Monthly Archives: February 2018

Second time Success – The Lady Skater Dress in Ponte Roma

Dresses

After the previous iteration – a non-fitting toile – of this Lady Skater dress I have adjusted the pattern and intended to make another version of the dress. I WILL have a Lady Skater dress in my wardrobe!

Adjustments made to the pattern were:-

1)Add 1 inch to side seams at bust,

2)re-draw neckline by bringing in shoulder seams at neck edge by 1 inch,

3)re-draw armscye to make shoulders narrower,

4)Add 1 inch to underarm seam on sleeve to match additional width added to bodice,

5)make sway back adjustment,

6)add 1½ inches to the side seams at waist,

7)add 1½ inches to side seams of skirt

8)add 6 inches to the length of the skirt.

These are all fairly minor adjustments but in the final analysis made a world of difference.

I used 3 metres (total cost £15.00) a lovely Snakeskin print Ponte Roma purchased in March last year from M.Rosenberg & Son at the Sewing for Pleasure show at the NEC, Birmingham. Although the colour appears Black/Grey/White in the photographs it is actually various shades from Olive Green thru’ to Ivory. Even after lengthening the skirt by 6 inches, I still had some fabric left over – possibly enough to make a cap-sleeved top to wear with the Cream circle skirt.

So, onto the construction. I mostly used the overlocker for stitching the dress. At first fitting I reduced the length of the back bodice. The disadvantage of a very upright posture is that I always have to make a sway back adjustment which can sometimes lead to strange centre back seams but fortunately for this dress I had cut the back bodice on the fold. The fact that the waistline is now cut slightly on the bias is lost in the intricacies of the print. I also graded away some of the length on the front bodice. I felt that the sleeves were a little too short and added a narrow double-folded cuff of 1¼ inches. The centre back seam of the skirt and top-stitching of the neck band were straight-stitched on the sewing machine. For the hem on the skirt I used Sian of Kittenish Behaviour’s suggestion: Having run the hemline through the overlocker I then turned the scant ¼ inch to the wrong side and top stitched with a single row of straight stitching.

The dress has gone together very well and now fits perfectly. Notice how great it looks with my ‘feature’ wide belt.

  It was not until I tried on the completed dress and ‘swished’ about in front of the mirror that I noticed how I had achieved a lovely chevron effect at the side seams of the skirt and that the pattern matched thru’ from front bodice to front skirt. A complete accident!

Not quite wearable Toile – The Lady Skater by Kitschy Coo

Dresses

I regularly follow several sewing vlogs and a design that has appeared many times is The Lady Skater by Kitschy Coo. I could see that it was my sort of style so would give it a try.

  

To be fair, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the dress as I made my first version using some thick heavy scuba crepe that I bought from Cheapest Fabrics UK on eBay.

When I opened the parcel of this fabric I was immediately disappointed. It is very heavy and ‘spongy’ with not a great deal of stretch. The colour on my screen at home made it look more sort of Duck Egg Blue rather than the Grey it is called in the description box. I admit that buying fabric over the internet can be a lottery and on this occasion my £19.80 investment was definitely not for a winning ticket.

However, I decided to go ahead and make up the pattern as a wearable toile, just to see how it turned out.

According to the measurement chart I needed to cut a size 8 and add 1½ inches to each side seam at the waist point to allow for my chubby mid-section. I lengthened the skirt by 6 inches but apart from that made no alterations to the pattern.

The dress was stitched on the overlocker using a narrow seam. At first fitting I could see immediately that the top was too wide for my shoulders. The neckline was quite low but that could be remedied with a neckband. I needed to reduce the length at centre back of the bodice to allow for my sway back and remove the additional length at centre front that I had added to account for my bust. The sleeve length was fine but the biggest problem was how it squashed my bust!

This pattern is a little different to the usual in that you are instructed to measure your HIGH bust rather than your full bust. Mine measured 1 inch less than the size chart so it should have been OK – but it most definitely is not. At this stage there was nothing I could do as the sleeves had been inserted and the bodice side seams/sleeve seams sewn. So … I continued with the construction of the dress. The hems on the sleeves and skirt are stitched with a twin needle stitch length 3.5. At final fitting I found that the mid-section was close-fitting but the length of the skirt and the neck binding were fine.

The Lady Skater by Kitschy Coo

I have made adjustments to the pattern and will make this dress again in a finer jersey fabric (probably a Ponte Roma)  that has more stretch. I am sure it will then be a good fit – both to my figure and my preferred dress style.

Cactus Print Scuba Plantain Top

Blouses & Tops

The Plantain Top by Deer & Doe is currently my ‘go to’ pattern for simple tunic-style tops.

This one is made from a delightful cactus print on Scuba that I bought from Fabric Styles. I purchased just 1 metre at £4.50 and the fabric is so soft and silky that it will be a delight to wear.

I cut the sleeves ¾ length and then laid the front and back bodice pieces on the remainder of fabric to cut with a centre back length of 23 inches. The neckline has again been re-shaped by raising the centre front by 2 inches, making a gentle curve that is slightly wider and grading the neck points accordingly. I cut a neckband piece 2½ inches wide.

For construction I used the overlocker which is now threaded up with White. The neckband went on like a dream and the hems of the sleeves and bodice are twin-needle stitched in place. This top sews up in less than an hour.

Whilst in a ‘frivolous’ mood I have also purchased some pretty plimsolls – they are really Caribbean appropriate!

Re-fashioning Paola Tops

Blouses & Tops

In the past few months I have made a couple of Paola tops which for one reason or another have not turned out as I would like.

Usually when this happens I offer the garment for sale on eBay and if not sold it is put aside to go to the local charity shop. In this instance I really wanted to keep the two Paola tops for myself, so something would have to be done.

The first – a Grey Sweater Knit style Ponte from The Textile Centre finished up quite fitted with a polo (turtle) neck that was uncomfortable as it was so restrictive and close to my neck. Also the sleeves, once I had added long cuffs, made them too long. Even though I had intended for them to cover my wrists in the really cold weather, I found them uncomfortable and was forever folding them back.

The second, an Aqua-coloured Paola was made using a cotton jersey bought when on sale from Charlee Girl. The entire garment felt too big, the neckline was stretched, the sleeves too long and the hemline with the twin-needle stitching was very wavy.

For the Grey version I first cut off the collar and re-shaped the neckline to a low crew shape. Using some remnant of fabric I cut a neckband 2¼ inches wide and following my TNT method, applied this to the new shape. The sleeves were also an easy fix. I cut off the cuffs and removed the overlock seam. I removed 3 inches from the length of the sleeves before re-attaching the cuffs. Now they are exactly the right length. Whilst I had the Charcoal Grey thread on the sewing machine I took the time to take in the side seams at the hemline by approximately 1 inch each side, grading to 0 inches at the waistline.

   

One down, one to go.

Again for the Aqua Paola I removed the collar and re-shaped the neckline. This time into a wider, more scooped line. I used a remnant from the tropical leaf print jersey dress that I made last Summer to cut a neckband. Once again, my TNT method resulted in a great-looking neckband complete with co-ordinating top stitching.

The sleeves were each reduced by approximately 3 inches before adding a cuff, also in the contrasting tropical leaf print jersey fabric. The wavy hem was given a thorough press and it is now ‘behaving’ itself.

   

I have retrieved possible ‘rejects’ and now there are two new tops in my wardrobe.

This exercise has also taught me how quick and simple it is to re-shape a neckline, apply a neckband and add contrasting cuffs to a tee top. As good quality tees are readily available from High Street stores at very competitive prices, in future I might buy some and refashion to make new ‘originals’.

Drunkards Path Patchwork

patchwork & quilting

When my sister and I go on our travels which has lately taken the form of a cruise, I always prepare a couple of kits of patchwork hand-sewing projects. This year we will be visiting the Caribbean for a fly-cruise so will have to reign back slightly on our packing.

After consultation with Catherine, we decided to tackle the Drunkards’ Path block. After browsing various Pinterest boards I came up with two very different arrangements for the blocks.

The first, ‘Drunken Birds’, I will be stitching myself, whilst Catherine will be working on a slightly more traditional arrangement.

We decided that as we would be in the Caribbean we would choose vibrant coloured fabrics to reflect our location. I visited New Threads Quilt Shop and purchased twelve fat quarters which combined with some equally bold prints would be used in our projects. The background colour for my quilt will be Blue and Catherine has chosen a Primrose Yellow.

After careful evaluation of the ‘birds’ I sorted my fabrics and started cutting the various parts. When cutting the ‘arcs’ there is always a lozenge shape of spare fabric and I thought that it would be ideal to use as the ‘heads’ of the birds. Once all the parts had been die-cut, I arranged the blocks

according to the inspiration to check how they looked together. I have used three different shades of Blue for the background ‘sky’ and arranged the blocks so that the lightest ‘sky’ is at the top of the quilt, grading to a medium Blue and then for the bottom row of birds, a much darker Blue. I hope that this will help to give the impression of perspective, that the top row of birds are further away. We shall see.

I cut the lozenge shapes in half widthways and placed on the appropriate Blue fan-shaped piece before using a fine zig-zag stitch to appliqué in place. Gradually all the ‘heads’ were stitched.

Well, now I thought I would stitch a sample/test block.

I was so pleased with the result that I could not stop…. now I have stitched seven blocks on the machine. This means that I shall have to make all 21 of the blocks on the machine as otherwise with some hand-sewn the result on the quilt may look a little odd. I don’t mind.

I enjoy stitching this block and as Catherine has in excess of 100 blocks to sew for her quilt I will happily assist by hand stitching some for her. What are sisters for?

Full Circle Skirt

Skirts & Trousers

Back in January I purchased 2 metres of Cream Ponte from The Textile Centre (cost £3.14/m). I knew that I am short of plain-coloured skirts in my wardrobe so a full-circle skirt with elasticated waistband would fill a gap.

To make the skirt I turned once again to McCalls 6754

and using only the skirt front and back patterns with an additional 3 inches to the length I cut out. I omitted the centre back seam of the skirt by placing on the fold. I cut a waistband from the width of the fabric x 4 inches wide.

So with very little seaming the skirt was sewn in less than 1 hour. The waistband is top stitched and a length of Petastretch® inserted for the elastication.

The skirt has been allowed to hang for 24 hours but there does not appear to be any drop in the bias. The hem now needs to be top- stitched in place with a twin needle and given a good press.

This skirt has proved a winner. I was a little disappointed that the colour I had bought was Cream rather than White but provided I do not wear the skirt with any White tops, I am sure it will be fine.

 

Back to Basic Patchwork – Hexagons

patchwork & quilting

The second Monday in the month is the morning for Patchwork & Quilting at Franklins in Salisbury. We are re-visiting the basics and this month we looked again at hexagons.

Using templates that came free with a quilting magazine and some scraps of cotton fabric, I made 6 hexies with 1 inch sides.

Using Emma’s detailed instructions, these were carefully placed on a quilt sandwich of a fat quarter printed cotton, thin wadding and another fat quarter of plain cotton for the backing. I would normally use a spray adhesive to keep the layers together but as this was a small piece and would be quilted very quickly, I simply basted with glass-headed pins.

Prior to stitching, the hexagons were kept in place with some fabric glue.

In Emma’s sample she had quilted in three directions through the middle of each hexagon. However, as I had ‘fussy-cut’ the print of some of my hexagons, I had to stitch around the edge of each individual one. I then quilted in two directions only as time was getting on, I wanted to have the project finished by the end of the evening!

I completed the bag with a Yellow zip and sugar bag bottom corners. The finished bag measures 15 inches across x 9 inches deep. A really useful item to showcase those hexagons!

Like a Chinese meal, no sooner have you finished making a few hexagons than you feel like making some more. They will have to wait until I have made the full circle skirt which is now cut out and ready to sew….. catch you later!

Scrumptious Stretch Velvet Plantain Tunic by Deer & Doe

Blouses & Tops

I bought this fab-u-lous stretch velvet from Stitchy Bee sometime at the end of last year and since then it has been in my ’roundtuit’ pile awaiting just the right pattern to make it up.

I have now well and truly tested the Plantain tunic top by Deer and Doe which is fast becoming one of my favourite TNT patterns.

I ensured that the pile of the velvet was running down the length of the pattern and quickly laid out the pattern pieces. The fabric was a delight to use. The wrong side is soft and silky and the surface feels just like real silk velvet.

I made my usual adjustments – raised the centre front neckline by 2 inches, lengthened the tunic by 4 inches and shortened the sleeves by 4 inches.

The pattern took just 1.5 metres of fabric and as had I purchased 2 metres at £9.90/metre I now have sufficient remaining to make a lovely evening bag – but that will be for another day as I already have a super beaded evening bag to use.

Apart from the neckband, the entire tunic was stitched on my sewing machine. For the main seams I used the ‘lightning’ stitch length 3.5 and for the hems a standard straight stitch – also at length 3.5.

Velvet Plantain Tunic by Deer & Doe

I believe that I have now completed the dark-coloured garments in anticipation of the cruise – although I do have some lovely dragonfly printed cotton ready laundered….

Timeless Treasures Dragonflies print

hmm …. no better get on with the circle skirt in Ivory Ponte.

Faux Fur Gilet – Hack of Simplicity 4032

Coats and Jackets

Well I have thought quite long enough about this project. Now it is time to stop looking at the fabric and get on with the project. First step was to trace off the pattern from Simplicity 4032.

I used the back, side front, front panels and centre panel/facing/collar pieces from view D. To remove the hem flounce I added 3+5/8th inches to the length of the pieces whilst retaining the gentle curve at lower front edge on the centre panel/facing/collar pattern. I adjusted the centre back by 1 inch for my sway back and added extra width at the hips – ‘just in case’ it was required.

I am pleased that I checked out the faux fur and discovered that there was a definite nap, all pattern pieces were laid so that the pile was going down the garment.

I used some spare fabric to run a couple of stitching tests. Was I going to have the fur on the inside or the outside? I decided to have the faux fur on the outside so that the smooth knit was next to my other clothing and would reverse at the collar giving my face a frame of the Cerise Pink colour.

   

I tested out seam finishes. Option 1) Lapped seams with all seam allowances overlocked in the Cerise Pink thread – preferred. 

Option 2) a straight forward seam with Right sides together – not good as that left a lot of raw/fluffy seam allowances on the inside of the gilet. 

I threaded the machine with a Light Blue Grey in the needle and a Cerise Pink in the bobbins. All seams were stitched from the Right side.

For the first fitting I pinned all the seams to check the fit. After some adjustment of the seams I then stitched each one twice. First to secure the top layer in place and secondly to secure the under layer and prevent it from flapping about inside the garment. This method gives a nice smooth finish to the inside of the garment thus making it easier to put on and off.

For the armhole finishing I simply overlocked the raw edge and then turned the knit side to the outside before hand basting in place. I changed the top thread to Cerise Pink before zig-zag stitching the turnings in place.

The front panel/facing/collar piece was also applied using a lapped seam and finished in the same way as the other panel seams. The entire outer edge was then overlocked to finish the raw edges.

The gilet is big enough to lap right over left and could have a button or snap fastening but for now I will leave it as is.

A very comfortable gilet which has provided me with the new experience of sewing with faux fur. Now I have to vacuum the sewing room which is awash with Grey fluff!

Deer & Doe Plantain Dress Hack

Dresses

Deer & Doe Plantain Tunic Pattern

Whilst I am still cogitating on how to make up the faux fur/cerise knit gilet from Simplicity 4032, as light relief I decided to use up some of my stash! A quick hacked version of the Deer and Doe Plantain top into a dress.

Plantain Dress Hack

I found this winter-weight jersey from Fabricland (£4.59/metre) deep in my stash. It was probably purchased sometime last year when I began my adventure with jersey fabrics. The fabric is no longer listed on the website so I do not know its construction – only that it has good stretch in both directions. This piece was a remnant from a top-making session with my friend Adrienne. I guess there was approximately 1¾ yards from which to cut the dress and fortunately there is no definite one-way direction to the print.

First step was to trace the pattern and make a few small adjustments. I graded the waistline seam of the back bodice to allow for my sway back. The final CB seam was 16½ inches. I cut the skirt 27 inches long allowing just ½ inch for the hem. The centre front of the bodice neckline was raised by 2 inches and I also cut a neckband 2¼ inches wide. I lengthened the centre front waistline of the bodice by 1 inch to allow for my bust and graded back to 0 at the side seams. The sleeve pattern is 4 inches shorter than the original and I added double folded cuffs.

The dress went together very easily. Due to lack of fabric I cut the back bodice at the selvedge and made a seam. The skirt was cut from the full width of fabric and had only one seam at centre back. I applied a neckband with finished width of ¾ inch and cuffs that are 1¼ inch deep. At first fitting I took in the sleeves by 1 inch grading to 0 at the underarm. All seams are overlocked and the skirt hem is finished with twin-needle stitching.

At the final fitting I noticed that the waistline seam on the bodice had stretched. I added some clear elastic to the seam – stitched with a triple zig-zag. This has pulled in the waistline and makes for a much more flattering fit. Here I have yet another dress that looks good with my wide double-buckled belt.