Pixie dress by Chalk and Notch patterns, experiments

 I had made a Pixie dress last summer as a quick experiment.  It was in a bland oatmeal coloured interlock knit, nothing that would inspire anyone anywhere, really.  But I noticed it had a subtle flair and I thought in the right material this dress would be amazing.  I didn't write down what size I made, other than that it was accurate according to the size chart.  So - go by the chart!

I finally got around to some variations because I have friends who need dresses.  The one rule: pockets! 

Version 1.  I shortened the pattern 1" above the bottom band.  Added inseam pockets. Fabric is heavy italian viscose from Mood Fabrics.  The weight of it probably added that inch back!  It was very annoying to me to overlock so many seams so I could add the pockets...but otherwise this is a tshirt pattern so it's very easy.  In this fabric it looks shapeless but moves with you in a really nice way.  

 

I see I should put the hem seam on the side next time! 

Version 2. Sweatshirting, lightweight, and used rib for the neckband and hemband.  I shortened the hem rib a little extra and I actually like that look.  This time I put patch pockets on it using the Philippa pants pattern piece.  I prefer this to the inseam pockets.  I think you need something to break up the expanse of the front of the dress.  This is super cute and cozy, though for myself I guess there's a contradiction between sweatshirt material and short sleeves, I think the dress is great and my friend, who lives in a cold place, will probably love it to layer.

 

I haven't made this dress for myself yet because I'm waiting on the right fabric and nothing seems just right.  Summer is coming so maybe I'll be inspired with warmer temperatures.

Jalie Clara leggings review

 These were recommended to me by a friend who raved about the absence of a front seam.  I didn't understand what she was talking about!  I thought the Megan Nielsen Virginia leggings are the most advanced and perfect pattern, with only an inseam...but this pattern has you cut the the ENTIRE pair of leggings in one piece on the fold.  It's almost like Japanese patterns in 3-D origami ingenuity.  However as you see from my pictures - it means that you can't choose your pattern placement. 

I have some athletic knit from Blended thread (here).  What to do with it?  Obviously I had to figure out what the hype was about with these leggings.  

I started with some swimsuit fabric since it's so forgiving.  The first time you make these it takes a solid read of the instructions to understand exactly what's going on. Every instruction, classic Jalie, has its place...the gusset initially seems like it's gonna be really complicated but in reality it's not.  I also have just discovered the 3 step zig zag and so I used it every chance I could. It's so pretty!! (You only stitch down the gusset but that does seem like a good spot to reinforce.)

 

I made size S and was happy with the fit, that's per the size chart and in general is the size I make in Jalie patterns.  I moved on from my first pair to the beautiful athletic knit, cropped it 1" above the crop lines at the hem, and paid some attention to which waistband piece I wanted on the outside.  It took half the width of a 1m long piece of fabric.  Not bad!  Also it took less than an hour to make these.  WELL under an hour.  Excluding the time I wasted while avoiding the coverstitch machine.  The coverseaming went just fine.  

 

And some close ups to better see the gusset - sorry these are a bit fuzzy: 

 

I love these, and totally agree with my friend.  I don't necessarily care about front seams but the details like elastic in the waistband mean these feel really secure.  They are a compressive fit according to my friend Tessa - who sized up and was happy with her fit - but I find that my usual size didn't feel super compressive.  I think if you are on the fence about sizing, consider your fabric and size up if it's a very firm athletic knit.  I have been happy with the leggings I made from the Virginia pattern, but I just made my own yoga style waistband without any elastic in it and it's more prone to slipping down.  The Virginias are also very baggy below the calf on me, which I blamed on my swimsuit fabric...but no bagginess in these Claras. 

Ginger jeans x 2 review

 I made these over a year ago in very stretchy lightweight black corduroy (here).  The fit was good but I didn't love the tummy stay thing.  I managed to sneakily wear these as uniform pants at work once our month of covid lockdown ended...until the butt split open along the side of the pockets - which is the risk when you use a too light fabric for something like jeans with all their topstitching.  I had apparently made size 2 but my pattern pieces say 4.  So I made a size 4 this time and I suspect I made a size 4 the first time too.

When I made the corduroy version of these I knew I wanted more and I planned 2 more pairs right away.  Unfortunately I didn't MAKE those two right away and I realised I was delaying due to the general feeling that Jeans are Hard.

Pair 1, in retrospect, should have been jeggings as this is another super lightweight stretch denim, and I think they won't last too long.  But that's ok because I think 1990's throwback jeans probably need to live hard and burn out fast...

 

I made these in about 4 hours.  I was in shock, in fact, that they were so easy. Nothing went wrong.  I used the pocket from the Dawn jeans, it just needed some modification along the pocket opening, otherwise it was a perfect match.  I didn't interface the waistbands. Of course I had some advantages that made these easier - the lightweight fabric didn't even need a denim needle and I was topstitching with my same thread.  I used my Bernina for the buttonhole and the tops of the belt loops.  I played around with my new embossing kit and some leather scraps.  These jeans are great!  They are very snug!  Hm except for the waistband which I really did say was too loose before.  I had a hard copy of the high waisted Ginger pattern and gave it to a friend, but I feel like I'm hitching these up a lot.  

On to the jean fabric.  Tried to stretch the waistband a lot to improve fit. Also shortened at the hems by 1.5".  It didn't really help with the waist, I think I need to actually either take it in, or make the high waisted version of these.  Also while doing the pockets I realised my replacement pocket piece was not actually a perfect fit and I had to make a few adjustments, but they were not dramatic ones. I'm...happy with these.  They are really pretty!  They also were easy to make with no dramas.  I used Mara 70 topstitching thread in grey, and a kind of sea theme with my wave pockets and seamonster pocket bags.  I sneakily stuck on a label harvested from some old jeans that I upcycled.   I used a jeans needle, and topstitched with a second machine, so everything went smoothly. I do, however, feel like these are a kind of ok RTW fit.  Like, they are nothing impressive and I expect they will fall off my butt as I wear them because they are a bit loose.  Which all makes sense, since I did nothing to really make them fit better. 

 

Summarising: I think in retrospect these are easy because I have made 3 pairs of Dawn jeans, and two of them in the past year.  The Dawn instructions are amazing.  The instructions for Gingers are ok.  They are not amazing.  I again referred to the fly instructions in the sewalong because the written fly instructions are confusing.  But after making so many Dawns and the amazing hand holding that went along with it, nothing surprises me...it ends up that now I KNOW how to make jeans.  And because the Dawns were non stretch, I put in more effort to get the right fit.  I think if I wanted to make tight but nice fitting jeans now, I'd use my modified Dawn pattern rather than the Ginger pattern.  The Dawn jeans I have made are really snug and I think I'd wear them more if they had a bit of stretch. 

I'm really pleased that making jeans has entered my skill set, I'm planning a pair of Morgans before the weather warms up too much and I'm excited rather than being daunted, which is great.

Misusu shift tee review

I was in full tshirt mode when this pattern came out and I was also still so enthusiastic about my Dia sweaters that I bought this right away. 

Because I hadn't sorted out my recent print shop issues, I printed this at home. Be warned: 75+ pages and many of them are blank.  I appreciate inclusive sizing but I am waiting for it to be improved on with multiple nesting options on pdfs, so that you have the option to choose a nest of limited sizes and print fewer pages.  However this pattern does list what pages you need for each option (long or short sleeves of the two different views) so you can limit extra pages if you pay attention. 

I made size BB. 

Because my fabrics are scraps and all are rayon and quite drapey, I made version A because I didn't want to do to much hemming with my sewing machine.

View B with the shaped hem will benefit from a firm jersey so that it can handle the sewing machine stitching instead of overlocking or coverstitching the hem. 

Between buying the pattern and making it I kind of lost interest - maybe I've finally just gotten done with tshirts for awhile?  (Is that possible??)  It really didn't help, the 75 pages to tape together.  In fact when I finally did it and cut out the top and made it I was suprised how simple it is.  I like the ingenious way of making a raglan top and the fit is fine.  I shortened it by 1" because my spotted fabric wouldn't fit unless I did that, and I cut the cropped version.  Note it's not very short or cropped on me...  

I like it more than I expected but my enthusiasm is still low.  I think this pattern will deserve another look when I have some firm jersey and want to try the split hem option, because that's really very cute and original.  

Snowflake quilt, otherwise known as I Am A Masochist

I have heard that there are people out there (like unicorns?) who love both quilting and sewing clothes.  I even know one such person.  Maybe the only one.  And in fact it's her fault that I had to make this quilt, because she made it first and I fell in love, and I felt that sinking dread that only the idea of cutting out 495 3.5" squares could birth. Oh that and sewing them all together with a 1/4" seam allowance.  THAT dread.  

 

It took about 18 months for me to finally cave in.  I bought the supplies last year: rotating cutting blade, cutting mat, washable pen, 1/4" seam allowance foot (with guide) and a huge pile of batting.  The reason I finally made the quilt is actually because I got sick of that batting taking up my closet space - that and the pile of scraps.  I like a clean sewing space, which is totally ridiculous as my sewing space is a vomit of fabric scraps, and anyway getting this done seemed like a step closer to the unachievable goal of Empty Floor. Also my brother's wife was kind enough to lie and tell me it takes a week for her to make a quilt.  So, bolstered by the idea that suffering is impermanent, I forged onward.  

Discovered that I'd used my white silk to make a dress and then got rid of it and so I had to use velvet scraps to supplement the white.  So now add in: sewing shifty velvet with a 1/4" SA to the list of torture.  It took 3 squares for me to realise this was time for wonder tape to save the day. One roll of wonder tape was enough for every single velvet square to be taped to all its neighbors.  Unfortunately that did leave sticky edges on the front which I suppose will eventually be washed off.  (Neglected to do so before quilting.)

I honestly, truly, did not think that making a quilt would be horrible.  I was so wrong. Cutting out a million little pieces with no room for error was boring and made my hands hurt.  Making the half-squares was terrifying since I didn't have any extra white if I messed up.  Laying it out on my floor was the first bit of satisfaction...then I realised I now had to sew the entire thing together.  It was the most boring sewing I have ever done, and I even started listening to music and podcasts to make the time pass.  I literally woke up with dread for days in a row, pining for a simple sweatshirt project.  But like many things that are TOTALLY TYPE 3 FUN the only thing to do is do it all without hesitation, otherwise it would surely be crumpled into a corner for the next 7 years. 

 

 

It took me about 3 weeks, maybe 4 to make the quilt top.  That included a lot of knitting time and surfing time instead of sewing time.  I took a short break then pinned all the layers together with all the pins in my house and left it folded into a little porcupine hiding in the corner. After that, I took a few (3) days months off...mentally thinking of everything that might go wrong with the quilting.  I mainly anticipated stress from things bunching up.

I had also decided to wash all the wonder tape off, but forgot before I pinned all my layers together, so I thought that might make my machine foot sticky.  (It didn't).  I procrastinated.  I sewed all my wips and then waited til I was woozy from night shifts.  That's when quilting 99 straight lines started to sound like fun sewing.  I quilted from the centre out, following the lines of the squares.  I don't know how you're supposed to do it but what I rapidly learned is that you should always quilt in parallel, do not do a perpendicular line to "hold things in place".  That perpendicular line caused heaps of trauma as the quilt bunched up right before it on each row, and I ended up ripping most of it out but rather after it had caused the damage. 

The single best advice I read about doing the quilting was to not worry about it puffing up, that the puffiness is what makes a quilt "quilty."  That really took the stress off.  There are lots of spots which aren't precise, or where it did bunch up, or I didn't catch a tiny fold in the fabric, and I felt ok leaving some of those if they weren't easy to undo.  I would have finished in two sessions (the first being that post night shift one) but I was called in to work extra and it took 3 days.  After that I cut all the edges flush and prepped my non-bias tape.  Yup, it is just strips, no bias!  The cutting (cutting!  What if it turns into a parallelogram?!) and the binding were also kind of alarming and I both googled and asked Tessa how to do it before I bound the edges. She recommended not even trying to hand sew or stitch in the ditch on the back of the quilt, but just to topstitch the back binding down and expect that line of stitching to show in the front.  I did it in lime green.  Honestly as it got to the end it was weirdly anticlimactic.  The hard part was done, the stress had subsided and now...I have a quilt! 

Finished before going on my birthday hiking trip/week away.  This was planned...I will return to a space actually not full of longstanding wips, which I thought is the best birthday present I can give myself.

Janet Celeste Gena crop vs Stitch Witch Atlas - a review

 The Gena is available on etsy. It's by Janet Celeste Patterns, which I've never heard of before.  I made a size C.

This pattern is fully lined - you cut 4 identical pieces.  There are no shaping darts and it is quite short.  I'm short waisted. This is *really* short.  You finish with the shoulder straps and a few options are provided.  Sadly, hand stitching is clearly the best of the lot.  For future reference....

I decided to cowboy my own instructions and didn't sew the bottom together.  After sewing the top, I finished the straps (which was not that easy and made me regret this choice) then topstitched the hem.  The problem with this is that it becomes a bit more curly rather than sitting flat.

 

The final result is really too short, even on me, and pulls funny.  My feeling is that it's too small, that somehow my wider back needs more accommodation than this.  However, I used a piece of fish fabric that's absolutely precious to me.  My pattern placement is fantastic.  And it's the middle of the winter.  I'm well aware that midsummer I will probably wear the hell out of this, (it matches my favourite summer shorts) so it's going into the closet. 

 

I did however think that a knit version would be amazing.  I stuck the pattern pieces together to get rid of the side seam and I lengthened the pattern 2" (lines are on the pattern to do this.)  It was very short work in this drapey and beautiful jersey - modal? The fabric is from Mood.  I just topstitched the shoulders together.  I did learn one major life lesson though - why you sew long continuous knit things in two separate goes, from the centre out. I've seen this in instructions but not really understood why...By the time I got all the way round on the hem to the second side, the grain had twisted in a horrible way.  It was not fixable but I managed to cut off the end and just put that side under the other one so it's less obvious...though heh, it's totally reversible so it ends up on top half the time.  I will *definitely* be wearing this top a lot, even before summer!   

The Stitch Witch Atlas is a bit more sophisticated of a pattern at first glance.

I was totally sucked in by the Hollywood dart, which is a rare choice these days. (Ominous overtones of Vogue 1247, see here.)  There is a partial front facing, which I was willing to commit to because it does go all the way to the underside of the armhole, but the back panels are fully lined.  The side seams are thus somewhat visible inside the top. 

I cut size 6.  Again I risked a piece of very precious fabric - my last scrap of linen with flocked spots.  I was very kind and used most of this fabric to make a dress for a friend (it was a masterpiece).  I should have bought the entire bolt, I love it so much.  The back is a lightweight silk linen that I had hoarded together with the dots, and the linings of both front and back are white voile.  I did interface the front facing since my fabric is so light.  

WELL since V1247, my relationship to Hollywood darts has not improved.  I do not like this at all.  I hate facings.  I hate this facing.  The dart makes everything lumpy in a weird way.  The top is also very short, and it also seems too small through the back.  The curve of the back straps seems thinner and higher, I was really unsatisfied with a lot of my photos too - it just doesn't make me feel as comfortable.   For this cross back type of garment I clearly need to size up.  I think this top is a lot nicer in the photos than it feels when I'm wearing it, which makes me think another version someday, fully lined, might be fun.

Initially I thought that the Atlas would be the clear winner of this comparison test.  I thought the finish on it would be nicer and that the dart would add shape.  The Gena does have instructions for adding a dart, and that would definitely help the front to not stick out a lot, but I will probably resolve that issue by wearing sporty compressive bras with it.  In the end I found the Gena to be easier to make, with a better finish and enough instructions on how to hack it that it spurred me to creative effort. (ahem, follow the instructions!)  I didn't find either PDF particularly hard to put together, and the instructions on both were fine.  Possibly mashing the two together conceptually would get the best result, ie make the darted Atlas but with the lined finish method of the Gena.