Frocktails 2020

I seem to have bloggers block.  I've had this window sitting open on the computer for days, but am  having trouble sitting down and writing.  Frocktails is such a fabulous event that it definitely deserves a post.  It really feels like I am getting together with my tribe.  

I don't think that I talked to so many people this year, but all the sewing talk with those that I did.  Shout out to Vanessa (I hope I haven't got your name wrong in the intervening weeks) who says she still reads my blog...and here I thought that I was back where I started, just blogging for my own records.  So much sewing inspiration in one place.  I learnt about Nerida Hansen fabrics, and have already received an order for her fabrics, hopefully to be made into a summery top for Christmas.  Of course, the most fun is playing Guess The Pattern, discovering new patterns and rediscovering old favourites.

So, onto my dress.

I've had this fabric and pattern combination in mind for a few years now.  It can take me a little while to implement a plan!  I retrieved the fabric from my box of special fabrics, but it was originally from EmmaOneSock.   I think that it is a viscose crepe.  It has a bit of stretch in one direction and a lovely, heavy drape.  The fabric is a print (I haven't done any clever colour blocking).  Sadly, it frays terribly, and I did have a sticky moment when my neck facing pulled away from the dress whilst I was understitching it.  6 mm seam allowances on the facings might have been too narrow for this fabric, and fingers crossed that no more damage happens with wear.

The pattern is Burdastyle 04-2016-122.  I took a bit of a risk in not making a muslin, just grading between sizes and making my usual pattern adjustments.  

The dress pattern is lined.  The lining is for a fairly standard sheath dress.  The outer pattern is shaped as a sheath dress, with extra volume for the drape, and not a-line as the photos would suggest.  I was just about to cut out a Bemberg lining, when I realised that there was no walking room in the lining.  I went back to check the pattern details (I'm not so good at reading pattern instructions these days) and sure enough, it recommended a stretch lining.  My other concern with the lining was that the front neckline gapes a bit, both on the model and in previous versions I have seen made up, and the lining would probably show.  I didn't have a suitable stretch lining fabric on hand.  I thought about just putting a vent in the lining skirt, but in the end, decided that my fabric didn't need a lining and I was better off drafting a facing instead, and cutting it out of the same fabric as the dress.  This had the added bonus of using up the odd shaped remnants of the fabric.

Thanks so much to the organisers of Perth Frocktails.  It really is my favourite event of the year.

Stylearc Elani Tunic mash-up

I have had a few instances where a woven garment with an extended sleeve has ripped horizontally under the armscye.  Sadly, my Stylearc Autumn dress ripped the first time I wore it.  (I have since repaired it and changed the sleeve to a cap sleeve).

I like the style of the Elani tunic, but decided I needed to put in a proper sleeve, to give me a little more room for movement.  I have done quite a bit of pattern drafting, but I am not all that experienced with drafting sleeves, so I went looking for a pattern in my stash that had the sort of sleeve I wanted.  I thought that a slightly dropped shoulder would suit the vibe of the Elani tunic.  Upon trawling through my pattern stash, I found that there are not too many patterns out there for a slightly dropped sleeve.  There are plenty for a fully dropped sleeve, but I thought I would have the same problems with that as I do with extended sleeve, given that the fully dropped sleeve appears to be tacked onto an extended sleeve anyway.  Eventually, I stumbled on Burda 5/2011 #111, which had the sort of sleeves I was looking for.

I sewed the facing down on the inside, as per in the instructions.  It can be tricky to get the facing to match up well with the garment, in my experience, so usually I don't do this, but it worked out okay this time.  I changed the sleeve hem to a double fold hem, turned up, rather than use a sleeve facing.  Looks like I might need to add a bit more room for my prominent shoulder bones.

You can see the sleeve seam in the photo below.  I kept the original high low hem of the Elani.

The fabric is a rayon challis from Imagine Gnats. 

I have fallen off the wagon with Me-Made-May due to illness, but this top has featured twice already.

 

Silk Bomber by Burdastyle

I have run out of words today, so I am just re-printing my pattern review here.  The pattern is Burdastyle 07-2017-104.

Pattern Description: Blouson bomber jacket with a padded collar and a petersham trim along the zipper.

Pattern Sizing:This pattern was in tall sizes. I was looking up how much length to remove from the jacket to make it regular sized, when I realised that the pattern had a huge amount of ease built into it. So, based on my bust measurement, I sized down from 80 to 72. The difference in length between these sizes was about the amount of length I would have had to take out, so with the smaller size, I didn't need to make any length adjustments.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?They were okay.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?I like the idea of a very lightweight jacket that could even be worn as a blouse. The magazine had it styled with denim shorts at the beach and then in black and white for a more office appropriate look.

Fabric Used:My fabric is silk, with a lightweight crepe texture, from EmmaOneSock. The chunky zip is from Lincraft and the Ribbon trim is from Spotlight.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
- sized down 2 sizes
- my jacket is unlined
- because it was not lined, I used French seams or felled seams throughout
- for the padded collar, the pattern had you roll up some wadding and insert it in the collar. I didn't trust this to work out, so I fused one side of my collar to a fusible wadding.
- the sleeves were too long so I took the cuffs off, shortened the sleeves and sewed the cuffs back on. I have had to shorten a few sleeve patterns lately, which is making me wonder if I have short arms. I never felt like I had short arms before, so the other possibility is that I like to sear my sleeves shorter than other people.

Mu chunky zip ended up all curvy. I'm not sure why, as I matched the length to the jacket before I sewed it in place, so it is unlike that I stretched the fabric as I sewed it. Maybe it is from the petersham ribbon? I think this is a common occurrence with chunky zips so I am not worrying about it.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?I don't think I need another one, but I would recommend this style to others. This pattern does have a huge amount of ease, so fabric choice will be critical to get a nice drape.

Conclusion: Something different for my wardrobe that I am looking forward to wearing.

Burdastyle faux wrap skirt

I have been sewing up a storm for my entry to the PR wardrobe contest.  Not sure if I will get everything blogged individually, but here is the Burdastyle skirt I made.

The pattern is Burdastyle 07-2017-113.  The fabric is a heavy white denim, that I found in my cupboard and am unsure of the origins.  The hem bands are a grey linen, interfaced to match the weight of the denim.

The back of the skirt is plain.

My fabric was heavier than the fabrics listed for the pattern, so I swapped the invisible zip for a lapped zipper and button closure.

I stuck a sneaky pocket in between the front layers.  It it sort of like the coin pocket on men's trousers, only a bit bigger.

I haven't been wearing skirts much lately, but it is good to mix things up now and then.

Lilac and Caramel

I saw this unusual colour pairing in a few magazines, and was really taken with it.

I started with this tobacco coloured linen from Tessuti (Hartford Vicuna, still available).  I am pairing it with lilac in these photos, but it really is a versatile colour and combines well with lots of different colours, included denim blue, black and watermelon pink.

I used Burda 6938 to make the pants, only I swapped out the pockets for those on the Fehr Trade Knot Maste yoga set.  I also changed the waistband width to use wide elastic, because that is what I had on hand.

I actually made two tops out of my lilac fabric, because I couldn't decide whether I wanted casual or a bit dressier.  The first is a flared V-neck top with a CF pleat.  This was an evolution from one of my previous self-drafted patterns.  The neckline gaps just a little, I think because of the weight of the pleat.  Not so bad that I wouldn't wear it, but I would like to correct it for next time, but don't really know how.  This fabric is a lightweight silk twill from EmmaOneSock that has been in the stash for a while.

For the second top, I combined the silk twill with a marl cotton knit.  I used my standard t-shirt pattern, but altered it by shaping the sides a little, shaping them hem and shortening the sleeves to a cap sleeve length.

My entries for the Sudoku challenge.

A photo of the t-shirt on.

Burda 6632

Continuing on with my Sudoku Wardrobe entries.

I had been wanting to draft a sleeveless top with shoulder pleats for ages, when I saw Burda 6632 on sale for just a couple of dollars.  It seemed to have a lot of the details I was looking for.  When I made it up though (without a muslin because the competition deadline was looming) I was disappointed because it seemed to have a lot of unnecessary volume and quite swamped me.  

I made the following changes to improve things;

- I took the side seams in about an inch on each side. 

- I took the shoulders in a bit.

- I tried shaping the hem, and then raising the hem, and it still didn't look right, so I added a wide shirring elastic to the hem.

- I lowered the armholes.  Possibly a tad too much, but I prefer my armholes a little lower as it makes the top cooler and more comfortable to wear.

I love this shirring elastic.  Sadly, the place where I bought it has closed down and I don't know where to get any more.

 

Now that I have completed my entry and started mixing these clothes in with my wardrobe, this top has actually become one of my favourites.  I think this is mostly due to the fun print and the beautiful feel of this Cotton + Steel rayon challis.

Burdastyle 2/2015 #127

This top was part of my Sewing Bee final entry.  I like the boxy, airy shape in combination with the trousers.

The fabric is a Japanese cotton seersucker from Tessuti.  The gingham print is printed on rather than sewn into the fabric.

The pattern is Burdastyle 2/2015 #127.  This was a petite pattern, so after reading other reviews, I decided to lengthen the pattern pieces by 3 inches. I inserted this length in 3 places; above the armscye, between armscye and bust and at the hem. After making a muslin, I made a square shoulder adjustment and moved the position of the darts a little. 

I think that the high-low hem looks best from the side.

I like the open back but I am wondering if I can wear it without the camisole in summer.  I'm not one for going bra-less  so I'm not sure how this could work.  Maybe a crop top / bralette underneath?

The sleeve inset has an interesting angular seam.

I used a rouleaux  loop instead of a thread llop for closing, as a wardrobe malfunction on the loop could be a bit of a problem.  I think I need to move the button down a smidge though.

The neck, armhole, sleeve and hem edges are finished with hand made rayon bias binding.

Metallic Linen Joggers

Sewing is my relaxation at the moment, so I have been sticking to relatively quick and easy projects.

I bought this interesting fabric from Oddz and Endz in Noosa, before they closed.  I was told that it was linen, though it must be a linen blend because one side of the fabric is shiny.  It certainly creases like linen though!  Initially I had Vogue 1323 earmarked for this fabric, but when I had a recent binge on Burda sale patterns, I picked up Burda 6938.  Burda pants are generally a better draft for me, and this one had a lower waistline, which I prefer, so I went with the Burda.  I did like some of the features of the Vogue pattern, so I cherrypicked the features I wanted and added them to the Burda pattern.

I made the following changes to the Burda pattern;

I changed the pocket opening.  The pattern originally called for in-seam pockets, but I wanted to make a bit more of a feature of them.

I added a single back jetted pocket.  These are only elastic-waisted pants, but the fit at the back looks pretty good.  The only fitting change I made was to reduce both the front and back crotch extensions, which is a pretty typical alteration for me.  I didn't make a muslin first.  I just sort of guessed how much to shorted the extensions.

I added elasticated cuffs.  My cuffs are 4 cm wide, to suit the elastic I used.  Initially I removed 4 cm in length from the pattern, before adding the cuff, but this wasn't enough.  In the end, I removed 9 cm in length before adding the cuff.  I am about the height that Burda patterns are drafted for (168 cm), but I have a long body / short legs, so maybe this is why I had to remove extra.

I put elastic in all 3 rows of the waistband casing, not just the outer two.

Being pear-shaped, it may not be the best idea to put something light and shiny on my bottom half. This seemed  more obvious when I looked back at the photos than it did in the planning phase, but I have already worn these out several times and plan to keep on doing so!

Adding hardware details

This outfit emerged from a need for quick gratification sewing, whilst I am struggling with sleeve fitting in my craftsy class.  Sewing is my number one hobby, but it is not all joy and bubbles.  Fitting slopers (or anything really) drags me down.

First up, burdastyle 6633, a tunic.  I know that I said I was not going to buy any new patterns, but I picked up a few at a sale price of $4.50 last week. Tracing paper costs almost as much.

I made view B.  My sleeves are longer, but that is only because I cut on the the line for View A and then found that I did not have enough of my contrast fabric for cuffs.  The sleeves are actually surprisingly narrow for this style of tunic, and sometimes I can feel the fabric straining through the upper arm as I go about my daily business.  I thought that burda patterns fit me alright in the shoulder, but you can see in the photo below that my forward, square shoulder is busting to get out of there.  The slightly dropped shoulder line probably doesn't help.

The only change I made to the pattern was to add grommets and lacing.  Now that I have bought the extra dies for my snap press, I need to use them whenever I can!  A reviewer over at Patternreview found that the neck opening on this tunic was a bit low (any surprise, burda??), and I would have found it too low as well, if I did not add the lacing.  You can see that the neck opening is lower than the bust darts, which I think would lead to gaping on most people.

The tunic has a curved hem.  Does anyone else struggle with curved hems?  I know that curved hems are flattering, but I do find them tricky to sew neatly.  For this tunic, I used the same method that you would use for a narrow hem if you did not have a narrow hemming foot....one row of stitching, fold up and press, second row of stitching, fold up and press, third row of stitching.

The shorts are mostly my own pattern.  I started with my favourite Patrones elastic waisted pants pattern and made the following changes;

- shortened length

- removed height from the front and back rise and added a separate waistband

- added front slant pockets

- added back jetted pockets

- added a cuff

- added side tabs

- took the side seams in 15 mm after making this up, because of the heavier fabric.

In the past, I have thought of elastic waisted shorts mostly as pyjamams.  Then two years ago I bought a few pairs of elastic waisted shorts online, which I loved.  They had lots of extra details, including cuffs, pockets, ties etc.  Last year, I ordered more from the same shop, and for some reason, none of them fit.  They were too big in all sorts of weird ways.  This year, I thought it was time to just make up my pattern for what I wanted.

I copied the cuff detail from a pair of puma shorts I was given as a hand-me-down.  It gives a much crisper cuff than the method I have previously used (and learnt from pattern sheet instructions).  You can see in the photos below that I turned up a double hem, and then flipped the hem to the outside to form the cuff.  I top-stitched the cuff, but the original pair I copied did not have top-stitching.  If I had known that I was going to add the tab, I would have sewn it into the hem before I top-stitched it, but the tab was a last minute add-on and I didn't want to unpick the top-stitching.  You might expect that this method of making the cuff would lead to wear on the bottom edge, but the shorts I copied are hand-me-down and I have been wearing them myself for several years now and they have not worn out on this line.

This is my first time sewing jetted pockets.  Not so neat in the denim, but okay.

  The insides are neat, but you can see I was not using pattern pieces for the pockets as they have ended up different lengths.

I'm pleased I have this shorts pattern now.  The next shorts pattern I want to try is one I rubbed off some RTW Roxy shorts maybe six years ago, but never sewed up.  I found my rub-off when I was looking for something else just recently.  So many things to sew...