Tuesday, April 27, 2010

What I've Been Sewing

When I finished my last Liberty Shirt, I was undecided about whether or not to add buttons. I finally did add them and am really pleased with the result. They're from Sawyer Brook, which is about an hour's drive from me. They have truly expert women there who are happy to lend a hand. These weren't on display, but their button maven picked them out immediately, both because of their color and because the shape mirrored the shape of the colored specks in the shirt. I love it!


My next project was the Amy Butler Liverpool Shirt that seems to be getting so much buzz lately. It's an interesting pattern that can be altered to wear as a shirt, a tunic, a short dress, or a long dress. The sleeve also has options of short, elbow length, 3/4, and long. I made the tunic. I was unsure if the look was a bit too young for me, but figured that if I really didn't like it on, my daughter might take it off my hands. It has a nice shape, with not only a bust dart in front, but also two sets of vertical darts that cinch in the waist nicely. It has two vertical darts in back as well. I cut out the medium, but added an inch to the back (and therefore to the collar and collar stand) and also added a little along the side seams. I probably could have done an FBA, but I've not had a lot of experience there and was really feeling out of my league redrawing the vertical darts. It fits well, especially if the top button is left open with a tank top underneath. But, the bust on this pattern is definitely on the smaller side. Usually my problem area is hips, not bust, but I honestly didn't even need to add as much to the hips as I did.


I loved the way the placket came out. It really was a breeze and ends up looking very professional. I was less happy with my collar stand. Although it looks okay, the seam allowances didn't fold up into the stand at either end as nicely as I would have liked. I didn't think the drawings on the stand and collar installation were great for someone who's not done one before. I definitely need to work on that and have printed off a couple of tutorials to experiment with so I can perfect it. I saved my muslin, and had not put the collar on it, so I'll use that for practice.
















I also had some trouble edge stitching at the very point of the collar. I ripped out stitches a couple of times. Louise Cutting has a good tip which involves, pulling the opposing point under the back of the pressure foot when you approach the tip. The points are a mirror image and it provides the shim you need to keep your machine from struggling so much as it works the point. It's also a very pointy collar and mine aren't quite as crisp as I would want. Aren't we hard on ourselves?? Although my seams were sewn with a 2.0 stitch length, I did my top stitching in 3.0 and liked that on a light weight cotton. I often go longer on a top stitch, but this seems like the right look for this piece.

I really do like the look. It's a flattering shape and will be good to throw on over skinny jeans (lol) or capris for the summer.