Off Shoulder Top and Wide Leg Pants

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For the third look in my red, white and blue collection I chose what I thought would be a cute and simple outfit to put together. Sadly, this wasn’t the case. I know we all have our sewing fails, but man, it never ceases to amaze me how frustrating this can be. And why, oh why, do I have such a hard time letting go? I am still trying to rescue these pants and change it into a project that works, because the crazy in me just wants it to work and the budget conscience side of me can’t just toss newly purchased fabric. Read on to see what went wrong and what went right with this project. If you missed my other two red, white and blue collection looks, you can find them HERE and HERE.

One Shoulder Top:

Well, let’s start with the good. I picked up this top pattern after seeing a cute dress made by Smittenwithstitching on Instagram. I don’t know if I have ever made a New Look pattern before this one and ran out to grab it. Problem was, I couldn’t find it at my local Joann’s (by local I mean 25 minutes away…grrr for not having this!!). I stopped by Hobby Lobby thinking it would be a long shot and found one last pattern sitting in ol New Look 6507 spot…woohoo. Throw in the 40% off coupon and although it wasn’t my bargain $1.99 or less patterns you can usually score during sales, it was only around $3.

You can also find it on Amazon if you can’t find it in stores:

The white eyelet border fabric was also a Spring Apparel Fabric find from Hobby Lobby. I knew I wanted to make a top just like this but I didn’t realize the eyelet border would cause a few issues. The way the pattern is drafted, the ruffle is more of a circle/donut shape. When trying to only use the eyelet portion there was no way for me to cut it. Instead, I used more of a straight ruffle like the top I made here: Seamingly Simple Royal Street Top 

If I could go backwards in time I would have loved to have picked an eyelet like this instead and not worry about a border when cutting the ruffle.

Pattern Details/Modifications:

I cut the size XS for the bodice, graded to the S hip. Even with cutting the XS I took in the side seams a bit because it felt too loose around my upper bust. I always forget to keep the length for the small when grading patterns and the armhole was a little too snug because I need that extra length at the shoulder seam. I went back and took some fabric away from under the arm just to make it a little bigger and more comfortable. Probably not the correct adjustment but I didn’t want to rip everything apart and I wanted to have a little breathing room in the top. I also wish I would have added some length to the top at the hemline. I know it is supposed to be short but without high-waisted pants I don’t feel super comfortable in it. Here I paired it with jeans and you can see what I am talking about. Little peeks of the tummy sticking out which isn’t exactly the look I feel the best in.

I also added a lining to this top, stopping it a couple inches from the bottom. The fabric was so sheer I needed to do something but didn’t want it to completely block the eyelet pattern…I do wish I would have made it about an inch longer but, what are you gonna do?? So, while I would say I am happy with this top and I will wear it, it needs some tweaks for next time. I will add length overall, making sure to keep a larger armscye. Use a fabric that isn’t so sheer so I don’t need to add a lining and not use a fabric with a border print on the ruffle so I can actually make the ruffle more like the pattern. Things that worked well this time around are how fast and easy this top is to make, no complicated sewing, easy pattern pieces for cutting and very few pieces to cut out. I look forward to trying this one again!  Now, on to the train wreck, these pants!

High-Waisted Wide Leg Pants:

So, I wanted to love this pattern, I really did. The instant I saw Mimi G post these I knew I wanted to make them.

I picked up Simplicity 8655 shortly after it released. It was Mimi after all, and I love pretty much everything she does with sewing. BUT…these pants didn’t work for me. The crotch was the longest thing I have ever seen on a pattern. I am the first to admit that making pants is still a new adventure for me. I only have made a few pairs and fitting pants causes me small panic attacks but I had recently read up on several fit articles so I was feeling like I could try to tackle it. I bought cotton stretch twill thinking the stretch factor would give me some wiggle room and I set to work. I cut it out according to my measurements and while the pants fit alright everywhere else, the crotch was just about halfway to my knees. I couldn’t walk, it looked horrible and I was like…what in the world??

I started making adjustments and whittling away at that mile long crotch. In the end, I can wear them, well, I could wear them but I started to tear them apart already. However, they were super uncomfortable, the waist in the back was now gaping from all the adjustments I made, the front sat way higher than the back and it just was bad overall. Simplicity patterns please tell me, what did I do wrong? LOL. I am sure it was some goof on my part but I can say I felt a bit better when a more experienced and trained seamstress had the exact same issue with this pattern. Somehow that made me feel like maybe I am not the world’s worst pants maker after all and this pattern just may not work for some of us. So, there ya go. I made one pattern that I want to try again with some tweaks and another that I just don’t have the patience in me to figure out. I will just keep my eye out for some different Mimi goodies because she is always putting out cute new stuff. I did wear this top out to date night with my husband and paired it with a different pair of high waisted pants that I love. I reviewed the pants here.

Sometimes it’s the simple, quick and easy projects that end up being the most frustrating. I wish I had better outcomes to share with you but hey, you might as well see that I gave this a go and hopefully can help prevent you from the same frustrations. I have some more looks coming up with a couple surprises to me- my next one features what I thought would be my overall favorite of the group (and hasn’t turned out to be the love I was searching for) and a surprise and uncharacteristic look that has me wanting to be important enough to have a fancy place to wear it to…but maybe the grocery store will work for now 🙂 Until next time, Happy Sewing!

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