A longstanding favorite: Vogue 2742

This is now the third time I've made this shirt.  The pattern is Vogue 2742 (out of print, and unloved, Vogue doesn't even offer it in the out of print section of its pattern website!), a DKNY design.  It was issued in 2003, about a year or so after I started sewing.  I chose it because it doesn't have a button placket in the front and I was terrified of making buttonholes.  The first version I made of blue Egyptian cotton, which was too big (this is before I understood sizing and ease), the second version was made of white striped batiste (which was a little too drapy and fell apart over time).  This one is gray chambray.

Front of shirt

Fabric drapes well enough so as not to look knocked up from the side

After all these years of sewing, I still don't really have the knack for making button holes.  I made the buttonholes on the wrong part of the cuff, the part that should be on the underside rather than the overlap, so I put the buttons on the inside of the cuff to make up for my mistake.  The result is a very clean finish with no buttons on the outside.

 

This was an unplanned project (not one of the items I listed in my fall sewing) but after that plastic like skirt I really wanted to sew something that I knew would be gratifying and turn out well.  This was perfect.  As for my next project, I've already cut the leopard print faux fur for my jacket and am trying to decide what to use for a lining.

Finally, for posterity, here is a photo of the pattern.  Sad that it's nowhere on the internet anymore, it's a great design.

Skirt fail: Vogue 1170

Don't let these photos fool you.  I chose the wrong fabric for this skirt.  It's a lovely tangerine colored stretch cotton pique that would have been better suited to a pencil skirt, fitted dress, or jacket.  It doesn't have enough drape for this skirt.  I thought I could use it because the recommended fabrics are lightweight wool flannel, lightweight denim and lightweight crepe.  I think the key word there is "lightweight."

What should have been a fun and flippy skirt is a skirt that is shaped like a fluted bell.  A full-bodied fluted bell that will not be moved.  The fabric is way too stiff.  The flounce in the back falls awkwardly.  On my skirt, the center of the flounce is inverted and the sides stick out awkwardly.  The envelope illustration shows that it should fall oppositely -- the sides should be inverted and the center stick out.

Betcha think I'm twirling!  I'm not.

Aside from my tragic fabric choice, I went all out in construction (which took a while because I was in and out of town) with bound seams.  I even did my best to find an orange zipper in my stash.

Still, I like the shape of this skirt and the seam detailing.  I might sew this again but in a fabric with the right amount of drape and a lot less body.