Falling Leaves {McCalls 8040}

A while back I ordered a few of the new McCalls patterns, shipped directly from the company because it takes us approximately three seasons to get them in Australia (not even joking). The shipping is a bit costly, but if you get the patterns when they’re on sale and make the most of the shipping, it’s a bit more worthwhile.

Out of the patterns I ordered, M8040 topped the list as the one to make first – quick, straight forward and those sleeves. I don’t have a whole lot of woven top patterns, so it’s nice to have something to wear with jeans and work pants.

I used some Dear Stella quilting cotton I’d had hanging around for a while and made the cropped version. The only change I made was adding a bit of extra volume to the sleeves. if you’re going to have a crack – the cropped version is proper cropped. I’m quite short waisted and it’s pretty short on me, often I still have to shorten cropped bodices, but not this one! And, as always, check the finished measurements. I get the vibe that McCalls are trying to look a bit more like the indie pattern companies with their new line drawings and pattern names (this one is called Emmie), and it seems like the heap of ease they used to have is shrinking. I usually make a 16 in McCalls (even though my measurements put me in an 18 or 20) and I made a straight 18 in this one.

So what’s the next logical step for a girl who likes a top? She turns it into a dress bodice, of course. With double gauze from Spoonflower. I threw caution into the wind with this one, which I would like to say is due to the state of the world at the moment, but it’s not. I just get a bit like that with sewing.

I shortened the top another 1.5cm above the ‘crop’ line on the pattern pieces, but once I’d attached the skirt pieces later it was still a bit long in the bodice, so I had to decide whether to unpick and shorten or add elastic to the waist seam.

 

I decided on the elastic because I figured it would give my wardrobe a bit of variety and the gauze gathers up quite nicely. I thought it might end up pulling at the button at the waist though (and it did), so I added a hook and eye there to secure everything.

I ended up with 14 buttons in total and I stitched the facing down so it doesn’t curl up and flap around, as it tends to do on lighter weight fabrics.

I just squeaked it out of three yards of fabric and even then, my sleeves had to be cut shorter and one of them on the bias. Ooops. I wasn’t willing to forgo my giant sleeves though, I love them.

 

 

Guess Who’s Back? {Megan Nielsen Rowan Hack + Peppermint Wide Leg Pants}

Phew. While things go a bit bananas all around us, I figured now was the time to catch up on a bit of blogging. And why not? I have a (mostly) captive audience and who knows, maybe some of you will use your isewlation to start sewing or just need some inspo to keep boredom from completely devouring you.

AND WHAT BETTER PLACE TO START THAN WITH A FREE PATTERN? Oh yes. The Peppermint x In The Folds wide leg pants pattern has been around for a while now, but as always, I was a bit slow to jump on the bandwagon. I’m guessing Officeworks isn’t an essential service, so there goes the A0 option, but if you’ve got more patience than me, you can download it from here and get sticking.

Here are the things I like about this pattern:

– It’s free (c’mon)

– It’s well drafted

– It has a curved waistband, which is perfect for curvy selves like me

– The wide legs mean that the fit is pretty forgiving if you’re generous of thigh (also me)

The only downside that I can think of is that there is a mistake in the instructions. When referring to the fly, it’s called the fly shield and vice versa. But if you ignore that and just go by the diagrams, you’ll be golden.

The pattern is for medium and heavy weight non stretch wovens, but I cheated for my first pair and used sateen from Spotlight, which has a smidge of spandex but is still a pretty nice weight. Just because my hips and thighs are forever a pants fitting nightmare and that bit of spandex forgiveness is nice if your hips don’t lie. Next time, if I do use something without stretch, I’ll need to grade the hips up. For this pair though, I just used a straight size F.

And lets talk about the hare in the room. Look at this delicious See You At Six French terry from Maai Design. Gosh. Is it not amazing? Not a colour I would have normally chosen either, but I love it. The clever thing about See You At Six is their perfectly matching rib. Look at it. OMG. The quality is as amazing as you’d expect too.

Pattern wise, I used Megan Nielsen’s Rowan pattern because I already had it on hand. Here’s what I changed:

– I sized up (the fabric doesn’t have as much stretch as the pattern required and it’s still pretty fitted, although that’s what I was after – something to wear with high waisted skirts and pants),

– Cropped it

– Added a nice wide band for the bottom

– Shortened the sleeves to accommodate the ribbed cuffs

– Scooped the neckline a smidge

I think that’s it. Of course, over the last few days we’ve reverted to summer, but when it cools down again I am ready. So ready. I have to consider work outfits suitable for school these days and this one is a winner.

 

Things I’ve Made Lately But Have Been Too Lazy To Blog {Woven Edition}

Here we go again, a bunch of recent makes that don’t really require a blog post of their own – this time in woven.

This one is good old peak 80s, Simplicity 5884. The cool thing about this one though, is that I designed the print. You can find it here.

Next up, another version of my old faithful self drafted (Joan) dress. This time with a collar and metal zip. The magic here though is in the fabric, obviously. May Gibbs artwork is quite iconic and I bought this sheet from Kip and Co because I needed to wear it on my body.

New fave: McCalls 7834. I’ve made this twice so far and I’m not gonna lie, I could go another one. This particular version is made from rayon from Spotlight. I made the straight 16, but mine seems to have much more ease that those pictured on the pattern envelope. I changed the sleeves on this one too. Next time I might size down but I’ll definitely need a FBA. It’s comfort city and probably makes me look like a blob of leopard, but I seriously don’t care. I’ve worn it heaps since I made it. I can’t remember if the pattern has you interface the button placket (I mean, why wouldn’t you?!), but I did. I also interfaced both pieces of the collar and stand, because rayon.

Another comfy rayon (again, Spotlight) sack, this time dashing back to the 90s to steal the big collar, empire waist vibes. Simplicity 8602 from 1993, to be accurate. I love the sleeve length of this one, which I adjusted to be between the short and long length. I also added the bottom ruffle, which it probably doesn’t need but I was just so in love with it on the leopard dress. It’s becoming quite the autumn staple as well.

Next. Grown up Wednesday Addams. Simplicity 4119 from 1952. That’s a 67 year old pattern, friends. She’s pristine, she’s got no printing – just notches and punched out holes. I felt kind of bad unfolding it all because it was so perfectly preserved in the envelope. But patterns are made for sewing, right? Luckily I’ve made enough Carolyn PJs to know how the collar needs to be constructed so I didn’t really need to refer to the (very brief) instructions.

It’s a bit of a funny fit, as these vintage patterns can sometimes be. I graded it up slightly, after comparing it to my most loved, self drafted bodice (see above), but in the end I took it all back it. There must be an unbelievable amount of ease in it, since the pattern is a 34″ bust and I’m a 42″. I used cotton shirting with a slight bit of stretch so the fit is more forgiving. I love those gathered darts, but they need to be a big bigger at the waist for me. I also shortened the bodice a bit too much. I think next time I’ll make those cuffs a bit bigger so they can be buttoned together.

And finally, McCalls 7200 in another of my own designs and printed on Crepe De Chine from Spoonflower. A very quick and simple make, but another that will see me through until winter. I made the length somewhere between the short and long versions on the envelope and laughed in the face of all the hand sewing the instructions request. I tacked the band down at a few points (back of neck, shoulders and bottom hem) so it stays put a bit easier. The CDC is very flippy floppy otherwise and there’s no interfacing in the band.

All finished, well done.

 

The Power of Three {Rosa, Alma and McCalls 6696}

The perfect button up shirt pattern. I’d been on the hunt for one for quite some time. Does it exist? Will I ever find it? Truth be told, I was being a bit fussy with my prerequisites.

Stuff I wanted:

Legit collar and collar stand so I could button it all the way up, all hipster-like.

Minimal seams and yokes and other fussy bits so I didn’t have to cut through my busy prints like some kind of animal.

But some shaping (darts) is necessary. No one wants to wear a sack. I’m not a monster.

No gaping of buttons. I know I have boobs and a waist, but is this really such a big ask?

I’d browsed the pattern books, I’d looked online at the indie companies. But no one had exactly what I wanted. It was either loose fitting men’s style shirts or yoked and princess-seamed women’s numbers. NO. I was feeling a bit foot stompy.

Then it occurred to me. What if I just mash up the patterns I already have? Can I create some kind of shirty Frankenstein monster?

Yes I can, you guys. Yes I bloody can. Not gonna lie, had no idea what I was doing and was quite sure it was going to end up disastrous. Turns out though, I ended up with the best fit I’ve had from a shirt. Ever.

To make the monster, I used:

– Tilly and the Buttons Rosa neckline and collar, because those are the shiz. Rosa is a rad pattern, but has two yokes and front and back princess seams. I didn’t want to chop my foxes.

– McCalls 6696 for the bust dart and all round bust fit, as well as the armscye and sleeves. That dress never lets me down at the bust, but you know, it’s a dress.

– Sewaholic’s Alma blouse for the length and front and back waist darts, as well as the shaping in at the waist. Delicious.

And there she is, folks. Look at that fit! No gaping at the bust. Those buttons aren’t going anywhere. Ever. My only consideration for next time is that neck and collar region. I think it could be smaller. But I’m not sure where to start with that so maybe I’ll just leave it. It’s so close to perfect.

Ooh fabric is Cotton and Steel from Hawthorne Threads (it looks to be out of stock, sorry!). Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make more of these babies. They are a tip top work shirt. Professional, yet not.

 

 

 

B-A-N-A-N-A-S {McCalls 7627}

I’ve said it before, I love me a wrap. Skirt, dress, top – whatever. I like how they look, I like the adjustment factor. I just like them, ok? That said, this pattern isn’t one that I would have generally jumped on. Those sleeves, man. They aren’t for me. Please don’t be offended, I’ve seen a couple of bloggers have embraced them, but I’d definitely look like a failed Pirates of the Caribbean extra. No.

Yes I’m that person who makes notes on patterns. Judge me.

So then how did this frilly Laura Ashley number make its way into my stash? Well, Spotlight were having one of their 3 for $15 deals on McCalls and I needed it to make up the numbers. I actually really wanted M7358, but of course it wasn’t in the drawers. And McCalls won’t ship it here either, I checked on the website. Weird. Actually they won’t ship either here, but here I am with M7627 anyway. GIVE ME THE OTHER ONE, MCCALLS.

I feel like it seems that I hate-sewed this top now. I didn’t. It really did grow on me the more I looked at the pattern. I figured I’d go for version A as it was the least frilly and I’d leave off the sleeve flounces so there was even less frill. It all seemed too much with the peplum as well. I do love that peplum though. A tiny circle skirt for your waist.

What I didn’t really notice until I started tracing and cutting were all the other floofy details, like the pleats at the shoulder and bottom of the bodice front. Plus the shoulder seam doesn’t actually sit at the shoulder, it sits off the shoulder (check the pattern illustration, it’s clearer there). And those sleeves are super boxy when I thought they’d be more fitted, which sleeves tend to be on my chunky arms.

The pattern suggests cotton, gingham, poplin and other cotton blends for this top, so I was excited to use my rad banana lawn from Cotton and Steel. So soft, so dreamy. But even though I freaking love this fabric, I think the top needs more drape – so something like rayon or crepe de chine would be better. Personal preference. It would make the sleeves sit better anyway.

I finished the peplum hem with bias tape because it’s about a million times easier than trying to hem those circular shapes the usual way. I also folded those ties in half length ways and sewed them, rather than hemming the edges. They would have been super wide on me otherwise.

Ch-ch-ch-changes?

I’m going to redraw that sleeve so the seam sits on my actual shoulder, eliminate those pleats and use nice simple cap sleeves instead. Then I’ll be happy. Fit wise, it’s pretty decent, but too long on the upper front bodice pieces (where it wraps). This is always a problem for me though, I must have a short upper body. On this one, I took it up at the shoulders but next time I’ll take a dart out of my pattern pieces. This has worked well for wrap dresses I’ve made before.

Not a bad pattern by any means and I will definitely wear it. It’s ideal for our summer. Plus, bananas.

 

Holiday Wardrobe Preparation {Megan Nielsen Flint and Rowan}

Ah, Flint and Rowan. They go together like peas and carrots, don’t they? I’ve made both before – Flint pants here and Flint shorts here. Rowan was more recent and a stretched a bit further than the original pattern into a swimsuit.

I love my past Flints but unfortunately they’re a bit big now. And an upcoming holiday is the perfect reason to sew another pair right? This time from sweet drapey tencel that I picked up at Spotlight. The Rowan body suit is lovely soft Timeless Treasure cotton jersey from fabric.com.

I went for the tie version on the Flints and couldn’t help but to brighten the inside a touch with a vintage fabric covered button (I pick these up  from op shops, but they are often just singles, which is perfect for this use) and some rayon off cuts. The rayon is the right weight for lining the tencel. I think quilting cotton would have been too heavy.

The closure on the Flints is pretty magic. It does your head in a little bit while you’re sewing them, but the instructions are really great and you just have to trust the process. There isn’t a zip, you just get into these bad boys by opening the pocket. Superb.

The Rowan bodysuit has nice details at the closure too. There’s not a fancy way to say it, but at the crotch. But who doesn’t love a fancy crotch? The facing pieces can be cut from just about anything. I used some soft lawn scraps I had. It’s a nice detail. Oh and I used those old metal snaps because I don’t have a snap press, which would obviously look much more professional. Still, they do the job and I can’t feel them at all when I’m wearing it.

So size wise the Rowan is perfect (straight large) but the Flints aren’t. To be honest, my body has changed a fair bit over the past few months and I’m still getting used to it. It seems it doesn’t matter if it’s weight loss or gain – it can still feel like your body isn’t quite yours when it changes. I made the straight medium in the Flints because I went by my waist measurement. I thought there would be enough ease in the hips and thighs but I really should have graded out to the large. My waist seems to be about a size different to the rest of me at the moment and I’m not really used to my new proportions yet.

They’re not as swingy as I’d like, but they’re still wearable. And who knows, my hips could catch up to my waist eventually. One can only hope. But even if they don’t, that’s fine too.

I know there’s a few sewists who’ve eliminated those front pleats, but I actually quite like them. They bring out my inner 80s mum chic.

 

 

 

Girt By Sea {Ken Done Smock Top}

Ken Done, what a legend. If you’re Australian, you’ll know him. If you’re not, let me explain – Ken Done is an amazing artist best known for his bright imagery of Australian landmarks. I remember his work was huge when I was a kid in the 80s, my Mum had one of his bags and every second person would have had something featuring his artwork in their house.

(Image from Time Out Sydney).

A good friend of mine, let’s call her Phoebe (coz that’s her name) has been keeping her eyes peeled for all things Ken Done for me. She’s the best shopper of vintage I know. She found this doona cover for me via a seller on Instagram. Of course I had to snap it up immediately. It’s languished in my sewing room for the last couple of months while I decided what to do with it. I can’t just be cutting into Ken Done willy nilly, you guys.

As it turns out, I’ve been working on a big collaborative project with some very talented women lately (more about that in a bit), so I’m currently feeling quite a bit of love for Australian designers. I was admiring my Ken Done again and decided that it was going to be an Illawong top. This style of top is something I sew up and stock in the shop and was inspired by a 70s girl’s smock top pattern. It has a yoke (which I usually sew in a contrasting fabric) , bell sleeves and an oversized fit. They are super comfortable and a great top to wear with jeans. I will often wear them when I’m photographing as I can bend and move and not worry about flashing anyone. I generally make them out of lawn or rayon because they need something with drape, regular old quilting cotton is too rigid.

The old doona cover was so washed and worn that it had softened over time and I knew it would work in this style, I’m pretty sure it’s a poly cotton blend.

Yep, it works and I love it. I kept the Ken Done signature (?) and made sure I cut it so that it could be seen (it’s on my left shoulder in the pic). The yoke is from the bottom of the fabric which has a bit of a border print.

So what’s the other project I’ve got going on? It’s Girt Squad and you can follow along on Instagram and Facebook. It was started by the lovely Ellie Whittaker, who has designed some pretty damn cool work for a bunch of us makers to use to create a cohesive and unique collection. If you’re been following me for a while, you’ll know I’ve used a couple of Ellie’s prints in the past. I love those bright Aussie themes.

We haven’t launched yet, but it won’t be too long now! I’ve created a completely brand new design for Girt Squad and can’t wait to share it. Wait until you see what the other ladies have come up with, it’s pretty amazing. There will be women’s and children’s clothing, accessories and home decor – all available in the one shop. Stay tuned…

 

Thrifted Fabric Weekend {Ohhh Lulu Kate Camisole}

Hello again. I know, two posts in two days. Who even am I?

I know I’m generally anti PDF pattern, but I make an exception for Ohhh Lulu because she’s rad and also lingerie pattern pieces tend to be quite small so there’s not a whole lot of cutting and sticking paper together.

That said, the Kate Camisole (pattern here!) is cut on the bias so the front and back pieces are entire (not place on fold pieces) – does that make sense? So they are a bit bigger and there was some cutting and sticking required. But I survived.

There’s not much to this one, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t make mistakes! Oh no sir! Would have helped if I’d read the instructions properly, but honestly, I’m like a bull at a gate. MUST. SLOW. DOWN. The bias tape is meant to be bias facing, not binding. I used it as binding for the front. Oops. Too lazy to fix it though and it ain’t so bad. Sarah has a super helpful tutorial for this, which can be found here. I recommend watching it before you sew, not after like I did.

There are a number of variations on this pattern and I chose the lace back, she’s pretty cool right? The lace has a bit of stretch so I made it more stable with elastic (which is an option in the pattern instructions). It’s not scallop lace, but it has all these rad shapes in the fabric so I just cut around one of them and it’s the perfect size, really. I didn’t use sliders on the straps because I found they were a bit short on me. Next time I’ll lengthen them a bit.

Oh the fabric. It’s another op shop score. Same shop as the hanky panel fabric from yesterday, actually. It’s most definitely polyester but handled a hot iron really well, so I didn’t even have to swear or cry. I have a feeling it’s vintage, but I don’t know for sure. I only had about two metres of it, so it was perfect for this project – which uses a bit more fabric than you’d expect because of the bias cut thing. I’ll definitely be making this one again.

 

It’s Not You, It’s Me {Sew House Seven Tea House Dress/Top}

It was a post on Cotton and Steel’s instagram that started it all for me. They’d shared a post by Sarah who’d made the most stunning version of this dress from C&S rayon (her design). I bought the pattern less than five minutes later. I so rarely do that. I’m allergic to PDFs so bought the paper version and had to have it shipped from the US. But I just had to have it. And usually I’d sit there an imagine what fabric I’d use and how I’d make it mine, but I really just want an exact copy of Sarah’s dress. To be fair, I think she’s a legend and I love pretty much everything she does.

The pattern arrived yesterday after about a week or so of winging its way across the seas and I basically ignored my to do list, shoved everything off my desk (not really), traced it out and decided I needed to sew this RIGHT AWAY. Problem was, I didn’t have any suitable fabric. Which seems hilarious if you’ve seen my stash, but most of it is quilting cotton and this dress really needs something with more drape. I dug around and pulled out a few options before actually reading the back of the pattern. I knew the dress was fabric hungry (4.3m) and though, no worries – I’ll make the top first. HOW SENSIBLE OF ME. It would be a toile of sorts and I never make them. But heck, if there’s fitting issues it saves wasting 4.3m of fabric (how on earth do people think sewing your own clothes cheap? Quick calculation: 4m x $20/m = $80 vs about $30 for the Target equivalent. Anyway, I digress).

Turns out the top likes a bit of fabric too (3.3m) and the only suitable amount I had was some outlandish faux silk that I grabbed from Spotlight over a year ago. Now don’t get me wrong, I love this crazy fabric. But it’s pretty bright, even for me. Still, I love those Ken Done/Gorman vibes it gives me. What I don’t love? It behaves about as well as a three year old getting dragged through Woolies right on nap time. After a birthday party. And after you took their party bag away. A ticking time bomb of antagonism. Dramatic, no?

I had been saving it for a skirt, but nup – I had to make this top right now. She’ll be right, mate. No she won’t. The pattern is amazing, truly. Yes, there are a number of pieces but the instructions are very clear and detailed and it is finished beautifully. That was part of the problem. My darling faux silk doesn’t want to be pressed. You can’t have the iron too hot or the fabric will melt but even if pressed under another cloth, she just wanted to spring back up like nothing had ever happened. She could not be steamed into submission. Which was a big problem for that front yoke. Ugh. It’s making me cringe to show you, but I have to.

Really I should unpick that whole front yoke and hand sew it into place. I might. But I probably won’t. About halfway through I realised I wasn’t going to love it as much as I wanted to, but continued because I’m stubborn like that. Look at the cool yoke and box pleat at the back though. I love the whole Japanese vibe. No closures and the obi style belt ties make it super cool.

I thought maybe wearing it with ripped skinny jeans would make me feel less high school art teacher and it actually does. But I’m still on the fence a bit. I will definitely make the dress version, but I just need the right fabric. I know it will redeem itself.

I probably just need to give it a week or so and I will change my mind. To be honest, it’s been a rough week or so. I wasn’t going to talk about it, but a few people have commented, so here’s the overshare. Yes, I have lost some weight. I have been plagued with weird skin problems since I was 14 and at the age of 36, I am done with it. So done. My doctor’s final step was to try some heavy medication that I wasn’t comfortable with so I took matters into my own hands and overhauled what I eat. And guess what? It worked. For the first three months my skin was the clearest it’s been in my adult life. With that change came some weight loss and that’s the reason I’ve been sewing so much for myself recently – half my wardrobe no longer fits. Then about two weeks ago I started getting a new skin problem, not cystic acne this time, but red itchy patches of psoriasis. I’ve been told it’s most likely a reaction to dairy (which I’ve been eating a lot more of recently). So now I’m trialing dropping dairy. It’s harder than dropping sugar and grains because damn, I love dairy. Those cows, they know how to make some delicious stuff.

A while back, I was lucky enough to be asked to write a guest post for The Curvy Sewing Collective and that was published over the weekend. It was really exciting for me but one tiny FB comment was made about me not being ‘curvy’. And really, why should I let that bother me? But you know, it did. For my whole life, I’ve felt like the fat girl and then, when I felt like I finally fit in somewhere, I’m not curvy enough either? It annoyed me far more than it should have. That’s the thing with blogging and sewing blogging in particular, I think. Body comments will be made. For the most part though, it’s all very positive and rewarding and I don’t do it for anyone but me. I’m selfish like that. So you’re stuck with me, internet.

Ack, too many words. The pattern is tops, my fabric was not. But I’ll be back with another version when I get some kick ass fabric. The end.

Like A Pirate {McCalls 7542}

If you haven’t seen McCalls 7542 in your travels yet, well quite frankly, I don’t know what you’ve been doing with your life. Or maybe you’re not a sewing nerd like me. In all honesty, you’ve probably seen similar in RTW while you wander around the shops. I wanted it as soon as I saw it, as I knew it would fill that ‘what to wear with jeans’ gap in my wardrobe. The curse of too many dresses.

I nabbed the pattern and the fabric (which is cotton poplin) from my local Spotlight over the weekend. Apparently this pattern is sold out in a lot of places, so I was lucky to score it. I know you want to know about my awesome bee necklace, it’s from the lovely Natalie over at Fancy Lady Industries. It’s a Teddy bee, which I love, because we have those cute fatties hovering around our lavender from time to time.

Overall it went together super fast. The instructions have a bit of a weird way of attaching the lower sleeve to the upper sleeve but I just ignored that and went about it my own way. There’s no zip or anything, just a hook and eye at the back of the neck. I was lazy and just overlocked the sleeve hems, folded them over and stitched, but I think I’ll finish them with binding next time.

The shape is quite boxy and although poplin was one of the fabrics recommended on the envelope, I can’t wait to make a version in something much more drapey, like rayon. The sleeves remind me of something a pirate would dig, but I think I’m ok with them.

Oh and you know the best part about this pattern? Good old McCalls do cup size variations. So I went straight to my old friend the D cup pattern piece and it’s a great fit at the bust. No FBA! YAS! I have plans to use this bodice again with different variations. Including a very 80s collar.