Halter top and pencil skirt pics

I finished my blouse, and took pictures with my black pencil skirt. Here is the lining and my zipper, which came out sooooo well! My skirt is the second version of McCalls 5817, which I really like. You can see the first version here.

Now the line is a smidge off, bit I'm still happy.
Blouse, with the tie. A vintage pattern that was given to me by a woman from freecycle.org several years ago. It's Butterick 6965.
Another pair of dollar shoes from the estate sale.
More lining. I copied the Selfish Seamstress and just hemmed the lining seperately
The back.
A side view, so you can see the scarf-tie. It kind of blends in with the busy print.
Plus you can see my giant lemons in the background. Still not yellow, but very big. The rest of the plants got murdered during the heatwave when we were in New York. It didn't rain once while we were gone, which is what I was hoping for. Next up, one more blouse.

Summer Outfit with pictures

Here's the whole outfit. Nice and summery. Read on for why this outfit is an epic fail...

The halter top was made using Butterick 6956, a 1950s pattern. I made it with the leftover fabric from my blue dress I made a few weeks ago. I made it when Andrew was out of town.

Here is a close-up; the neckline is crooked because my shoulder are on an angle.

Both pieces are failures, but I though I would share them anyways. The top is definitely meant for a 50s style figure, possibly with a girdle or something. I feel like a sausage in it, with the exception of the bust, which is super loose. It's not a great summer top if you have to wear a strapless bra with it. Ugh. Oh well, I only wasted money on the zipper for it.

Here's the whole outfit. It looks cute from a distance, but the comfort level is a negative 10. It is all waaaayyyy too tight, and none of the fabric has any stretch. Painful.

This is my pattern for the shorts. I hadn't made a modern McCalls yet, so I cut an 8, but the shorts are tragically tight.

But they look so cute! you say.

I had the old gaping waistband problem, so I added a dart. It is obviously off center, but by that point I knew these were a lost cause.

Ewww. Now do you see? Waaayyy too tight. Andrew was like "You can see your underwear." Ugh, obviously. Because the shorts want to burst open like a water balloon.

Here's the inside. I used a metal zip from a bag I picked up last summer at an estate sale. I cut out all my pieces with pinking shears, so that is how I finish seams. I am always amazed a people who actually finish their seams. Bleh. I'm not that patient. I'm the only one who'll see it, and I definitely would rather spend that time making a new project.

Anyways, the shorts cost about 3 bucks, so it's not the end of the world. I made them yesterday in about 2 hours, too, so I think I will just go back to Hancock, buy the same fabric and make them ever so slightly bigger. I really like the style, and it was my VERY FIRST SHORTS EVER! So be kind.

I do want to share my failures with you guys too. Not everything turns out nicely, but live and learn! Now I know how to make shorts, and my next version will be great!

Butterick 6956- Halter top

I had about half a yard of fabric left from my latest dress, so I decided to try to make one of my vintage patterns, this one for a halter top. The whole thing is not quite unwearable, but it is far from being a masterpiece of sewing.

I hemmed the bottom seam on the machine which made it very stiff.

It is very fitted- to almost corset-like proportions, yet the bust only fits with a strapless bra. Sadly, that's more me than the pattern's fault.

The strap ended up slightly uneven, so the center back seam twists to my left. I noticed this after I cut the extra fabric off, of course.

The zipper is mediocre. If I worked at a factory, it would be docked from my paycheck. :(

Oh well. One less piece of fabric laying around and one slightly wearable top.