Versatile Tee Pattern - FSG 1960 Part 2: Tee

As I said in Part 1, most of you probably know by this time that my very favorite TNT Tee pattern is Nancy Erickson's FSG #1960.   I change it around quite a bit, but the 'bones' remain the same.  This version is called Tropical Palms.

FSG#1960 Tropical Palms

 This fabric came home with me from Santa Fe Fabrics in April.  It's only July, so almost immediate gratification!  I loved this print, which is a horizontal stripe, not usually my choice, but with the changing colors and the palm tree print behind the stripes, it has enough interest that the stripes recede in importance a bit.  That's my story, anyway.

FSG#1960 Tropical Palms Back

I bought ONE yard only, and it was plenty, but only just.  The sleeves are this length because that's how much fabric I had.  I ended up cutting them lengthwise (which I think looks cuter than they would have the usual horizontal way, since the stripes continue over the shoulder seam) between the front and back pieces.  I needed the remaining length to cut the neckline binding.  It's a crosswise strip cut carefully following the stripes, and I think it turned out really cute.  Of course I used the No Fail Binding Method.

FSG#1960 Striped Neckline Binding

You can see how following the stripe made for a cute binding on this striped fabric since the neckline has a curve.  There was nowhere near enough fabric to do a bias cut, and I think the effect might have been lost in all the stripes, curve, palm trees, etc.  This worked out just very well.  And yes, I know my 'in the ditch' stitching wandered slightly for a while.  It happens.  But this is a quick summer top and it's fine.

The hems on the sleeves and lower edge are stitched with a straight stitch, fairly short.  I stretched the fabric quite a bit but not excessively and steamed it back into shape.  It doesn't show any signs of popping, and I think there's enough thread in the stitching that it should be all right.

Another "Design Opportunity". FSG#1960 Plaid

I love design opportunities, but not as much when they appear because I have made a mistake that needs to be rectified. You get a hint of the solution on the right.  The third photo will show you the problem that I fixed.  All of the photos are also at my photo site.

    

I naturally planned to match the plaid on this top.  I didn't think much about it, and since the most plaid I've matched were all the shirts I made for Pearle, I just used my fall-back plaid matching method, and matched the lower armscye points.  It always worked beautifully on his shirts, but as you can see in the following photo, there was a little problem when I got to the dart.  Duh.  So, now I had a design opportunity camouflaged as a mis-matched side seam.  Although something like the seam shown below would be unremarkable in a lot of RTW, it is almost unthinkable in what I make for myself. 

  
 

I think my solution is rather fun, and it was fairly simple, although the spongy knit made it tricky to do a horizontal tuck very easily.  Not like pressing a beautiful tuck in say, linen.  But with a little hand basting, it all worked out, and the side seams are fine, and the back is FUN, if I do say so myself.

Fun Saturday with Barbara & A New Top

Photo Link
Most of you are familiar with Barbara of Cat Fur Studio. I'm very lucky that she gets to Omaha once in a while which is close enough to me to make it easy to meet and visit. We've had some wonderful adventures in past visits. We've visited the Pendleton Outlet in Nebraska City, she's come to see my sewing studio, and this time, we shopped and lunched in Omaha's Old Market area. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time! Barbara won the Best Shopping award, and I helped. I did buy a hat. It's a nice, warm one, although stylish as well, I think. Today is windy, cold, rainy, and I may try my new hat sooner than I thought.

You can see here that I'm pointing out one of the features of Barbara's new Hot Patterns Primavera dress. I enjoyed seeing it and the great cape she made recently. Both very nice, and great wardrobe pieces; just what we all wish for as an outcome when we sew.
Photo Link

I will also say that the top I'm wearing is a new one. I used the FSG #1960 Top pattern (my go-to Tee pattern) and cut the neckline deeper and added the floppy collar. The fabric is one that I got from a member of the Omaha ASG group. She was moving and retiring from sewing, and donated all of her fabrics, etc. to the group for distribution with donation. It's a wonderful blue/rust cross-woven french terry. It changes with the light and I love it. It's really soft and comfy as well. You've seen the little knitted Gedifra vest before. It's the one I finally overdyed a couple years after I finished it, to improve the color. Now it goes with lots of things, and I wear it much more often.

Kudos to Barbara's wonderful husband, Nick, for taking these great photos! I think we look good, although we did get a little silly when encouraged to "be dramatic", but we had fun, and he got some nice photos.

I have to show off the darling notebook Barbara found for me. Its covers look like pattern instructions. What fun! I will be using it with pleasure. x Photo Link

I think I will be making more of this style now that winter is upon us. I hate to tell you this, but it's SNOWING here today! Ick, I hope the warm-up predicted for tomorrow will come and do its best. I'll leave you with the very sad view out my back windows. I just don't really like snow, especially not this early.
Photo Link

Pink Top with Brown Polka Dot Trim

From

I saw a really cute crocheted dress pattern the other day from a Bernat vintage pattern leaflet called After Five and fell in love with it. Then I realized I'd be crocheting tiny motifs and attaching them to each other for the rest of my life, and decided to copy the idea but sew it rather than crochet. This top is what I came up with in my test.

From PinkTop

Here are the original photos for the dress.


I need to angle the lower binding more, as it reads horizontal now when worn. I would need to raise the neckline to more closely copy the original as well. Both of these things would be easy fixes, although the neckline change might require the addition of a closure.

I used my usual FSG#1960 Twinset pattern Top for this, although I think I might have done better with a Marfy tank pattern I like. I put a little side seam ruching at the hem, although you can't really see it in the photo.

From PinkTop

The polka dot fabric is a scrap I had on hand, and I think it turned out really cute.

I used the binding method given by Jalie in their #3024 knit dress pattern. Thanks Kay for noting these great instructions some time ago. I use them a lot now. Basically, you cut your binding 3x your seam allowance width, which will also be your finished width. This works for either binding on the right side or on the wrong side. The other side is always clean-finished.

From PinkTop

An Outfit for 'The' Shoes

Photo Link

This is the vest/sleeveless jacket I made to wear with the wonderful Fergie shoes. It's the FSG #1960 Cardigan pattern, without the sleeves, and with the shawl collar modification in Nancy Erickson's newsletter. I think it is much more a sleeveless jacket look than a vest, and that's what I'm calling it. The color is probably truest in the first photo.
Photo Link

It's a nice, beefy knit with surface interest from the black raised threads. Since it was so beefy and almost thick, and because I used no interfacing in it, it has a very soft look and feel.
Photo Link
You can see that I stitched down the edges of the uppermost seam allowance after grading the allowances that lie beneath. The collar/band unit was sewn on as one, with the allowances all laying the same way, so this made a nice finish which allowed everything to fall as it should.

As noted above, I used the shawl collar pattern piece provided in the Nancy Erickson newsletter, and I think it's fine. I think I might make a less pronounced curve out to the collar from the band if I make another like this. I can't decide if it would make it too bulky where it closes, or if it would be better, but I can always try it and then change back if I don't like it.
Photo Link
I had thought I'd do patch pockets on this, but I was afraid it would make the front so much heavier than the back that it would hang funny, especially if I actually put anything in the pockets. So, I left them off, and for the look of it, I'm glad I did. I like pockets though, and I wonder if in-seam pockets might work next time. I really don't need the bulk though, so we'll see. I know I could have used weight in the back hem to make it hang straight, but this isn't a structured enough or 'important' enough piece to do that, in my opinion.

The top with this is from a set I made from this same pattern (there's a charcoal cardigan jacket as well) and the skirt is part of it as well, although not from the FSG pattern. I shortened the skirt from calf-length. I think it looks good, and I love a simple 4-seam straight skirt in a knit fabric. It's so much more slimming than without the CF and CB seams. It's an elastic waist, and honestly, you don't need a pattern to make one like it.

It's really, really cold here lately, and we have a bunch of snow on the ground, but at least more isn't coming down right now. I hope the bad storms and big problems are missing all of you, too.

Polka-Dot Stripes on a Windy Day

Last night I decided to make up a quick knit top from some cute fabric I'd just gotten, and this is the result. As you can tell, it was windy while I was out taking photos. This is why I love hairspray, but it doesn't always do the trick.


Link to Photo

As usual when starting a project a little too late at night, there were some strange twists with this one. I used the top pattern from the FSG #1960 Twinset Pattern, and decided to try an unsewn dart this time. I'm not sure that was a success, but it's acceptable for casual wear I suppose. The really "interesting" thing I did was to add 1/4" SAs to the pattern, meanwhile forgetting that it includes 5/8" SAs already. I ended up redoing the seams, as it was very shapeless at 1/4".

I added a small yoke to the front and ran the fabric crosswise there to take advantage of the stripes. The neckband was cut on the bias, but in places it still lines up with the stripes on the front, so I'm not sure it was a complete success there. Generally I'm happy with this, although I will go back to darts in my next tee.

I ordered yarn from Elann.com the other day and it always comes so quickly. I got a full bag of Needful Yarns Geranium in a colorway very similar to the photo.
and also some Adriafil Fruttamix in Summer Shower.
I just couldn't resist the summery look of them.

I finished the knitting on the baby sweater and need to block, sew on buttons, hide yarn ends, etc., and I'll be done. It's kind of cute, and although it looks kind of big to me, it matches the measurements given, so I'm hoping it will be all right.

Since it's done, I've gone back to Alex's sweater and have finished the ribbing and am just establishing the pattern stitches. Now the fun should begin.

Circle Dot Knit Top

I got some nice ITY knit fabric at JoAnn's the other day, but there was only a little bit over a yard of it. I was sure I could make a knit top with shortened sleeves, and this is what came of it.


Photo Link

The original pattern is the top from Fashion Sewing Group #1960. I've made it before and add a CB seam to allow for a swayback alteration. This time I wanted a different neckline, and I turned to a book called 19 Shirts From 1 Pattern. It was a prize I won at the fair several years ago, and it's not a new book, but it has lots of ideas for changing a plain Tee pattern with different necklines, sleeves, etc.

I lowered the front neckline about 4" and did a binding. I then added a collar. I think it turned out pretty cute, and I really like the fabric. It's completely different than anything else I have, and I think it will be fun to wear when it warms up a little.

You can see another front view, and a 3/4 back view showing the nice back fit below.


Thanks to my sister for taking the photos for me!

Edited to add a link to the book mentioned. It's a 1982 copyright, and somewhat dated, but there are still a few copies around apparently.

2-Piece Floral Dress

Photo Link

I finally finished this dress, and I'm glad to be done with it. Not that I didn't enjoy working on it, but I've been able to spend almost zero time sewing in the last couple weeks, and I was so close to done it was just killing me not to finish. So, here it is.

The fabric is a silk/cotton blend with an interesting weave that makes effective use of the fact that silk and cotton will take dyes differently. It makes the print look almost like a woven design, and gives it a watercolor effect. Yes, it's a really, really, really large scale print, but it's so large it almost reads as an abstract, and I like that. The fabric is from Nancy Erickson, and I borrowed her idea of making a 2-piece dress. I did not use the suggested princess-seam top however, preferring a darted, cut-on-sleeve top that I've made before. The original pattern is Vogue 2719 which is a Vintage Vogue dress that's OOP. I used the bodice as a blouse previously and it's a real favorite. I redrew the neckline for this to make it a little dressier than a shirt collar.

When I ordered this fabric, I assumed I was going to be using a princess-seam sheath style top pattern, and planned accordingly. As I mentioned before, I really had a hard time getting this top out of the fabric I had. I didn't have really any choice in print placement because there was one, and only one way this fit on the layout. After stitching the top, I really didn't like the look of the CF seam with the print. I came up with my triangular appliqué idea, and like it, then decided that adding a bow would be even better. How can you go wrong with a bow?


Photo Link

I underlined the entire thing in silk organza, which gave this a lot of body. This fabric has body of its own, and the result is almost a spongy feel, and I think it holds the style very nicely, especially the skirt. I was a little hesitant about lining this as well as underlining, because of the thickness of the fabric and underlining even before lining, as well as the fact that it's a Spring/Summer outfit, and I didn't want to add warmth. And, I'm just not a "line everything" kind of girl. I like to go on a case-by-case basis, and I rarely line tops. Because this top pattern was altered with my saran wrap block, it has a really nice fit in the neck and shoulders, so I knew I could get away with just piping the edges and hand overcasting the piping to the wrong side. There's no peek-a-boo problems with the inside showing here and there, and it makes a really nice clean finish. Here's the top inside-out. You can get a better look by clicking on the photo link and viewing the Original size. This is true of all of the photos.


Photo Link

The skirt is drafted from my favorite straight skirt, and is the same as the green skirt I did as a trial. It looks quite different, but it's all in the different properties of the fabrics, not the pattern.


Photo Link

And here's a side-front view.


Photo Link

I did contemplate a belt with this. I took photos with and without, and although I like the belt, it just makes me look awfully short-waisted, and I think this is a more graceful look. It's amazing how much easier it is to make a style decision while looking at photos rather than when looking in the mirror. Everyone says this, and it's really true.

Another Nice Knit Top

Photo Link

Here's another knit top from the same FSG#1960 top pattern with the Vogue collar grafted onto it. This is a very thin mesh knit that I fell in love with for the color and the interesting shadowy leaf print. It was another Wal-Mart $1/yard find, and I made it up almost immediately. I never even thought about the fact that it would match my fleece Haiku Two jacket, which was a "muslin" but I wear it a lot as a casual jacket in winter since it's so nice and warm, and I don't have to worry about anything happening to it.

It may seem silly, but I had a revelation lately about the fact that I'm always cold when I go anywhere. I need to wear more clothes. Not that I don't wear winter clothes in winter, but we keep it warmer in our house than a lot of people do, plus we have a couple humidifiers going all the time, which also makes it more comfortable. Anyway, I've started wearing 2 wool sweaters, or several layers besides just an undershirt and top, for example. My sister took the nicest photo of me the other day when I was wearing 2 sweaters I'd knitted, and I'll put it here. I love the way the colors work together, and of course since I made them both, I like them!


Photo Link

Duct Tape Dressform

OR:

How I Spent My Thanksgiving Vacation


Photo Link

Actually, the title refers both to the form and the top I have on. It's another of the FSG1960 tops I've been doing lately. This is a nice, soft knit-back fleece I found. I just about froze to death on Thanksgiving evening at my parent's home and knew I was going to be spending a lot of time there in the next several days. Also, I was the only one who was cold, so I went home in the evening and made this top, and it's just what I needed. In this photo, there's a dusty streak near the bottom, but I was moving things around the basement and apparently didn't notice. So, you get to see the real me.

The form was very kindly wrapped by my sister, who was here for the holiday. I think she did a beautiful job. It's very true, especially in the shoulder/bust area. The midriff/waist/hip was bigger than I measure, probably because I had to breathe while we did this, so we made some changes. The shape is still very good. We extended the form one tape-width or so below the rear, onto the leg. You can see how that worked out. I think it was probably a good idea.

I am rather stunned to see just how crooked I am, but we really checked and looked and it is just like me. Oh well, better to know than not, I guess. Here's a close-up of just the form. I'm leading a form workshop in December for my local sewing guild, and I'm glad we did this first. It's going to be interesting to see if everyone else is as pleased with their results as I am with mine.


Photo Link

I'm Back

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. I've been dealing with family medical stuff, and then suddenly it was me being the "sickie." I'm sure most of you are familiar with the reality that whether one is ill or just recovering from a small procedure, the basic work of keeping the household running must continue anyway, and we know how that works. It would really be a luxury to just get to let everything go for a while, and I must say I did my best to let that happen, but all I achieved was letting some of my favorite things go by the wayside for a while, including my blog. I also seemed to lose my will to create for a time, but it's slowly returning as well, and I have been knitting anyway. Maybe not really the will to create, but there was just no decision-making happening, and what is the creative process if not a string of decisions?

I will also admit that I had no idea that I would really, really need to take it easy for as long as I did, even thought I had been told. As my nearest and dearest often says, I think I know it all, and I just don't listen. I do have to admit, he was pretty much correct there, as he often is. I do want to say a great big thank you to all of you who have sent such kind wishes. I really appreciate it, and I hope to be back to normal (?) very soon, if not right now.

Since it's cold again, I naturally have had the urge to make some warm things to wear. The zebra print knit top I made was such a yucky knit fabric mitigated only by its really great print, but I liked the pattern blend I used of FSG#1960 with a cut-on very long funnel neck, and I repeated it in another, beefier knit, and I've been wearing it with great pleasure. Now getting a picture of it that pleases me is another thing altogether, but I finally decided that it just isn't going to get any better than this. So, we will all suffer together.

I bought some interesting knit fabric a while back that is a very deep plum, and fairly sheer. I decided it would make a very nice overblouse, and used an older Vogue pattern for the basic shape. I decided it needed something, and tried a tie collar, which was dowdy in the extreme, so I thought the time had come for an unusual approach, so I took some HugSnug rayon seam binding that I got on a 100 yd. roll from the Pendleton outlet, and which just happens to match the lace fabric, and started making loops along the collar. It's definitely different, and I like the way it turned out. I'm using the former tie collar as a belt. I edged the sleeves with the seam binding as well, using it almost like a flat piping. You can see a close up below, and the colors are pretty true, at least on my monitor.

Here's the overblouse, over the blue top, which is NOT what I plan to wear it with, but it needs something with a collar, and I have nothing the right color and style, and it's too see-through to wear alone. The pants are another pair from my favorite Burda pattern, and the fabric is not what I had hoped. It's a polyester microfiber, but it's not nearly as nice as the fabric I bought a few years ago that I thought was very similar. This is drapier, and it's horribly staticky, and nothing seems to help. It doesn't actually crawl up your legs when worn, but it attracts every cat hair and dust mote within a 3-block region, and it seems unwilling to shed wrinkles. Now if polyester wants to wrinkle, what is the point?

I have been knitting away on my nephew's Xmas sweater, which will match his Dad's in style, but in a different color, and I'm getting close to dividing for the armscyes. It's going faster since it's smaller, but I'm making it a little large so he can wear it for at least a few years.

Zebra Quick Top

Photo Link

This top was the culmination of a process that included a muslin for a different pattern, which needed a lot of work, although I was planning to do it. It was a princess-seamed knit top with a tall funnel/cowl neck. I bought this fabric simply to use as a muslin since it's very thin, but the price was right for a test. After I stitched up the muslin, I realized that I very much liked the way the print fell, and thought I'd see if I could get some more to make a top to wear from it.

I was able to get more, and then wondered whether I really wanted a knit top with princess seams after all. I sometimes think I'm curvy enough without adding to it with both knit fabric and major shaping seams, so I decided to use an old favorite pattern, the top from Fashion Sewing Group #1960 Twin Set. As Carolyn has said, why re-invent the wheel when you have a pattern you already like? I added the collar from the Vogue 8323, which was what I really liked about it, and am very happy with the results. I will wear it under other things becasue, as I already mentioned, it's a very thin knit and not the best quality by any means, so the drape of the fabric isn't too great, but I fell for the print and the color, which is a bit more pronounced than in the photo, but not by much. It feels like it's going to be nice and snuggly for winter, especially with that collar.

My other really thrilling news is that I did NOT accidentally throw away my Fall Marfy catalog, thank goodness. I couldn't believe I had, but I searched and searched for several days with no results. Then, I dreamed about finding it, although it wasn't where I dreamt it was, and I knew it couldn't be, but it was in that room, and I felt like it was a sign that it really was still around and I should just keep looking.

I'm also getting sort of close to the end of my brother's Xmas sweater. I've finished increasing on the last sleeve and will soon begin the shoulder shaping. Then it's just assembly and the collar. I can't believe it. It's been quite the epic project, and I should start a matching one for his youngest boy, who is crazed for anything "just like Dad's", but I may have to do something else for a while. At least his would be much smaller, and surely go much faster..... I'll have to think about it.