Thursday, August 18, 2011

StyleArc - Terry Tie Cardi

More pics

To be honest, I bought this pattern against my better judgement. It was in my first order from Style Arc, so I've felt guilty as it languished. I just loved the design, but I was not sure that the style would work on me. And yet, now that it's finished, I think it does. At least I hope so. :)

This cardigan has shoulder tucks and ties to close the front. As designed, the ties are sewn into vertical darts. I changed this detail a bit.

Materials:

  • Organic bamboo double-knit in slate blue. 98% bamboo, 2% lycra. As of this writing, they have 46 yards remaining. One side is a small rib and the other is smooth. It is a double fabric - you can actually separate the two fabrics. It is very soft and I machine washed and dried it. It came from the dryer a little worse for wear. I think that this fabric might pill over time, so it might last longer if it's not machine dried. The following pic shows the ribbed side, but I used the smooth side for the cardi, which seemed a bit less distressed. I would almost describe this fabric as a fine sweatering.
  • Black tricot knit interfacing to reinforce the back neck and the two buttonholes.

Alterations and modifications:

  • I started with the size 16. As usual for a size 16 Style Arc pattern, I added a 3" y-shaped FBA. However, this time I did a "normal" FBA, where the fullness extended to the front hem. I did this because I suspected I might need the fullness for the tied front, as my waist is much larger than a size 16 indicates. I think this was the correct decision. I rotated the dart fullness to the shoulder, where it translated into additional tucks.
  • I didn't mark the location of the ties when I cut out the cardigan. I knew that if I used the ties, I wouldn't place them where the pattern indicated. Once I had the garment on the body, I decided I liked the fullness gathered at navel height. But I didn't want to use the ties. I liked how it looked when I secured the fullness with a safety pin. When I was talking to Chloe (about something else), I mentioned that I had to figure out another way to secure the draping, and she suggested inserting the tie between two buttonholes. I loved this elegant but simple solution. I put the garment on and marked where I wanted the buttonholes. I reinforced the area with fusible tricot.
  • I widened the upper sleeve 1" (1/2" on each side) and tapered that to nothing.
  • For the tie, I wanted a thin tie. I cut over 3 yards of fabric from the selvedge. It was approx 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" wide (I didn't measure it.) I sewed 1/4" from the fold for the entire length. I didn't trim the 3/8" raw edges so when I turned the tube inside out, the tube was slightly "stuffed." I trimmed the ends to clean them up and tied them into a knot.
  • I didn't hem this, but I might need to if the fabric starts separating on me. To be honest, I used this fabric because I didn't mind if the project was a wadder. Now I want to make it up in some favorite fabrics.

Conclusion

I love this top! It is more flattering than I expected. The gathers at the waist detract from the bust and also detract from the belly. I love the shoulder tucks. I plan to make this again, maybe even several more. :)

Pictures

StyleArc - Sailor Sue Palazzo Pant

I don't think I've ever taken pics in my back yard before.

Another great pants pattern from Style Arc!

The Sailor Sue pant is, at first glance, similar to the Linda pant.

What are the differences?

The Linda pant is designed for stretch wovens. The Sailor Sue is designed for knits, such as a "cotton jersey with spandex, or any knit with spandex that is soft and drapey." I used a ponte for mine. Both pants have a straight leg. (The drawing for the Sailor Sue pant suggests that it might be a bit flared, but it is not.) The Sailor Sue pant has a wider leg than the Linda, but both are straight. For my size 10s, the Linda pant has a hem circumference of 18.5 inches and the Sailor Sue has a hem circumference of 22.5 inches. The Linda pant has a shaped waistband, and the Sailor Sue has the elastic sewn directly to the pant.

Both sew up in no time and I love both! (It takes less time to sew either pant that it does to drive to the mall and shop for pants.)

I used a cranberry ponte from FabricMart. I bought this fabric several months ago its no longer on the website, so I'm not sure of the exact fiber content, but I hope it's not the ponte that pills badly. :)

I made the pants exactly out of the envelope with a couple minor changes. First, I sewed on a waistband. I prefer a waistband. :) I cut off two inches from the hem, so they are a bit long for me. That's it!

I also sewed up another Linda pant but have no pics of it. I have a stash of stretch wovens, so I may be making several more pair. ;)