Review - Butterick 5249

Front View

Back View

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
The only think that I disliked initially is that the instructions recommended that you hem the skirt by hand. However, I found this to be quite relaxing once I got into it. I have never hemmed anything by hand.
Fabric Used:
Stretch cranberry corduroy from my collection.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I cut a size 12 but ended up taking in about 1" on the side seam (rather than the recommended 5/8"). I think that would have placed me closer to a 10. I am a little apprehensive about cutting a 10 next go round since I had a stretch material this time which could accommodate being snugger. I don't know if a 10 will be too tight or am I truly somewhere between a 10 and 12.
The hip area did not fit me correctly. When I initially tried on the skirt, the hip area ballooned out. I changed the shape by sewing a slightly angled line in that area and it hugged my curves correctly.
I did the facing differently. See techniques section below for the link. I attached the facing directly to the zipper.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes. I would love this in a stretch denim.
New Techniques I learned:
Click on technique for more information -
How to install an invisible zipper Click here
How to mimic RTW facings Click Here
Hemming by hand Click Here
Conclusion:
I love the way this skirt fits. I didn't think I could do the high waist since I am naturally high waisted. Now my confession...while finishing one of the raw edges of the panels, my fabric flipped over and I cut through a very visible area of my skirt. I cried, seriously. It's right on my bum - can't see it in the photo but it is there. I guess I could wear a long sweater or a shirt out like my photo. Anyway I was bound and determined to finish this since my goal was to increase my sewing skills. Mission accomplished but I am not sure if I will ever wear this. Oh well!


Now I have some questions. When finishing seams do you typically leave them open like I have below or serge them together. I also think I didn't need to fold over the raw edge of my hem but could have simply left it flat since I serged the edge, resulting in a less bulky finish. What type of hand stitch is typically used for a hem?

Hand Sewing

I am half way done with hand sewing the hem of my skirt. The directions instruct you to do this and I was not feeling it until I emailed Erica B. (she made this skirt awhile ago in a different view). She was kind enough to respond and yep she hemmed her skirt by hand. That is not what I wanted to hear since I have never hand sewn a hem or done any hand sewing for that matter. So I start researching hand sewing. I used sewing books, magazines, and on-line resources. I like a hand sewing video series on monkeysee.com. Very clear and easy to follow. Check it out if you are new to hand sewing like me. I have listed the link to the intro but you should be able to see all the featured stitches.

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/2144-how-to-sew-by-hand

Should be done tomorrow.

I'm Still Around

I am still in the land of the living. My sewing room is back in tack but I had to set-up shop in the same place. My hubby and his father came up with a solution to handle the water that gets into the basement. Not sure when they are going to execute it since we are due to get a couple days of rain. I hope they get it done soon.
I was the book fair coordinator at my kids' school so that consumed two weeks - still doing the follow-up stuff. I am glad the fair is over, I need to train someone. This is the 3rd one I've done. I should have something(s) to post this weekend.

Cheers!

Refashion - DIY TeenVogue

I was over at Wardrobe Refashion and someone posted a link to TeenVogue where they are featuring quite a few DIY and Refashion ideas. The cool thing is they have known designers sharing the ideas like Tory Burch, Jason Wu, Peter Som, etc. Of course they are appealing to the younger set but if you are into refashion and DIY style you'll definitely be inspired.
I think the Tory Burch v-neck & shirt combo is cute. Go check it out.

photo from TeenVogue

I'm Back, Well Not Really

I got back from the mountains of West Virginia on Wednesday night all ready to get my skirt done. I worked on it for a little while on Thursday since my little guy goes to preschool this day. I got up this morning at 6 am to knock it out and guess what I find in my sewing area - water, water, everywhere. Yep, my area in the basement flooded. So I moved stuff around and this afternoon my hubby will bring a shop-vac from his office to clean up the water. My sewing area is in disarray and I'm not very happy. Looks like I will not finish my garment this month. Blimey! I may have to set up a whole new area which could takes weeks. Arrggghhh!So I am back but not back to sewing anytime soon.

On a happy note we did have a good time in WV snowboarding and skiing. Here are some pics of the trip.

What's Going On?

I mentioned in my previous post that I experienced some creep when sewing my back seam. This occurred again when sewing together one of the back panels. See picture below - the bottom of the skirt is at the top of the photo. The first 2 panels do not line up but the last 2 panels line up. My material is a stretch corduroy. When I pin my pieces together they line up just fine but as I am sewing the material starts to creep. Does anyone know what's going on? I don't think I cut my pieces that off, but who knows.

The Zipper is In

I finally got the invisible zipper into my skirt and it wasn't too bad. I used a variation of the tutorials I posted previously. I used my standard zipper foot but I think I will purchase an invisible zipper foot in the future to see if it makes a difference. I do have an issue though. When sewing the seam under the zipper, I experienced some serious creep - as in my hem line between the two pieces joined is not matched (off by almost 1/2"). I ripped out the seam and tried it again, but the same thing happened. I think the skirt will be a tad too long as is so it will work out but that was strange.

I am going to attach the facings to the skirt using a method I stumbled across while reading Dawn's blog. She has a link to a tutorial on RTW style zipper facings. I have never completed a facing - yep I've got 2 skirts that are UFO's because I stopped at the facings. I told you guys I am scary when it comes to sewing new things. I guess I get a bonus goal to accomplish since I decided to take on zippers using a skirt pattern. Here's my zipper. Oh yeah I'm up in the mountains so this was done last week but I was packing for this trip.