Vogue 1247 in Buttersuede

The Vogue 1247 skirt is a very popular pattern and I can see why. This is my second version of this cute and practical skirt. You can see my first version here.

I made this version specially to go with my floral Style Arc Stacie Jean Jacket. This jacket has been a bit of an orphan in my wardrobe and was in desperate need of some matching garments to pair it with. When I saw this khaki butter suede during a visit to Spotlight last year, I knew it would be a great match. I don't know why it has taken me this long to sew it up.

This time I made a straight size 16. I did lengthen it considerably from the original pattern. I was a little concerned during construction, that it may be a bit lightweight for this skirt. I didn't shave any off the side seams (like I did in my previous version) because I wanted it to be a looser fit so that it would hang nicely. But I think it has turned out OK.

The fabric has an interesting texture and a definite nap. Similar to velvet, but much lighter weight. I did struggle a bit with static electricity while wearing this skirt, even after spraying it with anti static spray. Hopefully this was due to the dry and windy weather we had been having.

I am a little disappointed with my invisible zip insertion. I only had a black zip on hand and it is not very invisible. Too impatient to wait a few days to get a more appropriate colour. At least my jacket covers most of it. I hand stitched the hem for a neater finish but this was quite tedious and difficult to keep the stitches invisible on the fabric. Still, I think it looks better than a top stitched hem on this skirt.

My first outing in my new skirt was last Sunday...the most perfect Autumn day. The weather was absolutely beautiful. I met up with a girlfriend for lunch and we then went for a walk along the boardwalk around Wagonga Inlet at Narooma. I wore my new skirt with my Scout Woven Tee in cream spun rayon and my floral denim Style Arc Stacie Jean Jacket. Hopefully I will get some more wear out of my Jacket now it has a matching skirt.

Happy Sewing

Me Made May '15 Day 11 to 17 in Review

Here we are half way through Me Made May already. Taking the photos everyday is starting to wear a bit thin and it's hard to come up with new ideas to make it more interesting. However, I know I will find it valuable information to reassess my wardrobe. Here are the photos taken over the past week:

Day 11

Monday morning and not looking too excited to go back to work. Wearing Sewaholic Renfrew Top in lilac ponte and Style Arc Barb Pants in stretch bengaline.

Day 12

Another day at work wearing Style Arc Sara Skirt in blue stretch bengaline and New Look 6648 top (made pre blog).

Day 13

Wednesday and another work day. Wearing a new dress finished the night before. It's based on the Style Arc Kristen Dress with the Sewaholic Renfrew Cowl neckline. The patterned panel on the front is a scuba knit and the navy and white fabrics are ponte knits.

Day 14

Thursday and off to work again. Wearing New Look 6071 purple ponte dress with Style Arc Terry Tie Cardigan. This was a new combination and I felt good wearing it plus it was nice and warm for a freezing day.

Day 15

Friday, last day of the working week. Being a bit slack today and only wearing one "me made" garment...my Style Arc Sara Skirt in black stretch bengaline. Everything else is RTW.

Day 16

Saturday spent at home doing housework in the morning and some sewing in the afternoon. Keeping it real...no makeup. Wearing Sewaholic Renfrew top which unfortunately has a chocolate stain on the front that refuses to wash out so is only worn around the house, and Style Arc Elle Pants.

Day 17

Sunday and we had the most perfect Autumn day. Had a short drive down the coast to meet up with an old friend for lunch. Wearing Style Arc Stacie Jean Jacket, Grainline Scout Woven Tee and Vogue 1247 Skirt (just finished last night). I made this skirt specifically to go with my floral jacket.

Love seeing what everyone else is wearing on the Me Made May '15 Flickr page.


Happy Sewing

Style Arc Kristen Dress, Colour Blocked and Modified.

I had a long narrow strip of the lovely mosaic print scuba knit that I used for my Style Arc Fay Skirt left over in my stash. It was too good to throw away, but not big enough for an entire garment. This is what I came up with:

I used the Style Arc Kristen Dress pattern which I have made once before here. It's such a simple design...a blank canvas.

I redrew the front pattern piece, adding a 20cm wide strip down the centre and two side front pieces. I also substituted the crew neckline with the Cowl neckline from the Sewaholic Renfrew Top.

The fabrics I used with the scuba knit are a navy and an off white ponte. All fabrics were purchased from Spotlight last year. The zip was eliminated as it is completely unnecessary in a knit and I also left off the pockets.

I did add some long fisheye darts in the back after trying it on. The fit was a little too "sack like" without them.

I am quite happy with the fit now, still relaxed but with a little shape. I'm not sure if I like the cowl in off white. I am wondering if it would have looked better in the navy. Hopefully it will grow on me because I really don't feel like unpicking it, and I have just enough navy ponte left over to make a skirt, so I don't want to waste it cutting another cowl.

You can see the lovely print in the close up photo. I also top stitched the joining seams between the panels with a twin needle. All the hems were turned up 2.5 cms and topstitched with the twin needle as well.

This was a nice and easy dress to make and it's very comfortable to wear too.


Happy Sewing

Me Made May '15 Day 1 to 10 in review.

May has proved to be a busy month with two challenges to keep me focused. I have been participating in Me Made May '15 and also working on losing those pesky extra kilos that I have gained over the last couple of years. The daily photos are keeping me accountable. You can see my pledge here.

Day 1

Wearing Style Arc Kristen dress layered over Grainline Archer shirt for warmth, for a day at work.

Day 2

Enjoying the beautiful autumn leaves. Dressed for a trip into town to choose paint and carpet for our lounge room renovation. Wearing Grainline Scout Woven Tee and Style Arc Stacie Jean Jacket. Jeans are RTW.

Day 3

A relaxing day at home wearing Style Arc Elle Pants and Style Arc Adele Top.

Day 4

Back to work wearing Vogue 1250 dress and RTW cardigan.

Day 5

Work day again, wearing my grey shift dress refashioned from my Named Kielo Wrap Dress and Style Arc Nina Cardigan.

Day 6

Catching up on sewing blogs after a day at work, wearing Style Arc Ginger Top and modified Style Arc Sara Skirt. Cardigan is RTW.

Day 7

A quick snap taken on my way to work wearing a refashioned top from a dress, based on the Grainline Scout Tee, and Style Arc Barb Pants. Cardigan is RTW.

Day 8

Theme Day. Photo with my sewing machines: Bernina B350 bought 2 years ago; overlocker Baby Lock BL4-736DF bought in the late 1980's and on the floor behind me is another Bernina 1005 bought second hand in the 1990's. I love all my machines. Wearing Style Arc Fay Skirt in a scuba knit.

Day 9

The weekend at last. Taking Ollie for a walk and enjoying the beautiful sunshine. Wearing Style Arc Elle Pants, Maria Denmark Kirsten Kimono Tee and Style Arc Nina Cardigan.

Day 10

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mums out there. I am joined in the photo today with my own beautiful Mum. I am wearing a Style Arc Terri Tie Cardigan and Style Arc Wallis Ponte Pants.

I have been enjoying wearing my "me made" clothes and finding new combinations. It's been so inspiring seeing what everyone else has been wearing too. And the scales are starting to go down as well, so everything is on track.


Happy Sewing

Vogue 1250 in Black Splotch Jersey

Vogue 1250 with modifications

This very popular dress pattern has finally found its way to my sewing room. Unfortunately, my pattern only included sizes 6-14 and my current measurements are a little larger than that, so I made a few changes. This dress only has three pattern pieces and that includes the back neck binding. I knew I needed more width in the tummy and hips, but the shoulders and neck would be fine at size 14, so I added a wedge to the centre front and the centre back bodice making sure that I added equal amounts at the waistline. I then added a strip to the centre back skirt seam, making sure that the back bodice and skirt waistline seams were the same length. That's probably about as clear as mud. Perhaps a photo will help.

My changes to the pattern

My alterations were a success as the dress fits me, but it did change the shape of the dress. It resulted in a more A-line shape than the nice tapered shape shown on the pattern envelope. 

Vogue 1250 Line Drawing

The fabric came from Style Arc but it is no longer available. If I recall correctly, it was called Black Splotch which is a perfect description of the print. It's a lovely jersey with an excellent drape.

I managed to get enough width so that it doesn't cling to my wobbly bits although I do feel more comfortable wearing this dress with a cardigan.

The back has quite a loose fit and the waistline seam is a little low. I might make a few more adjustments before I try another one. This is a little hard to see in this print but would be quite obvious in a solid colour.

Vogue 1250 cowl

I love the cowl on this dress. I have found it to be the ideal depth for me and it drapes so well. I turned the hem up 2.5cm twice as there was plenty of length to play with and this made a nice thickness to hem with a twin needle.

I can see this pattern would be great to make some spring/summer/autumn work dresses. If you use the right fabric, they would be so easy care...no ironing required and also work well with a cardigan or jacket.

This is how I have been wearing it to work with a cardigan and tights.


Happy Sewing

Me-Made-May '15

I can't believe it's almost May already. I participated in Me-Made-May '14, last year for the first time and really enjoyed it, so I have decided to join in again this year.

It's a great way to document your wardrobe and see what is working and what is not. Last year I found it very useful as a tool for evaluating my wardrobe and identifying areas that needed attention. It was also a huge boost to my sewing mojo which I'm hoping will happen again this year.

Here is my pledge:

'I, Jean of http://sewjeanmargaret.blogspot.com.au/, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear as many Me Made garments as possible each day for the duration of May 2015'

Over the last year or so, I seem to have expanded around my waistline. This has been a gradual weight gain due to the onset of middle age, generally over eating and laziness. It has got to the stage where a lot of my Me Made clothes have become uncomfortably tight around the middle...some even unwearable.

I have been feeling very fat and frumpy lately, but struggling to find the motivation to do something about it. So I thought I might use Me-Made-May '15 to not only wear as many Me Made garments as possible each day, but to motivate me into eating more healthily and exercising, so that by the end of May I can fit more comfortably back into my Me Made clothes. Daily photos will keep me accountable and provide the motivation I need.

I will post once a week with photos of my daily outfits and I will be joining the Me-Made-May '15 Flickr Group.

Looking forward to sharing and following along with everyone else who has joined in this year.

Happy Me-Made-May '15

Style Arc Adele Tunic in Stripes

Recently I had the unexpected opportunity to visit The Remnant Warehouse in Sydney. I have bought quite a bit of fabric from their online store in the past, so it was great to actually visit the real shop for the first time. It was during this visit that I picked up this lovely cotton lycra stripe in a soft grey and white. They had precut bundles of this fabric in one metre lengths for $5.00. I bought two bundles and used it to try out the Style Arc Adele Top.

Style Arc Adele Tunic

I made a size 12 and the only alteration I made was to the shape of the neckline.

I took my time to match the stripes at the side seams. I could have constructed this entirely on the overlocker but I knew my stripes would never line up if I did this. So I used a very narrow zigzag on my sewing machine and my walking foot and lots of pins. This worked really well and I am glad I took the extra time and effort.

I love the fit of this tunic. There is negative ease across the bust and shoulders, but then it falls loosely over the tummy and hips, effectively hiding any lumpy bits. I am wearing this tunic with my Style Arc Elle Pants.

Neckline borrowed from the Sewaholic Renfrew

 

You may have noticed that my neckline is quite different from the pattern illustration. I am not a fan of crew necklines on me, so I redrew the neckline using the Sewaholic Renfrew View B with the V neckline, and I followed the Sewaholic instructions for the construction of the V neckline.

There is a side split on one side which assists with the fit over the hips. I am more rectangular shaped, so I probably could get away without the side split, but this would be great for those of you who are more pear shaped.

I love the asymmetrical hemline too. I think it is very flattering and helps elongate and slim the torso. I used a twin needle to sew all the hemlines. I wanted to use some Steam a Seam Lite to stabilize the hems before stitching but my local supplier was out of stock, so I forged ahead very carefully, using my walking foot. The result wasn't too bad but there is some tunneling.

Loving my new Adele Tunic which has been worn three times already. I will be making more of these when I can find the right fabric.

Happy Sewing