Black jeans and a flower-power t-shirt!

Much as I would like to spend my time making Chanel inspired dresses (see my last post) I really felt that it was time to get down to creating some autumn casual basics. And for that, of course, you can’t beat jeans and a t-shirt.


Vogue 8536 & McCalls 5894

When making this outfit I was aiming for a casual but ‘put-together’ look. For the jeans I chose a black cotton lycra twill fabric, it’s sturdy but has some give for comfort. I added brass rivets and a brass button


Black jeans with brass hardware


The pattern is McCalls 5894 – it’s the second time I have used this jeans pattern, so for more about the pattern, and my tips for making jeans, check out my earlier post here.

The t-shirt is made from Vogue 8536


Vogue 8536

I have to say that I LOVE this pattern, it has some great shaping. What the pattern envelope pictures (or my photograph) don’t show very clearly is that the front has a little gathered section at the side seams at bust level. You can (just about) see in the line drawings what I mean


Vogue 8536 line drawings


I added some extra ease by doing an FBA that created a ‘dart’ but instead of sewing the dart I just incorporated it into the gathers at the side seam. The effect is subtle but it makes for a much better fit around the bust, especially if, like me, you are ‘curvy’. Another design feature of this pattern is the deep hem with side slits –


Deep hem and side vent

I think that this makes it look a little dressier than the average casual t-shirt and it means that the hem sits very nicely when worn with skirts. The fabric I used was a rayon lycra mix, purchased from Vogue Fabrics - I was attracted by the fun flower print. I can see me making this pattern several times more and I think it would be very lovely and luxurious made in a silk jersey.

I feel that I have made a very slow start on my fall sewing but in the last couple of weeks I have worked out lots of plans for clothes that I am eager to make. I do hope that your sewing for this season is going well?

Online fabric shopping - yea or nay?

I live in London, a large city that has a wide variety of fabric stores that I love to shop in.

So, you would think that I would have no need to venture into the world-wide-web to feed my fabric buying habit. But I do buy fabric on the internet. In fact, I buy quite a lot of fabric on the internet.

Shopping in a real, bricks and mortar, store is, without a doubt, a very enjoyable experience. For me the main advantage of buying fabric this way is the obvious one - you can actually feel the fabric so you can judge how it is going to drape and behave as a garment and you can be certain of the exact colour and texture. And there is, of course, the pleasure of that instant gratification - you walk away with a bag in your hand and your head full of sewing plans for your lovely new fabric.

"I'll just take a quick look in here!"

However, I think that there can be a downside to shopping in a store. The array of fabrics piled high can be quite overwhelming so that it can be difficult to consider options and decide on the best purchase. When time is limited it is easy, on impulse, to buy something pretty and colourful although you would really be far better off picking out a less flamboyant, but more useful, solid wool. Another problem that I sometimes encounter is the pushy sales assistant. In some stores the assistants will happily leave you alone to browse but in others I have found that from the minute I step through the door I am accompanied by a person who is keen to show me anything and everything they can. As soon as I touch (or even let my eyes linger on) a roll of fabric, the fabric is pulled out, unrolled and its virtues exclaimed upon. In this situation I tend to feel that I have two choices - buy a lot of fabric that I'm not absolutely sure about or flee empty handed.

When shopping on the internet, although I am denied the opportunity of touching the fabric, I can spend as many hours as I like, at any time of day or night, checking out the stock. Some internet sites, such as Gorgeous Fabrics, and Vogue Fabrics (which are two of my favourite sites) have a 'wish list' facility which allows me to gather together fabrics I like on one page. I can then see how they look together. I can get out patterns, think through what fabric will work with what style and I can check exactly how much yardage I will need. I don't have to press the 'buy' button until I'm good and ready.

Another plus side of internet shopping is that the reputable online stores give you accurate information about the fibre content of the fabric and the recommended care instructions. In real life stores, especially the discount ones, you usually don't get any of this information - the fabric is rarely labelled and the sales assistants can sometimes be, quite frankly, woefully uninformed or wilfully vague.

Of course, when ordering on the internet you have shipping costs to pay (and possibly customs duties if ordering from abroad) so these have to be factored in when considering the cost of the fabric. And then you have to wait for your fabric to arrive at your door.


"What was it that I ordered ... I seem to have forgotten?"

However, I don't mind the wait so much because when my parcel does arrive, it's very exciting - it's like getting a present from somebody who has perfect taste and knows exactly what you want!

So, I enjoy shopping in both real and virtual stores. I guess what I am saying is that I just love to buy fabric! But what about you? Do you like to order on the internet or do you have to feel the fabric before you can commit? I'd love to know ....

Vogue 8664 - hot dress alert!

You may not have noticed this pattern - the pattern envelope is quite understated, a couple of drawings, no photograph of the actual dress - so I nearly passed it by. Except for the fact that it is one of those Custom Fit patterns that gives you separate pieces for A, B, C, D cup sizes and I'm a real fan of those. So I bought it and, feeling the need for a classic sheath, made it up:
 

Every woman needs a little red dress!

I really like how this pattern turned out - I think it has a kind of Mad Men meets Roland Mouret look!

In my opinion it has a wonderful cut. The fit is well-judged, just the right amount of ease, and I really like the midriff piece: it adds waist definition without being uncomfortable. The neckline is interesting but not too low. I also think that the skirt is pegged perfectly - not too tight for comfort but it tapers in just enough to give it some va va voom. On that note I should probably mention that my DH LOVES this dress. If you’re looking for a sleek sheath, you might want to snap this pattern up.


Vogue 8664

What's more it is classified by Vogue as Very Easy to make. Which it is. The trickiest part of the construction is the attachment of the sleeves. Here’s a tip - when marking up the pattern it is important that you differentiate between the large and the small dots at the lower corners. 

Cap sleeve pattern piece

At first glance the sleeve pattern piece might look symmetrical but it isn't and the folks at Vogue have been smart in putting a large dot at the back and a small dot at the front to be matched with the bodice pieces. Take notice of these to ensure that you don't accidentally try to sew the sleeves in back to front. (I bet you're thinking that's exactly what I did. Well, as it happens, I didn't, but I have been caught out by this kind of thing before so have, hopefully, learnt my lesson!). Personally I make tailor's tacks using a different coloured thread for each of the dots because they show on both the right and wrong side and are easily removed but using different coloured chalk would also work. When it comes to sewing the sleeves, ensure that you match the dots exactly and then the sleeves will go in perfectly.


Sleeves good, arms not so much!

A note on the fabric I used – it’s 100% wool, called Gabrielle Gabardine, purchased from Vogue Fabrics, and I lined it with bemberg rayon.

So, I love this pattern. Will I make it again? I think I might!

Simplicity 2339 Amazing Fit shirt

I have, at last, finished my Simplicity, Amazing Fit Shirt. It wasn’t difficult but, phew, as I grumbled in my last post, there is a lot of work in making a shirt! Anyway, it’s done and here it is

The fabric is a rayon silk mix, purchased from Vogue Fabrics, called Artiste Orchid. I am wearing it with the skirt I made from Vogue 2647 (blogged about here) which is made from a co-ordinating fabric from Vogue Fabrics Early Spring 2011 collection.

Here’s how the shirt looks tucked in

This is my respectable ‘going to the office’ look – only I don’t actually have an office to go to any more but sometimes it’s nice to have this sort of outfit anyway.

Here’s how it looks worn more casually, which is more my everyday kind of look

This is the pattern I used

I made View B (bottom left) i.e. with the collar and with both horizontal and vertical darts but I used the sleeves from View A (bottom right) which have a button and tab cuff thing –

If you want to make this shirt slightly looser fitting, you can omit the vertical darts (as in View A) but I was keen to make an effort to get a pretty close fitting shirt. I can never find a RTW one that fits so I wanted to spend time getting a basic pattern with a good fit that I could adapt in different ways – when I can summon up the energy to tackle another shirt! This pattern has different pieces for A, B, C or D cups and gives a lot of advice on how to make fitting changes, so I would definitely recommend this as a starting point for shirt-making. Also I should mention that the instructions include a neat ‘rolling up’ technique for attaching the yoke and yoke facing to the main body of the shirt without having to do any hand-stitching, which looks much more professional.

Regular readers will know that, alongside this shirt, I have been making a pair of jeans as part of my Pattern Review ‘Blue Print to Blue Jeans’ course (although my jeans are purple, not blue!) They are almost finished and, so far, I’m feeling pretty pleased with them. But more about that soon ……

Vogue skirt and what's been keeping me busy!

In case you think I have been slacking on the sewing front since I returned from vacation I am here to report that, actually, I have been quite the busy bee with sewing related activities. I am very pleased with my latest skirt.

It’s made from Vogue 2647, one of those wardrobe patterns, designed by Adri. It is now out of print but if you happen to come across it, I do think that it is worth taking a second look just for the skirt. This is the second time I have made it (you can see my first version in this post). I like the simplicity of the sleek, no-waistband, A-line style (which I think flatters most people) but it has some nice details.

The button and loop back closure above the invisible zipper

The front slit

The fabric is 100% cotton, called Artiste Tweed, purchased from Vogue Fabrics and I have used some thick buttonhole thread for the topstitching to complement the black of the tweedy colouring. I lined it with black bemberg rayon (my favourite kind of lining).

More sewing news from me is that I have signed up for Jennifer Stern’s online course, on Pattern Review, called Blue Print to Blue Jeans. This is my first venture into getting a jeans pattern to fit – not easy! So far I have made a couple of muslins which I am tinkering about with but more about this when I actually have something made.


In the meantime, while the course is progressing, I have also been working on Simplicity 2339 – the Amazing Fit shirt. I had forgotten how MUCH WORK there is in making a shirt. Collar and stand, front placket, setting in sleeves, buttonholes - all so tricksy to get just perfect.

So, I have got a lot of difficult stuff going on - I hope it’s going to be worth it!

In the meantime, A Very Happy Easter to you all!

Vogue 2647 + Simplicity 2599 =

An outfit! Yes, I am feeling quite pleased with myself because, at last, I have actually made two co-ordinating garments sewn specifically to work together. In the past I have tended to sew in a random, whatever takes my fancy, kind of way. But, as the New Year arrived, I decided it was really time to get myself organised and make an actual outfit.

The skirt is made from Vogue 2647 (which I think is now out of print). It’s a nice A-line shape with a slit at the centre front and zipper at centre back. Here’s a picture of the pattern envelope.

Because the fabric I picked for the top is quite a busy print I wanted to make a simple shell top and was searching for the right pattern when I realised that this one

Simplicity 2599 would fit the bill. I had made it before (blogged about here) so I had got the fit worked out – this time I just made it without the ruffles.

I bought both fabrics from Vogue Fabrics. They are from their Fall 2010 collection. The fabric for the top is called Reinhard Kernels and is a silk with a hint of lycra. The skirt fabric is a linen/cotton mix, called Reinhard Linen-Weave. As you might already know, Vogue Fabrics make co-ordination easy because in their collections they put together selections of fabrics that work together. I really like how these two fabrics look.

I should also mention that the top and skirt have something in common in that they both have a button and loop closure. At the back of the neck on the top

And at the top of the zipper on the skirt.

I’ve never come across this on a skirt pattern before and I really like it – it gives the zipper opening a neat looking finish without having to use a dreaded hook and eye. You can also, hopefully, see the topstitching which I have used on all the vertical seams and the hem of the skirt – I used a machine embroidery thread in silver, which gives a shiny but quite subtle effect.

You might also have noticed that with this outfit I am continuing my grey/gray theme from my last post. Thanks to everyone who made such nice and encouraging comments about my love of the colour. And it turns out I am not alone – Grey appears to be THE shade of the moment and lots of you (including Victoria and Allison) are going grey in the nicest possible way.

More soon ……..