Summer Vogue Patterns

There's some nice summer patterns at Vogue's website. I have included a few that caught my eye.

First off, I think I found my knitting bag pattern. It comes in two sizes. I love the gathers at the top of the bag. It's very stylish and doesn't scream "I'm a knitter". I might end up getting this pattern at the next Vogue sale.

Vogue 8590 - Totes & Bags


I like the style of this knit top. Not sure if I need another kimono looking sleeve top.

Vogue 8580 - Knit Tops


I love the style of this dress and the U-shaped neckline. I don't normally wear dresses, but this one is really cute. I may have to try this one.

Vogue 8571 - Knit Dress


This tunic caught my eye. Of course, I'm thinking of a shorter version for me. It looks simple, but I can see some minor design changes and endless fabric possibilities. I might end up getting this one as well.

Vogue 8585 - Woven Tops & Pants

Another Vogue 2925...Semi-Formal knit top completed

Can you stand to see another knit top from Vogue? Since I was on a roll with this top, I decided to make another using a fancy slinky knit that reminds me of lace. It only took an hour to whip up this fancy schmancy top. I bought this at G-Street Fabrics over the summer and I had a "V-8" moment. I already had this exact fabric in my stash...thanks to EmmaOneSock. If I remember right, this was a Chico's knit.

I plan on wearing this top to a fancy gala next summer. This puts the pressure off of wondering what to make at the last minute. Now, all I need to do is make one more formal something and I have 7 more months to figure that one out.

I love how a plan comes halfway together.

BWOF and Vogue on Me

Here is my BWOF knit tunic. I made the smallest size 38 which turned out to be quite big on me. I am wearing a black slinky knit tank top that I made last year underneath the tunic. I still have quite a bit of room.

I'm thinking of trimming off my seam allowances that I added to my pattern and giving this top another try. Maybe with a less stretchy knit fabric. What do you BWOF experts think?

Here I am modeling my new TNT V2925 in a size 12. The finished bust was about 34 inches. I am extremely happy with this size. Better fit and not snug at all like the size 10 version.

Both of of my latest sewing adventures are posted on PatternReview.com.

Another Vogue 2925...completed

Here's another wonderful version of Vogue 2925 knit top. This one is in a size 12. The fit is much better. Not as snug as the size 10. No alterations were needed. For the side seams I did sew a 3/8 inch seam allowance.

Does the fabric look familiar? I had made a long New Look knit skirt earlier this year and reviewed it on PR. I had enough fabric left over to make this top. I love the idea that I now have a matching two piece outfit.



Here are the pleats pinned at the shoulder. Instead of trying to mark the fabric with chalk or pencil, I use my pins to mark the pleat lines. Then I carefully fold over, matching the pins to create the pleat. I use a third pin to hold down the pleat until I baste it in place.





Here I am stitching the front shoulder seam. I also place a 1/4 inch twill tape in the stitching area. I find the twill tape does a great job stabilizing the seams.

I have serged the shoulder seam and made sure the serger has caught the twilll tape:


Here's a view of one of the shoulder seams completed. At this point I go ahead and serge the hem areas (neckline & armhole):


For the finished neckline, I turn over the neckline 3/8 inches (instead of 5/8 from pattern instructions) and pin. Notice the neckline is smooth:


Another TNT top is finished. I have a fantastic slinky knit that looks like lace that would be perfect for a dressy version.

I will be back later to post a picture of me wearing this new knit top and with the skirt I made this year.

Vogue 2925...Knit Top

I know...it's about time I started posting something about my sewing. Well, I am having a very productive sewing day. First, I managed to cut the fabric for my BWOF 12-2008-113 knit top. It is in my sewing queue ready to be stitched up.

Here is what I am working on now:


This the infamous Vogue 2925 ensemble pattern. I made the knit top. Can I mention that it was super easy?






Here's my knit top on SusieQ. I love the pleats at the front shoulder areas. I traced and cut a size 10. I found that the top was a bit snug using the 5/8 inch seam allowances. So I ripped out the side seams and re-sewed with 1/4 inch seams. A much better fit.

I absolutely love the neckline shape. It covers my front chest area nicely. The front shoulder pleats were easy to sew. The only time consuming part was folding over the neckline area and armholes and topstitching.

I still have to hem the bottom and it should be done.


My only heartache with this pattern is the size range. I bought the (6-8-10) pattern size for the knit top. If I want to make something else from this pattern (e.g. jacket, skirt), I have to purchase another pattern in size (12-14-16). Actually, I would like to try this knit top in a size 12 and I believe the next Vogue sale is this week. On my next version, I am going to add bindings to the neckline and armholes. I think it would be a nicer finish. This looks like a TNT pattern for me.

Adding More Vogue Patterns to My Ever Growing Stash

I am suppose to be teaching beginning sewing classes for the months October and November. I had to cancel this month's class since no one signed up. I am not surprised as folks are holding onto their $. It's no loss for me as I now have time devoted to sewing and embroidery.

As I was hanging out at Hancock's, I did catch their Vogue pattern sale. Here's my purchase:

As you can see, this is a pattern for close-fitting pullover knit tops. I have a lot of knits in my stash that I need to start sewing up (to make room for the piles of other fabrics sitting on my sewing room floor). I like this pattern for the basic designs and various neck treatments and sleeve variations. I thought I would give it a try as I have worn out my TNT Kwik Sew and Stretch & Sew knit top patterns.


I finally got this pattern. I've been catching Hancock's Vogue pattern sales for the last few months, but never found this pattern in my size. Wouldn't you know it...the pattern was mis-filed under a different pattern number. I found it through my persistent digging in the pattern cabinet! I've been reading a lot of great reviews on this pattern. Mostly for the knit top with gathered shoulders.


This is an Alice & Olivia pattern. I read a few reviews on this pattern and really loved the results I was seeing. I thought this would be a great pants pattern to try once I get my crotch curve done. For my personal taste, I would more than likely remove the flare at the bottom of the pants.


As I was thumbing through the pattern book, I kept coming back to this pattern. This pants pattern is for moderate stretch knits and they do list stretch woven as a suitable fabric. Looks like another great pattern to try once I figure out my what pants alterations I need to make.


I love this evening bag pattern. I love all the versions shown. I have a few special events to attend later this year and next year. This is my chance to use up some of my fancy brocade scraps/leftovers.

Now, I need to start making my official sewing to do list.

Next Vogue Projects & Other Things in the Works

Here are two Vogue patterns that are on my tracing/cutting table.

This is Vogue 8429. Loose fitting and lined jackets. I'm looking at making View A (jacket in the middle). The finished bust for a size 10 is around 37-1/2 inches. It will be interesting to see how loose fitting this jacket will be. What caught my eye are the pleats on the collar. I also like the shape of the patch pockets. Also, no buttons...just snaps. Pretty cool, if you ask me.


This dress is Vogue 8486. And you probably noticed the pleats on this dress. I'm not a dress person, but I picked up this pattern for the style. This is a slim fitting dress for moderate stretch knits only. Guess what I am going to do with this pattern? I am going to make a top. I am looking at View A (left dress), the sleeveless version. The finished bust for a size 10 is around 36 inches. This might work for me if I used a knit fabric with some stretch. If I use a really stretchy knit, I might end up with a size 8. I still need to take a flat pattern measurement. I might end up doing a muslin. We'll see.

As I mentioned, I'm at the tracing stage for both patterns. I still haven't picked out the fabrics. This is rare for me. Usually I have the fabric picked out before the pattern. Oh well.

No sewing today. I decided to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful humidless day. I did stop by G-Street with coupon in hand. I picked up this beautiful slinky knit. Doesn't it look like a lacy knit? Now, this slinky knit looks very familiar. I thought I saw this on EOS's site last year?

Another project in the works is a curtain panel. I found this sheer curtain fabric at Hancock's. I plan on making a privacy panel to hang over my doorway into my sewing room. I'm using a spring tension rod to hang the panel. That way I can keep my door open and keep folks from looking in and bothering me while I'm sewing.

In closing, I was just thinking that I could get used to these 3 day weekends.


And don't forget that September is National Sewing Month. You can find their link here: National Sewing Month

Vogue 8522 - Cropped Jacket with Kimono-type Sleeves is Done

I could not wait to finish this jacket. I quickly sewed the large snap and non-functional decorative button. The jacket is done. As you can see, I'm showing off my button.

I've managed to keep my goal for the year...sew at least two garments a month. August turned out to be a very productive month for me (and that included losing my sewing mojo for a week or two). I ended up sewing three jackets.

Tomorrow is another sewing adventure. I hope my fellow sewists (US) are enjoying their long weekend.

Vogue 8522 Jacket...Almost Done

Here's my wearable muslin jacket from Vogue 8522. I love how the front of the jacket looks. Actually, the fabric has grown on me and I think the colors are okay with my skin tone. When I laid out the pattern pieces on the fabric, I made sure I didn't incorporate the orange flowers that I would wear near my skin (e.g. collar).

Here's the back. I'm not too sure I like the back of the jacket on me. There's a lot of folds between the arm and the shoulder. Don't get me wrong, the jacket is comfortable and roomy. It's probably something I need to get used to. It looks like the size 10 is the right size for me. When I make view B with the longer kimono-like sleeves, the length of the sleeves look like it will be a true long sleeves on me versus the 3/4 type sleeve shown on the envelope. I may not doing any adjustments to the sleeves.

This jacket is "very easy" to sew, just like it says on the pattern envelope. The instructions are straight forward.

Here's a button I found at G-Streets (pinned to my jacket). It's 1-3/16 or 30mm in size. All I have left to do is sew one large snap to hold the front shut and then sew this decorative button in the front. I contemplated sewing a buttonhole instead. I don't think I've ever made a buttonhole that big. So, I might end up doing some hand sewing and put in the large snap instead.

Once I finish sewing the snap and button, I will post my review on PR. As always, I'll also include pictures of me wearing this jacket. Stay tuned....

So, do you think the jacket came out okay?

My Next Vogue Jacket

I am lining up my Fall sewing projects. (Yes, Adrienne...I did say the word Fall). I plan on trying out some new jacket patterns as well as sewing some knit tops. I can't believe it has been over a year since I made a knit top. That means my other sewing machine has been idle. Shame on me.

When the new Fall Vogue Patterns came out (a few posts back...early July), this pattern caught my eye. I love the style, cropped, kimono looking sleeves, and one buttonhole. This jacket is also lined. At the moment, I am torn between View A and B (both with the shawl collar...black and green jacket). View A is with the shorter sleeve.

I traced out a size 10. The finished bust is around 38 inches. This should fit me without any alterations. Now, all I need to do is select the fabrics: jacket and lining and one gorgeous button. The recommended fabrics for this pattern is lightweight woolens, lightweight denim and lightweight jersey. I pulled out two fabrics from my stash. One is a brown/black/burgundy cotton print and the other is a brown/silver/black polyester print. I might end up using both fabrics and sew up both view A and B. I love it when a plan comes together.

All I need to do is find some lining. I was hoping that G-Street would have a sale this month. Since I have the two Butterick jackets to sew, I can put this Vogue jacket on hold for another week or so until G-Street has their Labor Day sale.

My 1 yard of brocade from EOS came in the mail today. I enjoy doing puzzles, so I'm looking forward to laying out my Butterick pattern pieces onto this small piece of fabric. Wish me luck.

New This Week...

So, what's new this week? My first copy (subscription-wise) of BWOF arrived in my mailbox today. It's their July issue and let me tell you, there are some really cute summery/warm weather outfits in this issue. Can you tell? I'm not ready to think about sewing Fall clothes...the heavy fabrics and long sleeves, etc. As long as it's still hot and humid in my neck of the woods, I'm still sewing summer clothes.

Also, new this week is the Vogue Patterns Fall collection. Adrienne kindly mentioned in her blog that Vogue has posted their patterns online. Here are my favorites so far. V8513...knit dress:


I love the style of this V8522 jacket:



And new for this week and for my next project...KwikSew 3614. Yes, I know it's another shorts pattern. And yes, I know I have been working on KS2840 and isn't that enough? Well, no. I compared KS2840 front and back pieces against the newer KS3614 pattern pieces. There's enough difference between the two patterns...that warrants me to give it a try. KS3614 is cut lower in the front piece and the back piece already incorporates the 1/2 crotch point that I added to the previous pattern. Also, the length of the longest shorts is 9" which will hit right above my knee. I may not have to do any alterations. We'll see. What prompted me to look at this pattern was the PR reviews by cabinbaby and Karen6790 and the good results they received.

I have a lot of sewing and BWOF pattern ogling already planned for the upcoming weekend.

What's next on your sewing list?

No time to sew...Have you had this problem?

I have been so busy that I haven't had time to sew or even think about it. Sewing is a part of my life. When I don't sew, I can be quite irritable and impatient. And I smile less. Sad, isn't it?


I finally had a few hours to myself this afternoon. I pulled a Vogue pattern from my to do stash and decided to trace the pattern. Here is Vogue 8499, a Marcy Tilton skirt.

I have finished tracing the 4 pattern pieces (center front, front side, back, and the pocket). Okay, I am getting motivated.

Here's the fabric and one of the 3 zippers I plan on using. This is a blue/lavender rayon and spandex woven I found at Hancock's for $2.95/yard. I love the color of the fabric, but not sure about the color of the zipper.

I'm looking forward to getting back into my "sewing zone" and come up with something creative or inspirational for this skirt. If anything, I just need to turn on my SM and start sewing. *Sigh*

Vogue 8398 - The Cropped Black Jacket

I am finally getting around to taking pictures of my cropped black jacket. At first, I was not sure if I liked the look on me. I am getting used to it. I think I would feel a lot better if I made one in a print. I especially adore the black and white square fabric that is featured on the pattern envelope. I love black and white fabric and I am so glad to see this color combination at my local fabric store (e.g. Hancock's).

My version is a combination of view A and view B. I used the main jacket of View B (collar-less and below elbow sleeve), but used the rounded bottom of View A. Did that make any sense??

So, here I am wearing the jacket and providing you with 3 views (front, back, and side).

I am not so sure I like the side view. No wonder the pattern companies only provide the front and back views on their patterns.

My Susie-Q is always borrowing my garments and patiently waits for me to take pictures of her showing them off.