Simplicity 8790

Hello everyone!

Remember this pattern that I fell in love with last month?

Well, today I am here to show you what my version looks like all made up!  I started View A during my January Sew Day, and finished it last week.  Part of the delay was waiting to receive the black drawstring cording I ordered.  Once I had everything together, this one went together quickly.

Here are my plans:

I made a size S with my normal 3/8" forward shoulder adjustment, and 3/4" waist lengthening.  My fabric is a luscious eggplant sweater knit from Boho Fabrics.  

I did make a few adjustments during the cutting/layout phase:

• I cut the pockets on the crosswise of the fabric to minimize the amount of stretchiness to the pockets.  It worked so well I did not need to stabilize the pockets further.  My sweater knit had lots of stretch in it, so I figured it would help the pockets go on easier.
• I barely had enough fabric to cut the hood out, so I had to cut it on the crosswise.  Thankfully I can still fit it over my head, but do not try that at home, lol!
• I am not sure why my sleeves seem to run short with dropped shoulder styles, but that was the same issue with this pattern.  So, I added a cuff to solve the problem, and will note that for future versions.
• Sewing confession: "I did not pay attention to the cut line for the different views."  I somehow overlooked them and ended up with an extremely long bodice, lol!! It was an easy fix.  I just lined up the pattern and adjusted accordingly, but never making that error would have given me the fabric I needed to properly cut my hood!

The instructions for this pattern were wonderful!!  It is one of those garments that you can cruise along once you get going.  

The casing of the tunic is easily created, and two buttonholes are formed around CF to thread in the drawstring cord.  This was my first time doing a buttonhole in a knit fabric (I have done them loads of times with wovens) so I made sure to interface well, and it came out beautifully.  I can't believe how much I love making buttonholes now!! 

Other than that, this is a great casual look!  And the pockets are my favorite!!! They are so oversized, and neatly constructed into the side seams of the top. I am pleased with the overall result, but won't be rushing to make any more versions for now.  I have already worn this twice, and it wears well.  Perhaps the dress version will be in the future sometime this year. 

Updates

So once I completed this project, I began to patiently wait for the Mccall's patterns I ordered on the first week of the month.  Sadly, I am still waiting!!  I got an email that they shipped yesterday, so hopefully they will arrive soon.  This is my first time ordering from the Mccall website, and I am surprised at the transit time.  Does anyone else know if this is the norm?

In the meantime, I also cut out the Ginger Jeans, and began making adjustments on them.  I am a little torn as to how to proceed with them because I don't want to put in a whole lot of work and have them be unwearable.  But, on the other hand, I don't want to make a muslin because I don't have an inexpensive stretch denim I could use to mimic what I want my final product to be.  I think I will just use some stretch denim from my stash that is not beloved just in case the fit isn't what I intended.  Maybe I will order some more denim too, since I know I will be spending time in this area of sewing for a little while.  I expect these to be completed down the line, but I am getting the ball rolling!

The last thing I wanted to tell you all about is this--I just paid for a Bluprint subscription so I could have unlimited access to sewing classes!!!  It was part of my Valentine's gift, and it has been extremely helpful so far.  To balance things out in my budget I let go of Creativebug a couple of months ago.  There are so many great things about Creativebug; however, I found that I wanted to grow/develop more with my garment construction, and there was not a path that would help me effectively pursue that there.  Bluprint (formerly Craftsy) has been a welcome answer!! 

I will be back next week!  My hope is to receive my Mccalls pattern, cut it out, and be finished or nearly finished by Friday.  Here is a sneak peek of the fabric I plan to use:

As always, stay sew-filled!