Counting on this Marcy Tilton top for Fabricville

I recently ordered this cotton fabric from Fabricville for my latest spring blogger project. I also ordered a Vogue dress pattern to go with it, but when I received the fabric, I thought that a cotton top would be a better fit for the hand of this fabric, and would also work better with the scale of the print. Fortunately, I'd just bought Vogue 2030, a Marcy Tilton woven top pattern that seemed like a better match.

I had to be so careful cutting this out, as I wanted to line up the pattern across the front, at the side seams, and at the lower pocket seam as well. Not perfectly, but at least get the lines level so it didn't disturb the eye too much. I think it worked out quite well, the pattern feels regular across the whole piece. 

I like the visual effect, rather like a smock. But this was a tough project overall! There were so many issues I had while making this, and it began to feel a little exhausting. 

The pattern itself was not the best I've ever experienced. The fit looks a bit relaxed on the cover, but the pattern is quite close fitting. I cut it at 16, the largest option on my pattern, which matches my measurements. However, while the seams are 5/8, I sewed up my side seams and underarm seams at 3/8 to give myself a bit more room once I'd tried it on. It's still a bit closer fitting in the bust and especially in the arms than I'd prefer, but this fabric does have a fair bit of give to it, so it's not uncomfortable, just that I like a bit more ease usually. It fits quite close overall so do be conscious of that if you choose to make this too. 

The other issues I had were the sleeve openings on the view I made - there are cute keyhole openings at the cuff, solely for decorative purposes as a band is also sewn on afterward. These took a long time to get right, and they don't sit flat at the top. I think there needed to be more of a curve at the top edge somehow. The angle at the top is kind of poky-outy. 

And that collar!! It took ages to figure out how to attach it so that the ends didn't poke out to the front between the attached facing seam. I had to fiddle with it, baste it, tear it out, adjust it again, try again, tear it out again, etc. quite a few times. I finally just fudged it enough that it looked alright and enclosed everything. I couldn't really make sense of the instructions or the illustration for this step -- I tried it as I could understand it from the drawings and it just wouldn't work. Still, now that it's done it is kind of interesting - I can wear it standing as designed, or undo the top button and then fold it down if I want a more shirt collar look. 

So I think I'd say that this pattern itself is not one I'm too keen to repeat any time soon. I do like the final product, although I'd like it even more if it were a touch larger. I'm not sure what I did wrong on this one - I thought I'd measured it all accurately, but clearly not. Still, it's wearable and the fabric is a lot of fun. And I love the pockets on the front, slightly slouchy and artsy. This one is right in the middle for me; I don't hate it but the issues with it mean I don't fully love it either. Oh well, I am sure I can make it work in my wardrobe! And one other good thing about it is that it matches with my ongoing Sudoku wardrobe project, so I can use it in one of my grid squares for that as well. One more down!

Cobalt Cotton Butterick Top

After my first Sudoku project, the Box Box, I've gone back to my 'vintage' pattern collection for the second easy top in the lineup. 

This one is just one piece of a wardrobe pattern, Butterick 6450. It's a nice button up blouse with extended shoulders, light and airy for summer or for wearing under a sweater or jacket. I love the colour of this cotton that I've had in my stash for a long, long time. (still lots of it left, too). 

This was a straightforward top, although I had to grade between 16 at shoulder and 18 at hip, and also shorten by an inch above the waistline. Pressing up the curved hem at bottom and the armhole was really the lengthiest part of the whole project!

I stalled for a minute on this one because of the buttons. I hadn't chosen buttons ahead of time, confident that I would have some in my stash of 5 full cookie tins of buttons that would work. I sorted through all of these and could not find the right size and colour to work with this blouse. So I had to put it aside for a bit until I had time to get down to the fabric store and pick some up!  

But of course I had another project to work on in the meantime... :) 

I think this is really cute and love the colour. It's a nice basic that will get a lot of use with a variety of the items already in my wardrobe. 

Pink Box Box Blouse

My first Sudoku wardrobe project was the Box Box top by Merchant & Mills. I've had this pattern for over a year and have been wanting to try it so this was the perfect time! 

This was one of only two new fabrics in my wardrobe plan. I really wanted the right colour of pink so bought some cotton at my local Fabricland. It's so pretty, though quite lightweight and fairly transparent. I thought a top with front pleats might work well with the fabric. 

It was pretty straightforward. The pattern was well designed with lots of markings to help form the pleats. There is also a stitch guide for the "Z" shaped stitching that holds down the pleats. I found that I had to lengthen the pattern -- I added 1.5" to the hem when cutting, but then also ended up giving it a narrow hem to keep as much length as possible. Might add a touch more next time to account for more hem! 

Another nice detail of this simple top was the back neckine opening. There is a slit and a button and loop. They give instructions for a rouleau loop to button it up so I thought I'd try it. I can't believe I got my hook loop turner to finally work and got a tiny rouleau that I was very pleased with! 

The neckline facing was one more thing I had to fiddle with a bit. This fabric is quite lightweight, so I cut the facings and interfaced them with lightweight fusible - that all worked fine, but when I was testing the position of it I noticed that I could see the white interfacing through the blouse. Ack! But the fabric is too lightweight to have a non-interfaced facing. I couldn't really use binding because of the back slit, either. So I cut another facing and layered it with the existing one, sandwiching the fusible in between. After that, I couldn't see the interfacing from the outside or the inside, which was perfect. And the fabric is so floaty that it didn't add any excess weight either. 

I considered using french seams because of the fabric but hadn't accounted for that when I cut it out so just trimmed and pressed the seams to one side and hoped it would be fine. I think it is: I don't notice the seam allowances through the blouse, unless I'm looking for them. And I would be the only one doing that! 

It fits really nicely (I made size 14) and the instructions were clear. The only small issues I had with it were down to my fabric choice. But with this colour, I had to do it! 

BHMPD Challenge: Daphne Maxwell Reid with McCalls 9125

For my first project of the month, I made up the tunic from this McCalls 9125 Daphne Maxwell Reid design. It is also a project for the Black History Month Pattern Designers Challenge! 

I picked up this pattern while thrifting a few months ago, and haven't been able to get it out of my mind. So I found a lightweight cotton in the stash and went for it. So, this also fits into the PatternReview Stash contest :) 

I chose to make the short tunic with longer sleeves for this project. The pattern includes two tunic views, a light over-jacket, pull on pants and a skirt, and a scarf. A whole wardrobe here! 

I had this lighter weight cotton with a great print, so chose a simple pattern to highlight it. The tunic has a rounded off squared neckline (a favourite style for me) and slits in the side seams. I really like the details in this otherwise simple pattern. 

I was careful to line up the centre fold along the middle of one motif so that there would be balance in the print. It was pretty straightforward! Front, back, sleeve and facing pieces. I did shorten both the body and the sleeve, by about an inch each. I ended up making a deep hem on the sleeve so I could fold it up in a little cuff, as well. If I did this again I would add a touch of width to the sleeve to allow for more room for a cuff. It works here but another half inch would make an improvement to fit. 

I gave the bottom a narrower 5/8" hem and feel that it worked out pretty well! I really like the colours here and the traditional print -- although the colour is hard to capture in these photos. I think that maybe it's really halfway between the closeup of the side slits and the large photos. 

Daphne Maxwell Reid is a former model, an actress, photographer, and fashion designer - including creating patterns for the Big 4. I have found a handful of her patterns from the 90s at my local thrift stores, and was really drawn to this one! I love this tunic and this fabric, and I still have lots of her patterns to try out! 

As styled on this still chilly day

Autumn Florals with Simplicity 9646

My latest Fabricville project was an Autumnal themed one, using this floral cotton I found on their website. I found the rich colours very appealing and decided to try a quick blouse, using Simplicity 9646. (worn in these photos with a Butterick 6670 linen skirt from 2020)

I made View A, with shorter sleeves and a rounded collar. I took up an inch above the waistline, but added that inch back to the hem. I do find that it is a bit short to wear loose so if I was to make it again with the intent to wear it out, I'd lengthen it. It is, however, the right length to tuck in.

I also chose to leave off the optional fisheye darts (they are marked on front and back) and am glad I did, since this just fits around the hip on me as is. I cut a 14 at neckline, 16 at shoulder and bust, and graded out to about an 18 at the hip. So it's a pretty straight up and down fit if you also have to pay attention to that. 

I also made one addition; the pattern tissue has an interfacing foldline on the front placket, but there is no mention of interfacing it in the pattern instructions or diagrams at all. I decided to add some, however, as this cotton is fairly light. I used a lightweight interfacing the width of the fold from edge to interfacing foldline (about an inch) and am pleased that I did as I feel it did make it more stable for the buttonholes. 

Otherwise, this was quite a straightforward sew, and I enjoyed working with this lighter weight cotton. I had ordered some shiny black buttons but in the end I went with some similar matte ones from my vintage stash, as the muted tones in the fabric seemed to call for a more matte finish. I feel like this is a nice seasonal make, which will go with a number of items in my wardrobe even if it isn't my usual colours. I enjoyed working my way through this one! 

Rainbow Glass Print & a 90s Blouse: A Literary Sewing Circle Project

I finished my blouse! For my second Literary Sewing Project for this round, I was very taken with an image in the book in which our narrator Violet visits an estate for sale, and finds 'the Rainbow Room'

There is a section of greenish-yellow Vaseline glass, one of pink and green Depression glass, marigold carnival glass, cranberry glass, a group of old cobalt-blue poison and perfume bottles and sun-tinted amethyst glass. Then across the windows at the front of the cottage, the ones facing the water, there is a huge collection of ruby glass.

The cobalt and ruby of this description made me think about a cotton fabric I've had for a very long time. I decided that a crisp summer blouse would be a perfect use for this fabric, although I waffled over which pattern to use for quite a while! I wanted something sleek, without fussy details, to suit this cotton. 

Looking through my recently purchased vintage patterns, I found this Simplicity 8964 pattern (c.1999) with the perfect blouse. Very straight lines to work with my quilting weight fabric, and just the right size to be able to fit onto the amount of fabric I had as well. 

I had to make a few fitting changes, but not that many. I lengthened the body of the blouse by one inch, and removed the shoulder pad allowance (1/2") That means I took 1/2" out of the shoulder seam at the outer edge, and a 1/2" wedge from the shoulder to the armscye notches. I also trimmed down the sleeve cap very marginally, about 1/8" between notches. I also added some width to the sleeve as I don't like tight sleeves. 

The pattern went together very well, although I did try it on right after sewing in the darts and shoulder seams -- I'm not always fond of back bodice darts, they often don't work for me with my short back and larger hip, and this time I didn't like them either! I considered narrowing them, but decided to just remove them and then I tried it on again and liked it fine so just left the back undarted. This didn't affect anything else because the back is simply turned up and hemmed, to meet the front facing. But...I probably should have made a bit of a swayback adjustment. Oh well!

I searched through my extensive button stash but only found one set of navy buttons in the right size. They are subtle and they work, although I don't really love them. They'll do for now! 

In the end, I do like this pattern a lot. And I'm pleased to have found a use for this fabric as a garment. I've had it for a long time; I picked it up while thrifting because it was pretty but wondered if I'd just have to use it for a craft project. I like it made up into this blouse and it definitely makes me think of our shared read this round! 

Embroidered Simplicity 3684

I finally did it -- made my very own Vyshyvanka! A vyshyvanka is a Ukrainian embroidered blouse, but mine is not traditional. I found this lovely soft yellow cotton at the thrift store recently, and decided to use it to make Simplicity 3684. I chose View C as the one with the most "vyshyvanka" feel to the sleeve and I also liked the simple collar band.

I did all my regular adjustments to this blouse pattern - shortened above the waist by 1/2", shortened the sleeve (in this case I shortened both top and bottom parts of the sleeve by 1" each) and graded from 14 at neck to 16 at bust and 18 at hip. This usually does the trick for me. I do find the shoulders a bit wide, so may take those in at the shoulder seam a bit, would definitely remove some width if I make this again. And the fit is quite close, check those finished measurements before you choose your size. 

It went together quite smoothly. The sleeve/cuff used a continuous lap, which I am used to from Burda patterns, but I do have to stop and think hard about it every single time! I found that the most difficult part of the whole thing, the construction was pretty straightforward otherwise. And as it turns out, I don't have to unbutton the cuffs to slip this on, so it was unnecessary anyhow! There were also two fisheye darts on the back, but when I tried it on I didn't like the way the blouse sat with those darts, so unpicked them and pressed them out again. This fabric is pretty forgiving.

As for the embroidery: 

I tested out various stitches and thread weights on my scraps, to see what I liked best. This cotton is lightweight and translucent so I was concerned about shadowing from the threads on the back. I found a simple motif that didn't require heavy stitching, again because this fabric doesn't have the weight to support lots of stitching. 

I ended up using the rhomb pattern, which can symbolize nature's rebirth, abundance, fertility, etc. From what I could find, this is often used in men's traditional designs, but I thought it would work nicely in my modern, non-traditional project. I used single, small motifs on the cuffs, button placket and collar, but created larger double rhombs for the sleeve decoration. All of these except for the sleeve are interfaced, so the stitching is supported well. I will keep my eye on the sleeve and see how it holds up. 

I chose three threads from my stash - all DMC. White, light blue (827) and a darker blue (996). I used three strands of each and the motifs were all done with buttonhole stitch and a few straight stitches, while the white was all straight stitch. I considered french knots but when I was testing I realized they would be too fragile for regular wearing. Using buttonhole stitch means there isn't much thread on the back, either, which is perfect. The stitching, after the testing and tracing, took me about 4-5 hours to complete. Not too bad, but these are simple motifs so it wasn't as lengthy. I don't know how to cross-stitch so went very basic here, also I know I am a slow stitcher so didn't want something really complicated for a first try. 

Buttons were a lucky match. I searched through a big box of shirt buttons that my sister gave me a few years ago, and found the perfect size and muted colour for this project. I wanted buttons that would blend in and not distract from the stitching. I think these worked really well. 

Well, after much dithering, I finally went ahead with a first simple Vyshyvanka project. I have a handful of other blouse patterns to try out and see if I like them for this purpose, but I had to start somewhere! This Simplicity pattern, which I put on my 2025 MakeNine list, was the one to begin with. Now that's 2 Make Nine projects completed for the year :) 

Beginnings: Project in Process

I've cut a few patterns in the last couple of weeks, so I have a queue waiting for me to get sewn up. I can't leave it for too long or these will become UFOs in a pile! But I'm starting with this one, Simplicity 3684.

I've made my pattern adjustments - mainly shortening the sleeve and the blouse above the waist - and grading between sizes at the shoulder to hip, as usual. And I've got it all cut out, but now I am pondering adding some easy embroidery to it.

I've been testing some ideas on scraps, to check out thread weights and colours, and design and stitch options. Don't feel I've got it yet but I'll do a bit more testing to see if this is something I want to go ahead with. If yes, more embroidery on the horizon. If not, just getting this all sewn up. 

I bought this cotton at a thrift shop recently. It has a nice texture to it but is a bit translucent so I did want to check if I could embroider without the stitches showing up behind. So far so good. I really like the fabric and hope that I got all the pattern adjustments right! And I am planning to have this all finished by the end of the month. More updates to come!