Mashing up patterns? What could possibly go wrong?
Luckily for me, this turned out much better than expected!
The patterns:
Burdastyle 05/2004 #129 (below left) and 07/2004 #135 (below right). The links go to and the images are reproduced from the Russian Burdastyle site because they’re from so long ago that’s the only one that still lists them
I’ve always liked #129, the green one, but never got around to sewing it. Until now. Nineteen years later.
I’m not in this size range anymore. But that didn’t stop me. I’ve already made #135, the red one, in my size (46 bust 48 hips) so I mashed them up.
My starting pattern had a bust dart so I rotated that to the yoke seam and then converted it into gathering. That was the easy it of the mash up!
I marked up the panels on my front dress pattern piece and then drafted new pieces with extra width at the top for the gathering, using the 05/2004 #129 pieces as a guide.
You can see from the pattern pieces that the gathering isn’t additive – the top of the piece is gathered in but the bottom of the piece is back to what would be the regular width of the base pattern. I replicated this on my pattern pieces. The gathering is modest – about 1.2 times the width of the straight piece it’s sewn onto.
I lined the yoke with white batiste. When my fabric is doubled up, the black shows through the other colours a bit and dulls them down. The white makes them pop.
The gathered and then restrained-back-in panels give the dress a cocoon shape feel – which is a silhouette I love.
Grey hair don’t care
I added pockets – because pockets are always a good idea – and used white batiste for the pocket pieces facing the outer fabric. For the same reason.
Smug sewist because she added pockets
I used the pockets drafted for the Cloud dress. They’re fabulously large.
The lovely fabric I used is a Japanese woven cotton from The Fabric Store. Wonderful to sew and gorgeous to wear.
Pattern Fantastique’s Phen shirt pattern has intrigued me for a long time. Just look at that shape! Even the simplest cuffs for this pattern are curved!
(Yes, I did print my pdf pattern on pink paper)
The Shirty September theme of #magamsewalong (make agarment amonth) was the perfect reason to try it out.
(A new shirt and a new skirt! It was a shirty and skirty September for me. The skirt is another version of Burda 09/2008 #134 in a wool cotton blend)
I used a small floral cotton shirting from my stash but originally from someone else’s stash – I scored this lovely fabric from one of the second hand shops at Port Elliott. It has “Cloud 9 organic cotton” printed on the selvedge and has a crisp shirting weight feel to it – if it’s quilting cotton, it’s very nice quality!
Small floral on a dark background – almost the worse fabric for a shirt with lots of details:
– like two front pockets with rounded corners and placed unusually high. Bet you can’t see them unless I put my hands in them
(Look at the pockets! Don’t look at the waist with some of the facing showing. It doesn’t pay to tuck your shirt in quickly and without a mirror before a photo)
– a deep back yoke with stitching at the top of the pleat and a hanging loop, completely camouflaged
– two piece sleeves which turn into the “placket”, those curved cuffs I already mentioned…
The only thing that isn’t lost in the florals is the amazing dropped shoulder batwing sleeves.
I made a size 18 and its a smidge tight at the hips.
I didn’t baste the side seams to check the fit – an excellent tip from Beck, IsewthereforeIam for this pattern – and I think I probably continued the seam too far. The curved seams mean a few mm too far and you’ve gone down a size or three.
The curved seams also mean that you can have an incredibly blousy top without a lot of volume to tuck in. Genius design.
(Untucked. With bonus tired face)
(Tucked in. With the same tired face, and a touch of shirtiness to my expression)
This pattern has very comprehensive instructions and many of the steps also have diagrams. The only one I ignored was interfacing. Instead of using iron on or sew in interfacing, I just added another layer of fabric. Except for the front button band. Which was a mistake – the button holes are a bit puckered on each end.
I appreciated that the instructions included trimming for turn of the cloth for the cuffs, collar, collar band and yoke. You don’t usually get this level of detail on a shirt pattern.
(The result of my attention to trimming to get the right amount of turn of cloth is impossible to see with this patterned fabric. But I know I did it, and it worked!)
But it’s those instructions that made this a Shirty September sew for me.
Either the instructions were written a bit differently to what I expected, or I’m used to next to no instructions and just doing my own thing. I seemed to spend a lot of time reading them and checking them rather than just sewing. And that made me shirty! Beck has also recently made this pattern and written a great post about it – I agree with everything she says about the instructions!
Will I make it again? Probably! I’m intrigued by the “bunny ears” tie collar and tie cuffs version and I’d like to try it again in a drapier fabric. And I won’t need to read the instructions next time!
You might see an IKEA VALKRASSING throw. I see 2 meters of 150 cm wide cotton double gauze.
The throw was reduced to $20 – that’s $10 per meter. Bargain. Perfect way to tip my toe inexpensively into sewing and wearing double gauze. And what better way to do it than with Newlook 6471, the pattern I’ve just used?
Mum jeans – #sewoverfifty
After I cut out my pattern pieces I discovered it was triple gauze. I presuming that makes it even warmer to wear and a bit loftier?
That line on the sleeve is not a dropped sleeve seam- it is the T-shirt sleeve hem I was wearing underneath. Also, look how much my natural colour has grown out! #greyharidon’tcare
The triple layers made me decide to go for a rolled collar rather than bind the neck with self bias. Two reasons – this seemed like it was going to be a cold weather top so the extra neck coverage would be welcome and sewing bias binding neatly and evenly in triple gauze onto gathers didn’t sound like fun.
The pattern doesn’t come with a rolled neck. I used the neck tie pattern pieces without the ties but with a centre back opening. To which I added button holes and buttons. This was the only place I used interfacing – a 3 cm strip underneath where the button holes and buttons were going to go.
Front, back, buttoned, unbuttoned. Also look how good this throw would’ve coordinated with my bedspread – perhaps I shouldn’t have cut it up after all?
The instructions are good for this pattern. I like the way the seam allowances for the gathered edges are 3/8 inch and that means the first line of gathering stitches is very close to the raw edge – makes it much easier to sew after it’s gathered because everything seems to stay better in place.
Sewing over pins and stictiching on top of the gathering stitch- #livingdangerously
The cuffs weren’t interfaced. I did the same as last time – cut them wider, sewed one long edge to the gathered edge of the sleeve, folded the cuff in almost half (butted the edge up to just touch to seam allowances which were pressed towards the cuff) and then folded up again and stitched. This means my cuffs are four layers of triple gauze! No wonder they look padded!
Last time I made this I felt the sleeves were a bit short. So this version has 5 cm extra length added to the sleeves. Now a tiny bit too long. Goldilocks sleeve length is still to be attained!
I’m still liking the idea of the high low hem. So for this one I cut the hem edge on the fringed ends of the throw. In fact, given the fringes are the selvedges, all of this top was cut across rather than with the grain, apart from the bias cut collar.
Serious face because I’m on the fence about the fringe
What do you think? Should I cut the fringes off and hem it normally?
I’ve had this small floral woven cotton in my stash for a while. It’s always been earmarked for a shirt. Shirting weight, small floral. Makes sense doesn’t it? Light grey and white. Perfect as corporate wear.
But I had an idea in my head that I wanted to use the Closet Core Cielo dress pattern for. And I needed a wearable toile because the hips are a bit tight on the last Cielo dress I made.
Yes I used the shirt fabric. And played around with a coordinating fabric on the back yokes and as a sort of flat piping on the sleeve cuffs.
I have successfully tested the sizing (too big – took in the side seams).
But I haven’t made the best use of this fabric – too light both in weight and in colour.
It’s a fail.
So some further experimentation couldn’t really make it much worse (spoiler alert – it did).
I asked myself: Could Cielo be used as a very casual interpretation of a Chanel jacket inspired dress? Likes these from the Chanel Spring 2022 RTW collection?
Chanel Spring 2022 RTW image source: Vogue.com
The answer is maybe but probably not. The loose fit makes it a very loose interpretation of Chanel gloriousness. It might be more successful in a more appropriative fabric.
What did I do? I added a strip of contrast fabric at centre front-the length was determined by the amount of remnant I had . I topstitched it in place. I then added two bands to the top of the pockets. The topstitching of these was tricky to do with machine sewing but looks ok if you’re not close. I didn’t have enough for a neck band.
I wore this dress on very hot days only. When I’m not likely to be seen in public….
I should’ve made a shirt. But it was fun whilst it lasted.
In a surprise to everyone but mostly myself I’ve done some self-less sewing for strangers and I liked it!
Belinda of @pinpoint_textiles called out for Adelaide sewists to make scrubs for the staff at the coronary care unit at one of our excellent hospitals, Flinders Medical Centre, for Fun Scrubs Friday. What a great way to thank our wonderful hospital staff. And make patients smile. And use some of the cottons in my stash!
Liz Haywood’s free zero/low waste scrubs pattern was suggested and I volunteered to make size 16. Even with narrow 112 cm wide fabric you can get a scrub top at this size out of 1.6 metres. Great stash buster!
My first trial version was in a very bright orange with a small vintage-y print. It turned out pretty cute. Glad I’ve still got plenty more of this fabric. I like it a lot more than I expected.
Encouraged, I made another one in a Jocelyn Proust Waratah print. Love this fabric!
The third was in a novelty citrus poplin, being modelled here by Beth the sewing room dummy.
And the final version was in another Jocelyn Proust cotton
The flat lay really shows the simple shape of this pattern
There are side slits.
Patch pockets.
A very simple extended sleeve. This is the one place where the instructions were less than perfect. This square corner needs to be clipped on the inside. That step was missing. Or there is some other very clever way to get this to sit right that I misunderstood
The neckline is great. And so easy to do. Brilliant drafting by Liz. Excellent pattern. And it’s free. Thank you Liz
I really hope the fabulous health care professionals enjoy wearing these as much as I enjoyed making them!
Style Arc’s Hope Woven Dress pattern is hugely popular. Several Instagram sewists (I’m looking at you @rou2an1_made and @johassler) have made more than 10 versions. Yes. More than 10! There’s even a hashtag for multiple sewing of this pattern: #hopedressspringseternal.
And it is deservedly popular. This style seems to look great on everyone, every body shape and every age. Why has it taken me so long?
My first version was in a chambray with an embroidered border. So I cut the skirt and all the other pieces out with the grainline running selvedge to selvedge rather than parallel to the selvedges. Seemed to work just fine.
It has pockets!
My fabric is soft and I only have fairly robust interfacing in my stash so rather than interface the neck facing pieces, I used vilene bias tape on the neck edge instead.
I cut the tape using the pattern pieces as my guide, pinned the tape at the centre front and seams, eased the neck edge to the tape with more pins and then pressed The neck edge has slightly stretched out but this process brought it back in. Luckily! I followed up the ironed on securing with machine basting. And then faced as per normal.
I love vilene bias tape.
The sleeves are described as 7/8th length, but either I have the sizing wrong (this is a size 16) or longer than normal arms – they are more 3/4 length on me. I like them pushed up a bit closer to my elbow joint to give a bit of puffiness
Waist? What waist? Why are you looking for one? Don’t think I can find mine.
This is a really comfortable dress to wear, but if you’re looking for a waist enhancing dress this is not the style for you. But oh so comfortable to wear! Did I say that already?
Version 2
Of course there is a version 2. This is also midi length.
I can’t get my hands out of the excellent pockets in this design
Style Arc says there is a knee length version too, and shows one in the line drawing but doesn’t include a pattern piece or cutting line on the skirt pieces for it. So I just cut out another midi length.
I thought a lot about how to fit this all on my not quite long enough piece of fabric and still place the ‘stripes’ were i wanted them. This meant the skirt was 4 cm shorter than drafted, but not the 20 cm or so it would have been if I was actually thinking about it being knee length. And a shorter skirt would hve made the pattern tetris a lot simpler!
So, just a little bit more thinking before cutting would have been good! Then I could also have lined up the sleeves better too- it’s almost but not quite pattern matched. how does this even happen?!
I didn’t even think there was any chance of pattern matching. My focus was on getting a bit more length onto the sleeves (I managed to get 5 cm more). Not that you can see the extra length in any of the photos- in all of them the sleeves are pushed up and sitting in my elbow joint – because I love the puffiness!
This fabric is a gem from my stash. It’s a rayon viscose blend double weave. A bit like double gauze and with lovely body and a slight shimmer.
I used a gathering tip from @kaleidoscopekatie_ : overlap the gathering stitching. This stops the gap that’s not gathered where you start and stop your gathering stitching in the same line and close to each other.
safety pin at centre front and bright red and pink thread for gathering
Look! no gap!
Thanks for the tip Katie!
Do you think I stopped at two Hope dresses? Well… I couldn’t… I had to make a knee length version. I might also be trying to join the #hopedressspringseternal club.
So, another Hope blog post is coming soon … just as soon as I can get photos!
Have you made a Hope dress? Could you stop at two?
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ll know I love to buy fabrics whilst travelling. You’ve been warned! This is another one of those posts where I talk about what I sewed from fabric I bought a long way from home.
A brief but wonderful trip to East Timor in 2019 resulted in two fabulous pieces of tais cloth.
Have you come across tais before? I hadn’t.
It’s woven by the women of East Timor and is an important part of their heritage. The designs vary regionally. I purchased mine from the Tais market in the capital, Dili, where “bright colors and solid panels reflect the focus on tais commerce” according to Wikipedia.
The cloth is traditionally used for clothing and is also ideal for cushions, tablecloths and other soft furnishing uses – our hotel included tais in its décor as you can see below in my photo displaying my souvenirs on the lounge by the pool.
But you already know from my blog title that I don’t use my pink tais in soft furnishing!
I made a jacket
I was very limited by meterage. My pieces are 1.6 m long by 120 cm wide. And that 120 cm width was achieved by hand stitching two 60 cm wide pieces together after they were woven – the looms are narrow.
It was tricky to find a jacket pattern that would work.
My solution was to use Closet Core’s Sienna jacket view B but 9 cm shorter, with the lapels and collar in hot pink cotton twill, no belt, no outside breast pocket and the lower pockets both shorter and squared off. And no stress about stripe matching or the placement of that one brown/cream marled wide stripe on each piece!
I intended to add buttons to make up for the lack of belt and fastenings but I’m a bit on the fence about it.
Not sure I really need them, and buttonholes could be tricky in this loosely woven fabric. Perhaps large snaps? What do you think?
All the cut edges of the tais love to fray. I was not intending to line the jacket so it need to look good on the inside.
A Hong Kong finish seemed like the perfect solution.
Since I have a stash of vintage bias tape, already folded in various shades of orange, red and yellow, there was no stopping this idea. Not even the fact that I didn’t have enough of any one colour to use for all the seams, because… have you seen this fabric?
I had a lot of fun.
And I’ve used up a lot of my vintage bias tape stash. Which revealed that the tape had been stored on cards for recording your measurements for foundation garments…
Figure problem??? Glad I live in this century!
The pink twill lapels didn’t escape the contrast Hong Kong finish either.
I refrained from decorating the inside breast pocket – one tiny (and insignificant in the scheme of things) bit of restraint! If you can call choosing to add a hot pink secret pocket a sign of restraint….
Pretty on the inside
Those lapels are not only pink on the revere, they are also perfectly straight from top to bottom – which is not how Closet Core patterns drafted them.
Yes I did draw the new cutting line onto the fabric with a ball point pen. I like a bit of danger in my sewing room
Why did I straighten the lapels? Because the selvedge of the tais was beautiful – a bit like a grosgrain ribbon – and I wanted to preserve that on the edge of the jacket. I used the selvedge on the centre back seam too.
I don’t think my label looks that wonky in real life…
How did I manage an uncut selvedge and a cut facing? I’ll try and explain (and you’ll understand why no-one should hire me to write sewing instructions..)
I pressed the seam allowance to the wrong side of the long edge of the facing and then sewed the top edge of the facing to the collar and top of the lapel in the normal fashion.
After turning and pressing, I topstitched the collar and top of the facing of the lapel.
Then continued to ‘topstitch’ the long edge very close to edge of the outer fabric and the facing with its edge turned under.
The other edge of the facing was then stitched to the coat, as per normal.
The inside makes we just as happy as the outside – here’s the back.
The fridge at the ends of the tais is attractive, but I didn’t work out a way to incorporate it into the design. Perhaps that was a wise move – it was quite tangled after a gentle prewash.
I’m very happy with this jacket. Its wonderfully bright and deliciously soft and slouchy.
Using Jocelyn Proust Christmas themed Australian animal prints to make Christmas dresses has become a tradition.
This year, wombats and waratahs became a Sew Different Tulip dress for me.
The whole menagerie of Australian animals was made into another version of B6677 for Felicity.
Yes of course there was a matching mask!
If you follow me on Insta you know my dress was not as successful as Felicity’s
It seems perfectly drafted to emphasise full tummies
Sewing details
Felicity’s dress was made the same as previously except only the bodice was lined and this is style A of B6677 without the flouces. I followed The Insouciant Stitcher’s tip and used an IKEA Nattjasmin cotton/lyocell bed sheet for garment construction. Excellent lining material for quilting weight cottons!
Three dresses in and I’ve only just worked out that Felicity can pull this on without unbuttoning. Next time I’ll omit the back neck slit and button! The shiny red button above the smiley wombat does makes me smile though.
I like the smiley wombats on my dress too. Even though they are more hairy.
Mine was a size 18 which I then added a bit of extra width to after construction by taking the side seams out about 5 mm above and below the pockets (because the pockets were already sewn in). I probably could have just expanded through the waist above the pockets.
I used an olive suiting weight linen from Spotlight for the bottom band of my dress because it was in my stash, the colours worked and I didn’t have enough of my wombat fabric.
And the bias for the hem – same reasons
The ‘you can’t buy this’ tag turned out funnier than I expected – you can’t buy this and you probably don’t want to!
If there is a next time I will sew a larger size from the bust down, petite the bodice by removing 2 cm above the bust and round out the shoulder to sleeve transition.
Despite my lack of love for this dress I did end up wearing it for Christmas – for the meal prep part of the day. Then changed into the other “unsuccessful” dress for Christmas dinner. No longer unsuccessful because I saved that one from refashioning or donation with a tablecloth weight!
An invite with a request to wear something pink. Some people would add a pink accessory. Not Felicity. She needed a new pink dress.
It was no surprise that there were several pink fabrics in my stash. But, also no surprise, none of them were deemed suitable. Apart from the delightful silk charmeuse with some pink in it that I had earmarked for something else, but lets not dwell on that….
It has pockets
So for attempt #1, a light weight poly cotton gingham from Spotlight was wrestled into McCalls 7922.
McCalls 7922
I made View D in a size 14 out to a size 16 for the bust and shoulders with the neckline raised to that of a size 22. Why multi-sized? I wasn’t sure how to do an FBA on this style or how to petite the bodice so this was my fix for a fuller bust and a shorter torso.
Pretending to like it
I say wrestled because I really did not enjoy sewing this fabric. Perhaps it was the fiber composition. The end result was quite cute on but Felicity didn’t like how it felt. I’d say that was due to fiber composition, the knot and how that made it feel loose through the waist.
In other words, the dress turned out as the pattern designer intended, but that doesn’t mean it was a success! One wear and then donation was its fate.
Attempt #2 turned out so much better.
Obligatory matching mask
The fabric was a mid weight cotton woven in a very cute Australiana print (May Gibbs flannel flowers) lined with polka dot cotton voile.
Fully lined with polka dots. Because. Well. Why not?!
The pattern is Butterick 6677 and was previously used to make one of Felicity’s favourite dresses. This time I made View A in a Size 14 with an 2 cm FBA.
Butterick 6677
I lined the flounces with the same cotton voile I’d used to line the dress rather than hemming them.
Even the pockets got lined with polka dots. Love the way these two fabrics play together!
This was an indulgent project. Not because the fabric was precious or special. But because it was totally decided upon on a whim.
Which shoes?
This project leapt ahead of other projects that would have been more practical and actually filled a wardrobe gap. Just because I felt like sewing the three 1 metre lengths by 115 cm wide pieces of fabric left from an earlier project.
I have to admit that it was very satisfying to sew so organically and without a plan. When I overthink projects they sit uncut and unsewn. Yellow roses spring coat I’m talking about you!
There is some sentimentality associated with this fabric
Eating crepes from a street vendor on Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Bought in Paris with Felicity
Best fabric weights ever
Cut out, for a previous project, at M of Nonsuch’s place on a rug, with Mr Bingley. There was still cat hair on these remnants five years later!
The remnants are also those bits of the fabric on which the pattern was printed a bit off grain. A whim with a sewing challenge. What more could I want!
I picked simple patterns – the Closet core’s Cielo for the top in a size 16 and a Burda pencil skirt made in my new larger size – 46 waist and 48 hips – Burdastyle 07/2012 #134. I didn’t add the hem darts but I angled the side seams in about half the amount to sort off get the same pegged effect.
There wasn’t enough of the alphabet fabric for a top and skirt, or of the stripey squares for either, so the top got a bit of both. In hindsight, stripey squares on the back might’ve been a better idea than using them on the front.
those shoes…hahaha
I surprised myself by not only having blue and orange shoes that worked with these new garments, but also having other me-mades that work – a blue and orange top, an orange coat and an orange shirt (not pictured). Of course plain black works too.
Who knew orange and blue were neutrals and could play so nicely in my wardrobe?
“Carrie. Pink prom dress covered in pigs blood. I’m thinking the same dress you made for Christmas in 2016.” Actually nothing like Carrie’s prom dress, but no problem.
Great I’m thinking. The Christmas 2016 dress is still around so I can check fit (a bit big). And I’d have the traced off and adjusted pattern somewhere. Turns out I didn’t, so I traced off and adjusted another one. This time in one size smaller (size 40 with a 2 cm FBA and then had to add 5 mm back to the side seams). It also has wider straps and higher neckline like last time, because comfortable bras needed to be worn, and lots of boobage on display was not part of the brief – Felicity was wearing this to work (in a bar at a bowling club, but still, we have standards!).
I didn’t have to buy fabric because we had a pale pink single bed sheet that was surplus to needs. I fully lined the bodice (easier than facings or bias!). Included pockets, Because. Pockets. Did not finish any of the seams. Because. One wear costume.
It’s actually very cute. I need to make this pattern again.
And then, red paint was added to simulate pigs blood.
Yes there was a face mask too
I don’t yet have any photos of Felicity in the costume, but I’m confident she looked great. And horrifying.
So. Why haven’t I actually made it up? Well. Timing. March seemed the wrong time to make a spring coat for an Australian sewist.
But I do very much love my trial version.
I used an African wax print cotton and made the pattern 5 cm longer than the jacket length (style #102, not shown in the line drawing) but with the coat length 3/4 length sleeves. The largest size is 44 so I drafted out to a size 46. A size 44 probably would’ve been fine
No lining, no interfacing.
Of course I absolutely adore it anyway!
It is the absolute best to wear with a wide and oddly shaped long dress (can you tell I’ve become a woman of a certain age?!) on a night out with my very stylish friend M from Nonsuch.
It’s also been worn to work. More times than is probably healthy.
It’s one of those garments which gets unsolicited compliments every time it’s worn. It’s the print. It’s almost indigenous Australian art like. I get that comment too. And that’s my cue to tell them about African wax prints. Never let an opportunity pass for textile education!
I added patch pockets. Just letting you know in case you hadn’t noticed my hands shoved into them in the photos above. Pockets are always a good idea. It was also fun pattern matching them. Really, they’re stealth patch pockets.
I also couldn’t resist adding one of KATMs awesome labels to the sleeve cuff.
Other important details are that all the seams were flat felled and bias binding was used on the hems and facings
Great pattern. Remind me to use it again in September!
I really, really love this dress and I am wearing it, again, right now as I press publish on this post. I’m surprised to have arrived at the end of summer without having made at least one more version. Four Lodos and then distraction in the form of lovely yellow roses fabric might be the reason….
I’m very late to the Adeline party – this pattern has been out for some time and there are multiple lovely versions showcased on sewists’ social media sites.
Better late than never? Definitely!
The Adeline is a cocoon shaped dress with a high low hem.
The robust body of my fabric illustrates this shape very effectively!
This is a size 16, printed at 98% by mistake. I made it up in an African wax print cotton bought in a market in Bordeaux, France a couple of years ago as a sewing souvenir. It was a typical wax print length of fabric – almost 6 meters long but only 120 cm wide.
This meant I had to piece one of the cut-on sleeves with the integrated cuffs. The seam is pattern matched but hidden under the turned back cuff. Only noticeable when ironing!
I also pattern matched the pockets – one perfectly and the other one with room for improvement.
It’s a very subtle mismatch (it’s the pocket on my right) – the yellow flowers don’t align. This is because I cut this pocket piece across rather than with the grain. Not on purpose.
I didn’t try so hard with the neck and hem facings- just centered the large teal design – but this worked out surprisingly well.
This dress was sewn at a holiday house at the beach. Yes I am that person who takes their sewing machine on holiday. The overlocker didn’t get to come so the seam finishing is old school zigzag. Which you can see if you look at the image of the neck facing above very closely…
This is the smug look of a sewist who is very pleased with their work and delighted to have another garment that matches these shoes.
Today, like most times I wear it, this dress is being worn with trainers, but it’s nice to know I can dress it up with these shoes if I want too. Shoes only seen on sewing blog posts? Surely that’s not a thing!
I acquired this very lovely piece of fabric from an etsy seller (JannsFabrics). Jann is a dear friend IRL and an inspirational sewist with an enviable fabric collection. She’s rehoming some of that fabric and I’m very pleased to have a few of her pieces.
It’s a linen silk jacquard and a delight. So delightful that I’m racked with indecision about what to sew with it. A dress? A jacket? A coat? I have 2.7 m – (too many) options!
So I’m making up a couple of patterns in other fabrics to audition their suitability – are they good enough for my beautiful and special fabric? Is this what I should use it for?
Trialling patterns is also needed due to iso- baking and menopause induced change in my figure. I’m celebrating by exploring the plus section of my Burda magazine collection. Yes, celebrating. #BodyPositivity
I made it in a woven cotton damask fabric without the centre front trim. I also made a tablecloth in this fabric many years ago – this was the remnant. Yes I am that person who could match her dress to her table linen.
This pattern is drafted to be lined, but because this was a trial version in tablecloth fabric I used bias for the armscye and cap sleeve hem and drafted facings for the neck instead.
I’m surprised but pleased with how this turned out and how well this tablecloth fabric stands up to being a dress. I was expecting a lot more creasing. I should have taken more effort with a matching zip and overlocking thread!
It’s a loose fit through the waist and almost cocoon like in its narrowing down at the hem. The impression of being a sheath but only close fitted through the shoulders and bust. This is a size 46 bust and waist with a size 48 hips.
I like this pattern a lot. I’d have an elegant dress if I combine it with my yellow roses fabric. But perhaps too mother-of-the-bride and not enough fun?
Simple pattern. Cute skirt. Gorgeous daughter. Stash fabrics. These are some of my favourite things.
This is Burda 02/2020 #108. In size 40 waist and size 42 hips.
The first version was in a poly cotton tartan cotton for spotlight. Horrid fabric to sew – the weave is too loose. It turned out well as a garment. I credit lovely bemsilk lining for that!
The second version is in delightful Italian cotton shirting purchased a hundred years ago for a great little shop in Turin. Not actually a hundred years ago but in our COVID-19 world it feels like this.
A vintage button adds to its charm. Yes it probably is sewn on upside down.
I didn’t line this version but it may have hung better if I had.
These pictures were shot in my new sewing space. l love having a large dedicated sewing space! Even if is a work in progress – there is still a lot of stuff in random spots and the pictures need hanging.
Just look at the light!
In conclusion. Great skirt pattern. The goldilocks of flounce. Highly recommended.
He Cooks... She Sews! 