A Lisette Jacket: Just for fun!

How's this for fun? A sweet little hot pink somethin' to liven up  just about anything. This adorable Lisette jacket pattern caught my eye when I was skimming the review gallery on Pattern Review. It was calling, no, make that screaming my name. 

I bought it, got myself some HOT PINK pique at Hancocks, and stitched this baby up in an evening. Couture, she ain't. But she can go happily to work with black slacks, and to my nephew's game with jeans, and out for drinks with khaki capris, so she's my kind of girl for Fall! 

I'm not going to list all the faults. OK, yes I am, but just this once, and then I'm going to move on and enjoy this precious little top. 

First, the good...Princess seams- Yay!! easy fitting through the bust and back. Ruffled collar- too damn cute. On seam welt pockets-  nice detail. One button loop closure- stylish, comfortable,fun.

Now the bad... Unlined- have to serge finish every seam and edge. Unlined-the fabric wrinkles at elbows and looks like it wishes it was lined. Unlined- the facing is too wide and awkward, and just generally looks sad to me. The Pockets- too small and high to be useful, I would prefer faux welts because I will never use these pockets. Sleeve heads-poorly drafted and much too high. Shame on me for squeezing them into the armscye with so much extra fullness. 

Cute button & loop. I think I trimmed by neckline
seam too much. 

Unfortunate sleeve heads

Teensy on seam pockets- but
welts look nice. 

Unlined... 

Swooning!

Sometimes perfection is overrated. Sometimes all you want is immediate gratification and a little sass. Miss Lisette 2209 has got that covered. 

This isn't to say she might not come back in the future all lined and fitted and fancy.... 

Thanks for stopping by!!
-Pam

An exercise in fitting: Side Zip Pants

Did any woman on tv rock the side zip ankle pant better than Laura Petrie? This is one of my favorite looks: fitted tapered pants, ballet flats or low heels and a turtleneck or knit top. I'm not willowy like Laura, but I think this simple style of pants works well on just about every figure type. In fact, another one of my favorite television women, Ina Garten, is the polar opposite of Mary Tyler Moore shapewise, but always looks stylish in her ankle pants when she's shopping for cheese or bread in the Hamptons.

Butterick 5614 has been in my pattern file for a while and I made a less than successful linen version a while ago, then blamed it on the pattern and shelved it in disgust. 

This time, I decided to give it my best shot and begin with a muslin. I referred to a few fitting articles and made minor changes, namely pinching out diagonal creases in the front crotch and vertical creases in the center back leg, from the seat to the knee. 

The biggest adjustment was what I lovingly refer to as the "big ass" adjustment, which required me to add about 2 inches to the center back seam. That's right- 2 inches! 

I like the way these fit but there's still room for refinement. I have a great fitting pair of similar RTW pants in my closet and compared them seam to seam. Next time, I will move the seams forward slightly (increase back side width and decrease front side width) and add about 1/2" to the back crotch. Hopefully that will further improve the fit at the front crotch. There's a Craftsy class on custom pants fitting, One Pattern Many Looks, that I have been eyeing, which would probably be worth the time and money. 

This is a great basic pattern and the fitted nature is probably going to require significant adjustment for most bodies. The style is so classic, that it's worth spending some time getting it right. Seriously, it's 1 1/2 yards of fabric, six seams and a zipper. As Ina would say, "How easy is that?"