Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Black and White and all things right: M7099

Hey Y'all

First before we get into the review can I tell y'all how much I love this one here? I mean I really love it like for real for real love. I love this one so much that I have another one cut out waiting to be sewn up.
I wore this to a Conference that I was so blessed to be able to attend this weekend in Houston. The conference was Mimi Gs' Passion to Profit tour. The conference was informative, she was personable and informative and had an awesome friend/contributor Tieko Nejon who spoke on branding and marketing. I am not at a stage where I am ready nor interested in monetizing, branding or marketing but when I am I think I will be ready with the info they shared.
Funny Story.. Someone complimented me on my outfit, and of course I had to say "Thanks I made it!" Then she asked me what pattern? For the life of me I could not remember.. *insert funny here* another lady whom I had not met yet at this point speaks up and says "Oh its McCalls 7099. I turn and ask her "how do you know that? Does it look homemade?" (which would not have been a compliment) she explains no but she knew the pattern right away because she had made it recently. She takes out her phone and begins to share her pics and before you know it we are standing there looking at pics of our handmade garments from our phones oohing and awwwing like we are sharing pics of our beloved children.  Oh those memories still crack me up. *end of funny*


On to the review:
The pattern is M7099 View C. A misses jumper/romper with tapered legs.

Pattern Sizing: I cut the 14. I Could have easily gotten away with a 12 but the 14 was the smallest in my pattern envelope.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Instructions were simple enough. Nothing very difficult if I recall correctly. I made this back in May but just had the opportunity to wear it now.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Love that it was simple to assemble. There were only 6 pattern pieces

Fabric Used: I used a black/white/Grey knit I purchased from JoAnns back in January.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: 
- The bodice was very roomy and I ended up taking in an additional inch on each side seam.
- I used 3/8 elastic at the waist instead of the 1/2 suggested.
- The underarm is very low and will show bra strap if a narrow hem is done. I chose to finish the raw edge and only turned under once.  Next time I make it I will raise armhole probably 1/2 inch or so.
-I made an almost fatal rookie mistake near the end of completing. I was trimming my pants seams. I was not going to finish the seams because its knit and wouldn't ravel. I don't yet have a serger and didn't want to take the extra step of finishing on my machine like I normally do (being lazy) I cut a about a 2 inch gash in one pants leg. I was horrified, like almost near tears horrified. I decided to just narrow the pant as much as I could to hide the tear..so I took both pants legs in the same amount,  and honestly you cant really tell the difference in my opinion.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes. I already have it cut out. 

Conclusion: Well you know by now. I love it.
I didn't get the chance to take many pictures of this one, but you'll be seeing it again I'm sure.




The only picture I got with Mimi G. and my eyes were partially closed and my turkey neck was showing. Oh well!
Talk with y'all soon.
NaTisha

Monday, July 13, 2015

Simple black blouse: Simplicity 1364

Hey Y'all

This is such a simple plain black top that its almost not worthy of its own blog post. Wait a minute... Anything I start, complete and wear is worthy of an individual blog post because if I was going to be completely honest recently its been far and between (is that how the saying goes?) since I could post something wearable.

Anyway, I needed a simple black top that I could pair with a skirt to wear to a midday wedding. This was a purchased skirt from F21 a couple years back that I never wore because 1. I bought it for church without trying it on then realized the under slip was too short and sheer and 2. I just didn't have a simple shirt to pair it with.

My first fix was the skirt. I had to cut out the sheer, thin, short slip that was attached to the skirt. The attached slip barely covered my bum, and although probably really sexy on someone else Im not about that life. So I took a black slip I had on hand ( I buy slips anytime I am at a thrift store and they are cheap) and stitched it to the underside of the skirt waistband. PROBLEM SOLVED

Second, was the top Simplicity 1364
  I made the size 16 in a black Peachskin. This fabric was originally $9.99 but was on sale for 30% off and I used an additional 20% of coupon so this top cost me a little over $6.

Initially, I wasn't sure about the neckline but after it was complete I really liked it. Like the pattern envelope suggested this top sews up in a "Jiffy". There are only 4 pattern pieces the front, back, and 2 facings.
The waist/bottom of the top was tight and narrow, I couldn't pull it all the way over my hips but where it stopped was fine for me. I cut the back on the fold and had a back center seem choosing to omit the lapped back zipper. The underarm was a bit too tight for my liking and I knew it would get irritating after wearing for awhile so I snipped out 1/2 inch from the underarm from the notch to edge.  This gave me the perfect amount of ease I needed.

Dressform Pics:
Front


Back 

Neck

How I paired it: 



I really liked this top and can see myself making this as a simple shell to go under blazers and jackets in the cooler months. 

Talk with yall soon. 
NaTisha