I've been wanting to make this raglan pullover for a long time. I have a light sweatshirt I love to wear because it's comfortable and I like the styling, but the color is a pale brown so it's not great on me. I bought some "Nike fabric" a while back--a lightweight, breathable, poly jersey--and I decided to use it with this pattern. It could be a spring or fall coverup when it's not that cold but I still need something. The fabric is soft and was nice to work with. I liked how it turned out. It fits well. I didn't like the neckline as drafted, however. It fit like a choke hold. So I cut off the first neckband, traced the neckline of the sweatshirt I was trying to duplicate, used the tracing to cut a new neckline, and then sewed a new neckband. I really like the result.

I don't have a picture of the original Gap tank top. I wore it to death. It was long past its expiration date when I finally got rid of it. But before I did, I studied the construction and created a pattern. And I made 3 versions in different colors OUT OF MY SON'S OLD T-SHIRTS. I am so very proud of myself. I made these a couple years ago and am only now remembering to document them.

The first one I made was black. 

The other two are a gray and a white.

I wear my gray Blackwood Cardigan all the time in spite of it not closing fully in front. IT is so comfortable and I love the color. I  figured if I wear that one, I'd wear one in purple. This new one is definitely french terry; I paid attention this time. But it is different than my gray one, which is not quite as heavy. This one is definitely more like a sweatshirt material. It's okay. I still like it, and I like the purple a lot. No issues making it; it went together very easily. 

So many people have sewed the Scout Tee and raved. After my fourth muslin of Simplicity 2599, I went a little nuts. I switched plans and bought the Scout pattern. The Scout Tee looks so easy! No darts! Something I remember reading praised the pattern for clever pattern design that resulted in a good fit "instead of darts." (I could be making that up.)  What if instead of tweaking a Big 3 bodice pattern over and over again, I could just use a cleverly designed pattern? It's also billed as a "woven tee," and something about that description is alluring. 

I did have my doubts. Although many people seem to look good in the photos of their versions, the one on Grainline's site seems to pull a little under the arms, and...well that is not a very big-bosomed model. I need a C or D cup or I have to make an FBA. Still, I went ahead and made the purchase. I wasn't thinking straight.

I put the PDF pattern together and sewed up a muslin. Not good. Neckline gapes, which I know how to fix, but it pulls under the arms to such a degree that it is uncomfortable, and I don't know how to fix that. The back is rather voluminous. 

​I can't sew this up in good material. It needs adjusting, and I'm not sure how to adjust it. That vague memory of "clever construction" makes me think I can't do the usual. Maybe someday I will investigate to see if anyone has ever had similar problems and what they did about it. I suppose I could try a larger size at the top. 

This looks like a simple top. I suppose it is. I have finally finished my first actual garment from it, and it's only taken me about 10 years. I bought the pattern ages ago. I've taken it out and considered it multiple times. Finally, in the past few months, I resolved to reduce some stash fabric by making tops of some silk chiffon I purchased when I first started sewing again and didn't have better sense, and I took this pattern out. I made a muslin. Even though it comes with different cup sizes, which helps immensely, don't get me wrong, it still did not fit well. I added about 2" to the hips. I lowered the dart by 1". I added two long darts in the back. I was pretty happy with it at that point.

However, I was thinking about duplicating a silk chiffon top I own already:

So I made the neckline a V-neck. Then I realized I had no seam allowance. Once I added, I realized I didn't know how to manage the partial opening at the top--how do you account for seam allowance at the opening, have none in the middle of the garment, and not have it look awful? By this point I had made 5 muslins and I couldn't deal with making more. 

I looked up, saw some cotton batik lawn-like fabric I'd bought at last year's sewing expo, and decided to make it up in this pattern and went back to the round neckline. I made my own bias tape using the bias-tape-maker gadget I'd owned for 10 years, and it turned out great! 

I am super happy with the fit of this top, and I like the round neckline. Bonus...I didn't put a zipper in even though it's a woven. I can get it on and off easily. So I will use this pattern for the two swaths of silk chiffon I have. I have to line them, so it's going to be hell to sew, and I'm not looking forward to silk chiffon bias tape making, and I am still debating a zipper closure...

My stash distresses me. I don't even know what I own. I want to sew, sew, sew it away until it is gone and I only buy what I need when I know what I want and I have a plan. I have purchased too many patterns I now know I will not sew because I didn't know what I was doing. I have purchased fabric with no pattern in mind and no plan for what it would be used for. The result is this weighty burden. 

Still I buy fabric when I think I will not find its equal again easily, as I did when I went to the Sewing Expo 2019 and saw some beautiful batik-design fabrics (that's how I think of them). Some of the fabric was cotton, some rayon, some jersey (cotton, I think). The colors were so awesome I bought 3 bits. 

The white linen Harvey had gone together so effortlessly and fit nicely, so I decided to stash bust and sew another Harvey with one of the batik-y pieces, this time going for the long-sleeved version.

I made the Blackwood cardigan again in french terry. I made it according to the directions this time, i.e., with the band at the bottom and the cuffs, unlike my tweaked version for the wedding-reception-suitable sequin jacket. I like it a lot! It is super comfortable and it looks pretty good! This is a suitable pattern for french terry, unlike my Moneta fail. One one gripe is that the cardigan doesn't close in the front all the way...I should have known that a freeze baby like me would always prefer warmth over any sort of sartorial flair. I have worn it, and it did keep me just warm enough, so I will be wearing it! Will I make it again? That remains to be seen...

Also, I am 5'4" and I needed to remove 4 inches from the body of the cardigan before attaching the band. I could have cut the arm length down as well before attaching the cuffs, but I like the extra length at my wrists. I made this all on my serger and coverstitch and it sewed up very easily.

Still in search of the perfect cowl pattern, I made McCall's 6963 in a magenta (?) wool jersey. I like it; it's super comfortable, it's warm, and the color suits me. 

So I think the top is fine for wearing under a blazer or sweater, which is what I do anyway. But I am not 100% happy.

The biggest problem I have had with cowl patterns is that the there is not enough shoulder—the garment always ends up showing my bra straps, which incenses me. There seems to be just enough shoulder on this top, but I don't think the cowl looks that good. Maybe a cowl doesn't suit my figure like I thought it did???

To ensure I would have enough garment at the shoulders, I made a smaller size to fit my underbust (10) and made a full bust adjustment. When I stand differently, you can see the weirdness more accurately. 

Eeewww. Don't like that cowl shape. Bottom line is I am still in search of my cowl Nirvana. I guess I will use this pattern if I desperately need a cowl for something in the meantime.

I needed a cover-up for a wedding I was attending in Seattle. My nephew was getting married in an outdoor setting (which turned out to be beautiful) and then holding the reception in a restaurant on the water (also beautiful). But they couple said "cocktail attire," which is not a concept I have any experience with. Googling around the Internets and asking a coworker led me to the conclusion that a sleeveless stretch lace cotton dress I already owned would work just fine, but I needed shoes and a cover-up to go along since the reception would be indoors and thus air-conditioned and cold, which I could not handle. I found some silver low-heeled sandals online, perfect for the occasion although surely never to be worn again, so I bought them (oops, but did not model them in the picture below). 

Now I had to figure out the cover-up. Surely, I could just make some simple jacket in a nice sequined fabric. I wanted purple, but could find only black at Joann's. So I bought it and went in search of a pattern. I searched my stash...nothing quite right. I bought a new pattern--I'm not sure it was even on sale, which hurts--thinking it might work. Butterick 5529:

I knew it was a risky bet. It could look okay or it could look hideous. I searched to see who else had made it. The examples weren't too bad but nothing quite like what I had in mind. But then I saw this version:  

I see the bottom hem is a mess. Oh well. This will probably join the silver sandals as a one-time wear. If I do have occasion to wear it again, I will revisit the hem.

I'm frustrated with trying to find a good pattern for a top with a draped cowl neckline. I have a couple, one in particular, store-bought shirt that is perfect. I could use about 10 of those for work in different colors and prints. But I haven't found a good pattern yet. 

I have had Simplicity 1716 in my stash for a while (like about 100 other patterns I've yet to sew). I have pulled it out, studied it, been dissuaded by the unsophisticated way it falls from the shoulders in the envelope image, and put it back in the drawer a number of times. I finally decided to use it after discovering some white jersey in my stash. I was overcome with the desire to make a white cowl and resolved not to use New Look 6901 ever again, and desperate for a pattern in my own possession that I could use. Looking at some reviews on Pattern Review and thinking the results people got looked good, I went forward.

Results: Meh. I wore this to work under a sweater (and over an undershirt because the white jersey is transparent), and it was okay. But there is too much foldiness. I accidentally cut out view F, which has extra fabric for ruching at the hips, so those extra folds don't help. But there are pleats with this pattern at the shoulders and at the bust to produce even more folds. The ones at the shoulders are acceptable, but the one at the bust is kind of weird, not because of the fold it produces but because of the pleat that sits at the side of the bust. Seems a dart would be more flattering.

At any rate, I can't see myself making this one again, although I will wear this top until I can manage to replace it with one I like better.