MMMay16 Day 1 or Simplicity 1199

When I showed my LA sewing space, I wrote about how I make clothes from a combo of pre and post-consumer waste and new fabric.

I explained in Laziness or SWAP, how I organize my planned sewing projects by serger thread color.  Then I tackle them in semi-assembly line order.

Let me show you a bit of the process.

First, I pull fabric and candidates for refashioning from my supplies.  I lay them out and look at them, adding and subtracting to the set and moving them around, until I have a vision of what they want to be.

When I was looking for something else, I came across the black/tan marl fabric.  When I bought it at SAS Fabrics, I reckoned it was black/gray.  Outside, in natural daylight, I realized I had reckoned wrongly.  But, 1.2 yards of cotton jersey for $2 is a steal and I thought I could make baby clothes for LA County foster children with the piece.

That didn't happen.  When I came across this piece again, I knew what it wanted to be and who would wear it.  I pulled some coordinating fabrics and refashioning candidates and laid them out on the dining table.  Over several days, I added and subtracted candidates and pulled patterns.

Eventually, I settled upon a black cotton/poly pique remnant from a something I made DD years ago along with some new fabric I bought at Colorado Fabrics last year.  I cut out the pieces one (snowy) weekend afternoon.

Then I sewed them up in batch fashion (like chain piecing when quilting) over two dreary snowy evenings.

The top came out better than I imagined.  The last two times that I sewed Simplicity 1199, I selected the size by the measurement chart, making the S for DD and the M for myself.  They were huge.  I wanted to test the fit of a S at the shoulders and M at the hips.

As you can see, it fits the dress form that approximates my measurements.  I took 2" out above the waist and shortened the back another 1" to fit a petite friend.

I bound the neckline with the technique I learned from Kwik Sew 2555 (which I have used 30+ times) instead of the method found in Simplicity 1199.  The cotton/lycra printed jersey had enough body and recovery to make a satisfyingly hefty neckband.

Aside from the length, the top fits exactly to my liking.  I'll be making more for myself this summer.

While the serger was dressed in black thread, it was a good time give the thrifted black t-shirt I wear to the gym a curved hem.

Oops, this post got so long, I'm going to reveal the outfit I wore for MMM16 Day 1 on the next post.

My Simplicity 1199

After the success of Iris' Simplicity 1199, I made one for myself.

Very oversized.

There's not much to say other than that it is .very. oversized. I made a medium, per my measurements. But, I could have gone down to a size small.

Side panels and neck band cut from thrifted t-shirt.

Construction techniques same as last time.  Again, a thrifted t-shirt yielded the rib-knit neckband and fabric for the side panels.  I used a soft jersey bought by the pound from SAS Fabrics.

Love that graphic design on the side back panel.

When will the weather warm up so I can wear this top?

Tops on pattern envelope do not look extremely oversized.

Simplicity 1199

After I made a Vogue 8175 top from scraps leftover from making the Kwik Sew 1139 PJ pants, I still couldn't bear to throw the scraps away.  I pawed through my patterns to see if I could eke out a top for Iris out of the remainder.

I paired it with yet another thrifted organic cotton T.  This one advertised alcohol, which would be inappropriate for a teen.  Fortunately, the shirt was large and my daughter is XS, so I was able to cut around the advertising.

I like the longer tail in the back

and the princess seaming.

I fused tricot to the shoulders on both the F and B sides and also stitched them with a straight stitch for stability. I like to press and sew the seam allowances of the shoulder down flat. I find it less irritating to sensitive skin. I topstitched with a straight stitch at the shoulders and a slight (0.9 mm wide) zigzag elsewhere.

The topstitching is a bit uneven.

On Pattern Review, one reviewer dissed the pattern because it bunched up at the underarm.  I didn't read the instructions, but I suspect that they did not explicitly explain the importance of clipping curves.  I stitched the seam with a narrow zigzag and made two tiny clips at the underarm.

Another reviewer said it was impossible to sew the side seam with a serger due to the side slit.  I sewed to the slit opening and back-tacked.  Then I clipped the seam above the end of stitching and serged from the underarm to the bottom clip.  After serging around the slit opening and hem, I topstitched the whole thing down flat.  Just to show off, I mitered the corners, too.

It is possible to get flat and even results; there is nothing wrong with the pattern.

I sewed an XS-S, which is the size corresponding to Iris' measurements. It's a bit tight on my dress dummy and my body, but we are a size M. This is an oversized top and you can probably go down one size for a closer, but not tight, fit.

Note to self:
It fits.  It looks cute.  It provides the perfect amount of back coverage.   She refused to model it for the blog.  She wants the sleeves lengthened 2" next time.