McCalls 7116 - A Modern Pattern for a Vintage Style Tea Dress ( Top) .

I really enjoy re-using my sometimes very old patterns again and again but  I have to remind myself to stay a bit up to date so I don`t end up looking like a Kath from Kath and Kim ( when I watching that show I realised that I had the exact same earrings as Kath and immediately went and got rid of them ! they were large tropical fish dangle earrings so yeah very dubious taste ) .
So the irony is that I have sewn up a current pattern with a vintage look.

The pattern is McCalls 7116 which came with a magazine I bought last year . It also included Kwik Sew 4140 for a jacket and I loved both patterns so bought the magazine .
I adore  those 30`s looking tea dresses and this pattern looks very much that style .I have some rust coloured rayon with a small cream floral which I thought would suit but the fabric was given to me from my daughter who bought it in Japan so it is precious . So I made up a muslin with some blue / pink shot fabric given to me by my neighbour but only had enough for a top.

 I had some concerns about the pattern . I obviously chose the version with the gathered cross over front with gathered and pleated short sleeves.  McCalls rates this as  easy but the bottom is cut on the bias and since when has inserting a side zip on the bias been easy. I should have taken a photo but on the pattern cover and in the magazine you can see some serious rippling effect where the zip  is so if the professionals can`t get this right what hope do I have ! Also I am not that busty and have learnt that gathered  below bust fronts can look ridiculous on me .

I read a review where the zip was eliminated and the dress could still be put on and taken off easily enough so I basted the side seams and sure enough I was able to get the top on quite easily and it came off without resorting to contortionist yoga positions and just a little wriggling so that was one concern dealt with.
As predicted the below bust gathers were a bit too much so I made a couple of adjustments by pulling the excess fabric of the upper top down and across and this helped too.
Now some of you may realise the headless photos are not me.
My middle daughter was home from Queensland and I showed her my top and she absolutely loved it .
She tried it on and although it is  looser on her than me , as is the way with younger and slimmer people it looked good and well she loved it and she has less clothes than me so I gave to her  . Sigh . Hopefully I get some brownie points for this.

I have included the hanger shots to get a better idea of the details and also to show the lovely shot effect . The last two photos show the pink side more accurately . It really is quite a  bright shiny fuschia colour and the other side is a dark royal blue . I obviously used the blue since I generally don`t wear very bright and shiny colours. Although I really love this style I think I won`t be making up my Japanese rayon with this pattern and will keep on searching for something else. 

Purple Peta Pant Pyjamas .

 Over the years I have made lots and lots of pyjamas . In fact if I had one dollar for every pair I have made I would probably be a hundredollaraire . I have used patterns from Simplicity, Burda , McCalls , Vogue and Grainline . Grainline PJs are only short and the fit is good but most of the others are crazy big . You know pants that look like they come from one of those weight loss pictures with someone fitting both legs into just one and shirts which are long enough to actually be nighties.  So when  I found this lusciously soft Lincraft brand 100 % cotton lawn , 3 metres for $5 from the op shop I knew I wanted to make a new PJ set . However I knew it would be a tight fit to get both pants and a shirt with my usual PJ patterns.
I thought using  the Peta Pants from Style Arc might get me there as I have made these twice before ( neither of which made it onto my blog ) and they are a comfortable fit without being too big and baggy.

I was able to get the PJ set cut by using the 3/4 leg version and the shirt was made from a very old McCalls pattern 2764 . I have made the shirt a couple of times before too , over 10 years ago , and recall this was also nicely sized being comfortable but not too loose but didn`t remember how large the collar was ! I made the dartless version and it includes built in facings so it is relatively easy to sew as are the pants .

On the back of my recent tunic failure ( which has now gone to one of my daughters ) I decided to have a bit of fun making the PJs so I added lots of lace to the  hems and a pocket ,  mauve satin bias binding to prettify the pockets ( which no-one will see ) and mother-of - pearl buttons which I love and were the only ones I had to match anyway. These PJs will replace an older pair of another home made set which looked quite glamorous  but were made using some very nasty polyester which frayed , shredded at the seams and made me feel hot and sweaty . Before I could change my mind about getting rid of them I ripped the elastic out of the pants to use in my new set .
I don`t why I haven`t bought more Style Arc patterns because the two I have have been used multiple times and  I would definitely recommend this pattern for pyjamas and day wear pants . Well it is always good to follow up a failure with some success and my youngest daughter said even she would wear these.
PS I cross stitched the pillow on the chair back in  my teenage years when I knitted, macramed , latch hooked,  embroidered , long stitched , painted and sewed . Ahh the days before internet , work , children , animals and housework !
SO is there  anyone else  who likes sewing PJs as much as me ?

Learning to Trust Your Sewing Instincts .

I  wish I could have just shown this flattering photo of this sewing project but that wouldn`t have been right .

The truth is shown in the bottom photos .
I bought the fabric  from Spotlight on March the 7th 2006   - I found the docket tucked inside ! I know I liked it when I first got it and I had a RTW shirt made out of similar fabric which I wore to death but over the years I gradually became meh about it . Anne Whalley had a recent post about fabric having a use by date and I agree !  But despite my meh instincts about the pink stripey fabric labelled a vintage dobbie I went ahead and used a new to me but very old Burda pattern 8918 . I really liked the tie neck , bottom hem band and flouncy sleeves which are a nod to the current sleeve fashions and thought this might be enough to overcome the fabric shortcomings .

There are a few reviews about the place for this pattern and they mentioned too tight sleeves so I used a narrower seam allowance and found they were fine but as for the rest of the tunic , well  not fine ! I am barely a B and it was too tight around my bust - this just never happens to me . Also there is quite a bit of pooling  of fabric at the back and  again this is unusual . The arm holes are uncomfortable and the bias tie neckline sticks out .Also  I realise now that part of the reason I am meh about the actual fabric apart from the fact it has been in my cupboard for over 11 years is that it is perhaps a bit too close to my skin colour . This tunic is definitely in the give away pile but if I had listened to my instincts I would have just saved some precious sewing time and given it away .

On the plus side at least I didn`t use some precious fabric to make this up , I have trialled the pattern and will keep it for now ( perhaps I just have to accept that I need to make a larger size ), it was fun to sew  and I used the very last of my Spotlight fabric .
To lick my wounds I have followed up this project with a usually never fails pair of PJs. Happy to report success there. Hope everyone is well .Janine x

Knipmode Black Spotty Winter Cardigan.

Back to sensible sewing again and you can't get more sensible than this . A black wool mix cardigan in winter to replace another black cardigan that is just about as old as my youngest daughter who can now legally drive and vote and drink. I was getting thoroughly sick of it apart from some emerging holes , runs and droopiness.
I was going to sew another Style Arc Abbey cardigan but after seeing the pictures of my current one from MeMadeMay I decided I was tired of the waterfall front as well . I have a couple of other well used cardigan patterns from Kwik Sew and Butterick but they didn't feel right . I considered buying a McCalls pattern as there are a couple of cardigan patterns which are really popular and look good but this would involve a couple of hours driving there and back to buy what could be a $20 pattern . I revisited my sewing magazines and found a Knipmode one .

This is `vest ` 21 from October 2010 Knipmode , a long sleeved cardigan with slightly gathered  below bust lower fronts and backs with a wide foldover front facing .  I had never considered this pattern before because in the magazine it is very long , just above the knees and to be honest looked like a dressing gown . Then while I was helping my daughter shop for her Year 12 formal dress ( forgive me all ye sewing zealots for not sewing one ) I saw a woman wearing a shorter version and then later at lunch with my niece and her adorable twin baby boys she was wearing a similar style . So that was it !
I shorted the pattern by about 30 cms at least ( I only traced the pattern out 3 weeks ago but I can't remember what I did- getting old ? ! ) and eliminated the pockets and the front tie . I only had 2 metres of this fabric so it was necessary to shorten the cardigan anyway. Ahhh , the fabric is lovely . It is an Alannah Hill wool mix with tiny small dots from Clear It . It was really easy to sew with except the small gathers at the waist are more like pleats.

I was very careful sewing this - using iron-on interfacing at  the back and front neckline and some silk selvage at the shoulders to prevent stretching . I pressed the garment with low heat using a silk organza pressing cloth . The cardgan came together so well and easily , I sewed the sleeves in the round and they fitted perfectly.

For some reason I always get a lot of pleasure from  making a bonus pattern from my sewing magazines that I hadn't considered before and I really love this one . Also this is the last of my Clear It purchases apart from a few buttons so thinking it is time to go back ( no Janine you must keep on stashing busting , keep strong ) .

Simplicity 2501 -Silly Unseasonal Sewing .

I have a good excuse this time to be sewing a summer top in winter .
I have used this fabric previously to sew this skirt

and then last month the  bottom of this skirt .

I had a largish piece left over with a wide short piece,a longer narrower section and a couple of small scraps.

Rather than put it away in the cupboard where it had already lived for probably over 10 years I was determine to make a top which made sense anyway to match my new skirt . I pulled out a few patterns but it wasn't until the third one that I managed to fit all the pattern pieces on . The secret being that this has lots of smaller pieces rather than fewer larger ones.

This is the third time I have made this now and I realise that each time I have used fabrics where there is not much yardage. So I highly recommend this pattern in general but especially if you have limited fabric . Of course this pattern is OOP and I was shocked to realise that it was released back in 2009. It has a vintage vibe but I really like the gentle peplum . I never got onto the peplum bandwagon a few years back because I don't think they suit me but with this pattern the peplum does not stick out too much .

The front has small pleats in the bodice while the back has darts . The peplum is finished with a narrow hem but I did not follow Simplicity's instructions for this . I use a technique described in threads where you turn up the fabric and sew  a very narrow hem , trim the excess fabric and then fold this up and sew again which encloses the raw edge . Easier and accurate if you sew slowly. I used bias binding to finish the back neck and front facings but ironically I had to buy more thread to do the last couple of buttonholes as result . Should have just overlocked the facings ! I did not use the supplied facings for the armholes ( not enough fabric ) but more bias binding . I love this fabric , linen being a material I have rarely had the pleasure of using but it is all gone now . I think I will ` retire ` this Simplicity pattern now too as even though all three versions are different , they all still reside in the wardrobe and I don't want to get bored of them. 

Happy Sewing Janine. 

The Wave Skirt - Burdastyle 12/2012 .

skirt front 

I`m still choosing my next projects to sew by trying to get through my recent unused Burdastyle magazines hence making a summer skirt in the slap bang middle of winter. And yes a five year old Burdastyle is recent for me !
I bought this piece of batik in 2010 from the op shop but it was only small - just over one metre in length and only 115cm wide . I also  had this piece of aqua linen bought  from another  op shop but from  years before and amazingly they match really well .(  I have  already previously made a skirt from the aqua linen and after cutting out the contrast waves there was just enough to cut out a top yet to be sewn . )

skirt back 

I saw this skirt in the December 2012 issue and thought it might be an interesting and different way to use my batik . It is a slight A line skirt with 4 darts in the front and back, a centre back zip  and a narrow waist band. The lower bands are gently curved.
I lengthened the main body of the skirt by a few centimetres but did not make any other changes.

right skirt side 

 When I was tracing out the skirt patterns I was lazy and only traced out one back and one front. This made  cutting out the fabric harder because the curves are different on both sides. It meant I was cutting away curves on the tissue paper and then having to add them again when cutting out the contrast bands. It got a bit confusing and I made one mistake luckily rectified. So if anyone reading this wants to make this skirt I would trace out a complete front skirt and two separate backs and follow the layout diagram Burda provides. This would have been much  quicker in the end !

Considering I only had a small piece of batik I was pretty happy in the end with the pattern matching on the back and it is OK on the sides - good enough for me anyway . I will not make this wave skirt again but might make the basic A line skirt pattern . Overall I am happy with the result and only have to wait a few months to wear it now.

left skirt side 

Stay Calm and Sew Ruffles - Burdastyle 08/2012 Blouse 130

Actually that is not really correct - about the ruffles I mean. The description in Burda is as follows - The casual jersey blouse narrows over the hips and has soft appeal. An angled ruffle , lovely bateau neckline and raglan sleeves are all flattering details. Quite a contentious statement in more ways than one  :)  So I know I have really sewn a flouncy top but I liked my post heading :)

Burda lists this pattern as easy to sew and initially I was skeptical about that but it really was. It is  essentially a raglan sleeve top with two extra flounces. 

Above shows the front piece which consists of a lower and upper front .The lower large flounce is laid on top of the lower front piece and basted together and then sewn to the upper front. 

The flounce is then folded so the wrong side shows and the edge basted to the side seam. 

The smaller upper flounce is laid over the lower flounce and basted to the neckline and armscye . The rest of the construction is just like a normal raglan sleeved top so pretty easy. The back is totally plain.  The raglan sleeves consist of two pieces . The neckline is finished with a facing and the flounce edges and hems are left unfinished. The instructions also have the sleeve hems left raw but I couldn`t help but hem at least those ones. 

I had trouble finding reviews for this top. Sharonsews made one and found it to be oversized . This made me a little bit nervous but as I was using a non-sentimental piece of cheap jersey from the op shop I just went for it. I do like to sew using different fabrics and to experiment with different styles . I cut out my usual size 40 but did not add seam allowances to the sides. I found the top to be comfortable but not oversized. However I was surprised by how long the top was. Burda drafts for heights of 168cm and I am just slightly taller than that. My top seems longer than what the modelled shot shows. 

Overall this is a very nicely drafted top with clever details that came together really well.