gekkeiju (japanese laurel)

'gekkeiju' as i am reliably informed by google translator, means laurel in japanese.  this is a sleeveless colette laurel in a soft japanese cotton from tessuti.  one of the things i love about a sleeveless shift is the ability to wear it all year round - when it is cooler i wear them with a long sleeve tee, tights and boots.

i bought this fabric during the recent sydney sewcial - a fantastic day of eating, drinking, chatting sewing and fabric shopping.

here's an awesome pic taken by susan from measure twice cut once inside tessuti's surry hills store of little betty, sew amy sew and i having a great old chat behind these amazing japanese cottons.  i loved them all but decided on the blue.  actually looking at this pic i wouldn't mind getting the pink for a laurel top.

here's another one of susan's pics of me purchasing the fabric.  i had no idea she was taking these - i was too engrossed in the sewing chat and buying fabrics! i do love having a photographic memory of purchasing the fabric - wish i had susan out fabric shopping with me all the time.

on to the dress.  i hadn't made the laurel before, i bought it recently as i like the sleeve and top options.  i was a bit turned off previously that colette patterns are drafted for a c cup, but decided i really should just buy the pattern and do a sba.  i didn't realise it before i bought the pattern but the front does not have waist darts, meaning the pattern on this fabric remains intact.  like.

you can see the back waist darts here which mess with the look of the print.  overall i am pretty happy with the fit - i can still do some slight tweaking for future versions, but in general am pretty happy. particularly as the photo below shows my first muslin.

according to the pattern size chart i am a size 4 bust and size 8 waist.  i hadn't read anything on any of the blog reviews i read saying the pattern ran super large for them so i cut a straight size 8 and did my first sba. though i must admit i mainly just checked out the photos and scanned the reviews.

looking back i really should have flat measured the pattern and paid a bit more attention to the clues in the blog posts i read, particularly posts from similar sized sewists noting that they cut size 0 - 2.    after a couple of muslins i finally settled on cutting a size 2 bust (no sba) and graded down to 0 for waist and hips, with the following alterations:

• 3/8" forward shoulder adjustment (next time i will do 5/8" - this alteration was a first for me)
• redrafted armscye for a sleeveless version, i did this using style 2622 as a guide, as well as trial and error - as i wanted to be able to wear this dress in winter with a black tee underneath
• i also tapered the side seams further from the waist down when sewing up the dress.  i will probably taper a bit more next time.

i lined the dress with 'elegance' from martha pullen - 55% cotton and 45% silk, which i purchased online for $5m during a sale.  i read about this fabric on gertie's blog when the topic was suitable linings for summer dresses.  it was great to sew with and feels really nice on.

i finished the neck, arms and hem with black bias binding also from tessuti.  i sewed it on with the sewing machine and hand stitched it down.  it was a great job to do in front of the tv, particularly as the opening round of the afl took place over the weekend.

it's great to have a dress to remember the fun of the sydney march 2014 sydney sewcial by. 

just one last pic of the first outing for the dress - billy bragg @ the sydney opera house.

emma

plan b: vogue 8805

in the spirit of the real ernest flagg i am going to start a 'plan b' series on this blog.  plan b meaning a pattern that i make up twice or more.  i often seem to do this - while i'm making a pattern for the first time i am already thinking about another look for the pattern.  this is plan b: vogue 8805.

this pattern was popular on blogs a while back. i have been keen to make it up in ponte so i can wear it for work when i ride my bike and stuff my clothes in my panniers - we don't have ironing equipment at my office.

lucky for me i was able to check out some blog reviews and knew the pattern ran large before cutting.  according to the pattern i am a 12 for the bust and 16 for waist and hips, but i cut a straight 10.  its a straightforward quick make and am happy that it fits quite nicely.

the only change i made was to omit the back neck opening and cut 1cm from the neckline so i can pull on the dress over my head. for my taste the back of this dress is a bit boxy, i will probably go back and put some darts in.

for the second version i used a printed rayon and black cotton sateen after seeing this version on the tessuti blog. i also cut a 10.

i made a few more alterations to this one:

• extended the length of the middle piece and reduced the length on the lower piece
• cut 1.5cm off the neckline so i could again omit the back opening and still be able to pull the dress on
• added back darts
• tapered the sides at the waist fractionally 

i gathered the rayon to ease fit it to the top piece.  I did get a couple of small puckers but they aren't really noticeable.  i bound both necks with bias binding. i also finished the arm holes on the first version with bias binding as i sewed up the side seams before pressing up the hems, so used the binding to avoid fiddly turning and pressing.

for the second version i pressed up the arm hems prior to sewing the side seams and finished with a regular sewn hem. i went for red bias binding on the neck, as if you follow this blog you may have noticed there has been a lot of black and white around here.  some regular coloured programming will return soon!

emma

when lola became suzy

i have been meaning to sew a pair of loose elastic waist pants all summer.  i had been eyeing off the lola pant by style arc.  i like the waist detail - being a flat front and elastic back and also the elastic at the back cuff.  from the art work they look to be a narrow'ish fit, plus i haven't sewn style arc before.

when i finally decided elastic waist pants would be next up and looked into buying the pattern and i realised how gen y my sewing can be - even though i am clearly not gen y!  i was actually shocked when i couldn't find a pdf option - what wait for postage?? how could i?? this is something i haven't really done for patterns before since my return to sewing. i therefore made a last minute switch to suzy.

the suzy pattern from tessuti comes in pdf.  it seems i am in a minority in the sewing blog world, but i really like pdf patterns.  they are so now!  i don't mind putting them together at all.  i do all the cutting in a comfy chair then move to the floor or table to put them together depending how big they are.  lately i seem to be doing a better job at matching them nicely.

according to the tessuti website the suzy pant is a fun and relaxed pleated front pull on pant.  i used a rayon from spotlight but cut the pattern pieces on the cross wise grain so the wiggly lines of the pattern are vertical not horizontal.

the only thing i did different to the instructions was to use 25mm elastic, instead of 12mm.  i did originally use 12mm, but found that the pants dragged down a bit and therefore looked quite large around the hip area - perhaps this is because the rayon is a bit on the heavier side.  the 25mm elastic keeps the pants higher up and less baggy around the hips, but the trade off is the crotch seam sits a bit high.  next time i will consider lowering the crotch seam and lengthening the leg a smidg.

i went with the in seam pockets and was a bit confused at first by the instructions, but if you read them carefully and thoroughly (which often i don't do) it all makes sense and is quite easy.

i constructed them using my sewing machine with straight and zig zag stitch. am happy with this make - would like to try lola sometime, but have a feeling i will make a few more suzy's first.

am getting the itch to get stuck into some autumn and winter sewing now, is anyone else??

(lastly i should also say for a beautifully made and presented pattern from a great indie company i would be happy to wait for a hard copy in the post, but a quick pair of elastic waist pants really appeals to me in an immediate pdf format!)

emma

lurex mini challenge - shiny scout

the lurex mini challenge came about when kirsty decided to buy this fabric on our sydney fabric shopping trip at the fabric store.  i quite liked the pattern, but when kirsty mentioned it was 'lurex', i decided i needed some too.  and so the mini challenge was born - we both bought 1.2m and agreed to sew it up and reveal our makes at the same time on our blogs.  other than that there were no rules.

i was initially drawn to the pattern of the fabric (before being seduced by the lurex) and when contemplating what to make i did start to wonder why i am always drawn to fabrics that require matching and careful cutting!

i made a tessuti zoe muslin, but decided the style wasn't really me.  i then thought a grainline scout would be a good pattern as it has a nice shape, limited matching required and most importantly the large square checks would be maintained without interruption from darts or the like.  

i am pretty happy how this turned out.  i have made a couple of scouts before but felt they were a bit boxy on me.  for this version i tapered the sides on the pattern before cutting the fabric.  as i was a bit stressed about stuffing this up i made up a version in a rayon to make sure it looked ok. i am pretty happy with the tapering, but will make another slight adjustment to taper a bit further near the hem next time.

here's some pics at the side to see the matching. when cutting the fabric i tossed up between having the edge of the check squares at the centre front or to make the centre front in the middle of one of the columns of squares.  i ended up going with the edge of the squares for centre front - see pic below.  

when i tried it on for the first time i thought it looked a little off centre/balance, but now i'm used to it i really like how it looks.  i also like how the squares match at the side seams. 

this pic was taken outside and you can see how the fabric looks different in the different lights. i love how shiny the fabric looks indoors and under light shown in the top 3 pics.

i made bias binding for both the neck and arms.  i prefer to make bias binding to finish short sleeves as i find this a lot easier than turning up the hems.  as usual it hurt my head a bit working out how to match at least some of the pattern at the sleeves, but it worked out ok first time. i didn't go with a lining as i wanted to keep the top light and will just wear a black singlet underneath.

i constructed the scout using french seams following jen's really excellent tutorial - this is a great finish for the lurex. you can just see in this pic on the neck binding that some of the bronze coloured metallic threads pulled through to the underside when sewing.  it makes this top a little scratchy to wear, but not a fatal problem.  i really should have forked out the $13 for a metallic needle!

when i was getting close to finishing this top i thought it would be a great top for a night out at a bar, but that i don't really get out to bars that often.  it then occurred to me we had tickets to see eddie vedder at the state theatre in sydney last wednesday night. so my top got its first public run and i got mr flagg to snap a pic of me inside the theatre.  there were about 100 or so punters having a drink before the show started just to the right of me in this pic so was happy to get a quick phone snap. 

all in all am very happy with this make, though its not a difficult make or flashy (apart from being quite shiny!) i think i'll get a bit of wear out of it.  thanks heaps for being part of my first blogging challenge kirsty! make sure you check out her fabulous make here.

emma

black n' white pants - simplicity 1918

this is the first pair of fly front pants i have made in a long time. perhaps ever - now i think about it, i can't really remember having made any pairs.  maybe for high school sewing class?

these are simplicity 1918 from the amazing fit range.  i purchased the pattern during one of lincraft's 50% off all patterns sale (coincidentally 50% off all patterns is currently on now too) after seeing them on miss p... i thought they looked like a good place to start for fly front pants and am happy enough how they turned out, particularly as i didn't make a muslin.

the main thing about the fit is some fabric pooling at the front and back in the upper thigh/lower crotch area.  given the fabric is pretty busy though its ok for this pair.

the fabric came from fabric.com which i purchased after seeing it on another blog last year in the navy colour way.  i was pretty sure it was on four square walls, but i just googled for it and couldn't locate it. its a soft stretch cotton sateen which has a nice light weight for summer.

before making the pants i thought i would take them in and make them a slim fit.  but after trying them on during construction i decided to leave them as cut. the looser fit is good for summer.  

here's a 'tucked in tee' pic to show the waist fit, which i'm pretty happy with.  the fly is just passable thanks again to the busy fabric.  i have since bought some craftsy pants fitting and construction classes and am looking forward to trying sandra betzina's method next time.  

i finished the waistband with bias binding.  this was new for me as i have always previously finished waist bands by turning under the seam allowance.  i really like the finish of the bias bound waist band and am also looking forward to using this technique more.

i'm happy i made this pair of pants, particularly to try out a few techniques for the first time.  however it is unlikely i will use the pattern again as i am keen to try other patterns, particularly a skinnier fit,  

emma

dotty old mathilde

wow the start of 2014 has been great for me for sewing makes.  here's tilly and the button's mathilde blouse.  i really like this make.

the fabric is a heav'ish silk and it came from darn cheap fabrics from this visit.  i really like the 2 fabrics i purchased on the visit and am rapt they turned into 2 great pieces - this mathilde and my style 2622 dress.

i think the silk was about $22.95m (thought i kept the receipt but can't find it and also can't see this fabric online.  it was 1.7m wide(!) and i purchased 80cm thinking at the time i would make a grainline scout. enter stage right amy of sew amy sew and her recent mathilde.  on seeing her gorgeous version i remembered i had this pattern sitting in my stash for some time and really wanted to use it.

i read a few web reviews, most of which suggested this pattern is best for light drapey fabrics - but for some reason i still really wanted to give it a go in this fabric. so i did.

as i only had 80cm i needed to do a few of things to fit all the pieces in.  firstly, i cut pieces on both the lengthwise and crosswise grain - you can see this in the photo below.  i was a bit worried that the fabric may have a different sheen on the different grains but after draping the fabric in front of a mirror i thought it should be ok.  you can also see in this photo that i finished the seams with a zig zag stitch.

secondly i took 4" out of the fullness of the sleeves by slashing and overlapping in 3 places (middle and close to sides) at the bottom of the sleeves.  i also shortened them by about an inch due to fabric restrictions.  lastly, i cut the back on the fold line, which i actually would have done regardless.  after trying it on i decided i needed to take in the back a bit further and so stitched a 3/8" seam down the centre back.  i can still get it on and off no problems.   i only have a few scraps left which is fantastic as my scrap fabric collection is quite big.

i interfaced the cuffs for stability when turning them under, but wish i didn't.  they are a bit bulky and puffy but still ok.  i also slip stitched the cuff down instead of stitching in the ditch like the instructions suggest, as 1 i quite like finishing makes with hand stitching as its a nice way to slow down and finish a garment; and 2 i wasn't sure how good my ditch stitching would be over the gathers and bulk of the fabric.

the hem was also a bit tricky given the bulk of the fabric at the pin tucks, so i hand stitched the hem in these areas prior to doing it with the machine.

tilly's pattern is fantastic.  the pdf taped together perfectly - usually i get little puckers here and there when taping patterns together, but this went together perfectly.  i really like the short instruction tick box sheet too as this is supplemented with full instructions and photos on tilly's blog.  i didn't look at the full instructions much, but it is great to have them available.  all in all its a great pattern.

this is definitely one of my favourite recent makes - watch this space for some more versions.

emma

style 2622 dress - update

i wore my dress to work today.  here's a phone pic when i got home at the end of the day.  the binding remained intact yay.

i wore the dress with my new black jacket.  i love this jacket even though i didn't make it.  i actually bought it at woolworths!! yep woolworths in south africa sells clothes much like m&s in the uk.  oddly they stock the australian brands country road and trenery.

this fully lined jacket is trenery brand and i paid $79 aus for it, i love both the fit and the style -  a very happy purchase.  i don't think i will ever commit to being 100% made by me as i do enjoy buying a well fitting RTW piece every now and then!

emma

2014 make 1 - its a winner (style 2622)

here's my first make for 2014 - i'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

the pattern is TNT OOP Style 2622.  i have made this dress too many times to count. i'm pretty sure i even used it for the dress i wore to my 21st birthday party, may see if i can dig out an old photo...

its a great straightforward a-line shift dress.  an uncut version is actually currently listed on ebay.  the fabric came from darn cheap fabrics in heidelberg vic from this trip.  it was $12.95m and i purchased 1m. its a soft cotton sateen with a bit of stretch.

for this version I decided to finish the neck, arms and hem with black bias binding.  i also finished the back centre seam allowances with bias binding and did french side and shoulder seams to keep the inside neat.

some shots inside and out:

i make this dress up in a size 10, even though my measurements fit between a 14-16 and the fit is generally ok.  some alterations i did this time include:

• lengthen hem by 1" so i can wear the dress to work
• took an additional scant 1/4"off the neck and arms - next time i probably wouldn't do the arms as well as the neck
• raised the bust dart slightly, by using the marking for size 8 - really should do a SBA
• slashed and overlapped the back neck line to reduce gapping - mostly fixed it but perhaps could go further next time

there are some wrinkles at the back but i am fine with them - unless someone can tell me an easy way to remove them!

key lesson learnt: i originally bound the neck, arms and hem with commercial black 12mm bias binding from a packet because i couldn't be bothered making my own or sourcing some better commercial stuff.  downfalls were: 1 it felt like cardboard, was crazy fiddly and a waste of time - i could have made my own binding in the time i ended up wasting to put it on; 2 the first time i washed the dress the binding came away in 2 spots; 3 the look i was hoping for for the neck, arms and hem wasn't achieved.  grrR times 3.

i bought some new wider bias binding at tessuti on the weekend at the shopping trip with kirsty, amy and maria. It went on quickly, easily and the wider binding stands out more now.

here's a pic from amy via maria, of the shopping trip - a first for me meeting other bloggers.  it was a super way to spend a saturday morning, fun times!

emma