Monday, June 28, 2010

The Beginning of Pink Lipstick Collection M5977

Pink blouse made by me M5977 polyester jersey (trifted)
White crops Burda Plus Fashion Spring/Summer 2009 410/411 Hybred 100% cotton denim Hancock (TNT pattern)
White skirt Burda Style 3-10-136 100% cotton denim Hancock
Pink purse Prada (thrifted most likely imitation.)
White sandals Predictions at Payless
Wood bead braclet by my daughter. Thanks baby.

I always wanted to do that. LOL. Ok introducing my lipstick collection. The main focus colors in this collection are white and the bright pink. I love this pink color and a million years ago when I was back in high school I wore a shade of lipstick or lip gloss this exact shade. When I think about it my blush used as eye shadow back than was close too. So imagine my joy when I discovered that I had several pieces of fabric sitting in my stash or waiting patiently in my Fabric.com cart. Our the greed in my eyes when upon entering Joann fabric I found the perfect dotted jersey with this color . Yeah, girl gots it bad. But really the orange and white theme was not working for me.


The crop pants are made up in a white 100% cotton in my favorite tnt crop pattern. I was worried since the pants have no spandex or lycra I would have a problem whit comfort. No problem here, the cotton denim stretches nicely well wearing and comes back to shape in the wash. Because this is a tnt pattern not reviewing them again on PR but you can read an older review about the pattern here. I did not make this pair any different than I did the pink pair from last summer.
 
The denim skirt, Burda Style 3-10-136 I spoke about in a past blog and still love it. I will be using this pattern again shortly.
 
Pattern Description:


Now on with the show. The pink blouse is McCalls 5977 view A. This pattern is described by McCalls as being a pullover top having neck and armhole bindings and stitched hem, Top A has to layers of pleated ruffles.

Pattern Sizing:

A5(6-8-10-12-14) EE(14-16-18-20) I started with an 18

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 instructions were good. a Beginner could use them with little help.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

This is a top that is in trend right now but is classic enough to add a little fun in years to come. I'll be truth worthy I want to see if I could try the little ruffle thing.

No huge dislikes.
Fabric Used:

Fabric called for lightweight fabric like crepe de dhine, challis, charmeuse, cotton blend, bastiste and double georgette.

Fabric I used to rebel is an nice Matted Jersey rescued from Goodwill.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Oh dear not a ton but I did have to change things up a bit. First I used a knit fabric. My Matted Jersey was screaming to be made into this blouse. I need to make a narrow shoulder alteration of about 1/2" add 3/8" to the bust and 1/8" to the waist as suggested in Pattern Fitting with Confidence. Upon a paper fit I realized I need to move down the dart 1/2", so out came my Fit for Real People to help get it done. In my test garment I learned that the hem and arm holes stretched. Knowing I need to stabilize the hem I used the interfacing trick found in Easy Guide to Sewing. Luckily I did not need to do a gapping armhole adjustment.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes I think this is a well fitting pattern well on its way to becoming a TNT. I can't wait to practice some dart manipulations on this pattern.

Yes this is a great wardrobe builder easy enough for a beginner.

Conclusion:

I love this little top and have several plans for additions from this pattern. Joy of all joys my bra straps don’t show, What an add feature.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Penguin in Pink.......maybe

Well for the fun of it (read work avoidance) I took this test. I find most of these types of test funny and hold little truth to the person. Interestingly enough though this test picked picked my favorite bird as being my match. Hum some interesting stuff there. And it certainly explains why my sloppy Copy 2 of m5977 is still laying in a bright pink heep on my sewing table. Time to get serious and get working instead of reading every blog know to man (work avoidance). So my current goal finish m5977 this week get it photoed and published.
Time to get back to work. I thought you might want to read about the Penguin.
Now you see it, now you don't. Aggressive yet gentle, outgoing but shy, stable yet flighty - everyone sees the penguin in a different way. It's that black and white thing: the penguin only reveals the side that it wants to you to see. So whether you like this darling-devil or not, you have to concede that it's a fascinating and enigmatic individual.




Penguins are birds condemned to live out their days on the ground. Unable to fly, their excess energy has no outlet save their creative talents and emotional outbursts. Penguins are poetic, artistic, and intellectually gifted, and as writers penguins have no equal.



But, if unable to channel their impulses in a positive way, the resulting turmoil proves damaging to their relationships and careers.



Penguins are deceptively intelligent and are particularly animated when intellectually challenged. They excel at word games and puzzles but are modest about their abilities and are generally underestimated by others.



With their misunderstood personality, penguins find writing an ideal tool for expressing their true feelings. They have a natural aptitude for languages and penguin personalities dominate the world of publishing as writers, editors, and journalists.



With a natural aptitude for languages, penguin personalities dominate the world of publishing as writers, editors and journalists. A strong sense of drama draws them to the theater and cinema, although unlike typical bird personalities they avoid the spotlight unless they're able to hide behind the characters they play. Once on stage however, they prove to be excellent performers with their multifaceted personalities conveying the full gamut of emotions.



However, a lack of confidence affects their work. Penguins tend to give up on tasks they were otherwise capable of and are often disappointed with their performance. Still, work never dominates their life and they always put their family first.


Happy sewing!!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

I Page From My Journal (sewing related)

A few nights ago I was reading Ten Thousand Hours of Sewing blog spot. I was very interested in the theory that if you spend 10,000 hours truly learning and working hard at anything you will become a master at it. I decide I was up for the challenge at trying this with my sewing and seeing if I improve of sit quietly at a plateau. So Victoria thank you for laying out a great plan. I hope you don't mind I'm borrowing from your idea.

Tonight I find myself doing sewing related activities not sewing. Yeah it's because I finished sloppy copy 1 of M5977. I found myself revisiting the idea that the pleated bib is not the best look for my big 40F size boobs. ( Picture posted later.) What is a girl to do because I intend to get this pattern fitting correctly maybe san the bib. So sloppy copy #2 fabric and a few other floating pieces of fabric are in the washer and dryer and I’m pouring over books relooking at the issue at hand so what can a H or slightly O shaped person wear? Too often I feel my style and choices are so simple with no edge. The books out in front of me are. Fashion for Dummies, InStyle Secrets of Style, Nothing to Wear, Easy Guide to Sewing and The Vogue Sewing Book (1975 copyright) I have also visited a great website Inside Out Style.

So what do you think? Does a large busted H (rectangular) or O have the right to wear pleating on the bust.