To Work: Vintage Calvin Klein

Ta daaaa!  Yep, it's another top...


This one is sewn from a vintage pattern from my 80s/90s pattern collection (which is NOT a "carefully curated collection", though seriously, what even does that phrase mean? Does it just mean "a group of things I like"??). The pattern looks pretty boring in the envelope photos, but it's a designer pattern, which I find usually guarantees good bones, and the back of the envelope shows three very different tops, one of which (this one) only needs a metre of fabric.

The pattern is described as follows:

Loose-fitting pullover top or wrap blouse has cap or full-length sleeves. A and B mock bands, A: buttoned shoulder and sleeves closing. B: dropped shoulders and side-buttoned closing. C: extended shoulders, front pleated into self-lined yoke with forward shoulder seams and two-piece sleeves with buttoned cuffs shown pushed up.

I have a few of Calvin Klein's top patterns from the 70s, 80s and 90s and they seem to have quite a consistent, minimalist aesthetic, but this pattern is from 1986 - even though it has no shoulder pads. Vogue magazine anticipated the 1990s Calvin Klein designs would inspire Raf Simons' 2017 Calvin Klein collection (article and links to collections here), so maybe this is nearly fashionable?? Probably not, haha!

Anyway, these next photos of the pattern come from an etsy shop (linked) that had the pattern for sale as at the time of writing, but I can see it's available in lots of other online shops too if you like the look of it.

So obviously I made view A, the one that takes only a metre of fabric, and I left off the lovely buttoned shoulder detail - with my drapey silk twill I was worried I'd mess up, and the top gets on and off without any closures anyway.

This little top is intended to slot into my work wardrobe - black pants and skirts mixed with more interesting tops and jumpers - and though it looks summery with its fluttery cap sleeves, I think it's going to suit winter too in my current, very warm office.

These pants by the way are RTW, but if you could see them in person you might notice they're quite similar to Vogue 8909, with a loose fit (looser than the Hudson pants) and elasticized waist and ankles.  I'd make a pair except I already have a pair!

Vogue 8909 pants

Not Vogue 8909 pants, but a similar style

Because I left off the shoulder and sleeve buttoning closure this was a very straightforward top to sew.  The fabric, a gorgeous Italian silk twill from Tessuti Fabrics (sorry but it was purchased ages ago so I doubt it'd still be in stock) was a bit shifty to sew so that made things a little slower, but it was still only the matter of a few hours.

I used French seams on the shoulders and side seams and a rolled hem on the sleeves, and I should have but didn't use Lena's gelatine trick for shifty fabrics (here's Lena's original tip blogged in 2011, and here's the link to the 2012 Threads article inspired by Lena's blog post).  The rolled hem is wonky over the French seams, so perhaps French seams weren't such a good idea - that seam area was such a lot bulkier than the rest of the hem.

And I'm not sure if you can see this in the first of the detailed photos below, but I also used Debbie's trick for neat interfaced facings with no messy edges.

One of the nice things about a pattern like this is that it's really easily adjusted up or down a size.  My copy of this pattern was a size 10, but by widening the neckline and adding to the width of the top (including sleeve length) my top was effectively made as a size 12.

Not smug but happy - and that's all!


Happy sewing

- Gabrielle xx

I Will Follow (McCall's 7542)

Well I won't usually.  Usually I'll apply my utmost self-discipline to avoid following the social media trends, because I reckon I'm usually tempted to follow only because everyone else is (peer pressure, yes, the force is strong), and that's not a good enough reason really :).

However, this time around the trend was a pattern (McCall's 7542) that looked to tick a lot of boxes for me:

• Great sleeves: tick
• More than one variation I'd like to wear: tick
• Easy without looking like fast fashion: tick
• Mashable with other patterns: tick
• Different from other patterns I own: tick

This time around (I'll definitely use this pattern again, even if only for the sleeves) I sewed a variant on option E, which is the option with lower bubble sleeves gathered into the upper sleeve with an exposed seam (no idea of the correct terminology, sorry!). In my version the border between upper and lower sleeves is a regular seam, and that lower sleeve isn't a bubble but a single layer of fabric.

As you'll see I used a couple of fabrics for this top.  I had small and rather lovely piece of geometric wool from The Fabric Store, and it wasn't quite enough for the top, so I coupled it with a small remnant of black ponti for the back of the top.  I love this geometric fabric so much - and it reminds me of a beloved geometric silk from The Fabric Store that I sewed into a summer top a couple of year sago (post here).  The top only needs a single button, so the small purple button comes from my button stash. I think this particular button was inherited from my mother-in-law, who used to wear quite a bit of purple.

I sewed this top in a size 14 - a size bigger than I'd sew in a Vogue designer pattern - because I suspected the McCall's sizing might be more consistent with the Vogue basics line, and I'm more of a 14 than a 12 there.  It's still looking a little tight in these photos, but I expect the fit will be looser when my thyroid levels get back to normal. 

A few people have mentioned the top length in their reviews, and this is something to be aware of before you cut your top out: as well as being quite fitted, it's short!  My version of the top is cut out in the longer of two lengths, but it's not that long. Before whipping this up from a special fabric I'd really recommend measuring the bodice and sleeve widths and lengths. The fact that I've used a stretchy fabric for the back of my top effectively gives me more width, but my lower sleeve is nearly twice the drafted length of the bubble - the original would have hit me at just below elbow length. 

All up, this one's a fun and versatile pattern - highly recommended, and I look forward to trying the trumpet or tulip sleeves soon.  For more examples of this pattern sewn up have a look at Alex's striped viscose version here, Kabunta's blue and pink versions here, Carmen's teal tulip-sleeved version here, and Erika's pale pink accordion pleat sleeved version here.  And there are loads more on Pattern Review of course :).

Ahhh I love geometric fabric...  

See you soon!

- Gabrielle x

PS apparently it's become just about impossible to comment on my blog lately - I'm so sorry if you've been trying to do so.  I do have Disqus installed, so this should be working, but apparently it's become twitchy. Short of uninstalling Disqus and losing lots of lovely interactions, do you know of a good solution for Blogger?  For now, I'm contactable via email (corbettgabrielle .at. gmail .dot. com) and through the bloglovin comments system. Thanks in advance! 

PPS I just went over to the Disqus site and had another go at fixing things - and for now it seems to be working. If you're having similar issues, I logged in to the Disqus site and then under the Settings menu selected Installation.  My Disqus widget looked OK, so I moved on to step 2 (import Blogger comments to Disqus) and then cicked on the button for a one-time import followed by clicking to sync comments. Can you please let me know if things go pear-shaped again? Thanks!

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

A StyleArc Duet, Featuring Fay and Esme

All my plans went out the window - here's what I've actually sewn up next; a StyleArc Fay skirt and a StyleArc Esme top (shown with the mini water gun I found in the garden when I was taking these snaps):

I picked up the Fay pattern from a pattern and fabric swap at a Sydney Spoolettes get-together at Home Industry in Balmain a few months ago.  It wasn't quite my size, but the pattern is such a simple one that I thought it would be easy to make wider (it was).

The Fay skirt is described by StyleArc as being a Fabulous figure hugging pull on skirt, and works in jerseys, pontes and similar stretchy fabrics.

The skirt sews up as a double layer of fabric, so I didn't want to use too thick a fabric - but on the other hand, I thought a thin cotton jersey might be too clingy.  I didn't have anything suitable in my stash (the stretch fabrics don't tend to stay in my stash for long!) so I had to buy something - and how unimaginative of me, I went for black! This is a stretchy polyester from Tessuti fabrics (sorry, no idea of the name of this one), with a nice density and weight that I imagine would work well for active wear.

It was a little tricky to photograph - so apologies in advance if you can't see much, but there aren't really any details to show you:

The pattern came in a size 10, which corresponds to a waist measurement of 75 centimetres and a hip measurement of 98 centimetres. My waist is currently 80 centimetres and my hips 101 centimetres, so I just split this difference (5cm, 3cm) between the 4 seam edges and added the difference (1.25cm at waist level, down to 0.75cm at hip level and below) to each edge.  Easy :). I left the length as is - the skirt is drafted to be about 65 centimetres long, and that looked like it would be an OK length on me.

And I like the finished skirt - so simple, but quite a classic-looking skirt!

The sewing of this skirt is ridiculously easy.  I had a cold when I was making it so I took my time so as to avoid silly mistakes, but second time around I suspect it'll be a half hour piece of sewing...

The only thing I need to do differently next time is to make sure I'm not pushing my stomach out when I measure my elastic around my waist - I have no idea why I do this, but it means the skirt is slightly loose at the top. Oops!

= = = = = = = = = = =

And the Esme designer knit top pattern is one I bought from StyleArc's Etsy shop ages ago, then felt compelled to sew quickly after seeing a few lovely versions on blogs, including Sarah's here.

It's described by StyleArc as “The Wanted” garment of the season. This knit top has a fabulous bias cut collar that can stand fashionably high or turned over. Make it sleeveless or with sleeves for the cooler months.  

Obviously the pattern is designed for knits, but when I pulled out the pattern pieces in my size (10) I thought it looked looser than the tops I usually make from knits. And I didn't have any suitable knits in my stash anyway, so I decided to give it a go in a non-knit fabric.   

The fabric I've used is a reasonably thick polyester brocade-style material (I think that's what you'd call it, though it doesn't have loose threads on the wrong side) from The Fabric Store. It's a fabric that has quite a bit of body - I hoped this would help the collar sit nicely without any floppage - and that I don't love, so no great loss if the top was a wadder.  I think I've used the wrong side of the fabric as my outer, but that's the side that I preferred.   Oh and I might also have the print upside down!

The fit is OK in a woven - I can get it on easily enough, it's loose everywhere but the hips, and the collar does what I want it to do - but I've missed out on the drape I would have got from a knit.  I'd love to give this a go in a chunky sweater knit...

You can see what I mean about missing out on the drape of a knit fabric in these next photos - my fabric tends to bunch up and stick out in the front when I raise my arms.  Ah well, next time I'll have to use a knit, won't I!

I'm calling this a success too.  Not necessarily my most flattering top, but another quick sew, and with its loose shape and dolman sleeve, a good layering top for winter.  I ended up wearing this top with jeans all day after taking the photos, and it was surprisingly warm and super comfortable - I like it!  

Happy sewing

See you soon


- Gabrielle x

Japanese Seersucker Check Gabby

Most New Year's Eves, we catch up with cousins, aunts and uncles over a quick glass of champagne before walking to the water's edge to watch the early fireworks across Sydney Harbour.  I know it sounds posh, but it's still a casual sort of get-together, so this year I decided to whip up a quick top for New Year's Eve with some pretty fabric that had attracted me in Tessuti Fabrics.  I gave myself heaps of time - more than two days! - and set to it. 

I had a few pattern options in mind, but the one I ended up sewing was the Gabby dress, cut (obviously) to top length.  It might even be a tad short to tell you the truth, but there's no spare length in that hem, as once again I didn't buy quite enough fabric...

... to the point where I had to make a sneaky join in the back of the top - which you'll be able to see in the close up:

When it was nearly sewn, I knew I liked it, but I wasn't sure I'd like it on - sometimes seersucker looks like a child's fabric - but no, I love it.  I love the wavering blue lines of the check, the slightly vintage vibe of the fabric, and its lightness in our humid weather. I think that by making a top rather than a dress I've steered clear of childishness, and closer to the "hip" end of the style scale. Which is all good. And I was going to wear it for New Year's Eve, hooray!

But then Mr UpSewLate reminded me that our usual hosts were away, and we decided to go to a different spot that provides great views after a bush walk in the dark, and I decided to avoid not catching my new top on a pointy branch in the dark and ripping it by not wearing it straight away.

Anyway, I've been wearing the top LOTS ever since - with these jeans, but not the heels. It doesn't need heels! I can't remember why I was wearing heels for these pictures (taken a few weeks ago at the very start of the year) but it may well have been just the joy of the new silver shoes that I'd been hoping to take for spin on New Year's Eve.

I only wish I'd bought enough fabric for matching 3/4 length pants, but I guess that's still possible... 

I should give you the sewing details, shouldn't I? 

I cut this out in a size S, which is my usual Gabby dress size (I've made it before in a starry blue version, a striped stretch version that's now an awesome top, a paint splat Nani Iro version, and a red and white picnic version). The dress is quite flared, and I left that flare in the top to keep it super airy. Sewn and overlocked with white thread, hemmed with matching blue on the outside. 

There's self fabric bias binding for the neckline, made by just folding and pressing with the iron, and I didn't even miss the Clover contraption that's been put away god knows where.  The checks on the side seams don't match up (they're offset by a 1/2 repeat), but who cares; the shoulders are satisfyingly symmetric! 

It's simple but I love it.

The End.

Happy sewing!  

- Gabrielle x