Complete: Bandwagon Pants and Tammy Top...and MMM '15

Well, I'm not quite sure where March went, but here we are well into April and well overdue on the posting front. For some reason - and I can't pinpoint anything specific - I've been finding it really hard to sit down and write a post lately. Happily this hasn't been the case with actual sewing time - I'm pretty happy with what I've achieved over the summer. So to get started on the backlog of the unblogged, here are my Bandwagon Pants and Tammy Top.

On the whole, I think I'm pretty good at not getting sucked into trends. I'm not sure whether it stems from a preference for clothes that aren't dateable to a specific year's season, a general lack of ready cash to waste, or a deep-seated aversion to being told what to wear (does anyone else detest that phrase "this season's must-have??); probably all three equally. But every so often some style will happen along, and suddenly it won't matter that every second person on the street is sporting it - I want in too.

In Australia this past summer it's been voluminous printed pants. (Sorry, can't call them trousers. Trousers are tailored.) At first I thought they looked like clown pants - especially the elasticated cuff versions. To be honest, I still do a bit...

But, oh! I know now why everyone wears them - they're as sublimely comfy as pj's, but with the benefit of being acceptable in public. So onto the bandwagon I cheerfully hopped.

My local fabric store outdid itself in terms of printed rayons this spring/summer, and I couldn't resist this one. (I forgot to take a proper close up of the fabric, so this zoomed in enlargement will have to do, I'm afraid.) The pattern is Simplicity 1887, shown below:

               

Just a quick query - does anyone else find that Simplicity patterns seem to have an awfully generous amount of ease?? I know ease preference is a personal thing, but I made up a couple of S. patterns this summer, and each time there was a massive amount of excess fabric to take out. I like to be a bit more scientific and considered when it comes to fitting, but am starting to think "just make the smallest size regardless" might be the S rule of thumb...

I didn't bother making a muslin, because these a) are meant to be voluminous and b) have elastic at the back waist, so I figured any problems would be easily remedied. If I had made a muslin, I would have gone down two sizes, because the sides of the front waistband sit nearly 2" past where they should. Ah, the blessings of a busy print!

I'll come back to the pants in a moment; here's the top I made to go with them:

This is Style Arc's Tammy Top, from their very versatile (eight in one!) dress/top pattern, made up in a black modal jersey. (Hadn't worked with this fabric before: a delight to sew, drapey without being flimsy or diva-ish, and to my lasting regret completely sold out.)

The pattern itself was a bit of a surprise. My experience of SA patterns has been that the size 8s, tops and bottoms, fit without too many adjustments needed at all. But this one didn't turn out at all as I expected. This is the tank/singlet sans overlay, but on me the shoulder width became almost a cap sleeve. The neckline is less of a tank style and more aspiring to be bateau. Also, the line drawing suggested it was much more fitted than it turned out to be. If I ever sew up the dress, there'll be some serious fitting work to do; even the back seam which should add shaping patently fails to do so on me.

Lack of shape evident in the side view. I do like the scooped back neck though.

If I'd had my heart set on a simple tank I would have been disappointed. As it is, I'm not sure I'll wear this out over skirts/pants/etc - it's not fitted enough for sleek and too fitted for slouchy. But as a "tuckable in" (tuck-inable?) top, I actually like it a lot! And unintended though it was, I do like me a cap sleeve :). Here are the two together:

I admit, I do still think "clown pants" when I look at these photos. But I truly don't care! This has been one of the comfiest, most effortless, go-anywhere summer outfits I've ever owned, me-made or RTW.

And when they do become seriously passe in public, they shall still have pride of place as summer pj's ;)

In other news, Me Made May '15 is fast approaching, and I'm in! I'm not panic sewing - honestly! - but I am hoping to get a couple of things finished before it starts. I seem to be having some trouble signing up officially - I'll blame it on the internet connection - so will record my pledge here first.

I want to use MMM this year like I did last year; as a way of gauging how cohesive the wardrobe I'm sewing actually is. But in order to up the challenge a bit more:

"I, Danielle of One Small Stitch, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear a me-made outfit (sewn, knitted, refashioned) for ten of the days, at least two me-made garments for ten more, and at least one for the remaining days,"

I'll define outfit as "everything you see", barring shoes/tights/jewellery. (Depending on how desperate I get, a dress may fall into this category at some point...) I'll try not to repeat outfits, but will see how I go...

How about you? Are you signing up this year?

Complete: A Not So New Jacinta Dress

You know how sometimes the longer you leave something you mean to do, the harder it is to actually get down and do it? Yeah...it's been a while between posts. Life got busy, as it does from time to time for all of us. I have however been putting non-blogging time to work as sewing time, and so I think for the first time I have a bit of a backlog of projects to catch up on.

First up is a dress I finished last April, that I've never quite managed to get around to posting. This is because I'd thought of it as a bit of a "meh" make. But, in the twin interests of honesty and posterity, here 'tis:

It's Style Arc's Jacinta Knit Dress, in a very ordinary stable black cotton jersey with self-fabric bands at neck and armholes. And that photo isn't doing anything to dispel the "meh" rating... Clearer design lines shown below:

It went together very easily although from memory some of the yoke (raglan-y bits) pieces were oddly labelled. It was almost as if the printing cut out partway through the words - both versions, sleeved and sleeveless, were labelled "version sl" with the final "L" partly missing. Going by the line drawings I assumed the narrower "straps" were for the sleeveless view. Since this was technically a muslin (with the secret hope of being wearable anyway) I didn't make any changes to the pattern.

It's shaped but not particularly fitted, which is best evidenced by the side view. (Figure? What figure?) When I first tried it on I was pretty underwhelmed. I really didn't think this one would get much wear at all.

But by the end of the year I was pleasantly surprised. Keeping a record /running tally of all the times I wore my own makes was an enlightening exercise; some things I loved when I made them had barely been worn at all, while some things - like this one - had been in much higher rotation than expected. This dress actually worked really well throughout winter for layering; boots, tights, long-sleeved tops, jumpers. In fact, this and my Beatnik jumper was one of my favourite outfits. I found one handy thing about wearing a dress under things is that there's no extra waistband bulk. Plus, the very unspectacularness (to coin a word...) of this made it easy to coordinate with lots of other things. Who'd have thought!

So, a tick for cooler weather wear. But how about the warmer weather it would seem to have been designed for? Here's a confession, and just another reason why I'll never be a stylist or a true fashionista: I'm not all that keen on wearing black in summer. I know it's very chic, and timeless and all that, but with the occasional exception, generally it feels a bit, I don't know, heavy to wear on a hot day.

But I actually don't mind this belted and with sandals...

 I usually try and post garments reasonably soon after making them (or at least take photos before they've been through the wash umpteen times), but I think the gap between completion and post has worked in this dress's favour. At the time this would have gotten a thumbs down in any review I gave, but it really has proved its worth since.

So much so that now I'm thinking a grey marle version with elbow length sleeves would be rather nice...

How about you? Have you ever had a make turn around and surprise you like this?

Complete: Antoinette Pant & Annie Cami

Back again, and this time with one of my favourite ever makes. Isn't it just so satisfying when you take a bit of a sewing gamble and it pays off?? In this case, I wasn't sure if I could make up this pattern successfully, if I'd even like them on me if I did, and then when I found the fabric it was so lovely I was genuinely intimidated by it. But, since my Pinterest board is full of drapey, silky trousers I decided to bite the bullet and make the attempt. After all, even if it all went pear-shaped, it's not like I'd be stuffing up open-heart surgery or anything...

I'd been stalking the Antoinette Pant page on the Style Arc website since it was released:

They're a slim yet still relaxed fitting pant, with front angled pockets, inverted pleats hidden under an angled knife pleat or fold, and fastening with an invisible zip at the back. I do love the idea of silk pants in warmer weather; they just seem so breezy and effortless. What sold me on this pattern was the way the pleating and folding at the front added drape without seeming to add volume (well, I was hoping anyhow...) and the darts rather than elastic at the back. It looked a really elegant yet relaxed design.

I found a beautiful silk at The Fabric Store in Melbourne in their big sale back in July or August. It's an Anna & Boy crepe de chine called Coconut Ice. In fact, halfway through making these I had a look at the A&B website, and saw they had a very similar style of pants made of this fabric retailing for just over $350. I love being able to sew...

And here they are, with not much hanger appeal, I admit! The close up shows the pattern, though the colour is truer to life in the outdoor shots.

There weren't many adjustments needed in the muslin stage. I made the back darts a bit deeper, and altered the waist facing accordingly. After years of skinny jeans it's a bit counter intuitive to have any volume around the hips and thighs, so that took some getting used to! I did take the side seams in about 1cm from the waist down to the knee; that took a bit of volume out and still allowed for sitting down comfortable without the fabric straining.

Construction-wise, these went together really easily, and the silk was surprisingly cooperative to work with. I've been concentrating on knits so much lately, that I'd forgotten how satisfying wovens are.:)  And these are the most comfortable non-knit garment I've ever made - I really love them. The day I took these shots was about 30 degrees, and I was perfectly and happily cool all day - anyone who's lived through an Australian summer will know what a boon that is!

I didn't realise my hands were in my pockets in every shot...

Aaaand.... a slightly awkward mid-way though turning back shot.

Something that wasn't in the instructions that I added in was to sew some narrow silk ribbon in the seam allowance next to the seam of the pocket. I was a little concerned that being cut on an angle they might stretch out of shape over time.

I also picked up some cream coloured silk from the same sale. Something I felt the absence of last summer was a plain tuck-in-able woven singlet or cami, I sewed this one up using Style Arc's Annie Cami., remembering to lower the bust darts (by 6cm!). This silk did not play so nicely.

In fact, it sulked from beginning to end of the whole miserable process. Yes, it's beautiful to touch and wear, yes it goes with almost everything I own, but oh! I've never worked with such a diva fabric before. It just wouldn't stay put. If I ever have to sew air, I'll be well prepared.

I discovered the hard way last time I made this that french seams don't work when the seams have to open at the lower edges. But although I didn't really like idea of overlocked seams on this, the fabric frayed quite badly (because of course it did). In the end I did overlock the edges and then folded them back and basted them in place. Then I sewed them down like this, at the side and back seams. It's not immaculate, but it's passable.

The one thing I'm really kicking myself over is that I forgot to stay stitch the neckline at the beginning. And yes, the fabric did stretch (because of course it did). So annoyingly, given this is something I planned to wear a lot, the neck binding doesn't sit completely flat at the centre front. Live and learn, I guess. Maybe I'll just have to wear a long pendant to help it sit in place, or at least disguise it a bit.

Still, if I had to make a mistake, I'm glad it was on the top and not my special pants!

Complete: More Summer Basics

Well, hello to you! It's been tricky of late to find the time to sit down and do this post - probably because I've been spending all my spare time sewing instead - but here are the rest of this summer's basic tees. I warn you in advance, this is a pretty photo-heavy post, but maybe someone out there will find the comparisons helpful. I always like reading up on other people's experiences of patterns before I tackle them anyway :)

Last time I shared my versions of the Kirsten Kimono Tee. This time we'll kick off with the knit top from New Look 6899, the pattern I used for my Head vs Heart Skirt (still a favourite, by the way). When I bought it it was really only for the skirt; the top didn't register as a possibility at all. But two years on, I thought it was time to try it. Because I sew knits now... ;)

This is a slightly scooped boat neck top with raglan sleeves, and I used a fine, drapey (viscose?) knit fabric from Rathdowne Fabrics and Remnants. The pattern has quite a lot of shaping, including at the back centre seam, and I was able to do the whole thing on the overlocker. (Why did I ever bother trying to sew knits on my regular machine??)

(Please ignore the dire need for ironing...) I think I stretched the raglan seams a little when sewing them, which is something I'll have to watch out for next time.

The pattern actually calls for twin needling at the hem and sleeves, which I tried to do. Unfortunately my machine wasn't having a bar of that - it absolutely destroyed those hemlines, chewing up the fabric like no one's business. (Is this normal for lighter-weight fabrics? I must research that more.) In the end I had to cut all attempted hems off. This meant for the sleeves at least there wasn't enough fabric left to turn under and try again, not without catching up the upper side seam, anyway. So instead I sewed bands to finish them off, and this is where the formula given in the Kirsten Tee was so helpful. Although since arm bands don't curve the same way a neckband does, I probably could have made them slightly longer than the given 70% - maybe 80% or so.

The hem band I kept the same width as the top itself, so as to keep the drape. Wish I'd made sure it was sitting flat before taking the photo...

 I do like this one, but I've found I like it best tucked in with skirts or trousers (just not jeans...). The drapiness of the fabric gives it a bit of a blouse feel that seems to work when it's tucked in. I'd happily make this one again, although maybe next time in a fabric that can handle a twin needle.


Next up is the Tonic Tee, by Skinny Bitch, Curvy Chick Patterns, a free fitted t-shirt pattern that I downloaded back in February and hadn't got around to until now. (There's a free long sleeved, crew neck version too - also free - that I will absolutely be sewing up for next autumn/winter).

Very Important Note, that I wish had been mentioned in the instructions: As a PDF pattern you have to tape these pages together with the edges butted up flush against each other, NOT overlapping them. It's not something I've ever come across in a PDF pattern before, and since the pattern lines on the pages don't go right to the edges it does look as though they're meant to overlap. But they're not. This was extremely confusing until I googled other people's Tonic posts. I love the online sewing community...

I sewed this up in a cotton grey marle knit, that has plenty of stretch, but little drape.

I sewed the XS graded out to S at the hips, according to the measurements given, and it's a very similar fit to RTW. Again, all done on the overlocker, bar the twin needling at hems - no trouble this time!

It went together very easily, and was a relatively quick make. Would I make it again? Well, actually...

I already did!

This one (which I cut out at the same time as I did the first, in either Blind Optimism or Lack of Foresight...lucky it fits!) is out of the same fabric as the New Look top above. At least I thought it was, but it seemed to handle the twin needle fine - on the sleeves at least. The hem was so appalling I couldn't even bear to photograph it. Nothing for it but to cut it off. If I could have burned the offcuts I would have. Once again, the band solution came to the rescue.

There was one other change I made to the first Tonic, and that was the neckband. I think you can tell in the photos that the second sits a bit more nicely. Go back and check. I'll wait :)

 When I sewed the grey neckband on, I was surprised to see that it wasn't sitting quite flat, since the rest of the top was going together so nicely. I went back and checked the instructions and saw this:

Notice how in the illustration there's overhang at both ends? I'd completely missed that the first time around.

Now, it feels a bit ungracious to say this when the pattern is free, but I don't see why the pattern piece can't just be printed at the right size. Since there are no markings or notches, it really is guesswork to get it right. I just tried to make my pinned pre-sewn version look similar to the diagram and hoped for the best.

When they're laid out flat together, you can see the difference:

It's really just a minor quibble I suppose, because I really do like the fit overall - these are going to be great summer basics, and being fitted, will sit very nicely layered under jackets or cardigans in cooler weather too. It's a good go-to pattern, and will get plenty of use down the track I think.

To wrap up, here's the last of my summer tees - ironically this was the first I made, and that back in May. This is the Style Arc Riva Raglan Tee. 

I think this is meant to be a sporty style tee. I also think I'd like it much better in a different fabric, though to be fair, this was only ever intended to be the muslin. It got pressed into service during MMM.

This is a knit with plenty of stretch (it has a cotton lycra kind of feel, but I'm guessing here) and is also extremely stiff. Since it's a bit more voluminous than the other patterns here, that makes it quite sticky-outy when worn (There's probably a proper sewing term for that, but I don't know it, sorry...)

 Also - and this is the first time I've ever wondered about the drafting on a SA pattern - the neckband seems a little long because it just doesn't sit flat, You can see that in the photos above. And if not, you can definitely see it in the one below:

This one doesn't really get worn out of the house, unless it's to go walking the dog, or picking up kids from the bus stop. I think a future version would be vastly improved by using a softer fabric and fine tuning the fit of the neckband. It does seem to be asking for a second chance, especially with contrast sleeves... Maybe some time.

Anyhow, that's it for the summer basics (unless I can find a singlet or tank pattern I like in the next few weeks). Apologies for the mercilessly long post; I won't inflict such a long one on you all again, I promise!

 The best thing about sewing my basics first, rather than diving in to the exciting ones, is that now my more interesting projects will all have something that goes with them...no more wardrobe orphans :D

Next post, one of my favourite makes ever!

PS: Can anyone suggest a good singlet /tank pattern?? Thanks :D