Vogue 8962 - Yellow striped long sleeve tunic

I am having so much fun making casual clothing lately! In the past I have mostly made fancier stuff and just purchased my casual clothing from stores. I still plan to make the really envolved garments, but you can expect to see a lot more everyday styles with interesting details on this blog in the coming months.

The pattern used is an OOP "Very Easy Vogue" pattern, 8962. I bought this pattern for the cowl neck view, which I cut out and sewed a number of years ago. At that time, unfortunately, I wasn't very knowledgeable about sewing with knits and picked a fabric that was too thin. This time around I used a nice weight yellow viscose ponte knit from Mood fabrics. I previously used this fabric in 2014 when I was pregnant for a maternity skirt. I knew then that I would need to make something more permanent in my closet and ordered another cut of it.

I cut the size 10 and it is loose but the bust fits nicely so I don't feel it is too big. My normal Vogue size is a 12, but I always go down one size for knits. I might go down to the 8 if I make this pattern again to tighten up the shoulder area.

Somehow I managed to cut the backs opposite of the example on Vogue's website. I also cut some off the bottom of the pattern the first time I made this, so I'm not sure how much shorter it is than it was drafted.

I modified the neckline from the directed 5/8" double folded hem to a folded piece of fabric cut on the straight grain. I folded it so that only the yellow is showing on the outside and topstitched with a 4 mm stitch length. I've figured out that this longer stitch length is the key to getting RTW looking results on knits, and also use it for the double needle stitching along the hemlines.

I was asked to show an inside picture of this type of neckline finish on my last top, so here it is. After topstitching on the outside, I graded the fabrics to lay as flat as possible on the inside. All other seams were finished with the overlocking stitch on my regular sewing machine.

Will I ever tire of the tunic with skinny pants silhouette? Probably not anytime soon. It's perfect for my mom-on-the-go lifestyle.

Here we have some photobombing children. Yes they are in shorts. We had the mildest winter in years and our current daily highs are in the 70s. It feels like heaven.

Note: This fabric was purchased with my Mood Fabrics monthly allowance, as part of my participation in the Mood Sewing Network.

Vogue 8950 - Apple green + gray stripe long sleeve tunic

I've made yet another top! The pattern is Vogue 8950, which came out three years ago but is happily still in print. My two fabrics are some sort of modal/cotton knits, purchased online a few years ago. I loved the green colorway especially, and only bought the gray on a whim.

I enjoy the challenge of sewing with stripes. They take a bit of careful planning, but perfectly matching stripes are something that are not easily found in RTW. I matched up the gray and green fabrics so that the stripes are uninterrupted where they join.

This pattern runs large. My normal Vogue size is 12 and I usually go down to a 10 for knits. I cut this in an 8 and it's still pretty loose. The smallest size is a 6, so keep that in mind if you are a tiny person.

I like the longer length of this top and the curving hemline with side slits. I finished all my hems with a wide double needle. The inside seams I finished with my sewing machine's overlocking stitch.

The directions have you do a double folded hem for the neckline, but in my experience those always stretch out horribly. Instead I cut a binding 25.25" long and stitched it to the neckline, then topstitched to keep it from flipping out.

Except for having to set in the sleeves several times to get the stripes to match up, this was a quick project. I am planning to make this top once more before spring hits, and possibly for summer with the shorter sleeves.

Here's my little valentine who wanted to get a picture with me. I think I need an adult version of her dress.

Vogue 1389 again - Maroon wool knit baseball top

I am continuing to enjoy using up fabric from my scrap pile and making tops. Here is my latest creation from Vogue 1389, a Donna Karan designer pattern.

I first made this pattern back in December and it has seen lots of wear during this mild winter, so I decided to make another one using up a big scrap of maroon wool knit. Four LONG years ago (before I had many gray hairs - sob!) I used this fabric for a top with a draped neckline and wore it for Christmas. It was donated a year or so later because I really hate to wear anything fussy around my neck. But the fabric was perfectly lovely and I'm glad I had a big piece of it to make something that will actually get some wear.

This time I used an exposed seam detail throughout the shirt and love the outcome. It is achieved by stitching the pieces together with the wrong sides facing it, then ironing them flat and topstitching from the outside about 1/8" on either side of the seam. Then I carefully cut away the excess fabric. It looks really cool on fabrics with a terry like texture on the inside.

This is a very fitted pattern. Where I usually size down to a 10 on knits, I cut a straight size 12. I also dropped the armholes an inch like last time, as they are drafted really high. The sleeve bands were thick and dumpy looking so I oped to hem the sleeves right above the elbow. All hems were sewn with a wide set twin needle.

The neckline stretched out a bit when I was making this top so I sprayed it with water and threw it in the dryer with a damp towel. Twenty minutes later I took it out and the neckline had shrunk to a point where it lays nice and flat against my chest.

Even though I'm an Aggie I don't really own a ton of maroon stuff. Well, now I've got a least one top to wear with this cap. Whoop! Also Gig 'em.