Monday 29 February 2016

darn cheap fabrics seasonal challenge - summer 15/16 the leap year edition

welcome to the dcf seasonal challenge - summer 15/16 edition. both lara and i were a bit tied up with lots of fun festivities over the summer months, so we are just getting in our posts on the last day of summer which this year is the leap year day!


lara and i bought the challenge fabric together in late january.  we were both very tempted by some beautiful bright coloured silks, but decided against buying them in the end as we both needed a bit of meterage for what we wanted to make and the cost was starting to add up.  instead we chose a beautiful quality viscose with lovely drape.

i originally thought i would make the style arc olivia dress as i bought the pattern in a recent sale. Though the day after we bought the fabric i met up with crafty jane who generously loaned me the japanese pattern book 'clean and natural' and i really wanted to try out a pattern from the book.


i considered the peplum top on the front cover but in the end i decided to make 'G' the key neck pullover.



i have only used a japanese pattern book once before, when i recently made school shorts for my son.  That book had english instructions, while 'clean and natural' is all japanese - a first for me!  when i pulled out the pattern sheet to trace i was a little bit daunted, but once i located all the pattern pieces i was feeling pretty good!
 

when i found the general where abouts of each piece i put my tracing paper down and weights in the 'corners' of the pieces to help keep me on track with the tracing.  in the end the tracing was quite easy.  in terms of sizing i had decided to make size LL based on my measurements, but after tracing about 3 pattern pieces i noticed that it seemed to be one size 'fits all'.  had i been able to read the instructions i may have worked this out before i started tracing! anyway i decided to push on as LL is the largest size so i figured the top would hopefully not end up too big.


i loved the challenge of looking at the pictures in the instructions and working it out.  the construction was pretty straightforward and the pieces all went together perfectly, so it was a really good introduction for me to japanese ladies patterns.

i do feel a bit like i am wearing a tent, but the fabric drapes beautifully and its a nice breezy top to wear.



to take the photo below (well most of the photos really!) i had to carefully hold the key opening in place. i used a light weight interfacing to match the weight of the fabric, but the end result is quite floppy.  if you are planning on making this top i would recommend giving a bit of consideration to the type of interfacing you use for the key hole facings.

 

one of the main disappointments for me with this pattern is the sleeve cuffs, mine do not look like the ones in the pattern photograph.  mine sit on an angle and are not horizontal like the ones in the photo below.


i could fix the sleeves, but really i'm happy to move onto the next project.  it may be something to bear in mind though if you want to make this pattern up. overall this will be a nice easy top to wear with shorts or jeans, so a great trans seasonal piece now autumn is just a few hours away!

 
 

now i'm very keen to check out lara's make.  til next time,

emma

17 comments :

  1. I really like the angled cuffs! You look great - love that style on you.

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    1. Thanks Rach - I was a bit disappointed with them, but I'm glad you like them!

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  2. It's gorgeous Emma! I love everything about this (and could happily steal it from your wardrobe). Really lovely.

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    1. Thanks Lara - and I could happily steal your make too!

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    1. Thanks Helen, it's such a nice easy style to wear - and sun smart for summer wear!

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  4. I really like it with the shorts - looks great. The yoke looks slightly higher on the model - and she's really flat chested and the neckline looks wider on her ... so that could affect the hang making the sleeves angle differently ... It's interesting to see how garments look on different people. Too baggy for me but it looks really good on you.

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    1. Thanks Winny, yes I find it so interesting to see how different things look on different people. It's one of the things that keeps me blogging - contributing to the pool of images sewers may search out before sewing up a new pattern. I find seeing the different images so helpful. If I made this up again I would take a bit of width out of the front and back pieces to reduce the baggyness.

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  5. Very pretty! It's a great fabric and the perfect choice for this pattern.

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    1. Thanks Sarah! The pattern/fabric match is one of the things I really like about this make too.

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  6. Lovely top...the fabric has the perfect drape for this style.

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    1. Thanks Jean, yes the drape of the fabric is perfect for this top - any less would definitely create a very tent like appearance!

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  7. It's lovely and I like how the yoke and sleeves are all in one! The sizing on Japanese patterns can be a bit hit & miss I reckon... on a Japanese model they wear them very loose and it looks great but if I make things for (much rounder) me with that much ease, it's tent city! This looks great on you with both the shorts and the jeans.

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    1. Thanks Jane! Yes it is nifty how the yoke and sleeves are all in one. I agree about the ease, if I made this again I would definitely remove some of the width!

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  8. This looks great! that fabric is gorgeous! I've only made one pattern from my Japanese sewing book but it has instructions in English, I think I'd struggle without them!

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    1. Thanks Kathryn! Yes Lara and I were both quickly attracted to the fabric - I love the colour combo and print. When I first started I thought I would struggle with no English but the diagrams are so excellent, if you study them carefully it is not too difficult.

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  9. Your top looks great Emma! And those pattern books look really daunting...eeek. :)

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