Monday, March 27, 2017

Lutterloh Patterns Come Alive!

Supplement 287 - Model #231&232 - Autumn 2012
 Sleeveless Tunic Top and Leggings

Wow, between getting ready for vacation and then being gone a week, the month of March has nearly gotten away from me! I didn't get any sewing done this month so I will share with you a couple of outfits I made back in the Fall for my niece K .   

Pattern Drafting Hints:
Both the top and leggings patterns are pretty straightforward to enlarge to one's own size. The top is just front and back pieces with combined neck and arm hole facings. The leggings have no side seams so are simply one pattern piece for each leg. I do particularly like that the leggings have a little shape to them as opposed to some pattern companies that just draw the lines for the legs perfectly straight from crotch to ankle. This allows for a little customization in case you have either slimmer or shapelier legs than average.

Fabric Used/Suggested:
The leggings are made from a cotton/poly/spandex blend fabric in a lovely teal color. There is a tiny bit of glitter in it if you catch it in just the right light. I would recommend a fabric with a good amount of spandex in it to avoid stretching out and bagging at the knees.

You may notice that the two tops hang  just a little bit differently on K. This is because the zig zag one is a lightweight poly/rayon knit whereas the spotted one is a slightly heavier weight cotton/spandex knit. Both fabrics performed admirably for this pattern but do be aware your fabric choice will affect the shape of your top. Since there is no closure at the neckline your top will need to have enough stretch to pull it over your head. 

Design Changes:
There were no design changes to the leggings at all. For the top, instead of the facings, I did use fine poly/cotton ribbing at the neck and arm holes to widen the shoulders just a tad. If you look closely you'll see that I did make one more change to add some interest at the neckline and add some swing at the hem. On both front and back I made a small inverted box pleat. Below is a photo of how I cut the pattern to achieve this. 
Since the pattern pieces are cut on the fold I simply moved the edge of the pattern away from the fold to add some extra room in the neckline. When the pleat is folded it takes up all the extra fabric at the neckline so your facing or binding length is not affected. Keep in mind that this does add some width to the entire length of your garment. If you like you can try this as a more prominent pleat on the outside too.

Because K is still a young teen I found the length of both patterns to be plenty long. When I made the leggings pattern for myself I did need to make my usual length adjustments just like any other Lutterloh pants pattern. You can see a pair of the leggings on me in this post here:
1 pattern 3 ways  

Closing Hints:
The leggings pattern is now my go to pattern for leggings of any length. As the weather gets warmer I will likely make a couple of the tops for myself since the simple shape lends itself to some embellishment opportunities. Although it may appear so in the fashion drawing this tunic top is not longer in the back. However, I did find it long enough to be considered a true tunic. I won't leave the house wearing leggings if my top is not long enough to cover my crotch in front and my whole behind in the back! 

How do you feel about leggings as pants? Do leggings require a longer shirt?
Please leave your comment below even if its as anonymous.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Vest fitting pattern

The vest fitting pattern is very important to your success

I did a search online and the site I send everyone to
 has moved or closed.

If you just bought the system 
If you didn't pick up a vest fitting pattern
If you aren't getting your patterns to fit as you like

HERE IT IS!

Make it and don't settle for less than perfect fit.
Paper fit first for a quick look at the issues. 

1. Is the waist at your waist? No? bring it up, move it down
2. Are the shoulders as long or short as yours, do they slant as yours does?
3.  Is the vest flaring around your hips?  Don't let it flare, we should drape over our hips
4. Is the vest too long too short?
5. Are the darts getting the fullness under control? 
They can be moved or made larger or small.  

Make these changes on the vest pattern,
Make a list of what you changed so 
when you make your first Lutterloh pattern
all you need to do is follow that list and 
change the paper pattern before 
cutting it out in fashion fabric.

REMEMBER: Facing, button bands etc must reflect any changes you make

I've put a ruler so you can get the correct scale when printing. 
Most printers have a way to do a custom size 
that general works very well if you turn off scaling.

Use the Lutterloh tape measure to make this pattern
It came in your kit.


Don't bother to contact us for a tape measure
we are not Lutterloh, just a couple of people who
LOVE TO MAKE lutterloh patterns. 
You can find Lutterloh sites 
on the right of our site.

 

Friday, March 3, 2017

Sewing Expo two days left!

It's a Northwest favorite!!
Held at the Puyallup fairgrounds
The  Pacific Northwest Sewing expo!

If you live in the Seattle, Olympia, Bellingham area 
it's not too far to go for great sewing classes
Vendors galore
and just Fun Sewing events.  
It's a four day event with only
Saturday and Sunday left.

If you want to pick up some Lutterloh patterns
or just watch a Demo
Look who is at the Expo!



Sewing and Stitchery Expo 
 March 2nd  - March 5th 2017 
at the Washington State Fairground in Puyallup,
$14 at the door, hours 8:30am-6pm and 8:30am-4:00pm

Say Hi to my friend Annette, 
she is doing classes for Shannon Fabrics.  
Tell her I sent you!