Pattern Review - McCalls 5525

I'm thinking of making another dressy winter coat or jacket.  So, I figured I'd bust out my pattern review from the last coat I made.

As much as I LOVE this pattern, if I do make another coat, I may use another pattern in my stash... I'm still undecided.
Check out my original post for when this coat was completed.

Here's my review for McCalls 5525:

Pattern Description: Women's lined jackets and coats

Pattern Sizing: I cut a size 8, and made view B

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, pretty close.

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were easy to follow, except I had a lot of troubles sewing the back vent. (I think it was user error though )

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved almost everything about this pattern. The only thing I would change is to make the pockets larger.

Fabric Used: Gabardine

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: None

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, I already am planning on sewing it again, but in a different view. I would HIGHLY recommend this pattern.

Conclusion: Overall, this pattern was very easy to follow and I can't wait to sew it again!

Pacifier clips

Almost a year ago I saw a tutorial for pacifier clips on Running With Scissors blog.  I thought they were so cute so of course I bookmarked the page and put it on my "to do" project list.  They can be used for a lot of other things too, not just pacifiers!
My clips are slightly different than her tutorial, but it's the same idea.

Update:  My sewing machine is still broken... I'll be taking it to a different repair shop tomorrow.  Fingers crossed! 

On a side note, I started crocheting a blanket.

Pattern Review - McCalls 8524

It's a good time of year for a robe (at least here... it's getting cold!).  Here's a look at the original post I wrote about the mens robe I made for Hubby several months ago using McCalls pattern 8524.

Here's my pattern review:

Pattern Description: Men's Sleepwear (Robe, nightshirt, shorts, pants)
I sewed View A which is the longer length of the loose fitting wrap robe.

Pattern Sizing: S, M, L
I cut a Medium

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Very easy to follow

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I liked how quick and easy it was, I did not like the amount of hand sewing it suggested doing (I used my machine instead)

Fabric Used: flannel

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't do any hand sewing on this pattern. I finished off all of the edging and cuffs by turning them under and sewing them with a straight stitch on my machine, which went pretty quickly.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, if I had a reason to sew another men's robe, I would use this pattern again. It was really quick and easy, and my husband really likes how it turned out. I might give the pants or shorts pattern a try sometime.
I would definately recommend this pattern to others.

Conclusion: This pattern is great for beginners, or just as a simple project if you're looking for something that doesn't require much thought. The robe I made turned out like the pattern envelope picture, and according to my husband is very comfortable.

3 step Christmas centerpiece

Here's a quick, easy and cheap Christmas centerpiece idea.  Chances are you already have everything you need to make this!

Supplies:
Candle (in a jar) - Mine is evergreen scented
Flat bottomed tray (or bowl with a large flat portion in the center)
Christmas ornaments
Gift wrapping ribbon

I ended up buying a new black tray for my centerpiece.  It was only a few bucks at Hobby Lobby, in the party section.


Directions:

1) Set your candle jar on the center of the tray and make sure it is stable.

 2) Add a few ornaments around the base of the candle jar (I used a package of 6 red glitter ornaments from my collection)

3) Cut long strips of wrapping paper ribbon and drape them over the ornaments.  I didn't curl the ribbons, they had a natural "large curl" just from coming off of the roll.

Pattern Review - McCalls 3777 tree skirt

I actually made this tree skirt last year but never posted my pattern review on here. 

After an almost 2 year search for tree skirts that both Hubby & I liked, we turned up empty handed.  Not that there weren't pretty tree skirts at the stores, it's just that we had different ideas of "pretty" and we didn't want to spend a fortune. 

So, I finally pulled the McCalls 3777 (A Blue Christmas) pattern out of my collection, Hubby found some cute coordinating fabric and about an hour later we finally had the tree skirt we'd been looking for.  I'm not sure why we didn't just make one sooner haha.

Anyways, here's my pattern review for McCall's 3777


Pattern Description: A variety of patterns for Christmas decorations, including: ornaments, stockings, and a tree skirt.

I made the tree skirt, which is view K

Pattern Sizing: One size

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow? Very easy to follow

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
This pattern was very simple and well laid out.

Fabric Used: Cotton

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
The pattern has options for adding beaded snowflakes, which I skipped because I chose a busy printed fabric.

It also suggests adding trim between the two fabrics on the top of the skirt, which I skipped. I didn't feel that adding trim in my particular case (with the fabric I used) would have added much to the overall appearance (although I did purchase trim with the intensions of using it).

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I HIGHLY recommend this pattern to others. And, if I ever make another tree skirt I would definitely use this pattern again.

Conclusion:
This pattern was a quick sew (it maybe took an hour or two?) and very easy to follow. It would be great for beginners.

Pattern Review McCall's 5538

After a long 3 weeks, I got my sewing machine back from getting repaired.  Unfortunately it wasn't fully fixed, and will have to be sent in again.  While that's getting figured out, I'll be posting pattern reviews for things I've sewn in the past. 

I'll also be pulling my other machine out of the closet soon.  It has been too long since my last sewing project!

Awhile back, I sewed McCall's 5538 View A for my Hubby, and View C for myself (but gave it to Hubby... since it fits him better)  Check out the first, and middle stages of making view A, and my original post on making View C

Here's my pattern review:

Pattern Description: Unisex unlined top or jacket pattern, including a pocket with velcro closures on the sleeve which could hold an MP3 player. The top features a partial zipper.

Pattern Sizing: S, M, L
I've read that the sizing for this pattern runs big, but did not run into this problem when making a top for my Husband. I cut a medium (view A) for him and it fits how he likes it.

I did think the sizing was too big for me though, and cut slightly smaller than the size small in View C. 

Possibly it runs large for ladies but average for men? 
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes (except I didn't sew the pocket on the sleeve)

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Not as easy as I would have expected. I got stuck on step 7. The picture and description of the step just were not working for me. So, after going to bed and having a fresh look at it the next day, I think I figured it out.

After that though, I felt that there were a lot of unnecessary steps in the pattern that I skipped. I basically stopped looking at the instructions after getting through step 7.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like how quickly it is sewn (and it will only get faster in the future now that I've got the instructions down!)

I did not like some of the pattern instructions/pictures. But, it may have just been me having one of those days....

Fabric Used: Fleece

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I didn't sew the pocket onto the sleeve. I stopped following the directions about half way through, but other than the pocket I think everything else turned out the same.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, if I had reason to, I've already sewn it twice (view A and C). It's a very versatile pattern and is pretty fast to sew. (these jackets/tops could also be made into vests if you just finish off the arm holes instead of attaching the sleeves)

Conclusion: I liked the pattern, although I had some struggles with the directions. Once I figured out what was going on it seemed pretty obvious/easy, but it took awhile to get there. I didn't end up following the last half of the directions because there were a lot of steps I felt were unnecessary and time consuming. I also did not sew the pocket onto the sleeve.

I would use this pattern again, but for ladies, would cut a size (or two) smaller than normal.
Basically, the pieces and final outcome of this pattern are great. The pattern instructions could be better.

Pattern Review McCall's 4745

Here's the original post for this completed costume.

Here's my pattern review:

Pattern Description: Men's Civil War Costumes  (I used view A as it slightly resembled the uniform Prince William wore on his wedding day and I was making this as a Halloween costume)

Pattern Sizing: S, M, L
I cut a Medium

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, except I made it in red and added several extra details to make it look like a Royal Wedding uniform for Halloween.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Not really.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I liked that the pattern also included pants (although I only cut the pants and did not finish sewing them). I'm not a fan of the button fly, but it makes sense for being a costume for that period.

I did not like the directions. Honestly, after a bit of frustration I just folded up the instructions and did what made sense.

I also did not like the shoulders! I read other reviews about this and completely agree. I tried sewing the sleeves on as the pattern called just to see how "gathered" the sleeves really were. They were VERY gathered. I tried smoothing things out with the sleeves and it looked a little better, but they didn't lay quite right.

Fabric Used: Cotton

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
The shoulders were gathered so I tried making them regular.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would sew it again, but would ignore the directions right away next time! I also would cut the sleeves differently from the start to prevent the gathering instead of trying to fix it later.

I would recommend this, but not for beginners. Just be aware that the directions are less than helpful and be prepared to go it alone!

Conclusion: The directions weren't very helpful, but the pattern turns out well if you just do what makes sense. But, the shoulders are gathered, so make changes to the sleeves before getting started if that's not the look you're going for.