Knip Mode wrap top

Last week I shared a few pictures from the August Knip Mode issue. I already said that I liked this top and I had to try it.

The fabric I bought very cheap last year in a sale, and I used it knowing that if it failed, nothing really was lost. And lost it is.

From the line drawing and most of the pictures in the magazine I had the impression there was a little overlap center front below the tie. This is not the case, which isn’t necessary bad, but something to be aware of.

A more major point is that the angle of tie and center front seems to be a 90 degree angle in the line drawing.

This is the pattern piece for it. You can see the angle is different.  The part left of the red marking has to be gathered, then it is folded back to the center front.
At this point I had read the instructions for construction and thought it would be allright after sewing it together.

Well: no, it doesn’t. See the strange angle of the front? I did clip the corner but it just will not sit properly and there is a pleat forming under the collar. My second attempt on the other side went together more smoothly (I changed the way of putting it together a bit) but has the same issue.

The side view is not too bad, and the back needs some more shaping. That will not be difficult, there are two darts in the back that I can sew a bit deeper.
First impression of the pattern: it is not drafted well, or am I missing somehing? I think the angle of the neckline to the center front should be 90 degrees.

Otherwise I’m happy with the fit. This is a straight size 40, only tapered to 42 at hip height. The back issue is a problem with my figure, not the pattern.  Perhaps I’ll pick this pattern up in August again, because apart from the front issue, I still like it.

And I forgot to answer a question from Jane. She asked whether the Vogue/Mc Call’s catalogues contain patterns. Well, I’m not really the right person to ask, as I don’t have any of these, but from what I read about them they’re just catalogues, no patterns included.

Valerie’s skirt

A few weeks ago I shared a project my friend Valerie was working on. A skirt for which she was inspired by my RTW inspiration pictures that I have in the sidebar (different set now). Today she sent me some pictures of the result. And wow, do I like this skirt. I want one myself. She managed to align all these (slippery) ribbons perfectly in the side seams and the skirt in general has very good fit.
She finished the waist with petersham, which was sent to her from Belgium, this internet sewing world is amazing. Thanks M.

Update: the original skirt was from Akris, I can't find this skirt at the online stores any more, but certainly some great styles to be found. 

The Dutch team will start the final World cup game in just 15 minutes. And while I’m not a football fan and am one of the very few Dutch people not at a television screen tonight, I do hope they win: HUP HOLLAND.
Update: we didn't win. It's quiet in the streets (it sure wouldn't be had we won) DH and our children are very disappointed.

New magazines

Thank you for your nice compliments on my top. I do plan to make pictures on me, but at the moment it’s too hot for that. Reading other blogs there is a lot of heat on the northern hemisphere. Not comfortable weather for sewing, so I’ll share some pictures of the latest pattern magazines I bought. I skipped June and July Burda. July had quite a few nice patterns, but not for my age or figure.

I bought the Patrones 293 issue from Patronenwinkel.nl who started to sell the magazine. Don’t know whether they ship internationally, but it’s the first online shop here in the Netherlands offering it.

This is still a summer magazine, I don’t know whether I’ll be sewing anything soon, but quite a few inspirational pieces. My daughter saw also quite a few things she liked.

My daughter thought this was a dress for me, I had to look twice, but think she’s right, it would certainly be comfortable at a day like this.
Cute top with nice details.
Very summery top
	Not for me, but I like the styel of this top.
Absolutely love this combination.

Further I bought the August Knip mode. Less summer patterns, more fall patterns already.

And I especially like this top, of which they show 4 variations, nice to see the different looks of the same pattern.

 

Patrones

It looks like cowl neck top are becoming popular. Trena posted one today and Melissa made one from Patrones 292. This is my version of this Patrones pattern, with many thanks to Melissa. The issue was not available any more from the vendor I found in the Netherlands, and she so kindly traced it for me. Extra bonus is that she posted so detailed about construction of this top, that I just followed her lead on the finishing with strips of bias fabric.

 

This is one of these projects that just come “in between”. I got a new zipper yesterday, but was longing more to try this top. The fabric I bought a few days ago, and finally I managed to sew something right away from a fabric bought. I buy fabric all the time with good intentions to use it very soon, but reality catches up with me and it’s another addition to the fabric collection, which is consisting of too many pieces right now (my own perception, I know some of you have quite a different opinion on this).

The top is cut on the bias,  which makes for a nice drape of the cowl. It’s very easy to make: it has no special closure/zipper. I was wondering about that aspect of the pattern (it’s a woven fabric), but it’s easy to put on and off. I made a size 44 without alterations, and only took in the side seam a bit under the arm during construction. I used French seams, so it was easy to try it on after the first step of the side seams were made. There’s a little gap  at the back armhole. I will try to remedy that before taking pictures of me wearing it.

I love the result, it took only a few hours to make, and that was exactly what I needed right now. I needed some de-stressing. Sewing is good for that (to me).

And though I thought summer sewing would be more or less over, I ordered the new Patrones issue. Finally a webshop in the Netherlands selling it. Hope to receive it tomorrow.

Bummer

Hope I use the right word for it in English, but  it’s what comes to my mind for what happened yesterday evening. It started raining, temperatures got down to more agreeable summer values) and while the family was watching the football (soccer) worldcup game, I planned to sew the invisible zipper in my dress. It’s a 60 cm long zipper. When I took it from the plastic casing it’s sold in, it wouldn’t open up properly. A little obstacle at first, and then halfway it got stuck. The picture shows why, the machine melting the plastic casing to the zipper tape obiously has struck at the wrong places too.

These zippers are expensive here (almost 6 euro’s, a bit cheaper when bought at the market, but I was not there this week) and I was lucky to find the receipt in the waist(stupid error) waste paper bin. I’ll return it to the shop, but that won’t be open till Tuesday…..
PS: In answer to a question of Valerie from Australia: I have no final plans for the bouclé fabric yet. I do want to sew a complete fall wardrobe, but nothing definite yet. It will be my project after the holidays.

New fabrics

 

Above fabrics are those I chose for winning the random prize with my dress at Pattern review and they arrived yesterday from Sew it up, the sponsor of the contest.

The first is a beautiful boucé fabric that I will incorporate in my fall plans for a new wardrobe. The second is more tan/ecru than I thought it would be, but still beautiful. It’s suitable for a spring/summer jacket, but not for this year anymore. It’s July already, very hot here (over 30 degrees Celsius does not happen often in our country), so I’m not sewing a lot. Occassionally I work on my Vogue summer dress, but work and warmth are making my sewing time limited, so progress is slow. This makes me think that, despite the weather now, real summer sewing will be over. When we are back from holidays, it will be closer to fall. A season I like more sewing-wise anyhow. Before that I hope to show you my dress.