Sew Serendipity Sabrina Tunic

With my right hand I am typing and drinking a green smoothie.  But my left is busy playing with Pickle, and her ball.  Good grief, the noise of this squeaky ball is intense.  Maybe it's worse for me as I have hearing aids, or maybe it's that bad for everyone.  Pickle doesn't mind; she's having fun.

Here is another black dress that is difficult to photograph with any clarity of detail (and another in the pipeline). Part of the pleasure of making my own clothes is derived from working with fabrics that are visually interesting or beautiful, which usually means colourful.  So, if I make a garment in black it means I want it to be useful, and plain often means more versatile.

This sleeveless dress is made in a soft, fluid, draping black linen (at present I'm wearing a sheer top under it).  It creases like crazy, which is why it looks a bit crumpled in the photos.  I would show you a line drawing of the pattern but can't find one.  The pattern comes in three lengths: tunic, above-knee dress (my version), and below-knee dress.  There are bust darts, and no waistband.  The bodice finishes just under the bust.  The zip is centre-back and there are neck and armhole facings.  The skirt is an A-line shape.  It is unlined.

This dress was very quick and easy to make indeed.  And it took only one metre of fabric.  I don't usually like facings but now I pin them in place first, so I can stitch them to exactly the right length (for some reason if I sew the ends together first, the facing is never the right length!), I get along with them much better. I thought I would get away with no alterations to the fit whatsoever but, once I tried the dress on with the skirt part attached (I had made a muslin of just the bodice, which took about ten minutes), I could see that, on my shape in particular, I needed the bodice to be much closer fitting under the bust, otherwise it looked like a maternity dress.  Obviously, that effect is alleviated if you choose to make the crossover tie belt, as suggested, but I didn't quite have enough fabric for that.  So, I pinched about 3/4 of an inch pleats both sides, under the dart points, and it worked perfectly.

In the summer this dress will be so perfect for a hot summer's day.  I think I will make another, more brightly coloured one.

Thank you very much to Fiona at Chainstitcher for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award.

Vogue 1258...Thanks to Evie!

A few months ago, Evie very generously gave me this beautiful stretch crepe, having posted it on her blog as being available to anyone that wanted to give it a home!  Having been immediately smitten as soon as I laid eyes on it, I was very lucky to get it before anyone else did.

I eyed it on and off ever since it arrived in the post (a few months ago, I think, although I can't be sure, as time seems to fly every time I so much as blink).  Honestly, I liked it so much...the retro geometric look of it, the feel (my fave type of stretch fabric), the drape...I didn't want to ruin it by using it for something that either went totally wrong, or went right but didn't suit me.  I was planning to play it safe and make yet another Vogue 2091 DKNY dress (you know how I love that pattern).  Thing is, I knew I would be much happier if I made a bit more effort and really did it justice.

So, here is Vogue 1258!  Gosh, I love it.  The whole time I was making it up, right from the cutting and marking of the fabric, I was expecting it to go all wrong.  But I decided that I would take it second by second, and step by step, and not worry about it along the way.  So, by the time I had reached the end, and was hemming the skirt, I was kind surprised to find nothing had gone wrong, though some of it felt a bit risky at the time.  I'm talking about all those pleats, which converge at the centre front, and the sleeves, which did go wrong, but which I somehow still got to look good.

But weirdly, the whole thing was a very quick make indeed, the fabric behaved itself, the pleats were easy and all the pieces fitted together perfectly.  I mentioned the sleeves; I had to leave the actual sleeve/cuff off altogether, and just hem the edge of where it should have been attached (I couldn't get it to sit right where I had clipped diagonally on a corner).  Here is the line drawing so you can see what you are looking at!

The upper front and upper back are sewn together and between them make a long tie.  There are quite a few pleats which drape from the centre front, as I mentioned earlier, and they are hidden under the tie.  The skirt is narrow at the lower edge, with no vent.  And yippee, the whole thing just pulls on over one's head!

The only thing I altered, apart from the sleeves, was the neckline, which I raised by a couple of inches or so, otherwise it would have been unwearable for me.

Would I make this again?  Yes!  Undoubtedly.  I want to make millions of them in every colour.  It's the new Vogue 2091!

Thank you, Evie, for your generosity.  I am so glad I didn't play it safe!

Sewaholic Hollyburn Skirt and Sirdar 8486

Hello!

Thank you for your comments on my jumper, skirt and shirt.

Oh dear, it looks like me with my really huge, giant twin in the photos above.  Let's just say photos aren't my strong point!

Here are two more things I have made recently, the first being the Sewaholic Hollyburn skirt, above.  I made it in black needlecord so it's not showing up very clearly in the photos (what's new!)  In the photo below, it looks grey, but it's definitely very black.  I got the fabric from DC Fabric Traders on ebay and it's fantastic!  I washed it and popped it in the tumble-dryer before cutting, and it's still gorgeous.  It irons really well, too.

I am a totally different shape to the Sewaholic and Colette patterns and for that reason I wouldn't bother with anything too fitted (Thurlows, forget it, I'm afraid) but for this skirt (the longest option on the pattern) I didn't have to make any alterations at all, apart from cutting a size 6 on the waist and a 4 on the hip.

I really really like this skirt a lot; it's so easy to wear: it's comfy and goes with everything (looks especially fab with my Chuck sweaters).  The skirt was ridiculously fast to make up, and very simple.  I made the option with buttoned tabs, but no belt loops.  The zip is in the centre back.

There is no doubt I would like to make this skirt again, maybe in a shorter length.

The other thing I'm posting today is a jumper I knitted for Charlie.  Charlie chose the colour himself, which his Dad and Grandpa dislike intensely (which makes it all the better, hehe!)  After altering the white balance on the camera, this is a pretty accurate representation of the particular shade of purple.  It's not at all a blue purple.  I believe if I'm going to make something for Charlie he may as well like it, otherwise he will never wear it.  But this jumper, he loves it, and calls it his "designer" jumper, for some reason.  In his opinion, it's all the more special because I made it for him and he chose the pattern and the colour, too, so I couldn't be happier, and neither could he.

I think this jumper took me about five or six weeks to knit.  Apart from the sewing/seaming bit, I loved every minute (cables are my fave thing) and am in fact knitting him another in his second, more practical, colour choice of grey.  It's taking ages as I'm also knitting a black HUGE version for Nick (my Other Half) and a cardi for myself.

The pattern for Charlie's jumper is Sirdar 8486 (this pattern goes from a 24" to a 46" chest) and the yarn is a much more "budget" yarn than I have ever used before but I like it a lot and, in fact, ordered some in a mixed brown for myself.  It's Sirdar Hayfield Bonus Aran.  It's lovely to knit with and it feels light and warm and woolly but it's 80% acrylic (or somesuch nonsense) but it's surprisingly good to look at, too.  I haven't washed it yet, so time will tell!

Edited, to add: Charlie has just asked me why I have included our dog's bottom in the first photo.  I hadn't realised...sorry!

Another Chuck Sweater, Another Beignet and Vogue 8772

Despite having not been around on the blog for a while (though still lurking on others), I have been making stuff.  Quite a few things, actually.  Problem is, because I didn't document any of it at the time, I can't remember many details.  I suppose that's not much different to the usual state of affairs around here, since I tend to post a pic and a (relatively) short description most of the time.

So, here I am, posting three of my recent-ish makes.

The first is another Chuck Sweater, but this time in red Cascade 220.  I won't go into details, except to say I made the Small size but it could do with being smaller still (despite having a 35.5" bust measurement.  That's me, not the sweater).  And again, sorry it's a dark photo.  Still having trouble on the old photo front.

Next up are tie-front shirt, Vogue 8772, and a green cotton drill Beignet skirt.  I won't go into details on the Beignet skirt.  I think it's my fourth one (I have a denim one I haven't blogged and, in fact, had forgotten about until now.  I made it last July and still have never worn it - it's a bit tight).  This skirt: it is what it is!  I like it.  It's useful.  And, yes, I have a bow overload going on here.

The shirt.  Hmm.  Yes, the shirt.  It's one I wanted to make for ages, having made a couple of the McCalls M6436 shirts, which are loose-fitting, where V8772 has a closer fit.  It certainly does have a closer fit, and I wish I had kept that in mind when I made my muslin.  Yes, I made a muslin but only checked the bust and the general width of the garment.  I didn't make a complete muslin; I made a sleeveless shell, and didn't realise the shirt was actually a bit too long from shoulder down to bust.  What I needed to do was take it up quite a bit at the shoulder seams, as I now have quite a bit of excess above the bust, which I am always pulling down and adjusting.  I think that is the alteration I should have made, but I'm not sure.  Because the photo was so hurried I'm afraid it doesn't show up.  Other than that, the shape of the shirt itself is great.  Quite form fitting but not too much so.

The instructions have you cut out the huge tie ends on the bias, which means the whole thing is very tricky to iron smoothly, without getting those horrid bias-y unruly things happening (if you get me).  I'm wondering why one would need to cut the tie on the bias in the first place.  Is there a reason for this?

I have quite a few more things to show you and will try to do that soon.  Although I'm afraid the photos don't get any better!

Chuck Sweater by Andi Satterlund

Please forgive the dark photo of me looking somewhat stressed. Must make more effort!

Despite not posting recently, I have been making stuff. In fact I have made another Liberty lawn shirt for Charlie (got to make the most of him not yet - at eight-years old -  being "too cool" to wear home-made garments!), a shirt with a tie collar for myself,I have half made a green skirt (in progress) and half knitted another Chuck.

I hadn't knitted for ages, unless you count socks (I always have at least one pair of lacy socks on the go) but then I saw Lladybird's truly magnificent sweater.  I mean, TRULY.  I ordered the pattern straight away, and the yarn, and got to it.  Eight days of frantic knitting later, it was finished.

This is a relatively easy pattern to knit, even for someone that has only ever knitted two cardigans (with bobbles!) and a bunch of shawls.  Even the laciest shawls are more straightforward (in my experience) than garments that have to wearable.  Partly due to fitting issues, and partly due to the fact that the order of knitting the different bits of a garment can be so varied.  Knitters will know what I mean. This one is seamless, and knitted from the top down.  I had a wobbly moment where I didn't trust one of the instructions in the pattern and I was in such a hurry, and there was no one that could help with my particular query, even on Ravelry, though they tried very hard to assist, and so I mailed Lauren at Lladybird and, guess what, she mailed me back practically by return, for which I was so grateful.  Turned out I was wrong and the pattern was right, anyway!  For the record, I also mailed the designer and she got back to me as soon as she could and was very helpful, but Lauren was the knitting saviour that day!  It never ceases to amaze me how many crafters are so helpful to dorks such as myself!

Back to the jumper.  Okay, it's a bit short on me, but despite that I like it a lot.  It's better with high-waisted skirts and trousers.  It's knitted in Cascade 220, as recommended in the pattern, and on the same size needles as recommended, too.  It's a little too large across the back because my tension was looser when I started, but it's something I can live with.  As I said, I'm knitting another one in red, and if I have enough yarn it will be longer but only by an inch or so.

I have a shirt I'd like to blog but have to get around to taking photos, which I am very lazy about.

Vogue 1247 - Top

Although I haven't posted anything on the blog for a while  (it has been difficult to concentrate sometimes*), I  have done a couple of small bits of sewing here and there.

Remember the coral bodice of Vogue 8413? You might not, as I posted it back at the beginning of July (how did that happen...it was so long ago but seems like a couple of weeks ago). I finally picked it up again but it hasn't gone so well. I made it in a size 8 but there is so much ease in this, it's like a huge sack, especially on the skirt. I had basted the side seams of the skirt, and then basted the skirt to the bodice, so I need to somehow find the energy to bother taking it apart and putting it back together again much smaller. I mean, I will need to take about four inches of width out of the skirt, and a bit out of the width of the bodice. Even then, I'm not sure how it will suit me, which is a shame, as the bodice is lovely, and it looks lovely on...without the skirt. I will get around to it in a few months, knowing me.
As you can see, above, I did get around to making Vogue 1247. This is made up in a rather thick but very fluid matt polyester. I mostly sew with cotton, so this was really a shock to me. Despite changing my machine needle to what I thought was the correct one, and despite messing around with tension and whatever else, every now and then my machine skipped stitches on the bobbin thread, which was a little annoying. Also, I hadn't realised how deceptively thick the fabric was until I had sewn together all those french seams and three of them converged and needed to be sewn to the upper part of the top, which made four french seams all meeting at the same point, and I ended up having to trim bits off (not that you would know) so they weren't as thick as cardboard to sew through. This fabric was also a devil to crease at all with the iron, which made the french seams and narrow hems (neckline and bottom) trickier than they would normally be. 

Despite all that, I love the way the top turned out. The fabric is so soft to wear, and the top is so comfortable. AND it can be washed, left to dry and worn with no ironing at all. There isn't much to say about the pattern itself. Apart from getting the points of the seams to match up where they all meet, and the trickiness of the fabric I chose, it was easy and straightforward. If I found the right fabric I would make it again.

*Something very sad and shocking happened...someone I very much liked and respected immensely died, leaving her nine-year old son and husband without a mother and a wife.

Vogue 8295 Skirt with Yoke, in Silk Dupion

Hi everyone.  I am back, after short hols in St Ives, Cornwall.

I thought, since no sewing is happening here at the moment, I would post a pic of my Vogue 8295 skirt, which I made some time ago, a couple of months I would guess.

You may remember I had said in a previous post that the skirt looked fabulous on the hanger but somehow not quite right when I wore it, and I was thinking of shortening it. Turns out I'm so glad I didn't, as I've worn it several times now and it has grown on me. It's made from a very light yet crisp dupion silk which I bought from Truro Fabrics and I think it's probably better in a longer length as it seems to weigh nothing at all and I suspect it will fly up over my head each time the teeniest little breath of a breeze catches it. Scary. That's another reason for keeping the length. I should have taken some details pics but forgot.

All the seams are bound with rayon bias binding, and so is the bottom of the skirt, which is visible in the above photo. It was my first attempt at binding seams to finish them, and I'm really pleased I tried it. The effect pleases me. I'll definitely be doing that again on other garments. The skirt is unlined, except for the yoke, which is self lined. It has a zip at the side, with a little brass hook and eye above.

 I decided to lay the stripes horizontally for the yoke, as I really couldn't bear how vertical ones would never match up, what with all the gathering in the skirt. Again, I didn't take a photo, but the yoke stripes do match up at the side seams, forming chevrons.

This skirt was so simple to make and much more useful than I anticipated, even in the silk. Usually I pre-wash all my silk in the washing machine but I won't be washing this skirt, as the silk has such a wonderful texture and sheen to it. And, you see the lighter pink stripes? Well, when I look down on the skirt when wearing it, those stripes are a definite orange! Love it! I would like to make at least one more of this pattern but there are so many other more interesting things to make right now. I have such a long list of must-makes.

Before my hol I cut out and marked up the top from Vogue 1247:

The shape on me could be great or it could be a disaster. I'll let you know, although I don't envisage being able to get any sewing done for a few days. I have also made a denim Beignet, which should be useful. Will post about it when I get some time. Or, I should really admit, when it fits me! Although it's the same size as this one, I have put on so much timber (hehe) that it's too uncomfortable to wear (as is much else in my wardrobe, including the red Beignet). I am taking action to remedy this!  Bring on Davina (yet again), as well as my evening dog walk/run.  Yes.  I know.  I can't believe I have linked to The Daily Fail.  But anyway, love her or hate her, Davina's vids are really excellent if you don't want to fork out for the gym membership (or are too lazy to leave home, like me).

Skulls & Roses Cambie

Here is my second Cambie.  Well, it's really my first, but I just hadn't quite finished it before I started my second version.

I've now made both views.  I think the A-line version suits my figure better at the moment, probably because I made the full-skirted one a bit tight at the waist and midriff (not too tight to wear) and it makes the skirt stick out insanely in the hip area.  You won't have seen that in the photos.  I think I purposely may have put my hands on my hips (hehe!)  I think once I have lost a couple of pounds I have put on this year, the full skirt will look better.  I do still really really like the dress, but the hip area is really something I can't reckon with right now.

Anyway, as I was saying, here is my A-line version.  I was looking for something to use this fabric for, and it had to be something quite sweet and girly, to balance out the gothic fabric.  I knew the Cambie was it right away.  I did want to make the full-skirted version but didn't have enough fabric.  I'm so glad it worked out that way.  No doubt (according to Hugh Everett's MWI) there are many more versions of me all inhabiting their own universe, lamenting the fact that they used this fabric for the full version...but that's a whole other issue - one that crosses my mind often - am I odd?  Gosh, I do love pop science!  You could say reading about stuff I don't understand is a hobby of mine.  Spacetime...don't even get me started on it (not that I know anything about it, but that doesn't stop me).

But back to the dress.  For the bodice lining I used some relatively thin white cotton with red hearts, and for the skirt, some really lovely quality red lining from Iana Fabrics on ebay.  Oh, and as you will see, I used black lawn on the sleeves and pockets.

I had bought some French ribbon, and had planned to use it inside the hem but couldn't bring myself to hide it, so I just bound the raw edges of the hem with it and it's there for all to see, and it pleases me.  Binding hems so it shows is becoming a fave of mine.  I also did it with my striped silk dupion skirt but haven't blogged it yet.

I don't think there is much else to say about this dress.  We all know it's a great pattern, which is a delight to make.  And the dress was much admired at the Christening for which it was made (my mum did ask me if I was making some kind of point, wearing to a christening, but it was not the time to be answering that question!)

How is that for a fabulously matching pattern?!

Burda 107-08-2012

Yay! I have completed my first ever Burdastyle Magazine pattern! It almost didn't happen though: a few minutes after sitting down to trace off the pattern I had total pattern blindess, and went into panic mode, thinking I would never ever be able to trace off any of this mess.  The thing that kept me going was knowing that everyone else manages it, so unless I have the brain of a fruit fly, I should be able to, too.  So I did, and actually enjoyed it, after all.  I used Kwik Sew Kwik Trace, which is this nylon stuff that can be used as a muslin.  Since I didn't use it as a muslin, it was an expensive way of tracing a pattern.  I've now got some straightforward tracing paper for future requirements.

I had never made anything by Burda before, so wasn't sure what the fit might be like.  As people seem to say  that the fit is usually quite true to size, I thought for once in my life I would go by the correct pattern size for my actual measurements (with the big three I always go down a size or maybe two).  Now, I don't know if that was where it all went wrong, but good grief, once I had tacked together the side seams, and sleeves, I could see something was definitely wrong.  I'm not sure if this pattern is an odd shape or if it just came up too big (the finished garment measurements didn't seem to be on the pattern), but I had oodles and oodles of extra fabric horizontally and vertically, through the midriff section, starting around the waistline.  Taking the side seams in didn't help at all, it was just as baggy in the middle, so I ended up pinching out two inches (tapering to nothing at top and bottom) from the V of the waistband, right up to the V of the neckline.  That did the trick.  The waistband is actually cut on the fold of the fabric, so it shouldn't have a centre seam, but because the front bodice does have a centre seam, it doesn't look odd that the waistband now does, too.  I also took out about one inch from each side seam on the skirt.  Phew!

The alteration to the midriff suddenly accentuated a really odd amount of baggy fabric on the stomach area of the skirt, which was very unflattering (see the photo below, although the fit is obscured by the pattern of the fabric).  I unpicked the stabilising strip from behind the ruching and then unpicked the ruching itself, regathered it and took up a lot more fabric in the gathers.  Hey presto!  The improvement was dramatic.  This dress, in my opinion, should be fairly form fitting through the hip, waist and midriff, in order to show off the shape of the bust and shoulders and hip.  If it's too big, it looks like a sack, as you can see here:.

My measurements lined up pretty much exactly with the Burda size 12 on their chart. In fact, my waist size is half an inch bigger.  My back length is exactly right, too.  I don't know if this pattern has too much ease in it or what, but even so...two inches ?.  It's hard to tell, as the shape isn't so straightforward.  The sleeves are HUGE puffy, almost batwing things (I like them a lot, as well as having puffed caps, they also have an inverted pleat at the bottom, and the "cuff" is elasticated), so I couldn't tell if they came up bigger than they should have been.  I'm not sure whether to go for a smaller size next time.  Maybe I will try something really standard, with quite fitted sleeves in order to see how the sizes come up.

One thing I have learnt is that, as long as I cut a big enough size, if I'm too lazy to make a muslin, somehow I will probably be able to make the thing fit me, if I just machine baste each seam, including the zip, and try it on before actually sewing it all together.  That's what I did in the case of this dress, and it worked really well.

What can I say?  The shape of this dress is a departure from the norm for me, but I LOVE this dress.  It is probably the most comfy dress I have.  And it has sleeves.  I always gravitate to dresses without, but somehow sleeves feel more elegant.

I would love to make this dress again but don't know if I could be bothered with the alterations.  Yes, I have altered my pattern pieces, but waistband alteration has curved the centre front seam, so it would mean cutting the fabric differently, not on the fold, etc, etc.

Maybe the solution is to find some other dress patterns with a bit of a 40s vibe going on.  I do think I like this silhouette.

Edited to add:  I have just noticed that the waist of the dress is a LOT lower on the model in the photo than on me.  There seems to be less fabric above the waistband on my dress (I didn't alter that aspect of it)  Before you ask, I did add the correct seam allowances, and I did take them into account when sewing!

By the way, the fabric is another Liberty Lawn.  And I used some grey bias tape inside the hem, to neaten.  All the seams are overlocked on my sewing machine (the dress is not lined, and, due to issues with the fit, it was too tricky to bind the seams with bias tape as I would have liked to).


Look at my dog!  She collected all her precious bones and put them on her place on the sofa one evening.  Now, that is contentment.

Colette Macaron

At last, here are the photos of my Colette Macaron.  I had seen so many versions of this in Blogland, I had to give in and make one of my own.  Most fabulously the fabric I used, a medium weight black cotton lawn and some (polycotton, I think) black and white gingham, had been in my stash for around three years.

I really enjoyed making this dress.  There was nothing tricky about it; it just all came together nicely.  I especially like that the sleeves are in a double layer, folded over so you don't have to hem them.  It gives them some extra body too.

Apart from taking a bit in at the shoulders and the front of the bodice when sewing the sleeve in, I didn't have to make any alterations.  I think I should have made the upper bodice (the black bit) in a size smaller than the lower bodice, then I wouldn't have had to do the alterations.

I finished all the vertical seams by folding and sewing each seam allowance back on itself (I don't know what it's called), and I just oversewed the waistband seams.  The hem, I stitched nicely by hand, to make it invisible.  My invisible zip went in perfectly - cool!

I was mindful of the fact that the gingham squares might not line up if I wasn't careful but, apart from one little bit where the skirt meets the waistband, they all did.  Of course, I unpicked the bit that didn't, and adjusted it.  Now, all the squares are balanced, even on the hem, which curves.  Yay!

I enjoy wearing this dress so much, I am already planning another, this time with some crazy print for the main fabric, but repeating the black on top.