Vogue 9360 Revisited

This is my second make of Vogue 9360. The first time I made View E, the longest version.

In my previous make I went far off the suggested fabric list. I used a slightly stretchy velvet!! Of course that gave me lots of problems, because the pattern was not designed for stretchy velvets. But I love the end result!

I think in my previous make I overlooked a few things. Partly because I so love the end result, and partly because I was willing to blame everything on my (wrong) fabric choice.

This time I used a striped cotton/linen blend form Fabric Mart, straight off the Suggested Fabrics list. I bought it a couple of years ago, so I was limited to the size of that piece, and had to chose one of the shorter views. I picked X. Even so I barely had enough fabric, but somehow, I squeezed it out. I did omit the pockets.

And that leads to my first observation. The yoke is a single layer. I don’t remember this being an issue at all before. I’m going to have to reread my own blog post to see what I was thinking then!

But I can’t complain. There simply was not enough fabric to cut out a second yoke anyway. If the pattern had called for that, I’d probably use muslin.

The second issue is the placement of the cuff opening. There is no placket, or even a slit. It’s stuck into the under arm sleeve seam! It does NOT belong there!! This is a change I do remember making.

The position of the cuff opening is, to me, a bigger issue than the single layer yoke. Both of these are standard practice in cheap RTW. The real problem is that I, personally, don’t expect to find cheap RTW shortcuts in a Vogue pattern.

<b>Pattern Description: </b>
Very loose-fitting button front shirt has single back yoke that extends forward over shoulder front, pleated back, shaped hem, and collar, sleeve, pocket and length variations. C, E, F: Button cuff. F: Opening at side seams for belt. Wrong side of fabric will show for all views.

<b>Pattern Sizing:</b>
Misses

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

<b>Were the instructions easy to follow?</b>
Yes, the instructions were clear and correct. Notches and markings lined up, except for the cuffs, because I moved the cuff opening and added a faced slit.

<b>What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?</b>
Love the long, full, swooshy back

Dislike the placement of the cuff opening in the under arm sleeve. Dislike the single yoke, but, due to fabric constrains in this make, I can’t complain. It would be single layer or lined with muslin, so..

<b>Fabric Used:</b>
Striped cotton/linen woven from Fabric Mart

<b>Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:</b>
FBA, moved the cuff opening from the underarm seam and added a faced slit for it. Omitted the front pockets

<b>Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?</b>
Yes, I recommend this pattern. Will I sew it again? Hmmm…. maybe. I think it would be nice in a soft, floaty rayon challis.

Butterick 6135 Pullover Raglan Sleeve Top with Collar, Front Overlay, and Sleeve Length Options

This one is labeled Fast & Easy, and is, if you pick an easy to use knit! I used scraps and a piece of inexpensive ($2/yd) black rayon knit. The scraps were from a polyester border print. It’s soft, comfy and easy to sew. The inexpensive knit is thin and slippery. It was a smaller piece, maybe 1.5 yds, so I decided it sort of counts as a scrap or leftover. It was not a fun fabric to sew. I may or may not regret my fabric choice in the long run. I’ll just have to wait and see.

There’s a subtle difference in the overlays. In View A & D they overlap at the neck. In View B they meet at the middle and View C omits them altogether. I made View D.

I had to do a FBA, and that means an FBA on the front and the overlay, so twice the work. For the front I used the border section of the border print. I used black rayon for the front overlays. I wanted to use the final scrap of border for the collar, so that left me with enough to cut the sleeves from the print, but not the back. So the sleeves, collar, and front are the border print scraps, the front overlays and back are black rayon.

I struggled with the narrow hem on the front overlays. The rayon knit was slippery and difficult to work with. I hated the results!! Hated them so much I decided to finish the edges on my serger instead.

I used a technique that I learned as “Faux Piping”. It’s really just a wide, very short, three thread stitch. In the Faux Piping application, fabric is sewn right sides together, with seam allowance on the outside. The seam allowance is then finished with this short, dense stitch, and looks like piping inserted into the seam.

For my application, I just finished the raw edges of the front overlay. I thought about using all black thread. Then I spotted one spool of purple-pink variegated thread. But only one. I had some purple wooly nylon, which is fantastic to use in the loopers for this kind of stitch work. The purple was a little too dark, so I put the variegated thread in the upper looper, purple wooly nylon in the lower looper and black in the needle.

My serger, an Enlighten, does a “wave” stitch. It’s hard to describe but cool to look at. I’ve never done it. This probably would have been a good project for that stitch. Too late now!

Everything went together smoothly and easily. My only comment is that, for me, it was easier to lay the left overlay onto the front, lining up the neck notches, basting it down, then laying the right overlay on top of everything, lining up the neck notches, and basting it down. The pattern instructions suggest lining up the overlays at the neck and basting them together before putting them both onto the front.

I knew the border print would hem nicely but didn’t want to mess with that rayon again! So I used that same wide, short stitch in black to finish the hem. I switched back to the colorful threads to finish the sleeve hems.

I cut the collar out of the border print cross wise, so one short side of the collar is the bottom of the border print. Sort of like the top turned on it’s side. I wanted that design to be sort of a focal point, so instead of positioning the collar seam at the center back, I moved it to line up with the left front raglan sleeve seam.

Pattern Description:  Pullover tunic, with flared hem, raglan sleeves in different lengths, choice of two optional front overlays, neckline or collar finish

Pattern Sizing: Misses

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? Yes, the instructions were clear, accurate and the order made sense, ie, hemming the front overlays before applying them. And that is the only place I have a tiny quibble with the instructions, to me, it was easier to apply the sections one at a time to the front. All the notches and markings lined up.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? The full swishy bottom! I think I’m on a full swishy bottom kick. I’ve made a similar pattern, with set in sleeves and different overlays, a couple of times. I picked this pattern for a little variation, and because it was easy to color block the print and solid.

Fabric Used: Scraps of polyester border print and rayon knit

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: FBA, for front & overlay. Used a serge finish instead of narrow hems. Rotated the collar to emphasize the border print design.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes and yes. I’m thinking about View C but with long sleeves.