Lutterloh Patterns Come Alive!

 Supplement 332 - Model #5 - 2024

Loose fitting, full figure, knit top

 

   Hi there fellow Lutterloh sewists. Spring is almost here and the newest Lutterloh supplement is full of promise for a new wardrobe! This recent top seemed like a good start to ease into some warmer weather. It's another full figure pattern adapted to fit my less than full figure.

 

Pattern Hints:

   This pattern surprised me a little with a very loose fit and longer length. I anticipated a looser top from examining the pattern lines but the fashion drawing, with the hand in her pocket, disguised the true length of this top. It hits just at the bottom of the crotch. That's not really long enough to be a tunic but certainly longer than the average T-shirt. Below is the miniature of the pattern pieces.

 

  You can see that there isn't much shaping at the waist. The red lines are roughly where I reduced the waist for a slightly closer fitting top. The center back seam also gives a little more opportunity for more shaping at the waist. Because this is a full figure pattern I used a number on the Lutterloh scale that was a full 5 dots less than my actual measurement. Even though this represents a pattern that is 10cm less than my normal measurement it still produced a fairly loose fitting top. 

 

Style Changes:

   As mentioned above I ended up taking in this top at the waist at all the seams. In addition to being a looser fitting top I also found the length to be too long for my liking. I ended up cutting off 2 inches from the bottom to get a more standard T-shirt length top. This pattern, if extended quite a bit, might also make a pretty nice dress pattern. The ruching, below the V neck, is quite flattering for a larger bust and would probably help disguise a thicker waist if made up in the original looser fit. 

 

Fabric Used/Suggested:

   My lavender fabric is close to a medium weight interlock knit. This may have contributed to my dislike of the original fit. A lighter weight, clingier knit may have been more appropriate. Now, looking at the photo, I may even take the seams in further to get a closer fit for this particular fabric. If I make this again I'll look for a rayon or bamboo blend or perhaps an ITY knit. This probably isn't a pattern that would work well in a stretch woven unless it was much closer fitting with a zipper opening.

 

Closing Hints:

    After the alterations I do like the way this top turned out. My only reservation would be that the strap in the center of the ruching was a little fiddly to apply. I was afraid that if I top-stitched it that the gathers would be distorted. I ended up hand tacking the center strap on from the inside all the way up to the neckline. I tried the top on before the strap was applied but it just didn't look finished without it. For the future I'll try to figure out another way to apply the strap.

 

Until next time then, happy sewing everyone,

 

Ann in Calif.           

My Favorite Blouse

 Supplement 267 - Model #48 - 2007 

Collarless Blouse converted to front button style

   Hello again Lutterloh fans. I'll be taking a vacation soon to warm, sunny, southern California so I was looking through my closet and realized these blouses would be perfect. These aren't new but I thought I would share how I converted this pattern to a front button style instead of the intended side zipper opening.

 

The Pattern:

    The original pattern suggests a side zipper opening with the front pieces cut on the fold. I admit I have never made this blouse in its original form. From the first time I saw it I knew I would alter it. Below is a pic of the front pattern pieces which are drawn as one and then cut apart into upper and lower bodice. 

   You can see the symbol for a side zipper on the right of the photo. The red line indicates where I extended the neckline and center front by 3/4 of an inch. This allowed me to add a button placket for 5/8 inch buttons. I cut my 2 inch wide facing before I cut the top and bottom apart thus avoiding the extra bulk where the seams would meet. The blue line is a rough drawing of how I shaped the front facing. The back neck facing was cut at the same width. After my initial test of this pattern I felt the lower front bodice could use a little more shaping so I sewed a small dart in the lower bodice just under the bust gathers indicated by the green lines. You can see that first version on Sewing Pattern Review here.

 

Style Changes:

    I decided to cut the puff sleeve much shorter for the white version and leave the sleeves off altogether for the orange version. The arm hole is plenty high enough to wear this as a sleeveless blouse. Rather than arm hole facings I bound the arm holes of the orange blouse with bias tape. 

   Model #46 shows this blouse with a tie collar. Instead, to my white blouse, I added a lace collar which I embroidered onto 2 layers of organza. Both models of this pattern have a back bodice cut in one piece with long double ended darts for waist shaping. This allows for waist shaping for any figure since you can make them wider or narrower to your preference.

 

Fabrics:

     So far I have made this blouse in a variety of fabrics. The blouses in the photo are made up in a white striped seersucker and an orange/red quilting cotton. I have also made this in lightweight flannel and a slightly sheer Swiss dot. Obviously the lighter the fabric the sooner the blouse wore out. For a dressier look a silky fabric would work too. This could even be made in a stable knit with some adjustments for stretch. 

 

Conclusion:

    What makes this my favorite blouse pattern is that it can be made in so many fabrics. With a little imagination for the collar, sleeve and embellishment variations, you too can have a wardrobe of blouses in your closet. Since I have the bodice fitted to my liking I may even experiment with cutting the back piece at the same level as the front so a flowy, gathered bottom portion could be added. I do love the versatility of a well fitted pattern.

   I would strongly encourage you to think outside the box with your Lutterloh patterns. Sometimes with just a little tweaking you can end up with your very own favorite pattern.

 

I hope the new year is bringing you time to sew with your Lutterloh patterns.

Happy sewing everyone,

 

Ann in Calif.

Lutterloh Patterns Come Alive!

Supplement 290 - Model #39 - 2013      

  Full Figure Panties Pattern

 

   Hi there everyone and Happy New Year! I for one am glad the holidays are winding down. My sewing machines could use servicing and frankly I really don't need any specific items of clothing right now. In an attempt to pare down my fabric scraps I decided to make undies out of some of my favorite prints. These will just be for everyday wear under jeans or dresses or whatever.

 

Pattern Hints:

   I looked through many Lutterloh patterns to decide on this one. There was another more recent one that looked promising but I chose this one for the slightly higher cut leg. There were even swimsuit bottoms that I considered but this one seemed to most closely resemble the shape I commonly wear. Make sure to look at the line drawings for the patterns to get a better idea of the expected fit.

 

   Don't be surprised if you end up making a test pair or two. Since underwear fits so closely and each knit fabric has its own properties you may get a better fit with one fabric over another. The elastic will affect the fit as well so you may want to try more than one type to find what's comfortable. 

 

Design Changes:

   I did make a few minor changes to this pattern to make it fit my preference. First, since this is for full figures, I enlarged the pattern to a size that was a full 6 sizes lower than my measurement. My first attempt was downright baggy but that could have been a feature of my fabric choice too. Once the size was right I wanted to cut the legs a little higher. I drew the curve for the top of the leg opening a half inch higher than suggested and then added a half inch to the top hem all around the pattern. I didn't want the sides to end up like string bikinis. There was a little tweaking of the back leg shape too but the curves were pretty close from the start.

 

   There is a suggestion for cutting a crotch lining for these undies and I would agree they need one. I actually cut my pattern apart at this marking to make a 2 piece front. It's marked on the pattern diagram that I included in the next section. In my opinion this made it easier to attach the lining and keep all the seam allowances tucked in and neat.  

 

Fabric Used/Suggested:

  These were all made from remnants of past projects but they are all cotton knits. The 2 way stretch knits fit better when I cut a smaller seam allowance but the elastic lengths worked the same for every pair. Once you get those figured out you can line up several pairs of panties to sew in a production line. If you're going to try more than one type of elastic (picot, clear, fold over etc.) it's probably best to do that in the initial "muslin" phase so you can see how each type affects the fit. I would keep all your fabric choices similar to each other so there are no surprises after applying the elastic. 

 

   The elastic I ended up using for most of my panties was 3/8" clear elastic for the legs and 5/8" picot elastic for the waistband. I was equally pleased with picot elastic on the legs and clear elastic on the waist but I was at least trying to match colors so they're an assortment of fabrics and finishes. My elastic measurements ended up about 3/4 of the length of the fabric they were gathered to. For example: If the waist of my panties measures 32 inches then I would use 24 inches of elastic. The same goes for the leg holes. Turn your measuring tape on its side to get an accurate measurement.

 

   If you search there are plenty of sites on the internet that will explain the different applications for each type of elastic. What's a little harder to find is an explanation of how specifically to apply it to the legs of panties. I've included a diagram below to demonstrate where I applied my elastic at a 1:1 ratio and where I stretched the elastic to fit better on the buttocks.                                                                    

   The pink line on the outside is where I sewed on my elastic with little to no stretching. The area of the panties that gets gathered the most is all in the back leg. You'll need to stretch your elastic quite a bit to attach all the fabric to the elastic in this area. The pink arrow is pointing to the edge of the lining where I cut my pattern to make a third piece as I mentioned in Design Changes above. After a little experimenting I found I preferred to serge the elastic to the inside of the fabric, turn and then topstitch down from the outside with a stretch stitch. Your preferred method may be different depending on your type of elastic.

 

Closing Hints:

   For such a small project that seemed like a lot of explaining. I assure you, once you work out the shape and the elastic measurements, these really are a quick sew. I don't know that I would go to the trouble if I only needed one pair but when you make them assembly line style they come together in a snap. You also have the benefit of having a pattern to use in the future that can help use up those scraps you couldn't part with.

 

Here's to using up our stash and finishing those projects in the new year!

Until next time, happy sewing everyone,

 

Ann in Calif.