The Moto Jacket Vogue 1714

 

This jacket caught my eye the moment it was introduced last year.  Although it is almost Spring I am so happy I decided to go ahead and make it.

The jacket I would say is for the average sewer, someone who has been sewing for a couple of years. There is quite a bit of top stitching, don't skip this step, or the jacket will not come out as designed. Just take your time and you should do just fine.

I would make one note however, the bottom near the zipper comes out somewhat wonky.  It does not lay easy against the body.  I thought it was me, then I went to Vogue's site and notice the same in their photos of the jacket.

To be honest, it is not something that I am concerned about.  After all, it is a jacket that I will most likely wear open as transition piece from Fall to Winter.

Next up is my "Top It Off" series, join me on Instagram @serondak where I give my sneak peak of what is to come.

Until later, take it one stitch at a time.

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,

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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,

Self Expression, a style all our own.......................

We all have our own style a signature look, so much so, your best friend could quickly pick out what you would probably wear.

 "This is so such and such..."  or " I could easily see such and such in this..."  they would exclaim.

Then why is it when you have the ability to sew, often times others have an expectation that you should make something out of your ordinary?

"Didn't you sew something like that already?"  or  "You always use that color palette."

These are observations that may cause the sewer to question their choice in style, pressuring them to create something that is truly not who they are as a person.

However, before you state your opinion on the item made, look into your own closet.  Do you not see a common theme and/or silhouette? Styles you have learned, over time, that most falter your figure?

Simpy because someone can sew does not mean that all pattern designs will work well with the sewers body type.

You will probably never see me in pleats, I carry my weight in my midsection and greatly dislike how I look in them. I generally stay away from anything with a lot of details,  preferring clean simple lines, allowing the fabric I have chosen to be the star of the show.

Does that mean I am incapable of making such intricate garments?  By no means, I can be very detailed in my sewing, but should I have to prove my technical skills as a seamstress with every garment that I make?

My Style

The Wrap Dress:

Butterick's classic B5030 and a lovely wrap knit B6054

Without hesitation I would say the wrap dress is my signature piece. It is the most flattering silhouette on my body shape, garnering me the most compliments.

Favorite Designers:

Tom and Linda Platt V1435  &  Kay Unger V1183

Designers Kay Unger & Tom and Linda Platt fit well into my style profile. Both designers tend to have clean and simple lines, with just enough unique details to make a stand out garment of choice.

Retro & Vintage:

Butterick's Retro B6018 & Vogue's Vintage V8788

I've always enjoyed dresses of the 40's & 50's, they seem lend a sense of femininity and grace to the one wearing them.  These dress styles tend to be universally flattering on most, if not all body types, causing no one to feel left out of the trend.

Variety the spice of life:

Misses top B6685 & skirt B4686

With separates you have endless combinations, an easy way to quickly bring variety to your wardrobe. They are often quick and easy makes, a way to clean your pallet after a completing a more advanced pattern.

Ready to wear:

Although I enjoy sewing there are some things I will continue to buy ready to wear.  These would included pants, sweaters and under garments.  

Don't get me wrong, there may be a time that I will get the itch to make one of these items, if so I will be sure to blog about the experience.

Now it is your turn, let me know in the comments what is your style of choice and why?

Until next time.................

Let the Summer sewing begin, V9357

The time of year that I like best for sewing is the Summer, there is nothing like a Sundress.  This Summer we start off with V9357:

My version of V9357

I have to say I enjoyed sewing this dress, however I did make some errors in my FBA.  You may or may not be able to tell from the photos, it seems that I added a little too much across my bust and I have a slight gap under my arms:

Take two

To be honest, I didn't realize I had made the error until I took photos for the blog.  In either case I will make the needed adjustments under the arms before wearing it again.  However, I will more then likely not go through the drama of taking pics again LOL.

One of the options that I liked about this dress is that It did not need a lining or facing, just a simple bias tape solution:

My bias tape arm finish

The other joy I had with sewing this dress was the chance to match my chevrons on both my bodice and pockets:

Bodice up close view

Pocket up close view

Pocket view 2

Of course we can't forgot what gives the dress that extra touch, I would be referring to the buttons of course:

My choice Belle Buttons by Dritz

Being that the bodice neck and sleeves were finished with bias tape, I thought it would also be nice to top off the dress' skirt with bias tape as well:

Buttons and bias hem view

For the inside finish I usually do an over-stitch on each piece before sewing them together as such:

My usual inside edge finish

If I have any suggestions for the pattern, it would be to double check your FBA. I am not sure if I didn't take into consideration the unique geometric sides pieces or not, if I make it again I'll be sure to correct the FBA.  Until then I will leave you with one more view and here's hoping you visit again soon:

TADA!

Keeping myself together one stitch at a time..........

These simple steps.......

How many years of experience do you have with sewing? What habits and systems have you developed over the years? Some of these systems we have developed due to trial and error, ways to help us to remember, or organize our thoughts.

My system...... I read and highlight my pattern directions.

Benefit number one is that it helps to place me in a sewing frame of mind. Think of it as a stretching session before exercise, a warm up if you will.

It can also help to spur inspiration, the “oh instead of that what about this.....”

My system is simple enough, I use colored pencils and highlighters to remind me of various things.

My colors are:

GREEN: Action! It often highlights how a step should be completed.

YELLOW: Caution! Don't forget! This marking reminds me to slow down, take note.

RED: Stop! Life happens, the text message that suddenly chimes, the pot on the stove that boiled over, the child that ran into the room. All of these events can cause us to overlook or forget to do a basic step, however marking where I left off helps me to refocus when life interrupts.

As you can see my system is easy enough, an old habit I started years ago, that continues to keep me on track today. Let know what systems do you have in place that keep you on track?

Also if you want to learn more great ideas check out the book by the PattenReview.com called “1000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips”. Here is a link: https://sewing.patternreview.com/Patterns/41905

It's a treasure trove of information and inspiration!

Until next the next post, I'll be keeping myself together one stitch at a time.

Wardrobe Update K4081

Looking through my wardrobe I noticed that I don't have many fall/winter dresses.  Often times during the cold months of the year I wear sweater/skirt combinations or suites. Being a seamstress I thought it only fitting to give myself more options.

First up it this winter wardrobe project is Kwick 4081:

                                                                                K4081

I decided on this dress for style and comfort, knit being one of those fabrics you can just pop on, add a few "backup singers", and Wala!



With that in mind my choice of fabric will be:

         Fabric

                                                                             Backup Singers

I am hoping to make a dress every two weeks or see, with the goal of adding about 6 or more dresses total.  Let the Winter Dress Project begin…...

Details.......V8764

It's been awhile since I've sewn something for myself, I decided on an easy Vogue pattern as a warm-up piece:

V8764

I picked up the fabric from JoAnn's, a beautiful dark blue suede with a wonderful light blue silk butterfly fabric for the lining:

Love

I was so excited that I quickly cut out the fabric and began sewing:

Collar work

I was so into sewing I didn't bother to take note of the instructions, which caused me to make a design modification. Note the design drawing:

Now notice my design:

Yep I forgot the 'V' in the collar

However, I didn't forget the other details, check them out:

Inside lining

A peak at the top stitching

Hemming it up!

Of course no dress is complete with out accessories:

Earring and necklace set from Cato's

Bring it all back together.....

My goal is to have a new post the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month.  Wether it be a 'me made' or a 'oh look what I found', I hope you will join me on my new journey.

Until then....one stitch at a time!