Simplicity 8561 Review
Sooo yeah, its been a month since my last post. I have been a little busy! But in that time I did manage to make 2 pairs of leggings, so I did do something constructive. Don't get me wrong, I still like McCalls 6173, but since I did not buy the correct size at the time, they always come out big even when I try to cut them smaller. And even though I take them in, its not the same as making them in the right size the first time around. So I recently came across this one and liked the look of the shaping around the butt, so I got this for around $5 shipped on ebay. Its not as good as when the fabric stores have patterns on sale for $1.99, but its about as good as you can get. Anywho, here she is!
So this was one of those weird D patterns that I run across sometimes. Its Simplicity 8561, but its also Simplicity D0872. I never looked into why some patterns are like that, but its not important. I ended up with the D0872 version obvi. I like the pattern envelope better for the 8561 version because it shows the different pattern options better in vibrant colors. Thats how I knew I wanted it was from seeing the 8561 version on the interwebs. Anywho, it was fairly simple to put together. I made view D and it only had 9 pieces, but most of them are small, like the pocket binding or the elastic guide to show you how much elastic to cut for the waistband.
The instructions are easy and it was only slightly time consuming to put together, mainly because the first pair I made was, again, too big. I went by the envelope measurements and it said I should cut a Large. I figured that with my hips and butt and all, but it was pretty roomy all around once it was made. These were in an athletic Heathered Olive ATY (the generic term for supplex) and some rando black fabric I had in my stash because I didn't have quite enough of the green for the full length pair. Maybe if I had done the shorter version I would have had enough, but it looks nice. I took them in, but I went back and cut a Small for the second pair. The husband suggested a Medium, but I had to take them in twice and they're still a little loose but comfy.
I had to borrow the husband's Beavis and Butthead slippers while my Mr Potato Head ones were in the wash. I was feeling fabulous. hehehe
Channeling my inner Hulk Hogan.
For the second pair, I wanted my butt to really pop, so I chose this skull print athletic fabric for the back panel and black supplex for everything else, both from Surge Fabric Shop. Both of them are soooo soft and the supplex is very resistant to abrasion which I thought would be nice for something I would wear a lot. But the main reason I wanted this pattern was because I thought if you did something loud for the back/butt part and a solid for the rest, it would make your butt look bigger. Not that I need that at this point in my weight training or in my life in general, but illusion is what sewing is all about. It makes things interesting!
Pockets, bitches!
... is that a bug on the wall?!
Thank god I bought decent fabric for these and didn't just use something from the thrift store that I did not know, because if the fabric was stretched any tighter I might pop out like a can of biscuits. haha. Ok, they're not that bad, but they're definitely more form fitting if you will. These were still a bit big around the knee area (is this common for legging patterns??) but the rest fits very nicely. I had to take the waist band in just a tad more, but otherwise I think it will be small from now on in these. The Skull fabric was stretched pretty heavily when I sat or bent over, so the normal 2 rows of stitching that they call for in this pattern had to be removed and replaced with a zigzag stitch and then the seam allowance was pressed to one side and also stitched down using another zigzag stitch to alleviate the stress on the first line of stitching. Whew! lol. Although it was a little tedious, it made for a secure, stretchy seam. The insides of both were finished with my serger, of course. And even though that fabric was stretched beyond belief, it still did not become see through, much to my husband's dismay. haha. That's good stuff right there. I will definitely have to get more when it goes on sale again.
Overall, I really like the different seams on this one and I will very much be making another pair. These 2 are in thicker fabrics for winter, but I might get a more lightweight athletic fabric for the future ones. I also want to try the other version with the normal butt area and see how those fit. Oh, I almost forgot! THEY HAVE POCKETS!!!! Not that I need them usually for just hanging around the house, but its always nice to have handy, just in case. I just can't do leggings for pants in public just yet, but the pockets would be very nice for that. They're pretty deep, which would be excellent for shoving your phone or keys into if you went for a run or something.
So long story, uh, long... this is a good pattern. :-D
Sorry for the crappy photos. My room is a little messy currently with 3 sewing machines in cabinets just taking up space. Yeah, I bought another one. This one was only $5 at the thrift store so how could we say no?!? Well, I did say no, but the husband made us go back for it. He's an enabler. haha.
Look at the ruler built into the table! Its so cute!
It has a knee pedal which I have never seen before, so I am really excited to get it up and running. According to the tag at the thrift store, it runs but skips a stitch, so we'll see what we can do about that. My goal for 2020 is to get all 3 machines up and running and sew something with them. If they're going to take up room, they have to at least be in working order. Plus this most recent one, a White 311 model, has had some people comment on how well it does through quite a few layers of fabric, so I might use this for jeans or purses or something where there is a lot of layers going on. SOMEONE STOP ME FROM BUYING ANOTHER MACHINE! ((sigh)) But recently my trusty Brother SE400, my main machine, has been making an odd noise when sewing. Not all the time, but its a strange almost grinding sound that goes away after a couple of seconds. It doesn't sew any differently, but it has me concerned. So I might need one of the other machines to be working if I am to get this one serviced eventually. Unfortunately I am in the middle of nowhere and even if I found a repair place, who knows what they're gonna charge! So that has to be on the back burner for now. I keep sweet talking her, so hopefully she will continue to keep on trucking. Fingers crossed!
So this was one of those weird D patterns that I run across sometimes. Its Simplicity 8561, but its also Simplicity D0872. I never looked into why some patterns are like that, but its not important. I ended up with the D0872 version obvi. I like the pattern envelope better for the 8561 version because it shows the different pattern options better in vibrant colors. Thats how I knew I wanted it was from seeing the 8561 version on the interwebs. Anywho, it was fairly simple to put together. I made view D and it only had 9 pieces, but most of them are small, like the pocket binding or the elastic guide to show you how much elastic to cut for the waistband.
The instructions are easy and it was only slightly time consuming to put together, mainly because the first pair I made was, again, too big. I went by the envelope measurements and it said I should cut a Large. I figured that with my hips and butt and all, but it was pretty roomy all around once it was made. These were in an athletic Heathered Olive ATY (the generic term for supplex) and some rando black fabric I had in my stash because I didn't have quite enough of the green for the full length pair. Maybe if I had done the shorter version I would have had enough, but it looks nice. I took them in, but I went back and cut a Small for the second pair. The husband suggested a Medium, but I had to take them in twice and they're still a little loose but comfy.
I had to borrow the husband's Beavis and Butthead slippers while my Mr Potato Head ones were in the wash. I was feeling fabulous. hehehe
Channeling my inner Hulk Hogan.
For the second pair, I wanted my butt to really pop, so I chose this skull print athletic fabric for the back panel and black supplex for everything else, both from Surge Fabric Shop. Both of them are soooo soft and the supplex is very resistant to abrasion which I thought would be nice for something I would wear a lot. But the main reason I wanted this pattern was because I thought if you did something loud for the back/butt part and a solid for the rest, it would make your butt look bigger. Not that I need that at this point in my weight training or in my life in general, but illusion is what sewing is all about. It makes things interesting!
Pockets, bitches!
... is that a bug on the wall?!
Thank god I bought decent fabric for these and didn't just use something from the thrift store that I did not know, because if the fabric was stretched any tighter I might pop out like a can of biscuits. haha. Ok, they're not that bad, but they're definitely more form fitting if you will. These were still a bit big around the knee area (is this common for legging patterns??) but the rest fits very nicely. I had to take the waist band in just a tad more, but otherwise I think it will be small from now on in these. The Skull fabric was stretched pretty heavily when I sat or bent over, so the normal 2 rows of stitching that they call for in this pattern had to be removed and replaced with a zigzag stitch and then the seam allowance was pressed to one side and also stitched down using another zigzag stitch to alleviate the stress on the first line of stitching. Whew! lol. Although it was a little tedious, it made for a secure, stretchy seam. The insides of both were finished with my serger, of course. And even though that fabric was stretched beyond belief, it still did not become see through, much to my husband's dismay. haha. That's good stuff right there. I will definitely have to get more when it goes on sale again.
Overall, I really like the different seams on this one and I will very much be making another pair. These 2 are in thicker fabrics for winter, but I might get a more lightweight athletic fabric for the future ones. I also want to try the other version with the normal butt area and see how those fit. Oh, I almost forgot! THEY HAVE POCKETS!!!! Not that I need them usually for just hanging around the house, but its always nice to have handy, just in case. I just can't do leggings for pants in public just yet, but the pockets would be very nice for that. They're pretty deep, which would be excellent for shoving your phone or keys into if you went for a run or something.
So long story, uh, long... this is a good pattern. :-D
Sorry for the crappy photos. My room is a little messy currently with 3 sewing machines in cabinets just taking up space. Yeah, I bought another one. This one was only $5 at the thrift store so how could we say no?!? Well, I did say no, but the husband made us go back for it. He's an enabler. haha.
Look at the ruler built into the table! Its so cute!
It has a knee pedal which I have never seen before, so I am really excited to get it up and running. According to the tag at the thrift store, it runs but skips a stitch, so we'll see what we can do about that. My goal for 2020 is to get all 3 machines up and running and sew something with them. If they're going to take up room, they have to at least be in working order. Plus this most recent one, a White 311 model, has had some people comment on how well it does through quite a few layers of fabric, so I might use this for jeans or purses or something where there is a lot of layers going on. SOMEONE STOP ME FROM BUYING ANOTHER MACHINE! ((sigh)) But recently my trusty Brother SE400, my main machine, has been making an odd noise when sewing. Not all the time, but its a strange almost grinding sound that goes away after a couple of seconds. It doesn't sew any differently, but it has me concerned. So I might need one of the other machines to be working if I am to get this one serviced eventually. Unfortunately I am in the middle of nowhere and even if I found a repair place, who knows what they're gonna charge! So that has to be on the back burner for now. I keep sweet talking her, so hopefully she will continue to keep on trucking. Fingers crossed!
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