Deer and Doe Plantain Tee and Style Arc Wallis Pants

Why have I waited so long to try this wonderful pattern?

The Plantain T-Shirt is a free downloadable pattern from Deer and Doe, that has been around for quite a while, yet I have waited until now to give it a try. I was after a top to wear out to a work dinner, that would be suitable to wear with my black Style Arc Wallis Pants. It needed to be evening appropriate and a quick sew as my time was limited. The Plantain T-Shirt was the perfect candidate.

Deer and Doe Plantain T-Shirt

I had this black and silver sparkly knit in my stash which had been bought ages ago from Spotlight for a completely different project that never eventuated. This fabric also met the criteria for this top.

I cut a size 44 and added 8cm to the length to make it more tunic length. In hindsight I should have added a little more to the length as I could only turn up a 1cm hem without making it too short. I love the shape of the neckline on this top, and the general shape of the T-Shirt is quite flattering...being fitted in the shoulders and across the bust, yet skimming loosely over the tummy and hips.

Although I am very happy with the fit of the front, the back needs a little more room to skim over my backside without getting caught up. This will be easily fixed for the next one.

There are generous 5/8th" seam allowances thank heavens, as I could see that this top was going to be too tight on me when I tried it on Vera during construction. The fabric has only a small amount of stretch and I should have allowed for this by cutting a larger size. I was able to save it by sewing 3/8th" seam allowances at the side seams.

The Style Arc Wallis Pants were sewn last year, but I never got around to blogging them. They are made from a lovely black ponte purchased from Style Arc. It has an excellent recovery so they don't bag out at all.

Style Arc Wallis Pants

I cut a size 12 and added a large calf adjustment to cater for my extended calves. The line drawing is incorrect. The curved side seam begins at the usual position for a side seam and curves toward the front at around hip level. It does not start from the back as the line drawing suggests. I am quite happy with the fit of these pants and they have been a really useful wardrobe staple.

Stay tuned for more Plantain Tees.

Happy Sewing

Me Made May 2016

 'I, Jean of http://sewjeanmargaret.blogspot.com.au/, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavour to wear at least two me made garments each day for the duration of May 2016, and to find new ways of mixing and matching my me made garments to create new outfits.' I will endeavour to post daily photos on IG @sewjeanmargaret and do a weekly roundup on the blog.

I have participated in Me Made May for the past two years and it has been a great experience. Looking forward to this year...meeting new sewing friends and joining in the fun.

Hope to see you there too.

Happy sewing

Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress

The Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress caught my eye the minute it was released, but it wasn't until I saw Lara's version that I was prompted to purchase the pattern. Soon after, I had an unexpected trip to Spotlight during a work trip and purchased this gorgeous Geo Space Dye Jersey in this lovely colour called Rasberry. It's a 50% cotton, 47% polyester and 3% spandex blend and is quite a beefy weight for a jersey. 

Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress

From the Style Arc website: "Hedy is a simple, unstructured shaped dress that has cleverly constructed design lines. The asymmetrical neck pleat drapes to the side seam and creates the hidden pockets and the fabulous cocoon shape. 
The Hedy pattern comes in 2 lengths - a knee-length dress & mid-calf length dress with side splits."

I cut the knee length version in a size 12 without any alteration. I was concerned that the neckline may have been too high at the front but I needn't have worried as it turned out just right.

The pockets are awesome and are cleverly hidden in the seam lines of the dress. I did have to do a bit of unpicking here as I sewed them in back to front on my first attempt. The instructions include several diagrams that are very helpful in the construction of the dress...if you study them properly the first time. Fusible interfacing is added to the pocket edges and provides the necessary stability in this area, essential in a knit fabric. 

I love the cocoon shape of the dress. Not only is it right on trend at the moment, it is also super comfortable and leaves plenty of room for a big lunch.

Most of the construction was done on the overlocker. I chose to finish the neckline off with a facing as it was quite bulky with the neckline pleats and I thought it would be easier than attempting a binding. I am happy with the result and to stop the facing from flipping out I hand stitched it to the various seam allowances around the neckline.

Here's a closer shot of the neckline facing that also shows the fabric in more detail. The fabric was the same on the right and wrong sides, so I had to be super careful that I didn't get them mixed up.

The neckline pleats are an interesting feature, with the seam lines continuing down to the side seams. Creating the pleats was a bit of a head scratching moment for me. I had to read and reread the instructions several times, as well as studying the diagrams and trying several different ways of folding the fabric. Then I had a "light bulb moment" and it became clear. I think I was trying to make it harder than it was.

Here is a better shot of the dress without the accessories. Notice the shoulder seams are towards the front and not directly on the shoulder line...another interesting feature.

With arms outstretched you can see the shape of the dress. As you have probably gathered with this picture heavy post, that I love my new dress. I sewed it up over two week night evenings, finishing it just in time to wear to my sister's surprise 50th Birthday lunch. On completion, I tried it on and asked my hubby's opinion. He's not a fan of "sack dresses" and this one fell into that category. On the morning of my sister's birthday I decided to wear my new dress despite my husband's misgivings. His comment was "you're not wearing that, are you".

I'm so glad I did wear it, as it was comfortable in the car for our three hour drive, it allowed plenty of room for a delicious lunch, and I received several lovely compliments.

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

Style Arc Lu Lu Tunic in Hot Pink Linen

Style Arc Lu Lu Tunic

The Style Arc Lu Lu Tunic has been languishing in my pattern stash for quite a while. I don't know why it has taken so long to get around to sewing this up. Now that I have made it I can say that I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I used this light weight linen purchased from Tessuti at Surry Hills about a year ago, during my first and only visit to this lovely fabric shop.

Style Arc Lu Lu Tunic

I cut my usual size 12 in Style Arc which worked out fine. I did lengthen the bodice by 5cm, which I later removed as it turned out way too long (This turned out to be much harder than it should have been). The pattern was perfect as it was. I did make a couple of other changes to simplify the construction process: The back bodice was cut on the fold and the back slit and button and loop closure were eliminated. The neckline opening is quite big enough to get the top on and off without any trouble.

The other change I made was to construct the neckband and sleeve bands as instructed, however I attached them simply by overlocking both the raw edges to the openings which worked beautifully. As the bands are 2cm wide there is plenty of width to hide the overlocking. Much less fiddly than attaching each layer separately and stitching in the ditch, as instructed.

To be honest, I could not make head nor tail of the instructions for the band at the bottom of the bodice. I found the written instructions and the instructions on the pattern pieces to be contradictory and I really had to scratch my head for a while. I ended up deciding to cut a pair of both the front and back bands and then treated them the same way as the sleeve and neckline bands. I sandwiched them between the bodice and lower skirt sections and overlocked all the layers in one go. Sounds simple if you do it correctly. Unfortunately I attached the band inside out so the the side with the under stitching (flat stitching) showed. Out came the seam ripper. All turned out well the second time.

Pocket and band details

The mitred corners on the skirt pieces were very well drafted and came together very well. I wore my new tunic to work the day after I completed it with my purple ponte Colette Mabel skirt, but it kept getting caught up on my hips and just felt too long. So...out came the seam ripper again, and I removed the skirt and the waist band and trimmed off 4cm of length from the bottom of the bodice. I then reattached the waistband and the skirt pieces back to front. The skirt was longer at the front...not a good look. So out came the seam ripper again.

I think I made the construction of this tunic much harder than it needed to be...anyway I'm sure the next one will go together without any silly mistakes.

Happy Sewing

Introducing Vera...my new sewing assistant and my knock off of Vogue 1179

Vera, my body double

I have recently splurged and bought a new dress form or dressmaker's dummy. There has been lots of research undertaken over several months for a replacement of my fully adjustable Project Runway dress form that broke a while ago. Although it had been a much appreciated gift from my husband, I could never get it to mimic my shape. By the time the waist had been expanded to match my waist measurement, the hips were all distorted and weirdly shaped. It was too light weight and unstable and broke during a simple outfit change.

After reading several favourable reviews, I settled on the The Shop Company Dress Form with collapsible shoulders located in the USA. I chose a size 12 which was smaller than my measurements, as it is not adjustable, it has to be padded out to resemble my shape. You can add, but you cannot take away. I also ordered The Fabulous Fit System which was also available from The Shop Company at a heavily discounted rate when purchased with a dress form.

The Shop Company Dress Form

The Shop Company does not ship to Australia, however they give instructions on how to organise shipping to Australia here.

This has been a very extravagant and expensive purchase...(it can be dangerous to be left home alone for hours on end over the Christmas break, with internet access and a credit card at your disposal), but one I have not regretted, thankfully.

There were a few anxious weeks while I waited for delivery. There was a hold up with The Fabulous Fit System, which held up the whole order. Once shipped by My US it arrived on my doorstep within 4 days...can't complain about that. The shock was when I checked my credit card account and realised that I forgot to factor in the current terrible exchange rate. Although the actual cost of the dress form was very reasonable, the addition of the freight to My US and then the freight on to Australia, the cost was blown right out with the adjustment for the exchange rate. I'm a little embarrassed to say that this new dress form cost me just over $1000 Australian dollars delivered to my door. 

Once it arrived I couldn't wait to get started on padding it out to resemble myself. However, this was quite a confronting process and you have to be brutally honest with yourself. I did get a good laugh from Anne of Pretty Grievances reading her post on The Fabulous Fit System. I did end up using a bra to hold the bust in the right position, in conjunction with the Fabulous Fit System padding as well as some wadding around the waistline. I am still working on the hip/thigh area as it's not quite right yet. I didn't use all the pieces from the padding system, but the ones I did use worked out great.

Vera...front view

Vera...side view

Vera...back view

Vera...other side view

The quality of this dress form is amazing. The base is cast iron and very heavy and stable. It has wheels and can be moved around easily. The shoulders collapse inwards which allows closer fitting garments to be easily put on and taken off. The canvas cover is very sturdy and is very pinnable. The pins must be slid in at an angle of course, but this works very well. I can see this dress form will be around for a long time and I can adjust the shape as needed, by adjusting the padding.

I have been wanting to make Vogue 1179 for a while now, but have been unable to find the pattern which is now OOP. 

Vogue 1179 line drawing.

I was particularly impressed with Sue's recent version. After studying the line drawings, and Googling every version of Vogue 1179 ever made, I decided to wing it and draft my own pattern. I didn't really know what I was doing and I probably did it all wrong ...but this is what I did.

Rough pattern cut and spread to create pleats

I based my pattern very loosely on the Named Kielo Wrap Dress, as I still had the pattern out from my recent version. The neckline was lowered, the bust darts removed and the extended side seams taken off. I then slashed and spread the front piece to create the pleats. The back was left with very straight side seams and it was cut on the fold, eliminating the centre back seam. The fish eye darts were also left off. The cowl was a simple rectangle cut to match the circumference of the neckline.

Vera at work

Vera was a huge help with pinning the pleats and adjusting the pattern to fit my shape. I added clear elastic to the shoulder seams and the neckline for stability. This beautiful knit purchased from Style Arc, a while ago is quite heavy and I was worried the neckline would stretch under the weight of the fabric. The armholes were finished off with self fabric bands.

My knock off of Vogue 1179

It has taken a while to get photos of the finished dress...life is just too busy sometimes. I have worn this dress several times already and I love the loose style.

My knock off of Vogue 1179

Closer view of the cowl and front pleats

After seeing these photos I think my version is a little looser than Vogue 1179. I would have loved to have seen the shape of the vogue pattern pieces. I think my version needs a bit more tweaking before I make another one. 

I have not regretted buying my new dress form. It has been a very useful addition to my sewing room, and I am really impressed with it's quality. I decided to name her Vera after my maternal grandmother, who was a talented sewer and made all her own clothes back in the day. I only remember her wearing dresses, always with stockings and when I hugged her she felt as hard as a rock (due to the corset she wore underneath). I'm sure she only ever had one dress pattern as all her dresses were very similar shapes with only small variations in neckline shapes, sleeve lengths and fabric types. Vera will now always remind me of happy memories of my Grandma.

Happy sewing