Violet & Clover

A few days after publishing my last post I hit a serious stumbling block with my new pattern design. It is easily fixed but fixing it means losing some of the main characteristics of the design...which is very annoying! Understandably so (I hope), I felt unmotivated and a tad down. I decided on a mini break from pattern drafting. I lounged around doing nothing for many evenings, which felt good, and with the big weekend approaching I decided to sew for myself. I give you slightly fuzzy photos from Violet and Clover, as worn today.

I missed a buttonhole...duh!!

It was the 3rd go at the Clover trousers. I fiddled further to improve fit of the pattern but not sure it paid off well. I was looking at my Maroon Clovers for alterations but this fabric behaved very differently. It's a lovely soft and comfortable stretch cotton drill (I think) I bought in Portugal.

The Violet blouse is part of my "plan" to sew more blouses and shirts. I used a lovely soft and lightweight fabric of unknown content I bought very cheaply at the Walthamstow meet up. Sleeve insertion had its dramas as did buttonhole making. General speaking though, it was an easy make. I though I wouldn't like the boxiness of the blouse but actually I quite like it. The only issue I'm having with this pattern is the collar. It doesn't seem to lay properly and even though I fiddled with it a lot, I haven't managed to be completely happy with it. Anyone else with collar issues?

I'm still working along to my Couture Dress (slow is better for that type of projects) and will probably sew a couple of jersey tops using Sewaholic Renfrew. And yes, back to pattern drafting!

Rock Chick Clovers

I have done my second pair of Colette Clovers, this time in the originally intended fabric (the first ones were a wearable muslin). The choice of fabric and the styling on the photos below take me back to my late teens/ early twenties when I was a full on rock chick. Not goth, not  rock n'roll, more like good old heavy and trash metal.

I'm still a rock chick, but I don't dress like one anymore. I don't think my employer would appreciate my style. I think the progressing towards vintage inspired is a natural one and definitely more "acceptable" for certain employers.

But on to the trousers! This time I had to take in the side seams in about an inch, the stretch of this material is different from the first one. But there is a huge problem with this fabric that might render these trousers unwearable. Whist adding the invisible zipper (a challenge on it's own, especially in bulky areas) the fabric on that side stretched and has not returned to it's original position. Boohoo!! It's not too visible on the photos but believe me, it is there. I knew from the start the material was not good quality, but it was the only animal print napped fabric I found with stretch.

And now I want to know if I'm alone. So tell me, do you, or did you ever feel restricted in what you can or cannot wear because of work? And if so, as your style changed because go it?

Quick Fix!

Amidst all my complicated sewing projects (cutting wool flannel, sewing gussets, endless tweaking on my first self drafted pattern) and the slow paced ones (sew alongs that I intend to sew along and not rush ahead) I decided I need a quick fix. Something nice and easy that I can do in an eye blink.

And between you and me, how awesome will these look with these:

Have a lovely Christmas and in case I don't post before the year is over have a great time entering 2012!!

PS: In case you wondered, Thursdays Knitting is on holidays until January! 

Maroon Clovers

You will have to wait a bit more to see my Bombshell in action. I have tons of hand sewing and finishing to do but promise I will be done before the end of the month. In the meantime I am happy to report I have finished my Clovers from Colette Patterns.

I was quite wary of cutting the original chosen fabric for these as I knew that if major fitting issues occurred there wouldn't be much chance of recovering it. I waited for some time until chance took me to a almost local fabric shop where I found some stretch bio suiting (anyone know what type of fabric this is?) for £3.50. Ideal price for a muslin, no? Out of the colours available maroon was the most wearable so I settled for that.

I decided to sew these trousers as per instructions with pockets and complete waistband. Firstly because I wanted a practice run before I cut into the original fabric and secondly so I could use them if the muslin turned out wearable. 

And I'm so glad I did! Without any fitting alterations they are perfectly wearable. They could be a bit snugger under my bottom and the fabric is not the most pretty or comfortable against the skin but it's not too bad.

 The construction was easy and straight forward. The waistband is constructed the same way as Ginger which lends to a perfect finish. I struggled a bit with bulk in this area though and need to address this the next time I sew them. I also have a imperfect invisible zipper. I used a black one (because it was what I had in at home) and it's not completely invisible. The inside of these is very, very ugly. I decided not to try the trousers on until I was almost finished so didn't want to waste time on seams finishes. Not a problem as the fabric doesn't ravel too much.

Now that I done these I can move on and sew them again with the original fabric choice but with a Bombshell and a winter dress on my queue I might wait a few months.

Clover Sewalong and other things...

Colette Patterns are having a sew along!! Woohoo, no way would I miss this! I love sew alongs, I love Colette Patterns and I love the crazy, unpractical and risky fabric I chose for the gorgeous Clover trousers.
I know, I know!!! This wasn't in my sewing list. Things changed (ha! What a surprise!).
I have decided not to do the coat. To be honest I was very indecisive on it and after the few near mishaps with my Beignet Skirt, I decided I need to take it even slower. That means not embarking on a hugely challenging tailoring project. I'm still working on my Bombshell dress and I'm loving how it's turning out. Those of you who follow me on twitter will have seen a sneak preview. If not, don't worry, I'm planning a post around it. I want to make sure I finish by the end of the month when a Bombshell cocktail party will take place. It will be awesome and I can't wait.
I realised I wouldn't have any decent coat to take to this party. It will probably be cold, although nowadays you can't trust the weather. I decided to do a quick and easy cape with some wool blend I bought in Hungary. I'm underlining it with fleece for ultra warmness. We'll see how that turns out!
After all that I will embark on another challenging project. My beloved winter wool dress. Mostly challenging because of the amount of buttons and the fact I cannot screw the expensive fabric up. I'm in dilemmas over how to wash it now. And that's all for now!

My Navy Beignet

The construction wasn't without problems but here it is, my navy Beignet Skirt. I have to say I LOVE it! Annoyingly (for photo taking) the sun was out today which means I am squinting in all photos. I tried changing place but all other backgrounds would have been to busy.

Onto the skirt. I used a heavy cotton drill I bought in Hungary and lined with with a bright orange lining. Pattern is Colette Beignet Skirt and it's a treat to work with. Easy instructions and nice illustrations. 

For the facings and pockets I used a leopard print polycotton. I just love the combination. I also decided to use self cover buttons (I like matching things). It was my first time using self cover buttons and I'm glad I bought in excess of what I needed. I ruined quite a few. Doing so many buttonholes was a source of anxiety but slowly and steadily my Janome behaved. They're not even that wonky (although for that I had to do lots of chalk marking in front piece.

Several things went wrong whilst construction but mostly because of me and my attention spam. For starters I cut the pieces wrong and ended up with some with right side out and some with wrong side out. With a cotton drill you can clearly see the difference. Then I assembled the lining pieces all wrong. I attached the two side back pieces together then the back piece. I actually pressed and hemmed the lining and only when I went to sew it to the facing did I spot the error. Luckily I had enough fabric to cut again. I also slightly burned the lining when pressing and it hasn't ruined it but it could have easily done so.

The first belt loops didn't cut it so I decided to cut again and wider. Still looks good I think. I decided not to do a belt for now, as I had a leopard print I bought recently that fits perfectly fine.

One photo of the inside only. I'm still struggling to find a good place for photos at my new house. Whilst my previous flat was small it had floor to ceiling windows which meant light was great all the time. In new house I have lots of space (and a sewing room, which I prefer) but windows are ever so small, meaning rooms get quite dark.

You might have noticed that I didn't really write any "in construction"posts with photos of sewing process. Mainly because of the above but I'm curious to know: do you like reading about and seeing photos of the sewing process or do you prefer the finished outfits only?

This skirt will definitely see a lot of use. I absolutely love the colour combination and it's such a versatile skirt, meaning I can use to dressed up or dressed down. Fantastic!!

Guess the error game

Edit: And we have a winner: Esz! Correct answer is in your comment although not what you might think. At work now so will post a new post later on.

Edit: lovely entries so far but the correct answer has not yet been found. Keep going, you are allowed double entries. Going to close this little game 20.00 GTM today (Tuesday, 13/09/11)

You know that heart sinking moment when you realised you done something wrong in your sewing process?

I had some problems with grain on the cotton drill for my Beignet skirt. Frustrated, I decided to cut pieces on single layer, which took longer but meant grain was found. However something else quite terrible happened!! Can you guess?

I'll give a still undecided but sewing related small prize to first comment to answer correctly. I'm going to sulk somewhere now.

One Autumn, Four Garments

In a nutshell that's my plan for sewing this Autumn. I don't like having a sewing plan as I hate feeling restricted but a lot of stuff is happening between now and January. I'm doing a pattern making course in October and it will run for 10 Saturdays. Technical drawings and maths are not a natural flair of mine so some studying and practicing will be necessary. I have a secret project on the pipeline and on that I can't say much. Exciting stuff but still very undeveloped so don't worry, you're not missing much at this point. And knitting, yes! I want to actually finish a knitted garment this Autumn.
In order for me to do all these things and actually pursue my dreams instead of just dreaming them I need to be clear what to do and when. I am focusing on winter garments that I can wear in colder months.

1) Colette Pattern Beignet Skirt is already in the making. Fabric is cut and all I need to do now is sew. I am using a navy drill which will see much use in winter with some nice warm tights. I just hope I don't chicken up in the buttonhole phase.

2) Wool Flannel Vintage Dress. One of the bigger projects as I will be working with a fabric new to me which cost some money and I don't want to screw up. It also has lots of buttonholes. You have seen the pattern envelope but here it is again. It's so pretty!

3) Winter Coat: I was very indecisive about making a coat or not. I want to be sure I finish in time to use during the colder months. I was also divided between a vintage inspired coat and this one I found on a Brazilian pattern magazine called Manequim. Ended up going with this one as the other pattern works best with a waterproof fabric. This will be a big project too, as I will have a go at pad stitching and all other tailoring elements I avoided during Lady Grey.

4) Another go at knits with version C of Vogue 8685. I have a relatively cheap knit fabric I will use to do this.

I must also add that in the making but not on the list is The Perfect Fit Bombshell Dress from Craftsy online course. It is taught by the wonderful Gertie so I simply can't wait. Actually I might be able to wear in end of October if a awesome event is put together. Fingers crossed, it would be awesome!

So I have 4 months for all of these, do you think I can hack it?

Tracing and cutting!

I have been doing a lot of tracing and cutting lately!

 This is my first time putting together a printed pattern. This is the one Gertie uses in Craftsy Sew Retro: Bombshell dress online class. I followed her instructions and found little trouble.

I have also cut the calico for the bodice pieces and they are now ready for the sewing machine. I used carbon paper which I always used somehow, but Gertie introduced me to using it to trace directly on fabric, instead of pinning. I quite liked that. When I pin pattern to fabric, and depending on fabric, they tend to shift. Tracing directly might be a better option.
The Bombshell dress is my only project that is not a Autumn/ Winter project. I just love Gertie as a teacher and have been itching to do this since it came out. No way could I wait till next Spring.

I am also venturing on my first Colette Patterns Beignet Skirt. I bought some navy cotton drill and orange lining specifically for this skirt when I was in hungary and I think it's a good choice pattern for Autumn. I traced all the pieces and have cut some calico from fronts and backs for a muslin.

I have two more projects I want to trace and cut muslins before I take anything to the sewing machine. And why you ask, all this bulk tracing and cutting? Well, my new cutting table (which I am madly in love with) is solid wood which is great to hide or fix little imperfections caused by pins, scissors, etc. But being new and being solid wood also means I have to treat it every 2 to 3 days for about two months. That means sanding it lightly and applying some wood oil on it. It then takes at least 24 hrs to dry. So my idea is to do lots of prep work on all my projects and then not worry about which days I can use the table and just get on with sewing. Does that make sense?

A Late Summer Sorbetto? Yes, please!

What better project to start me up again on sewing than the oh-so-easy and free Sorbetto Tank Top from Colette Patterns. I know many have already done it and blogged about it but the reality is that this top was never on my to sew list. It's cute and adorable but I have too many tank tops I never wear because a) there simply aren't that many continuous hots days in UK and 2) when there are some I'm at work and don't really like having my tattoos on display. However, this project seemed ideal as a first one in my new sewing room (not yet ready to share but already operational to sew).

Printing and assembling pattern was straightforward and sewing it was straightforward too. I'm closing the gap on this inspiration outfit by using this mustard yellow fabric with contrasting navy bias tape. It's the second time I'm using this fabric and I can't say I love it. It's polyester and it does feel nice to the skin but it's very drapey and slippery to cut and sew.

Colette Patterns instructions are a delight to follow and it was with much excitement that I read the announcement that Colette is releasing a sewing book in November. Woohoo, that will definitely go in my wish list!!

Sencha blouse - The Construction

Colette Sencha Pattern in a gorgeous blouse pattern and I was immediately drawn to the keyhole version, as my fabric was very simple. I made a muslin for this as usually patterns are to big for me in the bodice and was pleasantly surprised as the fit was very good. The shoulders fit perfectly well, the waist was nice and snug without being tight and the bust part was ok. Not snug, but then the pattern is not meant to be snug at the bodice anyway. But somehow my final garment is not as well fitted as my muslin. I either made some mistake cutting (possible as fabric is slippery) or the fabric itself gave a different fit to it. It's not as snug at the waist and the back is very loose. With a belt I get round it but without it just hangs there.

I had the idea of using lace for this project as well, to add an extra especial touch and to "connect" with my Ginger. I originally constructed the ties pieces like the waistband. The main fabric in lower layer and lace on top. But the time came to use a easy loop turner and it was impossible to turn such thing. After a couple of frustrating hours I decided to do the ties in lace only with the downside that they are too fragile and I have to be careful not to pull them strongly (which has actually happened tonight). I also struggled to turn the facing and make it fall flat. It doesn't really, can you see all the bunching in photo below?

The pattern suggests using a catchstich invisibly and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure how to do it invisibly. It was my first time doing this hand stitch type and I followed this tutorial . The result is pretty but not invisible. Was I suppose to catchstick inside the facing?

For the back opening facing I decided to slipstich as it renders as invisible result but...not that invisible on the outside. I think due to fabric type. How do you manage invisible stitching on complicated fabrics? Can you truly render them invisible?

The buttonholes and buttons went smoothly, which was a relief, taken in consideration previous experiences. I fell in love with the leopard buttons and had to have them

Alteration to pattern instructions included finishing hem with bias binding. I quite like the contrast!

Have you done a Sencha? What are your experiences and what were your frustrations, if any? 

Ginger Skirt -The construction

Once again, Colette Patterns have not disappointed and delivered a gorgeous pattern with dead easy-to-follow instructions that anyone (and I mean anyone) can do one of these. Fair enough, it is aimed at beginners so this is to be expected but I have struggled with so called easy patterns before so I thought it's worth the mention.

For my version of Ginger, I initially though of adding piping, just like the first Ginger Sunni, from A Fashionable Stitch did, but changed my mind quickly after. The fabric is a solid, simple teal and I wanted something I could wear dressed up or dressed down, depending on shoes and accessories. I thought a touch of lace would be ideal and decided to add it to the waistband. It was a easy job to do and I followed the same rules to those when doing my Crepe dress.

The construction of the waistband and its facing is sheer genius. I will definitely use this method with other waistband facing I'll do in future. It basically allows for a extra neat finish with little effort. When I say little effort I forget the fact I understitched the facing by hand. I don't think you can do it by machine on this waistband, as the corners are too tight (if that makes any sense). If you done a Ginger and understitched by machine, I would love to hear how. Saying that, now that I'm comfortable hand stitching I actually enjoy it! For the first time ever, I used a point turner, to help create pointy edges but almost ripped through the fabric so afraid of using it again. Anyone had similar experiences?
In terms of seams finishes, I decided to trim them down and finish them with my machine overlock foot. It's a very neat finish!

The skirt ask for an invisible zipper and I don't usually shy away from them. I was keen to make it as invisible as possible, as my previous attempts usually show a bit of the zipper tape. And in this point lay the only frustrations I had with this skirt. I actually did a superb job the first time I stitched the zipper, and managed to sew very close to zipper teeth, in a consistent manner on both sides. And amazingly enough that was a problem! The zipper didn't close after, I suspect because the stitching was in the way of the pull tab. I had to unpick (which was very painful) and sew a bit away from teeth, which means it's not completely invisible.
Isn't this a contradiction? Has this happen to you? Keen to know.

The zipper doesn't lay as wonky as this on me. My dress form needs adjusting .

All in all, this was a brilliant project, that can be done easily and quickly. Thank you Sunni for hosting this sew along!

It's a Ginger party...and Sencha is invited too!

Head over to the Ginger party at A Fashionable Stitch to see the array of gorgeousness done by Sunni's sew alongers.
I also joined the bandwagon and did a Ginger. But the thought of modelling it on its own depressed me so after winning a Colette Sencha pattern in a giveaway by the lovely Ashley I decided to make one to go with it. And the below is the result!

There was drama in parts and not all went according to plan or smoothly enough, but in the next few days I will share some construction process in a separate post for each piece.

Colette Patterns Ginger Skirt

Not long ago, Colette Patterns launched two brand new patterns aimed at beginners. One is Violet, a gorgeous blouse with a cute peter pan collar, and the other one is Ginger, a cute simple A-Line skirt. I initially resisted getting these as I have way too many patterns on my stash, but a couple of weeks ago I gave in and order them from M is for Make. I also ordered the Beignet Skirt. I already had the fabric selection in mind for all these, some from current stash and some that I bought in Hungary ( a post of my fabric finds still to come), but hadn't planned to sew them straightway.

Then, I had a string of mishaps with my jacket and other projects and decided to halt them for some time. This still stands. Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and suggestions, it means so much to me to have them. Some of you suggested turning to other crafts or doing something simple and as I was reading some of the comments, I stumbled across the newly named A Fashionable Stitch, by the lovely Sunni and discovered she is about to lead a beginners sewalong, using the Ginger skirt. Need I say more? I know I'm not a complete beginner but an easier project is what I need now and I do love sewing along with others.