Cocktail Shorts (Vogue 9008)

You: Ooh, what's that?

Front, cocktail shorts (Vogue 9008)

Back, cocktail shorts (Vogue 9008)

Me: They're cocktail shorts!! Wanna see them on?

You: Sure, knock yourself out, take them for a spin, do a little dance...

Vogue 9008 cocktail shorts - perfect for dancing

You: Woah there Nelly, enough with the dancing - I was KIDDING! Let's get those lights back on pronto. OK, have you calmed down? Deep breaths, think of something sad...

Right, now let's have a proper look at the side and front views. Sensibly though. And I think we'll leave the back view for now - I know what you're like when you're in a silly mood!

Me: It's OK, I'm not going to do any more dancing!  Side then front, yes?

Side view, Vogue 9008 shorts

Front view, Vogue 9008 shorts

You: You know, they do actually look like cocktail shorts - not that I even knew there was such a thing, but I guess shiny silver would be about right. What's the fabric?

Me: Who knows, who cares! These are just for fun; they're the practice shorts! It's not like I actually GO to cocktail parties these days, is it.  I was actually going to make cushion covers with the fabric* but I just couldn't be...

*: Fabric source: Home Dec department in Lincraft. 

You: So they're just a muslin?  I was wondering if you'd really wear silver shiny shorts out - you had me going there for a bit!!!  Let me have another look at them... turn around slowly would you, I want to check something...

Side and back, Vogue 9008 shorts

Front, Vogue 9008 shorts

You: So have you made the real shorts yet? If not - don't take this the wrong way, and the cocktail shorts ARE great - well, they're just a smidge on the snug side, aren't they!  You'll make them a bit bigger in the final version, won't you?

Me: Yeah, I know... I haven't even shown you the waistband yet, have I:

Too tight, Vogue 9008 shorts

Me: So I do know they're too tight, but I kind of got carried away and cut out the next ones before I'd checked the fit of these properly...

 

You: Sigh... then maybe you just need to cut down on the chips or something...

You: Look, why don't you just tell me about the sewing pattern or something?

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You're invited to cocktails at 7 o'clock. Dress: shorts.

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Once upon a time there was a pair of shorts.

No, make that a couple of pairs of shorts; these shorts. But they were the ONLY ONES left on the Sass & Bide sale rack that day... 

Up close they looked beautifully made.  No internal debates - I tried on the largest size - oh, please, gorgeousness! But alas, it was not to be. Although they fastened, the shorts were just too small. And yet somehow they still looked flattering on... 

Inspiration!   

I headed back to the ranch as quickly as the corporate workday and commuter train would take me, and soon enough found myself flicking through patterns - which would it be, which could it be?

Bingo! Vogue 9008, view B would be my starting point:

And then I promptly fell off piste.

Here are the (easy!) modifications I made to the straight size 14, view B version of V9008:

• removed the fly from centre front
• added an invisible zip in centre back
• removed the waistband from front pieces
• added waistband length to front leg pieces
• continued angle / wrapover of back leg pieces all the way up to waist

Although the shorts photo above shows there's a pleat front on my inspiration shorts, my memory didn't even register the pleats, and swapped the front waist band to a back yoke. View E would have been a better match, but once view B has been modified to fit (ha! that's going to have to be for shorts number 4) I assume its crotch curve and other basic measurements will be consistent to view E.

And for the sewing? I probably could have found some stripes in my stash, but I wanted to test my modifications first. So I dug out this unloved home dec fabric, and end even though I was thinking these would just be test shorts I found I couldn't help myself - I pattern-matched on CF and CB, and I tried to place the florals and swirls at an attractive height and location. My pattern placement isn't spot on - I think the back florals should really be at the same height as the front ones, and the "moustaches" on the front waistline look silly - but these shorts look much better than I expected, and I can imagine wearing them out for drinks if I had that kind of a lifestyle :).

Fit wise, as you can tell from the photos above, there are some big problems. I probably need to start by going up a size, and then by drawing a longer waistband piece. I should use a fabric that has a bit more give than this shiny stuff, And I also need to compare this pattern to some pants that fit and work out where the crotch curves are different... 

Straight after finishing these I cut out another pair from a small piece (0.55 metres!) of blue and white striped cotton ticking, and then another pair from an old favourite skirt that hasn't fitted me in a very long time. I didn't alter the size for the striped pair as I wanted to see how much difference the fabric would make, but with the brown pair I used narrower seam allowances and also lengthened the back darts. Both pairs are nearly done but I've now misplaced the facings. When I finish these I'll share them with you, and THEN for shorts #4 I'll try to get a bit closer to that inspiration pair at the top of this post - and yes, there will be a 4th pair!


See you soon!

- Gabrielle xx

Vogue 1098 -> Green Shorts

Alas, the boiling hot weather has disappeared too soon - when my shorts are finally done!

 -

 


I used V1098 yet again, because as I now know, not all Vogue trouser patterns are shaped the same - and I think these are a a pretty good fit.  This is my fifth time using this pattern: I've used it to make pinstripe linen trousers; grey wool trousers; black mystery fabric trousers; and a turquoise cashmere jacket.  I have so got my money's worth from this pattern.

With these shorts so similar except in length to all those earlier trousers I don't have much to say!




The fit is quite snug in the rear, but I intentionally made these up a little smaller than usual this time around because the pinstripe linen trousers have gotten significantly looser after wearing.





My vintage button stash included some buttons that coordinated really well. The button holes aren't perfect but they're what my machine does. Oh and that curve in the waistband is from my pulling the button up for the photo; in real life the waistbands are straight and aligned.

 

This time around I added side pockets using the Vogue Basics pattern that I had originally planned to use. You can see one of them bulging open in the photo above :-0

 

The pocket openings are reinforced with tacking stitches, which you probably can't see even in the side view... nice deep (5cm) hems in case I decide they need to be longer. And the photos moved inside because the nextdoor neighbours came out onto their very nearby balcony :-(.  Oh no - caught in the act, looking like such a poser!

I took some time over the fly to try to make it look neat and flat, but by the time I got to finishing the waistband I just wanted to get the shorts finished. So both the waistband and hems are machine rather than hand stitched.

Fabric from The Fabric Shop - a medium weight linen.  Speaking of which, if you're in Sydney this weekend, are you coming to the meetup?

Week 1

Week 1 of 2013! Wow! I have one more week of leave before going back to work; it doesn't feel like there's been much time for sewing lately but perhaps there has been. [WARNING: Picture heavy post!]

This week I've:




1. Worked on a muslin for the jacket from V2823, to be made from this sea-green silk velvet and perhaps with this wild pink fabric as lining:

 



Is it too OTT? the green velvet is more vibrant than it appears in this photo... 

I'm currently removing some excess from the front bodice. SBA I guess.


2. Had a trip out with Miss UpSewLate for a zipper and threads that ended in fabric purchases at Tessuti, including the above lining and these couple of scrummy fabrics drying in the sun after their baptisms in the washing machine:

plain turquoise colour is hanging over the edge

a 2.3m stretch remnant!

as well as 0.5m of this stretch fabric

3. that I turned into a KwikSew 3169 top for Miss UpSewLate:

Size 6, arm elastic omitted. Coordinating skirt for Barbie highly recommended.

4. Whipped up a quick sewing room cushion with a centre back zip. I used my new cutting mat (thank you Mr UpSewLate) to get lovely straight lines and proper right angles.

Obviously this photo was not taken in my sewing room. It is Sydney, but it's not hot all year round!

5. Got through the initial stages of a pair of shorts...

... starting with a comparison of pattern shapes (would that be your first step too?). My Vogue 1098 Anne Klein trousers fit me really well in the critical areas, but I was interested in the Vogue Basic Design shorts pattern. I thought they'd be a similar shape in those critical areas and that the leg shape might be different - perhaps a bit flared below the hips?

I was honestly really surprised at how different the pattern shapes were! The photos below show these two patterns line up - both have been cut as size 12 except on the inner thigh where the Vogue Basic pattern is cut as a 16 (and please note I am not responsible for this hacking - it's a second hand pattern). 

FRONT comparison.  What a difference in crotch shape, crotch length, and hip width!

BACK comparison. Same differences!

I'd be interested to hear if you think I'm aligning these pattern pieces incorrectly.  But for the record, I then made the same comparison with the pattern pieces for three different Anne Klein trouser patterns - and found they all had the same crotch shape and length but slight (much, much smaller than those pictured above) differences in hip width and crotch length. I don't know if each designer has their own standard shape, but I'm planning to make some more comparisons with other trouser patterns.

Anyway, I decided to stick with the pattern that fits me...

... and this afternoon I cut the Vogue 1098 Anne Klein trousers shorts out of an emerald green linen and serged them, using the shorts pattern just for shorts length and some side pockets. I hope to get these sewn up soon!

6. Ignored a half-made top - double gauze Nani Iro fabric lined in silk but all looking really wrong. I just don't get the drape on double gauze fabric!
 7. Made vintage pattern purchases on Etsy, including these:

 and these:

 

 
Now by the way, have you ever wondered why old McCalls pattern envelopes came in colour and in black and white? Like this one:




















Patterns for sale in Australia and New Zealand were printed in Sydney in black and white while the American versions were printed in colour.  I've seen Australian black and white prints of patterns for all the major brands, and single colour envelopes for the smaller Australian brands (Pauline patterns, for example).  

and


8. Supervised Miss UpSewLate in a craft project. She wanted to make herself a top to match her own special design from a tiny scrap of green linen. Instead we made a simple paper pattern for her, then a muslin, which she decorated.

the proud artist

The front picture is trees on either side of a rocket house (NOT a hammock), with a flower in the foreground and small grey fluffy clouds in the sky. The painting on the back is of a bride throwing petals, with a flower girl walking behind her.

I now need to find out how to make crayons and water colours stay :-), and later we'll have a go at turning her fabric scraps into a top using her pattern.  

Phew, it sounds like I've been busy! 

Back soon with a normal sewing project, Gabrielle x

Tailored Boy's Shorts from Patrones Ninos

Here are some black linen tailored shorts I've just finished for my son - too late for the heatwave, but who could sew when it was so hot for so long?

Perfect for jumping in, apparently!

The pattern is number 13 from Patrones Ninos 288, made in a size 6 width and size 8 length.

I can't read Spanish and the pattern instructions (as you can see above) looked brief, so I didn't bother trying to translate but just looked at existing RTW shorts and followed David Coffin's general approach to trouser making and his details for making a proper fly (and I did better this time around than for my trousers :-)). The only conscious change I made was to add pleats in the front to narrow the waist for my string bean -  otherwise I think my shorts look pretty much like the pattern.  There was one pattern piece left over at the end (a rectangular piece that isn't a waistband or pocket flap - left of the shorts in the pic below).  I suppose it wasn't essential...

The fabric is a lightweight black linen from Tessuti fabrics, left over from a UFO dress started a few months ago. 

It's hard to see what the shorts look like when they're jumping about, so here they are laid flat:

front view

back view

velcro closing pockets

adjustable waistband

I don't tend to make too many clothes for my son so am glad to have made him something that was a bit more effort than a t-shirt.  The waist is adjustable so I'm hoping these will fit for the rest of this summer and next.

see ya later alligator!