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.

Digital Print Silk Dress

This is another catch-up blog for a dress I made more than a year ago.  The warmer weather has me reaching for looser fit dresses.

I hoarded this fabric for ages.  It is a digital print silk crepe.  I'm not sure that the final dress is worthy of the stash time though.

The pattern is another version of my self-drafted tank dress.  I added some new features, by shaping the neckline, adding pockets and sewing a high-low hem.

I think that the hem doesn't really work with the loose skirt and maybe that is why I don't wear this more.  I am wondering if I should take to it with the scissors and un-picker and make it an even hem?

Not red velvet

Twenty years ago, I was very taken with a girl I saw wearing red velvet pants.  I went out and bought some red velvet the next day (actually cheap red velveteen, because I didn't have much money then).  Only I didn't have the confidence to make and wear red velvet pants.  The velveteen sat in my stash for years and years and eventually I gave it away in one of my house moves.

Then a few years ago I saw this patterned red denim at EmmaOneSock and thought it would be a better way to fulfill my 20 year old vision.  I used an old Vogue Alice and Olivia pattern that had been stashed and never used, V2812.

I still feel that red is a bit dramatic for my everyday, but I did wear these trousers to the pop-up Globe Theatre to watch Hamlet.  I don't think you could over-do the drama for Hamlet :).

The Assembly Line Cuff Top

After seeing Fadanista's Cuff Tops, I decided I needed to try out this pattern for myself.  As I've stated previously, I am ambivalent about cut-on sleeves.  They seem to be fashionable, but personally, I find regular sleeves more comfortable.  For this reason, I wanted to use stash fabric to test out the pattern, rather than race out and buy something fabulous.  

After perusing my stash, I decided on a cotton voile, originally from EmmaOneSock.  I have a few cotton voile prints in my stash.  I bought them years ago, before I realised that I don't quite know what to do with a cotton voile.  You think voile is going to be cool and summery, but the softness of it falls against your skin, so it is not as cool to wear as a crisper cotton.  Also, it often needs lining, which seems to defeat the purpose of a cool cotton.  It is not sun protective enough to use for a summer cover up.  I don't wear floaty scarves.  What does everyone else do with voile?

Anyway, now that I don't live in the tropics, I thought I could use it for this top and wear it over a camisole.  I made this top a few months ago, and have been waiting for a chance to wear it.  The day these photos were taken, I wore it over a bamboo singlet.  We had some visitors, and being my first September in Perth, we set out in search of wild flowers.

The only change I made to the pattern was a narrow chest adjustment, so that the boat neck would sit better for me.

Rib Knit Jalie 2805

Here is an long-unblogged t-shirt in action.  It is a Jalie 2805 made up in a rib knit.  Initially I made it in a hurry the night before I went on a trip to Sydney.  I was worried that I did not have enough warm clothing, so I rummaged through the stash.  I quickly checked that I had enough fabric and then started cutting....only, you know how Jalie uses symmetrical sleeves and only gives you half the sleeve pattern?  Turns out that I did not have enough fabric.  I had already sewn the bodice, so I scrimped and went for elbow length sleeves and added a cuff.  One of my sons pointed out that one sleeve was longer than the other.  I insisted that it just appeared that way because I have one  shoulder and arm stronger than the other. Uh-uh.  When I had the luxury of time in my hotel room, I found out that one sleeve was about 2 inches longer than the other!!  I wore it that way all weekend and fixed it up when I got home.  Several months later I decided that I didn't 'wear this shirt because the neck binding was a bit too long, so I took the back half of the binding off, shortened and re-attached it.  So it took a few re-sews, but now it is getting worn regularly. 

Basic InstincT T-shirt

I finally got a new desk so that I can set up my sewing machine, overlocker and coverstitch machine all at the same time. To revel in this ergonomic luxury, I whipped up a T-shirt.

The pattern is Basic InstinT by secondo piano (Thanks to Sheryll for alerting me to this pattern).

I made a number of modifications to the pattern, including a square shoulder adjustment, hollow chest adjustment, extra width at the hips and a broad back adjustment.  I don't think I needed the broad back adjustment though, so I have trimmed this extra off my pattern ready for the next time I make this.

I basted in the neckband but thought it gathered in my shirt too much so I cut a longer neckband.  This second attempt seemed a bit too long, but rather than pull it out, I sewed around the band a second time, using a bigger seam allowance.  This made the neck opening a little bigger and the band a little narrower and the result is just right for this fabric.  This is why my neckline seems a little bigger than other reviews of this pattern.  

The fabric is a Dutch cotton knit print from EmmaOneSock.  Originally I planned a dress, but I am happy with this t-shirt.  It means I have quite a bit of the grey portion of the fabric leftover.  Lucky I love the creative process of sewing up scraps!  This Dutch cotton makes for the comfiest undies.

Jalie Helene Cardigan

A quick show-and-tell today.  This is the Jalie Helene Shawl Collar cardigan, made up in a micro-modal interlock rib featherweight knit from EmmaOneSock.  As previous reviewers have noted, the pockets are cleverly constructed to minimise sewing bulk.

It is a lovely cardigan to wear.  The fabric feels so soft that I used the leftovers to make singlets and undies.  I tried a couple of new patterns; the Style Arc Diana top, and the Megan Nielsen Acacia.  The Diana top has the neckline edges turned under, instead of bound, which is great if you are sewing from scraps and have limited yardage.  The V neckline was a tad too deep for me, but it will make a great singlet.  The Acacia is as comfortable as claimed.  Wins all around.

Fehr Trade Kinetic Tee

Not much sewing at the end of 2018 and even less blogging.  I am going to try and blog what I have sewn but details will be scant!

Pattern:  Kinetic Tee from Fehr Trade

Fabric: Bamboo knit from EmmaOneSock

Comments:  This pattern is designed for exercise wear, but I have been wearing this as I would a regular tee.  I think it would be great made up in plain black as well.  I am thinking of trying the version with sleeves in a lightweight terry knit.

Stylearc Melody Tunic

The Stylearc Melody Tunic was a freebie with one of my pattern orders. It is always fun to get a freebie, isn't it?

Actually, the tunic looks better in the photos than it did in my mirror today.  It feels very oversized, to the point of not feeling great to wear.  I think the problem is the fabric choice.  The fabric was described as "a lovely yarn dyed cuprammonium rayon semi-opaque jacquard weave graphic with a slight bit of texture, and a soft pink blush coloring (PANTONE 11-1306)".  I am not familiar with cuprammonium rayon, but I am crushing this colour at the moment, so I thought I would give it a try.  It feels heavy, slippery and a bit plasticky / synthetic to wear.

This photo shows the curved hem and the back gathers.

Close-up of the collar, faced neckline and sleeve with elasticated hem.

Not sure if I will keep this one or set it free?

Stylearc Gabby Jacket in Milly Neon Floral.

Sewing is a tumultuous journey, a few highs, a few lows and plenty of average.  This project is one of my highs, both in terms of sewing construction and the completed garment. 

This next photo shows both the jacket lining and the self drafted top I made to go with the jacket.  The lining and top are made from different fabrics, although the colour looks similar in this photo.  The fabric top is a silk  with little stars woven into the print.  I think that the lining is a rayon fabric, but as I bought it for a previous project, I couldn't be sure.  I altered the lining pieces on this pattern to give more ease in the lining (details in the review below).

The sleeve heads on this pattern are unusual.  The bonus is that you get all the room you need in the sleeve cap without having to ease the sleeve into the armhole.  Genius!

I added a CB seam to the jacket to allow for a little more fitting to the back.

Gotta show off the welt pocket.  The pocket depth as drafted was too shallow to be functional, but a review by another sewer alerted me to this fact ahead of time, and I was able to increase the pocket depth easily.

Bonus photo - shown with the matching shorts from my previous post.  I actually first wore the jacket with a striped tee and jeans, which is probably my preferred look, but no camera that day.

I sewed this jacket for the pattern Review contest "Homage to my favourite designer".  I have copied my pattern review below, if anyone wants more of the sewing details.

I am submitting this jacket for the "Homage to my Favourite Designer". The designer element is this gorgeous stretch cotton sateen, from MillyNY, purchased through EmmaOneSock. It has been in my "good fabric" box, along with several other amazing Milly fabrics, for several years. 

I have pinned images of this same fabric made up by the designer as a dress and top. Whilst I admired the original designer garments, I thought it would make a stylish jacket.

Pattern Description: The pattern site describes this as a reverse revere jacket with sleeve head treatment. I wouldn't know what that meant if I did see the line drawing, but who am I to argue?

Pattern Sizing:I made Size 10.

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?I supplemented the instructions with the Craftsy class "Mastering Construction: Facings and Linings" with Sara Alm.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like that the jacket does not have collar or closures. This makes easily worn as a casual jacket.

Fabric Used:Stretch cotton sateen by MillyNY, purchased from EmmaOneSock.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Fitting changes
- narrow chest alteration.
- took in the side seams at the bust and let them out at the hips.
- made the sleeves narrower.
- used a thinner shoulder pad rather than doing a square shoulder adjustment.

Pattern changes
- Added a CB seam and added some curvature to this seam.
- extended the lining on the welt pockets to create a deeper pocket.
- added extra interfacing, to the back hem and sleeve hems.
- Added 1/2" vertical ease to the lining pieces.
- Added ease to the sleeve and underarm of the lining, guided by Sara Alm's class.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?I like this jacket and can see myself making it again.

Conclusion: I'm really happy with how this turned out. It is always daunting cutting into the "good fabric" but the result is even better than I expected.

Reversible Anorak Jacket

Last year, when I was buying all fabrics olive and peach, EmmaOneSock was selling a fabric that was olive on one side and peach on the other.  So I snapped it up, but never got to making it up.  PR is holding a reversible garment competition at the moment, which provided the mojo for me to make up this plan from last year.

Her is my review entry for the Stylearc Romy Anorak.

Pattern Description: The description given by Stylearc is "This weekend Anorak is a great addition to your wardrobe. Make the Anorak in a lovely washed charmeuse or lightweight wool for a luxurious yet casual look. Wear the jacket open or zip it up to create a cosy look. The collar is soft and will sit beautiful opened or buttoned up. This anorak is unlined and comes with an optional tie belt."

Pattern Sizing:I made a Size 12 based on the Stylearc size chart. I am happy with this choice in size.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?I made quite a few changes, but it is still recognisable.

Were the instructions easy to follow?I didn't use them, because of all my changes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?Like all Stylearc pattern, the design lines of this seem very current. I liked the idea of a soft jacket with oversized collar, which is why I bought the pattern, but this time around I have shrunken the proportions and my fabric is not soft or drapy. I would still like to follow the fabric suggestions and make another version in a softer fabric.

Fabric Used:I used a stretch cotton twill with a crisp drape. One side of the fabric is army green and the other side is peach. The base of the fabric is white, and it feels like the colour has been painted onto each side. I didn't pre-wash the fabric as I wanted to stitch it all together before washing, to give it more of that washed-jeans sort of look once it is washed. Because of the design and ease, I don't think it will matter if the fabric shrinks a bit with the first wash.

I chose a contrasting fabric for the collar. I didn't like the look of the whole collar showing the other colour when the collar is open, so I went for a contrasting, soft, minky fleece.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Changes for fit:
- Made the shoulder dart much larger, to accommodate a very square shoulder.
- removed some fabric at the armhole edge of the upper front, to accommodate a narrow chest.
- the collar piece was adjusted to match these changes

Style changes:
- Shortened the jacket by about 8 inches
- Shortened the sleeve by 3 inches
- reduced the width of the collar by about an inch
- I omitted the drawstring at the hem
- Stylearc recommends French seams for a clean finish, which is a great idea for reversibility, but they only provide 1 cm seam allowances. 1 cm was pretty tight for my fabric choice, so I increased the seam allowances to 15 mm.

Changes for reversibility
- I didn't attempt the zipper. Other reviewers have struggled with the placement of the zip and buttons, and I wouldn't be able to buy a reversible zip locally, so I thought it would be easiest to just forego the zip and use snaps on the front closure. I think there are other anorak patterns out there that do a better job of the zip / zip instructions. I didn't realise until the 11th hour that my snaps have one good side and one "back" side. I decided to use them anyway, and put the back side on the green fabric, which has more of an industrial vibe.
- No zip so no need for front facings
- I made "hem bands" to finish all the edges (hem, front closure, sleeve cuffs) so that the wrong colour would not be folded to the other side (as it would in a traditional hem)
- I added elastic to the sleeve cuffs
- instead of a waist tie, I made a casing and threaded elastic through it to draw in the back waist. 
- I wanted pockets on each side. I didn't want layers of fabric at the seams that were going to be French seamed, so where I combined the original front panels and them split them up again, so that as many seamed sections as possible were single layer. I split a horizontal section for the waist casing. I split upper and lower panels into "thirds".
- I didn't want flaps on the inside pockets, so I changed the pocket design. I also had to change the pocket size and placement because I made the jacket shorter. In the end I chose patch pockets for the green side. The patch pockets were sewn onto the back of the pink pockets. The pink pockets were the whole size of the pocket panel, so that the patch pocket did not show through to the other side. For the pink pockets, I took inspiration from a RTW hiking jacket that I have had for 20 years. The upper pockets have a pleated flap that hides a zippered pocket. I lined this pocket with lightweight liberty. The flap neatly covers my zips, which do not colour match the jacket. I'm not sure how to describe the lower pockets...you will have to look at the photos!

There was a lot of changing of thread and bobbin. I'm pretty pleased that I only had to pull out one seam because I sewed it in the wrong colour thread. Sadly, my machine makes a nicer top stitch than bobbin stitch. I did play around with the tension and settings, but the stitching on one side definitely looks better than the other.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?I would like to sew this pattern again, more in the fabric / style that it was intended.

Conclusion: I love the finished result. Thinking through the pockets was a bit of a brain drain, but I got there in the end. I can't decide which side of the jacket I like best, so I guess that makes for a successful reversible garment!

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.

Floral Bomber

Once again, I'm late to jump on board a trend, but never mind.  Here is my take on the floral bomber.

The fabric is a printed tricot athleisure knit fabric from EmmaOneSock.  The navy / silver ribbing is from Craftymamas.  

The pattern is Simplicity 8418, which I picked up for a couple of dollars in a Spotlight sale.  I was choosing between this pattern, Burda 6478 (which I got at the same sale) and the Jalie Charlie Bomber. This one and the Burda had raglan sleeves, which I wanted. When I compared the Simplicity and the Burda pattern, this one was more fitted than the Burda. I liked the pockets on the Jalie, but shipping of Jalie patterns is so expensive that I usually buy a bundle all at once and I wasn't ready to order a whole heap of Jalies just at the moment.

I have hardly ever sewn a Simplicity pattern. My bust measurement put me at a sz 14. Sz 12 was the largest in my pattern envelope, so I started with that.  I should have made a muslin, but being a simple design, I thought I would get away without one. There were lots of changes on the run.

- I didn't line the jacket

- Square shoulder adjustment

- Prominent shoulder joint adjustment

- I changed the pockets to welt pockets. I used the Burda pocket piece and Jalie instructions to draft my own pattern piece. I used 1 cm welts, but I wish I had chosen 2 cm welts.

- I shortened the jacket by 2 cm. I would have liked it shorter, but the pockets were already in place, which was a bit limiting.

- I shortened the sleeves by 2 cm.

- My rib bands were a little narrower due to fabric shortage. I made the rib bands a little longer than the pattern because I thought my rib was not overly stretchy.

- I took the sleeve seam in by 2.5 cm (total width reduction of 5 cm), all the way up to the under arm, which raised the underarm by 2.5 cm, tapering back down to 0 as I sewed from underarm to waist.

Attaching all that ribbing was a very familiar process...I must have made a lot of sweatshirts as a child in the 80's...the Knitwit era!

It was pretty hot putting this jacket on for photos today, but it will be snuggly if the weather ever cools down.

Half of Stylearc Ebony

My love affair with all things peach coloured is continuing.  This time, in the form of pleated pants.

The fabric is a rayon twill from EmmaOneSock (it is the same fabric as my olive Stylearc Jamie pants).  It is supposedly dry-clean only, and my green pants shrink up each wash before relaxing back into shape whilst I am wearing them.  I pre-washed this peach fabric several times, hopefully to mitigate some of that.

The pattern is the Stylearc Ebony Woven pant.  This is an asymmetrical pattern that I have made before, but this time I decided to only use the pleated side.  The pants have a flat front waistband, elasticated back waist band, tapered legs and angled side pockets.  

Vogue 1247 (SBA in a dolman sleeved top)

When Vogue 1247 was first released, I admired the many beautiful versions that popped up on the blogs.  My sister gave me the pattern 7 years ago!! and it has taken until now to overcome my fear of the fitting changes I would required.  These fitting changes seemed to work, so I thought that I would share them here.

I started with a Size 14 and went about doing an SBA.  First off, I slashed the pattern 3 ways; from bust point to the shoulder point; from bust point to the waist seam; and from bust point through the bust dart at CF.

Instead of spreading apart (as you would do for a FBA), I overlapped the pieces.  I overlapped them enough to take out half the difference between my actual bust measurement and the stated Sz 14 bust measurement.

You could probably leave it at that, but I decided to straighten out the waist seam and add back in a CF bust dart.  I drew a horizontal line across the waist and extended the from seam down to this line.  I measured a difference of 4 cm between the original pattern and the new waist line.

I used my sloper to mark in my actual bust point.  Then I drew in a dart to the centre front, with an opening of 4 cm (to match the previous measured 4 cm).  I redrew the lower CF seam so that it was at least perpendicular to the waist seam.

In this next photo, you can see that I folded up the dart to true the edges of the pattern.

I added a bit of height to the low V front.

Here I am comparing the new pattern to the original pattern.  If you want to short cut this process, it looks like you can just take in the CF seam!

I then compared the waist length on the upper front with the lower front and folded out any discrepancy in length.

Here is the finished product.  It took me 3 hours to sew this up.  I know this, because I took this project when I went away for a gymnastics workshop for my son, and had 3 hours in the hotel room during the workshop.  Yes, I took my sewing machine with me!  I wanted to sew more than I wanted to sight-see or shop.

You can see that the bust dart hits in the right spot.  I could probably lower the neckline back to the original height on the pattern, but I am comfortably with it at this height.  The neckline does not fall off my shoulders.

I love the final product.  The fabric is a silk crepe de chine from EmmaOneSock, which sadly creases more than I would like.  The overall feel of the garment is slouchily elegant.  I meant to sew up a second one straight away, now that the pattern fits, but I actually made this a couple of months ago and have not made a second one yet.  There is one in my plan for the wardrobe contest currently on at PR.