My top five hits of 2017

Hi everyone! We’re two weeks away from a new year, so I’m emerging from my mince pie coma to review the old one, following Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow’s Top Five series. I might not have finished my sewing for this year just yet (I am panic sewing shorts for my trip to Hawaii next week. Did I mention I’m going to Hawaii? I can’t wait), but this year has been particularly busy for me, sewing-wise. I’ve made a grand total of 32 garments for myself, plus a giant quilt, and I’ve taken on projects that pushed my skills a little.

Looking back, this has definitely been the year of the tried n’ true (TNT) pattern for me. I fell in love with just about every pattern I tried and made multiple versions of them all. So let’s take a look at the five patterns I just couldn’t quit in 2017.

Deer and Doe Plantain top

This year I think I finally got over my fear of knits. Rather than faffing about with zigzag stitches on my sewing machine, I tried out sewing on my overlocker instead. And do you know what? It was pretty simple. I only made the Plantain for the first time a month or so ago, but it’s fast become a favourite, and I’ve made two more since (yet to be blogged). It’s a straightforward sew and I like the relaxed fit through the waist which makes it great with jeans – basically the basic t-shirt of my dreams.

Helen’s Closet Winslow culottes

Oh my Winslow culottes, how do I love thee? Seattle gets a reliable hot summer (more than hot enough for me, anyway), and I wanted something that would help me stay cool AND combat the dreaded chub rub. The Winslows in rayon were the perfect solution. Soft, flowy and a reasonably quick make. When you’re doing your best to stay out of the heat, minimal time at the iron is key. I wore my Winslows throughout the summer, and when I accidentally ruined my first pair, I made another straight away.

Closet Case Patterns Carolyn PJs

The Carolyns were another response to the heat. I only brought flannel pjs with me when we moved, so I needed something a bit lighter to sleep in. One day it occurred to me that my duvet cover would make a perfect classic pjs, so I hit Ikea up and got cracking on the summer version (with shorts and short-sleeved top). And they’re awesome. So light and comfortable! Turns out that a queen-sized duvet is a bountiful source of fabric, so I made the long pants for autumn/winter and some PJs for Chris with the excess. I also had a go at inserting piping for the first time and now I want to put it on everything.

Sew Over It Penny dress

When Sew Over It released the Penny dress back in June it was love at first sight. I was having a major shirt/shirtdress phase, and the Penny scratched an itch for a smart summer dress with buttons and a collar. I made a couple of versions in rayon and despite a tantrum over a wonky hem, I love them to death. Whenever I wear my Pennys, I spend most of my time twirling about in them.

Sew Over It Alex shirt/shirt dress

When I say I had a shirtdress moment this year, maybe I should expand it to include anything with a  button. I made so many shirts and shirtdresses in 2017 it’s ridiculous, but I think the Alex shirt was my first make of the year. I made it in a bit of a panic in time for my hen do (which happened after I got married, but that’s another story), and this version in black rayon has been my go-to casual going out top ever since. It’s so cute! It’s got enough space in it that I can easily get it on over my head without buttons, and I love the relaxed look – it looks good tucked or untucked. I’ve since made the shirt dress version in a chambray, another shirt in blue silk and I have another on my sewing table right now.

We got a better camera in May, so my photos suddenly got marginally better. 

 

 

Getting my knit on

I think I’m finally getting to grips with knits, after years of being scared of them. So far this year I’ve made the Coco dress, the Agnes top and the Blackwood cardi and I haven’t lost my mind when sewing them, nor have any of them fallen apart (yet). To be fair, none of them are particularly difficult patterns but my last three fabric purchases have all been jerseys so I think I might have cracked it. To test out my theory, I snuck the Deer & Doe Plantain top into my November sewing plans.

Now, when I wrote my November plans post, this wasn’t even on my radar. However, one of my Girl Scouts said she was having problems making it – it sounds like it’s her first time making her own clothes – and while she’s put it to one side for now I couldn’t resist having a go at it myself. It is a free pattern after all, and I already had some suitable jersey in my stash, so it’s not as if I was going too far out of my way to make it up.

I have just realised that I’ve accidentally done a copycat version of the Deer & Doe Plantain. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all. 

The Plantain is a simple t-shirt with a scoop neck, a range of sleeve lengths and optional elbow patches. I’m not a fan of elbow patches, personally. My dad was a teacher and he actually wore a tweed jacket with elbow patches to work when I was a kid. Cliché much?They’re not for me. Anyway, since it’s getting colder, I went for the long sleeve option and I blended from a 42 on top to a 46 at the hip. It’s a pretty roomy top as it is, but I don’t think I could get away with a 44 hip. I also lopped off an inch and a half from the sleeves – they were just about hitting my fingernails when I tried it on.

I’m going to improve my indoor photo taking. I took these using a tripod and remote. Chris does a far better job than me. 

I bought this flowy bamboo jersey from Blackbird Fabrics (out of stock now, but they have other colours). It’s not dissimilar from the stuff I used for my Agnes top so I knew what to expect when sewing. It’s lovely and soft, but it’s also quite slippery. Since I wanted to overlock all the seams, I couldn’t pin the neckline in – I’d lose too many pins to the blade – so I pinned then basted instead. I also basted some ribbon to stabilise the shoulder seams (NOT using horrible clear elastic as the pattern suggests. Bleurgh.). I used a twin needle to topstitch the hems and neckline, too, but before I committed needle to fabric, I tested out the stitches on a scrap. I’ve had problems with tunnelling before so I went down the tension to see if it sorted it out – turns out taking the tension off completely worked a charm.

I’m pretty pleased with my efforts here. The Plantain isn’t all that different from the Agnes, but since the cut is looser I think this is more of an outer piece rather than something to layer. It’s super comfy and I’m enjoying the extra space for a big dinner! However, I’m most pleased about how I’m building my confidence with knits. Expect more on the blog soon!

Have you conquered any fabrics recently? What are your favourite patterns for knits?

A Datura to cheer me up

Happy Sunday all! I hope you’re all having a top weekend, wherever you may be. This weekend’s been a bit of an odd one. Chris and I have been out and about doing things – we’ve been cultured at an exhibition at the Science Museum, been to see Independence Day: Resurgence (it’s hilariously bad) and made some good in-roads into getting rid of some of the clutter in the flat. It should have been a fun weekend, but it’s been overshadowed by the EU referendum result. I know we’re not the only ones, but we’re both desperately disappointed at the prospect of leaving the EU and the fallout makes me uneasy for the future. As I write this, we’ve no effective PM or opposition and the Leave campaign seems to backtracking on all their pre-vote promises. I just hope that the coming weeks bring more stability and answers because I don’t feel it’s an understatement to say that my country is going into meltdown right now.

Anyway, you don’t come here for tinpot political comment. You come here for the clothes! My latest make the Deer & Doe Datura blouse, which has been sitting in my pattern stash since last year but it’s only now that I’ve got round to making it. Leigh over at Clueless Seamstress recently made her first version (and it’s ace) and it’s spurred me on to having a go myself – I need more tops for the summer, of course.

Definitely a bit of excess around the hips there.

For a first attempt I went for View B with the Peter Pan collar as I thought it would be less of a fiddle than the triangle cut-out version. I used pink cotton for the bodice for a bit of colour (I am learning from Me Made May, see!) and blue Atelier Brunette cotton lawn for the body. You might recognise this from my Mimi blouse, and I’ve still got a little left to do something else – which is fab, cos I do love this stuff). I’m not sure I’d buy the pink cotton again. The wrong side is coated with a thin layer of shiny stuff which I wouldn’t want next to my skin, but it’s ok because the bodice is self-lined so it’s all facing inwards.

Close up on the collar – one of the things I like about this is how the Peter Pan collar mirrors the pattern on the body.

Speaking of the bodice, this was the most difficult part, but only because the instructions were so sparse when you get to attach the front to the back at the shoulders. The method has you pushing the front straps up the inside of the back straps, right sides together but it’s not very well explained in the booklet. I used this sewalong for clarity, but I soon realised I’d done it before on the Grace dress – I just hadn’t recognised it. I do like it though – it produces a very clean result, and when you pull it through, it’s particularly pleasing to see it just work.

The envelope says that the Datura is an Advanced pattern, but I think it’s mostly due to the bodice construction – the rest of it is pretty straightforward. Even the hem is bias bound, so it’s easy-peasy.  It’s been for a reprint since I bought it, and looking at the website it’s been downgraded to a 3/5 for difficulty. I certainly had no problems beyond the shoulders. I needed to lower the darts by an inch or so, and I graded out a few sizes at the hips, which I probably didn’t need to do, with hindsight – it is a little baggy round the hips. The only other change I made was to omit the buttonholes on the back as I can get the top on without any bother.

From the back. I might have had a nap on the sofa this afternoon, hence the creases… Ooops.

Although it is a little bit bigger around the hips than I would normally like, I do like this version. I’m pleased with the fit around the bust, shoulders and armholes, and it’s summery and light which will be great on warmer days. I can also throw a cardi over it, so it’ll take me into autumn too. I’m going to have a go at Version A next, and I’ve got the fabric (all stash – yay me!) ready to cut out. More on that one another time!

Ahoy-hoy!

Did you know that ‘ahoy’ could have been the standard greeting used for answering the phone? Alexander Graham Bell suggested it, but Thomas Edison’s ‘hello’ proved more popular (and let’s face it, Lionel Richie singing ‘Ahoy! Is it me you’re looking for’ wouldn’t have had the same ring). This evening I’ve got a couple of skirts to show you, one with a nautical theme, that I’m entering into the Monthly Stitch’s Indie Pattern Month New to Me competition.

I’ve admired Deer & Doe’s patterns for a while and I bought the Chardon skirt and Datura blouse patterns last year, but I’ve only just got round to having a go at them. With the summer fast approaching, I wanted some new skirts that I could wear for work. The Chardon is perfect – it’s a simple design with inverted box pleats and optional belt loops that looks great in a variety of fabrics. So of course, I made two.

My first attempt is in a mint green cherry blossom print cotton I got from John Lewis which was part of its 150th anniversary range. I bought three metres at the time, thinking I’d make a flouncy dress with it, then changed my mind as I thought it was a bit too girly-girly for my tastes. Less is definitely more so using it for a summer skirt seemed a better option.

I think I made the right decision turning this into a skirt rather than a dress. Girly, yes, but a dress would have been a bit too much for me.

I cut a straight size 42 and started to sew it up. For a beginners’ skirt, I thought the instructions were really clear, though a printing error in my English booklet meant that the steps appeared out of order. Luckily I could put my French degree into practice and work out what was going where (I don’t get to use my degree that often so this excited me quite a bit). However, I felt the instructions missed some things that would help take the skirt to the next level. For example, I understitched the waistline facing and the pockets so they wouldn’t peek out. I don’t think it’s so much of a problem with the pockets, but I could see the facing popping out all the time.

Here’s the understitching on the facing. I love the finish here – oh so neat and crisp!

I made a couple of other changes to the construction. I used an invisible zip as that’s what I had in and I couldn’t be bothered to make the bias binding required by the pattern, so I did a normal turned and stitch hem. Since I’m tiny it worked out well – turning the hem up by an inch or so took it up to the perfect length for me.

For my second attempt, I used an anchor print chambray that’s been sitting in the stash for about a year. I love this stuff – it’s super soft, but presses really nicely and holds the pleats really well. It also looks really nice from the inside – overlocked edges look crisp and neat, which just pleases me no end.

A nautical skirt needs a Breton top to go with it, obvs. Here you can see that the pockets are sitting a bit higher. Much more comfy.

I made a couple of changes from my first attempt. I sewed the belt loops a bit too low down on the waist, so I moved these ones up a bit, and I also felt that the pockets were too low. With my arms straight by my sides I could just get my hands in them which didn’t feel comfortable. I moved them up by two inches and now they feel much more comfortable.

The Chardon is a lovely skirt that I’m really going to enjoy wearing throughout the summer. The blossom print one will be great for work and the chambray version is a bit more casual so more of a weekend/holiday skirt. I’m particularly chuffed that I’ve managed to turn two fabrics from the stash into something I’ll get a lot of wear from. As a first taste of Deer & Doe, I’m pretty chuffed. Next stop, the Datura!

The pleats are stitched down to keep them in place.

A more general shot of the innards.

Yes. Well…