McCall's M7430...

So I got a bee in my bonnet and decided to make a dress today.  I actually had two sewing projects waiting (because they wouldn't fit in the fabric drawer...oops).  This was one but fortunately (unfortunately?) I had a ton of this fabric left over, so I set it aside for a top.

Anyway, I used McCall's M7430.  Here's the pattern:

Sadly I bought this pattern when I was still heavier which means the smallest size on the pattern was 14 36/28/28.  I cut the 14 but it ended up being too large.

So I took it down one size which would be a 12 34/26.5/36.  It was still too big.  It ended up fitting as a size 10 32.5/25/34.5.  Now this is insane because I know those are not my measurements which leads me to believe this McCall's pattern runs way big.

Regardless, I think it turned out great and I look super fit in this picture so yay for that.

If you make this, I'd recommend sizing down.  That's all for today!

Simplicity 2850...

I made a jumper dress which works pretty good for winter.

For this I used Simplicity 2850 and some fabric that had just been sitting in my to-be-made cabinet.

Here's the pattern:

All in all this was pretty easy to make.  I scrapped the button accents because I'm lazy, and they just seemed annoying.

Here's how it turned out:

Looking at this picture I was reminded that I need a new cinch waist belt (as this one pictured has gotten too big), so I went to eBay to buy one just now.  I did make the pictured belt but I cut it on the wrong grain of the fabric, so it doesn't stretch properly.  Also, I don't think it looks so great and needs a little contrast.

Here's a close up of the fabric:

That's it for today!

Simplicity 8124...

I've not posted anything here since February.  I have piles of fabric purchased in Tokyo in January and in March that have been sitting in my sewing room.  I've not sewn anything since my last post in February.  In truth sewing clothes just isn't fun when you're heavier.  (Neither is shopping for clothes for that matter).  Upon my newest milestone (which would be a shit ton of weight lost) I decided I would try something out.

Simplicity 8124:

Originally I had planned to make the mini dress, but I can't say no to an adorable romper.  (No matter how hard I try.)

This was super easy to make and went together in a few hours.  It's multi-sized which I hate and I think I should have sized down as it's a little baggy.  I'm going to try to fix that later.

Pictured without and with belt (personally I like the one with the belt better).

Here's a close up of the fabric:

If you're so inclined you can look back on past blog posts if you want to see the dramatic difference in my weight.  That's not what this blog is about, so I'm not posting any before/after pics.  Anyway if you make this, maybe size down.  I hate multi-sized patterns as they always end up big on me.  That's all for now!

Butterick 6427...

Hi, I'm back at it again with my beloved knits.  This time I took at stab at Butterick 6427.  First, of all, my experience with Butterick patterns is that they never fit right.  Ugh.  This one was no different, and it's mult-sized in one cut which makes it that much more awful.  I opted for the L size but I should have done M.  It was a tent.  I had to take it in many times before I could get a fit that I was happy with.

Here's the pattern:

Here's how it turned out:

Not bad, but it's not flattering (it's not supposed to be though as it's lounge wear/workout gear) so I belted it.

Here's a close up of the fabric:

I like this dress (?).  It was easy to make and comfortable, but if you decide to make this size down!

"She's doing a marvelous impression of a deflating balloon."

Hello!  I'm back!  I'm here with the last of the Holtzmann pieces.  So these pants I found the be the hardest to find via purchasing.

In the film they look shiny but in the above behind the scenes photo, they appear to look just like normal pants (not shiny at all).

Since I couldn't find a pair of pants like that to purchase, I decided to make them.  This also proved to be a challenge as I couldn't find the color or the stripe pattern at Joann's.  However, I did manage to find a interior decor fabric which had stripe variations.  The only problem was it was cream colored.  I decided to buy it and dye it. 

I wish I had a before picture but here's what it looks like after two dye baths using Emerald Green Rit Dye.

That's not the best photo.  It's darker IRL.

To make these pants I used Simplicity 1165:

I made A pants and just cut them shorter than they were meant to be.

Here's how they turned out:

The good news is that they are super comfortable, but I cut a size bigger than I normally wear (because you never know with pants).  It turns out they were way too big, and I had to take them in a bit.  The end result is that they are still baggier than I would like, but since I'm lazy as hell, I'm calling it a day.

I like this pattern.  It's super easy and I'll happily make these again albeit in a smaller size.

"Second floor is mine!"

Holy crap!  Remind me NEVER to make a Mimi G pattern ever again.  This process was so painful, but I now finally have the end scene Holtzmann jumpsuit.  This is the scene when they finally get the firehouse.  There are tons of photos from this scene out there but for your pleasure:

So this is the pattern I used.  It's Simplicity 8060 but it's not at all easy:

For starters there are 9 billion pattern pieces and there are lots of complex finishing touches that I normally don't have to do when I sew.  Additionally, the fly is really really complex, and I'm almost certain I didn't do it right.

Anyway, here's mine:

(Please note that I don't have a cool Holtzmann belt, but I do have a cool X-Men belt.  I'm sure Holtzy would approve.)

Now no way is this perfect, but I'm wearing a smirk of satisfaction on my face because I literally cried while making this.  It was massively difficult and quite possibly beyond my ability level.  (You'll notice I'm surrounded by boxes because I'm moving in like 3 days.  Therefore, I had to give this pattern my all so I could finish it before moving.)  Now I know the picture makes the fabric look brown but it's actually an army green color.

It really photographs weird.  It's also pretty delicate and really slippery fabric adding to the difficulty I faced while constructing this.

I made a few changes to the pattern.  First, I made the sleeves long sleeves so they could be rolled.  I also did away with the drawstring waist and attached the top directly to the pants.

I'm so glad this is done.  It was an absolute nightmare to put together.  Next time I see you, I'll be sewing from my new sewing room!

Burda 6817...

Hi, I made a pair of pants last night!  It's another for the Burda adventures.  Holy cow, I cut this pattern bigger than last time because the last pair of pants made with this pattern (not pictured on the blog) are a little too tight.  Now this pair was too big and had to be adjusted.  I seriously do not get Burda patterns man (or maybe I just don't get fabric man).

Just like before Burda 6817:

Here are the pants:

I swear I ironed these twice, and they're still wrinkly.  Sheesh.  Just like before so easy to assemble, no problems in construction.  I'm pretty happy with the way these turned out.

Here's a close up of the fabric:

Tiny dots!

Now while these aren't an official Holtzmann costume, I really think this is something she'd wear.  Don't you?

That's all for today!

"Rhythm of the Night" Part 1...

Perhaps you remember this iconic scene when Holtzmann dances to DeBarge's Rhythm of the Night even though Abby didn't mean to "DeBarge in".

If not, look at this GIF.  Look at it for a long time.  It's okay.  I'll wait.

Finished?  Need more time?  Take all the time you need.

Okay, when you're back to reading, I made some pants I'd like to share with you.  To get Holtzmann's wide leg high waist vintage look, I went to Burda.

I used this pattern (Burda 6817):

Once I figured out what size to cut, assembling this was no problem.  (However, I cut another pair of pants out using a dramatically different fabric and they didn't fit, so I clearly do not understand Burda patterns.)

They turned out pretty good (the zipper bunches a little but that could be my inexperience as a seamstress).  (Uh...about those Spanx I still need...)

Now these shoes are outfit correct.  I bought mine on eBay.  Make sure you get brown and white as those are screen accurate.

That's all for today.  Stay tuned for "Rhythm of the Night" Parts 2 & 3!

"Abby, come and get your sandwich, come and get your sandwich please" Part 2...

Oh we've been busy around here.  Unfortunately, not busy making Holtzmann clothes.  The other kind of busy. 

On a side note, I'm so glad I can sew.  It lets me geek out to levels not everyone can reach.

Perhaps you remember Part 1 of this series.  If not, you can reread here.

All caught up?  The Holtzmann Abby's Possession outfit is done and done.  I'm so happy with this outfit.  I'm also rather impressed with my skills (just don't look at the inside of the garments).

For Holtzy's vest I used New Look 6914:

You can use any pattern but, if you use this one, make A because the other ones are shorty vests.  This pattern was pretty easy to make, no problems with construction.

I used some silver buttons because I'm cool like that but holy hell 6 buttonholes!  I almost had a heart attack.  (Buttonholes are probably my least favorite thing to sew).  I think this vest looks fantastic!  It might be too early to say but so far this is my favorite Holtzmann outfit.

Now if you scrutinize the YouTube videos like I did, you'll find that the vest is actually a different color (and possibly a silky texture) gray in the back, so of course, my vest is almost the same.

Also, Holtzmann's vest has a back buckle belt.  You're in luck because this pattern does too, therefore, so does mine.

This is the best picture I could get:

(Her shirt looks green there.)  My vest back isn't silky like hers though.  I used just a basic gray suiting for the back.  You can see the back buckle when they fall to the ground after Patty hoists Holtzmann through the window.

Here's the whole finished product:

What a difference a clean mirror makes!  I'm standing on a towel because you don't wear shoes indoors in Japan...ever.  You might be interested to note these are not the shoes that she wears with this outfit (those shoes are currently in the US).  The shoes I'm wearing in this photo go with the "Rhythm of the Night" outfit.  I think I must have had some bloat going on when I first made the pants.  For some reason they fit better now.  I still don't have the right shirt to go with this outfit.  Is it like a turquoise color or green?  See that picture above really confused me.  I guess I'll just have to go see the movie again.  ;)

Holtzmann has a couple more vests in the movie, so this would make a good pattern for those as well.

That's all for today!

You just got Holtzmann'd baby!

Didn't everyone?  I mean women anyway.  If you're in the dark here, I'm talking about the new Ghostbusters, and the eye candy that's not Chris Hemsworth's Kevin but that is Kate McKinnon's killer Holtzmann.  And I mean killer.  Lesbians and bisexuals fell hard for brilliant engineer and all around wacky Dr. Jillian Holtzmann, and if you do a general internet search you'll find that straight women are claiming they'd "go gay" for Holtzmann.  Now on a soapboxy note I don't think anyone can "go gay".  Either you were to begin with or you're just saying that and you'd chicken out when it comes to the deed.  (You know what I mean here.)  But that's a rant for another time and place.

Anyway, I'm at the point where I'm just gonna copy her entire wardrobe and only buy things that are Holtzmann-esque from now until forever.  I'm not kidding.  You should see the stack of Holtzmann patterns I've got ready to go.  You should know that this is not a new thing for me.  I've been dressing like movie (and later TV characters) since high school when I used to dress like Ted from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

First of all it's worth noting that if I had a cosplay blog it'd be called The Lazy Cosplayer because even though I'm all about accuracy, I'm more about achieving said accuracy via the least amount of work possible.

With that this lazy cosplayer brings you Holtzmann's jodhpurs.  These appear in the hearse scene and  in the credits.

Here's some reference pics:

So there they are.  Fortunately today I was really lucky and I found two knits that matched these colors pretty damn closely and to top it all off, they were $1 a yard.  Not kidding.  It was my lucky day.  I say knits because I used this pattern:

(Remember Lazy Cosplayer.)  A side note about this pattern.  I made style B in 2011.  You can check them out here.  Basically for the last 5 years they've been one of my favorite pairs of pants.  I can see this happening with Holtzmann's jodhpurs as well.

Anyway, here's the finished product:

Please note that the brown patches are pretty close to even (they just don't look that way because of how I'm standing).  Technically they are not patches but a brown semi-textured knit fabric (which surprisingly looks a bit like leather.)  I'm not an expert here but I would recommend using two knit fabrics because of the way knits need to be sewn together (stretching and all that jazz).

Now, in case there are those out there who'd like to make a pair like these I'll briefly run down how I altered the pattern to make what you see above.

1. Cut out pattern back and front as per usual.
2. Casing was cut double in size to make these more high waisted (as is the Holtzmann style).
3. I cut out the cuffs but decided after watching this scene on YouTube 150 times that cuffs were not needed, so to save you time and effort, you don't need to cut out the cuffs.
4. Don't sew anything yet.
5. Use the front pattern piece to line up and cut the inner edge of the brown patches.  I just eyeballed the outer curved edge.  Sew the brown patches on before assembling the rest of the pattern.
6. Assemble pattern following directions omitting cuffs and just hemming the legs.

That's it!  The only thing that was really time consuming was sewing on the brown knit patches.  I'm so happy with the way these turned out!

I've definitely been Holtzmann'd.

The things that were and those that weren't...

I had designs for some of these patterns and what came to be was not often what I had planned when I pulled out the pattern envelope, but sewing often works that way.  I'm going on vacation next week and in a crunch to get everything done before then, I knocked out 4 pieces.

First is McCall's 7152.  Here's the pattern:

Now it says you can make this with knit, so I did, because knits are awesome.  Maybe that wasn't the best idea because whilst making buttonholes, my machine decided to hate me and refused to sew more than half the buttonhole and ended up ripping the knit.  I swear to everything knit rips if you even look at it wrong, so I cried about it and after attempted to save the dress by just attaching the shoulder, but I had to cut off the ripped part making it shorter than it should be.  In the end, I am not super impressed with it.  I mean it's wearable but not great.  I also sewed on some decorated buttons to distract from the mess that it is.  Oh well, at least the fabric is cute.

Next is McCall's 6083.  Here's the pattern:

Now my intention was to make the jumper with sleeves (the green one), but I just got a new tattoo on my back so why hide it?  Before cutting, I decided to make the sleeveless jumpsuit with the neck strap from the white one added to it since it ties in halter style.  I am super happy with how this turned out.  Especially since it has pockets.  Pockets!  Easy to sew pockets!  I will definitely make this one again, and I'd like to make the white one next time.

Apparently it was McCall's week.  Next is McCall's 6559:

I made F but I don't like maxi dresses, so I figured I'd just not attach the bottom piece, and then I'd have an asymmetrical hem.  Well, that part turned out okay but the dress sits weird in a couple places (like the middle).  Also, I wanted to attach the star but at that point I was afraid of screwing up any more things so I just left it off.

Anyway, I dunno?  Maybe after it's washed it'll relax a little bit.  Right now it's not my favorite thing.

Finally, I finished the last piece this morning a mere two days before vacation.  Close call!  This is New Look 6291:

Now when I shopped for fabric I had decided to make B, the shorts jumper.  However, I realized before I cut it out that it was almost identical to the blue McCall's jumper I had just made, so because I bought extra fabric, I decided to make D (the dress with the sort of tulip skirt).  I had bought the ribbon for making B, and since it matched so well, I decided to use it for the belt and for a neck strap like in A.  I really love how it turned out!  Even though the hem on the skirt was really hard, it ended up looking great once it was pressed!  I will definitely make this pattern again.

There you have the summer wear.  I'll be looking lovely and stylish in Okinawa next week!

Simplicity 8089...

Okay one more and I'm done for the day.  I've got other things to do!

First this is the pattern.  It's Simplicity 8089:

This pattern comes in XXS - XXL sizes all in one envelope.  BIG DISLIKE.  Because the individual sizes are cut for multiple measurements, these tend to not fit me well.  Last time I made one, it was too big.  This time to try to remedy that I cut in between two sizes and then just ignored that I did that and sewed the biggest inseam possible.

This is the fabric I used:

It's a supercute mint knit.

Here's the top:

While the sleeves fit fine, the bottom half of the top seemed a bit big. (But maybe that's the dolman style?) Regardless, I like it and am not gonna alter it.  Really, that's all for today!