Blog catch up #1

I've started to plan for 2015 but before I articulate my ideas I want to finish off 2014. I have a bunch of projects that I haven't blogged about and I want them on the record. Unfortunately not all are photographed, sorry. These are listed in no particular order.

Hello Sailor! The Princess was in a drama production in June. She was a sailor. We spent a wonderful time working through costume options. What fun! She decided on a pair of wide-legged pants and a stripy t-shirt, with a bandanna and sailors hat. Trousers (Simplicity 4206). A plain jane version would fit the bill here. So we found some cotton drill and I made them up. We also found a t-shirt pattern (New Look 6241) and made it up in a simple blue and white striped fabric. It's a little on the small size but it completes the costume. I used the techniques I learned (or confirmed!) during my Craftsy Knits course.

First knit. This pattern (Burda 7871) and a black cotton knit had been languishing in my stash for years (gasp!). I have spent my sewing career avoiding knits. Lots of reasons really. Didn't have the headspace, too many other things to do, it looks too hard. Now I've done it, I'm wondering what all the fuss was about. I think I was lucky though - good fabric, freshly serviced machine, good pattern. I chose the longer skirt of view A and the short sleeves of view B. It did take a bit longer than I had hoped. I had to rework a couple of seams and ripping black seams at night was hard. I used a twin needle for the hems. How good are these? I could never get such a tidy hem otherwise.

I interfaced the seam allowance along the neck, as suggested by the directions. It took a bit of time, but the effort was worth it. The extra bit of stability was helpful. There was a bit of puckering along that seam but I'm still happy with it. I struggled with setting the arms in as well. Easing knits for arms is not so easy.

Whilst the end result is a bit plain. It's a great basis for some more exciting pieces. I've just picked up a pair of cute cobalt blue earrings to match leggings. The three together will be great!

Colette Jarmies. More stashbusting! Patterned and plain polyester satin that has been earmarked for PJs since before X was born. Nothing like some re-found fabric to get the creative juices flowing. I can't believe I let this move to the back of the cupboard. I love it! Navy, antique gold and burgundy. Roses and paisley.

I started with the patterned satin to make a Sorbetto top. I bound the neck and arms with navy satin bias (not me-made). After my first Sorbetto experience, I decided to move the dart points up slightly. I just pivoted the point. Next was the bottoms. I was considering boxers. I like the idea of comfy boxers. But are they cute enough? Hmmmm... THEN I saw Colette's Madeleine bloomers. That's more like it! So plain navy poly satin with gold ribbons.The grand unveiling to the family got a resounding CUTE! And they are!

Trousers. This year, I made my first pair of pants since X was born. Nothing like having a baby to mess around with body measurements (and image... ASIDE have you read this great article by Karen (did you make that) which she blogged online at The Guardian? Seriously resonated with me). I knew I had to take the plunge and make my own pants again. I am long waisted/crotched with almost no hips so finding a well fitted pair of RTW pants is impossible. I have done a couple of Craftsy classes already and Sandra's class on fitting pants came along at just the right time. She showcases her Vogue 2948 pants pattern.

Sandra's pattern has princess seams. I like princess seams on most things and these pants are no exception. I sat though her class and re-watched plenty of it. I found Sandra's conversational eclectic style really enjoyable. It was like she was in my living room with me, chatting about fitting issues. I also learned that I have a slightly swayed back.

I spent ages drafting and redrafting pattern pieces. I had promised myself that I wouldn't work on anything else until I had got this pair of pants finished. Working full time is not conducive to completing the calculations, recalculations and reflections that this project required. Some nights nothing got done. I would rather take more time than stuff something up. Plus I quite liked the slower pace. So this project was measured in weeks.

I made the "mistake" of using stretch cotton sateen which is great to sew but not a recommended fabric for this pattern. Oh well, I just took in an extra 1/2" on both side seams to ensure a good fit. The end result was slightly skewed centre seams but they are camouflaged in the fabric. These pants fit me well. Happy!

Fashion Icons

So I went to the Fashion Icons exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia. This exhibition has been brought over from Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris. 90 pieces showcasing fashion from the 1940s to the 1990s. What can I say, other than fan-bloody-tastic. It felt like a dream walking through clothing designed by some of the most famous people in the world: Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent. I did find myself struggling to even breathe. As I progressed through, things improved so I could really focus on design and construction elements. Sigh! There was so much to see. At times I thought my brain would burst! How to keep it all in there. Whilst not every piece got me excited, I could appreciate the work put into it all. The fabrics (or plastic or metal or glass!) were phenomenal.

I did want to take a few pieces home with me. Ok, I would have taken any of it home with me, but there were some extra-special pieces. The beading on the jacket of the evening suit by Yves Saint Laurent (black on pale blue velvet) was divine. The jacket was quite fitted and was paired with a short full black skirt - so typical of the 1980s. It took me back 😊.

The ball gowns were amazing. For me, this is the quintessential component of French fashion. The first gown in the exhibition was a 1948 Dior ball gown with huge amounts of tuille in the skirt (I think someone said 90 metres!!!). Just amazing. The piece is exhibited on a mannekin but with a wonderful photo showing how it could have been worn at the time. Just beautiful!

But my take home piece was the Chanel gown from 1996 right at the end of the exhibition. And typically for me, it was the most expensive piece of the exhibition 😉. But of course that wasn't why I loved it. Firstly the fabric - gold (literally) beading and threads stitched onto black velvet in a pattern that mimics panelling in Chanel's own apartment in Paris. Then the sillouette - fitted bodice and a straight skirt over the hips and to the knees and then flared. And finally, construction. One of the best parts of the exhibition is that you can see 360 degrees around almost every piece. I spent a good deal of time, especially this piece, with my neck craning to see details of the back or side or hem. The beading details were breathtaking.

I picked up a copy of the catalogue so I can flick through it for years to come. A glance at the photo will bring back memories and the written content includes a wealth of technical details as well as interesting stories about the designer, the collection or fashions of the time.

The exhibition is on for another two months. I plan to go again. I wonder what elements I can incorporate into my own sewing.

Vogue 1071 #3

I blogged about cutting this shirt out a while ago.  And I sewed it up a while ago too. Plenty of other things to do other than blog :)

One thing I didn't blog about was my pattern placement, or lack thereof. I was limited due to the fabric meterage and, to be honest, didn't really think about it too much. But now I've made it up, I've realised that I could have done better. Check it out.

This is view B of Vogue 1071. I cut out a straight size 12, as per my previous versions of view A. I really enjoyed making it up. The fabric is just as fabulous to make up as cut out. I used many of the techniques developed over my sassy librarian blouses, including understitching the facing and easing the sleeves. I also got to use some of my favourite buttons ever, bought of course from The Button Bar.

I struggled a little with the rear neck edging. I followed the instructions but the final look looked wrong - too wide, which meant that it wouldn't sit flat. So I rolled it over again and it looks much better. There is a little distortion and gathering at the neckline but it's not too obvious. I think I've been pretty successful. Some of my topstitching could have been better but I received compliments the very first time I wore it. One of colleagues asked me where I had bought it and didn't believe that I'd made it :)

Socks!

I try to knit a pair of socks every year. Our mild climate doesn't require any more than that. This year I thought I'd give a crocheted pair a go. I had found some sock weight nylon-wool blend at my local Spotty's called Regia's. I searched for their patterns and found knit and crochet ones. I picked a toe up. My last pair were toe up and I liked working them up. This pattern was pretty straightforward - rounds of single crochet with the heel inserted. I made one up, fitting as I went and then I started the second. And... meh. I wasn't excited. I think it's a mixture of the variegated yarn being lost in the crochet and the lack of stretchiness.

But I still had the "sock bug". I still wanted a pair of socks. So I pulled out my dpns and searched Ravelry for a suitable pattern. I took a moment to come up with a few "wants" - not too complex so I can relax, not too complex so the self striping stands out (hmmmmmm... is there a theme developing), toe up knitting (I wanted to practice this cast on again), a loose top bind off. And the winner is ... Lacery by Michelle Hunter.

I started knitting whilst travelling for work and spent a couple of quiet nights getting started. This was the perfect project for travelling. And once I got started (and travelled some more) I just kept going. Ravelry notes here.

Second Sassy - finally!

For the first time in months I feel that I have enough head space to get back into regular sewing time. I even started thinking about UFOs. I currently have two sewing projects hibernating and they are beginning to play on my mind. So this week I put on my big girl pants and faced one. My second Sassy Librarian Blouse.

I completed my first SLB last year. I love this pattern. L. O. V. E. The neckline and cute Peter Pan collar, the vents that aren't darts and just enough shaping to stop it from being boxy and yet not fitted. And then there are all the options - sleeves or sleeveless, tucks at the front, a cute bow at the front opening.

For my second one, I decided to have a go at the tucks and sleeveless bound armscye. I also made the collar and armhole binding is in a solid contrasting fabric to the patterned main fabric. I added 1" in length. I'm a bit long waisted. A little between the bust dart and armscye and a bit more between the bust dart and vents. But I did forget to increase the length of the front facing. Duh!I

I refreshed my knowledge on pleated fronts and bound armscyes on the Craftsy platform. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Christine's style. What a great smile!

The blouse came together really well. I motored through the tucks. And then....

Stopped...

Fast forward 18 months (yes, really that long). I had pulled a heap of stuff out of my craft cupboard and was looking at the pattern pieces - all cut out and ready to go. There were fewer reasons to put it all back away than to get to and finish it. So I did. Using a pattern for a second time is a bit like riding a bike; you never forget. It did help that I'd written copious notes during make #1. But I did re-review (is this a word?) binding the armscye on Craftsy. I made up the collar and faced the shirt. I found making the collar and manipulating the facings so much easier this time.

Using different fabric for the collar and binding did present a small challenge. I think that the armscye binding could have been a little longer. The binding fabric wasn't as flexible as the main fabric.

All in all I'm really pleased with the way SLB#2 turned out. I do have fabric for #3. Hopefully it won't be 18 months before I finish this one. :)

Ice skating on butter...

I've started on another version of my current fave pattern Vogue 1071 but this time view B (the picture on the right). Main differences are set in sleeves and buttons down the front (not back).

I've had this beautiful fabric in my stash for a little while courtesy of those fab girls at The Drapery. I went in looking for something else completely, walked past their remnants basket and spied this. It's from the Lou Lou Thi collection by Anna Maria Horner. Sigh! I couldn't leave it there. It needed a good home. Take a moment to check this fabric out. The pattern is delightful - sunflowers! And the quality of the fabric is breathtaking (yes, I gasped when I touched it!). It felt like butter. 

I spent last night layout out and tracing the pattern pieces. The usual size 12. This pattern is verging on vintage and needs to be looked after. Tonight I had enough time to cut out the fabric before dinner. But X had his homework spread out over the dining table which is where I usually cut out. I got inventive. The kitchen island bench was empty - cleared in readiness for dinner. I estimated that there would be enough length but maybe not width. What the heck! Have a go. Wide enough. Just. 

So I laid out the fabric, positioned the pieces and started to cut. Wait a minute... Why haven't I done this before? The pins slid over the granite. No sticking at all! Then I started cutting. It was like skating on butter.

Vogue 1071

I'm slowly developing a few TNT patterns. And Vogue 1071 (view A - the one on the left in the picture below) is probably the first one - almost without realising it. Very occasionally the fitting gods smile down on me and they did with this pattern. When I first made it after "re-finding" this pattern in my mum's stash, the only mod I made was to open the neck up. The original is too tight. The rest of the fit in size 12 was just fine. This is a semi-fitted top so it doesn't have to be perfect.

Last weekend I found a spare day (I know it seems strange :)) and I needed a bit of stress relief. It has a been a very busy time. This pattern is vey simple - two pieces. The arms and bodice are one pattern piece. There are facings but I used bias binding for both the neck and sleeves. I had some cotton with pink flowers on cream just waiting for something to inspire me. There was a lightbulb moment when I saw the wider neckline on the Butterick 2444 and I knew that I wanted to try something similar with Vogue 1407. For my first make, I made up the back as two pieces with all seven buttons but for this one, I realised that I did have quite enough fabric for the buttoned back so I contemplated cutting the back on the fold (I never use the buttons on the original to get it on and off). But I couldn't quite stretch the fabric that far so I cut the back with a seam. And no, no pattern matching happening at all.

All in all the top took an afternoon to make. I wore it the next day to work. I love wearing me-mades to work.

This is a great top for work or casual. I am contemplating my next one in a sheer silk of some kind. I think this would be a good pattern to work on my technique for sheers.