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?

Burda Style skirt + top = tropical madness!

For approximately 360 days of the year my latest sewn outfit looks crazily optimistic when worn in my home city of London. But last week we just happened on a few 'heatwave' days that made me glad I hadn't totally lost faith in the sun ever shining on us again.


I'll have a Tequila Sunrise please!

Both the skirt and top are made from Burda Style magazine patterns that are easy to make. The skirt is pattern no. 114 from July 2008.


Burda Style #114, July 2008

I have made the pattern before (blogged about here) but this time I left out the eyelets and tie on the front yoke because I wanted a slightly more streamlined, less sporty look (and, yes, I was being lazy!). The fabric I used is 100% cotton.

The top is taken from an even older issue of Burda, it's pattern no. 119 from the July 2007 issue.  


Burda Style #119, July 2007

 
This is also an old favourite revisited because I first made a version of the top over two years ago. I kept meaning to make another one and I'm happy that I finally have. I like the style a lot - the gathers that go into the button band add some interest and nice shaping. The fabric I used is a silk that I have had in my stash for ages. 


Top out, more casual!

I hope that my choice of fabrics hasn't put you off these two really nice patterns. A dazzling sunshine yellow skirt paired with a bright and splashy flower print top is not everyone's cup of tea. I know that it's not really 'city chic' but sometimes I just can't help myself. I find I am irresistibly drawn to colours and prints that make me look like I have just stepped off a cruise ship. Is your wardrobe firmly rooted in your home climate or do you, like me, sometimes sew as if you are on a semi-permanent tropical vacation? Or, perhaps you actually do live in a hot-spot, in which case, do you sew as if you are hoping for snow?

Burda 7645 - a t-shirt with bust darts .... interesting!

At this time of the year I always feel the need to fill my wardrobe with t-shirts. Cheap, light-weight cotton RTW ones are fine but it is nice to have something that looks not quite so casual and, more importantly, fits just right. So this is what I made


The pattern I used is Burda 7645. I wanted loose fitting but with some shape and, although I wasn't particularly in love with the picture on the envelope, this fitted the bill.


I made View A but shorter (the one on the left). What's interesting about this t-shirt pattern is that it has bust darts. It turns out that for my kind of shape (curvy), that works well. Another thing I like about this pattern is that Burda give sensible instructions for knit fabrics (something that the big four don't seem to do so well). It's very fast and easy to make. Sew bust darts, shoulder seams, apply neck and sleeve bindings, sew side seams, hem. You're done!

I thought this style worked well for this particular fabric - the simplicity of it shows off the print nicely. It's 100% rayon jersey and is designed by Anna Sui. It has a really cute print of birdcages and flowers in squares. I bought it from Vogue Fabrics, who describe it as "a playful mosaic to delight ornithologists and horticulturalists alike". Here's a closer look at it


I am definitely going to be making this pattern again.

Oh, but wait ....... I already have!

Version two is made from some fabric that I bought at Mood in New York - I think it's a rayon/lycra mix. I just love big splashy colourful flower prints. I have some more of this fabric so look out for a dress that I am planning for it!

Oooh and something exciting - President and Mrs Obama are due to arrive here in London tomorrow. I am eagerly looking forward to watching the news coverage so that I can check out all Michelle's outfits. I love that lady's style!

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 ……

Two tops from Burda Style magazine

I do like how Burda Style magazine has, over the years, produced some interesting patterns for fairly easy to make tops. For my vacation in Miami I picked out two that I thought would make useful beach cover-up tops. This one is taken from the July 2009 issue, pattern no. 109B

I was inspired by the magazine photograph.

Burda describe it as “cool and seductive” and I liked that it looked kind of loose and carefree. I was definitely right about it being loose but it isn’t quite as carefree as I wanted it – one false move and it is very revealing! Burda magazine patterns are funny like that. I find that, mostly, the folks at Burda tend to favour a tight fit but every now and then they completely throw you and draft something like this. I normally make a Burda size 40 but for this I made a size 36 and still it was HUGE. The only thing that stops it falling off me completely is that the back neck is stabilized with Vilene bias tape and, therefore, can’t stretch. This top is fine for the beach because I am wearing a bikini underneath it but, to be honest, the front is so low that I can’t see me wearing it in respectable society without risking embarrassment!

I think I will get a lot more wear out of this one, which is pattern no. 110A from the February 2011 issue of Burda Style

It is meant to be a shirt but as it is quite boxy I think it also works nicely as a shirt-jacket. It has a convertible collar and nice little ties at the end of the sleeves. Here how it looks in the magazine: I used a Liberty print cotton lawn (expensive but very nice!). I should also mention the buttons

which I purchased in my favourite UK button store, called Duttons for Buttons. It is a lovely old-fashioned shop with very helpful staff but as it is in Harrogate, which is about 200 miles from London, I don’t get there very often. However, it is nearer than my absolute favourite button store, Tender Buttons, which is in New York, about 3,500 miles from where I live! I think getting the right buttons is very important but it is surprising how difficult it can be. Sometimes in London I find myself going to half a dozen places until I find exactly what I want. How picky are you when it comes to buttons and do you have trouble finding the right buttons where you live?

Another Jalie top ...... with a little secret!

I’ve made myself yet another top from Jalie 2806, the wonderful top pattern that I like so much.

Now those of you that are familiar with this pattern must be a little puzzled because the pattern is for a variety of scoop neck tops, not a top with a draped neckline. But I’m going to reveal my secret


You see the top does have a scoop neck but in the first picture I am wearing it with a neck ring scarf, that I made from the leftover fabric. That way this basic top gets two different looks. Pretty neat, eh?

I found the instructions for making the neck ring scarf in the October issue of the Vogue/McCalls/Butterick pattern magazine – in the UK the magazine is called Sew Today but in the USA it’s still called Vogue Patterns. The neck ring is very easy to make. Basically you take a piece of leftover fabric (mine measured 60” wide by about 20” so is long enough to go round my neck twice), fold it in half lengthwise and sew the long sides right sides together but leave about 5” open at either end. Turn it right sides out. Then, also right sides together, you sew the short ends together (this is made possible because you have left the ends of the long sides open). Then hand sew the opening. Done!

Back to the top. This is actually the fourth time I have made this pattern but, guess what, this time I managed to screw up sewing the neck band on. It turned out to be horribly uneven, totally unacceptable! So I had to unpick all the serger stitching (yuk!) and cut another neck band. Fortunately the fabric of the top itself wasn’t too mangled. By taking a lot of care my second attempt at getting the band on was (almost) perfect. Which just goes to show – I should never get too complacent – it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve done something, it’s still possible to make a mess of it! Do you identify with that kind of mindset – “Oh this won’t take a second, I can do this in my sleep ………. whoops, what happened there?”

I haven’t been doing much sewing in the last few weeks, Christmas preparations have been top of the agenda, but I do have plans to get at least some sewing done before Santa arrives. So, more soon …..

Vogue classic pencil skirt finished!

Regular readers will know that my recent sewing activities have been aimed at building some winter wardrobe basics. So I had to make that classic essential - a black pencil skirt.

The pattern I picked out was Vogue 8603 (in case you are wondering, I am wearing it with the silk jersey top I made from Jalie 2806 blogged about in my last post). Here’s what the skirt pattern looks like

What this picture doesn’t show you, however, is the back view. The pattern gives the option of a gathered inset in the lower back. So, although my version looks pretty plain from the front, the back looks like this.

I do like a skirt that has a bit of back interest!

The lining is cut so that it is hand-stitched around the edge of the gathered insert, like this

The skirt is fairly simple to make and, as it has princess seams, it is not difficult to get a good fit. Next time I make this pattern I think I'm going to try the view with the gathers at the hips - I avoided this because I thought that extra fabric around this area might be unflattering but now I've made this skirt, I think that the side gathers would work.

One thing did puzzle me about this pattern, however, is the way Vogue tells you to do the waistband facing. Once you have constructed the skirt and the lining separately they tell you to pin the lining to the skirt wrong sides together and baste along the upper edges. Then they tell you to sew the facing right sides together with the skirt, then turn the facing to the inside and slipstitch to the zipper tape and tack at the seams. This means that the facing is only attached at the seams and is kind of loose inside. I’m not very experienced so perhaps their way is a good way? But I didn’t fancy it much.

Instead I decided to do away with the facings (as you can see in the photo above of inside the skirt). To be sure that the waist seam didn’t stretch out I sewed 1/4” seam tape to the inside of the skirt (along the seam line) before attaching the lining. I think that if you aren’t going to add facings this is an essential step to give the waist some stability. Then I just sewed the lining and skirt together along the top, right sides together, understitched the seam and flipped the lining to the inside.

I quite like having the skirt without facings – I think it gives a smooth line. I should mention that even if I had decided on keeping the facings, I still wouldn’t have done it the way that Vogue suggests. I would have sewn the facings to the lining to make one lining/facing unit and then sewn this to the skirt with the right sides together, along the waist seam. But that’s just me – you might like the way that Vogue advise doing it? Do you have particular feelings about facings?

Moving on, I’m feeling that I need a change from sewing separates so I’m planning on making a dress next - more on that soon …….

A trio of tops - my love affair with Jalie continues ...

The arrival of my new cover stitch machine coincided with the discovery that my wardrobe is seriously lacking some basic long-sleeve t-shirts – an essential for the British winter. Because I was so pleased with my Jalie scarf collar top (blogged about here), I thought I would turn to Jalie for a simple t-shirt pattern. I picked out Jalie 2806 and thought it was so quick and easy that I whipped up three!

Here’s the first one – ‘the flower print one’ made in a rayon/lycra knit.

The pattern gives you a choice of necklines and sleeves that you can mix and match. Here’s the pattern envelope.


I made the gathered neck with three-quarter length sleeves. It’s very straight forward to make – the most difficult part is attaching the neckline band. You need to take a little care to make sure the gathers are distributed evenly and that you sew the band on so that the width is exactly right all the way round.

So, here’s the second one – ‘the Liberty print one’. (I’m not modelling this one – I mean, how many pictures of me in a t-shirt do you need to look at?!)

Because Liberty of London is so famous for its cotton lawn, you might not be aware that they also make knit fabrics, but they do. As it is a cotton knit, it isn’t drapey like the rayon knit and doesn’t have the same kind of stretch or recovery. But it makes a nice, beefy t-shirt that is good to wear with jeans and the prints and colours they use are interesting. I extended the sleeves to make them full length for this version.

Lastly, as I had got my confidence up by now, is ‘the luxury one’ made from a 100% silk jersey purchased from Gorgeous Fabrics.

This picture doesn’t really do it justice. The fabric has a wonderful lustrous sheen and drapes perfectly. The top works worn casually but also looks very nice and dressy with a skirt.

I am quite enchanted with my cover stitch machine. Of course it is perfectly possible to make hems on knits without one but I do like how the machine can so easily make a knit garment look professional. Here’s a close-up of the hem (both the outside and inside) on the flower print top

The triple row of stitching is on the outside and inside the looper thread ‘covers’ the raw edge. It looks super-neat and you can stretch it as far as the fabric will go without the stitches breaking. You can also do a double row of stitching, rather than a triple row if you want to (which is what I did for the other two tops).

So, now that I have some tops, my winter wardrobe building is going to continue with a classic black pencil skirt but more on that soon ….

Burda Style magazine - the turtleneck top

Thanks to everyone for your very nice comments about my shiny black satin and lace ‘glamorous’ dress featured in my last post. However, I clearly cannot spend all my time drinking champagne at Claridges whilst wearing fancy outfits. No, I’m afraid that my everyday life requires something a little more basic. Cue the turtleneck top, pattern 121, from the September issue of Burda Style magazine.

This top turns out to be a nice cosy garment to wear with jeans, it keeps the winter wind from chilling my neck and, with a little bit of styling, it’s not totally boring. I particularly love the overlong sleeves. I used a rayon knit that is very soft and drapey but not too fine. And making this top gave me the opportunity to use my cover stitch machine for the hems (I am thrilled to bits with my new toy).

I think quite a lot of people have already made this pattern and I have no doubt that many more will be making it throughout the winter. It is shockingly easy to make. Here’s the technical drawing

It’s just a front, back and sleeves and there are so few instructions needed that even Burda have managed to make them not too inscrutable! I did depart a little from their instructions in that instead of adding 5/8” seam allowances I added only ¼” because I think that smaller seam allowances work much better when using a serger to construct a garment. Also, I attached the sleeves in the flat – i.e. before sewing the side seams. I decided this would be much easier than having to set them in afterwards.

Before I go, I must mention my trip to Yorkshire the week before last. If you ever get a chance to go to Yorkshire, jump at it. It is very lovely and I had a wonderful time. While I was there I bought some fabric in Leeds market

Firstly an African print cotton – it might seem a little bit odd to go to Yorkshire and buy African cotton but the lady who ran this stall had so many lovely prints that I just couldn’t resist. Next a remnant of purple knit fabric – there’s about a yard and it only cost £2.50. Lastly some very nice 100% English wool which is a sort of denim shade of blue with tiny black squares – I think this will make a very nice skirt.

I also visited Duttons for Buttons, in Harrogate. They claim to be the largest stockist of buttons in the UK and I believe them, it was a real treasure trove. I could have spent hours in there but I contented myself with about twenty minutes and just a couple of purchases. So, I bought some fabric I don’t need and some buttons that I don’t know what I’m going to do with. But I’m very happy with all my purchases and isn’t that what we sewists do when on vacation?

Have a great weekend everyone ….

Jalie 2921 scarf collar top - finished!

So, here I am in my Jalie scarf collar top.

This is the first time I’ve made a Jalie pattern and I have to tell you that I am super-impressed. I thought I was probably on to a good thing because this pattern has 33 reviews on Pattern Review and patterns are usually popular there for a very good reason. Here’s what it looks like

I like the style because although it’s got the comfort of a knit top, it’s a little dressier than a basic t-shirt. The fabric I used is rayon with some silk in it – it’s very drapey and quite sheer but ok to work with.

When I first noticed (and I do mean noticed because it’s in very small print!) that the seam allowances were only ¼” I was rather alarmed. Being used to the usual 5/8” that the big pattern companies allow I was fearful that there just wouldn’t be enough to work with – but, I have to admit, I was completely WRONG. I loved how it all just slotted together and whizzed through my serger without any trouble at all. I think that from now on I’m going to trim all seam allowances for knits to ¼” – it makes attaching the sleeves so much easier!

Of course, I have to mention the neat burrito technique for attaching the collar! The instructions had me thoroughly intrigued – I just couldn’t fathom out how it was going to work. For those who haven’t got this pattern it’s a bit difficult to explain but basically you have to roll the front and back inside the collar and sew around the collar with the top inside it. But I had faith – after all, I told myself, 33 Pattern Reviewers can’t be wrong. I meticulously followed the instructions, being very careful to get the right side and the wrong side the right way round (if you know what I mean) and, yes, it worked. It was so exciting when I fished the top out of the 1” gap at the end of the collar and the seam allowances were all neatly enclosed inside.

I think I’m definitely nuts about knits at the moment because next on the cutting table is this one,

Vogue 1179, which I’m making in a black double knit (another thing I'm nuts about at the moment!). More soon ……….

The thrill of a frill - Simplicity top finished!

Bearing in mind my weakness for frills and ruffles and my great liking for patterns that offer separate pieces for B, C or D cup sizes, I really don’t know why I didn’t get around to making up Simplicity 2599 earlier. This pattern has been sitting around in my stash since it was issued last year – as soon as I saw it I leapt on it. And I’ve had the coral coloured silk I planned to use for it since the spring of this year. All summer I kept meaning to make it but, somehow, it never reached the top of the pile - until now. But, as they say, better late than never and here it is

In case you’re wondering, I’m wearing it with the skirt I made from the April issue of Burda Magazine (blogged about in this post). So I’ve got ruffles at my neck, a flounce round my hem and a bow at the back! Is that too much?

The top is pretty easy to make but the ruffles do take a bit of fussing with to get just right, especially with a slippery silky fabric. As I mentioned in my last post, I tried out a new technique to make this easier and did the gathering of the ruffles with my new best friend, my serger. This way the ruffles get the edges finished at the same time as the gathering threads are put in – you then just pull up the needle threads to adjust the ruffles to the exact length you want them and sew them to the front. Here’s a close up of the ruffles

And here’s one with a ruffle lifted up so you can see how it is attached to the front.

At the back of the neck there is a button and loop closure. If you want to make this top quicker you could actually do without this (I can take the top on and off without undoing the button). However, I like the elegant look of the closure and I found some cute looking rose shaped buttons in my button box (I have no idea where they came from – do things mysteriously appear in your home?!), so I used one of them


I think that this pattern is definitely worthy of another outing at some time in the near future but, in the meantime, I’m starting to think that summer sewing has to stop now …… I need to do some serious planning for my autumn (fall)/winter wardrobe.

Simplicity 2584 - attempt number two!

I wasn’t entirely happy with my first version of this Cynthia Rowley tunic top (featured in this post). My foolish choice of fabric meant that all my efforts making the shaped yoke were largely wasted. But, we live and learn, so here is my second version

I like to think of it as a big splash of summer colour, rather than something by someone who has used random pieces of fabric found in her stash – who me? I used some floral print cotton (from Gorgeous Fabrics) as the main fabric and some coral silk (picked up in a store in the Goldhawk Road) for the yoke – I think that this time you can’t miss it!

I do love this pattern. I think it’s nicely shaped and the style is fun. Here is a picture of the back – you can see how the yoke forms a kind of collar shape at the neck.


If you are thinking of making this pattern, there is one thing about the instructions that I find puzzling. Simplicity have you sew the shoulder seams, baste the yoke piece to the front neckline, sew the side seams, then apply the facing that finishes the yoke and neckline. This order seems odd to me – what I did is sewed the side seams AFTER applying the facing to the neckline. It’s important to get the yoke and facing attached straight and it’s much easier to do this by having the fabric completely flat. Also, as for my last version, I didn’t use a zipper – the neckline is large enough to get it on over the head very easily without.

Here’s a reminder of the pattern envelope

Meanwhile, summer is in full swing here in London. It’s steamy hot and I’ve been floating around in my maxi dress. Tomorrow my DH and I have been invited to sit in good seats at Wimbledon so I’m really looking forward to eating strawberries and cream and, hopefully, seeing some excellent tennis. Hurrah!

Cynthia Rowley top - finished!

Rummaging through my pattern stash last week I came across this Cynthia Rowley pattern (Simplicity 2584) that I meant to make last year but somehow never did.

On a whim I pulled it out and got started on it straight away. Here’s the result -

To be honest, I think that I made a bit of an error in choosing such a busy print because the lovely shaped yoke, which is the main feature of this pattern, is a little lost. I should have used a plain fabric, or used a contrasting fabric for the yoke, or piped the edges to make it stand out more. However, I did use some heavy topstitching to help define it and, close-up, you can just about see the yoke shaping -

Apart from that, I do really like this top and I definitely recommend the pattern. Although it has a designer label it was very quick and simple to sew and I liked the way that the yoke is lined which makes it easy to construct accurately. I think that the cut is just right in that it’s not tightly fitted but it does have some shaping. Another thing I should mention is that I left off the zipper (I seem to be going through a phase of doing this because I did the same on the last top I made). I actually have nothing against zippers and am quite happy putting them in anywhere that needs one. However, with this pattern the zipper is supposed to be decorative, so you need a novelty zipper but I didn’t have one and couldn’t wait to get one. So, as the top goes on over the head quite easily, I just sewed up the centre back seam.

I definitely want to make another one of these quite soon but I shall choose a fabric that will showcase the yoke a bit better. In the meantime, however, I have acquired a few vintage dress patterns recently and I’ve decided that one of these is definitely going to be next on my list. So, more soon …