommended. The interfacing is fine for collar & band, but for the button band, it adds too much bulk, I think. (I interfaced the button band and the buttonhole band).

Also, I used Soluvlies (water soluble vlies) for the zigzagging on the flounce edge and the hem edge -- and for the button holes. With it, things came out really neat. Without it (luckily I tested on scraps), it was a real mess.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Alterations for fit:
Even though this is loose-fitting, I still had to do my usual alterations for fit. After tissue-fitting, I added 1.5 cm width as a broad back alteration over the whole length, and I took out about 2 cm length at the center back for swayback.

Design changes:
I left out the button and buttonhole in the collar, as I never wear my blouses buttoned there.
Also, I made the ties out of self fabric: cut on the grain, ironed with my Clover bias tape maker, and stitched. -- And after pulling in one of them, I thought that that was enough, and left it as is. So it's tied on one side, and I like it like that. I leave it tied to pull on and off, which fits my laziness.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I probably won't sew it again with the flounce. But maybe I will sew it without the flounce out of a cotton as a summer blouse?
I would definitely recommend it to others: it's a well-drafted pattern, and has a lot of drama.

Conclusion:
Love it. Love the fabric, it's so nice to wear. And I think it's totally wearable for work-- and got compliments for it.