Ripoffs

Most ripoffs are done under the 'nameless' patterns, this one's under a named designer, Marcy Tilton. And not that I'm complaining, I love this pattern and its the only Tilton pattern I've ever had a positive feeling towards.

Vogue 8904

Now the original could very well be another designer, but this dress takes after the extremely popular dresses being sold on Anthropologie by Bailey 44. Seriously, these things sell like hotcakes there.

Anthropologie (sold out!)

Anthropologie (sold out!)

New Butterick Patterns: Fall/Winter 2013

50's style patterns have been in style for several years now and I suspect, will remain comfortably there for several more years, the Mad Men effect. Its too bad I don't like them because 50's silhouettes are made for my body, but if I were to go vintage I love the 20's look, the total antithesis of my body type. Ain't that just the way things work. For all you 50's lovin' ladies, Butterick has some fun stuff though!

Butterick 5951

So this has options to remove that shoulder poof and even the sleeves, but as is this is pure Boogie Woogie Buggle Boy of Company B. What would you call that collar, a modified mandarin?

Butterick 5949

 If you are going to use model-sized women, make your sample model-sized, right? Also, iron your shit, Butterick!

Butterick 5953

I can see a lot of women loving this. I like the button detail, not a fan of the boob frames.

Butterick 5962

Another Gertie offering. I suspect there might be some photoshop going on at her waist because that's remarkably sharp.

Butterick 5947

Someone vaguely 50's inspired that I loooove. Kinda like some 50's/Star Trek cadet's totally inappropriate for actually working on a spaceship uniform (obviously have to hack off about a foot of that skirt to keep things on the up-and-up with the Federation). The button detail makes it.

Butterick 5950

Ick, seen it a million times. The pleats on the side of the skirt are heinous.

Butterick 5952

Totally FLOTUS inspired, right? Michelle loves the matching jacket and dress look and she would rock the socks of this pairing. Great fabric.

Butterick 5966

This coat is all class. Love it. Perfection.

Butterick 5955

Stupid unflattering, but I love it. Fun fabric again.

Not a lot for me, but not bad. Nothing too dull as dishwater.

Ripoffs

We all know many sewing patterns are ripoffs of designer clothes (and many designer clothes are ripoffs of other clothes and so on...), this one surprised me.

The Carven version.

Vogue 8900 is an actual dress. The original is by Carven and is made using a rafia tweed in a red that Vogue managed to match pretty perfectly.

The Vogue version.

Pattern Review: New Look 6097

I'm totally messing with the shape of this thing, but look at my pocketses!

I've been lusting after New Look 6097 for a while now and all thoughts were confirmed. Unabashed success! I went three sizes smaller than the pattern indicated for a correct fit with a very sturdy Italian knit. A very sturdy Italian knit which I discovered likes to unknit itself at an alarmingly fast pace. The pattern calls for a lightweight knit, but this beauty works too! I stabilized the shoulders and pocket openings with the selvedge of some teal silk and tacked down the cuffs, but otherwise followed the pattern exactly. Some previous reviews added elastic to the neckline, but this knit is so meaty especially with the multiple layers of fabric at the neckline, I'm not much worried about mine. I did hem it a lot shorter though, a little too short in the end. Oops. I used a stretch stitch to sew the hems and the space-dyed pattern is so busy you can't tell there's even thread there. 

Hey, look, a button that took me 30 minutes to pick out. Its gold. And plain. This picture shows the colors of the fabric better, it mainly red, gold, and teal, but it seems like everything is in there. Its a sold out fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics. The grain of the pockets was half a design choice and half a lack-of-fabric requirement.

The dress looks really cute with a black belt, but I forgot to throw it on for the pictures. This was meant to be a work dress, but its a little short. I figure the longer sleeve balances things out so its still good. I'll just wear it with a black blazer and leave the hooker shoes at home.

My hand looks alarmingly tiny.

I think this is the: I'm posing but my cats just tripped me picture.

This is a fan-frickin-tastic pattern, I can make a million of these.

New Vogue Patterns: Fall 2013

This season Vogue went rather cultured and grand, not my style, I'm still way too immature to pull off that.

Vogue 1361

See, very worldy. Salma Hayek would rock this dress to within an inch of its dressy little life. Also, my, those are some tight sleeves!

Vogue 1365

This is bad. It might just be the fabric choice which is a faux fur, but she has linebacker shoulders, gorilla arms, and a teeny tiny pinhead sticking out the top.

Vogue 1358

And this looks messy, like chunks of fabric were haphazardly taped to her body. If I wore this, I'd rerearranging ruffles all day.

Vogue 1366

I love these pants, but I think they can only be described as below-waist on this long-torsoed model. That top was last worn by Hugh Hefner in 1972.

Vogue 1360

The 'I have to pee, can you speak up?' pose. This dress is fine, nondescript, it would be better if that upside-down 'V' thing were thinner as it shows in the line drawing.

Vogue 1367

The top is gross, but those pants have promise. I've been looking for the perfect traveling on a plane outfit and those look they would be comfortable even if I had to sit next too...oh you don't even want to know what I had to sit next to last flight. Moving on.

Vogue 1362

Bianca is going to cut a bitch and then hide the weapon in her neck pouch.

Vogue 1359

This is Bianca the next day after they've told her they found an unidentifiable woman's body on her 50-acre Hamptons estate. Pure innocence. Also, Biance, the shoulder pleats on your dress make the bodice look very baggy, please don't hurt me.

I F#&@(^$ HATE BUTTONS!

I seems like every other sewing blogger out there loves buttons, has the most perfect buttons for every project, and even collects lovely vintage buttons for the next perfect button-garment combination. I envy them.

I hate buttons. I can stand at the local button wall, which is by no means a small button wall, for half an hour trying every damn button with my fabric. And you know, whatever I get still isn't going to be perfect.

I'm running out of fabric!!!!

Somehow I managed to miscalculate the amount of fabric I needed for my jacket. I blame those Project Runway patterns stupid yardage calculations on the back. Oh you want collar D? That 1/5 of a yard. Those cuffs? That'll take 1/3. And the short jacket length? It'll take exactly 29/13ths of a yard. Now figure that out while in the cutting line at the store and you'll be great!

I have everything cut but: one front facing, collar pieces (2), cuffs (4), and pockets (2+flaps). Pockets unfortunately have been given up on. There's no way. The last front facing will have to cut from lining which isn't terrible because it'll be the inner facing when buttoned.

The undercollar (bias cut, dear lord help me) will have to be cut in two pieces with a center seam that my neck will cover, but I can still manage a one piece for the uppercollar. The cuffs, which I absolutely love in the pattern, will have to drastically shortened and the facings will most probably have center seams again.

All I have let is one large piece of wool about one large cat wide and one large cat and a half long and some other randomly size scraps. Keep me in your sewing thoughts.