My Round 1 entry for the 2020 Sewing Bee on PatternReview.com

2020 PR Sewing Bee - Round 1:
Sew a T-Shirt inspired by childhood.

Reverse Tie Dye ABB T-shirt with matching Catahoula Leopard Dog, lol

Pattern Description:
Women’s Anything But Basic (ABB) Tee by Jessica Hooley of DoItBetterYourself.Club.com (DIBY).The ABB Tee is a free pattern you can download from DIBY. The PDF pattern files are in US Letter, A4, and A0 Copy Shop formats. The PDF includes layers, no-trim pages, inclusive sizing, and custom fitting instructions.
There are three neckline variations: High Crew, Low Crew, and Scoop Neck.
Four sleeve options: Short, Elbow, 3/4 Sleeve, and Long Sleeve.

Anything But Basic (ABB) Tee from DIBY Club

Pattern Sizing:
This pattern features inclusive sizing. Women’s Misses and Plus Sizes 00-36.
I am 5’8” and I cut a combination of four sizes (00-4).

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, almost. We both made the Low Crew neckline, however the cover photo has 3/4 length sleeves and I made the Long Sleeve version. There is an online gallery on the DIBY site and you can see many variations (necklines, sleeves) in lots of different sizes, and in a variety of fabrics for inspiration.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes!!! The ABB Tee is an example of the awesome patterns from DIBY Club. I was introduced to Jessica and DIBY Club during the 2019 online Sewing Summit by Rebecca Page; Jessica presented a very informative video about custom sizing. She referred to the free sewing patterns available on her site, and I downloaded the ABB Tee that day. Jessica is the most thorough pattern maker I have encountered in a long time. The pattern’s organization and instructions are impeccable. The PDF includes a complete sewing instruction ebook with their Perfect Fit custom fit adjustment tutorials - the same great information she taught and demonstrated in her Sewing Summit video. There is also a complete set of instructions for a FBA which is very helpful.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
This a fabulous pattern and I really like absolutely everything about it. Some highlights are the separate layers for each size (print only the sizes you need saving ink and paper). No trim pages that gluestick together perfectly and quickly (see photo). The pattern is very organized, there is a terrific Table of Contents, Self-Measurement Chart, lists of the Standard Measurements used to draft the pattern, and links to videos, sewing tips, and a gallery of ABB T-Shirts. The pattern teaches you how to grade across multiple sizes (that same technique I learned from her Sewing Summit video). I needed a size 00 at the neckline, shoulder, armscye, and sleeve, size 0 at Full Bust and Full Hip, size 2 at High Hip, size 4 at Waist. I used her technique for grading across multiple sizes; first I marked each measurement on the pattern and then connected them dot to dot. Afterwards smoothing and blending the new cutting lines (see photo). The fit of my two new T-Shirts is absolutely perfect and I am so pleased.

Pattern preparation. Print, gluestick together, mark your individual sizes, test.

Fabric Used:
This pattern calls for knit fabric that stretches horizontally by at least 50% and vertically by 30% with a relaxed recovery. I made a muslin from an upcycled maxi dress that was made from a polyester ITY. The fabric I bought for my tee was a 96/4 Cotton/Spandex mid-weight Jersey in matte black.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
My usual personal fit Forward Head Adjustment. After making the muslin I narrowed the shoulders by 1/2”. Also, I shortened the tee by 2” (personal preference).

Behinds the seams:
One of the construction tips I employ for knits is to stabilize the shoulders to keep them from stretching out of shape. The technique I use is to cut 1/2” strips of fusible interfacing (frugal way to use scraps of IF) and fuse them to the shoulders before sewing (see photo).
Another tip is to memory press the hems and before you sew. Then before machine hemming, loosely hand baste the hem in place, the basting eliminates pinning and makes it easier to get into tight places like the sleeve hem (see photo).
For the necklines I also hand baste the neckband in place before machine sewing. It is far easier to remove a small amount of hand basting than to seam rip machine stitches out of a fragile knit. After serging the neckline I press the seam allowance to the body of the T-Shirt, then I topstitch on the neckline to keep the neckband in place (see photo).

Construction details

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Absolutely I will sew this pattern again. This pattern company is new to me and I just love the DIBY Club. Have already recommended it everyone here on PR (in the 2020 Bee Contest forum thread). The ABB Tee will become a TNT pattern for me.

Conclusion:
I am super pleased and impressed by Jessica Hooley. I am now a big fan of DIBY patterns and have dowloaded all of the free ones and have purchased others. Since I have been sewing for a long time, it is refreshing to learn new skills and techniques. Jessica’s sizing technique in her video led me to check out the DIBY website and I found a bunch of free patterns (she graciously shares many). Jessica also has a DIBY Club Facebook Page and from her posts I can see how generous she is and how passionate about helping others.

<b>How my childhood influenced my T-Shirt:</b>
One of my favorite memories from childhood was going to camp: Girls Scouts, 6th Grade class trip, and music/band camp. One summer my sister and I attended GS camp with our friends Lauren and Margot; my folks took four excited girls on a fun picnic in the mountains on the way to Mt Pinos. To this day, the smell of pine trees takes me right back to that memory.
There are many reasons I loved the camping trips, but my favorite times were during Arts & Crafts. The quintessential summer camp craft that kids in California learn to do is tie dye.

Tie Dye Process and Supples:
Tie dye is a fun, hands-on, messy, riot of colorful chaos - it yields exciting results, sometimes unexpected colors and designs, but always beautiful and unique. At camp we usually started with a clean white t-shirt and then added color. I have seen a technique called Reverse Tie Dye (RTD) where you use bleach on black t-shirts and then add back the colors. The joy of art is experimenting and trying fun new things, so I decided I wanted to do the RTD technique for my tee, using two colors (red and blue). The black fabric I bought was cotton with 4% spandex. I knew how the cotton would react, but the spandex attended an element of surprise. Because fabric yardage would be difficult to handle, I decided to cut the fabric into smaller pieces. I cut a piece long enough for the front pattern piece and another long enough for the back pattern piece. My original idea was to make the neckband and sleeves in solid black for contrast.
I gathered supplies (bleach, dye, buckets, oil pans, gloves, rubber bands, spray bottles, foam brushes) and set myself up outside on our patio table. I had already washed my fabric, so all I needed to do to prepare it for tie dye was to get the fabric damp. I took the pieces of wet fabric and started in one corner and pinched and scrunched the fabric on the diagonal bias. I tied sections with the rubber bands. I then coiled the fabric snakes in the oil pans which are shallow and round (see photo). I mixed a bleach solution 1:1 with water and put some in to a spray bottle and some in a bowl (to apply with a foam brush). I sprayed the coils and let them sit 10 minutes. Since it didn’t look like enough change, I then applied more of the bleach solution with the foam brush. After an hour I decided to stop the bleaching and I laundered the coils. I removed the damp coils from the washing machine, and placed them in a plastic bag to stay damp overnight.

Tie dye station and process

The next morning I mixed up the Tulip 2-in-1 Formula Fabric Dye (per the instructions) in a bucket. I took out my damp fabric coils and immersed them the blue dye bath. The process takes one hour. After vat dying my pieces in the blue, I laundered them in preparation to process the red dye next. From the label on the dye package (see photo) I expected a bright hue of blue. This is where the fun of tie dye comes in, my results were not what I had planned, but I love what came out. I was thrilled by the fractured tie dye design and the print’s subtle colors: I decided to skip the red dye and use my new fabric as is. In fact, I loved the outcome so much I decided I wanted the whole T-Shirt in the tie dye print if possible. After drying and ironing the tie dyed fabric pieces I laid out the paper pattern pieces on top of the fabric and realized that if I cut carefully I would be able to get the sleeves and neckband in the print too. I was over the moon thrilled!

Front, side , back, interior

Closing note:
I have an unused packet of red dye and enough of my original black matte cotton/spandex Jersey to make another ABB T-Shirt. Looking in my crystal ball I see another episode of experimental tie dye in my future. The ABB pattern is easy and sews together very quickly. It is very satisfying to play with tie dye techniques to customize your own colorful and unique fabric. I had a blast doing Arts & Crafts outside in my own backyard. The messy, hands-on fun of tie dye and the element of surprise in the colorful outcome, excites me and makes me feel just like a kid at camp all over again!

Happy 2020!

Happy New Year and Decade!

What a year 2019 was, oh my. It has come to be known as the Year of the Hernia.

In February I was struck with an unexpected strangulated inguinal hernia and was taken to the ER. It was excruciatingly painful. A strangulated hernia is where your intestine pops out of a hole in your body cavity, then the hole closes, and the intestine is squeezed and begins to swell. To correct the problem my surgeon had to split me open wide, cutting through my stomach muscles, pulling my intestines back into where they belong. Leaving behind two scars. One tiny, and the other an 8" long keloid beast.

Having hernia surgery means you cannot lift anything heavy for a long time afterwards. I could barely lift a full coffee pot, let alone any of my sewing machines. Plus at the beginning I wasn't comfortable in a seated position, and had to spend the recovery time lying down.

The monster scar kept bothering me. It continued to hurt. In October I went back to the surgeon because of the pain and he discovered that the suture knot had turned over, leaving the two sharp ends pointing up and into my skin from the inside. It would hurt when a zipper, tight waistband elastic, or a heavy jean button would rub against it. So I had to go back under the knife and have my sutures redone. Upon waking from surgery the doctor told me he had cut my big scar back and resewed it smaller to minimize the keloid build up. Yeah, free cosmetic surgery with your second hernia surgery!

So the focus of sewing for the new year will be to build a new casual wardrobe. I will create some pants, shorts, and skirts that will be designed to be comfortable and not irritate my scar. In this case, very low rise. And as it turns out, there are lots of maternity patterns out there with a super low rise. So I got that goin' for me, lol. 

2019 Pattern Review Activewear Contest

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2019 - hope you are excited about the New Year!

The start of each new year is a perfect time to reflect, and a time to reenergize yourself with the hope that the future brings. 

I am super excited to get back into sewing. We rescued a Catahoula puppy in January of 2018 and I spent the entire year raising/training a super energetic puppy. Because our pup Bubba took most of my free time I did very little sewing.

Now, a year later, Bubba is a happy boy, playing with his friends at the dog park and loving life. And incredibly, I actually have some time to sew, and I am so ready.

One of my favorite things to do is to hang out with fellow sewists from all over the world on Pattern Review's website. It is such a fun community. At the beginning of the year PR announces their new sewing contests. There are 19 for 2019 (and I doubt that was by accident, lol). 

The first contest I am going to enter will be the 2019 Pattern Review Activewear Contest which runs January 1st-31st. Like many, I have set goal for 2019 to get healthier and to exercise more regularly. So, some active wear will be just what I need for yoga, weights, and swimming at the YMCA.

Cheers to a great new beginning and fresh start!

Second entry into 2018 Pattern Review Upcycle Contest

Project date:
May 1, 2018


Pattern Description: 
McCalls 7359
Misses' V-Neck Dolman Sleeve Tops


Pattern Sizing: Y (XS-S-M) 
I made View B in size XS (4-6). I wear a 6 at the neck/bust, an 8 at the waist, and a 10 at the hip. I usually taper up/out to a S (8-10) at the hip line, but I forgot to this time. Luckily the XS had plenty of ease at the hip, and my usual personal hip adjustment turned out not to be necessary. The XS fits beautifully without any fit adjustments at all.



Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? 
Yes. I was using the main pattern photo (view D) as my inspiration piece. I like the colors, and then chose a different view (B) because I liked the curved hem.

Knit on shoulder yoke, main fabric rayon challis. 

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, although I modified the way the neckbands are done. The reason I use the following technique is because I prefer the interfaced portion of the neckbands be on top (garment's surface), this provides nice crisp bands and thins out some of the bulk (see detail photo). Here is what I did. Start at step 8 in the instructions. Then turn the seam allowance back on the un-interfaced pieces. Sew the right side of the interfaced pieces to the upper front. Continue as per the instructions.

Interior view of neckband details

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Love that there are tons of mix and match versions that can be made, and that can grow exponentially by the ways you color block it.


Fabric Used: 
Found a Rayon Challis Hawaiian print XL men's shirt at our local SPCA Thrift Store. I paid $2.00. For my contrast fabric I used a piece of acrylic knit remnant from my stash. The black buttons (5) were also in my stash.

Upcycled Men's Hawaiian "Aloha" Shirt

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I made two design changes and one pattern alteration. 

Because the men's shirt did not yield enough "fabric" to make my new top in just the Hawaiian print, I made a color blocked version of View B. I liked the multi-print photo of View D on the pattern cover and used that as my inspiration. 

The second design change I made was to have the front of the men's shirt be the new button-down back of my new top. I took off the masculine buttons and exchanged them for some nice (flat) shiny black buttons from my stash. The one alteration I made (which other reviewers have also mentioned - thank you!) was to lessen the dip in the front hem line. I raised the hem at the center front up 3.5 inches and tapered to nothing at the side seam. This gave the front a more gentle curve. I left the back curve alone.

Added flat buttons to the back

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Absolutely. It was a super quick sew, it was a great pattern when you have limited time or material. You can color block and piece the tops in an almost infinite mix of different color and fabric configurations. 


Conclusion:
I've decided this pattern is as a TNT keeper. It works well with both skirts and leggings. I only paid $1.99 for it on sale so this upcycled top turned out to be a super fun, frugal, custom, sustainable project for only $3.99.

Entry into 2018 Pattern Review Upcycle Contest

Purchased from Fabric Depot in 1996

Project date:
May 1, 2018



Pattern Description: 
Stretch & Sew 451
Slim Skirts



Pattern Sizing:
Hip sizes 32”-48”
I made the 36” hip.







Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? 
No, because I was intentionally going to use this pattern as a base to hack and change from a slim skirt into a button-front slightly A-line skirt. I chose this skirt pattern because I liked the fact that the skirts had pockets.


Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, although because I was doing my own version, with significant changes, I didn't need to follow most of them. I always read the pattern instructions first even if I may decide later not to follow them exactly. 


What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Liked the way they have you create the pocket. It was nice to learn a interesting new, and easy way to create skirt pockets. The instructions have you cut both the skirt and the under pocket the same size at side seam and the hip. You then lay the inside pocket face to face with the skirt. Stitch, and cut away the excess, flip, press, understitch, press again, then topstitch. Easy way to get a pocket edge that lays flat and is reinforced so it won't stretch.


Fabric Used: 
An upcycled Men's Hawaiian print shirt and scraps of blue & white gingham from my stash.  The Men's shirt was an XL but still only yielded a limited amount of “fabric”. Since there was not enough,  I needed just a little more fabric I chose a coordinating blue & white gingham from my stash to cut the interior pockets and the skirt slit facings.

Purchased from the S.P.C.A Thrift Shop 

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Because I wanted to use the button front from the men's shirt to be the front opening of an A-line skirt I removed the back kick pleats and the center back seam.

Back view A-line shaping and facing

To flare the skirt only slightly I added 1'' to the width of the front and back skirt pieces at the hem/side seam, tapering to nothing at the waist/side seam. Because the skirt was still tight (think popping buttons if you took a big step) I need to add side slits to allow for movement. I lined the slits with the gingham for a little flash of hidden detail.

There was not enough "fabric" to cut a waistband so I decided to omit it. Instead I created self-facing yoke because it used the least amount of material. This technique uses only a single layer of yoke fabric, which you sew right side to the wrong side of the skirt. You then trim your seam, understitch, and flip the yoke facing to the top. Once topstiched the outside has decorative yoke and the inside has a clean finish.

Interior view pockets and construction details

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, this could be a new skirt template for me. Since the pattern is OOP, for any one else who wants to try this idea, I do recommend that you start from a similar current pattern.


Conclusion:
Will be on the hunt for more challis men's shirts. Can see having a few more of this fun breezy skirt. The shirt was $2.00, the pattern, gingham, and buttons were already in my stash. Great way to make frugal, ecologically sustainable, fun, and totally customized garments for your wardrobe.

Upcycled Hawaiian print skirt with original button front from the men's shirt.

Thinking Plaid

The 2017 Pattern Review Plaid Contest has just started. And so I have been out surfing plaids.

Here is a wildly colored printed plaid. I really love these crazy colors. 

I wanted to make this fun Mc Call's top. I really like the asymmetrical cascade and all the interesting intersecting lines. I am a sucker for B&W graphics and plaids, so it was odd to be so strongly attracted to that peculiar yellow in the print. Well, the bad news about my first plaid selection is that it is a printed plaid, and it isn't going to work because in this pattern the back side of the fabric shows in the cascade. You need fabric with a weave, or a print, that is the same color on both sides.          

So back to the drawing board. 

Second Place!

Was happy to have won second place in the 2017 Pattern Review Tunic Contest. Thank you to StyleMaker Fabrics for being the sponsor of the contest and for the $50 Gift Certificate second prize. Can't wait to buy more fabric!

My entry in the 2017 Pattern Review Tunic Contest

Pattern: New Look 6250. This pattern is out of print. 

Pattern Description: New Look 6250 is a set of basic tops. I used the sleeveless version (View 3) as the base pattern for my self-drafted tunic. 


Pattern Sizing: 8-18

Printed duck, and blue gabardine.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? No, and it was not intended to. My real inspiration was from the PR Blog post Julie & Sarah shared about the Tunic Bible. I really loved a lot of those tunic designs. It was their post that got me jazzed up and inspired me to enter the Tunic Contest at the last minute.



Were the instructions easy to follow? N/A

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It was a basic enough shell to start my hack from. 

Fabric Used: I bought a printed cotton duck to be my focal fabric. What drew me to this print and what I just love about it is the reference to Japanese block printing. 

I then went to my local SPCA thrift store (https://www.facebook.com/spcabrevardtitusvillethrift/) and bought a pair of slacks ($3) in a dark blue gabardine to match the indigo print. 

To make my cotton duck look like the classic ribbon trim used in tunics, I cut the print apart, satin-stitched the edges, and embellished with a bit of bling; trace-stitching over the design elements in metallic silver/black thread.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Hacked my own custom pattern. Lengthen the basic pattern to below hip. Took out the button placard and inserted a center front seam. Added a center back seam. Added shoulder darts for protruding shoulder blades. Created front and back facings. 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes. While you might not be able to buy this exact pattern (since it is OOP), you can use any basic pattern that is similar to your design concept as a base from which to hack your own custom fitted pattern and design.

Conclusion: Wow, while modeling for the pics in the sun I was getting warm (August in FL 90º, 90% humidity, lol) I have realized that the gabardine from the pants is going to be too warm. I thought I was going to get to wear my new "summer" tunic with my jean skorts. I think it will be better suited for the cooler weather of fall. One thing I really like about this project is that it was upcycled and is sustainable fashion. I still have a bunch of the cotton duck left, so maybe I'll just make another tunic. They are fun and a great project when you don't have a lot of time. Think I'll re-make a real summery version next, lol.