Jalie Eleonore and Yoko, a match made in heaven!

So, y'all probably have noticed by now that I'm a bit of a Jalie fangirl. I sew their patterns a lot for everyone in my family, and I have always been happy with my results.

So, when Jalie released the Yoko top for FREE, naturally I was quick to download it!! And then I sat on it, because I just haven't had the time to sew that I wish I had.

But then I made a pair of Eleonores in basic black, because everyone needs black pants, right? I've made quite a few pairs of these (see here), so I won't go into great detail about them, but I did do a few fun things...

Rainbow metallic unicorn and dragon pockets were a must! I love fun back pockets, even on "basic" black pants.

I also added real pockets to the front. The pattern is drafted with a faux pocket, which is kind of a pain to sew, and also irritates me every time I try to put my hand in it. Now they are real pockets! Jalie offers an add-on to the pattern, if you want your own front pockets. I drafted them myself though.

But this blog post is about the Yoko! Did I mention it's a free pattern?! Go download it! It's a basic loose fitting tee with a dropped shoulder, long sleeves and a turtleneck. It's a super quick sew!

I made mine out a a nice, slinky ITY jersey. I love how it flows when I wear it! I've seen it made out of pretty much every knit imaginable, and it always looks awesome.

I did make on wee alteration to mine - I just can't leave well enough alone. Since I was planning to wear it with skinny jeans, I wanted more of a tunic look, so I added 2 inches to the length in front and 4 inches in back. When I sewed the side seams, I left the last couple of inches open as a vent. The top is loose enough that I don't need it for ease, but I like the look.

You can see it here as well. Another feature I love about this top is the sleeve. It's nice and long, but snug enough that I can push it up to get a 3/4 sleeve look as well.

I may have started out to sew basic pants, but I don't think I ended up with anything basic at all! I love this outfit, and feel like a total rock star in it!

Disco Fever!

As you may have noticed, blogging hasn't been a big priority lately. But I had such fun sewing this, I wanted to write about it. Let's see if I remember how to do this...

It all started with the jeans. I really needed jeans. I love my Jalie jeans, but you know, sometimes a girl needs something new and fun. So, this is Simplicity 7146, published in 1974. I seriously love all the fun details in this pattern. And that super high waistline! So me.

The back yoke is SO COOL! It curves down to the side seams in such a flattering way. It was not the funnest to sew... But worth it!! I did add the back pockets. They may not have needed a place for their phones back in '74, but I do! I echoed the yoke stitching in my pocket design. I didn't want to lose that nice curve. I also added star shaped rivets. Because fun.

Those wide legs!! I love them!!! Alexa has played so much disco lately, both as I sewed and then again for pictures. Gotta get into the groove, baby!

For fit, I compared the pattern to my trusty Jalie, and it was an exact match. Like, seriously, I'm tempted to go find every pants pattern Simplicity published in 1974. How often do pants fit right out of the envelope?? I have lost a few pounds since the last pair of Jalies I made, so I took out 5/8 inch from the side seams before I added the waistband, but no other changes were needed. *Cue chorus of angels*

I'm seriously loving the high waisted rear view. I think the higher pockets and stitching are really flattering. This 40 year old butt will take all the visual lift it can get!

Sadly, my wardrobe is deficient in appropriately retro tops!! Burda magazine to the rescue. A peasant top has such an awesome 70's vibe, I flipped through at least a decade of burda back issues before I found the perfect one in 02/2010.

I think the cropped, blousy top is a nice complement to the wide leg jeans. I love the waistband, which reduces the likelihood of wardrobe malfunctions that might arise in a cropped top, and does a nice job visually cinching the waist.

The fabric is a mystery synthetic given to me years ago. It's stretchy and reasonably drapey, so there's gotta be some lycra in there somewhere. The print is a paisley in muted pinks and burgundy, with pops of bright apple green. You can see here that the top is quite voluminous. I don't think it would be very flattering in a crisper fabric, but it works in this.

Since the style is pretty unfitted, I didn't bother with an FBA, but I did shorten the neckband by about 2 inches and gathered it in tighter so that the neckline wouldn't drape off the shoulder as the pattern intended. Worked a treat! The neckline shape is very nice and hugs the body well.

You can see the pattern details a bit better in back. The neckband and waistband are shirred with elastic to give the pattern shape. I used my Singer 127 treadle to do the shirring. It was quite a workout, but really fun. The sleeves are gathered into bands which gives them nice puffiness without too much volume.

I've already worn these jeans a ton, so I know they're going to be a wardrobe workhorse. I love it when truly retro/vintage items work so well in a modern wardrobe.

McCalls 6794 top and some Eleonore jeans

I love a quick knit top, which is probably why my dresser is full of them, but there is just something a little classier about a top made from a woven fabric. It stops being "just a tee shirt" and, even in a casual, easy wearing style, becomes something a little nicer.

This top is McCalls 6794, which is sadly now OOP. When I bought the pattern, I was so excited about it, but something kept getting in the way of sewing it. I'm glad I finally did. It's darn cute and comfortable!

I made view C, which the model on the envelope is wearing. It features a high-low hemline, cut on, dropped sleeves and a bias faced neckline. The pattern utilizes a contrast fabric for the midriff panel and ties, but I thought there was enough going on with my print and used self fabric.

From the back, you can see the hemline a little better. The fitting in this top is all achieved by the waist tie and the front gathering. It's got a LOT of ease - I sewed 2 sizes smaller than called for by my measurements and made no alterations for my full bust. There's plenty of room for the girls in all that gathering.

My fabric is a polyester charmeuse that has been in my stash long enough that I've forgotten its origins. I likely bought it intending to use it for lining, as I rarely use poly charmeuse for garments, but it does have an excellent drape for this top, and gathers well without adding bulk. For this top, you definitely need a lightweight fabric with plenty of drape! Rayon challis, silk charmeuse or chiffon, or even a lightweight voile would work well.

So, I finished my top, so proud of myself for having used both stash fabric and pattern, and realized that I didn't have anything to wear it with. This shape doesn't really work with my flared jeans and all my skinny jeans were printed or bright colors.

So, I whipped out my trusty Jalie Eleonore pattern and some Ralph Lauren denim I got at Mood a couple of years ago and made some skinny jeans.

I won't talk more about the Eleonores - I love this pattern and I've made it several times - but I am glad this top pushed me to finally make a pair in regular denim. I mean, as regular as I ever get, you know. The denim is shot with gold threads... Because that's how I roll.

Ottobre, with Sprinkles on top

So many things I should be sewing, but I really wanted to make this cute outfit from the 06/2016 issue of Ottobre. So I put the practical on hold in favor of the cute.

Myra's a fan. I'm always happy when something I created makes her want to dance.

Both pieces are packed with adorable details. The top (06/2016, #29, the Shy Eyes tunic) has a triangular shape which comes to points at the side seams. The flattened hemline is filled in with an adorable ruffle. The fabric I used is a digital printed jersey from Kitschy Coo, although I got it a few years ago so this print is no longer in stock.

Just in case sprinkles and ruffles weren't enough cuteness, I added a graphic decal to the front. The black is glitter and the shadow layer is pink metallic. It's hard to see them in photos, but there are also large multicolored, flocked sprinkles surrounding the words.

The pants (#30, also from the 06/2016 issue) are a slim leg style with an elastic waistband. While they are similar in shape to the Jalie Elenore pant, there are a few critical differences that made me want to try these out. The fabric is pink stretch corduroy left over from these jeans. It was nice to get the last of that out of the stash, but it is a very soft corduroy, perfect for comfy, kid pants.

From the rear, the inset heart was the detail that made me want to sew these. So cute!! Also a huge pain, but worth it. I think it's adorable and so does Myra. You can also peep the cute little keyhole in the back neckline of the tunic. Ottobre doesn't miss a trick. I love all the great details.

Another nice feature of these is functional front pockets. I did some hearts as the pocket topstitching, just for fun, and because I feel like Vera's decorative stitching is sadly underutilized. Myra likes them. Hearts, ruffles, sprinkles and glitter can't lose! She's already worn it two days in a row, so It's a win for sure.

Jalie Eleonore, with sparkles

Well, the inevitable fall weather has finally hit us here in Eastern Tennessee, and fortunately I had an outfit all ready for Myra! She's been agitating for a pair of jeans "but fancy like yours, not from the store" for a while. And really, how can I refuse a request like that?!

Of course, the fancy part of her descriptor meant she wanted embroidery and sparkles. As you wish.

Myra prefers her jeans with a slim leg, so I went with the Jalie Eleonore pull on jeans. The pattern is great and given that the pants don't have zipper or buttons, they're a quick sew. Which is a good thing, as my sewing time has been pretty sporadic lately.

I made the same alteration for Myra that I did for myself. In the interest of booty coverage, I raised the back waist 3/4 of an inch (by increasing the height of the yoke at CB). I also shortened the elastic piece in the back waistband and stretched it as I basted it in. This pulls in the back waistband to cover Myra's backside.

For the embroidery on the front, I did a flourish with stars. I used a new-to-me applique technique that uses Glitter Flake heat transfer vinyl in the place of fabric. The big benefit of this method is that the HTV doesn't have to be cut away during the applique process - it rips away! Super fast and easy! And glitter-tastic, so Myra is definitely a fan!

The back pockets are embellished with purple unicorns, tiny glitter stars and swooshes. I used the rip-away applique method again here and it was amazing. I'd never have been able to applique those tiny stars with fabric. The trimming would have been too tedious.

As a finishing touch, I embellished a RTW sweatshirt with a dark purple glitter flake unicorn, to coordinate with her back pocket design. She was pretty thrilled with her new outfit, and declared that I am the best mom ever. So that was a win all around.

Jalie 2908 sewing jeans!

Jeans! The leaves are turning and it's getting chilly, which always makes me want to sew jeans and jackets.

Jeans were a real wardrobe need too, so it worked out to my advantage. Basics like a good pair of dark wash jeans are always useful!

Of course, the pattern is Jalie 2908. I think this is the 9th pair I've made, so I've tweaked the pattern so many different times that I'm not sure Emelie would recognize it if she saw it!

This time, I altered the hip curve by about 1/4 inch. Not a major change, but I like the feel better. Definitely more comfortable. The fabric is a Ralph Lauren stretch denim from Mood. It has cool crosshatch threads running all through it that gives the jeans an interesting look.

I did all the topstitching with embroidery thread instead of jeans topstitching thread. I really like the look! I little more subtle than jeans thread, but with more shine. I chose the color (University of Texas orange) to match my pocket embroidery. It's pretty close to the classic jeans gold.

Of course, the pockets are the best part! I went with a vintage sewing theme. Both designs are from Embroidery Library. They were fun to stitch out, except for the flowers. I chose a tweed rayon thread for the flowers, and it was super finicky. I had to stitch out the flowers at a snail's pace with thread conditioner and still got quite a bit of breakage. In the end though, I love the result. The roses have a lovely depth of color.

Yay for my new favorite jeans! I could definitely use another pair in the rotation, but I've a few other projects on the backburner first. Lots to do!