Paprika Patterns Jade Skirt and another Style Arc Estelle Jacket

Continuing on with my love affair with Style Arc ponte, I have created this ensemble using the Paprika Patterns Jade Skirt and the Style Arc Estelle Ponte Jacket. Fabric is a taupe ponte purchased from Style Arc, which is currently unavailable.

This is the second time I have made the Estelle jacket and I don't really have anything more to add about this pattern, except that I love it and it has been getting a lot of wear. You can read about my first one here.

I still couldn't leave the edges raw. This time I turned a 1cm hem twice and machine stitched close to the edge.

The Jade Skirt is a "curve-hugging skirt that you'll feel comfortable in" according to the website description. The unusual folds on the front are what make this skirt stand out from the usual fitted knit skirt patterns available.

These required precise accuracy at the construction stage, which was not that difficult...just a bit fiddly. The instructions were excellent and there is also a short video on the website, which I found very helpful. I lined the skirt with Vanity Fair Lingerie Tricot purchased from Knitwit. Each fold is sewn to the lining to keep it in place.

The skirt is very figure hugging, and I would only feel comfortable wearing it with a long jacket . I like the shape of the skirt paired with the shape of the jacket. The jacket also works well with pants and in the photo below I am wearing it with Style Arc Elle Pants on our recent holiday to Western Australia. The photo is taken in front of the Busselton Jetty.

Both these garments have been great additions to my wardrobe and have been worn a lot, both together and individually.

Happy Sewing

Style Arc Estelle Ponte Jacket

This is a fabulous jacket that I have been itching to make for a while now. Megan and Sue have both recently made this jacket and after a long wait the pattern finally arrived from Style Arc and I couldn't wait to get started. (This delay seems to be an Australia Post issue.)

As described on the Style Arc website "This fabulous jacket is not just easy to wear but it is very easy to make. The knee length and the gorgeous waterfall collar makes this jacket a great trans seasonal addition to your wardrobe. A project you can complete in an afternoon."

Style Arc Estelle Ponte Jacket

I had this gorgeous indigo renewal wool ponte purchased from Knitwit with intentions of making some sort of warm jacket. I work in a chilly office and I am determined to make some warmer things to keep me from freezing this winter. At $49.95 a metre I was nervous of making a wadder, but after doing lots of research and knowing that Style Arc patterns generally fit my body shape quite well, and that this was a loose fit style, I went ahead and cut a size 12.

And I am very happy with the result. These photos were taken in a rush this morning just before I left for work. I am wearing it with a Colette Mabel Skirt and a Deer and Doe Plantain Tee. I can see it working with lots of other things in my wardrobe too, and after wearing it today I am happy to say it was warm and comfortable...just what I needed.

This is a photo I posted on IG on Saturday night, with all the edges left raw. The general consensus was to leave the edges raw, which both Megan and Sue have done. I left it overnight but Sunday morning I decided to finish off those raw edges. It just didn't look right or feel right to me, left like this. Even though I had used a rotary cutter and the edges were quite neat, they were not perfect.

The instructions say to sew the seams as "flat seams". This means sew the seam, then trim away the left seam allowance, then turn the right seam allowance over the cut away left seam and stitch the seam allowance down. This creates a nice flat seam, similar to a flat felled seam, without tucking the raw edge under. Can you spot the huge mistake I made in the photo above? Yes, I sewed the back collar seam inside out so that the raw edge is visible when the collar is folded down. I was too far into the construction before I realised my error...but I think I can live with it.

I deliberated long and hard about how to finish off the raw edges. The ponte is quite bulky and I could see it would be difficult to do a neat job of turning a 1cm hem twice and stitching. I quite like the look of the flat seams on the inside so I embraced this look and simply turned a 12mm hem in a single fold and stitched very close to the raw edge. Although this is quite a simple technique, it took me ages to accurately measure, press and pin the entire edge of this jacket. I knew this finish would only work if it was done very neatly and I am very happy with the result.

With the waterfall front on this jacket the wrong side shows below the turn of the lapels. If I continued to turn the hem the same way around the bottom edge of the jacket, the wrong side would be showing, so I decided to switch directions at the bottom front corners. You can see this corner in the photo above. I trimmed a square from the corner to remove some bulk and I used some Vliesofix-bondaweb-tape to help hold them securely. This resulted in a nice neat corner.

I finished the sleeve hems exactly the same way, which meant I didn't lose too much length, and they visually match the rest of the jacket.

Above is a shot of the inside showing the flat seams at the shoulder and armhole and also the wrong side of the lapel edge finish.

And another inside shot showing the in seam pocket. I finished off the side seams with the overlocker because it was late and I was getting tired and I couldn't think how to do flat seams with the pockets.

This jacket took me much longer than an afternoon to construct, but if you leave the edges raw it is an easy and quick sew. I am so glad I spent the extra time finishing the edges...to me it was well worth it.

Happy Sewing

Style Arc Maddison Top

The Style Arc Maddison Top has become quite popular of late, and I have been persuaded to try it after seeing all the great versions out there, already created. 

Of course, this pattern looks great in stripes, but I used a solid black ponte from my stash to try it out first. I made a few pattern alterations before cutting out. The front neckline was lowered by 2cm at centre front, tapering back to the original neckline at the shoulder darts. I always try to avoid crew necklines as they are never flattering on me. I added 5cm to the length of the front and back pieces to account for my long body shape. This was added in by cutting and spreading the pattern at around the waistline level, and the last alteration was to drop the bust dart point down about 2.5cm to compensate for the effect of gravity. Not all of these alterations were successful.

Style Arc Maddison Top

The description from the Style Arc website: "A great everyday raglan sleeved top with a slight trapeze the body, the wide hem allows this top to fall beautifully. Make this in a stripe to show off all the design lines. This top can be made in a knit or a stretch woven fabric."

As you can see from the side view, the top is not hanging in the most flattering way. I think it may need a full bust adjustment to add some width and length to the front pattern piece, so that it hangs better. (I'm open to suggestions here.) I cut my usual size 12 for this top. 

Altered bust dart point failure.

I always learn so much when scrutinizing the photos of the garment on me. So much more helpful than just looking in the mirror. Lowering the bust dart point was a complete failure. This alteration was completely unnecessary and I will keep it at the original position for next time. The ponte fabric is quite heavy and this may have dragged the position of the bust dart down. This could have a completely different outcome if a woven fabric was used. 

It looks better from the back. I love the raglan sleeves and the deep hem. The neckline was finished off with a simple wrap around self fabric binding. The skirt is another Colette Mabel, made in a lovely printed Italian Ponte from Knitwit. I have improved the fit of this version by doing a full tummy adjustment. This was easy to do and made a real difference to the fit and hang of the skirt at the front. I will be using this adjustment for any future makes, for sure.

This has been a great outfit for the cooler weather that has finally arrived, despite my fitting issues. I'm sure I will iron them out in the next version.

Happy Sewing

Vogue 8805 in Black and White

Vogue 8805

I purchased this pattern in the recent pattern sale at Spotlight and I was keen to try it out. There are loads of positive reviews on Pattern Review so I felt confident that this pattern would work out well.

Vogue 8805 Line Drawing

I made the long sleeve version with some changes. The fabrics I used were from my stash and had been purchased with other plans in mind, but have worked out well for this pattern. The black fabric is a ponte from Knitwit and the black and white print is a scuba knit from Spotlight. I decided not to follow Vogues order of construction, and construct the back and front of the dress separately so I could sew the side seams last, and adjust the fit as required.

I cut a size 16 which I did think might be a bit big but I wanted to be safe. In hindsight, I could have cut a size 14 as I had to sew 2.5cm seam allowances for the side seams. The back slit opening was eliminated by cutting the yoke on the fold and I removed 2cm from the entire neckline to ensure it would be large enough to fit over my head. I did away with the neckline facing purchased bias binding finish and used a self fabric binding instead.

When cutting out I added 5cm to the length of the lower panels. After trying the dress on during construction I felt that the proportions of the panels were wrong. The middle panels just looked too long. Lucky I had added the extra length to the lower panels, as I was able to remove them, cut 5cm from the length of the middle panels, and reattach the lower panels. The proportions looked so much better with this small change.

The seams joining the contrasting panels were top stitched to hold the seam allowances down nice and flat and add some visual interest. The bust dart worked out in the correct position without any changes. Normally bust darts are too high on my mature figure. Vera was a fabulous help with fitting this dress. She has been such a useful addition to my sewing room and the cost has been quickly forgotten.

This is how I wore the dress to work today. It has been the first real Autumn work day since our late run of summer temperatures. It won't be long before I will be wearing this dress styled with tights, boots and a scarf. Have you started sewing for the new season yet?

Happy Sewing