Pattern Magic 3 Archives - Handmade by Carolyn

sage skirt, sage skirt, ivory top, orange hand warmers

31/08/2016 1:48 pm \ 29 Comments \ Carolyn

Hello! I’ve got a small handful of new stuff to ~~show off~~ present … four things to be precise!

Firstly, two sage green/pale coffee, checked tweed skirts. I inherited this beautiful quality piece of wool tweed from my grandmother’s stash after she passed away. Although I earmarked it straight away as two skirts for Cassie and myself I just hadn’t got around to it and have sat on it all this time. It was one of those fabrics I couldn’t bring myself to cut into… you know, inherited from Granny, plus exceptionally good quality, equals inevitable thoughts of sewing tragedy followed by eternal self-damnation…. but I’m making myself get over that nonsense nowadays. Make it! Enjoy it! Live dangerously! So, finally… it helps too that I think Cassie has now grown into fabric of this calibre 😉 not that she didn’t deserve high quality fabrics before, but you know what I mean! it’s very much a grown-up fabric and makes a very smart little work skirt for her now that she has a serious and professional career. The fabric really is beautiful stuff… fine and evenly woven, and there are flecks of all sorts of colours in with the sage green/coffee check… blue, red and gold, caramel brown, forest green, and a hint of purple and black. It has no identifier on it but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a fully English tweed. My grandmother was very much into that sort of thing 🙂
Also, this is possibly the first time that my fabulously neutral garage wall has failed me in showing up a garment nicely!! it blends in way too much here! Maybe the gorgeous fabric shows up better in Cassie’s picture, below. Here, she is wearing her skirt with this caramel coloured merino tee that I made for her previously.

Both skirts are pretty much identical, apart from the size, of course!! Both made using Vogue 8363; the waistbands and pocket linings are cut from cotton calico, and the lining is a beige polyacetate. Ivory/beige invisible zips in both skirts, closure by a wide hook and eye, and I cut the linings big and eased the extra fullness into the waistband with big pleats, for some wearing ease. As always, I like to hand-stitch the waistband facings and lining down on the inside, much neater I think and the fabric deserved a really nice finish 🙂

Next up, a little top for Cassie! we bought this ivory/grey cotton French terry while we were in Japan recently… and can I just say… OmigawdthisfabricisthemostGORGEOUSstuff and I would sob with pitiful happiness if only I knew I could go back to Japan again… *sigh* When Cassie moved out of home she left this fabric behind and I almost started to factor it into my own plans mwahahahahaha… but of course she hadn’t forgotten it, o no! The reason she had deviously left it behind was so that I could make something for her with it! HA! She chose the wings top from Pattern Magic 3, modified so as to have the wings gone; I’ve made this for myself once previously too, and I like Cassie’s new one so much I’m now wondering why I threw mine away! I left the lower edge raw so it curls up nicely, and the sleeve edges and neckline I overlocked the raw edge, turned it under once and did a nice discreet little zig-zag to finish it. It looks quite nice, I think.

Item number four, and actually this is nothing to write home about really… I refashioned the fabric from an old woollen jumper of Craig’s into cosy new hand warmers for me. I have my nice sheen green knitted hand warmers, that I’ve been wearing all winter, but! It’s still cold, I’m bored to tears with all my winter clothes and I just really fancied a new colour. And the jumper was such a divinely rich tangerine-y colour and going begging because it had developed a large moth hole in the front. Also, it had felted and shrunk a little bit when some careless person had accidentally tossed it in with too hot of a wash, tut tut *whistles innocently* and I have NO IDEA who that could have been, hum de hum!!! Anyway!! I cut open the whole jumper, assessed for holes, and cut out two rectangles, carefully avoiding said holes and a few stains. I kept the ribbing intact for the bottom edge, and cut holes for my thumbs, overstitched those all nice and secure, and sewed the long side up. I put them so the seams are on the outside because I liked the bobbly look of them, then sewed a little casing in the top edge and inserted a ring of elastic so they stay up my arm. Bam! and bob’s your uncle. New hand warmers, and making use of an old thing that would have otherwise been tossed out. WIN!

Details:

Item 1)

Top; Burdastyle 04/2014-111, white bobbly stuff, details here
Skirt; Vogue 8363, sage green/coffee check wool tweed
Tights; my own pattern, black stretch stuff, details here and my tute for making your own custom-fit tights pattern is here
Boots; made by me, my own design, details here

item 2)

Top; drafted by me, caramel coloured merino wool, details here
Skirt; Vogue 8363, sage green/coffee check wool tweed

item 3)

Top; the wings top from Pattern Magic 3, ivory French terry cotton knit

item 4)

Handwarmers: made from an old jumper
Tshirt; self-drafted, dyed black cotton jersey, details here
Skirt; Vogue 1247, dyed purple denim, details and my review of this pattern here
Cardigan; Miette knitted by me, details here
Cowl; knitted by me to my own design, details and my original pattern is here
Tights; my own pattern, black stretch stuff, details here and my tute for making your own custom-fit tights pattern is here
Boots; made by me, my own design, details here

Posted in: sewing \ Tagged: Cassie, daily outfit, handwarmers, Pattern Magic 3, Sienna, skirt, top, Vogue 8363, Wardrobe Refashion

blue Pattern Magic hoodie; 6 different ways

17/07/2015 10:40 am \ 12 Comments \ Carolyn

During a recent closet clean-out I decided to bid adieu to this royal blue hoodie type of a thing. I made it a few years ago from Pattern Magic 3, and have worn it to death!
Cue orchestral flourish, aaaaand, in sonorous tones, “Blue Pattern Magic hoodie thing; This Is Your Life…!” *rising swell of stirring music*
My initial construction post is here… from the word go I’ve enjoyed wearing this thing. The deep royal blue worked with everything and the shape is kinda interesting and unique while managing to be still plain enough that it became practically a basic in my wardrobe. My favourite view of it has always been the back view where the “hoodiness” of it was the most apparent. The front view is plainer, with a subtle drapey elegance.
The fabric was initially given to me by my friend C from her mother’s stash, and I was just mucking about when I threw it together. It was really just a wearable trial of the Pattern Magic design and I didn’t realise how very handy it would become. I’ve tossed it the suitcase several times to take it overseas with me because it was such a terrific little wardrobe mixer. Thus it has featured in loooooads of our holiday photos 🙂

I’ve promised myself over and over again that I really need to make this up a second time in decent fabric and I reckon finally putting away this old one could be just the excuse I need 🙂

Chosen from dozens, these are six of my favourite daily outfits with it…
Barring shoes, all clothes I am wearing in these pictures are made by me.
In the early stages of its life I tended to wear it just like a Tshirt, as in at left; worn with hot pink linen shorts and hand-knitted Noro socks while hiking in Lake Como, and at right, worn with my ombre-dyed velveteen skirt in Milan…

I discovered it looked really good when worn over a longer sleeved Tshirt, like as a tunic, and this became my most preferred way to wear it.
At left; with striped Tshirt, over-dyed blue corduroy skirt and black woollen tights, in Stockholm; and at right with a green bodysuit, green corduroy skirt, navy blue tights in Helsingor, Denmark

At left; worn with purple Tshirt, knitted green handwarmers, overdyed brown denim mini skirt and blue tights in Iceland, and at right; finally, non-exotically, just at home, worn with red bodysuit, blue corduroy skirt, maroon scarf and orange tights.

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: 6 different ways, hoodie, Pattern Magic 3

Full Moon, restyled

19/09/2012 9:01 am \ 37 Comments \ Carolyn

Wow! As soon as I saw the re-styling suggestions in my comments I realised how right you all were… thank you! I can see now my outfit was a wee bit on the frumpy side. I guess I was being a lazy blogger; trying to kill two birds with one stone by forcing the two new things; the top and the skirt, together in one outfit and one post when they did not really want to be together… so I have taken your excellent advice to heart.
I agree, the Full Moon top does seem to appear far less weird and look a whole lot better worn with no Tshirt and a little skirt :))
Thank you again!

Details:
Top; the Full Moon top, drafted from p12 of Pattern Magic 3 byTomoko Nakamichi, various lightweight black fleeces
Skirt; my own design, charcoal jersey knit, details here
Shoes; akiel, from an op shop

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: daily outfit, Pattern Magic 3, top

Full Moon, from Pattern Magic 3

19/09/2012 12:13 am \ 22 Comments \ Carolyn

I have made a new …. er, thing. A top? Yup, I think I have made a new top. Maybe it’s more of an experiment than a top really. One of the drafting exercises exploring how the placement of apertures governs the drape of the circular pattern piece… from p12 of Pattern Magic 3 by Tomoko Nakamichi; Full Moon. The companion piece in the same vein is the Crescent Moon top, posted here.

I made it using some more of the fabric stash given to me by my friend C from her late mother’s stash. Two different black fleeces; slightly different shades of black and slightly different degrees of fluffiness, and I joined smaller pieces together in unobtrusive places to get pieces big enough to make the top. One of the pieces I used wrong side out since it closely mimicked the right side of the other fabric.

Here is the thing… it may not get worn a whole bunch. I have prepared myself for no one reading my blog to like it. It has suffered some knock-backs already: no one in my family likes it. Actually, everyone loathes it 😀 I put this on the first time a few mornings ago and wandered out into the kitchen… and my mother, staying with us, asked incredulously if I planned to wear this out. I replied in a small voice, yes… and well, to cut to the chase I have been forbidden to wear this while I am out with my mother! Yikes! I can’t believe I’m middle aged and am still wearing stuff that my mother doesn’t approve… I’m still a fashion rebel, yeah!!

But my feeling is that it is not that bad. As a top: the pouffiness presents a dressing challenge, true; it is a sihouette that is not particularly figure flattering, which in our body-conscious world translates to not very fashionable, and so is rarely seen. Except in circles who are really interested in sartorial innovation. But I think that over-blousiness on a top half can be successfully counteracted by wearing a long and slim-line lower half.
The diagonal drape-lines achieved by skewing the waistband and the neckline is interesting and quite attractive, and I can imagine this concept being incorporated beautifully into a skirt design.
Oh, and btw my skirt is kinda new, to me anyway. My mother made it for herself but it has shrunk in the wash, so I have inherited it. I had to take the waistband off and take it in at the side seams to fit me, but I think I can allow myself to wear it since it is handmade by Mum. The pattern she used is Vogue 8561; the fabric, a stretchy lightweight denim from KnitWit. Coincidentally, also used inside out! Cute, yes? I really like the one lone little asymmetrical, disproportionate shield-of-arms pocket. That is a very nice detail.
Thank you Mum!

Details:
Top; the Full Moon top, drafted from p12 of Pattern Magic 3 byTomoko Nakamichi, various lightweight black fleeces
Tshirt (under); self-drafted, white cotton jersey
Skirt (made by Mum, altered to fit by me); Vogue 8561, blue stretch denim
Shoes; Perrini, had for yonks and yonks

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: daily outfit, Pattern Magic 3, skirt, top, Vogue 8561

Spiral leggings

10/08/2012 2:26 am \ 43 Comments \ Carolyn

From my first flick-through
the book I always knew this project was a must-make… the spiral leggings on p
52 of Pattern Magic 3, by Tomoko Nakamichi.

The design is, like so many
in the Pattern Magic series, excessively cool. A sorta a-ha design; seemingly simple and obvious when you see it laid out like this, but nonetheless innovative and edgy.

I know I’ve raved about the
Pattern Magic books ad nauseum over and over again before, but just allow me
just another small rave… every time I attempt something from Pattern Magic I feel
like I learn something new and profound about sewing and fabric
manipulation. OK, OK, I know several of the designs
in the book are barely wearable, true; but they are without exception exciting
and forward-thinking. The process is
about thinking outside of the box, getting out of the rut. The designs are never
predictable, and never ho-hum, I
love this sort of innovation in my sewing as well as in my wardrobe!

above 2 pictures from Pattern Magic 3

The fabric I used is a deep purple-grey, synthetic stretch knit from Fabulous Fabrics. Actually, I bought this fabric specifically for this
project, it is exactly what I wanted. I bought this fabric with my birthday gift voucher,
from a group of my friends; the other piece I bought with this voucher became
my red dress, and I still have some more of this grey stretch left too, to make
something else. I have the best
friends!

above; mine

I drew up the paper pattern
but there was lots of fiddly diddling. I
needed legs both wider and a lot longer than the dimensions stipulated in the
book! Well, that’s hardly
surprising, really 🙂 Also I mentioned my fabric was exactly what I wanted? well it was, but there was only
one small problemmo… the fabric stretched just one way, not two. Or is that two-way, not four-way?? I
can never get that right. But
you’re getting my drift here I hope….

My point is that the “girth”
of the leggings stretches around my legs in some but only some parts of the
spiral. A minor technical complication…

I also made minor modifications
to the style of the leggings: as follows:

The pattern is for straight-ish
legs with very little tapering; and after the first try-on I decided that I wanted mine to be a lot
more tapered, to be skinnier around my calves and ankles. It’s probably hard to
tell from the pics but I can assure you they are substantially skinnier than
the book version!

The other style adjustment
which is probably easier to distinguish between the two, is that my
leggings are form-fitting and “rumple-less” about my hips, while the ones pictured on the model in the book have the rumples going all the
way up the side of each hip, right up to the waistband. Since I wanted to wear mine not as
pants, but as leggings underneath a dress or skirt, I wanted for the top part
to be tight and smooth and have no rumply bits that would bunch up to make my
hips look falsely lumpy and bumpy underneath a dress. I prefer for my hips to look smooth and streamlined, not
lumpy and bumpy, thank you very much
🙂 Just
a personal preference there, of course
;D

Consequently I drafted and
sewed the top part of the leggings to fit my abdomen snugly. I cut a tall waistband to be 3cm shorter than my natural waist measurement and attached the waistband to the top edge
using this method with no elastic, and they sit up quite securely and
comfortably and don’t feel like they are going to slip down.

I hemmed using the twin needle on my sewing machine, instead of the band suggested in the book.

All in all, because of my 1(2?) way stretch issue and desire for a skinny-leg modifications; I probably tried these on, pinned, took them off, did a bit of basting and tried them on again… at least a dozen times over; but y’know what? I’m perfectly satisfied. Last year I devised and made
a pair of leggings I dubbed scrumpled leggings, and these ones are satisfyingly even more scrumply!

Details:

Leggings; from p 53 of Pattern
Magic 3 by Tomoko Nakamichi, made of grey synthetic stretch knit

Dress; body &soul, a
thing I’ve had for about twelve years. I
probably should copy this one over again, I love it so. One of those RTW things that I love so
much I probably never will part with it!

Shoes; Perrini, had these
for even longer than the dress, probably 20 years!

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: daily outfit, Pattern Magic 3, tights/leggings

Clipped Wings; a top

14/04/2012 8:45 am \ 18 Comments \ Carolyn

Here is my latest from Pattern Magic 3, by Tomoko Nakamichi; this is the top from p61/91. The seamlines at the side and centre back seams of this top are gently angled out, causing the top to fall in a series of rather lovely, loose, triangular folds around the small of one’s back. Interesting, and also quite flattering. I loved the wide high square neckline and the elegant long raglan sleeves. I also loved that the top has a bland front view and a busy back view. But to be honest; I wasn’t sure I loved the look of the “bumps” (pictured below).

Without understanding the Japanese text, I think that the aforementioned bumps; two protrusions sprouting from the back of the raglan sleeve seam right where one’s scapulas sit; are intended to be the focus of the project, the challenge to be mastered from drafting and making up this piece. But I’m afraid I just thought they looked a bit …er… odd. As though if one was thinking of transforming oneself into an angel then the top was all ready with some pouches to accommodate one’s budding wings. But sadly I am no angel 🙂

I went ahead and made up the top with the angel-wing bumps, for no better reason that to prove something to myself. The long suffering Bessie modeled the bumpy version of the top for a photo (oh, it’s OK, like a true professional she doesn’t really mind how strange are the clothes I make her wear)

below: the winged version; pre-clipping; see those bumps on the raglan seam?

Then straight away I unpicked that back raglan seam and sewed it up again, sans bumps! Sorry, but sometimes the authenticity of the design is of a lesser consideration to me than the wearability, and I pretty certain a non-sewing observer would consider those bumps, clever little feature though they are, and definitely not an easier option than a straight seam; to be a mistake on my part. So. Off with their heads!

I used a rather nice cotton knit jersey from Knit Wit, in a light grey marle with distinct yellow undertones. I bought a long length of this fabric last year, specifically for the purpose of running up Pattern Magic projects. This is the first time I have bitten into it, having now used up the jersey knits in the stash given to me by my friend C. Future projects using this grey fabric may or may not be subjected to some sort of colour treatment 🙂

I overlocked all the raw edges before sewing any seams, and the neckline, sleeve hems and lower hem are folded in once and finished with a twin needle on my sewing machine. If you look real closely, you can see that I used a creamy-ivory thread and a white thread in the twin needle. I didn’t bother with winding a second spool with the creamy colour that matches the yellow tones in my fabric, but y’know what? I think it turned out kinda cool. The more I look at those two different colours the more I like that effect. Will probably do that again!

Details:

Top; from p61/91 of Pattern Magic 3 (by Tomoko Nakamichi), and made of grey marle cotton knit jersey

Shorts; Burda 7723, hot pink linen, details here, and these shorts styled in 6 different ways here

Thongs; cheapies from Kmart (I know, but it was an emergency purchase. My previous beach thongs broke)

(below; spot the dog…)

(btw; Beryl commented wondering whether the extra challenge I alluded to for Me-Made May was a pregnancy… NO! but thank you so much for even considering me in that age bracket….! I am flattered; but no, I will be travelling during the month of May!)

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: daily outfit, Pattern Magic 3, Sienna, top

Peekaboo in blue

08/03/2012 3:51 pm \ 31 Comments \ Carolyn

New top, woot!
Its real name is a mystery to me, but the word peekaboo just pops irresistably into my head every single time I look at it so there it is! This is the project on p20 of Pattern Magic 3, by Tomoko Nakamichi. As far as wearability goes, this is probably one of the better projects in the book, and ditto for the ease of construction. Super easy!
In hood down mode this appears not unlike an ordinary little Tshirt, plain-ish but with a just-interesting-enough little variation to redeem it from being outright featureless and boring. The incorporated hoodie thingie (that’s a technical sartorial term there) looks a bit like a backward cowl neck when it is flipped down like above…. it’s actually quite cute, yes?
Hood up… well, okaaay. Quirky, yes. A bit noice, unusual, different. Definitely funky. Wearable? Hmmm, borderline, methinks… 🙂
But hood down? yes, I likey!
I used a length of jersey in a lovely shade of deep royal blue, part of the bundle of fabrics given to me by my friend C from her late mother’s stash. It is quite thick and sturdy stuff, so I am really looking forward to wearing this more as we head into the cooler days of autumn.
I attached a folded band to finish the armholes and the neckline, a technique I think of as the Metalicus finish since they use it extensively on all their pieces and is where I first noticed it. The lower hemline is turned up once and slip-stitched in place.
I’m very happy with this funky, slightly sporty addition to my wardrobe. The concept of the design is totally to my taste; unique and simple, but with a twist!
Oh, and I’ve updated things on the blog a bit; now all my projects from each the Pattern Magic books have been gathered into sets, and can be viewed by clicking on the picture of that book in my sidebar over there. They’re a bit jumbled up right now, as I am still working out how to order the pictures in those albums…. that’s a work in progress!
Later peops!

Details:
Top; from Pattern Magic 3, by Tomoko Nakamichi, made from royal blue jersey
Shorts; Burda 7723, white linen, my review of this pattern here

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: daily outfit, hoodie, Pattern Magic 3, Sienna, top

Some basics…

04/02/2012 1:35 am \ 30 Comments \ Carolyn

Nothing in this post is write-home-about exciting, but I have been laying down some handy layering basics for the cooler days that will be coming up …. sometime? … 🙂 I’m thinking ahead, to autumn. Planning, you know. Being organised hehehe 🙂

Remember this dress? I put it on recently and my husband announced kindly but firmly that he thought it was weird. His words sounded its death knell. I have put this on once or twice since I made it and each time felt sorta… well yes, now you mention it, weird is exactly the right word. I finally acknowledged that the fabric was wrong for the design, too thick and heavy and with too much body to drape gracefully enough.
My bad. I now know that with a lot of the Pattern Magic 3 designs you do need reeeeally drape-y fabric (hmmm, I think I’ve said that before; once or twice, or ten times…) On the plus side I still like the bodice part of the dress and I had also used the leftovers of the same fabric to make a successful little T-shirt sooooo;
bit of ~~butchery~~ re-fashioning later…

and now we have…
I added waist bands and armbands.

and…

not from the dress, but squeezed from the fabric leftovers …

T-shirt 1: I added waist bands and armbands to the bodice of the dress.

T-shirt 2: dyed with 1/4 tsp iDye in Crimson. I’m very happy with this Tshirt, both its shape and the lovely cranberry colour.

T-shirt 3: dyed along with the “bat” Tshirt in iDye in Brown, then in the leftovers of the iDye Crimson dye-bath of T-shirt 2. I love the tawny port colour it turned out, but there’s something “funny” about the proportions. I wish now I had scooped the neckline a little more than I did. Maybe this will just be an “underneath cardis and jumpers” kind of a Tshirt…

Tshirt 4: the first T-shirt made from the leftovers after the dress, using the same fabric and the same pattern as these other T-shirts, and it hasn’t been shown it here before…. It has a banded neckline and sleeve bands, and a turned up, hand-stitched hem.

I also made this using the last leftovers of bright cobalt blue fabric (same as the “bat” shirt) and it went into the iDye Crimson dye-bath simultaneously with the cranberry T-shirt 2 above. I love the deep royal purple colour that it is now; will layer well with the jewel tones of the other T-shirts for some groovy colourful winter layering, when the time comes 🙂 The texture of that cheap n’ cheerful fabric has to be one of my favourite knits ever. I just wish it had come in ivory, rather than that intense blue colour. Just think of the dyeing possibilities. They would have been infinite 😀

Apart from the first Tshirt pictured, which is the original bodice of the dress on p18 of Pattern Magic 3 by Tomoko Nakamichi, the others are made up using the pattern formerly known as Burdastyle 06/2011, 120 first written about here. In order to get a nice fit that pattern has been shaved and sliced and diced and completely and utterly altered until each and every seam-line is different from the original. As well, I don’t use the neckline facing pieces at all. As for the zip?? well forgetaboutit ….So I guess it can’t lay claim to being Burdastyle 06/2011, 120 anymore.
But my carved-up version is a great fitting T-shirt pattern now… 😀 Yay for that!