New top, new pants...

 Well hello there old blog! Its been a busy fall and winter and I have long neglected you, I'm ok with that fact.  I'd rather be sewing than blogging on any given day and it seems that I've chosen to do just that these months.  So here we are, its March and spring is beginning along with some spring wardrobe planning, but I just had to share this outfit made last month. 

The pants...
 So here it goes, the pants are a Melissa Watson McCalls pattern (7445) and I like them but have had to get accustomed to the wide leg.

A few pattern notes:

• There are one inch seams on the out and inseam, don't forget that or you'll (like me) wonder why in the world they are so big if you sew them with the typical 5/8 inch seam allowance.
• The waist band is not curved.  I much prefer a curved waistband and had to put three darts in the back of these after they were constructed because the waistband stood off of the small of my waist. 
• The pockets don't extend all the way to the fly (sometimes called a pocket stay) and I think that they fit much better when they do, so I redrafted the pocket on my second pair (yet to be shared) to have a pocket stay.  Pocket stays are great for hiding mommy tummy. 
• The Palmer/Plestch patterns include alteration lines on the pattern and I love that! 

The fabric used is a lightweight, stretch denim from FabricMart purchased in a kit. Its lightweight quality and stretch made these relax a bit after construction.  The next pair I've made is in a cotton twill with no stretch and I like the fit on them better. As stated above, I had to add three waist cinching darts to the back waistband, sorry no picture is included of the back, I snapped these really quickly and forgot to get a shot of the back.

One alteration I might do to these in the future is to add belt loops, I love the option of being able to wear a belt. In all this is a fun pattern, I would like maybe one more pair in a crazy print and cropped.

The top....

Back when I participated in the Pattern Review Sewing Bee I received the Winter Street Dress pattern, a great little pattern, and I made the bodice into a top since I loved the fit.  I love this top, wear it all.the.time.  When I altered the pattern for the contest I added some volume and gathering at the sleeve head and love the little feminine touch this gives it.  I recommend that pattern for a new to sewing knits person, its beginner friendly.

The fabric is a pima cotton bought at Hancock's a long while back.  I feel that it might have some poly in it but have never done a burn test.  The bolt did not state that it had poly, just cotton, but I strongly believe the bolt lied :)

Well there you have it, two makes in February, I've sewn many others but these are the only two I've captured with pictures.  Here's hoping your sewing machine is happy and busy too!

Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth