Lemon print skirt

I've had this gorgeous Dolce and Gabbana-style cotton (from Pigeon Wishes but no longer in stock) squirrelled away for over a year and have really taken my time deciding what to use it for. I already have a lemon print dress, which I wear quite a lot and is wildly popular with members of the public (I'm complimented on it virtually every time I wear it, which is lovely!) Because of this I figured separates would get a bit more wear than another dress, so decided to make a statement skirt. 

The pattern is the skirt section of the Mortmain dress by Gather, which is the same pattern I used for my first lemon dress. I think a large, bold print like this works particularly well with box pleats. Handily for me, Gather Kits have a blog post on how to make a Mortmain skirt from the dress pattern pieces, which is totally fool proof. The only thing I did differently was to swap the exposed zip for an invisible one. As you can probably see from the photos, I deliberately made the waistband more of a relaxed fit. I decided I'd rather forego the very neat, nipped in look of a perfectly fitted waistband for the comfort factor and ability to eat my dinner without feeling like I'm about to explode.

The skirt is fully lined with Venezia lining fabric which was a perfect colour match to the navy background. It was given to me as a gift from Jo Sews ages ago and is the loveliest lining fabric I've ever sewn with. I'm truly lamenting the fact that it doesn't seem to be available in the UK* (Jo lives in Brussels). Lining the skirt gives it a really nice weight and a bit of structure which I think is good with a pleated skirt. *EDIT: Hoorah, I've now discovered that Venezia lining IS available in the UK from here (Stone Fabrics) in tons of colours. Thank you so much to the readers who pointed this out.

As the print on this skirt is full on lemony, I made a new plain top specifically to wear with it. New Look 6217 is the pattern that keeps on giving and yet again it didn't fail me. I think this is now my sixth version of this top - I've given up blogging about them as I don't want to bore you all to death! You only need half a metre of 150cm wide fabric to make it and I used luxury crepe from Sew Over It which has a lovely drape. 

I really like the whole outfit, which works just as easily for daytime as it does for evening. I was actually wearing flip flops and heels to demonstrate this in the photos below, but my son didn't think to include my feet when he was taking them!

Daytime 

Evening

The skirt (and top) gets its first outing tomorrow at a party...I'll report back! x

2016: The Hits And The Misses

2016 has been a good dressmaking year for me. I haven't been as prolific as in previous years, but that's because I've been a bit more considered in what I choose to sew. I've concentrated more on fit and fabric choice and this has definitely resulted in fewer failures and unworn garments! 

So without further ado, let's look at my favourite makes and a couple that didn't quite work...

THE HITS 

New Look 6217

The pattern that has without doubt, been the biggest hit of my sewing year has been New Look 6217. It may be a plain, unprepossessing little pattern, but it always seems to magically come up with the goods for me. The top and skirt both fit me straight from the envelope and are very easy to sew. My favourite of the five tops I've sewn is still the first one, made with black satin-backed crepe. It goes with everything and always looks classy. There's a round-up of all my other versions on my OWOP post here.

My NL6217 polka dot denim skirt should also get a mention as it was such a wardrobe staple over the summer. The fabric has a great stretch to it, so it's both comfortable to wear and a flattering fit.

Big Vintage Sewalong Dress

This Vogue reproduction pattern (V8875) has only been worn once as it's very dressy, but I still want to include it as I received so many compliments when I wore it! It's made from a gorgeous luxury crepe, so it hangs beautifully and has a very polished look. I also worked really hard to perfect the fit and feel really fabulous in it!

Vintage Shoulder Tie Top

Made using a Woman's Own vintage pattern, this has been a surprise hit as it's more of a boxier fit than I'm used to. The cute shoulder ties are a lovely vintage touch and I found myself reaching for it again and again over the summer. The lush Liberty fabric doesn't hurt either!

Ginghamalong Top

This was made to replace a much loved, very similar top and is a big improvement on the original. It's made using the Sewaholic Granville pattern, which is a great fit on me, and the 100% cotton gingham is a lovely quality. In fact I'm wearing it as I type this (underneath a jumper)! 

THE MISSES

There are only two, neither of which has been an outright disaster. 

Karen Drape Dress

Despite me falling for the draped style of this Maria Denmark pattern, it's still a bit too grown up and slinky for me, hence it's only been worn once. I do really like the side pleat detail though, so may well just shorten it into a top. Teamed with a plain skirt or jeans, I'm sure it would get worn a lot more frequently. This can be a nice easy job for the New Year!

Clara Bow Blouse

I've worn this pattern a couple of times but the fit has never been quite right. It's a nice pattern (original pattern review is here) but needs a bit of tweaking to get it to fit me properly: I'd need to do an FBA (Full Bust Adjustment) and lengthen it considerably. 

Only two minor fails then, which I consider pretty good going for a whole year of sewing!

What have been your biggest hits (and misses) of 2016? And which patterns have turned out to be unexpected gems?!

In other news, I'm working away on my red coat and may get it finished before Christmas. If I don't, it will make a good project to welcome in the New Year! Happy Monday! x

One Week, One Pattern 2016

The past week has seen me wearing different variations of New Look 6217 each day as part of OWOP (One Week, One Pattern) 2016. The challenge was run this year by Hannah at Cinderellis Sews and I had a lot of fun mixing and matching garments made from my current favourite pattern.

I cheated slightly as I've made both tops and skirts from the pattern, so it wasn't actually much of a stretch. But considering the pattern also includes trousers and a kimono jacket I think I was actually quite restrained! What I like about the top and skirt patterns is the fit: they have a fair amount of wearing ease but still skim the body to show off your curves. I already had three versions of the top and two of the skirt, but just managed to squeeze out another last minute top to give myself a bit more choice. Here's what I wore:

Day 1 - Red Swiss Dot NL6217 top and Gap jeans. I was visiting the Undressed exhibition at the V & A museum with Scruffy Badger. 

Day 2 - Denim NL6217 skirt and 1960's Shoulder Tie top (without shoulder ties!) I was at the allotment pretending to help, so this combo was actually really comfortable, although a white top probably wasn't the wisest choice for picking raspberries...

Day 3 - Liberty print NL6217 top and denim Arielle skirt. I hadn't tried this combo before now and was surprised how much I liked it.

Day 4 - Denim NL6217 skirt and Gingham Granville shirt. The Ginghamalong went live today so I wore my new gingham shirt with my New Look denim skirt. It's a bit of a polka dot/gingham clash but I think they look good together! This photo was taken outside my local boozer, complete with splendid old tiles.

Day 5 - Ivory Crepe NL6217 top and Liberty Carline Delphine skirt. This is a new, unblogged version of the top made from a 80cm remnant of prestige crepe from the Fabric Godmother sale. The drape is perfect for this pattern and I loved wearing it on its first outing. Being off white, it's also useful for pairing with garments that are difficult to match things to (like this skirt!) 

Day 6 - Black crepe NL6217 top and Bamboo skirt. Suitably smart attire for visiting the Buckingham Palace state rooms with my mother-in-law!

Day 7 - Black Crepe NL6217 top and Sew Over It Ultimate Trousers. Here I am meeting the lovely Mark from Girl Charlee UK at the Handmade Fair in Hampton Court (more on my visit in the next blog post).

A few reflections on the challenge:

• I'm sooooo pleased I chose this pattern, everything I've made from it feels like such a natural part of my everyday wardrobe. 
• The top is a simple shape and easy to make, but I think fabric choice and colour are key to wearing them often. The fact that I had three solid, neutral colours tops meant they could be paired with anything. Plus the lovely quality of the fabrics made them feel just a bit more special than a T shirt or cotton top in the same colours.
• I love the slim silhouette of the skirt and the quirky little side split - I'll definitely be making more of them.
• I'm still not very adventurous with accessories!

Thank you to Hannah for hosting the challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing what everybody else has been wearing for the past week! Have a great weekend. x

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OWOP is back!

Hands up who remembers OWOP (One Week, One Pattern)? Of course you do, it's the group sewing challenge where participants wear variations of the same pattern, every day for a week! The original challenge was created by Tilly in 2012, I resurrected it in 2014 and now Hannah from Cinderellis Sews is hosting a new challenge for 2016. Hoorah! 

My favourite part of both challenges was working out all the different mix and match combinations with my chosen pattern. In 2012 I chose the Colette Ginger skirt, a high waisted A-line skirt that proved to be endlessly versatile. For the last challenge I went for a vintage pattern - Simplicity 4238 - a 1950's button up blouse that's become a real wardrobe staple.

The big question is, what to choose this time round? You may have noticed I've been more than a little obsessed with New Look 6217 of late (I have three versions of the top and two versions of the skirt), so that's currently the strongest contender. However, I also absolutely LOVE my Sewaholic Granville shirts and although I only have two versions (here and here) they're both solid colours, so they match absolutely everything. The Granville shirt would certainly be a greater challenge, but may be a bit too similar to the last pattern, what do you think?

If you'd like to join in, One Week, One Pattern 2016 will run from Saturday 10th September until Friday 16th September. You can sign up and find out further details about OWOP on Cinderellis Sews. There will also be a series of exciting guest posts on her blog over the next few weeks (including ME on August 6th!) and fabulous giveaways for every day of the challenge. Wahay! x

Another New Look 6217 skirt…and top

I told you I wasn't finished with New Look 6217 just yet! After helping my friend Emma to make her Budgie Skirt I had a sudden yearning to make another one for myself. The good thing about this pattern is that both front and back pieces are cut on the fold (the zip's in the side seam). So as long as you have a wideish piece of fabric where the selvedges can be folded into the centre, you only need a very small amount. Gratifyingly I managed to use up the last half metre of stretch polka dot denim from my Ultimate Trousers, yes!

I sewed a straight size 12 again, but could probably have done with sizing down at the waist as the fabric has so much stretch to it. I'm intending to wear this skirt a LOT over the coming months though, so it's nice to know I'll have a bit of a pie eating safety net built in!

To finish the waist I made self bias binding instead of the twill tape the pattern specifies. Because of the stretch in the fabric I cut the binding on the straight grain instead of the bias and it worked a treat. 

But wait, there's more….. I picked up two lovely Swiss Dot cottons (one red, one navy) at the Fabric Godmother Open Day on Saturday and the red one seems to have magically transformed itself into a New Look 6217 top! I've used Swiss Dot fabric once before when I made a sleeveless Granville shirt and it's perfect for summer dressmaking. I underlined the pattern pieces on that occasion as the fabric was very transparent, but didn't bother this time as the colour is much darker. The resulting top is beautifully light and airy for summer, I definitely think this pattern benefits from using a fabric with lots of drape.

As before (here and here) I sewed a size 12 at the bust, grading down to a 10 at the waist and hips. I lengthened the pattern by one inch this time and it's a nice length on me either tucked in or untucked. As the fabric is quite fine I used French seams throughout and finished the neckline with red bias tape from my stash. Easy peasy.

It's also a perfect match with my new skirt! Have a good day!

Budgie skirt

A week or two ago I promised you a budgie skirt on the blog, and today's the day! Isn't it lovely?! I helped my friend Emma make it using the-pattern-that-can-do-no-wrong (New Look 6217) and I think the statement fabric works perfectly with this simple pattern.

The fabric is from Ditto Fabrics and is a Japanese cotton/linen blend (80% cotton, 20% linen). It's a lovely combination as it has the texture and feel of linen, but the high cotton content means you don't get lots of tiresome creasing.

We spent a little while thinking about pattern placement as Emma wanted a couple of her favourite budgies to feature prominently.

If you look closely, you'll see some of them are wearing collar and ties! There's even a cockatoo thrown in for good measure.

Size-wise we cut a size 12 with a couple of minor adjustments - increased the width of the back darts to allow for Emma's slight sway back, shaved a tiny bit off the hips and lengthened the skirt by 1½". Emma cut out the fabric and sewed the basic shell of the skirt together and I stepped in to add the invisible zip and twill tape to the waist - a splendid joint effort!

The classic shape and oatmeal colour means she'll be able to pair it with lots of different coloured tops for summer. And there's no need to worry about pattern clashes - I'm reliably informed that budgies are a neutral...

I leave you with the lovely Geoff Capes - former strongman and budgie fancier. Guaranteed to cheer you up on a Monday morning! x

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The pattern that keeps on giving...

Hmmm, what pattern could I possibly be referring to? Why New Look 6217 of course! I've made two versions of the top (here and here) and I'm now going to bore you to death about the skirt. The decision to make the skirt happened slightly by accident… my friend Emma wanted me to help her make a very simple pencil skirt and asked if I knew of a suitable pattern. I immediately thought of the New Look pattern - just two pattern pieces, no waistband and an easy side split, perfect for a beginner.

I took Emma's measurements and decided to make a quick muslin before we were let loose on her precious fabric. There's quite a bit of ease in this pattern, so I went down one size from her actual measurements and made up a size 12, which also happens to be my size... I tried it on to check it wasn't wildly off and discovered it was a perfect fit on me. This was too good a sign to ignore, hence the decision to make one myself!

I used a piece of lovely stretch cotton yellow gingham from my stash. I bought the fabric as a vintage remnant so it was only 85cm long, but it's quite wide (150cms), so was easily large enough for a small, knee length skirt. I made no adjustments to the pattern at all, not even to the length, so the skirt you see is a size 12 straight out of the envelope. As expected it was quick and easy to make: just two darts to the back, an invisible zip in the side seam and twill tape to finish the waistband. 

The twill tape is suggested in the pattern for both the skirt and trousers waistbands, and I think it's actually a better option than bias tape. Unlike bias tape, there's no stretch to it, so it should help prevent the waistband stretching out over time.

The skirt turned out slightly looser than the muslin due to the stretch content of the cotton, the drag lines on the photos are just from me sticking my leg out! As the skirt is supposed to sit an inch below your natural waist this doesn't affect the fit, in fact it improves it in my opinion! There are no front darts, just back ones, so it's fitted but not skin tight. And the side split lends a air of dignity when getting in and out of the car! 

I can see a few more of these skirts in my future sewing plans. Keep your eyes peeled for my friend Emma's version, which I'll put on the blog as soon as it's finished. If you like the look of my skirt you'll love hers - it's made from budgie fabric! Have a good weekend. x

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Sewing for a changing body shape

During the past few months I've noticed a definite increase in my waist size when fitting garments. Yes, some of it is probably due to over enthusiastic pie eating, but some of it is also down to a new, middle-aged body shape that has slowly been creeping up on me (oh joy!) I've always found it relatively easy to get rid of a few pounds here and there, but it's become increasingly difficult recently and I think it may be something to do with my age (I'll be 47 in a couple of weeks).

It doesn't bother me - I make my own clothes for goodness sake, so I can adapt them to fit! - but I may have to reconsider some of the patterns I choose to sew. I just need to concentrate on patterns that skim rather than cling! Or those that offer a bit of respite, such as wrap tops. A few patterns immediately spring to mind:

Simplicity 2154 - it looks more fitted than it actually is. It's loose fitting enough to get over my head and has contour darts at the back and front for shape. Previously made here, here and here.

New Look 6217 - my latest pattern crush, previously made here and here. The pattern has no darts just a semi-fitted comfortable design.

Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse - previously made here. It looks good tucked in or worn loose and the neck bow and elegant sleeves really give this pattern a polished feel.

Simplicity 2451 - previously made here. This skirt has pleats at the front and sits slightly below your natural waistline, what's not to like?

I've also always found shirt dresses very easy to wear and fit.

Another obvious answer is to sew with knits, which can skilfully nip you in without a dart in sight. I do sew with knits a fair bit, especially during the winter, but stretchy and forgiving as they are, I don't want an entire wardrobe of jersey garments. I love being able to work with a diverse range of fabrics and stretching my skills with different techniques. So yes, I do want some knit garments in my wardrobe, just not all of them.  

The suggestions above are all patterns that work for me personally, but I know from reading the comments on this post that I'm not the only one having to rethink what suits me. What are your go-to patterns for a changing body shape that don't compromise on style? Any recommendations or advice? If there's enough interest in this topic then I'll compile any suggestions into a further blog post of tips. Jump in! x

Strike - New Look 6217

When I blogged about my black New Look top recently, I advised readers that they could eliminate the back seam for a quicker sew. Having dished out this advice, I thought it only fair to actually sew a version myself, if anything, just to be doubly sure it actually fits over your head!

I used Prada self lined crepe for my first version, which is arguably the most luxurious and beautifully draping fabric I've ever worked with. This time I thought I'd use some Liberty lawn, which has a much crisper hand. The fabric is a gorgeous grey and red design called Strike - the check pattern is actually made up of little matches, hence the name! I bought it from Sew Over It last year, but sadly, they no longer stock it. It's still available on the Liberty website here though if you like it.

Back view  - without centre back seam

I'm happy to report that after eliminating the centre back seam, I had no problems at all getting the top over my head, hoorah! This makes it much quicker to sew, although you do lose the cute keyhole opening at the back neck, which was one of the features that first drew me to the pattern. Removing the back seam couldn't be easier: simply overlap the back pattern piece by 5/8" over the folded edge of your fabric (this eliminates the original seam allowance).

Annoyingly, I forgot to lengthen the pattern this time (the first version was lengthened by two inches), and looking at these photos I definitely prefer it longer. It's perfectly wearable though and the original length still gives decent coverage if you want to wear it over trousers. 

It's also long enough to tuck in.

Although I like this little top a lot, I've come to the conclusion that the pattern works better with drapier fabric. It's not as glam looking as the first one, but that's fine - it will still get lots of wear. And if you're thinking of sewing this pattern without a centre back seam, take it from me, it works! x

New Look 6217 - a hidden gem

Every so often I'll come across a very ordinary looking sewing pattern that turns out to be a hidden gem. That's exactly what happened recently when I discovered New Look 6217. The pattern comprises a top, kimono jacket, skirt and trousers - all designed for easy garment sewing. The top and kimono jacket both have grown on/kimono sleeves and the top, skirt and trousers are finished with bias tape around the neckline and waistbands. No tricky techniques, just a few easy pieces to practice your skills and build your confidence.

I bought the pattern a couple of months ago when Weaver Dee was having a pattern sale*. After scrutinising the line drawings, I decided that the top had a nice shape to it - it has a curved hem and a keyhole opening at the back, so no zips or buttons to contend with.

There are only two pattern pieces, so it uses very little fabric, especially if you fold the selvedges of your fabric into the centre as I did. By doing this I was able to use up my last half metre of Prada Stretch Crepe left over from my Amazing Fit Little Black Dress. Yay, I love it when that happens!

I measured the pattern pieces against my bodice block and took note of the finished garment measurements. There are four inches of ease included, so based on this I cut a size 10, grading out to a size 12 at the bust. My measurements would normally belong in the size 14 column, so unless you want a very relaxed fit, it's probably worth going down a size. I lengthened the pattern pieces by two inches but made no other changes. To my delight, the top fitted me exactly how I wanted to straight from the envelope. It has no darts, but still looks semi-fitted and is really comfortable to wear.

I can't help but compare it to the Sophia Top, which I made before Christmas and is a similar shape. I spent forever trying to get that bloody top to fit - I had to remove wedges from the front and back necklines and add weird armhole darts to stop the gaping around the bust. So in terms of fit, there's no contest - the New Look top wins hands down! These photos show the top at its most stripped down i.e. in a solid black fabric without my usual ton of costume jewellery. And I still think it looks smart and chic - imagine what it will look like made in more interesting fabrics and with a lovely necklace?!

So the moral of the story is - don't judge a pattern by its cover envelope, look at the line drawings! If you dig deep enough, there are some real beauts to be found. Do you have any hidden gems you can recommend? Please share them in the comments section if you do! x  

*When I went to the Weaver Dee site for a link, I noticed that there's currently 50% off New Look patterns until 22nd March. So if you like the look of this pattern, you can snap it up for just £2.98. And if you use the code JANE10, you get a further 10% discount. Yippee!