Pattern Review
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Simpilicity 0701 Men’s Button Up Shirt
Hey Loves,
Today I want to share the details on my men’s button up. I made it for a friend of mines and he loves it. You all know ever since I made my first button up I have been on a button up making spree. I figured while I was at it I should try to make a mens shirt. So I did! The Simplicity pattern is very basic, nothing fancy, I just needed it as a base.
He came up with the modifications he wanted on the shirt, which were the following
- Make it longer than the regular shirt and with the back hem curved
- a 3/4 sleeve which made a little easier because I could skip the step of making cuffs. I just made a little tab and button for the sleeve.
- Add slits on the side
This fabric was some Ankara I had for a while, I made a women’s vest out of it also. It is cotton so of course working with that is a breeze. I think this shirt came out well. He likes the fact that he can wear it with tennis shoes or dress it up and wear it with dress shoes.
I’m about to make my brother a shirt and as I sew for men I’m learning they are easy to sew for in the sense that they don’t have curves and such to fit around but they are just as meticulous about their clothes as we are. lol I think my next step is going to be to do a button up shirt with welt pockets on it. Welt pockets are so scary to me, but thats how I’ve learned any new techniques in sewing. I research, practice, then pray over it while I’m trying to execute it! lol
Thanks for stopping by!
This is my friend @taylorchinmusic! He takes most of my pics for the blog, he models, and he also is a music artist! Go check him out on IG, Facebook, and he has a song on iTunes so go download that too!! 
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Pattern Review #M7724
Hey darlings! Here is my review on McCalls pattern 7724. If you follow me on Instagram you know I am participating in a sewing challenge being hosted by The Sewing and Design School in Tacoma Washington. Lately I’ve been trying to connect more with the #sewersofinstagram and the sewing community overall so this challenge was a great way to do that! The theme for April 10th was “Statement Sleeves” so I thought this top would be perfect for that because it is so different! I love the whole mismatched vibe, the two different hems, 2 different fabrics, and 2 different types of shoulders give this shirt a high fashion feel! So when I first laid eyes on this pattern I knew I had to have it!
The only tricky part about this top was fitting the shoulder and arm pieces. I’m petite so my arms and shoulders are small. I did have to cut the sleeves way smaller so they would fit me, but I have to do that with most patterns because I’m really like a size 2 and patterns start at size 4-6. This top definitely had to be cut smaller so it could hang fashionably off the shoulder (if its too loose you run the risk of exposing some goodies lol) and I cut it smaller so that the cold shoulder sleeve would fit around my small arm and not be baggy.
I made my shirt out of shirting fabric and I paid about $15 for both fabrics, which isn’t bad for a button up blouse. You could also make a version of this blouse using two button up shirts from the thrift store. I would suggest this top if you’re looking to step your sewing game up a notch or just try some new techniques because it features buttonholes, darts, facing, flounces, and hand sewing this top could be a fun challenge!
In conclusion, this pattern is a winner! I would make this top again and definitely try the other views. Do you like making button ups? Is this pattern a blouse you would try? Let me know in the comments!
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D.I.Y Cotton and Faux Fur Vest (McCalls 7184)
Hey Boo’s and Bae’s! Welcome Back to Nichelle B. thank you for visiting. I know this was supposed to be posted around Thanksgiving, forgive me please. I have been super busy preparing for the new year! I feel like I’m in January already.
Anyway, here are the details on my printed and faux fur vest. The fabric at the top came from a store on Etsy, I forget the exact name of the shop. I only had 1 yard of it and originally I planned to make a purse of some sort with it. Then I was randomly looking through my patterns, saw McCalls pattern 7184, and immediately went to get some white faux fur. It was one of those moments where you decide like this is what I’m doing today and no one can stop me.. lol
When I got to the fabric store I was a bit skeptical at first because, I mean, white faux fur. I thought it could go wrong and end up looking kind of tacky. lol In spite of those thoughts, I bought the white faux fur, made the vest, and I’m so happy I did because I love it. This is a very lightweight vest since the top is made out of cotton, but I’m sure it could be made heavier if you want to use fusible fleece, flannel lining, or leather at the top. The vest has hidden pockets, snaps to close it, and is a super easy project to sew. So easy I would almost consider it a beginner project. Only thing that may make it not beginner friendly is working with the faux fur. I will def be making one of these again. I’ve already made one with black faux fur at the bottom and it was really cute so I think more fabric and color combinations are in store for the future!
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