While both patterns look similar, there are some very different details to each pattern. The Easy V Express Top has a set in pleat in the back neckline. Look closely at the picture above and you'll see the pleat detail.
You can easily see that pleat in the picture below.
The Naughty Bobbins Presto Popover Top does not have the set in pleat.
For the picture, I left the neckline standing, but once on the body, it will crush and drape a bit, depending on the fabric that is used.
The Presto Popover Top is much more form fitting. It is also has a fully lined front bodice.
The Easy V Express Top is softer. The front bodice is not fully lined, but has a fold back facing. The Express Top is also a much more forgiving fit. In other words, not form fitting.
Both are great patterns, with easy to follow instructions. Both patterns go together very quickly. I can't say that I have a favorite, I like both and the subtle differences. One thing to keep in mind is that since the Presto Top has a fully lined front bodice, it does take more fabric. One of the reasons I chose the Presto Top for the white version is that it is fully lined.
I hope that has answered some of your questions. If you have more, please leave a message and I will do my best to answer.
One of the things that I've come to enjoy the most about the blog is chatting with all of you, sharing a bit of my life and hopefully, a few bits of inspiration.
Back in May, I had an alternator failure on the airplane. A few years ago, I was on my way to Cincinnati with a dog in tow. The dog was the kind of rescue flight that I enjoy most as he was going to his new home. Before I left Chicago, I noticed a whirring sound in my headset. I adjusted the squelch, the sound went away, all of my other pre-flight checks were good, so off I went. After about an hour in flight, I once again heard the whirring sound, I once again adjusted the squelch, and it went away. Then suddenly, about 30 miles out of Cincinnati, a screaming noise came through the headset, and then...total silence. All of my electrical equipment was gone, and at that point, I had no idea what may go wrong next, so it was a 'get it on the ground now' situation. Luckily, there was a small country airport just a mile or so away. Since I had no means of communicating, I did a scan of the area, said a prayer, and began my approach. I'm still here, so you know it all went well :)
As it turned out, not only did I have an alternator fail, the battery had boiled over and fried the battery box. Just a mess of a situation. But, the mechanic was able to get me back up and running enough to get the plane back to Chicago. Before leaving, he drilled into me that I was basically flying a broken airplane and that I needed to take extreme caution. Once in flight, turn off the radios and don't turn anything on until I was where someone could easily come and get me. As I entered the Chicago airspace, I turned on my transponder, all was good. Then I turned on 1 radio, still good. I called Midway tower, got my squawk code and at that point, even if everything failed, I should be able to make it home. When the gear touched down at Midway, it was the biggest sense of relief I've ever felt! Thankfully, the recent alternator failure wasn't nearly as exciting. I realized what was happening before I ever left the ground.
This past week, my mechanic and I met at the airport to install the alternator and do the annual inspection. At one point as he was working, he said, "hmmm, not good." I've learned over the years to just take whatever it is in stride, after all, I'm on the ground, and at this point, anything can be fixed. The insulation around the throttle cable was gone and the cable was quite worn. So, what does this mean? Well, the cable could break in flight which means that you no longer have control of the throttle. He told me that he has heard of cases where when the pilot pulled back on the throttle that the entire thing came out in their hand. Well, that would make for a fun situation...NOT!!!
My new throttle cable arrived yesterday. It's so pretty. My husband laughed about how excited I was about a throttle cable. I reminded him that a throttle cable is a lifeline. He no longer thought it to be so funny.
At long last, I finally have the video together for the burrito neckline finishing method. If you haven't already figured it out, I think you are going to love learning this new technique. In the picture below, you see the back neckline of the dress that I made using the Islander Easy V Express Top pattern. Very nicely finished.
Now a view from the inside.
And because the back is finished so well, the front neckline also lays beautifully against the garment.
In the video, you'll hear how I made this video. It's a little funny :/ Oh, and I want to apologize as I have been dealing with allergies the last few days, so my voice is a little weak. But all in all, I think the video will give you a good idea of how to execute the burrito method and beautifully finish the neckline of your garment.
With anything in life, knowledge is king. Be it dealing with a mechanical failure in an airplane, or knowing how to make what we do even better. I came across this quote and I thought it would be a nice way to end the post;
Real knowledge like everything else of value is not to be obtained easily.
It must be worked for, studied for, thought for, and even more,
Have you ever played the eye teasing game of Where's Waldo? If not, the game is about this guy, Waldo. He seems to be able to loose himself in crowds at circuses, art museums, beaches, and cities all over the world. He's really quite the well traveled guy!
The pictures look like the one below. You can literally search for hours and NOT FIND WALDO!!! So frustrating to say the least.
The reference here of course is to me and where I've been. To be honest, I have felt a little like Waldo, going about my daily life, but a little lost in the crowd. But, I'm back, and once again, very visible :) For those of you who have been looking for the completion of the Easy V Super Express Top from Islander Patterns, I should have the next video up later today. This is the most important video as I will show you how easy the "burrito technique" is for finishing the neckline. Once I've shown you how to finish the neckline, I'll then share some fun possibilities with you. Lots of fun things are coming up. On Monday, I will be hosting a fabulous giveaway that you won't want to miss out on. So be sure to pop back by. In September, I will be teaching at The Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Schaumbug, IL. The date of the expo is September 28, 29, and 30 2017. The classes for Schaumburg have not been posted, but I'm sure they will be up soon. I'll share more about what I'll be doing in upcoming posts.
I'll also be teaching at The Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Fredericksburg, VA October 5, 6, and 7, 2017. All of the info is up on the website and you can find it HERE. I'll talk more about what I'll be teaching in upcoming posts. I am so very honored to have been asked to teach. And even better, I'm going to have the opportunity to talk about something that has been a passion for well, just about forever ;) Now for just a few fun things... I had dinner with my niece on Tuesday night. First of all, I feel like the most blessed person in the world when it comes to her. If I have not been in touch for a while, I'll receive an email reminding me that I have not been in touch and that she would like to get together. The only bad thing about the time we share is that it flies by far too quickly :( BTW, we had dinner at this fabulous little taco restaurant in Chicago called Rojo Gusano. I'm a little apprehensive about sharing this little gem as they were already quite busy, but...I can't resist sharing something wonderful. If you live in, or near Chicago, GO! If you visit Chicago, GO! The tacos are served ala carte. If you like mushrooms, get the mushroom taco, absolutely incredible. The drinks are also fabulous and quite inventive. We both enjoyed our meal and will be returning with our husbands...maybe ;) She just came back from a fabulous trip to Japan and South Korea. I was shocked when she pulled out a gift that she had picked up for me, a gorgeous square of fabric.
She found it at a store in Kyoto called Kamiji Kakimoto. The store is known for its selection of washi paper. She said that they had a small display of fabrics that were locally made and she just couldn't resist a treat for me. The fabric is silk and so gorgeous. The picture really doesn't do it justice. I have decided to keep the piece intact and make a little clutch bag with a zipper, just something simple, but meaningful. Over this past weekend, I was in St. Louis, Missouri for the annual opera festival. What a wonderful time I had, but then, I always do :) The most dramatic operas were The Grapes of Wrath and Madame Butterfly. Both were amazing productions. I stopped by a Joann's fabric store to pick up some knitting needles and my eyes fell upon this magazine, Sew Style Simplicity.
Sew Style is a U.K. published magazine. You may remember the Sew Now magazine that I featured a few weeks back. This magazine is similar, but rather than 2 patterns, it comes with 3.
Inside the magazine, you'll find links to ton of free patterns. I've featured a few below, the little peplum top, the front buttoned skirt, the super cute pleated skirt, and even something for the mommy to be!
There are also a number of accessory patterns as well, like the satchel bag and the laptop bag. The neck pillow and zip pouch would make an easy to make, great gift for anyone going on a vacation.
So, if you are in the United States, look for the magazine at your local fabric store. You can also find it HERE online. My small investment was well worth the entertainment that I received from the magazine. Earlier this month, I was in Colorado. Oh my, Colorado is SO incredibly beautiful in the summer. We stopped in the quaint little historic city of Georgetown to snoop around a bit. I popped into their museum and in their store I was so excited to find these sweet crocheted yokes,
I think I only paid $15.00 for the pair. The manager of the gift shop said that they had been their for quite some time and no one knew what they were or what could be done with them. Well, lucky me! They will now find a nice home on a top or dress, and probably a pair of pajamas. Hope you are having a fabulous summer, or winter as the case may be. See you soon! Rhonda
This is the week of best laid plans going awry. Little did I know that the roofers were planning to arrive yesterday. So things were just a bit too noisy to try and get much done. But...better later than never, at least I hope :) I just love getting new things to wear, but then, don't we all?!!! So I am so very excited about doing this sew along with the Islander Patterns Easy V Express Top. I get new things to wear, and you get to see a few things explained. The video isn't my best. I didn't sleep all that well last night, and I am just a little off my game, but I think it will shed a little light on the neckline pleat and give you some good pointers as you begin.
For this top, I only used a yard of fabric. I measured it out just to make sure and it was exactly 37". I cut an XS size and the pattern calls for 1 1/2 yards. So if you have a yard of fabric that will fit the bill, by all means, give it a try.
In this video, I talk about fabric choice, the pattern, and constructing the pleat at the neckline.
In our next video, we'll talk a little more about construction, especially the great neckline finish. We'll also talk about fitting, and what I did to get a nice fit on my dress.
Have fun, and if you have any questions, be sure to ask. I'll do my best to answer. Remember, Janet is offering the pattern to anyone who comes by the blog at a 20% discount. Just use RHONDA in the promo code box. You can find the paper pattern HERE, and the downloadable pattern HERE.
Happy Monday Everyone! I'm one of those crazy people who loves Mondays. The day seems to hold all the possibilities of the week neatly in one day :) A little later today, I will be doing the second post on my pant experience. Here's a sneak peek. The pair below were the first pair I made and I made them out of a wool crepe. They are not hemmed.
The left side.
The dreaded back view :)
And the right side.
I'll have better pictures in my next post, along with the herringbone pants and the shorts. We will begin the sew along for the Islander Patterns Easy V Express Top tomorrow.
If you would like to join in, there's still time to get your pattern with a 20% discount. Just remember to use the code RHONDA at check out. We'll also discuss lengthening the pattern to make a dress. A dress out of this pattern is great as it's perfect for throwing on in the summer, and maybe even better with a shorter sleeve, or no sleeve. We'll also discuss deleting the sleeve, for a super cool version. With temperatures already hovering in the 90's. I'm looking for super cool!
Hope your day is off to a great start. See you a little later!
Janet Pray of Islander Sewing System sent me a message and graciously offered a 20% discount on the Easy V Express top pattern for anyone who comes by the blog and would like to make up the pattern. And get this...all you have to do is enter the code RHONDA. I'm a discount code, what fun!!! You can find the paper pattern HERE, and the downloadable pattern HERE.
I made the pattern up, THIS MORNING!!! as a dress and wore it to the Haute Couture Club June Banquet. That's right, I waited until this morning to get it made :/
I had planned to use the fabric from the resale shop dress I showed you yesterday, but I was a little short on fabric, so off to the stash for something different. Thank God for a stash!
The pattern is quite easy to put together, but the neckline is just a bit tricky. The week of June 12th, I will begin the sew along, so there's plenty of time to get your pattern and follow along if you would like. We'll talk about lengthening the pattern and making it into a dress. We'll make a sleeveless version, maybe change up the sleeves for a little something different, and we'll also go over the neckline construction so that there are no questions.
I really like the dress as it's super easy to wear, and I can pair it with heels are flats for a more casual look. This would also be cute as a tunic with tights, so lots of possibilities.
So remember, just put in the code RHONDA at checkout for your 20% discount.
I had hoped to have my new episode of Sewbussted's Material Witness up for you today, but alas, I have not finished the tutorial portion of the post, so it will have to wait just a bit longer. But, once it's up, I think you'll truly enjoy it :) I got up this morning and said to my husband, "I want to be like Mike." You may remember the commercials that aired a number of years ago when this little kid said, "I want to be like Mike." The Mike he was referring to was Micheal Jordan. While Micheal Jordan''s athletic abilities are something to be admired, I'm referring to a totally different Mike. I absolutely love going to the theater. There's just something about watching a live production play out in front of me. A number of years ago, my husband and I saw a play about 4 men who had been taken prisoner in a middle eastern country. They spent years in total darkness. All very accomplished men prior to being taken captive. Based on a true story, it was interesting and heartbreaking to watch how they dealt with captivity. One of the actors in that play was Mike Nussbaum. My husband and I both were so taken with his performance, and have followed him since.
Last night we had the opportunity to see him in a play entitled, Relativity. It's a fictional story about an encounter that Albert Einstein could have had with a daughter that he and his wife in real life had given up to adoption. At 94 years old, Mike Nussbaum was absolutely incredible, and he held my attention throughout the entire play. The play also addresses questions about what is important in life, work, family and does one trump the other. Very thought provoking. If you are anywhere in the Chicagoland area, I would encourage you see the play. It's been held over until June 23rd, so there's still time. Just click on the link above for more info. Over the summer, we are going to have a little sew along of sorts with the Haute Couture Club of Chicago. Just a little something to encourage everyone to do a little sewing over the summer. We've chosen a lovely little top from Islander Sewing Systems. It's the new Easy V Express.
To introduce the pattern, I am making it up...today :/, to wear tomorrow. I'm going to lengthen the pattern and make a dress. I've looked through the pattern and the instructions live up to the name, only 3 pieces and it is so very simple to put together. I love finding pieces at the resale shop that I can use as fabric. Below is a strapless dress that I purchased a couple of months ago and pulled on over my t-shirt for this picture. The fabric is really nice and I like the pattern. While this would be cute on hot summer days, I think I'll enjoy it more made into the Islander Easy V Express.
I'll show you the final garment tomorrow. For the sew along, I will be making up a few examples of the pattern, maybe changing the sleeve, making it sleeveless. Lots of options. If you would like to sew along with us, pop over to the Islander website and pick up a pattern. In later posts, I'll give you the opportunity to share your makes, and we'll also have conversations on our Facebook page which you can find HERE. I'm really looking forward to some fun summer sewing!
