Last of the summer wardrobe

The extended summer has been a joy here and some summer clothes that I made towards the end of August are still seeing lots of wear,  These are both patterns that I've made before, stalwarts if you like, where I have perfected the fit or style to just how I want it.  

Starting with the Belcarra, made like this one and this one.   I used a metre of Nani Iro double gauze Pon Pocho in cream peach.  I did have to do some creative cutting to squeeze it out of such a short length and make the most of the pattern. 

The only change was that I sewed the raglan seams down around ¼" either side of the seam line and I made the sleeve cuff slightly bigger along the long edge and it attaches just that little bit more easily. 

I have made three Belcarra's- and considering it was a pattern that I wasn't especially taken with on first glance, it has been the perfect summer top and uses such a small amount of fabric.  It is especially good to use with an expensive fabric that you can't afford to buy a lot of!

The skirt is my second version of Grains De Couture Opale Maxi from this book.   I made the pockets slightly deeper and did a different zig zag of stitching to hold the front pleats.  The fabric is Oakshott Seasons shot cotton in pink early rose and is currently on sale at Oakshott.  It is the same weight as the Colourshott fabrics and needs a good prewash as some of the colour will be lost on the first couple of washes.  The piping was a scrap of Elements in a very pale pink.  I made my piping using a little fusible hem web rather than sewing it together- I saw this tip somewhere ages ago, makes it all come together a little faster!

Instead of my usual helper, Mindy came in for a few photos.  She is generally pretty camera shy and a bit of an old lady at fifteen, but age has made her increasingly mellow and she still has a kittenish side.

I'm hoping to get a dress sewn by Saturday to wear at the next local sewing meet up, something with a hint of Autumn ...

Grains De Couture: Opale Maxi Jupe Skirt

Grains de Couture Hommes et Femmes has been a great find for me.  It is a luxurious and large book with enormous pictures and I find it easy to lose myself in dressmaking plans.  It is a book of potential.  The author encourages hacks and variations so you have to trust your decision making and go for it.  You also need some dress making experience to get past the language barrier.  

The book is beautifully written and translates well using Google translate.  All the construction processes and pattern alteration ideas are listed and detailed in the back pages.  I chose to make a maxi skirt variation which combines a couple of patterns for waistbands pockets etc and I added a few of my own ideas.  I curved the pockets and made them larger. 

I also stitched down the pleats to reduce the puffiness- who wants puffiness over their belly?  I also lengthened the stitching lines that form the pleats.

To achieve the straightness, I used a bit of Washi tape- I use it quite a lot in sewing, e.g. for holding paper still when tracing or for cutting and altering patterns.

So after the success of this skirt, I turned to my next yearning; the Jadestone variant.  For this I followed the book guidelines and used my Wiksten tank pattern for the arm curves.  I traced a size 36 and took it in a little further at the sides and unleashed the pattern on my much loved stash of Anna Maria Horner Little Folks voile.

I added a little bow back detail (this bow is used in other patterns in the book)

The result is mixed.  I love the back, the multi-fold detail is really interesting.  The front is less successful.  I love the look of trapeze tops, floaty flared pleated tunics but they don't suit me.  I need more fit across at least the upper chest- this is why I love yoke shirt tops like Tova and Carme so much.   What I really need to do with this is unpick the front (including the arm hole binding) and cut a Wiksten tank out of it to replace the pleats and then reattach to the back.  Dressmaking is an inexact science and there are some things that just don't work out, as parts of my wardrobe can testify.

So I'll end on a happier note with the skirt, worn many times in the last month for Me Made May 14.

 Skirt Details:

Fabric:  2 ¼ yards Robert Kaufman Nautique Chambray bought here

Pattern: Opale Variant, traced size 38 from Grains de Couture Homme et Femmes