Hello, Friends! I have been so busy sewing the past few weeks, yet I haven't been posting many finished projects here. With all the rain we have had lately, photo shoots have been near impossible. So, when the sun peaked out this afternoon I knew it was time to photograph a few outfits! Without further ado:
Please excuse my very squinty eyes, and extremely flat hair! If ever there was a time that I should have worn sunglasses for a photo shoot, today was the day. I had good Southern "higher the hair closer to God" hair going on, and the minute I walked in to the humidity it fell. In less than a minute outside my hair and face were drenched. Is it possible to have 110% humidity? I told my husband we weren't breathing the air this afternoon, we were drinking it.
Enough about the weather, we are here to talk sewing. Inspired my Mary over at
Idle Fancy and
her original version of Butterick 5997, I purchased this
lovely floral voile from Mood Fabrics. Let's talk about this fabric for a minute. It is so soft and light and it just feels magnificent against the skin. I am tempted to go back and buy it in the
other color too!
Here are some of the details for the Butterick 5997 tunic. I decided to sew the View A tunic, and make some modifications to get a bell sleeve. I intend to do a full on construction post later in the week, and I will spill all the details there as to how I made this tunic fit (because it certainly doesn't go up to my size), as well as some things I would change next time around.
I love the neckline of this tunic. I have always been a fan of v-necks and love the Mandarin collar. I decided to go with the view that has front shoulder yokes with gathers, as opposed to the pintucks that Mary went with. I love the look of the pintucks, but since my machine has been acting up, I didn't want to need to sew something more precise.
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| Butterick 5997 Tunic with Gathered Shoulders and Mandarin Collar |
I added a six inch side slit for sitting ease through the hips. I think it is a shame that this pattern was not drafted with this feature, as any longer tunic should offer this option.
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| Butterick 5997 with added Side Slit |
The back of the tunic has a shirttail hem, which is another detail that I love. It is actually long enough to cover my whole derriere.
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| Butterick 5997 |
This tunic is my start to bridging my wardrobe towards Fall. It is cool enough to wear now when I need sleeves, but will give me some coverage in the Fall that will layer well with a long sweater vest. Again, I LOVE this fabric! The tunic needs a few minor tweaks, but I am quite happy with it as well.
On to the shorts. These are the
Style Arc Jennifer City Shorts. You may remember the first time that I made them
here. The ladies at Style Arc went above and beyond to fix the issues that I has with the original pattern. I decided that I would trust the ladies' from Style Arc work and dove in to making these shorts in a Cerulean Blue twill that was in the stash, which has no stretch.
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| StyleArc Jennifer City Shorts Plus Size |
As you can see above, the Jennifer City Shorts have a low front waist band. The slash pockets surprisingly don't bulge. These shorts may be a little long for some people's taste, but I quite like the length. They would be easy enough to shorten though.
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| StyleArc Jennifer City Shorts Plus Size |
As you can see, I have a very ample and rounded plus size behind. I was very surprised that without any adjustments these shorts fit in the behind. That never happens! I love that little side slit in these shorts as well.
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| StyleArc Jennifer City Shorts Plus Size |
I find the yoke in the back of the shorts to be very flattering. There are again just a few minor tweaks the pattern needs to look smooth. These are issues specific to my body and not the pattern's fault.
So friends, tell me are you already sewing with an eye towards Fall?
Great outfit - I particularly like the top! I've fallen down the Lagenlook/Tina Givens rabbit hole and have made. A few of this style of garments - just need to think how that translates to Autumn garments!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Twotoast! I think Lagenlook easily transitions in to Autumn. Those styles layer beautifully!
DeleteSuch a great outfit Alicia!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Candice!
DeleteLove the outfit, Alicia! Looks fabulous on you. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Andie! If I am being truthful, I like the two pieces better as separates than as an outfit. What was in my head didn't translate well once it went under the needle!
DeleteGorgeous colors on you. I really like the vee neck with mandarin collar --very flattering.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy! With more tweaks I am sure I will end up sewing this pattern many times over.
DeleteI'm starting to think about fall sewing, too, but that may have something to do with the WEEKS of 100F+ days we've had here! I could definitely use a couple of tunics for the fall like the very pretty one you've made here. What a useful piece!
ReplyDeleteThanks, STH! For me, I think once I start buying school supplies my brain wanders to boot and sweater weather. My son's school starts back in less than two weeks.
DeleteI love your new outfit! The two fabrics go together really nicely.
ReplyDeleteI also have an ample, plus behind, and I've found that generally pants with yokes (like the City Shorts have) fit me better back there. My theory is that the yoke back there acts similarly to a princess seam, giving a better, smoother shape.
That's great insight Michelle! Thanks.
DeleteLove the top and the shorts!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chris! Omg, those American Girl doll clothes you make are precious.
DeleteHi, the top and shorts both are stunning. Looking very beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteWhat a beautiful outfit. I love the fabric and your shorts are a great fit. Weather where you are sounds awful. Love the quote "higher the hair, closer to God". Still laughing. Xx
ReplyDeleteMoR, I didn't see you had commented. We moved to the Midwest to get away from the heat and humidity of the Southern US. Instead, we got the worst of the humidity, the tornadoes, and record amounts of snowfall in the Winter! Blah!
Delete