May Recap/Review and June Plans

Hello everyone!

I pray that you are all staying safe, and keeping yourself together after the emotionally charged week this country has had.  I spoke about this in my last post, and truly appreciate you allowing me to be heard.  You all are wonderful, and I am thankful for you!

Today I am sharing the "thing" I sewed in May.  Yes, that's right.  The one and only thing.  I know I usually have a bunch of garments (sometimes mostly beloved basics), but I admit that May was a different month for me.  I am proud of the one thing I was able to squeeze out and that is Simplicity 8053:

I made View B, the sleeveless version with colorblocking.  It is a vision that I have had in my head for YEARS, lol!  I used two stretch poplins from my stash, one in a floral print, and another in red.  They were Fabric.com purchases a long time ago.  A small portion of the back was done in solid red cotton because I ran out of the red poplin. Thankfully, it still worked out!

I made a size 14 graded to 16. This pattern is OOP, but has cup sizes.  I was right on the verge of an A cup, but came out with the B instead.  If I make another version, I think I would size down to the A front, especially with a stretch woven fabric.  I took about 1/4" out of the princess seams up to the bust point, and that did help some of the bagginess.  

So if you are sewing this pattern, or plan to sew it, be aware that there is no yoke lining for this shirt.  If you know me, you know I love a yoke lining! If I can add extra fun details to a button front shirt, I want to do it! I ended up cutting an extra yoke piece and following this tutorial in order to create the lining, which I did in the floral print.  I also used the print for the armhole facings and the inside of the button bands for some contrast:

The rest of my seams were neatly serged and stitched.  For interfacing, I tried a new one called ShirTailor by Pellon.  I purchased it from Fabricmart Fabrics since it was specifically for crisp cuffs and collars.  It held together nicely, but I think I like the medium weight fusible I buy at Joanns (Fusible Midweight 931 Pellon) a bit more.  I still have loads of the ShirTailor, so let me know if you have any special advice or helpful hints for it.

As far as construction goes, this shirt was a pleasure to sew!  That could be because I love sewing shirts, but I also think an advanced beginner and above would do well with this pattern. The instructions were clear, and it has nice details like the pleat in the back.

My six red buttons came from Joanns.  I think they are 1/2" in size.  I bought a bunch of buttons a few months ago in all kinds of colors when Joanns was having a big sale.  They have come in so handy now that I am sewing shirts, especially since the majority of them are neutrals.  The only thing I decided to leave off of this shirt was the flap pockets.  They were just too large for my liking.

Overall, I am a fan of this one and recommend it!  If you have sewn it, let me know!

For my June Plans, I haven't totally decided on all I will sew.  My birthday is at the end of this month, and I will be turning 40 so I would love to sew a dress even though I plan to be in the mountains somewhere with my family, lol!  I will update you on that once I make any decisions. 

 I can tell you that I am excited to kick off TOPS THAT POP, hosted by Nakisha at Dressmaking Debacles for these next two weeks.  This challenge is in honor of a fellow blogger named Faye who passed away.  I knew Faye through her blog Faye's Sewing Adventure, and she would comment on my blog from time to time.  She was kind, knowledgeable, supportive, and an all around great lady.  I am happy to contribute to this challenge of hers--especially since I participated in it twice while she was alive.

If you would like to join, see the post here.  

I may be posting a bit more often in the next couple of weeks as I take you along with some of the things I decide to sew.  I think it would be fun to share sewing choices, and what the outcome is....good or bad.

I am starting with the Rhapsody Blouse from Love Notions:

I chose a Rayon Challis purchased from Denver Fabrics last Summer, and have already cut out my pattern.  I will be back soon to show you how things are coming along, and tell you which version I chose.

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Stay sew filled!