Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A Few New Pieces.

So what do you do when summer cant decide to come? It"s mid June and it seems like mother nature is going through PMS or something. One day it's 90F and hot Hot HOT and the next day it's a rainy 60F and everyone is pulling out long pants and hoodies. 


For me that has put a hold on real summer sewing and instead I've been focusing on pieces that can be layered for easy of wear year around. Two of my Lutterloh patterns have become favorites. The first is Lutterloh Special Edition 31 #6. I've made this sleeveless darted pattern 3 times, and one of those times was as a dress. It still needs a little armhole work before I will totally call it a TNT but it's close. The second piece is Lutterloh 281 #145. This skirt I did in a fun denim.


 Pattern: 
Lutterloh Special Edition 31 # 6
Pattern Description:
This is a Fuller Figure pattern for a darted sleeveless knit top. A great alternative to summer tank tops or dress it up to replace a cami.
Pattern Sizing:
Lutterloh is based on your bust and hip measurement. Your pattern is drafted out using these two measurements. So ideally if your bust and hip are 50cm to 140cm the system should work for you. 
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
I’ve made this 3 times. Both tops look like the line drawing. My dress version looks a little different.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Lutterloh has no instructions. If you have basic sewing knowledge and have put a simple knit top together you should be fine.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love that this top is simple yet the look of it changes depending on what type of fabric you use. It can be worn as a layering pieces but has enough shape to be warn alone.
What I didn’t like was that the arm holes are not snug enough. On my white version I did not stay stitch the neck and arm openings before binding and they stretched horrible.
Fabric Used:
For the multi color top a cotton blend knit from Fabric.com
For the white top cotton blend single knit from Hancock.
For  the strip dress a poly/rayon I believe came from Hancock.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
On all three tops I experimented with making a binding per Easy Guide to Sewing instead of the facing piece Lutterloh suggests. I was working on a more t-shirt look. Also on all three I did a ½ inch narrow shoulder adjustment.
On the dress I added 19 inches to the length, rounded out the hips slightly and tapered the hem in by a ½ inch.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes I will be sewing this again. Yes I would recommend this to other.
Conclusion:
This would be a great basic to add to any wardrobe. It can be dressed up or down depending on the fabric used.
Pattern: 
Lutterloh Supplement 281 # 144 or 145
Pattern Description: 
Easy fit a-line pull on skirt with two lengths and front pockets.
Pattern Sizing:
Lutterloh is based on your bust and hip measurement. Your pattern is drafted out using these two measurements. So ideally if your bust and hip are 50cm to 140cm the system should work for you. 
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?
Lutterloh has no instructions.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
This is a basic skirt. It could be a wardrobe styple depending on what fabric you made it in or how you dressed it up. It gave me a chance to practice top stitching and creating clean finished pocket bags using the French seam technique I learned from the Lutterloh New Zealand Jean Design class.
At the moment maybe the pockets. I believe they are cut a little too deep. I used some jean making techniques to create them so the bags would be made from a cotton lining. I found when I finished the skirt I had to do a little tacking on outer edges of pocket to have functioning pockets with out the lining peaking through.
Fabric Used:
Light weight black denim with slight stretch rescued from Goodwill. The pocket bags are made from a butterfly quilters cotton given to me from my mom’s friend.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Slightly tacked the corners of the pockets by sewing on top stitch line about ½ inch at top and side of pockets. I also used jean technique of using lining fabric for pocket bags and clean finishing them with French seams.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes I will be making this again. Yes it is a good basic skirt.
Conclusion: 
This a great basic skirt that can be dressed up or down. Wonderful way to ad diversity to your summer wardrobe. For me I’ll be using it in place of always wearing crop pants.

2 comments:

  1. These are wonderful wardrobe pieces. I love your choice of fabrics! Great job. Thanks for sharing the process.

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  2. You've expanded your wardrobe with some really lovely pieces - I'm sure you're going to get a lot of wear out of those. The styles and fabrics are very well chosen!

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