Bleuet

I've been working on one dress, Bleuet, all this week full of Me-Made- May 13 fervour and hugely inspired by this Bleuet by Anna.  I ended up finishing it mid week.   I am so pleased with the result.

I have never made or even bought a shirt dress that suited me or fitted properly.  I have fitted this dress with its princess line panels so that it fits perfectly with room to move and whilst retaining its shape.   The fabric is organic cross weave from Saints and Pinners and it is perfect for it.  Thicker than poplin or shirt weight, lighter handle than denim and a wonderful blue.

I did an HNC in fashion years back and a big influence at the time was Hussein Chalayan and his 'Before Minus Now'  dress collection.  The dresses were beautifully shaped- I've seen a couple in the V and A, they worked 360 degrees all around the body.  

The Bleuet reminds me of them.  It moves outwards and over my backside and belly in such a flattering way.  It is incredibly comfortable and easy to wear.

The bow detail at the back is so easy to do but the neatest detail and what sold the pattern to me in the first place.   A photo shoot isn't complete without Lottie rushing in to be in the picture.

Once I finished this I ended up buying two more Deer and Doe patterns.  The styles are so well cut and seem to work for me with relatively straightforward alteration on the top half and non on the bottom.  They deliver quickly at low cost- no higher than ordering from UK.  Do be warned that the instructions are scant- I relied on my own knowledge and the ever helpful Readers Digest Guide to Sewing (the best dressmaking guide you can every buy).  I have the copy that got me through O lever dress at school and it is incredibly comprehensive. 

For those wanting to make Bleuet, these are the details of my changes. 

• Traced size 36 top half/ 38 waist/38 hip/46 length.  The lines blend as you move from size to size a bit like dot to dot.
• Made alterations over the bust and the back taking the seams in but not at the sides
• The sleeves were a little tight under the arm so those seams were sew with 1/4" seam allowance which made for a good fit.
• One layer of medium woven cotton interfacing rather than two for the collar, non for the cuffs- there are five layers of fabric there, it hardly needs more structure.  I do find pattern designers a little over obsessed by interfacing.
• I used Prym pearl snaps bought from an ebay seller at a very reasonable price.  I have Prym pliers for these which from past experience I have found essential for successful snaps.  I used 16 snaps altogether.  
• The hem facing and collar stand facing are made with a thrifted Liberty shirt ( I was squeezing this dress out of just 2 metres of 120cm fabric so creative cutting was needed).

The fabric I used is a steal at £10 a metre at Saints and Pinners at the moment as there is a 20% discount for all purchases over £10.  Fabric of this quality, organic as well, is hard to find for dressmaking.  It definitely needs pre washing as it will shrink and needs a colour catcher on its first wash and probably its second but the handle and texture is beautiful.  Its also available in blue  the blue in my dress photos captures the colour better) and pink (see Jo's Madeleine skirt in the pink/red here.  They would both be good fabrics for bag making too. 

No code is needed for the 20% discount at Saints and Pinners and there are other treats for dressmaking there such as this, this, this and this as well as the usual quilting cottons.

Yay for bank holiday weekend in UK even if it is a little cool its still holiday time.  I have had a couple of days of turmoil relating to the tricky events of December but now I have a week off and  a bit of time at home with the family and days at the beach.  Enjoy x

Me Made May Weeks 2-3: Everything Else

Self photography is a tricky business so what follows is mainly a selection of dodgy selfie iphone shots with some of my weeks 2/3 Me Made May 13 outfits.  I made this Airelle top a few weeks back with some Grayson Perry Liberty lawn which was an ebay bargain.  It needs a proper photo as it is a lovely slightly fitted blouse and has really given me a new pattern company to love- Deer and Doe.

I made a size 38 (UK 10) and altered the bust.  Although I am narrow in the chest I hate any sort of restriction in the sleeves or shoulders so I find this size and taking in the sides and the chest works best and is my standard adjustment for lots of tops.  There are waist and back darts for gentle shaping and the shoulder line is created by front and back yoke.  The sleeves are a lovely fit, especially around the armscye/armhole.  I did manage randomly place two of the central flower motifs rather creatively placed like pasties on my front! 

 It's a little gappy around the V so on the next one I will adjust it on the front at the shoulder by the neck so this lies flat. I reduced a little fullness on the pattern piece by taping down with washi tape. I generally use Swedish tracing paper for pattern pieces.  Tracing is not my favourite part of dress making and this makes life easier.  It is soft and strong, does't crinkle and tea like paper and take up loads of room flapping around.  Its popular stuff and hard to get in the UK, Annie has had some in and it has already sold but more is coming.

I made this Wiksten tank a couple of months back using Field Study Rayon bought here.   The fabric practically falls on the body, it clings and flows in a very flattering way.  It is also tricky to cut- scissors rather than my usual rotary cutter preference.  It needs gentle handling and sharp pins as it will snag easily.  

As a result, I went with an easy pattern shape.  No darts so good for a small bust, although  I found that as rayon drapes so well, the tank came up looking a little big and I could have gone down a size- I can't wear it without something underneath as it looks too loose but the print is so pretty and the flow of the fabric is such a pleasure to wear, I am happy to layer it.

Sometimes I can persuade my daughter to take pics.  This is my latest Lonsdale skirt made again with Anna Maria Horner Field Study but this time linen/cotton from here.

This is incredible fabric to work with, quite heavy but with lovely drape and flow.  It holds a crease from the iron but doesn't crease when you are sitting or holding it and the pattern works in both directions so the 60" wide fabric is perfect for an A-line maxi like this.  Size 6 with the waist sitting low, no pattern alterations. Mmmm, swishy...

I made these PJ pants in preparation for my Fat Quarterly retreat class.  I have 3 pairs, all a little different and a 4th pair planned to show the construction techniques involved.  There area few alternations to the original Simplicity pattern which are part of the class- adding leg hem cuffs, adding a wider part elastic/ part draw waist tie.  These were made entirely from thrifted fabric, soft twill weave florals.

And finally a dress from last year, Simplicity Cynthia Rowley 1801.  I like this dress, good pockets, the right length, gathers front and back and not at the sides on the skirt all works well but I do lack the fun bags at the front and if I fitted this really well it would not be flattering.  I wore this on a little shopping trip with my sis.  We tried on stacks of clothes in a local dress agency and gave each other honest opinion- yay or nay on how we looked.  I came out from the changing room in this dress and she shook her head- no not that one.  I had to point out this is what I came in.  Its alright, she's my sis, I forgive her and she has a point!

Me Made May 13 Weeks 2 and 3:Knits

I have been crazily dressmaking inspired by Me Made May 13.  Moderation is a hard thing for me; it's all or nothing and although I constantly try to amend this it doesn't seem to happen.  Prepare yourself for a rather picture heavy post. I have been making a lot of tops because tops and skirts is what I wear when I am not at work. (work is jeans and work t shirt so I never wear jeans out of work).  This post is knit tops and another post will follow with other clothing .

This T shirt is a free download from Kristin of Skirt as top.  It comes in one size which is small (around 10-12 UK sizing.  I made it a little narrower on the sides and added a self drafted pocket.  I also shortened the pattern all round by 1" as I am quite short in the body.

It makes a lovely T, lightly fitted at the top and loose at the hip with a dip hem lower at the back.   As the sleeves are part of the front/back it is very economical on fabric which made it perfect for the Nani Iro knit (this print is gone at Eternal Maker and Village Haberdashery) which is only 80cm wide.  This Nani Iro knit is double layered, a bit like double layer gauze, and is very soft.  Eternal Maker sell the same Nani Iro knit in a different print/colours here. 

I will definitely make more of these! Kristin has included all the making instructions on her blog and it can be made on a standard sewing machine.

I mentioned Meg McElwee's Craftsty knit class before- it is a great class.  Cotton jersey is the easiest knit to work with, especially if it is 100% cotton as the stretch is easy to control and the fabric behaves itself when pressing/cutting etc.  Viscose jersey (like the floral jersey top in this post) is much harder and slips and slides more.  This is organic cotton jersey from Eternal Maker and I managed to squeeze a long sleeved and a short sleeved T out of 1 1/2 metres.

This is size XS and fits really well. I gained a lot of confidence working with knits from Meg's class and it comes with a stack of knit patterns which made it an economical buy.  I wear long sleeve knit tops like this all through the year so this is a great basic.

This is the shorter T that I squeezed out of the left over jersey.

Megan Nielsen Briar pattern, in XS.  I went for the short style and cut straight across the front and left the back as the pattern with the dip hem.  Fit is just right, no alternations.  I underestimated this pattern.  I thought it was going to look like an 80s crop top but actually this ends up at the perfect length for the large collection of A line higher waisted skirts that I am currently creating.  Again, I see this as a wardrobe staple.  The hardest areas for me to fit are armscye/armhole and bust.  With knits, bust is not really something I have to think about (relief) and the shoulder line/armhole is perfect for me on this.

Having seen all the different versions all over different blogs I know it will work with lots of variation lengthened/long sleeves etc.  Maybe even as a cardigan or a woven?   I think it's worth a try- I love this one a lot!  I can't wait to make a version in the new Elk Grove knits! And the best thing about making it in this length is that it hardly takes any fabric.

I have found all the dress making highly therapeutic.  You have to look at yourself objectively when you make your own clothes, accept the lumps, (lack of lady lumps in my case) bumps, short bits, long bits and work with and around them.  I have had issues in the past, eating disorders in my very stressful early 20s, thankfully long behind me but body image is a toughie.  Making my own clothes helps.  They have to fit so sizing goes out of the window- one style like a dress might involve 3 different sizes at the bust waist and hip.  You also have to be prepared for a little failure- getting it right first time is the exception and sometimes you need to accept that you get it wrong.  Wrong fabric, wrong style, being swayed by what looks good on others but will never work on you- I've done them all and I still do it despite over 25 years of making my own clothes.  

My most recent failure was a Tova- not the style but the fabric choice.  Too busy, too small a print, too much going on.  At the moment it hangs in the sewing room so I can ponder it, and as a little reminder that not every fabric you love will make great clothing!  Reuse, recycle, I am guessing this will chop and end up in a quilt.

Me Made May 13 Begins

 The lovely thing about an online initiative like Me Made May  is how it kick starts or reboots your interest in something.  Looking long and hard at my wardrobe has made me think more about my dressmaking- what I make, what I make it from, when I wear it etc.  I have started a whole load of new dressmaking projects since starting on Me Made May that I have been meaning to start and haven't had either the time or sufficient inclination.  On Thursday I had a day off due to local elections taking place in my work place.  The weather was beautiful, D was working from home so we had lunch together outside in town and in the sun.  Such an occasion called for a dress.

I made this last year, partly to wear for a wedding.  The pattern is a favourite of many sewing bloggers, Simplicity 2215, Cynthia Rowley.  I have made the skirt and the dress without pattern alteration, size 10 and both items are a lovely relaxed fit.    The pleats are irregular, the pockets are well deisgned with a side zip include and I forgot how comfortable this dress is to wear.  The fabric is Lotta Jansdotta's 1st Windham collection and the pattern is called Moira.  Quilting cotton doesn't always work for garments, especially tops but it was great for this dress and the skirt made from the same pattern.

On Friday, after work I wore my recently made Banksia top.

This pattern comes with a tonne of help from the designer and I found Megan helped me on Instagram too when I was going through fitting issues. The pattern is printed on thick paper which makes tracing a lot easier and a more pleasurable experience.  I drafted size XS but I am a very small cup size so I had to pinch out a lot of bust fullness and redraft- you can see the change below.  Swedish tracing paper is my favourite 'paper' for pattern redrafts and tracing.  Not easy to get hold of in the UK but worth investing in.

 The sleeves ended up being way too tight in the armscye so for this version I went sleeveless and will redraft for the next sleeved Banksia.  This pattern comes with a lot of variations on Megan's blog and ultimately the cut reflects that it can be made sleeveless and I think the armhole is tighter because of this  It will be worth the extra fitting as I was happy with the collar, placket and sides.  Here are my alterations:

1. Trimmed the collar down all round by around 1"
2. Bust dart lengthened and widened by fitting on myself.
3. Only half of each placket interfaced.
4. No interfacing in the collar.
5. Length is quite short- I am quite short in the body too but many would need to add another inch.
   
   A dab of fray stoppa or fray check on the fabric between the buttonholes before you cut helps neaten the loose ends.
   Next a pattern I've been waiting to make for ages, Simplicity 6789 vintage 1974.  Wrap round skirt with pockets and button detail.  An easy make.  I chose a yarn dyed poplin and found a great lightweight cotton lawn interfacing here which is a pleasure to use and doesn't bobble and blister!  It was very lightweight for this but it works for me.

I wore it down the beach today- a little breezy for a wrap round, even though this has a lot of fabric round the back I did have to hold it down when walking around close to the sea, sparing everyone flashes of my lily white booty.

I skipped buttonholes and used poppers under the two fastening buttons.

The sides of the waistband dip down adding extra shaping and I added topstitching to turn the seam edges in on the inside of all the side/front seams and add more detail on what is a simple skirt in a simple fabric.

I made medium size 12-14 (vintage sizing is always small so I think this is more of a 10-12 in today's sizing.  It is an easy fit but I would rather have that than tight and I like my skirts to sit below my natural waist.  The top is from a brilliant Craftsy class that I would wholeheartedly recommend, Sewing with Knits by Meg McElwee.  If you sign up for Craftsy emails they regularly send offers and this class includes 5 knit patterns.  I found the fit was perfect for me, size XS, I am very small on my top half (size 8-10).  The fabric is a beautiful viscose Liberty jersey sent to me by the lovely Leila.  I have been making some more jersey tops so I will do a post sharing a few things that I found to take the fear away.  Once you get started, sewing knits is so quick and I find a lot less to worry about in terms of fit. 

And in the world of other sewing, I have been working on a Liberty/Oakshott Impressions Diamond Ring Quilt- a slow but steady project- more of that another post.

And another Maggie bunny as a birthday gift for my granny, very well received!