Another Liberty KwikSew 3880

I'm on a roll with KwikSew 3880. It's nice to find a well-fitting, easy to sew pattern. I'm actually thinking of lengthening this into a dress - maybe for Sydney Frocktails which is coming up in February. What do you think?

This fabric is my second piece of Liberty jersey bought during The Fabric Store's recent sale. It's a lovely print, but like my last piece of Liberty jersey a total nightmare to work with (super curly). Never again!

This top is exactly the same has my last Liberty KwikSew 3880 - no changes at all.

Neckband...again a total nightmare to attach as the fabric was SO curly. It could possibly be a tad tighter but life's to short to bother unpicking it and trying again.

So, I've had my foray into Liberty jersey. Very pretty and lovely to wear but I'm not sure the stress of sewing it is worth it.
-----

Pattern: KwikSew 3880
Size: Size XL, Size M for height at neckline
Modifications: I doubled the width of their skinny skinny neckband and added 6" to the length of it as this fabric doesn't have a lot of stretch. 
Fabric: 100% Liberty cotton knit from The Fabric Store
Changes for next time: none

Top 5 misses of 2016

It's quite hard to narrow down my top misses for 2016. Not because I have so few but because it's hard to define exactly what constitutes a sewing fail.

When I started compiling this list I had 10 items on it...which is a lot. Many of them are an "okay pattern" that suffered from a bad fabric choice by me. I've decided to remove those from my list of 2016 and focus on those makes where the pattern really went wrong for me.

So here we go...

1. Seamwork Wembley Cardigan

There's nothing good to say about this cardigan. It's ill-fitting and gapes weirdly at the neckline. The sleeves are neither long nor short - just an odd length. I actually made THREE toiles of this (as I'm clearly insane and a sucker for punishment) trying to get it to work. Waste. Of. Fabric. Into the bin you go!

2. Seamwork Mesa Dress

Another Seamwork pattern that was a massive fail on me. WHY can I not find a dress pattern that works for me! This fitted me so badly that there's no photographic evidence of it on my body. Time to move away from Seamwork patterns I think (though my first Oslo Cardigan did turn out okay just FYI).

3.  Moneta/Lady Skater mash-up

Still on the hunt for a dress pattern I moved away from Seamwork and back to Colette's Moneta Dress with a Lady Skater Skirt as I cannot face gathering a skirt using elastic. The first time I made a toile of this pattern I sewed the XL bodice and nearly had to be cut out of it. This version is the size 2XL and it fits on my body...but badly. When I look at the pattern pieces the front and back bodice are the same...what? The fat rolls on my back are definitely not size DD! The neck is too high, the armholes too small/high and it feels weird. 

4. Marianne Dresses #1 and #2

I'm about to give up on dresses! The fabric on this dress is great but it looks awful on me in real life. Really! The neckline is WAY to high/small for my liking and the sleeves are too small for the sleeve head so it's tight and uncomfortable. 

For my second attempt at this dress I left off the sleeves -- good in theory but the fabric is too stiff and really hot and sweaty. Get. Off. My. Body. I lowered the neckline a bit but it's still too high *chokes*. I'm willing to give this pattern one more try - in better fabric with an adjusted neckline so I can breath.

5. Rae Skirt

I actually thought I liked the Sewaholic Rae Skirt but now that I'm trying to finish up a second in chambray I've decided it's not for me. The length is a bit dowdy and I am not having fun trying to install the waist elastic (couldn't get that part right in this not wearable toile either). I think the chambray Rae might =  UFO.

That's all folks...

---

Top 5 hits (plus 2) of 2016

I'm joining in again on Crafting a Rainbow's Top 5 for 2016.

Looking through my blog of makes for 2016 it's actually good to see so many successful garments (thought I'm still yet to nail making a decent, comfortable dress - maybe next year). I found it hard to pick just five as I'm basing my "top 5" on most worn/most loved...so you're getting a bonus two (Merry Xmas)!

1.   Brooklyn Coat

I'm pretty chuffed with this Brooklyn Coat and wore it most of winter, including a trip to Melbourne where it kept me snugly warm. It was easy to sew (once I finally put the pockets on the right way) and is super comfortable to wear. It will see me through next winter for sure! A definite win!

2. Kimono Tee

I made about a billion Kristen Kimono Tee's during 2016 and this isn't necessarily my favourite but it's pretty close. It gets worn a lot, event to work which is saying something (mostly that it's comfortable and I like it)!

3. Linden Sweater as a dress

I think this is one of the first times I modified a pattern (go me). On top of that it actually worked! This is the third version of this dress that I've made (the first a too-big muslin, the second a grey version like this blue one) but this is my favourite. I didn't top stitch the neckline down on this one which makes it just a bit more stretchy and comfortable.

4. Mandy Boat Tees

I made both of these Mandy Boat Tees at the same time and they have both gone in to high rotation - both for work and play. I've sewn both of them with a deepish hem and I love the way that looks. I've also stopped using wondertape to turn under the neckline so it's much more stretchy with good recovery.

5. Megan Longline Cardigan

I was convinced this cardi would not fit me until I tried on a sized M sample in store at Tessuti. It was snug but fit (happy dance)...so the XL I've made here is perfect. This got a lot of wear last autumn as things cooled down.

6. Mabel Skirt

I was having a lot of hits and misses with the drafted waistband of the Mabel Skirt so I decided to try and extend the waistband to allow for some wide 5cm elastic. Perfect! This was my toile of the modification to see if it would work out and this skirt has gone in to high rotation...I only wish the fabric was less "man-made" as it's way to hot to wear for the majority of summer.

7. Kwiksew 3880

This top is the very first "non-Indie" pattern that I've sewn since starting to sew about 3 years ago. Because I've made quite a few tops by now I didn't follow the instructions so I have no idea if they are any good. And for the fit I just overlaid this pattern onto the Kristen Kimono Tee to assess the size - all good! I'm thinking of lengthening this top into a dress -- seeing as I've had such bad luck with dress patterns from Indie designers. Desperate times.

And there you have it -- a rather successful year, especially considering the spate of duds I had when I first started sewing.