Pattern Review - Butterick 5792

I found this really adorable Hello Kitty with roses fabric from Japan on Fabric.com and just had to get some.  Because I ended up getting a lot of roll ends in my order, I'm pretty sure I scored a lot more than my ordered 4 yards. 

Hello Kitty is hard for a "grown up" to pull off, so if I'm going to wear it, it's going to be sleepwear.  I decided to try out Butterick 5792, which is a pretty traditional, feminine pattern.  I made views A & F, the top and capris combination.  The fabric I used was a little thick and stiff for this pattern, but I liked how it turned out.  Cotton voile would be perfect for this pattern (Liberty, anyone??).

The pants were really fast; I got them done in an afternoon.  The top took a little longer because I had to wait to get the right trim.  I do think you need a little trim around the neckline, although I don't know at this point if it's necessary to use the exact beading lace and ribbon trim.  I do like the look quite a bit.

I made bias tape from self fabric; I liked the clean finish this created on the inside but it was super bulky (see fabric) with all the gathers.  On a cotton voile this might not be so bulky.  I'm not sure that this would be any better or worse than understitching the ruffle.  I could see this finish being really useful for children's clothing though.

For the ruffle, I just cut a 2" strip and then cut it to the right length/shape.  This made it really easy!  I also avoided the weird hemming instructions for the ruffle and just made a narrow hem on the edge, and narrow hemmed the top.

I think my favorite feature of this is the elastic insertion in the capris; it creates a tiny ruffle at the top of the pants and is really feminine.  I added my label as the tag in the back.

The set came out really comfy and will be nice to lounge around the house in.  I did have to scoop the back crotch curve a bit for comfort, so I don't know that I believe these are "semi fitted" as advertised.  (Or maybe I need to remeasure my hips and make sure I'm where I think I am in that area!)  At this point I'm pretty sure my "body space" is larger than the ideal model the Big 4/5 draft patterns for.

I would definitely make the capri pants again; after the minor fitting adjustment they are super comfy and I'll use the elastic casing treatment again in other PJ pants.

Pattern Review - Kwik Sew 2257

After a long hiatus, I'm back!  I'm not sure if this is a permanent return to blogging or if I'll drop off the face of the internet once more.

I made these (photo pending) for my fiance, which he loves quite a bit.  He says they're very comfy.

I used a Texas A&M licensed cotton quilting fabric (I believe it was around $9.95/yard), and probably bought 2 1/2 or 3 yards.   Elastic was probably $3 at JoAnn, as well as a big spool of matching thread.  So even though it wasn't the cheapest gift to make, it probably was a lot cheaper than pajama pants from the Texas A&M bookstore!

I took off about 2 inches on the waistline and 3 inches on the bottom.   He didn't want a fly, so I folded the fly part of the pattern over when I cut it out.

I'm not sure the elastic installation was the easiest, but it does look nice and it won't twist in the washer, both good things.

I'll definitely make these again for him; hopefully they turn out even better!