Halfmoon Atelier basic bikini Well's Bay, pattern testing & results

It's finally here!  The Well's Bikini pattern is out.  You can get a discount if you buy it in the next week.

I'm not sure how other people go about pattern testing.  I find it somewhat stressful because you are sewing with a deadline, and also very educational because it pushes me to make one item multiple times and focus on how to make it well.  I love the aesthetic behind Halfmoon Atelier and getting the chance to watch it develop and see behind the scenes.  I was really pleased when I realised that I had enough access to sewing machines to be able to test this bikini - and since I'm surfing I really tested these bikinis a lot!  They've been worn weekly for months now and are still holding up.

My first version is a size 3, which matches my measurements (33-27-37), with a size 4 front bodice.  Anyone with a chest larger than a B cup should probably size up just the front bodice piece.  I found the bottoms to fit perfectly with no adjustments, and they are my favourites of all the bikini bottoms I've sewn.  The clean finish is puzzling the first time around - I think a little video might be made to help out with that - but it's really worth it.  In terms of sewing the bottom without a serger, it works out fine using a zig zag, except on the waistband piece.  Just using one waistband piece and folding it over is better because then there isn't a horizontal seam at the waist which can pull.  I luckily had access to a serger and so I tested this on various seams, first straight stitching and then serging the edges for support.  The seam of the two waistbands for the reversible version is a weak point if you can't serge it.

The top is super minimal.  It's important to pay attention to the length of the shoulder straps to ensure they suit you as they are not adjustable once you sew them in.  Other than that it's a pretty easy make!  I surfed in this right away and found it comfortable under a wetsuit.  My general requirements of swimwear is that it's minimal, doesn't have underwires or things that stick out, and looks ok under clothes.  Other people probably have different requirements...I do not (often) swim, and I very seldom sit on beaches or lounge about in my togs.  This top would probably hold up for swimming but I haven't tested it in rough surf.

For my second one I went ahead with some changes.  I made it halter neck, and I added elastic just above the bottom SA of the flowered side only for the front bodice.  An option to add elastic has now been provided and it does increase the security of the top - you can now add elastic both above and below the bust, but I only put it in the bottom of the suit under the bust.  (I made a third version with the elastic but it looks JUST LIKE THE FIRST ONE so I won't bore you.)  I was not planning to ever reverse it so I also just used the one waistband instead of two, so I could sew the entire bottom on a normal sewing machine.

 I don't like the halter neck version as well.  I find that it compresses my chest a lot more and somehow has less boob room.  The pull from the halter doesn't balance the back tie quite as nicely.  I also discovered that the single foldover waistband ended up lower, possibly because I overlocked the double waistband and therefore used less than a 5/8" seam allowance. 

Fabric:  I did indeed have enough confidence to go right ahead with this Liberty of London swimsuit fabric, from The Fabric Store.  It's great.  The honeycomb coloured lining that I got to use with it is very tacky and malleable and generally crap to sew, but feels good on.  The black lining is stuff I've bought online and have had for awhile and is extremely solid, slippery and dense.  I expected the black/dark suit to be tighter, but it's not - the material of the pink suit really sticks to me nicely. In fact I don't love my changes.  I don't think I would make the halter neck again.

This pattern was made to be minimal and not require special supplies.  That's why you can use strips of the fabric itself instead of elastic, and the back ties.  But since I surf all winter, including at times when I can't feel my hands afterwards, I plan to use swimsuit clips for this suit in future to make it easier to untie.

All versions of the suit that I tested were active tester versions, and some very small changes have been made since then including increasing the coverage of the bum a bit, and lengthening the shoulder straps.  I had such a fun time testing this suit and I'm pretty happy with my new collection.  I've been wearing them 3-4 days a week while surfing since I started pattern testing in March, and can just say that it is really better to use an overlocker, but if you don't have one, then use a strong zig-zag.  Stitches that I couldn't support with an overlocker have definitely pulled and snapped with time.

The bottom comes with the option to make knickers as well and I'm sure I'll do that eventually, because I really love the fit.

still knitting: Patterned legwarmers in Outlaw Vanitas

I had my eye on this pattern ages ago when I was living in Flagstaff and bought the yarn there.  Weirdly the instructions for the cast on convinced me that I didn't know how to do it, and that held me back for a solid year before I discovered the cast on she meant is the normal one I always do. 

It is a free pattern on Ravelry. (here)
I finally started knitting them over Christmas.  But the yarn was too pretty and I didn't think it suited them so I frogged. (You can see that one over on Ravelry if you are curious.)

Only after a bit did I realise my endless stash of Outlaw Vanitas DK was here to save the day.  It suited them perfectly.  The first legwarmer took a long time and I kept losing grasp of the pattern.  Because it's full of holes anyway you really can't tell if they are in the right place, and that realisation was what kept me going.  I knew I'd love them even if they weren't perfect, and that's a good motivation.

I knitted them one set of repeats shorter than the pattern recommended as I figured that was about how I wanted them. 

The second legwarmer went really fast! 
I used the needles recommended by the pattern and was happy with the results; the whole matter took about 1.25 skeins of the endless yarn. 

I have recently decided to knit more.  Partly because my lifestyle is likely to be increasingly unstable for awhile and I can't take sewing with me, but also because I have a new Life Goal which is to make the Rose Cardigan.  Naturally, I have built up a 10 project queue of the Things to Learn before I am ready to tackle the cardi.  Yes I know I could just dive in and go for it but I feel like my knitting tolerance is low and my frustration builds really easily when things don't work out.  I've tried really hard in the past year to build up my skills in slow steps so I'll keep doing that.

Sew Liberated Arenite Pants in washed silk

I was inspired yet again by instagram.  I saw these posted by@threadbeargarments
and immediately learned how to save posts just so I could savor that perfect picture.  These turned into number 4 on my trouser tour of autumn.

Love: the droopy pockets but the way they still leave a hip line.  And the huge amount of fabric around the hips!  They looked so comfortable, and yet because of the line of the ankle and the pocket, they still show shape.  How inventive!  

I bought the fabric specifically for them at The Fabric Store in Auckland.  We discussed various options but the assumption was that in a pair of pants with a lot of volume, this lightweight washed silk would be great because it wouldn't make the pants too heavy, and it wouldn't be see-through when gathered around the waist.  It was very expensive and a bit painful to buy 4 meters of fabric since I totally generally assume I can make everything out of 2 meters.

Well, in this case I could have.  I had just about 2 meters of fabric left over.  I'm sure I can find something to do with sand coloured washed silk but I was disturbed that the pattern could be so off regarding fabric requirements.

I made a size 4 by my measurements. 

Of all 4 trousers that I have made: Calyer, Esther, Persephone and Arenite, these had the least exacting instructions.  Of course, it's still pretty exacting to have to flat fell front seams...so they took a day of work.  Because of the flat felling, I would prioritise using a fabric that will behave and won't go off grain too much while you cut and sew.  Unless of course you decide not to do the flat fells.  Other that that they were a relatively fast sew.  Until the end.

Bad instructions regarding the cuffs.  I was using the 2" elastic version for the waistband and the cuffs.  I got the waistband on ok without big surprises.  But the cuffs are supposed to be loose, yet the designer says she measured her elastic at 8".  So when I measured 12" in order to have a loose cuff, I estimated down a bit assuming I must be wrong.  The problem is that the cuff needs to be so loose that it doesn't catch anywhere on your calf.  These pants are also really short!  I mean, I'm 5'4" and the pants pull. So the cuffs now are too tight and they catch on the back of my calves, which pulls the entire pants downwards.  The fabric, which was not nearly as billowy and as *much* as I anticipated, feels very fragile compared to the pull from these 2" elastic cuffs.

I thought about this some more - if you wear these low on your hips you wouldn't have that problem.  That's for people with skinny legs.  I dislike a low crotch so my tendency was for the waistband to fall over my belly button.   

The pockets: are fine, but are not nearly as big and deep as I thought they would be.  Things don't fall out though.

Also a bit of bad timing - the sewing machine I am using does not have a removable bottom.  So sewing those cuffs at all was total torture because I couldn't get them on the machine as a round object and just sew along.  I was indeed ready to give up but I soldiered on.

In the end I'm disappointed in the Arenite pattern.  I like the pants themselves but I expected something with a lot more fabric in the general crotch and hip area.  They actually don't gather so very much.  Clearly I could size up and see if that gave me the anticipated volume.  But in my size, I would have preferred a much heavier fabric so the pants would feel more substantial - silk twill or rayon, not washed silk.  When wearing the pants I am pretty happy with them, except from the pull from the ankles.  Sometime far in the future I might redo the cuffs.  I recommend thinking about your lower calf measurement rather than your ankle measurement when you cut the elastic for the cuff, because that's where you get movement in the pants - as the cuff can shift to give you room for things like bending over...

Persephone pants by Anna Allen patterns

I hopped on this bandwagon right after I discovered the pattern via Sophie (@adaspragg) on Instagram.  I had no idea if I would find it totally too crazy or really fun.  I also explored the phenomenon that is Kamm pants because I was out of that loop too.

I made a size 4, which fit my measurements exactly: 27-37.  I have seen since then that many people are sizing down to truly get the snug hip fit, and I could do that, but I do also really like how comfortable they are as is.  I don't have much room in the hips, but the high waist and loose fit below the butt mean there is so much space to move and bend - really the sad bit is just that they are a little too long to bicycle in (I tried.  Snapped threads.  No holes, luckily.)

The fabric is a somewhat lightweight, but stiff linen blend with a bunch of lurex in it, creating delightful iridescence when I move.  It is probably too light for this pattern and does leave me with terrible panty lines.  I have worn the pants a bunch and found them so comfortable that I will probably make another pair and choose a heavier fabric the second time around.  The problem with using a fabric that feels, in my head, like wild crazy rainbow iridescence is that these feel to me a bit like disco pants.  I don't think they are quite so out there, style-wise, as I feel they are.  But I feel like I'm really pushing the edge of fashion when I wear them, which makes me think my next pair need to be really toned down.  

Um, except that I have one meter of Hermes green cotton velvet.  It's a wide meter.  The pieces fit...so...I might have to do that next.

The instructions are impeccable.  The button fly creates a beautiful amazing clean finish with none of the ragged uncertainty that arises at the bottom of a zip fly.  (or is that just me?)  I LOVE the button fly.  I followed every bit of the instructions including the totally ridiculous belt loops because wtf belt loops?  I hate belts.

After washing:

It took one sewing day, meaning a full day with coffee breaks.  They fit perfectly, as I said.  Except.  They are too high.  I mean, they are in close relationship with my ribs.  After wearing them, the fabric has accordioned down the top about 2 inches to try to all sit at my waist.  (Yes I know I could iron them but I'm never going to.)  I find the pockets are flat against my hips which makes them functionally pretty useless.  I don't really want pocket contents bruising my hipbones.  So on the next (velvet!) version I plan to take 1" out of the top part of the waist and not put in the pockets.  Or belt loops.  I thought of using the crotch lengthen shorten line but I want to take away the height nearer the waist - I'm still thinking this through, so we shall see what happens!

Noelle - Mallori Lane bra top (plus a bonus Watson!)

I have been planning on making this top since I first made Noelle and Mallori Lane bra tops.
My initial problem with Noelle was that (a) I think I was making a size too big, and (b) the back didn't work for me.
My problem with Mallori Lane was that the long line wasn't happening, and without that it was kind of a nothing.  Though I might return to that concept and make some very simple bra tops, it wasn't quite inspiring enough on its own.

I used the back from the Mallori Lane, lower half, and the front from Noelle, size XS, top only, without the long line addition.  I did add a seam allowance which I don't think I needed.  The sides lined up with no adjustment.

This is scuba fabric, also used for this here Watson bra:

The Watson, in a size 32B, fits me correctly around the chest. However unless you have boobs of steel, I think scuba fabric is a bad idea for this type of bra, because it tries to shape the cups too much.  The silk Watson is the one I've made with the best fit, so I think I'll return to that kind of fine, drapey stretch fabrics in the future.  So this bra was a loss because I didn't want weird shaped boobs.

So, back to the main story.  I didn't use any metal loops in the front, and I did a cross back with normal bra strapping and the adjusters in the back.  This was partly to avoid having metal bits on my collarbones, but that was also fixed by being the correct size.  The size small was sitting right on my collarbones.  I pulled slight tension while adding the picot elastic.

And this is perfect!  Exactly what I wanted in a halter-style cross back bra top!  Might not need a whole closet of these, but I'm really satisfied to have finally gotten all the elements to come together nicely.  I would probably add the metal loops in the front next time as it is just nicer looking than trying to sew about 6 layers all together at that spot.

Also, definitely a good option for a swimsuit top.

Victory Patterns Esther pants

The Esther pants were one of the first things I put on my sewing queue this year.  I have been quite good at not rushing to add projects to the list, just in the last few weeks as I prep for a trip I have sewn too much because of not wanting to leave anything undone.  But overall I have really enjoyed having a sewing day at Tessa's, where I can focus on getting one project done from start to finish.  And then not sewing much during the rest of the week - or only sewing quick projects.  Now I'm gearing up for major knitting and I think it'll be a big challenge to not build up sewing queues but to tolerate the slow progression of my knitting instead.

I think I was reviewing all my favourite pattern designers when I had just come back to civilisation from Nepal, and saw that Victory Patterns had put out a new capsule collection.  I adored these on sight.  I love the knit dress/top Frances too but it wasn't a priority.  When I went to buy fabric at the Fabric Store in Auckland I was very dedicated to my pants project, and bought four different types of fabric specifically geared for the four pairs of pants.  It was really overwhelming at the time and I am super pleased to have all of them done now, ready for unveiling.

The fabric is a rayon silk blend with slight texture to it.  It is dark chocolate brown.
I cut a size 4, based on my measurements with no changes.  I knew by using the short hems, they would nearly be ankle length on me, and indeed this is so.  I'm 5'4" and this is the "cropped" length.  Because the pieces are quite wide, you do need more fabric if you have narrow fabric.  This used the expected amount of fabric, and I did not have much left over. 

I did manage to sew them in one go - up to the invisible zipper!  It ends up that Tessa has never done an invisible zipper in her life and didn't have the machine foot for it.  The pants stalled for about 3 weeks while I tried to figure out what to do.  I finally researched online and bought one - she has two Brother sewing machines and the foot was only 13 dollars.  Totally reasonable.

After that it was fast to finish!  I put them on and I've been so happy ever since. The pockets are massive and are hidden behind the pleats.  These do wrinkle a lot but I don't care too much.  They are also not at all bicycle friendly.  No chance.  The length is great, just above the ankle but not high enough on me to make me look short.  They are basically the height of fashion.  I adore them.

The one thing I don't like is the zipper finish.  Because when you put in a zip it means that you have the sizes of that zip kind of hanging out - the Calyer pants with their elastic are SO BEAUTIFUL on the inside, as is the button fly of the Persephone pants.  I did get to overlock all my seams on these and so they are finished very nicely, but I just have to learn how to finish zippers better in order to be satisfied.  I wondered if you could use elastic in the back of these instead but it would really mess up the fantastic drape.

Yet again - amazing instructions.  No problems following them at all.  The pattern came together nicely with no weirdness although it did say to make an ease stitch and then ease the waistband in and I was in too much hurry and just Made It Fit.

That makes pants success number 2!