FO - Sew Over It City Break E-book Alex Shirt #2

As part of My Big Easy SWAP plan (link to the post with my plans is: here), I had wanted to make a rust/mustard coloured shirt.  When I first tried the Alex Shirt from Sew Over It's City Break e-book, I loved it so much, I immediately cut out a second one.  I finished it just in time to take with me to The Big Easy.

Pattern Description:  from the Sew Over It website (Sew Over It City Break):

Alex Shirt & Dress
Two-in-one, the Alex Shirt Dress is a versatile, classic pattern that will take anyone seamlessly from day to night. Although always loose and comfy, this pattern can look completely different depending on fabric choices. Made in linen, the shorter Alex Shirt is ideal for exploring the city in the daytime. But choose a lightweight crepe, viscose or georgette and you have a glamorous, knee-length evening shirt dress, perfect for that special restaurant.

Pattern Sizing: UK 8 - 20.  I chose the size 14.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes, I would have to say it does!

Were the instructions easy to follow?  I used them for my first version, but did not use them this time.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  I love that this is an easy to sew pattern for a very versatile basic item of clothing.  I can see wearing this as a shirt/blouse, buttoned up and tucked in or worn out over the waist band of the skirt or pants I'm wearing, or open as a jacket, over a tank top or tee-shirt.  Each of my versions look quite different, because of the fabric I used.

Fabric Used: a gorgeous silk georgette with a raised floral pattern in a dark mustard yellow colour

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  I shortened the sleeves to accommodate the yardage I had.  When I tried it on, I decided to make them into cuffed 3/4 length sleeves.  As a result, I decided to leave the sleeve tabs off this version.  As I did on the first one, I also took the side seams in by about 1-1/2.  Next time I'll cut a smaller size and do a full bust adjustment.

I also folded the front bands to the inside instead of the outside like I did with my first Alex Shirt.  This was because the wrong side of the fabric would have been too apparent at the centre front.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Yes, I will definitely be sewing this again, and I certainly recommend it.  I need a black shirt/blouse and I also have been searching through my stash to make another in the dress length.

Conclusion:  Sew Over It has done a great job on this pattern.  It has become a TNT (tried'n'true) pattern for me that I cannot wait to sew again.

FO - Simplicity 2728, NOLA SWAP The Big Easy

It would seem that a sewing retreat weekend can be super productive.  I finished five tank tops (not really worth a blog post since I've made a zillion of them and they're pretty straight forward), almost two Sew Over It Alex shirts (see my previous post here) and a jacket.  I love tailored jackets, and feel that every capsule wardrobe needs one.

For my NOLA The Big Easy SWAP, I chose a simple cardigan style jacket that is pretty modern in styling.  I used Simplicity 2728.  This is not a TNT pattern for me, but going with the theme of the weekend, I based decisions for pattern alterations on my historical standards (and even forgot some, which resulted in a design feature - see the details below).

Simplicity 2728 is out of print (OOP), but details can be found on Patternreview here.  

Pattern Description:  The description on the envelope is very plain, "Misses' Jacket with collar and sleeve variations."  As a Project Runway pattern, this pattern contains a lot of collar, sleeve and pocket variations, as well as front button placement options.  I chose to use the relatively "plain" version of the cardigan style front with three quarter length sleeves with fold-back cuffs, and pleated front rounded patch pockets.

Pattern Sizing: 4-22.  I chose size 12 based on the fact that was the largest size in the pattern grouping that I had.  I graded up at the waist and hip to about a size 16 (standard adjustment for me).  In retrospect, I would have preferred to use a size 14, but just didn't have that pattern available to me.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, I think I did.  At least one of the many artist's versions depicted!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, though I really didn't rely on them that much.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  I love the variety of options.  This way once you get the basic jacket fit down, you can make up a number of jackets pretty quickly - and they won't all look like they're from the same pattern when you vary the design options!  Simplicity even includes a croquis template in their directions so that you can play designer very easily.

Pleated patch pocket with rounded corners

Fabric Used: Black and tan check wool boucle suiting from my stash.  I believe it is well aged, and I have no idea where I purchased it, though something says I bought it online.  The buttons also came from my stash, though the lining I bought last week on sale at my local Fabricland chain store.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  Because I started with a size 12 (and typically would have started with a size 14), I increased the waist by adding to each of the seam allowances.  I also used a smaller seam allowance at the front vertical darts - this helped accommodate my bust cup size.  Next time, I will probably add a bit more to the shoulder width, as this one seems just a bit narrow for my taste.

I will also need to do a swayback adjustment next time on the pattern.  I'm not sure why I didn't do it on this one initially, as this is a standard adjustment for me.  Since I forgot to do it before I cut the jacket out, the first time I tried it on, I noticed quite a bit of fabric folding at the small of my back.  I decided to "save" the jacket by sewing a horizontal dart across this area from the side seam to the other side seam.  The pattern of the fabric, along with the boucle texture and the tab that I placed over it (which was planned even before this on-the-fly alteration) hide this alteration quite nicely, ifidosaysomyself.

I chose to do a fair bit of speed tailoring techniques with this jacket as well - using a few different weights of fusible interfacing to mimic hand tailoring.  After receiving my tailoring degree, I've really noticed how much I like to wear a decently tailored jacket, but didn't want to take the time to hand tailor a pattern I hadn't used before.  I interfaced the entire body with a very lightweight fusible interfacing, both the fronts and the backs.  I then used a heavier weight fusible interfacing over top of the lightweight interfacing on the seams at the neckline, centre fronts, and upper back area (instead of a back stay).  I also used a narrow cotton twill tape over the seam at the centre fronts and at the centre back to stabilize the seam.  I find it adds a crisp-ness to the edge of the garment that I really like.

I used a bias cut length of tailoring canvas for sleeve heads and I sewed narrow cotton twill tape over the seams around the armholes for support.

Lining pieces are also included with this pattern, which I really appreciate since I prefer my jackets to be lined - and often have to make my own lining pieces based on the jacket pattern.  The instructions are included for a bagged lining which, in conjunction with the speed tailoring techniques, makes for a pretty fast tailored jacket!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Yes, I will sew this again.  I need a plain black jacket but want a cute (aka not boring) design.  As I mentioned above, you can change the design details such as the sleeve length, button placement, back tab, collar details and pocket styling to create a very different look without the hassle of fine tuning the fit again on another pattern.

Conclusion: A cute jacket pattern with lots of options.