MAGAM Challenge : February Plans

A little late with my February plans. I haven't found much time in the sewing room in the last couple of weeks. In honor of Valentine's Day I searched thru my fabric stash and looked for something that fit the occasion. I found this fuchsia poly shantung left over from a previous project. I have just under 1 yard. The powder pink is also a poly shantung. I bought this on clearance for I think $2/yard. There are several yards here. Obviously I won't use it all for this project.

At the time I took the pic, I was undecided between M6706 & B5285 but by now I've decided on the McCall's pattern - View A. I don't know if I will have time to finish it by Valentine's Day but if not, it will be a cute skirt for spring/summer.

MAGAM Challenge Completed Garment + Pattern Review: McCall's 5929

Finally I'm done with my challenge garment for January. I haven't had a lot of sewing mojo the last couple of weeks so it's taken me a bit to finish it.

 

MAGAM Challenge - January 2014 Plans

2013 has been quite an exciting year. Unlike previous years I've managed to complete quite a few garments for myself of which I am quite proud. Outside of a Sewing 101 class taken about 3 years ago, I have pretty much been self-taught and I am always challenging myself to improve my sewing skills and looking to learn new techniques.

This past year I challenged myself to do a better job of finishing the insides of my garments. And I've done pretty well in that area. I haven't mastered every technique available and I will continue to work on that. But I no longer produce garments that I'm ashamed to take to the dry cleaners.

In the past I've had some struggles with fitting and I think this year I've finally figured out why. I've had some moments when I've scratched my head and said I THOUGHT I cut out the right size. What I've discovered is that I need to learn to do some pattern alterations. Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) and Sway Back Adjustment are two that I've identified. So my challenge for 2014 will be two-fold (1) getting a better fit in my garments (2) sewing some wardrobe staples. Most of the items I've made are dresses to wear to church. Which is fine but I'm only at church once a week. I want to build a wardrobe of clothes for every day wear. So these are my challenges for myself for the upcoming year.

One of the reasons I wanted to learn to sew was because I had a hard time finding ready-to-wear clothes that fit properly. The one thing I remember always complaining about is finding shirts that are long enough to stay tucked in. I guess I have a long torso. With that in mind, McCalls 5929 was one of the very first patterns I ever bought. And I've never made it. I will be making View A.

Christmas Dress + Make A Garment A Month Challenge + Pattern Review

Every year for the past few years I've made something red to wear to church the Sunday before Christmas. Back in October while shopping at Joann, I saw the prettiest red brocade fabric I've ever seen and immediately knew it would be my Christmas dress.

(Maxi) Circle Skirt Tutorial Roundup

As I mentioned in my Party Dress post, I took information from several sources to get a full understanding of what I needed to do to make a maxi-length full circle skirt. I thought since I've done all the leg work, I might as well share the wealth. There's a plethora of information on the web about making circle skirts. However, most of these sources (that I've found) would have you to limit the length of your skirt by the width of your fabric. So the following is all the information I combined that helped me to create a maxi length circle skirt.

Party Dress + Pattern Review | Vogue 8630

Our church had a holiday party this past weekend. Attire was formal. I've known about it for several months now. I purchased fabric back in October. Oh how plans change.

I originally planned to make Vogue 2237. This pattern is quite a few years old but is still in print.

Make a Garment a Month | To be Continued...

Where did November go? Ugh! The last few weeks have been hectic and I'm feeling very overwhelmed. While I did manage to complete a garment in November, it was not my OFFICIAL challenge entry. Well I partially completed it. I made the bolero but never got to cutting out the actual gown. I apologize it is quite wrinkled. But if I waited to find time to steam it, it would never get posted. At this point I'm trying to remain committed to posting regularly so this has to be it.