Sallie Jumpsuit by Closet Case patterns

I prepared this pdf pattern while deep in my sewing preparations, and went for a size 8 based on so many people saying to go by your measurements.  I'm sort of a 6-8, because I have been exercising and my already square torso has become more square.  Nobody mentions that when you get ab muscles you lose your waistline for them!! Hah! So, I forgot that I should really size down for knits and in fact being both shortwaisted and short, I think I might have best been suited to a size 4.  Because of that I disagree that you can cut exactly according to your size.

I used a drapey rayon.  It's heavy, as rayon tends to be, in this great saturated red, and I really was dreaming of a Sallie short dress and I kind of wish I had just done that straightaway, because I ran out of time and couldn't do it at all : (

There were a few moments of irritation - when you sew the underarm together it looks like a snaggly mess, but a snip into the seam allowance and some ironing makes it look great on the outside.  I really really adore this top.  It's substantial with the two layers of fabric and so comfortable!!

I took about 3 hours to make this - a concentrated morning.  It came together with no mishaps, although I had not checked what elastic I needed so I used the 1/4" elastic I had, and something a bit thicker would hold the heavy legs better.  I cut off 5" from the bottoms.

If I made this again, other than using a size 4, I'd probably raise the crotch a few inches.  I'm not completely sure it's a success - it's comfortable but is too low cut to feel right at work, and because it's red it's very attention grabbing and I'm not sure I like how I look in it enough for that.

I would love to make another one, but the dress is probably more of a priority; I think this would be an absolute staple in my wardrobe as a short dress.  I will probably go with a less flashy colour when I made the jumpsuit again, because it's already quite unique looking.   

It was my first Closet Case patterns and I did enjoy it!  I'm looking forward to eventually having the time to work on this pattern because I adore the top half, and of course I'll eventually make some Ginger jeans, but sadly the sewing vacation is over, so not any time soon.

The final good news is that one of my coworkers looks amazing in this jumpsuit!  So it got a new home!  Everyone is happy.

Grainline Scout: the Goldilocks problem

I've had enough time to review my past Scout mistakes and improve, so I totally thought this was going to be nirvana.  I also had weeks to prepare for my sewing vacation so it's an embarrassing oversight that I didn't review my old posts and the size of Scout I've used in the past! I cut a size 6 sleeve and a 6 top, tapering to a size 4 below the armscye.  If I had paid attention I would have known to taper from a size 4-->2, as I have made both a size 2 and a 4 in the past and wasn't really satisfied with either of them.

I increased the width of the bias piece, which has never been enough for me.
I changed the bottom using the Polly Top bottom, which adds shaping but also adds width towards the bottom.

The fabric is a drapey rayon that I got from Anna ka Bazaar.  I have seen people rave about Anna ka Bazaar, and the shop is cute and the girls in it were nice to me when I was in Paris, but I find the fabric quality, when you buy online, can really vary.  This fabric is a lovely, not-quite transparent rayon, and I've seen other people using it as well - Republique du Chiffon used it for their Madeleine dress (which yes, I would totally make if I had more time.)

Small rant: I know everyone loves Grainline.  I don't love Grainline. I'm always lukewarm about the patterns and then eventually because everyone loves them, I try them, and then I keep trying and keep trying them, but I never seem to arrive.  I'm additionally grumpy because I had to re-download all my pdf patterns, and I had some expired links (it's been many travels and many computers since I started sewing!).  Every company that I wrote to sent me a new link for one more download.  Except Grainline.  They ignored my email entirely and I had to buy the Scout pattern again.  This doesn't make me change my mind about kind of not loving Grainline.  Rant over.

And, in fact making this Scout made me grumpy.  Black is hard to see and the rayon is just slippery enough to make you pay close attention. The results are still not totally satisfying me. In this size the back looks ok but there's extra fabric in the front - I could easily take out 2inches from the entire front.  Also, the extra width from the Polly bottom makes this feel like a capacious, shapeless top.  The drapiness and beauty of the rayon balance it out ok but in the end it's still not perfection!  Arg!!

So for next time - read my notes!!  Cut a size 4, tapering to 2 below the sleeves!  Don't change the hem! Also I really loved the feel of double gauze (I used a Nani Iro gauze for my first Scout and I only recently gave it away because my muscles finally were too much for the size 2 sleeves...)  Nirvana is almost in my grasp...or do we feel that with each sewing project? 

Megan Nielsen Briar & Thread Theory Strathcona Tee

I realised during my first Briar: I'm over Briar.  Unfortunately I had more planned!  Sewing week was entering full swing...

The first, for me, was an amazing heathered black cotton blend from The Sweet Mercerie.  I really can't recommend this shop enough.  I found it only a week prior to my sewing holiday and I fell in love with the knits.  The photos are true to reality and the prices are super low.  Shipping was fast and cheap to Germany.  I got the last piece of this black stuff, and so I didn't do the usual Briar hem - I just cut it as long as I had fabric for and then evened it out a bit.

Yup, playing on jungle gyms makes you dirty.

The one for my friend had some additional requests - she wanted a higher neck and a bit more modesty at the belly.  I also cut one for her in green interlock knit but I ran out of time and didn't get to sew it.  Next time!  Overall I just eyed these changes.  My pattern was modified thus: I traced the short Briar line + 9 cm length, in a size S, with 1cm removed from the front shoulder.  Unfortunately it took me quite awhile to realise why I didn't love the results - I looked at my blog and saw that I had cut an XS, not a S to fit.  So this cm removed was irrelevant and the fit was too loose for my liking.

 Anyway, in the XS I get pooling in the front shoulder - see my Briar 2, and removing 1cm seems to fix it. The fabric is from the market in Delft, it's a very drapey rayon.  I have more and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it should be.

Then I made my host a shirt to thank him for letting me turn his flat into a third-world sweatshop for a week.  I used the Strathcona Henley pattern and cut a size S according to his chest measurement.  I think the pattern runs a bit small because it was really fitted, and he was in the lower part of the size range for a small.  The instructions are really vague and kind of weird.  I think they are mainly for making the Henley - if you are making a plain shirt it's assumed that you know what you're doing.  (There is a sewalong if you need help.) Also, the neck binding is shown cut along the grain instead of against it, which I didn't like.  I forgot to lengthen the sleeves, so I added some cuffs, per the pattern.

I planned a second shirt (sounds like deja vu right?) with normal sleeves and a neck binding cut with across the grain...but I cut it out and didn't have time to finish it.  Anyway my friend was super pleased with the one he got. 

Overall a solid, simple men's tshirt pattern.

Pattern Fantastique Falda jacket

The Falda came out a week before my vacation.  I had a list and it was already long - more than a week of sewing long, but it was only 24 hours of hesitation...and I still decided to cap the plans with a big complicated jacket in dreamy denim from Merchant & Mills.  Because the fabric is so wide, I used 2 meters.  Part of me reaaaally wanted to use some linen and I compromised and did buy a meter of ice blue linen, but sadly my dress patterns got lost in the post:

It says: "Delivered without contents."  WTF?

Amazing detour: I wrote to Deer & Doe and they sent me replacement patterns the next day.  Are they not the most wonderful ever?  Unfortunately it was too late for my sewing vacation, and I was really really sad not to get to sew pretty dresses, but I did make a lot of interesting other things.  Like the Falda!

Wise decision? This jacket was the most ambitious thing I sewed, the most fun, the most interesting, and in the end the most overwhelmingly exhausting and stressful.  As sewing with a deadline tends to be, right? I was sewing this until the night before my departure and afterwards I was DONE.  As in, I don't want to sew for another two months.  Thank god I can't sew for the next two months.

I cut a size 8.  It was borderline with my measurements, but it's noted to be spacious so I went down rather than up and that was perfect.  The denim was just right - light but well behaved.  I may have been lazy with the iron on all my knit projects during my sewing vacation, but on this I took everything seriously.  I even used a ruler (I've NEVER done this before while sewing, how ashamed should I be?)  The instructions are very good.  In the beginning it's hard to tell what's up and what's what and so moving slowly is key, and double checking that what you've pinned matches the picture, but I ended up with no confusion - seriously none!

Annoying things: if you aren't overlocking, it's hard to know how to finish seams.  I didn't really have enough bias stuff to make a Hong Kong finish on everything, but I didn't always know whether I could fold seams over to finish them or if that would be in the way later.  I like this jacket as is, but I think I'd be very prone to make a lining on almost any other version of it just to get a clean inner finish.  On the other hand, huge amounts of bias tape would be a good option too if you just bind every single thing that says "interlock."

Next: zip length.  It says the zip can be 41-44 cm long.  Well, so I had a 45 cm zip shortened by approx 1.5 cm in the store.  I know it's in range.  But how do I know it's right?  There's no comment in the pattern that you match up the top of the zip to the top, and as long as it's not longer than the lowest snip mark, you're fine.  You end up folding the bottom up in a clever way to make a facing but it's really not obvious and I was puzzled to see that the zip was longer than the front facing.

Also you have folded the top of the zip over and the instructions don't really say when to stop doing that.  I could have used a sentence just noting that when you sew the front facing down you are finishing the top of the zip.  Maybe it's obvious, but on a pattern like this, even the obvious is in doubt!  I didn't mess up but I would have probably sewn the facing 2 mm lower just for a slightly neater finish.

Caveats aside, I am really pleased with this jacket. I think in linen it would have been fine too, although obviously some of the structure would get lost more easily.  It's a little weird and quirky but great for summer with big pockets and lots of room for air flow.  I'm not sure it's really flattering but it was really an engaging project (despite the oodles of stress).  The sleeves hit right at my wrists and not a bit longer so some people might find the sleeves too short.

It also is quite short.  I'm 5'4" and I'm super short waisted and it's the perfect length on me.  If you are either tall or long waisted then you should consider lengthening it or you will have a midriff-baring jacket. 

Mission Maxi by Jamie Christina

I prepared this pattern when I was leaving Switzerland but I didn't take it with me.  It's been on my mind since then, partly because I had a big haul of perfect knits from Delft and I didn't have the pattern handy!

Anyway, finally I had my chance.

I started with a tank top for fit.  I cut at the tank top line.  I was a bit between sizes but sized down to a 6 because I definitely wanted it fitted.  I was using scraps so I had to make a front and a back center seam so I zigzagged them to make them into a Design Feature.

The binding is yet another new one: you apply it in the flat to the outside of the dress, then sew the side seams, and then wrap it to the inside and topstitch it down.  Initially I was annoyed because I wanted the feel of something done FAST and all these bindings....ugh, patience.  But I really really like this finish.  I think it adds substance to the top of the dress, especially key for the actual dress version.  I didn't know whether I should be pulling any tension on the bindings as I applied them, and the answer seems to be yes, just a bit, because I didn't and there is just a bit of gaping.  Also I am congenitally unable to topstitch and catch that binding so I guess I should be more patient and like, baste?   Instead I had to go back and hunt down all the bits that hadn't been caught by my topstitching.  Or maybe ironing?  Because I can't see you'd have more luck with basting and I also am lazy with the iron.   

I didn't change anything for the dress version.  It's a sparkly cotton rayon blend, obviously with some lurex, and rather thin.  Luckily I don't spend my life staring in the mirror and it's really amazingly comfortable so I can overlook the bulges.  I think I cut about 4 inches off the hem, but it might have been more.  I didn't finish the hem.  I'm not offering you too many photos as it's hard to get even borderline flattering ones, but I think it looks better in reality than in pictures.

For future hacks to this top I'd readjust the back of the sleeve hole to make it closer to the bra straps.  It's not quite racer back and not quite plain, which makes finding a bra a challenge. I would also shorten the straps a bit, especially on thinner fabric, as on the dress version it sags during the course of the day and my bra shows. 

I'm still on the fence as to whether I make a side slit for better movement in the dress, cut it shorter, or leave it as is.  It's really comfortable though!  I'll probably wait until I get to the States and using the magical shrinking machine (ie a dryer) and then decide.