Tag Archives: Pattern Review

Grey jersey set

01/08/2012 1:13 am \ 33 Comments \

I’ve made another lingerie set  🙂
And I used this terrific bra pattern!   Kwik Sew 3300.  I browsed through the veeery few patterns there are on offer and chose this one as the cutest, and the closest in appearance to the sort I like to wear.  I am happiest in a streamlined little bra, with underwires, and cup inserts or at least a thin layer of padding.  Personally I cannot wear ones that have just one single layer of flimsy fabric, or just lace.
This pattern does not cater for a cup insert, so I sewed the pieces such that I could put some in…  I trimmed the inserts to fit inside the cups exactly and put them in just before attaching the underarm and back elastic edging.  Incidentally, I found (by sitting on the floor of Spotlight with my half-finished bra, comparing it to all the cup inserts…)  that the Birch’s size 16 cup insert fits the 34A cup of this pattern pretty well! it has the perfect depth and just needs a small slice trimmed off each side.  Win!   To stop the inserts from folding up inside or becoming twisted up through washing I invisibly pick-stitched each to the cup lining, around the whole perimeter at about 5mm in from the edge of the insert.
For the two pairs of matching undies I used a swimwear pattern I’ve had for a while; McCalls 2772.  I’ve made five pairs of bathers from this pattern over the years, the latest two pairs here and here, so I know it is a perfect fit for me. 
These panties are made up using the pattern pieces for view E bikini bottom.

I see no problems with using a bikini pattern to make undies, in fact I think it makes good economic sense, since you are kinda getting two for the price of one, no?  All the bra and undies patterns I looked at had either bra or undies, and very few had bra and undies together in one pattern… and the one or two that did unfortunately were not the style I was looking for…  The swimwear pattern I used is not available anymore but I noticed this one, McCalls 5400 … and this is a great pattern since you are getting bathers and undies all rolled in one pattern!

The best thing about lingerie sets of course, is that they use the teensiest lengths of fabric!  I love this cotton jersey knit, in a warm light yellowy-grey marle, than makes me think of gym gear and sweatshirts.  This fabric is partially leftovers from my Pattern Magic 3 Clipped Wings Top and I just had to buy a little extra, which then enabled me to cut out two pairs of knickers.  This worked out well, because I think two pairs of undies per bra is a good ratio to live with.  The panty liners I cut from an old Tshirt.
The decorative stitching for the picot edged elastic looks so pretty, yes?  This is the suggested finishing method for the bra, and I am so pleased at how attractive those triple-stitch zig-zags look.
I sewed a white button decoratively on each item.  I think the plainness of the humble button, its innocence and lack of pretension, better suits the sporty fabric and simple style of this set than anything frilly or feminine.   
Y’know what the fun bit is…? I am really looking forward to choosing interesting fabrics and trims for future sets… I think I’m staring down the barrel of a new sewing addiction!

Before y’know it, I’m going to be churning out beauties like these….

source

…haha!  Just kidding!! ;D


Pattern
Description:
Underwire bra has back from power net, edges finished with elastic, and shoulder straps from tricot.  View A cups are made from lace and tricot, and view B cups are made from tricot.
Pattern Sizing:
Sizes 32, 34 and 36 with cup sizes A, B, C, D; and size 38 with cup sizes B, C, D, DD
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
in essence, yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes!  The instructions are fantastic, very clear and straightforward.  The method for attaching the picot elastic along the edges turned out really pretty, I love it!  I used the same method for the two pairs of matching knickers too.
What
did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
This is a fantastic pattern!  I wasn’t sure about my size to start with; there are no clear directions about selecting your correct size; just directing you to “select pattern size by your purchased bra size”  In Australia our sizes are 10, 12, 14 etc, so I wasn’t sure what this actually translated to in European sizing.  I found a conversion chart here.
The pattern sheet is really well set out, with all the pieces for each size clustered together in separate sections.  Brilliant!  Much easier for tracing out your own size.  Which I actually did, for once  🙂
The pattern doesn’t make provision for cup inserts, and I prefer to have cup inserts; but it wasn’t difficult to work out how to put them in.
Fabric
Used:
Cotton jersey knit, underwear elastic, small scrap of cotton for the underwire casing.
Pattern
alterations or any design changes you made:
I didn’t need to make any alterations to the pattern, it is so well drafted! but I did put in cup inserts, a personal preference, and omitted the lingerie rings and strap adjusters for the straps.  I don’t think adjustable straps are necessary on a bra that has to fit only me. I just make them the right length to start with!   And if they do stretch out eventually over time it is pretty easy to unpick them at the back and shorten them a little bit.
Would
you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, and yes!
Conclusion:
An absolutely fantastic pattern!  I was worried that making a bra with underwires and cup inserts would be fiddly and difficult, but I breezed through this project! because the beautifully drafted pattern pieces went together so well and the clear instructions made it easy, and dare I say, fun?  I’m really looking forward to my next set now.  I cannot wait to check out my fabric stash for small scraps of interesting fabric to use  🙂
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An unusual dress

12/05/2012 7:49 am \ 56 Comments \

Wacky warning alert… this is it!!  
I’ve liked how Caroline is making good use of old Tshirts lately.  And Tim did a clean-out of his wardrobe recently, and part of the toss-out pile was a few old surfie Tshirts, in shades of blue, navy, grey and black… there were cool prints and interesting stitching details… and my brain started ticking over.  I saw artistic possibilities.
Also I have just bought a few new patterns recently, and Vogue 1281 was mysteriously part of my haul, a very pretty, extremely flatteringly shaped, draped cocktail dress.
This is the thing, you see; when it comes to sewing I like to be challenged and so I prefer the more interesting, difficult and intricate styles and it so happens that these patterns are also usually the most formal and prettiest of little cocktail numbers, totally unsuited to my actual lifestyle.  Most of my days are very casual; I walk my dog, I go to the beach and climb over rocks and walk through the bush, I work at home and I do the housework; so what is a girl to do?  Well I’ll tell you what this girl does; she still stubbornly ploughs ahead and sews up the challenging and intricate patterns she loves, but by using the most casual and grungiest fabrics I think this rather formal style has happily become a very cool dress with a deconstructed urban style that fits in very well with my tastes as well as my actual lifestyle.  I am thrilled with how it turned out, and could not be happier with my new dress!  This is now a perfect everyday dress…
WIN!
I used four Tshirts for the main pieces of the dress, and another one for the lining pieces.  I cut them and sewed them together, arranging the different colours to be evenly spaced around the finished dress, and to have the prints and areas with the interesting stitching details that I liked to be prominently featured.  One of the Tshirts was plain black with no interesting stitching or detailing but was of a very lightweight and beautifully soft knit compared to the other three; so this one I used specifically for the potentially bulky part of the dress; the pleated, draped and knotted areas all coming together on the centre front of the bodice.

Picture taken around 11am;  Temperature at the time 22C.
Overnight low: 14C; Today’s high: 29C 
Gloriously sunny and warm!  Maybe the last really warm day of the season.

Details:
Dress; Vogue 1281 modified slightly, using 5 of Tim’s old surfie Tshirts
Thongs; Mountain Designs

please excuse the sandy bottom…!
Pattern
Description:
Dress has no side seams, very close-fitting, lined bodice, single layer, pleated shoulder strap looped through front pleated drape, front wrap skirt cut-in-one with back, raised waist and invisible back zip.  Strap and bodice: Narrow hem.  Bodice lining: Elasticised upper edge.
Pattern
Sizing:
6-14.  I made a size 10.
Did
it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished
sewing it?
in essence, yes
Were
the instructions easy to follow?
Pretty easy.  Step 8 and 9 takes a little bit of concentration to get it right.  I had to redo this when it didn’t work out the first time.
What
did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I loved the style of the dress, the draping, the interesting bodice and neckline!  The pieces fitted together perfectly well.
I personally didn’t like the instructions to hem the upper edge of the bodice before attaching to the pre-elasticated lining pieces.  Instead I constructed mine to sew the bodice and bodice lining pieces right side together, so there is no visible stitching on the outside.   I really think that visible stitching would take away from the dress, particularly if one was sewing this as a dressy cocktail dress which is I suspect the purpose for which pattern is intended.  Not that it really makes much of a difference in my particular dress, which is a very casual style using very casual fabrics, but that is just my personal preference in any case.
I thought the stitching line along the bodice lower edge left it with a weirdly wide seam allowance, and for no discernible reason…  I left it wide but I still don’t seen why it is like that.
Fabric
Used:
Cotton knits
Pattern
alterations or any design changes you made:
I made my dress using slightly stretchy knits, so I eliminated the invisible zip and sewed up the back centre seam.
I extended the right skirt edge by enough so that I could sew the skirt edge down on the inside to a joining seam inside the left side of the skirt.  This was only possible because I had made a pieced skirt piece, but in any case I think it would be essential to extend that right skirt edge to wrap around more fully underneath anyway.  Unless one plans on wearing a slip underneath the dress, or lining it; since there is absolutely nothing to stop that skirt from flying open in a breeze!
I found the strap piece to be pretty long and needed to shorten it considerably… by 10cm!
Would
you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I might sew it again.
Conclusion:
It is a gorgeous style, very flattering to a woman’s curves.  I liked that shoulder strap, how it frames the decolletage and the face in a very lovely way, that chic front draping, and how it joins in at the back asymmetrically.  Interesting!
You could eat to your heart’s content at a cocktail party or dinner, and this dress would allow you to do so very comfortably!
I love this dress and plan to wear it a lot!
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Strawberry pink jeans

29/04/2012 2:54 pm \ 35 Comments \

I have made some new jeans!  Au Bonheur des Petites Mains PLH08002: Pantalon droit avec decoupes.  (my less than perfect translation: trousers right with slices?, hehe)
Now; to say I am grateful to shams for helping me to obtain this awesomely cool jeans pattern is an understatement; I will be forever.  Eternally.  Grateful!  This is a reeeally good pattern, and is destined to become my go-to pattern for non-stretchy denim jeans.
THANK YOU SO MUCH SHAMS!!  YOU’RE A GODDESS!
The pattern has a few quirky and unusual styling details, which I love, and which add a very unique flavour to the jeans, but the long-term value of this pattern for me is that the jeans fit beee-autifully!  If I tried these on in a store I would be slapping down the plastic due purely to the classic perfection of the fit alone.  In a pair of jeans this is a massive massive plus; I cannot stress this sincerely enough.  What is more; even though the styling is quite unique and eye-catching the pattern can also be easily adapted to make a more conventional pair if jeans if one desires just one quirky pair in one’s collection.
I used non-stretchy thick-ish cotton denim from Spotlight in a cheerful shade of strawberry pink, which has white undertones in the drill weave.  Thus my selection of white thread for all the top-stitching details.  I elected to have just a single row of top-stitching throughout, and I left off some of the top-stitching details suggested in the pattern.  I highly recommend you also check out and admire shams‘ awesome variations on this pattern; here and here and here.
For the waistband facing and the pocket facing I used a pink print cotton, that was formerly a pair of old pj bottoms.  I cut a separate pocket facing, rather than have the pocket bag stitched directly onto the jeans front, because I had decided I wanted the front of my jeans “bare-r” with less top-stitching detailing, but obviously I was not going to forgo having those awesome pockets!

Shams elected in her second and third pairs of these jeans to put in a slanted high hip pocket because of “pooching” of the pocket opening; I decided to go ahead and make the pocket as per the pattern in this my first go at it, and see how it went.  Y’know what? it does bulge out a bit, but not enough to worry me so I’m OK with it.  The best thing about the location of the pocket is that they are perfectly situated to make slouching around with one’s hands shoved deep in one’s pockets very very easy.  I am pretty partial to mooching about with my hands in my pockets, so yeah  🙂  The slanted high-hip pocket location that one sees in regular jeans is not hands-in-pocket friendly, imo.  A feature that is fairly high on my personal list of criteria for garment satisfaction.

hands-in-pockets, for the win

I added a zip placket, and used a red jeans zip from Spotlight.  Functionally, this was a fairly hideous zip that required copious anointing with household oil to make it zip up and down smoothly!  Inserting the jeans zip with that zig-zag front seam to look acceptably centred and evenly spaced across the front fly and with the top-stitching on each side lining up was interesting.  I spent quite a bit of time on this, and re-inserted that zip twice before I was satisfied.

I left off the pocket flaps on the rear patch pockets, and after eyeballing the placement of those cute darted patch pockets decided to situate them on opposite butt cheeks than how they had been illustrated in the pattern.  I don’t know if this is visually more slimming or not, methinks this could be merely a self-delusion  🙂

I did not taper the lower leg pieces, but cut the side edges straight to get more of a cargo/bootleg silhouette, which I think suits my figure.  Also, The back lower leg pieces were cut, pieced and top-stitched near the lower hem.  No, that was not because I did not have enough length, I did this on purpose.  I liked it this way  🙂 

da knees…

I added quite a bit of length to the lower leg piece, a standard precaution for me when cutting out.  I’m wearing them with flatties here but I like the option of wearing heels if I want…. also, I am on the tall side.  However, this is where I came a bit of a cropper, and I cannot believe I did not foresee a now  blindingly obvious beginner’s trap: of course I should have added some length to that upper leg piece, as well as to the lower leg piece!  Doh!  The upper leg piece turned out to be on the short side and so the knee piece is situated rather weirdly high on my leg…  I’m pretty cross with myself about this, I’ve become so blase about adding length I stupidly did not think it through and break it down into the individual pattern components, like I darn well should have.  Lesson learned.  One is never incapable of making a fundamental boo-boo with a new design.

(but check out those mad arrow-adding skillz … howzat, huh?!  🙂 )

But I am not going to beat myself up over it, and certainly this little detail is not going to stop me from wearing the heck out of my fab new jeans.  Look at that yummy colour!  Plus, I decided after looking at these pics that the high-ish knee patch is not hugely obvious nor detrimental to the overall appearance.

Details:
Jeans; Au Bonheur des Petites Mains PLH08002, strawberry pink non-stretch cotton denim
Top; drafted from the Japanese pattern book Pattern Magic by Tomoko Nakamichi, white linen, details here
Thongs; KMart

Pattern Description:
Jeans, with funky unique seaming, topstitching and styling details
Pattern Sizing:
38
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Pretty much. I made a few minor modifications
Were the instructions easy to follow?
They were in French. After applying google translate, which substitutes interesting English alternatives to what are probably commonly used sewing terms in France; much hilarity ensued!
Seriously though, the instructions assume the seamster has made jeans before and has a pretty good general knowledge of sewing already, so do not go into details… they are really pretty scant. So I ended up not using them; just piecing together in the same order of construction I have always made jeans.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? 
The fit is perfection. I love love love the funky styling and the interesting seaming. If I did want to make up an “ordinary” pair of jeans it will be easy to adapt this pattern, with its great fit, to a more conventional style.
The side pockets on the hip are my favourite in jeans so far, since they enable one to mooch about with the hands shoved down deep in the pockets. Aah, sheer heaven.
There is nothing I do not like about this pattern.
Fabric Used:
thickish cotton denim
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Cut the lower legs straight down rather than tapered to get more of a cargo silhouette, since I think this suits my figure better.
Sewed the pockets as a bag with a lightweight cotton facing, so it is not attached to the jeans front with topstitching as per the pattern.
Left off the rear pocket flaps, and some of the top-stitching details, although I will definitely use the suggested top-stitching as a feature in a future pair.
Cut the lower legs longer, but next time I will add length to the upper legs as well, since the legs are of three pieces. The knee piece ended up a little high on my leg :S
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I definitely will be using this pattern again; it is destined to become my go-to pattern for non-stretch denim jeans.
Conclusion:
I adore these jeans! and will be wearing them to the ground. 

A very big thank you to shams! for her help, and for her never-ending inspiration!
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A Genuine Leather (ette) skirt

11/04/2012 3:33 pm \ 39 Comments \
I’ve made another winter skirt.  From the tanned hide of that elusive and rare wild beast; the leatherette.  Classy, non?
Hehe, so I’ve made bags and tablecloths using PVC before, pretty simple beginner’s type stuff; but this is the first wearable garment I’ve attempted from this sort of stuff.  Phwoar!  A first! (self high five)
I spotted this fab leatherette at Fabulous Fabrics, and practically pounced on it.  The colour is a pretty awesome colour for winter, no?  Sorta grey, sorta brown.  Very moi.  There was also a marvellous dirty pumpkin colour, which was pretty divine.  That one was darn tempting as well.  I’ll be honest with you, I dithered.  But eventually I had to choose a colour, just one colour, although it was like having to choose between two of my children.
Oh, it also came in black, but that caused no dithering on my part.  I was dither-less in the face of black.
I used the skirt pattern from Vogue 1170.  I have made the top from this pattern already, reviewed here, but this is the first time I have made the skirt.
I bound all the raw edges with HongKong binding, as stipulated, and although I did buy lining fabric I opted not to use it.  The built-in body and stiffness inherent in this type of coated fabric along with the frictionless texture of the backing stuff means that sticking to tights is not going to be a problem here.  The leatherette is surprisingly soft and pliable to wear, although I can tell it is going to take some getting used to.  I feel almost Barbarella in this.  Modern.  A bit suave and sophisticated; a little bit “cool”.  Very unlike me  🙂
above right; those funny fat seam allowances in the small of the back? That, my friends, is my sway back adjustment  🙂

The pattern stipulates a hemline facing, which I did, but it was utterly disastrous in this fabric.  With the facing in place the hemline went from previously smooth and free flowing to stiff and awkward and pokey-outy  horrible.  Finally I decided that the best finish was to have the curved edge trimmed as smoothly as I was capable of, and left raw and un-hemmed.  Which is what I did after unpicking the hem stitching, and the under-stitching, and I even rescued the HongKong seaming off the facing also to use for a future project  (waste not want not, and all that….)  That was a whole heap of painstaking unpicking, I tell you.
What else… oh, I made the pockets deeper.  The pocket was pieced for reduced bulk., so that the pocket facings on the outer edges of the pocket are leatherette and lightweight polycotton forms the bulk of the pocket piece.  This polycotton was harvested from one of my old Pattern Magic muslins and was also used for the HongKong seaming.  Unfortunately the placement of the pockets is right on the hipbone, which means that one cannot really use them for anything bulkier than a tissue or a credit card anyway.  Just saying.  But at least the pockets are there!
Details:
Skirt; Vogue 1170, “leatherette”
Shirt; my own design, using several patterns, of black cotton mix, details here
Shoes; Perrini (I’ve had these for donkey’s years)
Pattern Description:
Flared skirt has front and back seam details, back invisible zip closing and wide waistband
Pattern Sizing:
4-10.  I made mine a straight size 10.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Well, mine resembles the line drawing on the envelope.  The photo on the envelope is completely featureless.  Black… really??  You can’t make out any details on the skirt at all!
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Pretty, flirty and feminine, resembling a straight A-line from the front view, and then frilly and twirly from the back view.  The angular seaming between the skirt and the front yoke is a nice feature.  I also like that lovely wide high waistband, and the instruction to bind all the internal raw edges with HongKong seaming is a nice finishing touch.  I really like to see patterns encouraging people to extend themselves to use high quality internal finishes like this.
A small gripe, the pockets are situated right high on the hip, so they not really very useful.  Also, in my opinion, the more “twirly” a short skirt is the more difficult it can be to wear.  I added 10cm in length to the lower edge of my lower skirt pieces.
Fabric Used:
PU laminate or “leatherette”, lightweight polycotton for the HongKong seaming
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
 I thought it looked quite short on the envelope photograph so I lengthened the skirt by 10cm.  This meant the skirt facing pieces were completely different to the pattern piece; but that was no biggie, I just used my new longer skirt pieces themselves to cut the facings.  However, I ended up not using them because this method of hemming turned out to be disastrously bulky with my PU.  I went with a clean-cut raw edge.
I made my pocket pieces longer for a deeper pocket, and pieced them to be PU for the facings on the edges, and lightweight polycotton for the central main part of the pocket piece; for lesser bulk.
I removed width in the back/side back seams for a sway back adjustment.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, I would sew it up again … and already have!  😉   And yes!
Conclusion:
A very nice skirt pattern, with interesting seaming and a pretty yet modern silhouette.  However I do think the skirt length as it is in the pattern presents an unbalanced and slightly unflattering silhouette, and adding just 10cm to the length substantially improved the proportions of the skirt.  I think it is visually important that the lower flounce at the back of the skirt be at least as long as the fitted yoke sections above it.  Shorter; the effect is slightly “top heavy”.
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The Woman in Red

28/02/2012 10:06 am \ 65 Comments \

As soon as I read about the Red Dress contest over at Pattern Review I decided I wanted to enter.  I do so love red dresses, so I have no good explanation for why I did not have one already.  Oh, just remembered I do have a red ball gown, oh yeah.  But I’m talking about a dress that I can actually wear.  You know what I mean…  
When I was a teenager at school a teacher once opined that red was “my colour” and that little factoid has stuck in my head ever since.  But I do find red a quite challenging colour to mix into the wardrobe (I have a short list of stupid rules about the colour red and what other colours it can and can’t be worn with; that I won’t bore you with just now)  So I just have a few select red pieces.  A dress not being amongst said pieces, so it was time to remedy that! 
This beautiful scarlet rayon jersey has been sitting in my stash since my last birthday, when a group of my friends very thoughtfully gave me a Fabulous Fabrics voucher for a birthday present.  I know, I have the most amazing and fantastic friends, right?!  They know me so well!  I used my birthday voucher for this fabric, along with some other fabric that is still in the stash.
Vogue 1087 is a simply gorgeous dress pattern, and I was cross with myself that I had used such el cheapo fabric for my first version, that did not go the distance.  I’ve been really wanting to make the pattern up again sometime…  The same old problem about finding the right fabric and the right time, yeah.  Well I had found some great fabric.  The contest finally sparked that “right time” for my red dress to take shape.
I made a few changes to the pattern this time; which I have outlined in my new review below if you are interested…
And just saying girls; want your husband to really sit up and pay attention when you walk in the room?  Make yourself a dress like this one….  Word.  My husband absolutely looooves my new dress!

Details:
Dress; Vogue 1087, red rayon jersey
Sandals; akiel, from the op shop

below: no zip, and naturally one can still slip it on perfectly easily…  my advice? save yourself the trouble 🙂

Pattern Description:
Fitted dress, below mid-knee, has pleated and tucked front forming wrap effect. Front extends to back at sides, back has zipper and hemline vent. No side seams.
Pattern Sizing:
12-18.  I made mine to be a size 12 at the hips and re-graded the bodice to be a size 10.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
This is the second time I have made up this pattern.  The first time I made it up I wrote about steps 12-13 being tricky to work out and I ended up with the wrong side lapping over at the front and had to unpick and fix it up… well, after studying the instructions I am confident that they are wrong here.  If you follow the instructions to the letter as many other reviewers did then you WILL end up with the wrong side lapping over, and it is not your mistake.  To get the fronts lapping over the way they are on the line drawing you have to lay the OTHER side over first in step 12.  The simplest visual way to describe the correct way would be like a mirror image of how they have drawn each the two diagrams here, if you like.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I just love this pattern; the fronts folding across each other and wrapping around the body to make a gently draped X along with that curved triangle seam on the front skirt; these shapes combined together are very flattering to a woman’s curves.  The pattern pieces are very unusually shaped and the complexity of the construction makes the dress a nice challenge.
Fabric Used:
Rayon jersey
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
My first version of this dress, a size 12, was too loose and floppy for my liking in the bodice, and frequently fell off my shoulders.  So I re-graded the pattern to be a size 10 at the top and graded out to the size 12 around the hips.  I felt like this was quite a dressmaking achievement for me, since it is a complex pattern rated Advanced with unusually shaped pattern pieces, and I did not have a size 10 printed on my version and had to grade it myself by eye.  I’m pretty relieved how well-fitted it worked out!
Just like I mentioned in my first review; I see absolutely zero need for a zip in a stretch knit dress… really!? why is it even there in the pattern?!  So I cut my bodice and back neck facing on a centre fold and so eliminated both the zip and the whole seam.
According to the pattern, the darts on the back of the skirt are supposed to be facing out (sewn wrong sides together). I don’t think so. Mine are on the inside of the skirt, where they should be.
I altered the final stitching of the front pieces to the bodice piece, to sit in a position that I preferred. My neckline is more “wrap” than “squared” as a result.
A bit of experimenting revealed that any sort of edge finish was going to show through on that figure hugging skirt; so I left the edges of the seam allowances here raw; for a smooth look on the outside.  All the seams were sewn on my machine but all the bodice edges, the armhole edges and lower hems are invisibly hand-sewn.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
This is already my second version of this pattern, so definitely!
Conclusion:
I just love this pattern, and this dress, and my husband really loves it too  😉

This is my entry into the Red Dress contest

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A pretty silk blouse

24/02/2012 5:07 pm \ 46 Comments \

I’ve made a blouse!  And it turned out raaather lovely, if I say so myself…  I used Vogue 1170, one of the patterns given to me by my children for a Christmas present.  I am super pleased with it! 
It is of very luxurious and quite expensive ivory silk charmeuse, with the exact same colour and the same classy, softly subtle sheen of a beautiful and perfect pearl.  It feels so luxe, and like the story of the magic cloak I immediately feel extra ladylike and elegant simply by the act of slipping it on!  
I felt uncharacteristically hesitant and nervous about cutting this out.  Mostly because, although I was excited about the idea of this blouse, and out of this completely divine fabric, I was still a weeny bit unsure that it would work out, and/or even suit me!  It is just such a very very feminine, pretty and super-sweet style, and I was worried that I could not carry this look off.  Trying it on during the making of it didn’t even assuage my fears.  I continued to be doubtful right up until the time I tried the finished thing on, finally.  And was relieved that I did actually still love it, even on me!  It is quite formal, I think; so I will be keeping it for smart and dressy occasions.  Although it does feel sooo nice against the skin, perhaps I should allow myself to wear it just whenever??  Hmmmm.   We shall just have to see about that one  😉  anyway, tonight I wore it out for a special dinner at a swisho restaurant; and I felt perfectly chic.
This pattern stipulates a button band in the centre back, which I didn’t think is a particularly classy finish, especially for the quite formal blouse I envisioned.  So I sewed up most of the centre back seam, and inserted a short invisible zip at the top for closure, instead.  This does look quite good, but now I wish I had made a little faced slit instead and sewed on a few pearl buttons with skinny loops for closure.  I think now that would have looked much nicer!

Details:
Blouse; Vogue 1170, ivory silk charmeuse
Skirt; Vogue 8363 with modifications, of burnt orange raw silk, details here, my review of this pattern here, and see this skirt styled in 6 different ways here
Shoes; Sandler, I’ve had these for donkey’s years and they match the blouse perfectly….

Pattern Description:
Very loose-fitting top has front keyhole opening with knot, back yoke, back band extended sleeves tied into knots and back button opening.
Pattern Sizing:
4-10; I made the size 10
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I thought it looked fantastic on the pattern cover, and I love the little knot and how the fabric falls in these beautifully draped folds across the front.  The little ties on the sleeves are really lovely.  The blouse is just so elegant and feminine.  A tad on the formal side for my everyday tastes, but a girl needs a few pretty dressed up tops too!
What don’t I like about this pattern… The instruction to hand gather the underarm seam seems like an uninspired finish, especially considering one has gone to the trouble to apply French seams throughout otherwise.  After hand-gathering mine I thought it looked shoddy.  I tried going over it with the machine but my fabric is very densely woven as well as slippery and the gathers are quite tight and I was terrified of ruining the (almost finished) top.  So I let it be, as partly a hand-gathered seam and partly machine-finished.  But I’m not completely happy with this bit.
I thought the back button band too casual a feature on what is quite a dressy little number, so I did something different on my version.
Fabric Used:
Silk charmeuse
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Instead of the button band down the centre back I substituted an invisible zip and sewed up the back seam.  But I wish now though I had left a short opening and used a couple of pearly buttons and skinny button loops for closure, I think that would have looked a lot nicer and neater.
I considered doing those narrow hems on the neckline and the sleeve ties as per the instructions.  Briefly.  But my fabric is exceedingly slippery dippery stuff; and so decided instead to use the rolled hem attachment on my overlocker for these edges.  This gives a much neater and more consistent finish for this fabric.  Trust me, I’m speaking from experience here…!
I finished the lower hem by hand.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Probably not, but one should never say never!  Maybe I will want another one of these one day, but will first have to think of some better way to finish off that underarm seam! 
I highly recommend this pattern for a very pretty and very feminine evening top.  It gets muchos compliments!
 Conclusion:

I’m very happy with my blouse now, but my fabric was very difficult to sew.  It didn’t want to be French seamed, and even less did it want to be narrow hemmed and then gathered and oversewn, as in the underarm bit.  Silk charmeuse is tricky at the best of times and in the simplest garments, and forcing it into curved French seams is not an easy ask.  But I am glad I persevered with this fabric, since I absolutely adore the pearlescent sheen of this luscious and luxurious fabric and it feels simply divine against the skin!!  And the end result is a very pretty and chic blouse, one that I will be very pleased to pluck out of the wardrobe for semi-formal events.

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A sludgy little skirt

28/01/2012 3:02 am \ 46 Comments \

Hooo boy.  We are having an insane heatwave right now… been 37C or above for over a week now.  Australia Day was 42C, phew…  We all spent the entire day in bathers, in and out of the pool.  The fireworks teetered on being cancelled because of the fire risk, but luckily at the last minute some clouds rolled in, the temps dropped and we even got a few fat raindrops!  And then the fireworks competed with an amazing lightning display (pictured below)  Today is supposed to be another 42C-er, so I am in my bathers … again!
But unable to resist a smidge of sewing, as can be seen.  And dyeing.
I’ve made a skirt.  Now, it probably doesn’t look very exciting, but I know this will be a wardrobe staple that I will wear into the ground….  You see, part of building up a wardrobe that is well-suited to each individual woman, that you enjoy wearing and is versatile and comfortable, is recognising items of clothing that are indispensable for you and your own particular style.  For a while now I’ve been wanting to replace an item that I determined long ago is one of my own indispensables; a short straight sludgy coloured skirt.  I was pretty sad when my old khaki corduroy one finally died, it got all stretched out around the waist in an ill-fitting and ugly way, and for the last six months of its life I could only wear it with long shirts hanging out over the top, which was an utterly ridiculous state of affairs, so I finally said goodbye to it.  I tried to move on, do without it, but eventually conceded I really wanted another skirt just about exactly like that old one, and soon!
That skirt was thisclose to perfect, but of course a skirt does not qualify as actually perfect in my opinion unless it has pockets.  When I checked out the line drawing of the skirt in Vogue 1247; I was pretty excited … Little skirt; check!  Plain and basic; check!  Pockets; check AND check!!!!  These are all the features adding up to the perfect little skirt in my book…  and it also has a waistband, something I am currently into in my skirts…. WIN!
I made the skirt from purple stretchy denim, the leftovers from my plum jeans here.  The waistband is black corduroy, with its wrong non-fluffy side out, leftovers from these jeans, and instead of folding the waistband in half so it is self-faced as suggested in the pattern, I pieced the waistband in half horizontally with a lightweight cotton (shot cotton in Ice, also a leftover) to reduce bulk around the waist…  just a personal preference.  The pockets are lined with the same lightweight cotton.

The waistband is a contrasting black; for the following reason….  usually I add a bit of length to my pattern pieces, but I was working with scraps here and could only cut all my purple skirt pieces to their pattern-stipulated length… and this skirt is short!  Now, I like my skirts short it is true, but this one was going to be really short… even by my standards.   So I didn’t hem, but instead enclosed the lower raw edge of the skirt in the same black bias binding used for the HongKong finishes on all the other raw edges inside the skirt.   And cut a new black waistband, so as to have the colour of that black edge picked up somewhere else in the garment.
The HongKong seaming does constitute part of the pattern instructions and there is a pattern piece to aid you in constructing your binding.  I dutifully cut this out and make up the continuous bias binding as instructed.  However it was too skinny to work effectively on my thick denim fabric, so I ended up cutting a whole new new lot of 50% wider bias binding in black quilting cotton.  Which means I have 6.5m of skinny off-white bias binding now, to use in some other project  🙂

I dyed the finished skirt using 1/4 tsp of iDye in Brown.  I’m very happy with this final colour.  It is very satisfyingly muddy and richly sludge-y, wouldn’t you say?  I would describe it as eggplant, rather than either brown or purple.  A sort of deep n’ dirty purple, that reads as a strong chocolate brown on first sight, but still recognisably has that warm purple-y base underneath when you look at it more closely.
(at left: front, before dyeing, at right; the back after dyeing)

Inside the skirt: at left; the front, before dyeing, and see the pale blue waistband facing? and at right, the back view after dyeing the skirt… that 100% cotton waistband really picked up the brown dye beautifully compared to the denim, which having some synthetic elastane in it didn’t pick up the colour quite as vividly….

Details:
Skirt; Vogue 1247, purple stretch denim and black corduroy waistband; dyed with iDye in Brown
Top; top “a” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like by Natsuno Hiraiwa, of white cotton, details here
Sandals; Micam by Joanne Mercer, from Hobbs shoes, details here

Pattern Description:
Short straight skirt with deep front pockets set in a horizontal seam.
Pattern Sizing:
6-12; I cut the size 10
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished  sewing it?
Yes, except that mine is 5cm longer because I did not hem, but finished the raw lower edge with black bias binding.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I just love this skirt pattern; the slight A-line shape with a minimal flare, and the pockets most of all.  The smaller pattern pieces also enable you to make use of smaller leftover pieces of fabric, which is a big plus… 
I like the HongKong seaming in the skirt and the French seaming in the top; that the instructions are encouraging users to finish their garment to high standards.
The skirt is very short as it is, but that is the easiest thing to alter in a skirt pattern…
Fabric Used:
Medium-weight stretch denim, corduroy waistband, lightweight cotton for the waistband and pocket facings, quilting cotton for the bias binding.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I finished the lower raw edge with bias binding instead of hemming; this skirt is short!  In stead of the self-faced waistband, I pieced the waistband horizontally in two halves; the outer half is the fashion fabric and the facing half a thin lightweight cotton.  I thought this a better choice to face the thicker denim I chose for the skirt fabric.  Likewise the pockets are lined in lightweight cotton.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I will definitely sew this again sometime!  Probably lengthened… 🙂
 Conclusion:
A short straight fitted skirt, AND with deep pockets?  it doesn’t get much better than that!

For interest: the lightning vs. fireworks over Perth on Australia Day…

photo by Matt Titmanis; source
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My darling Clementine

23/01/2012 9:39 am \ 45 Comments \

I have made a new top! 
A nice floaty loose top perfect for our fiercely hot summer days.  And we’ve sure had a few stiflers lately  :S so I will be wearing it immediatemente.
I used Rowan shot cotton… again.  This colour is Clementine (and please note I am wearing it with my little lime-print skirt, hehe! gettit?)
I am so addicted to this fabric!  It is gorgeously light, an almost not-even-there type of fabric.  Which is great for this particular pattern.  Why?  Well, the pattern specifies French seams throughout, and has a number of convergent seams.  Like where there are pleats on both front and back, joining together at the shoulder seam, and particularly! that centre front bit, where there are six French seams all converging to a single point in a star-shape, and themselves all being joined in a final French seam too… if your fabric was even a little bit bulky I would class this a quite a tricky area to get looking nice, and particularly situated where it is, right boom in the centre front of your top it pretty much has to be perfect!  Luckily this shot cotton is so marvellously light it wasn’t too horrible a job, and I think I got it looking quite neat and tidy.
Of course you don’t have to do the French seams here if you wanted to make life easier for yourself… which I stubbornly do not  😉
I used a newbie-to-me pattern Vogue 1247.  This was a Christmas present from Sam; but I’m still adding the cost of it to my little 2012 personal-clothing-expenditure ledger, since in reality I chose, sourced and bought it myself!! and he just “gave” it to me.  We are very practical when it comes to present-giving in our family…
This pattern is classed as Average; a rating which was a little head-scratching to me.  I guess maybe the instructions for finishing throughout with all French seams made them decide to up the difficulty rating a notch, since I can’t really think of any other feature that could make this pattern anything other than a very easy project easy imo!
The neckline is finished with a narrow self bias strip…  Noice, no? at right; that convergence of French seams from the inside view

I really like the bias-cut facings, folded out over those kimono sleeves….

Narrow hem…

Since the neckline is quite wide I slip-stitched lingerie holders to the shoulder seams to keep those straps outasight, these were a gift from the very lovely Yoshimi… thank you so  much Yoshimi!

Probably this top would be far more fabudabulous on a lady with.. er, more fabudabulous assets, but I’m still pretty happy with how it looks on me.  I am planning to make the little skirt too, and will review that separately.
Ciao, bambini!

Details:
Top; Vogue 1247, shot cotton in Clementine, from here
Skirt; Vogue 7303 modified, lime print cotton
Sandals; anna, from MarieClaire shoes

And that colour?  See below the happy marriage of a light pumpkin warp juxtaposed against a truly neon orange weft; giving rise to that beautifully citrus-y iridescence..

Pattern Description:
Very loose-fitting top; wide V-neckline, kimono sleeves with fold-back facings, the body of the top falling softly from shoulder pleats, interesting geometric seaming on the front creating a nice textural feature.
Pattern Sizing:
6-12, I made a straight 10 (Later edit in response to a comment: this is my usual choice, and I would say the sizing runs true to other Vogue patterns I have made up.  It is supposed to be a loose-fitting top!)
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished  sewing it?
Yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I really like the very loose and unstructured shape of this top, and the fact that it will be delightfully floaty and cool for our scorching summers.  It’s pretty easy to make up.  And one just slips it on over one’s head with no closure, making it soft and simple to wear.   The interesting reverse-situation of the bust darts and the convergent seams at the centre front are nice subtle design features, and best showcased in a plain solid-coloured fabric imo.
And since I did choose a plain solid-coloured fabric with no nap this also meant I could lay the pattern pieces down either side up, allowing a far more efficient pattern layout and leaving myself with plenty of leftovers!
Fabric Used:
Lightweight shot cotton
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
No alterations.  I added lingerie holders at the shoulder seams; that very wide neckline means strap exposure would be a given otherwise!
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I will like to sew this again  (I always say this and then it could be years before I do! however I would like a few more of these in my wardrobe, if not right this minute then certainly in another colour in another season.  
My only advice is that if you are going down the path of French seams throughout as recommended in the pattern, then a thin and lightweight fabric is essential; all those French seams converging together are quite bulky on the inside, and would be difficult to get nice and neat in anything thick.  Of course you could always leave off the French seam finish on that horizontal central seam if your fabric was not co-operating…
Would I recommend this to others? yes!
 Conclusion:
I love it!  The design of this top strikes me as very fashion-forward.  Something about the spare minimalism of the silhouette, the sharp lines of that geometric seaming, the beautifully drape-y kimono shape.  I could imagine this particular top design on a high fashion catwalk.
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