The Sewing Bowl Challenge - McCalls 7716 & McCalls 6554

As I mentioned in my last post, I had been working on my entry in the #sewingbolwchallenge on Instagram.  

Well here is my entry!:

Yellow Paisley Franken Jumpsuit!

I had Challenge #2:

The requirements were the pattern be a McCall's, a jumpsuit, and a Franken Pattern. 

I choose:

M7716 and M6554

Would you believe that this was my first time making pants?! 

I thought it would be a good idea to use M7716 as they are not tailored, perhaps it would be more forgiving.  I used M6554 for the top because I have always like the bodice of the dress.  

Other requirements were that it be made out of Linen or Denim, and it be yellow with a little paisley on the side.  

My choice:

Yellow Linen and Brocade Paisley Fabric

Being that the pieces are from two different patterns, I took my time to measure and cut out each:

Before the Big Cut

The Bodice Sewn and Pants Cut Out 

I also thought about the zipper that I wanted to add, I mean a girl needs a way to escape right?

A nice mustard will do just fine.

It's something soothing about sewing it by hand

And Wahla!:

I enjoyed the challenge very much and have already chosen my entry for the month of November.  I will show you my choice of pattern and fabric in the next blog post.  

If you want to join the #sewingblowchallenge check out Salonmishawn on Instagram and follow the hashtag #sewingbowlchallenge. 

You can also find me on Instagram at serondak

Until next time, keep yourself together one stitch at a time.

The Life Changes of "Seronda K"

As many of you may know,  I was the primary caregiver for my mother for many years.  With a heavy heart I must tell you that my mom has died from complications of Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) in July of this year. 

I loved her very much.

In honor of my mother's memory, I've decided to use my name 'Seronda' and my middle initial 'K' for my blog.  Why my first name?

Because I am named after my mom; you see before it was trendy, she decided to combine her name and my father's:

Se -  the first two letters of Selena

                     +

ron -  the first three letters of Ronald

                     + 

da - being the last letters of each name

                     =

Seronda (Suh', ron, da) 

In celebration, I decided to have clothing labels made by Dutch Label Shop :

                         

It's amazing how many of you have stopped by to take a peak over the years.  At the time of this post, there have been an average of 250 views a day, as many as 5,000 views a month, and more then 120,000 all time views.

Thank you for your support!  

I plan for the blog to become a bi-weekly feature. I have several projects already in the works, one of which is my entry into the #sewingbowlchallenge below:

To learn more about the challenge visit Instagram's @ Salonmishawn .

  

 If you wish to get quick bites of my sewing adventures in-between blog post, you can also follow me on Instagram at Seronda K

Thank you again for being there, and here's to a new adventures! 

              

Until next time,  may your sewing journey bring you joy and happiness.

Sasha Girl, McCall's 8036

Ah Sasha girl.......

Being a wrap dress was right up my alley, although it has a button down option, I choose to make view A's bodice with view B's skirt:

View A s bodice w/ view B skirt

The fabric I choose was a Scuba Ponte Knit fabric I found on eBay. The fabric has a smooth feel like neoprene with the comfort of classic Ponte Knit:

Scuba Ponte Knit

I did enjoy working with the fabric, it sews easily with few hiccups.  The one thing that I will say,  if you are not careful you can cause "nicks" in the fabric. Make sure to be careful with your seam ripper and pin placement.

The dress is very comfortable to wear and I think it will be a nice three season dress:

Why am I holding my stomach?

Pattern Size;  I used a size 20 with a FBA, broad back, and waist adjustments.

Did it look like the photo?: Yes I think it looks like the photo, but then again each person is unique :-)

Were the directions easy to follow?: Very much so, I think a beginner will be able to make the pattern if they take their time.  Make sure to look closely at the illustrations and you should be fine.

Likes and dislikes: No dislikes, what can you find wrong with a wrap dress? LOL

My personal note: If you notice on each of the pictures, my back collar on my dress seems to come up from my body.  Since losing around 50 lbs, I have had a difficult time finding a good way to adjust my patterns.

I have researched several methods, however I believe that it is not the methods I have tried. I think it is not being sure "what" adjustments I need make with the weight change. Regardless, I will continue in my sewing journey and will keep you up to date with my progress,

Will I sew it again?: Of course, its a wrap dress! ;-)

Until next time, take life one stitch at a time. Oh and if you have any adjustment suggestions, leave them in the comments below,

<a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/20674975/?claim=rshat9wxjbp">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

What's in a name? McCall's New Pre-Spring Collection!

This year McCall's has updated their look and feel for a new generation:

The new pattern covers

Not only have they made changes to the look and feel, the patterns have been given names!

Check out Jacqueline Polikoff's Instagram for more details @jackiemccallpatterns

To be clear Indie sewing brands have been naming their patterns for some time, and perhaps McCall's wants to be seen as keeping up with the times.  Many have respond favorably to the new names, why not, giving something a name can lend personalty to an object.

However, some have noted that all clothing styles repeat and what happens when the patterns are recycled? Does the "new"  updated dress get a new name?

There are endless ways to come up with names.  You could take the few letters of the top portion of one garment say 'Mara', and a few letters from the bottom portion of another garment say 'Sasha'.

 Not only would a new dress be formed, but a new name to go along with the pattern:

The top of 'Mara', with the bottom of 'Sasha' = Marsha

The other point that could be made is that of stereotypes.  To be honest when you hear a name do you not instantly form an opinion as to who the person, place or thing might be like?  Names often carry reputations along with them. 

Does it mean that naming the patterns will cause the same issues as mentioned above? Not necessarily, it could be seen as a sign of inclusiveness, as a way to market to a particular group. 

 Not only do we have the Mara's and Sasha's...........

We also have the Alexis' and Abbie's too!

As long as McCall's is careful to get well rounded, i.e. diverse feed back before selecting a pattern name, they should do just fine.

I am looking forward to the new names, it gives a nice touch to the patterns. The wrap dress 'Sasha' has my name written all over it!

So what is in a name?  That all depends. One thing is for sure, once given,  a name will forever shape how something is viewed......

Tell me what you think about the new names in the comment section below.

Until next time,