Top 5 of 2016: the Misses

Following on from my recent Top 5 Hits post (thanks again Gillian!), I've just gone back through all my 2016 posts identifying the "misses", and as it turns out they fall neatly into two categories: fit and fabric (or both).


Let's start with the fabric fails:

This Vogue 1129 coat - love the style, the drape, the colour and nearly everything about this coat, but the fabric is insanely scratchy.  I've managed to wear it just once.  A silk scarf helped, but I have other softer coats.  It's on the list of things to re-sew in a nicer fabric - wish I'd had the guts to start this in a good fabric, but then I did start it years ago...

Next up, there's this StyleArc Esme top (already donated to my local second hand shop). The fabric is an interesting and warm double sided material from The Fabric Shop, but I just don't like it. My recollection is that I bought it when I was looking for something very specific for a party dress and thought this might be close enough - the print was similar to what I wanted, but the colour and fabric type weren't right. I will have to try this pattern again next winter in a merino wool - perhaps down a size too depending on the fabric. I do love the pattern though - check out the cool collar:

And then there's the floral raglan sleeved top (Vogue 1389) in this post - I really like the pattern and intended to sew the top again in a plainer fabric but never got around to it. The fabric is one I bought to make my daughter a winter fit-and-flare dress, but she had no interest in it, and I should have just passed the fabric on to someone else. Oh and I'm not sure why I look so smug in this photo:

And now for the fit fails:

This dress, adapted from Vogue 1314 - urgh, I'm too old to be dressed up as a sausage, even if the fabric is a divine colour. Not sure what I was thinking when I made this - perhaps I was daydreaming!

More in the sadly "too small" camp: this StyleArc Rosie top and vintage skirt:

I still intend to make the Rosie top again with more width, and I've got the skirt fabric back in the stash so it can become something else one day.

And then there's the accidental compression bikini pants (and I can't believe I've got a bunch of horrible and quite cheeky photos of myself wearing them on the internet!):

Finally these Burda 7214 mustard pants are the cross-over - the fit looked OK in the photos but loosened with wear (and felt wrong), and the fabric was too thin and stretchy for this type of garment. Disappointing, but the pattern itself is excellent and I really should have another go at it with a heavier stretch fabric - and maybe if I give myself belt loops and a higher waist the pants won't feel like they're falling down: 

That's more than 5, isn't it - it's 7 garments by my count!  I should also include a failed skirt I never blogged - the fit failure (too tight, too short; I couldn't fit it for blog photos) that was my version of Vogue 1389 (close ups posted on Instagram here, and here). And then there were the umpteen garments I started and didn't finish - but they don't count, do they? 

Looking on the bright side, there were no dud patterns in there, hooray! - but obviously I still need to work on my fabric choices and fit. Maybe those areas can be my 2017 new year's resolutions....

How was 2016 for you as a sewing year?




Wishing you all a very happy and healthy year with plenty of successful sewing in 2017!


- Gabrielle xx

Linen Crush (Tessuti Chloe Pants + Vogue 8877 Top)

The crushing and wanting started with this image, which I saw on Tessuti Fabrics' Instagram feed.  I didn't save the image anywhere but in my memory, and as it happens, my memory then turned the outfit upside down - loose blue linen top became loose white linen top, and white shorts became blue pants (details, details!).  I already had a beautiful blue linen in my stash, bought from Tessuti fabrics a few years ago just because it was the perfect blue for something, and when the perfect pants pattern came into my possession while the outfit was still cause for obsession the ball really got rolling.  A top pattern quickly followed suit (tick!), along with a heavy white linen from an after work dash to The Fabric Shop.

And here's where I ended up:

My outfit isn't at all like the original inspiration image, and I'm at least twice the age of the girl in the original image, but this look is precisely what I wanted. The photos may or may not be in agreement - but this is my sweet spot :).

A simple pants shape, slim fitting through the hips and neither flared nor skinny, and an oversized top, loose through the bust and more fitted at the hips and lower arms. Not at all what like the original image, I know!

The pants pattern I used is the Chloe pants pattern by Tessuti patterns, which my mum was ditching because she thought the legs looked too wide for her height. The legs look to be very slightly tapered but there is still some fabric flapping around (not something I mind at all).  Normally these pants would be a proper long length on me, even with hemming (and I'm about 5'8" with fairly long legs) but I took them up about 5 centimetres to get the above-ankle length I was after, including a generous hem.  I'm thinking this length will be good for walking and doing stuff in summer - at this length there's zero risk of my tripping on my own hems.

I've sewn these up in a straight size 12, and amazingly the fit seems pretty good as is.  Second time around I could possibly remove a small wedge from the front crotch curve and maybe add that length to the back crotch curve, but the pants are really comfortable so I'll see how they feel after a few wears before I draw any fit conclusions.

There is one small annoyance with these pants: I had the choice of a darker blue (much darker than the fabric) or white invisible zip for the side seam, and as you can see I chose unwisely.  It isn't really a big deal for me - I'm planning to wear these pants with loose tops to about the length of this white top - but I do wonder if there's a way of neatly colouring in the visible white of the zip?

Anyway, regardless, I really like how streamlined these pants look.

Next time: review the fit after wear, and then make any necessary adjustments to the crotch curve; consider adding pockets on the backside (I was fumbling for pockets when I wore the pants to take photos); try them as shorts; and definitely make them again!

The top pattern is Vogue 8877, a "very easy" pattern (and yes, it is) in the size Medium (12-14).  I sewed this top (blog post here) before with short sleeves in a jersey, and it does work in a stretch fabric but it's really intended for wovens.

The top is described as a loose-fitting pullover top, but if you're busty I think you would need to seriously modify the bust seam, as the angled, dropped shoulder line takes away some of the ease you would get in the bust area IF you had a regular shoulder and sleeve. Oh and I didn't notice those dropped shoulders when I wore my earlier top, but I can really feel them on this top, and can feel if the top has wiggled to one side - so the shoulders are obviously another fitting area to watch out for.

My only adjustments to this pattern were to take the neckline in slightly on both sides and to remove some of the length in the bodice.  My adjusted neckline is now less "boat" and a little bit "square", but I think this smaller width is more proportionate to my shoulders while still fitting over my head. For the top length I had a very specific finishing length and hem depth in mind, so I did a lot of trying on and pinning and pressing in place and then cut away what turned out to be an excess of a couple of centimetres of length.

I don't think it's very noticeable in the bright sunlight (yay, Spring sunshine!) but the fabric has a damask sort of floral pattern woven into it.  I think it's pretty, but I do hope I haven't accidentally sewn myself a tablecloth top!  Hmm... more research is required here...

I added a cotton bias binding tag in the back neckline to help quickly identify back from front without the itch factor of a normal garment tag - this is one of those garments whose front and back are extremely similar, so it's actually very helpful, and I'm wishing I'd thought of it in time for the pants too.

 

The one problem I think I'll have with this top is finding jumpers or jackets to go over it - check out the width of those sleeves!  One obvious solution is to use the pattern again to sew a long-sleeved wool top - or would that be a bit much?  I've got some nice thick merino lined up for the job if I don't come up with a better idea.

Next time: sew again in a heavy knit fabric to make a jumper that will layer over this top and the many other dolman sleeved dresses and tops in my wardrobe - yay!


So all up I am a very happy camper right now.  I've got two garments I love, and they've got my imagination fired up with lots more ideas too...

Happy sewing!



See you soon

- Gabrielle xx

2015

Happy New Year everyone! 

In the sewing blog tradition, I'm going to look back through my 2015 blog posts and pick out the hits and misses - what really got worn, what was loved, and what simply didn't work. 

This year I feel like I had a lot of misses.  Apart from the garments I'm listing as certain misses there were several more that I'm in two minds about - for example there were a few where the fit wasn't good but the fabric was awesome, and a few more where I wasn't sure whether the "look" of the garment was my kind of look, even though it was perfectly fine as a garment. 

Hits

Love it but wear it only occasionally:

I don't think I've EVER worn this out! It's too sexy for work with its very low cut underarms and fit, but surely there's got to be an occasion for this dress? 2016, I'm looking at YOU!!

 

My frocktails cape and dress - of course! I love these both so much...  I've worn the dress out to dinner a few times, but the cape had its only ever outing in Melbourne at Frocktails last year.  Sadly every time I've got it out of the wardrobe I've put it straight back, thinking "oh no, what if I drip soy sauce on it!".  This year I'm going to resolve to wear the cape out at least a few times, and either steer clear of messy food or try to become more zen about food stains.  

And this one - as loud as I am quiet! Well, when you first meet me, and sans alcool! This one turned out just as I'd envisaged it. I've worn this out a few times in broad daylight and it's been a fun dress to wear - woo hoo for statement clothes!

Love it and wear it heaps:

This Vogue top - the perfect weight for weather that's just a tad chilly, and in several of my favourite colours!  I wear this lots, and it always feels special.  

Oh and this Ruby top, which is beautifully airy when the weather is hot and sticky. And because the outer fabric is seersucker it doesn't need too much work from the iron to look fresh and lovely.  

This top and skirt set make me feel like I'm on holiday somewhere slightly fancy.. so I'm wearing them as much as possible...   

Practical is my middle name:

Sometimes the useful stuff is not particularly exciting. This "miaow" top was supposed to be test top, but has already become a wardrobe staple; and the skirt refashion saw a never worn dress turn into a garment that garners compliments just about every time I wear it (which is often). 

This simple Vogue jacket is ideal for Sydney's mild winters, and the aubergine / purple fabric seems to go with most things in my winter wardrobe. 

Misses

Fabric woes:

I wish, wish, WISH I had waited to find some proper fabric before making this "deckchair" dress. The fabric is just so awful (thank you Lincraft) that I didn't even let this dress enter my wardrobe :(. 

This painterly fabric looked good but sewed badly, and the wrinkles you can see in the blog photos never went. I wore this dress several times till I realised I'd be embarrassed to tell a colleague I'd made it. It's gone.    

I quite liked this jungly fabric, but not enough to want to wear it. Every time I looked at the top I thought of the plain white cotton top I really wanted to make from the pattern... And then when I wrote that post on vents I noticed how bad these vents looked! Gone... 

My New Year's resolution is fit:

OK, so these shorts also tell the story of inappropriate (interior decorating) fabric, but the main problem is that they're too tight. They probably fit me now, but I don't need disco shorts. 

Ah Inari, why do you TAUNT me so??  I chose the wrong fabric (no drape), but really, the pattern didn't fit me very well...

Sometimes a dress is really a top - or a cushion - in disguise: 

This merino dress is very handy when I'm cold but I hate the way it looks - too clingy and a dowdy length. For next winter I want to turn it into a top and a lined, elastic waist skirt. 

And I love the Gabby dress pattern and LOVE the Nani Iro fabric, but together they seem to jar. I think the fabric would be better on a child - or a cushion. I might be able to get two cushions even... 

How was your sewing year? Did you have more hits than misses? Any surprises? 

Aside from what you've seen on this blog, 2015 was a very social year for me. I'm pretty active on Instagram, and I've been meeting up with lots of sewing people in real life - I hope 2016 can be just as much fun :).

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I've been sewing up a storm over the Christmas / New Year break and have lots to blog, so I'll be back soon! 


- Gabrielle xx

More a Miaow than a Roar

Let me quickly try to blog against my Vintage Pattern Pledge target - I was aiming for 4 garments from vintage or reproduction vintage patterns, and though I'm pretty sure I've sewn 4 and a half, I've only blogged 2: my graphic alert dress and my frocktails cape; this broderie anglaise top doesn't count because I sewed it late last year. 

So here's vintage pattern garment number 3 for the pledge: a pink animal print (is there such a thing as a big cat with pink fur?) top made using a 1980s pattern. 

This next photo is the best I have - I'm not sure why the rest of my photos are so washed out! 

 

The fabric is a spongey, crepey, slightly stretchy fabric from Lincraft - it's got to be a cheap polyester. I bought it a few months ago (before I learnt my lesson) for a ridiculously cheap sale price, thinking it would be good "test" fabric, though it's unlike anything else in my stash...  On the plus side it needs no ironing, which makes the top useful when I'm running late for work.  In the below picture I'm doing a terrible job of acting "running late for work". Terrible! 

And the pattern is one I picked up very cheap in a second hand store - there is not that much demand for these 80s basics! I thought it looked like a good pattern though: firstly it's a designer pattern, and secondly it includes three very different tops: a shoulder-buttoned pullover top with cut on, fluttery sleeves (A); a drop shoulder, side-buttoned (!!) long sleeved top (B), and a forward shoulder, front-buttoned blouse (C).  I'm kind of staggered that these three tops were considered good for a single pattern back then - they are all so different!  

On first glance the pattern looked too small for me - it's a size 10, I know the sizing is the same as in modern Vogue patterns, and I currently fit a size 12 in modern Vogue top patterns. However, back then clothes were worn a lot looser than now - yippee!  For 80s patterns I get to go down a size (unless I want an 80s fit!), just keeping an eye out for nipped in waists :).  

I wanted to make something simple with my stunt fabric, so I went with variant A, and left off the shoulder buttons. On the pattern envelope photo the neckline on this top looks absolutely comfortable, but I assume a very slim model was used, as when I cut this out I found the neckline quite constricting - and so small that those shoulder buttons would have been a necessity - so I recut my neckline and facing a couple of centimetres bigger all around to fit my head.  

Without the shoulder button detail all that's left is the shape, with what turns out to be a rather lovely sleeve - I think these sleeves would look beautiful in a drapey silk. The arm scye is quite low cut but not so low cut as to show any bra. 

I sewed this very fast and carelessly, and the result is absolutely wearable but nothing special.  I do like a simple top though, and I think I may be able to square the shoulders on this pattern to make for an even more fluttery sleeve - and a pattern that would then work with a border print along the shoulder line (ideas, ideas, ideas!). So in short, I'll definitely be coming back to this one.

Happy new year, and see you in 2016!

- Gabrielle xx

Deckchair Dress

I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas have had fun over the last few days, and that you are all finding the time and inclination for sewing.  My Christmas was good - too much cleaning and shopping for my liking, and way too little sleep or sewing, BUT it was great to catch up with relatives on both my and Mr UpSewLate's sides of the family, and quite satisfying to plan and produce a festive meal for a big group :).

Anyway, I finally have some free time so I'm going to try to blog a few of the garments I made this year that I hadn't gotten around to documenting. I'll start with this one - I'll call it the Deckchair Dress because the fabric looks better suited to a deckchair - which I showed on Instagram a while ago.

I think it looks quite good in these photos, but in real life this dress is not a success.

I bought this fabric from the Home Dec area of Lincraft, but it's extremely soft and limp.  I ironed and starched it for a very long time to get it to look relatively good for photos, but it crumples very easily, frays like mad. and stretches out as you sew seams in it. It's such a wimpy fabric that I can't really imagine it suiting any kind of home dec project - actually any project at all.  So why did I buy it?  I loved the stripes, the price was good, and the fabric in the shop had been treated with something that made it feel sturdier. Lesson learnt! Next time I hanker after striped canvas I'll look for the real thing.  

Anyway, leaving aside the fabric fail, the whole point of this dress was to have a bit of fun playing with stripes. I started with the bodice part of Vogue 8815, making sure to align the waist darts exactly with the vertical stripes. The bodice was a bit short, so I added a "belt" with the lovely blue stripes on the horizontal before adding a simple long skirt - aiming for an old fashioned look. The skirt has pleats that line up with the waist darts, and also a funny little pleat over the side seam to address the fact that when I was working out the skirt shape I forgot I have a big difference between waist and hip measurements.

This dress was incredibly easy to sew, but it took my quite a while to decide which stripes I wanted where. And even then...  well if you look closely you'll see that although I've matched the location of the central blue stripes between the bodice front and skirt front, the stripes on either side of the centre front don't match.  I cut the skirt pieces out so the stripes would match, but the skirt front and back are just rectangles, and what I've obviously done is sewn the front skirt piece on upside down :(.

And speaking of mistakes, have a look at the back view: the centre back zip is an ugly mess, there's too much length in the lower back (hello wrinkles), and there's gaping in the upper back / shoulder area. Oh well, the dress is already at the op shop and will hopefully be bought by someone who doesn't notice the issues.

Oh well, they can't all be successes, can they!

I'll be back soon with more sewing.

See you soon

- Gabrielle x