This and That

If you follow me on Facebook you already know I had an eight hour stay in the emergency room with the husband. While trying to assassinate a raccoon who insists on trying to re-enter the attic, he had a slip and fall. Now he has been placed in the "shoulder relocation program." If we were keeping score, it would be raccoon 1, husband 1.

Doesn't he look miserable? Poor baby. But wait. The bathroom repair is done but with the fouled up shoulder, he has not be able to put everything back in it's place. That means I can't put my fabric back into the sewing closet which means I'm still not able to sew. It could be weeks before I'm able to put the fabric away. I've got to come up with an alternate plan because I have to sew. The main problem is having a place to cut fabric. Because of the knee replacement, I can't put it on the floor and the Barbie's have taken up residency on the dining room table. I'd hate cutting there anyway. I guess I could try it on the bed but with my luck I'd cut right through to the mattress and the ensuing backache is something I wouldn't relish either. I'll come up with something!

Over the weekend I had an opportunity to give my golf dress a test drive. You can read the review here.

The idea was a good one but the the actual was as bad as the round of golf! The stretch sateen was butt sprung when I left home, was worse after the drive to the course and was so much worse after the round. The front armholes needed to be cut in more as each time I swung the club, the left armhole got caught on the front of my shoulder and was quite painful. I also need to add back waist darts for a little more shaping. With this fabric I'd rate this dress an epic fail! It'll make a wonderful house so I guess It wasn't a total loss. I will try it but again in a different fabric.

Garbage Day Surprise

I've haven't posted any Barbie doll stuff here in a while so I thought I'd post this short video I made.

Golf Dress - McCalls 6885

The golf dress is finished...but not the hat. Just as I was starting to sew the hat, the husband informed me I'd have to take everything out of my fabric closet because there were some issues with the bathtub draining and he had to access the pipes from the fabric closet. WTH. It was about 85 degrees in the house with about 70% humidity. You don't know how pissed I was or how much I sweated while removing all of that fabric. I was sweating like a taxpayer during an IRS audit! Now there is fabric EVERYWHERE and I couldn't sew if I wanted to. Guess what? I really want to sew and he's not done yet! I need a new jacket for golfing on cool mornings. I need some pants for golf. Heaven forbid I should show up at the course in a repeat outfit! Hopefully the bathtub repair will be over soon and I can get back to work. The dress stills needs a final pressing but in the meantime here's my review.

 McCalls 6885

Pattern Description:
Misses' dress and hat. Semi-fitted pullover dresses have collar, collar/front bands, front pleat and narrow hem
Pattern Sizing:
8-24 I cut a size 20 but after seaming it is about a size 18 so I'd say this pattern runs on the large side
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes. It looks exactly like view A except I added a single pocket for my tees and ball markers. This pocket is almost invisible!

Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were easy to follow but if you've never sewn a placket before they could be confusing. On the underside of the placket you have to cut off about 3" of the fabric but the pattern doesn't actually tell you that.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the styling as I'll be using this as a golf dress. There's nothing I really dislike about the pattern. The collar and stand are very well drafted but be warned the neckline is big. If I button the top button, I could easily insert my hand in the excess space! While I cut the side seems a size 20, I cut the neck and armhole a size 18 and it was still too big.
Fabric Used:
Stretch cotton sateen that has been in my stash for a couple of years. I got the fabric at a deep, deep discount at JoAnns Fabric and had intended for each piece to be it's own separate garment. Little did I know that I was only 45" wide and I didn't have enough for the intended use. Insert this pattern and voila!
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I did my usual 1" FBA and raised the armhole 3/4". I also added 2" in length so that I could turn up a 2" hem. In the past I've had an issue with stretch wovens with narrow hems. It seems they always want to roll up towards the right side. I'm hoping a deeper hem will alleviate that problem. I didn't use the pattern piece for the armhole facings. I found some 5/8" bias cut fusible tricot in my stash. Using 1/4" seams, I stitched, right sides together to my armhole opening. I turned it to the wrong side of the bodice and topped stitched in place. It made a very nice binding. Finally I steamed it. Hopefully it will hold up in the wash!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Without a doubt I'll sew it again and would recommend it to others.
Conclusion:
For me, this pattern is a winner!