New Look #6683 – Sweater Dress

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 1 Comment

Baby it’s cold outside! Time for sweater dresses. This is one of the new Fall 2020 releases from New Look patterns. It features dropped shoulders and ribbed cuffs on the sleeves. There are two views from which to choose: View A – short stand up neck and patch pockets OR View B – cowl neck and side seam pockets. I chose to sew View A.

The neckline on my dress doesn’t stand up as straight as the pattern photo shows, but that is because my fabric has a substantial drape. If I were to sew this again with this same fabric, I would interface the neck piece so it would have more stability. That said, it still looks good and does not affect the wearability of the dress.

The neckline from View A allows for bold jewelry or scarves to be added without interfering with your accessories:

I chose the size 16, but I wish I would have gone with the 14. My dress fits great in the hips, but it is big in the bust/armhole area. If I sew another dress from this pattern, I will go down a size in the shoulder and bust area and just grade up a size toward the hips. I will also add bust darts, which would give the upper body some nice shaping.

The fabric is a boucle sweater knit from Stylemaker Fabrics (from last season).

All in all, I consider this a successful make and I plan to wear it throughout the winter.

If you are interested, I posted a video on my YT channel:

I would love to hear your thoughts on sewing with sweater knits. Please leave a comment.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Silhouette Patterns #719 – DVF’s Blouse & A Giveaway

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ Leave a comment

Here is what I sewed with the fabric from my #sewhayleyjane subscription box. I needed a blouse to coordinate with my RTW skirt and jacket. I’ve been wearing a simple white tee with this outfit, but I wanted to step it up a notch. This blouse does the trick.

Believe it or not, this is a pullover style blouse! No snap, no zips, no buttons. I sewed the bust darts and the vertical waist darts on the front, but I chose to eliminate the vertical waist darts on the back.

Since the fabric is 100% cotton, I prewashed it in warm water and dried it on medium heat. After I cut all the pattern pieces, I used a three thread narrow overlock to finish the edges of all the except the neck seam and the sleeve edge where the cuff is attached.

The pattern has good instructions and the fit is spot on. This was a satisfying sew and I am so glad to add this blouse to my wardrobe.

Here’s my video with an additional review of this pattern. I am also doing a giveaway. The instructions on how you can enter the drawing are in the video.

Thank you for reading my blog and be sure to enter the giveaway.

Happy Sewing!

Sewing Workshop Noto Tee

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ Leave a comment

The Sewing Workshop offers a year-long series titled Sew Confident. With the series commitment, you receive a monthly digital magazine, 4 exclusive digital patterns, and access to a private Sew Confident Facebook community along with several additional perks. If you are interested in checking out the Sew Confident Tutorial Series, you can find it here.

The digital magazine is worth the price of admission! 🙂 It includes gorgeous photography, helpful sewing and style articles, and the current pattern instructions, changes, and helpful tips.

The Noto Tee is one of the four digital patterns for Series 9. The patterns are added to your account once every three months. The digital magazine give you style and fabric inspiration along with sewing instructions for your pattern. Then, each month between pattern releases, you will get instructions on how to change up the original pattern. The original Noto Tee is a shorter length, no side slits, and it has a crew neckline.

The version I am showing you today is a twist on the original pattern. It has a V neck, is a longer length, and has a slightly modified side seam. I am so very happy with this version of the Noto Tee.

I unashamedly copied the exact fabrics from The Sewing Workshop’s digital magazine. I love them so much!

The side seam is adjusted to gradually come forward as it approaches the stomach and hip area. I added an extra inch to the length on the back of my tee.

And can I just say, I love a good V neck style.

For a closer look at both versions (the original and this new V neck style) head on over to my YouTube channel:

I would really enjoy hearing your thoughts. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you are sewing.