1st Blog Aniversary

One year ago on August 8 2009 I started this blog to journal the blooming I saw going on in my wardrobe.  With 23 blogs under my belt I don't think I'm doing so badly. But  I also see a few changes and fall aways did happen. I started out measuring the approximate cost of the garment I was making. this was for budget purposes as well as to answer  the question a friend asked if I felt I was really saving. The second fall away happened during a swap contest. I was content with trying not to purchase anything all year only but hit a creative road block so my mom bought me some clothes. I was unwilling to stop my spending on me or my kids, and I end up sewing less. Gosh that's not good

I re looked at what I'm doing. What I find important to blog about and if I have any current goals. First and foremost my blog is still and always will be primarily a journal about sewing, fashion, and reading. Secondly My first goal is to work toward finding styles that fit my body and my body type. So I will continue the route of creating TNT patterns. So more work and practice with fit are in this years plan. Two great sites to learn more about your body type are Inside Out Style and My Virtual Makeover.

Secondly I would again like to challenge my consumerism and make the majority of my clothes this year. So here is my plan Only unmentionable (undergarments, socks, tights spanx etc) can be bought new along with the occasional wow item and shoes. So I'm setting a budget of $15.00 per month for RTW which is allowed to carry over month to month. I am allowed to spend no more than $15.00 per month thrifting for sweaters, accessories and few hole filling items. My sewing budget I'm going to allow $40.00 per month this should cover fabric, notions and patterns. Note here it does not include renewing subscription to Burda or purchasing supplements for the Lutterloh as both of these come out of gift money. So that means my monthly clothing budget is $70.00. That's actually what it was set at last year but by the end of the year I found I had spent more than twice as much. It's funny because I seldom wear some of the budget busting pieces I had to have. Sigh time to get better focused.

Ok enough rambling on and on. Time for some sewing. I currently working on a lutterloh jacket. It is 92 in the 2009 lutterloh or 92 in supplement 270. Great little short sleeve zipper front jacket in woven. Until next time happy sewing. I'm so glad your on this journey with me.

I Didn't Sign Up for Jodhpurs!!!!

Muslin 1 Lutterloh 2009-91

I finally finished my first Lutterloh pants. Can I say I love how nicely the pattern pieces all fit together. I hate trying to buy pants. Being a rectangle or O body shape I usually have to buy pants for my waist and than take them home and take them in at the hip. Not the worst alteration but still work. Lately even the pants that are made per body type have not worked. Main problem is after a few hours of wear they fall off because they have stretched to fit my curves. sigh......So here is where trying to create a hand full of TNT pant patterns come in.

My first Lutterloh pant pattern is 2009 -91. It a very simple basic straight leg trouser pattern. But my muslin proved it was going to need some fitting work. So with some smooth music provided by my friend D~ I set off to fit these pants. I love them so far. They fit me well and yes they don't fall off.

muslin 2

Below is my review of them from PR you can see more pictures at my Flickr.

 Pattern Description:

Straight leg trouser that sits at or slightly below your waist. These trousers feature a side zipper, no pockets and darted front and back.  You can see the image on Lutterloh site.

Pattern Sizing:

Lutterloh uses you bust and hip measurement. Since these are pants it only uses your hip measurement.

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

Close enough.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Lutterloh has no directions. You will need to create a plan. I strongly suggest having and using sewing manuals when stuck. Or any good pant pattern directions.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

My likes hum…..It has a nice simple line but is very dressy so business appropriate for my jobs. Can easily dress these up or down depending on the seen

Dislike this pattern is very hippy. It was clearly designed for a pretty pear or a hourglass. But not a rectangle or an O without a lot of alterations. On me the originals looked similar to jodhpurs. lol

Fabric Used:

Muslin 1- cotton muslin fabric.

Muslin 2- This was supposed to be wearable. Poly, Rayon. And lycra from fabric.com

Try number 3-Poly rayon and lycra suiting from Hancock.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

All the alterations I did are typical of me and my pants fitting.

sigh my very nice fitting Lutterloh 2009-91

Using  Fast Fit I did a big tummy skinny leg alteration to add nearly 12 inches to the waist area. I moved front and back dart 1 inch. Per  Pants for Real People I shorten the pants 4 inches. Realized after first pattern fitting need to do a flat derriere alteration of ¾inch.

Upon completion of second muslin I realized I still had add way too much room. I took ¼” of the side seems and still had wings at my hips Sigh….

The third pair I did a narrow hip adjustment per Fitting & Pattern Alteration A Multi-Method Approach . The method I used was slide and pivot and took out 1.25 inches from each side seam tapering up to the waist.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes I will be sewing these again. Yes I would recommend just make sure you take the time to fit them.

Conclusion:

A nice pair of basic side zip pants for work or play.

Lutterloh 2009-91 paired up with Butterick 5100