Men's Vest, Second Edition

A couple of years ago, I made this vest for my son.  As there was plenty of the brocade used for the lining left over, we opted to make another, this time a dressier version, with the brocade forming the outside this time.  The lining and back were made of black Bemberg rayon, which is a terrible nuisance to work with, being so slippery, but which has a wonderful silky hand to wear.

To reinforce and support the Bemberg (and to make it easier to work with), I interlined the entire thing with pieces cut from a poly-cotton bed sheet too ugly to see the light of day, but which was stable enough to help the entire project move forward more smoothly.

Once again I used Burda 7799, this time without the pockets, lapels, or back half-belt.  I used buttons that coordinated with the silver-white in the brocade.

As you can see, it turned out quite well. The next version will probably have either bound or hand-worked buttons as I work to improve my skills and expand my sewing lexicon.

Polka-dot Portrait Blouse

With spring in the air, it was time to start thinking about spring/summer clothes, especially tops, of which I never seem to have enough.  I spotted a gorgeous polka-dot polyester crêpe de chine with a navy ground and dots in off-white and a blue that reminded me of Delft porcelain, and, what's more, it was heavily discounted ($4.20/metre, instead of $14).  This fabric didn't speak to me.  It sang like the Vienna Boys' Choir, speaking of interviews and summer barbecues and Audrey Hepburn elegance.

What to make from such a versatile fabric?  Nothing but an equally versatile blouse would do, namely, The Portrait Blouse from Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing.

It whipped up really easily, even having to do my usual full bust adjustment and sewing the side zipper, hem, and armholes by hand.  I used a lightweight sew-in interfacing on the neck facing, sewing it to the outer edge of the facing wrong-sides together and turning it right-side out to enclose the raw edges of a fabric that had a tendency to fray a bit.  All in all, it turned out quite well, and I definitely will make it again, maybe a whole collection of them for summer in a variety of lightweight drape-y fabrics.

As you can see from the photos, it goes really well with the pencil skirt I made last month, but I can see it going just as well with jeans or trousers, too, peeking out from under a blazer.

More Purple: Girl's Easter dress

It started with a library book.  Girl's World, by Jennifer Paganelli.  

I started looking through it with my daughter, and she expressed an interest in one of the dress patterns included in its pages, namely "Mary's Fancy Sash Dress".  

A few quick size and yardage calculations later, I found myself in the fabric store looking for coordinating fabrics that wouldn't immediately alienate a ten-year-old girl who has expressed strong dislike for any colours that she deems "girly".  

I ended up with two nicely coordinating purple quilting blenders:

 I only made one minor change to the pattern, using the bias binding facing the neck and armholes on the outside instead of the inside.


Since the skirt was quite long, I took a 1" deep tuck around the entire skirt.

Beginning 1" above the stitching line for the tuck, I also added three rows of trim, two of 1/4" satin ribbon, and one of 1/2-inch bias binding of the sash material.

Once everything was completed, I had a happy girl in a pretty dress.

Purple Pencil Skirt

Or finally, a postable project.
Well, I finally finished one of the personal projects I've had in mind, the high-waisted pencil skirt from Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing.  I copied the pattern nearly a year ago, I've had the fabric in my stash for even longer, but it finally all came together.

It started with a thrift store find, several metres of a purple-grey suiting-weight satin-weave mystery fabric in a shade somewhere between dark slate blue and muted purple.  It might be wool, it might be acrylic or polyester, but I liked the hand and the colour (and the price, of course, appealed to my Dutch sensibilities).  I made up the skirt in a straight size 16, with only minor alterations (shortening the back darts and moving the front darts to a more flattering position for me).  I also opted to forgo the high-waisted look in favour of a straight 1-1/2 inch (3.8 cm) band.

The hardest part was trying to match thread and zipper, since the colour is not really a fashionable shade right now. I finally opted for dark grey.  Oh, and trying to work around a series of regular holes along the centre fold of the fabric, which had probably been a mill end.

This is definitely a skirt for wear with heels, and if I were making it for someone with even slightly shorter legs, I would definitely either shorten the skirt or put in a deeper hem, since it hits me (with a 33-inch/83 cm inseam) just below mid-calf.  The other issue I have is that the hem tends to bind my stride a bit. I will wear it as is for a while, but I'm thinking I will either need to shorten it a bit, or add a vent to the centre back seam.

New Look 6150/Gertie's Easy Knit Pencil Skirt mash-up

The gathering in the dart area-- well-hidden by the print.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was working on creating a mock-wrap dress using New Look 6150 as the basis for the bodice.  I performed the full bust adjustment required, but because the knit was a trifle too springy for a dart, especially the "Big Honking Dart", to borrow a phrase, I opted to gather the entire dart base area, trusting to the pattern of the print to disguise the adjustment.

Hard to see, but the pleat replacing gathering in the shoulder area.

Aside from cutting the top front and back pieces at the waistline, that was the only adjustment I performed on the pattern pieces.  In sewing, I replaced the gathering on the front shoulder seam with a single pleat double-needle hems with machine blind stitching, and I stabilized the waist seam with elastic.  

The finished product, ready for a long day of marketing workshop and serving as a dresser at a fashion show.

Exciting developments

After considerable consideration (and isn't that a mouthful), I have decided to take this hobby of mine to the next level and turn it into a business.  Initially, I will be focussing on creating custom-tailored and made-to-order work, specializing in professional attire, special occasion wear, and costuming/cosplay wear for plus-sized and otherwise hard-to-fit women.  I am also in the process of developing some retro-inspired pieces that are suitable for workplace wear (more on that at a later date).

New Look 6150 review, Part 2

After the relatively simple project that was the T-shirt version of the top, I was hoping that the wrap top would be of a similar difficulty.  Short version? It wasn't.

I chose the same jersey knit, in a different print,
 and based on the amount of ease in the pattern, I opted not to do an FBA, just to test.

I traced the pattern pieces and cut them out, which was where the challenges of working from stash fabric come in.  I was about 10cm short of having enough fabric to cut all the pieces, so I had to piece the outer front near the hem.

I followed the directions as given in the pattern, although I did lengthen the sleeves about 5 cm.

The directions for the collar and front were a little hard to follow, especially for the forming of the pleat that helps to form the lapel.  Next time, I will figure out the assembly process on my own.

Also for next time:

1) Do an FBA.  The top can be worn, but the upper edge of the draped front hits a little high.
2) Lengthen the top about 7-8 cm and do a swayback/big bum adjustment.

Pattern ratings:

• Size range: 3/5 -- New Look is a division of Simplicity, so the pattern only runs up to an 18.
• Instructions: 4/5 -- The clarity depends on the view.  The T-shirt is easy to follow, the wrap top, not so much.
• Construction process: 3/5 -- Could be much more streamlined.
• Final fit: 4/5 -- The shoulders, sleeves, and back fit fine, The front fits without gaping at the front, but is a little tight and pulls on the back of the neck.  It's a little short for my comfort, too, with a minor tendency to ride up in the back.  That might because of the need for the full bust adjustment, but I think I'd adjust the length anyway.
• Overall rating: 4/5

New Look 6150 review

I am finally posting a project I finished back in the autumn, since my notoriously camera-shy daughter allowed me to corner her to photograph the finished project.

For this project, we opted for the simpler, boatneck T-shirt version, with elbow-length ruched sleeves, in part because this was my first-ever knit project in nearly thirty years.  We opted for a light-to-medium weight sweater knit in an abstract print.

Since I don't have a serger, I sewed the seams with the narrowest possible zigzag stitch and finished them with my machine's overcast stitch.

The hems were pinned up and topstitched with a double needle.

Overall, this was a very easy project, which I would recommend for a relative beginner who has a good understanding of their sewing machine (I made it up in about one-and-a-half hours, including layout and cutting).

The only alteration that was required was taking in the centre back seam about one inch total at the neckline to rectify a bit of a gap.

The directions in the pattern were fairly straightforward, the only hint of a challenge coming from the application of the elastic used to ruche the sleeves.

Draft day

Recently, a friend asked me to make a duplicate of her favourite draped cardigan, which was somewhat the worse for wear after an office move.  The original was somewhat similar to this but in black, and more flared at the hem.

The other day, I used the original to make a master pattern on grid paper, which I have since copied onto waxed tissue.  In the interest of fitting it all onto one sheet of pattern tissue, I copied it without seam allowances, which will be cut in when the pattern is applied to the fabric, a rayon-elastane knit with a fair bit of horizontal stretch, nearly identical to the viscose-elastane blend of the original.

I also copied out the pieces for New Look 6150, view A, which is a surplice mock wrap top with three-quarter-length sleeves.  The plan is to make a wearable muslin in this medium-weight sweater knit in abstract floral, which has been sitting in my stash since late summer.  The pattern has been there for nearly a year, waiting for the proper fabric to make it up. 

Once I've mastered the fit, I plan to adapt the pattern for the bodice of a mock wrap dress (skirt based on either Gertie's Knit Pencil Skirt or Sew-So-Easy's wrap dress) to be sewn in this lovely bright printed knit.

Pattern Review: Gertie's Easy Knit Pencil Skirt

  

After a bit of discouragement with a project that just didn't go quite to expectations (more on that at a later date), I decided it was time to stop beating myself up and move on to an easier project.  Over the Christmas holidays, I picked up Gertie Sews Vintage Casual.  I've been dying to try some of the projects, particularly the Easy Knit Pencil Skirt, which is, quite simply, two pieces of fabric plus elastic for the waistband.

In the fall, I had picked up a lovely grey-and-white jacquard knit from a remnant bin.  Lo and behold! What had Gertie made the illustrative skirt of? Why, an almost identical fabric!

Thus encouraged, I traced the size 14, graded up to the 16 at the waist, and went to town.  With the size grading, the skirt was almost a perfect fit, although I might take it down about half a size next time for a more curve-hugging fit. (Sorry about the dirty mirror.)

All told, it took me about two-and-a-half hours from start to finish, including tracing the pattern and a fifteen-minute break for lunch, so not a lot of time invested (and with the discounted fabric, not a lot of money, either).  As far as wearable muslins go, I would call this one a winner.

Next time, I think I will try the gored, flared version, perhaps in a navy or charcoal ponte knit.  This one pattern will, I think, become a tried-and-true addition to my repertoire.

Men's vest

This is a project I took on at the request of my son, who was looking for something less formal than a sportcoat and dressier than shirtsleeves for going out with friends.  At six-one and extremely slim of build, he was having difficulty finding anything in RTW that fit both his frame and his budget.    We decided on Burda 7799, View A (notched collar and no breast pocket) in a nice black/white herringbone tweed, with a burgundy brocade as a lining.  

I made a muslin, but it required no alterations as far as we could determine, so I cut the pieces and began construction. 

We did debate whether or not to use bound buttonholes, but the fabric was just a hair too spongy for an application requiring such precision (that, and my precision sewing skills are a little rusty).





I had a bit of difficulty with the single-welt pocket, but it still turned out half-decent. 

It took a few tries to get the lapels attached and lined up correctly, but I'd say the effort was worth it.

Because I was distracted by the challenges of the lapels, I had to bind the armholes instead of attaching the lining to the armholes from the inside.

Here is the final result after it was worn almost daily on a road trip to from Vancouver to Sacramento and back.  I don't have any close-up photos of the buttonholes, but they were stitched in burgundy thread to match the lining.

Steampunk/Victorian Inspiration

Or why I rediscovered the joys of sewing

Back in the spring, the Mister and I were planning to attend Vancouver Fan Expo, a celebration of all things geek.  Having been a fan of steampunk style since I first heard the term about three years ago, I decided that I wanted to attend in costume.  

Thus inspired, I headed out to my local Fabricland and started scouring pattern catalogs.  There, I found this lovely three-piece outfit (Simplicity 2207) and some suitable fabric (creamy-beige shantung and blue-green slub suiting) in the discount bin.

I had to alter the jacket to fit (notably a full-bust adjustment to add another 5"), but the only adjustment I made to the skirt was to eliminate the frill at the top of the flounce and take the excess fabric up in a hem.  I actually think this allowed the whole thing to hang better.  

The bustle/apron piece is a lovely bit of patchwork. Because I was working with leftover fabric from the other pieces, I eliminated the centre back seam and backed the shantung with a layer of pieced-together scraps from the skirt.  This actually made the fabric too bulky to gather as per the pattern instructions, so I made some soft pleats instead as I eased the doubled fabric to the correct length to attach the centre-back ruffle, and to attack the tie waistband.

When I make the jacket again, I believe that I will adjust the armscye and add maybe a half-inch of extra width to the sleeves.  Both are a smidge on the tight side.