Maria Denmark Edith in Blue

As I was rushing out the door on my way to work this morning, I managed to talk my darling husband into putting on his photographer's hat and taking a few shots of my third attempt at the Maria Denmark Edith Dress. 

You can read about my earlier attempts here and here. As the saying goes "third time's the charm". I am really happy with both the fit and the fabric for this one.

The fabric was purchased locally at Patchwork on the Bay. It is a lovely soft 100% cotton chambray. The colour is a lovely blue with black undertones. The bright blue threads can be seen along the selvedge. This was a lovely fabric to work with. It sewed and pressed beautifully... a very well behaved fabric which certainly added to the pleasure of sewing.

My pattern alterations can be seen much clearer in this version with the plain fabric. It was rather difficult to see the details of dart placement etc in my second version with the jungle inspired print.

I only had 2.5 metres of this fabric (112cm wide) so I had to piece the self made bias binding together to finish off the kimono sleeves. This worked out fine and I'm glad I went to the extra effort to do this.

I found these blue buttons at the same shop that I purchased the fabric from. They are a perfect match and the shop owner even threw in an extra button, no charge, as it was the last one left in the tube. This could come in handy if I ever lose one. Love the service at Patchwork on the Bay. I did some research on which direction button holes should be sewn and I discovered that garments with a button band usually have vertical buttonholes as there is not enough room to make horizontal buttonholes. That made complete sense to me, but this dress doesn't have a button band, it has a generous facing that allows plenty of room for horizontal buttonholes. I thought horizontal buttonholes would be safer...less likely for any wardrobe malfunctions if the buttons are put under any strain.

I have had some fun accessorising with different coloured necklaces and scarves to change the look. I think the blue is a little plain on it's own and benefits from a splash of contrasting colour. Very happy with this one!

Happy Sewing

Maria Denmark's Edith Blouse: A Wearable Muslin

After admiring the Edith Blouse and Dress out there in blogland, I have finally had a go at making my own. I loved Paola's dresses at La Sartora here and here and Heather's blouse from Handmade by Heather B here. Let's just call this a wearable muslin.

This is a PDF pattern, but I must say the pattern tiles fitted together much better than any other PDF patterns I have tried. My only gripe being that you have to add your own seam allowances. I found this just another tedious step that certainly added a lot of time to the process. You have to print the pattern, tape it together, trace off the required size and then add seam allowances. I don't understand why they are not added in the first place. Imagine how many hours are wasted if you added up the time it takes each individual person to complete this extra step, when it could have been included in the pattern. As you can probably tell, I was very annoyed.

Anyway, getting back to the blouse...the style really appealed to me. Fitted, but not overly fitted and no sleeves to set in. I thought this would make a great blouse to wear to work.

I thought I would start with the blouse to get the fit sorted, before I tried the dress. I bought some cheap pink poplin from my local Bargain Box Fabrics specifically for this and I cut a size B42 with 1.5cm seam allowances. I did add 5cm extra length at the hemline because I prefer to wear my tops a little longer. After sewing all the darts (8 in total) I decided I would just machine baste the shoulder and side seams to check the fit. I am so glad that I had the forethought to do this because it sure made the unpicking a lot less painful. This size was way too small. I don't know what I was thinking when I cut this size. Maybe I was thinking it would be like the Big Four patterns which have loads of unnecessary ease. I almost binned it at this stage until I realised I had added quite generous seam allowances so maybe it could be saved. I proceeded, with a new determination to make it fit.

After unpicking the basted seams, I scooped out about a cm from the bottom of the armhole as these were very tight. The shoulder seams were re sewn with a scant 6mm seam allowance which effectively added another cm of room to the length of the blouse. I decided to finish off the sleeve hem with some purchased bias binding. (I didn't have enough fabric to make matching bias binding). I did this step before sewing the side seams. The curve at the bottom of the armhole is quite tight and I thought this would be quite difficult to attach the bias binding in the round. Then I sewed the side seams with a scant 6mm seam allowance, effectively adding another 4cm of room to the width of the blouse. I was careful to line up the seam evenly at the underarm to create a nice neat finish. To stop the seam allowance peaking out at the underarm, I fold the tail of the overlocking threads under the seam allowance and then stitch the seam allowance down for about a cm to keep everything in place.

Another quick try on and I decided I could definitely make it wearable. This is actually quite an easy blouse to sew. None of the techniques required are terribly hard and I was enjoying the sewing process. I attached the collar and the facing and all was looking good. I must have started to rush as I could see the end in sight...a bit like a horse bolting for home, because I got careless. 

I was grading and clipping the seam allowance after attaching the facing...snip snip snip *#%@! I had snipped two little slits in the back of the blouse. I had invested too much time and effort into this blouse to abandon it now. What to do??? The slits were right at the top of the back of the blouse, almost covered by the collar on the outside and totally covered by the facing on the inside. My solution was to iron a small circle of fusible interfacing over the slits on the inside. So far they have held together and it has been through the wash twice now.

I made the buttonholes as close to the edge of the front as possible and positioned the buttons to provide as much room as possible. When sewing the hem I curved it up at the side seam. I thought this would look more flattering than a straight hem all the way around. The fit is still a little too close. The bust darts are too high but it's passable...a wearable muslin.

I have a renewed enthusiasm to try this pattern again. Notes for next time: 

• Cut the larger size
• Add 2cm length to blouse by cutting and spreading approx halfway between shoulder seam and top of front darts. (Do this to front, back and facing pattern pieces).This will do two things: lower the darts by 2cm and add an extra 2cm to the armhole depth.
• Add 3cm of length at the hemline.
• Curve hemline up at side seams.

Looking forward to making a much better fitting Edith soon.

Happy Sewing

Sewing Christmas Gifts - Given and Received

I only managed to do a little Christmas Sewing this season: a couple of dresses for my gorgeous Granddaughters.

I used the Madeline Dress pattern by Wink Designs, previously blogged about here. The fabric was purchased online from Spotlight. It comes from the 'Lisette' USA Cotton Collection. I was very disappointed when the fabric arrived as the floral fabric was an almost sheer cotton lawn and the contrast green fabric was more like a quilting cotton. Spotlight failed to clarify this in their catalogue where the fabrics were described as if they were all the same 100% cotton. To overcome this, I lined the bodice and the skirt with white polycotton which brought out the colours much better. So despite the fabric issues, I was quite pleased with how the dresses turned out.

Bodice details

I bought the cute little flower shaped buttons on another trip to Spotlight. I cut the blue dress at size 3 bodice with the skirt length at size 4, and the pink dress was size 1 with size 2 length for the skirt. 

The girls wore their new dresses on an outing to the animal farm last weekend, and my son took lots of photos. Here is a collage of them all.

Such little cuties.

I was also spoilt at Christmas with lots of new sewing related gifts. I had dropped lots of hints and this is what I got:

More Fabric Savvy by Sandra Betzina which has loads of info about all sorts of different fabrics and will be a very useful resource; A sleeve Board and a Point Presser and Tailor's Clapper which came from Judis Studio here in Australia; 110 Creations A Sewists Notebook which will be a great help in planning my sewing projects. A $50 Gift Voucher for Style Arc Patterns which came with the free pattern for December - the Lu Lu Tunic; Three Craftsy Classes - Sew Better Sew Faster Garment Industry Secrets, 40 Techniques Every Sewer Should Know, and Underneath It All. Lots of learning to do here; and some professional quality dressmaking scissors KAI 7250. The scissors are really high quality and are very luxurious to use. These have been hidden deep in my sewing desk, away from the reaches of other household members. I have scattered several decoys around...all useless for cutting fabric.

Thanks to my wonderful family, I have lots of new sewing resources and equipment that will be sure to improve my sewing skills. Looking forward to a great sewing year ahead.

Happy Sewing

Tempting Beignet

Beignet with powdered sugar

As tempting as this luscious dessert looks, I didn't fall under it's temptation. It was the Colette Beignet Skirt that has tempted me.

I have admired many Beignet Skirts on numerous sewing blogs but I was always unsure if this style would suit my figure. Also, all those buttons were pretty terrifying. Anyway, I have finally fallen to the temptation and had a go at sewing it for myself. 

I used some mystery fabric I had in my stash. I think it it some sort of wool blend. I washed and dried the fabric before cutting as is my usual practice to avoid any shrinkage later. (More on this later). The facings were made from the same fabric and I lined it with some poly lining.

I cut a size 12 at the waist and graded down to an 8 at the hips. Yes, I am rather thick around the middle. I was really pleased with how well this fitted my shape. I ended up taking a sliver out of the front panel seams to eliminate some poofiness which worked fine.

There are pockets in the side seams. I'm not really a pocket fan, but these have been quite handy for carrying my phone. I didn't make the tie belt, I preferred the look of a narrow belt that I already had.

Here are a few shots of the finer details:

There were a lot of pieces to cut out for this skirt: three back panels; four front panels; pockets; seven facing pieces; seven lining pieces and belt loops. It was rather like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces fitted together beautifully and the instructions were very clear, which made the whole process relatively easy...just time consuming.

Here is a close up view of the facings and lining on my dress form. I have seen lots of people use a contrasting fabric for the facings (usually something a bit fun) which I will try on my next one. This wool blend fabric with the lining makes this a lovely warm skirt for winter. I have been wearing it with black tights and a black cardigan.

Getting back to prewashing my fabric to avoid shrinkage...I was devastated to find that after the first wash, post construction, my lining was longer than the main fabric. Yes, despite my pre washing, my fabric continued to shrink. Luckily it only seams to have shrunk in the length, not the width, so it still fits me (thank goodness). As a quick (and lazy) fix, I turned the lining hem up again and secured it with steam a seam lite. You can see in the photo above that it is a little messy where the lining was sewn into the facing, but I think I can live with it.

I chose these cute flower shaped buttons in black, so they would be a fun feature...tying in with the black belt, tights and boots. I was really happy with how my button holes turned out but all the credit has to go to my Bernina 350. It does the most awesome buttonholes and has totally dispelled my fear of sewing anything with buttons.

Here is a close up of the belt loops. The pattern instructed these to be made by folding the fabric in half, sewing down one side and then turning the tube inside out. This was an impossible feat with the fabric that I used so I improvised. I simply overlocked each raw edge and then folded it into thirds, with the overlocked edges underneath. I topstitched the edges to secure them. (I only made one long belt loop, and then cut it into smaller lengths later.) Then I simply turned under the ends and stitched into place on the skirt.

While I was making my Beignet I came across this pretty floral fabric at the local charity shop, and I thought it would be a great match with my skirt. It only cost me $3 and there was enough to cut a Grainline Scout Woven T-Shirt.

I had been wanting to try this pattern for a while after reading all the great reviews online. I cut a size 12 and graded down to an 8 at the hips. I found this pattern to run a bit on the large side and it is a bit roomier than I would have liked in the shoulders, and by grading it down to an 8 at the hips, I totally destroyed the lovely shape of this T-Shirt. Mine is very boxy, (however, this is not an issue tucked into my high waisted skirt). Next time I will try cutting a straight size 10. 

I love how neatly the neckline sits, and I love the length and shape of the sleeves.

I'm still not convinced that this skirt is really suitable for me, but I am really happy with the fit and I have already got lots of wear out of it. Quite happy with my new outfit.

Happy sewing

Jean's Jacket

Yes, I made myself a Jean Jacket (how appropriate seeing that my name is Jean).

 Not just any old Jean Jacket...this is the Stacie Jean Jacket from Style Arc.

STACIE JEAN JACKET: Great Jean Jacket sitting on the high hip with flattering shaping through the body. The sleeve features a deep hem so can be worn turned up for a casual look.

I cut a straight size 12 with no alterations (based on my measurements and Style Arc's sizing chart). Fabric used was a medium weight denim 97% cotton and 3% spandex, so it had a little bit of stretch. It was an unusual purple colour on one side and a navy blue on the reverse side. I purchased this fabric from my local Bargain Box Fabrics.

Front buttoned up

Back view

I love the flattering shape of this Jean Jacket. It is not square and boxy at all, like a lot of Jean Jackets are.

The pattern instructions are fairly minimal and a beginner sewist may struggle with them. They are more like a list of construction steps. They do include a detailed diagram for all the top stitching...and there is a lot of top stitching on this jacket. The pattern is very well drafted and all the pieces go together perfectly.

Front pocket flap

I just used normal Gutermann 100% polyester thread in a hot pink, for the top stitching which I sewed with a twin needle. This contrasted nicely with the purple fabric. I spent an awful lot of time changing thread and needles on my machine during construction...alternating between top stitching and normal stitching. This was quite a labourious process and certainly added a lot of time to the sewing of this jacket. In hind sight, I could have saved a lot of time if I had set up my other machine as well, and used one for top stitching and one for regular stitching (however, I had recently purchased my new Bernina B 350 and the novelty had not worn off yet, so I wanted to use it for everything). 

More top stitching - waistband and centre back seam detail.

Collar Detail

I'm not sure if I joined the collar correctly to the neckline. I thought the front edge of the collar should have started about half way across the front band. I wondered if maybe I had stretched the neckline during construction, because the collar did not seam long enough. Then I studied the line drawing of the jacket and it appears that I have joined the collar as intended. However the point between the front band and where the collar joins, seams to be a weak spot so I did add a few tiny hand stitches to join the collar to the front band for a bit of added strength. 

The pattern does not call for the use of interfacing, at all which I thought was a bit strange. I followed the pattern directions, and did not interface the collar or the front bands and waist bands. The jacket feels fine without being interfaced, probably because the fabric I used was quite sturdy.

Sleeve and cuff.

The sleeve cuff is created easily. The hem of the sleeve is quite deep so this can be turned up to form a cuff.

Although the size 12 fitted me quite well without any pattern alterations, I will make a couple of changes for the next one. The sleeves were barely long enough for me (I must have monkey arms). This is actually a problem I have with buying RTW shirts...the sleeves are always too short on me. So I will be adding probably another 5 cm to the sleeve length. Also, the length of the jacket was much shorter on me compared to the line drawing, so I may add some length here next time too...and yes there will definitely be a next time. I would love one of these jackets in every colour of the rainbow.

I have already worn my Style Arc Stacie Jean Jacket several times and I can see it is going to be a favourite item in my wardrobe.

Just before I finish I thought I would share a photo of my loyal little sewing buddy who is never far from my side when I am sewing and who was a keen observer during my photo shoot this morning.

Ollie

Happy Sewing