Category: Review


Apr
2018

Statement Sleeves for Spring!

categories: Behind The Seams, Pattern Making, Review, Sewing 101, What I made

Hi Fashionistas!

Long time no sew! I took a break from sewing for the month of March to adjust to a second child. It has been quite a transition, and I and my family are still getting used to the new routine, or lack of routine 🙂

Anyways, I am trying to get back into the swing of things. I am sewing, and here is my latest make!

I used this fabric.  It is currently sold out but I am hoping they will offer it again! It is a quilted double knit. Very soft, yet has good body and is thicker, about the thickness of a lightweight scuba knit. 

For the pattern, I ended up using this pattern, view C, but made the following alterations.

  1. Changed the neckline to a boat neck.
  2. Chopped off the pattern at the high hip (to include hem allowance)
  3. Shortened the sleeve
  4. Freehanded the lantern/ bell sleeve with pleats using some scrap fabric

The fabric is quilted and has some really gorgeous texture as you can see in this close up below. For the neck, I used a twin needle to do the hemming as I did not have enough matching spools of thread for my coverstitch machine.  I hemmed the sleeves by serging first, then turning under and using a straight stitch.

I so love the sleeves!  They are so poofy!

This is how I wore this top on Sunday, with skinny jeans … and a sock bun. Yes, there is a sock in my bun.. it belongs to my husband 🙂 I cut off the foot part and rolled all that hair up, the stuck in a ballpoint pen to hold it in place. It’s called mommy chic 🙂

For a more dressy look, I paired this with a skirt (which I will never wear anywhere since I have nowhere to go :), but it is so cute!

Here is the back view of the top. Typically I put a CB seam in this pattern, but I decided not to in this one, as the fabric has a moderate amount of stretch, as opposed to more stretchy fabrics I usually use.

Ok- before I made this top, I actually made a scoop neck peplum with a cap sleeve, but I was totally cutting corners and I made a bad garment. So that one is getting cut and I will use the fabric into a top for my daughter. I also have some fabric left over so I will definitely be using that to make another top for myself!

Well, that is it! I am working on a red circle skirt for May, for my birthday!!

I hope that you are doing well. I would love to hear about what you are working on these days and I hope you are enjoying the spring!

I’ll see you in May with my next project- the red skirt!

ps- did you know Crafsty is giving an all access pass for 2 weeks for $1 right now? You can access all classes for $1 by clicking HERE

XOXO

-Vatsla

 


Feb
2018

Kimono Duster In Emerald Green: Vogue V9253 Modified

categories: Behind The Seams, Review, Sewing Quick Tip, What I made

HI Fashionistas!

I am so so excited to share my latest project with you. I made a kimono duster/ topper. Something like this would have typically taken me 4 to 6 hours to make, but I promise I spent more like 20 hours on this one, working at a turtle pace, in the final two weeks of my pregnancy. Matter of fact, I finished the sash on Saturday, Feb 10, and ended up going into labor that afternoon.  Had I known that baby Connor for waiting for me to finish sewing, I would have wrapped up this project a lot sooner 🙂

Well, the baby is out and he is one week old today. By the time you read this, he will be 11 days old… what a week it has been.. to think a week ago we were in the hospital. Moving on to this gorgeous Kimono… Here it is!

The kimono can be worn with or without a sash. I will probably wear it without a sash. That is more my style, but I wanted to have the sash, so I sewed that up in the solid green color.

I will show you how it looks belted as well.  The kimono is unlined as you can see. Here is the back view:

This print is just so gorgeous:

This is the fabric that I used. The fabric had a solid green panel on of the selvage sides, I used that to create the belt/ sash.I used Vogue pattern number V9253, View B with the following variations:

  1. Eliminated the center back zipper
  2. I also had to make my skirt front and back panels slightly less flared as my fabric was not as wide as the pattern suggested.
Here are the pictures of the Kimono belted:

 
 

 

And this is just me being goofy… because life is too short to be serious all the time 🙂

 

Here is the back view belted

 

Oh! Mom is in town visiting from India.. she gifted me these gorgeous earrings that happen to go so well with the kimono, so I wore these 🙂

 

Here are some “behind the seams” info of the garment in the making.

  • I always like to do a practice run of the thread/ tension/needle combo and make some samples before I take the garment to the machines. This eliminates any surprises and lets me test out the fabric.
  • I ended up serging the CB Seam and the side seams first, then stitched them and pressed them open. For the rest of the garment, I stitched the seams together, pressed them to one side, and the serged as one. Typically I like to press seams towards gravity, but in this case, I serged the waist seam before sewing it, and pressed the seams open, mainly to reduce bulk.

That is all I have. I am so ready to get started on the next sewing project. Not sure exactly what I am making next but I have been thinking about either an off-white peplum top, somewhat structured, or a knit hi low maxi dress. I will be looking for some sewing inspiration before I commit to the next project. I hope you all are well.  Once my baby is a bit older, I will sew for him and I am sure he will make his debut on the blog!

XOXO

– Vatsla 🙂


Feb
2018

Baby Shower Dress with Statement Sleeves- Mccalls M6886 Modified

categories: Behind The Seams, Pattern Making, Review, What I made

HI Fashionistas!

Long time no see! I have done a bit of sewing in the last few months, but have not had much energy to blog about it. My pregnancy is coming to an end, I am only 10 days away from my due date, so It’s about time I share my 2 final maternity makes with you, starting with this gorgeous baby shower dress in a navy Ponte knit.

Would you guess what pattern I used? Yes indeed, its the TNT Mcalls M6886 with modified/ self-drafted sleeves 🙂

Since I was making a fitted maternity dress in a thicker stable knit with a pattern that is typically meant to use a generous amount of stretch percentage to its advantage, I had to get a bit creative. I measured my big ole bump and graded the pattern to be larger in the stomach. But because I could not depend on the stretch of the fabric too much (as opposed to using a jersey knit for example), I had to end up putting darts on the belly. I know that sounds strange. Most maternity clothes depend on ruching, but I find those so frumpy.. and it’s just not my style.. so I went for darts, you can see them if you are looking for them 🙂 The darts are in the front only, none required in the back 🙂


I styled this dress with one of my fav vintage furs. I downsized aggressively and sold the majority of my fur stoles last year, but this one I could not part with. My shower was on December 9, it was such a special day. Five of my dear friend’s co – hosted my shower. It was amazing. I’ll share some pictures of the shower with you below. It was cold that day! It even snowed a bit, but I refused to cover up this fabulous sleeves, so I wore gloves and the fur.. and a beautiful clutch purse that I picked up on my last trip to India. The shoes were a no-brainer. I mean, animal print d’orsay pumps.. how can one go wrong?!

I 1st saw this beautiful a thick anti-pill Ponte knit over the summer at Joann’s fabric. I’ve been unable to find a link for you online, but in the store, I have seen it in multiple colors, mainly a dark red, black, navy.

Here is the side and back view:

So these sleeves are so swoon worthy. I kinda freehanded them, kinda measured. I will have to dedicate a separate blog post to how the sleeves were made. Let me know if this is something you would like to read about! I might do a video, as its much easier to explain that way! It is basically the McCalls sleeves used as a base, and the ruffles are full circles (donuts) of varying circumferences, but uniform width.  I can show you a diagram and instructions if I do a demo. Just let me know!  You could add this detail to any base pattern!

The ponte does not fray, so the edges are raw on the ruffles.  Here is a “Behind The Seams” look at the sleeve. Click to play the video:

And normally I don’t wear much jewelry, just the same bracelet every day and my armlet, but this was such a special occasion, I pulled out an extra wide bracelet gifted to me by my mom, and the skinny spiral one that belonged to my mom’s mom.

 

I also want to share with you some pictures from my shower, planned by the sweetest of friends. Sometimes I am not sure what I did to deserve so much love . These are my dear friends: Leah, Kristy, Laura, Kristina and Julie. So blessed to have them in my life.

I hope you enjoyed reading this! I am due in 10 days.. so wish me luck.. I made another fabulous blue dress after this one.. hoping to share that with you as well before the baby arrives!

PS.. I am tired as a mother… so this blog post has not been spell checked.. or proofread.. 😀

I’ll see y’all soon.  I have 4 more things patiently waiting in queue to be blogged..

XOXO-

Vatsla. 🙂

 


Nov
2017

DIY Gray Coat- Mccalls M7262 Modified

categories: Behind The Seams, Review, Sewing Quick Tip, What I made

Hi Fashionistas!

Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!! We went to my brother and sister in law’s home and had so much fun!

Trying to stay comfortable and fashionable during pregnancy has been challenging, but I am determined to make the best of maternity fashions and look chic while dealing with sleep deprivation, heartburn, and fatigue!

Here is what I made: A soft drapey waterfall coat that can be worn three ways:

1st way to wear this coat: Draped, with either the right or wrong side of the fabric showing:

I wanted to make something that  I can wear for the remainder of my pregnancy, and also be able to wear it after, without having to make any alterations. I decided to go with a drapey, unstructured coat that would be fashionable, yet effortless, but most importantly functional. I am always cold and wanted something warm and cozy.

 

2nd way to wear this coat: This is my least favorite and I don’t plan on wearing it like this, but I thought I would give you some ideas 🙂 This will require you to fold the top of the collar so the correct side of the fabric is showing, and then overlap the right side over the left side and pin with a brooch at the waist!

3rd way to wear this coat: I LOVE this one! So chic!

The pattern calls for a button and buttonhole, but I instead used a vintage brooch to pin the coat. This easily switches it up from the waterfall drape to a cowl neck look, and perfect for those cold winter days! And to accessorize, I added these cute owl earrings which are a gift to self

This is an easy unstructured coat. It is unlined, had no pad stitching, no sleeve headings.  The fabric is so warm and so soft. When I ordered the fabric, I was expecting it to be a bit more densely woven, but I was pleasantly surprised at how soft it was.

Here are some side pics of how the coat draped if left open in the front

There is really nothing glamorous about the back view, but here it is

Here is one of the inspiration pics I pinned on pinterest

What I also love about this coat is that is is just one big ole’ blanket. So nice and soft and so cuddly. I could live in this now through February 🙂

And if you get REALLY cold, you could just do this. Hahaha

I used this gorgeous wool blend fabric—> HERE

For the pattern, I initially considered using Butterick B6244, which I think would be such a good pattern, although more drapey and bulkier than my inspiration picture, I had a serious case of mommy brain. I was convinced I had purchased this pattern, but I had not!

 I looked through my stash and found Burda 7184.

I could have used it, but I really wanted a set in sleeve as opposed to the raglan sleeve.  So, in the end, I ended up going with Mccalls 7262. I cut view B but eliminated the facing. I’ll talk more about how I finished the edges below.I made a muslin using some wool I had in my fabric stash to test out the pattern. In the end I made only one pattern alteration, extended the length.

I wanted something to hit me calf length.

 

So many pregnant celebrity mums have rocked similar length coats to rock their bumps and I wanted to join in on the fun!

I also wanted to show you some “Behind The Seams” pictures of the coat. I decided not to hem the perimeter of the coat. That would be bulky and since the wrong side shows, I wanted something subtle. So I topstitched all around the coat, 1/4 inch away from the edge. Then I took a pin and frayed the fabric. I treated it very similar to boucle, where the fabric frays, but still looks chic!

For the side seams, I serged the sides individually before stitching them and pressing them open to avoid bulk. The only place I stitched the seams first and then serged all layers was the shoulder seam and the sleeves. At intersecting seams, my Brother 1034D Serger was able to handle 4 layers of wool beautifully, and I was quite pleased!

For the CB Seam on the collar of the coat, since the wrong side shows, depending on how you wear it, I did not want serger thread showing. So I did a flat felled seam on the center back collar

This project was so fun to make. I have saved the pattern and at some point, I will trace it on to a tag and hang it. That is my preferred way of preserving patterns I like, and having them on a garment rack makes me more likely to reach for them. I could see making this exact same coat in a camel color and a black color and oh. Maybe a light pink or blush! These are so easy to style. They can pretty much make any outfit look good!

I hope you enjoyed sharing in this sewing adventure with me! Happy sewing! See you again, just in time for Christmas!

XOXO

-Vatsla


Sep
2017

Tailored Denim Shorts- Simplicity 8391 Review

categories: Behind The Seams, Review, Sewing 101, Sewing Quick Tip, What I made

HI, Fashionistas!

Happy end of summer! Hope you had a lovely summer and are enjoying cooler temps! My kid started pre school this week and I am REALLY enjoying the structure that comes with drop offs and pick-ups and planning my day around it.

So I am hoping to catch up on sharing some summer sewing projects with you. One of my favorite makes this summer was this pair of tailored shorts. They are so simple yet so chic. Sometimes easy projects can be so rewarding to make.

I have always wanted tailored shorts made in denim, a dressy pair of shorts if you will. So here is what I came up with based on my inspiration picture 🙂 I am recommending some pressing tools towards the end of the post if you want to go for a more tailored look on your garments. 

How do you plan your sewing projects? Do you browse patterns on sale, and get inspired based on what you see in the pattern catalogs, or do you look for a pattern to match your inspiration picture or your sketch? I typically tend to find my inspiration from people watching or Pinterest, and then go hunting for the perfect pattern that can either be sewn out of the envelope or modified to match my inspiration picture.

Here is my inspiration picture

It was not too hard to find a pattern for these shorts, I needed to look for a pattern that has a slant pocket so that I could add the gold shank buttons like my inspiration picture. I found Simplicity 8391 view D.

I wanted my shorts to have slightly more wearing ease than the inspiration picture. I also wanted them to be slightly longer.  I did make a muslin to get the fit perfected, but other than that, I did not need to make any pattern alterations. I cut the size 6, which was larger on the hips.  After I made the muslin and tried them on, I ended up removing ½ inch from the side seams.

For the fabric, I chose a denim that had 1% spandex in it. Personally, I like to work with wovens that have a small amount of stretch. In my opinion, it makes the fitting easier because you have some flexibility when the fabric has some stretch.  My happy place is 1% to 2 % of spandex in the fiber content of the fabric.

Here are some more pictures of the shorts

Loving the slant pockets.

Here is the back and side view:

And a view from the side 🙂

 

Sewing Tips

Here are some sewing tips I would like to offer when making a tailored pair of shorts:

  • Use pressing tools to get that crisp look on seams, edges, and hems. I like to use a tailors clapper and press cloth to get defined, crisp seams. I have described both the tools below:
  • Tailors Clapper: I like to use a tailor’s clapper .When pressing my seams. A clapper is made of wood and it helps to seal in the heat and the steam from the iron and gives you that impeccably tailored look!
  • Press Cloth: While pressing, I like to use a press cloth and give the seams a good amount of heat and steam while pressing. A press cloth will help eliminate shine and protect your fabric. I like to use a sheer press cloth so I can see what I am pressing, but a scrap piece of muslin will do too!
  • Gravity Feed Iron: I am going to list this one as “optional” only because while you don’t need to invest in a gravity feed iron, it a gravity feed iron is definitely a professional tailors iron. A good domestic iron with steam when combined with a clapper and press cloth will also elevate your sewing, but put if you can add this to your sewing room, I HIGHLY recommend it. They are very sturdy and can last you 5 to 10 years!
  • Sewing Shank buttons: When sewing on shank buttons, you can stabilize them by sewing a small two hole or four hole button on the back. You would loop your thread through both the buttons. This will prevent the shank buttons from drooping. I used shank buttons with a 3/4 inch diameter on the front and four hole buttons with a 1/2 inch diameter in the back.

Simplicity 8391 Pattern Review and Suggestions

This pattern is easy and simple to use.  The instructions were pretty clear and straightforward. I noticed that the shorts instructions did not include applying the waistband, so you will need to refer to the skirt instructions (view B) on applying the waistband.

While making the muslin I also realized that it was best for me to replace the pocket facing fabric with a thinner cotton in a similar color as the fashion fabric. Once I had attached the pocket and pocket facing to the shorts front, that was 3 layers of fabric. Once the short front was attached to the shorts back, that was 4 layers of fabric and was noticeably bulky. So when I cut the actual fabric, I cut the pocket facing in a dark blue cotton sateen as opposed to the fashion fabric. I am glad I did that!

Overall, I am pretty pleased with this pattern, and now that I have the fit perfected, I will probably trace this pattern onto thicker pattern paper and hang it up on a garment rack for re-use!

I hope that you found this pattern review helpful and enjoyed reading this post! What has been your favorite summer make and what are you planning for the fall? I am planning on doing a lot of cardi’s and lose coats for the fall/ winter. I have pretty much decided that my uniform for fall is going to be black and denim and I plan to sew more outerwear.. but more on that later.. 

XOXO

-Vatsla 🙂

 


May
2017

Craftsy Class Sale Today! Any class is $19.99

categories: Behind The Seams, Pattern Making, Review, Sewing 101

Hi Fashionistas!!

Hope you are well. I wanted to let you know that Craftsy has a sale.  You can get any class for $19.99 with the coupon code below.

Click HERE to get any one class on your wish list for only $19.99.  You will need to use the coupon code below:

The latest class I enrolled in is the one that helps working with sheers, you can see my review HERE 

I also love the pattern making classes I previously reviewed HERE and often go back to reference them.

Do you have any classes on your wishlist? Let me know if you end up taking advantage of the sale.

Talk soon!

XO

Vatsla 🙂

 

 


Nov
2016

Craftsy Class Review and Pattern Making Book Review

categories: Behind The Seams, Pattern Making, Review, What I made

HI Fashionistas!!!

Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving and are enjoying a nice weekend.I am not one to shop the early  morning sales on Black Friday but I do appreciate a good deal that can be scored from my laptop on the comfort of my couch. One that doesn’t require an “early bird” special and does not entice you into a brick and mortar store to bombard you with more specials.

Here are some of my favorite sewing related Black Friday sales that I want to share with you. I already own and recommend a lot of these items so I wanted to share them with you in case you are interested:

My absolute favorite are the following sales on all  Craftsy classes on sale for $ 17.99

I studied with Suzy Furrer at Apparel Arts a while back. She is now also teaching on craftsy and I have all of her online pattern making classes

I got to visit with Suzy earlier this year and tour the new location of Apparel Arts, which is fabulous .

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Here are the classes I am currently registered for. I highly recommend all of them. Suzy is an excellent teacher and also very responsive.

We studied pattern making at Apparel Arts in this order. Now you can benefit from her classes at home! If you want to learn pattern making, these would be the classes to take in order to build a good foundation.

Skirt Sloper : Click HERE

Here are a couple skirts I made for my final collection while studying with her:

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Bodice Sloper : Click HERE

From a bodice sloper, you can draft dresses , tops. jackets. Here is a dress and jacket I self-drafted using my bodice sloper:

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Dart Manipulation/Seam Lines : Click HERE

This class focusses on taking the basic slopers drafted for the body and then manipulating them into different style elements. For example, here you will learn how to change a basic darts on your sloper into princess seams, gathers, pleats, tucks etc.

Here is a good example of manipulating a bodice sloper into a sweetheart strappless neckline and also manipulating the darts into princess seams. (ps- that isnt alkee-hol, i just posed for my final collection :))

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Another example fo a self-drafted garment is this one.  You also learn about adding excess ease and then removing it in the form of pleats (which are dart equivalents)

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Creative Necklines : Click HERE

Collars/Closures : Click HERE

Sleeves : Click HERE

You know sleeves are big this fall. Dramatic sleeves are in. You can learn how to make bishop sleeves, bell sleeves etc. Here is a bell sleeve I drafted this summer.

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Pants : Click HERE

Here is a pair of pants I drafted in school. Not the best fabric choice,which caused the wrinkles. But being a novice, I can see why I selected this fabric. These pants in a stretch denim would be so cute! Hindsight is 20/20 🙂

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Her latest classes are based on wardrobe building. I have registered for one of these, but have not watched it yet. You can view those HERE

I also highly recommend her textbook, which is the Bible of Pattern Making. You can find it HERE

In fact, I just purchased a second copy because I misplaced my original one

All classes are $17.99 for the black Friday sale which I think is an excellent deal. I have been purchasing craftsy classes for years and on average I pay $30 to $35 for each class.

I have also taken and reviewed the following classes in the past. They are both for tailoring a coat:

The first one is Essential Guide to Tailoring: Structure & Shape and the second one is Essential Guide to Tailoring: Construction

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You can read my review of these classes HERE and see the final garment HERE

I hope this post helps you see how these classes can help someone who wants to be a self-taught fashion designer. Gone are the days where you needed to take out crazy student loans and go to fashion school. regardless of whether you want to be creative and design for yourself, or be a self-taught designer and turn into a career option, the sky is the limit. With online learning, it IS possible!

Let me know if you like online learning. Just last night I was watching a video on drafting cowl pants. There is so much to learn, it never gets old!

I am heading down to the studio in a bit to work on my cowl pants and purchase  few more classes ! Hope you are well and I will see you soon with my next sewing post.

Happy Black Friday!!!

XOXO

Vatsla.

 

 

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