Style Arc Shaza jersey pants review

Holy Crud what is going on here!? 

 

Well I started out thinking it would be neat to try an actual harem style dropped waist pant, instead of the hacked Anima pants I made last year (here - and actually one of my top 5 makes of 2020). 

I went with size 8.

The pattern is very simple, only two pieces and a waistband.  You have to cut them out flat instead of with the fabric folded, which on my oddly sticky rayon-linen knit was kind of a pain (or maybe it was the heat, ugh, so hot right now.) But backing up - the pdf was easy to put together, and I think I chose the correct size. To the best of my recollection, size 8 in StyleArc consistently is the correct one for me, although I'm not sure I've ever had great success with the patterns because of fit problems. 

The fabric is from Backstreet Bargains, and as I bought it to specifically make these, I actually did buy enough yardage. (I'm allergic to buying over 1.5 meters of anything, arg!!) It was cheap, and linen, yay!

The instructions are sparse (they always are with Style Arc). I didn't realise the pleats should be done with the wrong side up, so my pleats might be reversed, oh well.  And I think the waistband instructions are ridiculous - the technique listed is to fold the waistband, insert the elastic into it, baste it shut...and THEN sew the crimped up thing onto your massive pleated waist.  No thanks.  I sewed the waistband on sans elastic, leaving a gap in the back, inserted my elastic in standard fashion, and then sewed it shut. 

Also of note, the SA is 1/4" so my notches were too deep. They left holes along the waist that I had to fix later. 

 

Though these are not terribly unflattering, I have two major problems here. 

The pockets are created by sewing a line from the top down between the pocket part of the pants and the waist part of the pants, and voila, a pocket flaps forward, which you then sew towards the front. There is no such line at the bottom of the pocket, which means that it's just another pleat among pleats until you go looking for it.  Once you find it, the pocket seems very shallow because nothing is forcing it to stay fully flapped right side out against your thigh. My sticky fabric might be making this worse, though it is linen, and does drape nicely.

The other issue is of course everything happening below the knee.  Really I'd call these pants a success if they didn't narrow so much, but this is ridiculous - about the knee, they suddenly become leggings.  Like, absolutely leggings.  Way too long, too.  It's a fabric hungry pattern and I could have saved a lot of fabric by cutting off the bottom 4", which are all hunched together down there.  But better yet, I'll probably cut them off below the knee because I think the legging bit is horrible.  

Saved! But not for repeating as is. Beware the calf tightness, and widen appropriately. Pockets: hm.  Maybe better when objects are in them.

Summer Fling dress review by Sew This Pattern

Multi-tier dresses for summer! Yes! Gathers forever! Yes! Low cut back! ...hm. 

I saw a dress in a shop that inspired this dress with its modifications.  The dress in the shop was made with something like 6 metres of Liberty lawn, and cost a hot $700 (very heavy too!)  It had a low cut U back gathered into the bias binding - a thing I didn't even think was possible until I saw it.  

This is the Summer Fling top pattern, with dress expansion, by Sew This Pattern (a company I had never heard of before.)  When I discovered this pattern I thought it would be hackable into a nice version of what I'd seen - a bit less on the fabric use front, but also far more doable and not 10 kg!  I decided not to make a muslin of the original pattern, because I have an aversion to ties.  I cut size 8 based on my measurements, but I think the 6 might have been better. There's a huge amount of ease in this dress creating quite a lot of tenting, as well as a wide cut armscye, and the smaller size would have given a touch more coverage.  As it is I wear a normal bra and it's only visible a little bit on the side front.

To create the U back I basically lowered the curve on the back piece which is meant to go under the tie, and then just extended it into what I envisioned as the U shape, with the bias of the back and armscye  meeting almost at the same spot as in the original.  I was interested in lowering the triangle formed by the bias and the back bodice too but I wanted to keep the bias tape that goes over the shoulders at the same spot rather than changing too much at once.  I cut a little bit off that back triangle, but I ended up attaching the bias without changes - one of the reasons the dress may pull a bit more forward than it should.  I did a lot of pinning of bias and testing before I sewed it together.

I didn't have enough fabric for the bottom tier so this dress is pretty short! I did add pockets, using the Bardon dress pocket piece, which is huge - so this has massive pockets that are barely shorter than the whole dress.  

 The bias taping and gathered front were super straightforward, and this was a really fun and exciting make.  The final effect is absolutely wearable, and in fact I've been wearing it heaps.  The pockets are so big it's like a purse, it's short enough to wear on my bike, and it's possible I've ever worn it skateboarding...

 

The remaining issues are that the front pulls forward slightly.  The balance of the dress probably should be about 1 cm further back - something I knew I was mucking with, and that I wouldn't be able to judge with my first attempt.  The second part of that is that the bias edge of the neck creates a funny hump because it's designed to pull in around the back of the neck, not come out into a wide curved back.  In order to fix that I could give up on the perfection of my vision and do a X back version next.  The other alternative would be to use the bias piece from the front neck to continue as the straps, instead of the armscye piece.  I'm also going to take 1" from the side seam of the back and the back skirts, to see if that helps bring the dress further back and in to my body.  I will have enough fabric for the next version to have the full length skirt, which might also help with more weight to pull the dress into a better balance.  On the whole I'm really pleased with this make. 

Elizabeth Suzann Clyde pants review

I acquired the pattern for the Clyde pants along with various other Elizabeth Suzann patterns around the start of lockdown, when she was requesting people make donations in exchange for the patterns.  They are no longer available, but will eventually be back up on her website in some form.  

  I made these in size 4 short, going by the size chart on the pattern pieces.  

Fabric is an upcycled duvet cover made of a linen rayon blend. (I match my curtain!)

This pattern is remarkably similar to the Arenite pants and to the Papercut palisade pants. 

The Arenite have more fabric gathering to the waist and don't have a narrow version for sale (just instructions on how to make one) and the Papercut pattern has a shockingly high waist and shallower pockets.  However, the construction on this type of trouser is identical.  There are a few tutorials on Instagram as well, but I didn't need them. 

Well above my belly button here.  But a much nicer fit in the crotch.

I put these on and was severely lukewarm.  MEH. 

I did kind of doubt whether I had correctly identified the front once I put them on.  These pants have a lot of extra fabric in the crotch.  Though I experimented for my photos and if I pull the saggy crotch all the way up to my crotch, it goes away.  If I do that, the waist is about 3 cm above my belly button.  Could these be improved by a shortening of the rise? Would that be easy?  Or would I also benefit from a taper of the front waist angle?  I have a lot of stretch sateen fabric.  Not sure I'm inspired yet.  I find it fascinating lately to see how much I benefit from my photos - I don't love taking them but they really help me to understand what I enjoy wearing and what sits well on my body. 

I am also kind of annoyed lately that nothing has a good butt fit.  I'm sort of tired of seeing myself in mirrors out and about with this saggy butt because of my pants.  

End story: people love these, great if you don't have a short rise and do love a high waist, easy to make, but I am not yet sold. 

Sew Liberated Hinterland x 2 and review

 I had successfully made a muslin. (here.) 

I had planned to stop there if I didn't like the dress.  But the fit was really good, so I decided I might as well forge ahead. I used the same size 2 as before, but used the front placket this time.  This is a piece of Liberty tana lawn that is very precious to me, but I'm tired of having a stash of precious fabric so I've been planning my way through it. 

This dress may look ok on me but I felt kind of stupid in it.  The sleeves are a little bit tight, and I'm not sure if I've ended up with a tighter fit than on my muslin - for the muslin I widened the front to make up for the absence of a placket. 

However, I had had a vision and I was determined to see it through. Said vision including white loomed silk from Nepal and a full front placket.  I thought I would maybe like this dress more if I could wear it over other dresses and partly open.  I also committed to the method used in the instructions for the bias band at the neckline.  It's different than I've done before, including 1/4" seams which made me very wary, but to my surprise I ADORE the end result.  I have already used it elsewhere.  I french seamed everything except the sleeves and side seams - I have not yet bothered to learn how to french seam pocketed seams, though I believe Carolyn has a tutorial on her blog. 

I added a bit of additional width in the back piece to make it less tight, and I sewed the sleeves with small seam allowances.  For some reason my sewing machine has behaved and sewn all the buttonholes without catastrophe.  Probably it only hates jackets.  I went for mismatched buttons to make the look a bit more interesting.  

 

Vision notwithstanding I feel stupid in this dress.  We can sew and sew but it takes something extra to figure out what you actually like to wear.  My instinct on hinterland was a solid NO and only after years was I somehow convinced to give it a try.  The fit is good.  If I wanted to make it and love it I think the two possibilities are: sleeveless.  Always more versatile.  And shorter, to wear over pants.  Maybe in linen.  I've already sent the Liberty dress to a friend (actually with the assumption that she will wear it hiking haha) and I suppose I'll keep the white one around to see what I do with it and if I feel less stupid in it at any point, but I think it's been a reminder that woven sleeved dresses and I seldom suit - or maybe I should aim for very oversized?  Always some food for thought for later. 

Spring tshirt binge sew

I'll just jump right in. 

 Ebony by Closet Core Patterns, raglan tee, size 2, which is what I've used before and liked the most.

-in pink interlock knit: I like this! 

Then I made a dress for a friend by lengthening the raglan pattern as much as I could to fit my fabric.  It was fine but I thought there's way too much fabric in the back, so I decreased the amount of hi-lo in the hem and took out a wedge from the back - not at the centre back but slightly to the side of that, starting at the bottom of the armscye which is where it starts to hang freely on me.  And that was fine but then I lost interest.  I gave version two to my friend as well (she's pregnant) - if I make this again, it needs pockets.

Finn Tee by Petite Stitchery size XS. I found it suspicious that the front and the back are the same!  But it does work.  The sleeve somehow seems to have extra fabric in it but I think in rayon or a more drapey fabric it would be fine. I was debating changing the armscye and sleeve to the Sasha Secondo Piano InstincTee though, still not sure if I need more shirts and want to spend the time frankenpatterning a perfect tshirt...yet.  Though last time I was pawing through my patterns I did kind of pause and think it would be a great combination.

 

 

Briar tee in 3 sizes and 3 lengths -
I made the briar in S (white) and XS (purple) of the old sizes, and then in 4, going to 6 at the waist of the new pattern. This is the same as XS according to the size charts.  I had never made the tunic length top before and surprise!!  I don't love it!  I hacked off a large chunk of the back hem.  My new cover stitch machine gobbled up this top after behaving fine on everything else, go figure.  I do like the longer length post trimming.  Then I caved in and made the size 2 (new pattern) with 4" added to the cropped length - out of some silk jersey. This is great and I like the tighter fit a lot -  but the jersey unfortunately gapes a tiny bit at the front neck, enough to irritate me.  I think once I'm wearing it a lot I will not care.

 

 

 

 

Made for Mermaids Avery - size is called purple - I did not end up liking the back feature. It does indeed flip out.  Overall the construction was straightforward, but this type of very long top are seldom my style and I didn't go on to make the dress. I am not sure what I think of this pattern company so far.

Patterns 4 Pirates Tulip front (or back) tee - in green merino, and I love it!  This was one of my favourites of the binge, as I kind of expected.  I have a top similar to this.  This type of top has a lot of caveats - it gathers funny at the front because the sleeves are attached.  The back swings open in unreliable ways.  I love all of it.  I will eventually make the tulip front version.  Not soon.

Pixie tee (or dress) - made in organic cotton from Alabama Chanin - very firm stuff.  I thought this was stupendously boring until I saw the pictures and noticed it has a subtle flare to it.  Hm.  Maybe in a drapey knit?  Also really needs pockets.  I cut my size according to the chart - it's meant to be a pretty breezy top with a lot of ease, and I think that's true.  It fits me well, other than being too long.

tilly and the buttons Agnes - decided to make a short sleeved tee and this time use a better length binding! Well, that was fine and good but it's so tight I can barely breathe.  Oops.  

Hemlock in black - with various modifications that I had applied last year - a bit of curve to the hem, a dropped sleeve...this silk jersey just isn't good for me here.  It makes it into a heavy, oversized top and the pattern would be cute on a dress but does not work.  Silk jersey is funny - sometimes it is amazing but because of the weight and drape it can behave very differently to other jerseys.

 

 

Made for Mermaids LOGAN

Ooh, this is an absolute winner. Surprise winner!  I made a tshirt version to check fit (note to self: add a hem band, even in my photos I wanted to hug my belly out of view...) and then I made one in interlock jersey, and I adore it.  Except for the colours.  I will definitely make this for myself.  Do note: the front pieces are not mirrored.  Don't be like me and accidentally cut some of them wrong side out.  That's what led to the blue in the tshirt, as I didn't have enough greens to re-cut.

 

Luckily I have some new colleagues imported from the US with a teenage daughter keen on cropped items so a lot of these went to her.  This binge was during hard life times when I needed the simplicity to keep me going, but it was good food for thought on why I sew, and also on what results I want.  It's inspired me to stop binge cutting (I have a tendency to cut a bunch of projects which then sit around) - but rather to work on a single project at a time beginning to end. I have a bunch of things I really want to make that I never start because they will be a bit more work, so hopefully this will move me to do those instead of easy things.