The seventies are back: flowered poly Lisboa

I first made this pattern a few years ago from a most beautiful silk twill. (here.)
I considered modifications to increase the hips and decrease pooling over my back, but have never actually carried the idea through, though I did make a top from the pattern, increasing the height of the armhole. (here.)

However, this was not at all my initial vision for the ridiculous, 70's style fluorescent pink flowered polyester that I discovered at The Fabric Store in Auckland. Yes, it's the summer of PINK!!  My vision was a simple tank top dress, but I couldn't find a pattern that I was willing to commit to. The poly is pretty heavy, and I wanted to use a Christine Haynes pattern, the Rumi dress, but right when I was sure, the pattern went off line.  Boo.  I tried to modify the mission maxi pattern, but I didn't like my mods.  So at that point I went fishing through my pattern collection.

This pattern caught my eye, because the problems I had with the pattern initially were about narrowness in the hips, or the hips being at the wrong height.  I've wanted to make it again, and now I thought the knit would solve some of the problems, and the low back and low armholes would be good for ventilation. (polyester!!!)

I used my same pattern pieces which are a size 38, without modifications except raising the armhole an inch.  Since it's a summer dress I didn't mind the armhole still being a bit low.

I used the facing as is, but after I tried the dress on, I sewed the facing down and cut off the excess, so it's more of a modified binding. I used the mission maxi technique for binding the armholes.  I basically did the first step of everything and tried on the dress, and then shaved away excess from the side seams with my overlocker until it fit properly.  I didn't need to remove a lot - about 1 cm down the sides to the waist.  I only folded the hem up once, as I thought it was short enough!  The instructions for that step are strange but seem to result in a double fold hem.

Excitingly, the low back does just barely cover my bra.  I love it.  I do think this pattern has a flaw or feature that makes me less keen to make many of it - the lie of the front leads to a funny kind of pooling below the bust.  It doesn't matter as long as the fabric is really drapey, and it might be a plus if you are busty, but it makes the pattern less flexible.  Overall, this is a style that seems to look really good in movement, and not quite as good standing still - I noticed that from the first one I made which I loved but gave to a tall friend who fit it a bit better.

This is also the end of my summer vision in pink.  I'm pretty pleased with my makes - other summer plans (intentionally vague and stress free!) are all for things that match clothes I already have.  Maybe, slowly, I'm moving towards an integrated wardrobe rather than a crazy piecemeal artistic mess in my closet? One can hope. 

Orageuse Lisboa silk top

This fabric was a single meter panel with a design incorporating the taupe sky, a watercolourish Italian scene, and flowers at the bottom.  For some reason after making my beautiful Lisboa dress (here), I thought that this one meter of fabric would be enough to make a reversible Lisboa top.  No chance of that!!  As it is, I had to use the bottom of the fabric for the strap that goes across the back, which I find rather jarring.

I used a size 38 with no modifications except to raise the armhole slightly.
Sorry no head, I stood too close to the camera, and didn't feel like taking more.

Otherwise, my construction proceeded as the first version did.  I admit to being a bit lazy with this.  I did use french seams, but I didn't iron it very well as you can see by how the shoulders don't lie quite flat. 

The truth is, this fabric had some unfortunate memories associated with it.  I quite like the top although I would increase the depth of the slits next time.  I still find it very challenging to finish this kind of split hem.   Maybe there are things that just don't get fixed until you have a serger.  Because of the facing, I really think a lined top would be the best way to make this, still in a very slippery fabric like silk.  

So I gave this to my friend Regina who loves it and reported back to me that she has received compliments at work.  We are both happy. 

Orageuse Lisboa

I'm trying really hard, really hard! to stop finding new patterns/pattern companies and jumping on a new project and wanting to make it now now now...

Orageuse has a beautiful style and I loved this immediately.  The pattern is available in English as well as in French.  There are not many blogs showing it though...I suspect lately that blogs are slowly not the thing anymore.  I notice fewer new blogs and I'm kind of sad because I'm pretty sure I learnt to sew basically from sewing blogs.

Anyway, so this here was a self-control fail.  I saw it, wanted it, bought it and made it (yay pdf patterns?)  In this beautiful piece of silk - I think it's a twill - lightweight, non-transparent, with a tiny bit of texture.  It's not slippery and it's very easy to work with.  I bought it in Frankfurt before I moved to Switzerland and have been hoarding it, except for a  small piece which I used in my Colette Chantilly bodice.  Now it's stashbusting time!

I cut a size 38, after some reflection.  I wanted to make sure it skimmed over my body and I have had some really bad experiences with cap sleeves (Georgina!) so sizing up was the best option.  I have realized that my hips seem to be somewhere different than most patterns anticipate and I think that's a big part of why my Inari was such a fail - there was bagginess where I didn't need it, but not enough room where I did...

Got some water stains on the bathroom floor, oops

Sewing was very straightforward, although I snipped a lot into the seam allowance before understitching the neck and I think that's why the front of the infernal facing wanted to pull outwards...so I subdued the beast with some fusible web.  I also tried to zig-zag the edge of the facing, but as I have mentioned the sewing machine won't sew flat zig-zags in silk and it bunched up.  I will try to pink it when I get access to pinking shears.

The method of using bias tape under the cap sleeves is the same on the Georgina...is this a French thing? 

I wanted to French seam the sides, but how to make it work with a side slit and hem?  I spent a day thinking about this and finally realized I had no idea, so I just sewed up the French seams to try and see.  I made the little slits like on the Inari - by sewing up the sides of the hem with right sides together, and then flipping it to the inside.  And yes, there is an intersection of the French seam with the hem bit which is messy, but I added a little bar tack and left it, I think it's stable enough not to matter.

Like everything, this would be perfect if it had no facings.  I'm thinking about that...
I put it on right away and thought it's just too tight on my hips!  And because of there being extra hip fabric right below my waist, there's quite a bit of swayback action.

But then I went to my friend M's shop and had a look in the full-wall mirror and realized it's actually amazing despite these things, maybe because of how the silk shifts with movement.  I'm going to keep working on this pattern - I'm super happy with it now, but I want to make a t-shirt version, I want to line it, I want to fix the hip height...