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!
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