SOSM Round One: The Sutton Blouse

When I saw that the first challenge of the Super Online Sewing Match was the Sutton Blouse by True Bias, I wasn't sure what to think at first! It's not a pattern that I would have picked out on my own, but I can see why they chose it for the first round. It's simple enough, but perfect as a blank slate to make your own.

It was only the first morning of the competition, though, and I had already run into a problem. The contestants were generously provided with a gift certificate to Hart's Fabrics to cover the cost of the project, but as is always the case, shipping from the US to Canada takes far too long for this to be an option for me. In Canmore, there's a great quilting store where I'm able to buy all the notions that I need for my sewing projects, but their supply of garment fabrics is very limited, and I couldn't find anything to work with there.

The only fabric I had in my stash that I thought would work was this rayon from Cotton + Steel's Frock collection, which I had bought at Spool of Thread in Vancouver while I was there in May. I didn't think that I had enough, though - I had just over half of what the pattern called for!

I ran into my second problem that evening after work, when the printer where I'm staying decided that it had printed enough PDF patterns, and ran out of ink. It was 6:10... every printing store in Canmore had closed 10 minutes ago! I thought that I was stuck until the next day after work, until I realized that the public library would have printers that you could pay to use. Phew!

I printed the pattern scaled to 90%, because I'm smaller than the size 0, and a bit of math told me that the size 2 would be perfect when scaled like this. I cut out a muslin in this size, and the fit was great! The only alteration I made was to take out a little of the yoke seam in the back, toward the outer edge of the back piece. I know that the style is supposed to be loose, but it just seemed like there was a little too much excess fabric there.

I then laid out the pattern pieces over this rayon, and miraculously, they fit if I cut everything on a single layer! I wouldn't have much to play around with for pattern matching, but at least I had something.

Speaking of pattern matching, this was the first time I ever tried it! Throw in a super shifty fabric and some French seams, and it wasn't long before I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Cutting this out took an entire evening!

To make it a little easier, I traced the pattern onto Swedish tracing paper and drew in the stitching lines, so that I could see where the print would hit the seams through the pattern pieces. I also traced the pieces that were supposed to be cut on the fold twice, so that I could cut everyone on one layer.

I started with the front pieces, since I decided that the centre front seam was the most important to match. I cut everything out very, very carefully and slowly, and staystitched all the edges before cutting the next piece - I wasn't taking any chances with this stretching out! Once I had all the front pieces cut out, I basted them together by hand to make sure the pattern matched... and it did!

I realized pretty quickly that pattern matching wasn't possible anywhere else, although I think I did a decent job of at least lining up the diamonds in a straight horizontal line at the side seams, and in a straight vertical line at the centre back. Because the the width of the pieces, and the angled seams at the yoke, I couldn't really match anything else up.

I felt like this blouse would need a little something more to feel like 'me', so I spent some time rummaging through the notions at the quilt store, and I found this cotton lace trim that I thought would look nice sewn into the seams. I cut it in half, then basted it in place after sewing the first seam of the French seam, so that when I sewed the second seam, it was sandwiched in between the layers.

I also changed the hem a little, and made the edges rounded for a scalloped effect. I wanted to stay true to the pattern, and yet make it more wearable for my style. I love how this turned out!

I didn't have enough fabric to make bias binding out of the same fabric, so I used some white silk lining. This probably wasn't the best idea - I used the continuous bias tape method, and the fabric was so shifty and delicate that it took ages. I had never used this method before, and I ended up with a lot more bias tape than I was expecting!

When I attached the bias binding, I slipslitched it by hand rather than topstitching. I love the clean look of hand sewing, and I find it so satisfying!

I followed the instructions for the most part up until the side seams. They suggest hemming the sleeves and then sewing the side seams, but I prefer sewing the side seams first for a cleaner (and more comfortable) finish.

Rather than turning under the edge, I hemmed the sleeves by hand with more of the silk bias binding, since I loved how the neckline looked. I originally planned to use more of the lace trim here, but after basting it in, I decided that it was too busy and took it out.

I used a French seam at the side seam since I have no serger, although the pattern doesn't suggest it because of the side slit. I just stopped right before the side slit, and then snipped the seam allowance so that it would lay flat and I could finish the edges of the side slit.

I sewed the side slit in a completely different way than the instructions suggest, since I made it rounded and wanted to use more of the lace trim around the edges. I started by basting in the lace trim, then attaching the bias binding, sandwiching the trim in between the two. When I turned the bias binding to the wrong side and sewed it by hand, the lace trim stuck out past the edge of the fabric. I finished the front and the back separately, and then finished the top edge of the slit with some more bias binding and hand stitched it down to secure it. (Looking at these photos, I realized that it needed another good press - those wrinkles at the top are now gone!)

I'm so proud of my finished blouse! Although the pattern isn't one I would have picked on my own, I think I really managed to make it suit my style, and I think I'll wear it tons. It also looks great tucked in, but it'll be so easy to just throw on over jeans - exactly the kind of top I need more of!

Despite the challenge of pattern matching this fabric, it worked out really well for this blouse. It's so drapey, but was surprisingly easy to sew with (or maybe that was just by comparison to the silk bias binding!). It's super soft and probably the nicest rayon I've ever worked with. It pressed beautifully, and any needle and pin marks pressed right out. I'm on a huge rayon kick right now, so I'm really tempted to try to find some more of it! It's pricier than a lot of other rayon (it cost more per metre than the silk I used for the binding!), but it was really worth it.

I should also point out the Kelli's instructions for the pattern are excellent and very clear - I love how cleanly the insides are finished. I would really recommend the pattern, and I'll probably be making more!

To see all the finished blouses for the first challenge, head on over to Sew Mama Sew - I believe they'll be up by Wednesday!

Lastly, a HUGE thank you to Micheal from Photoflow for taking these amazing photos for me!

Completed: Miz Mozelle 2-Piece Set

When I bought this fabric, I was very, very torn. Dress, blouse, or skirt? It really begged to be made into a dress, but I knew that was I needed more at the moment was tops and skirts.

My solution? Make all three!

By making a 2-piece set, I could have something that looked like a dress, but I could just as easily wear the pieces separately.

The fabric is rayon twill that I bought from Plazatex in Montreal - it's a gem of a fabric store that's not in either of the fabric shopping districts, but instead near McGill. I found it while wandering around after moving into my apartment, but it's fantastic! It's a small store, but with lots of selection and plenty of notions. I'll be going there lots next year, now that I know about it!

It took me a while to decide on a pattern, since my initial idea was to use a blouse pattern and a skirt pattern, and the first ones that came to mind were the Pendrell blouse and the Hollyburn skirt (two of my TNT patterns). But, I just didn't think that they would look like a dress when worn together. I spent some time looking online at 2-piece sets, and the ones that are trendy right now are mostly structured crop tops and full skirts - a style that I actually think is kind of cute, but not at all right for this fabric.

I put the fabric aside for a while, and it wasn't until I was browsing through some indie pattern collections that I wasn't familiar with that I had this idea. I found the Miz Mozelle dress by Jamie Christina, and loved it! I immediately thought of this fabric, but then I remembered my 2-piece set idea. Then I thought - why not take a dress pattern, and modify it into a 2-piece set? That way, it'll be sure to look like a dress when the pieces are worn together.

I bought the PDF and taped it together, and cut out a size 2. I'm actually a 4 at the waist and a 6 at the hips, but I figured that the only part that I really needed to fit was the shoulders, since there's plenty of ease everywhere else.

I thought the dress would be one piece, with an elastic casing at the waist, but it has a top and a skirt that are sewn together, and the elastic is sewn into the seam allowance. This made it really easy to make into two pieces! I lengthened the top by 6" and narrowed it just slightly so that it wouldn't be too bulky when tucked in, and I added 1 1/2" onto the top of the skirt, for an elastic casing. I also raised the keyhole opening by 1/2"

I started with the blouse, and I had originally planned to use a cream fabric for the collar, and cream bias tape. After sewing the bias tape to the keyhole, though, I realized that it was just too busy, and ripped it out to use black instead. I also decided to use black fabric for the collar, which I think looked better. Since I didn't have very much of the black fabric and I'd already cut out pockets from it, I had to piece the under collar, but it's underneath so you don't see it at all. I did something that I never do and skipped the interfacing, since the contrast fabric was already stiffer than the rayon. It turned out just fine!

I couldn't find a button I liked, or any cord that would work for the loop to close the keyhole, so instead I used a black wooden bead and made a daisy chain out of some embroidery thread.

I modified the order of construction a little, since I used French seams on all the seams. I don't have access to a serger anymore since leaving home, so I'm experimenting with different seam finishes! I love the look of the French seams, and the rayon is lightweight enough that they worked really well.

The pattern suggests inserting the sleeves flat, then sewing the side seams, but I thought that a vertical French seam under the arm would be less comfortable, so I sewed them in the round instead. I don't mind setting in sleeves in the round, and I find it makes for a nicer finish.

I love this method for the collar - I couldn't quite wrap my head around it at first, but once I understood what was going on, I realized how genius it is. You finish the edge with bias tape, with the collar sandwiched in between the top and the bias tape, and then the collar covers the stitching that attaches the bias tape. I finished the edges near the keyhole by hand, where the collar wouldn't quite cover the stitching, for a cleaner finish.

I wanted the blouse to be evenly gathered when tucked in, so that it would look more like a dress. Enter, elastic thread! I sewed five rows of stitching with a bobbin of elastic thread to shirr the waist, which worked really well! It was my first time shirring with elastic thread, but I'll definitely use it again. It took some samples, and I had to play with the bobbin tension on my machine a little, but it was easy after that.

For the hem, I just turned up 1/4", then 1/2", and hemmed by hand. The stitches are completely invisible in this fabric!

Onto the skirt - I added pockets (of course), but I wasn't quite sure how to make them work with French seams. This tutorial helped a lot! I love how they turned out.

I used a modified version of the pockets from the Cambie dress, which I extended so that I could sew them into the seam that made the casing, for stability. I used the same black fabric as I did for the collar, because I thought pockets from the rayon might be too flimsy and delicate.

To make the casing, I just turned under 1/4", then turned under 1 1/4" and stitched it. I used 1" wide elastic, and just enough length to fit snugly around my waist. For the hem, I did the same as the top - turned under 1/4", then 1/2", and hemmed by hand.

I'm really, really happy with how these turned out! I love both the top and the skirt, and I think that they really do look like a dress when they're worn together. I could maybe have sewn the shirring a little bit lower, since it pokes out a little from the skirt when it's tucked in. Since the skirt is also gathered at the waist by elastic, I don't think it's super noticeable. If I did something like this again, I might shirr the waist of the skirt before making the casing so that it looks even more seamless.

The top is great with jeans, or with a plain black skirt, and the skirt is great with pretty much any solid colour top. I think these pieces will get a lot of wear!

Thanks for reading!

UPDATE: This outfit has been chosen as a finalist in the Monthly Stitch's Separates Contest. There are so really fabulous outfits made for the contest that you should check out, and if you like mine, I'd really appreciate a vote! Thanks!

Completed: Muse Natalie Dress

After filling the wardrobe gap of a LBD, this is something I’ve wanted to make for ages – a little red dress! I’m always drawn to prints, but I wear solid colours way more often. I’ve already made a few solid colour knit Moneta dresses that I wear all the time (here and here, with a third unblogged), so I knew that this would be a great wardrobe staple for me. Plus, I love red – it seems to work for all seasons and all occasions!

I’m always super excited when there’s a new knit dress pattern out, especially if it’s by an indie pattern company. So, after making the top version of the Natalie top and dress by Muse Patterns and loving it, I knew I wanted to make it as a dress.

I cut out a size 30, as I did for my top, and the only alteration I needed was to shorten it. I shortened the skirt 2″, and I can’t remember how much I shortened the sleeves but it was an inch or two.

The fabric is rayon jersey that I bought from Fabricana in Richmond. It was on sale so I bought a few metres – I already made a top from it (so far unblogged), and I have enough left for at least another top, possibly another dress.

Since I’m away from home again, I don’t have access to my mom’s serger anymore, so this was my first knit garment made entirely on a regular sewing machine. It went together more smoothly than I was expecting! The insides don’t look as professional as they would with a serger, but they’re still quite neat, and my gathering and my neckline actually look way better than on the version that I made on my mom’s serger. After sewing the seams with a narrow zigzag, I finished the seam allowances with a slightly wider zigzag wherever I thought they might roll. The local sewing store where I’m living for the summer didn’t have any ballpoint twin needles, so I just hemmed with a single line of narrow zigzag stitching. I actually quite like it – it’s very subtle, almost invisible in this fabric.

There’s a bit of extra fabric bunching up at the back because of my swayback, but I think the only way to fix this would be to put in some sort of seam or some darts there. 

The only changes that I would make next time is to make the skirt a little more flared, to make it more bike-friendly (which might also solve the problem of the bunching in the back), and to add pockets! I usually add pockets to everything, but I completely forgot with this dress. 

Overall, I’m very happy with it! It’s very flattering and a nice change from the Moneta, which I’ve made lots of already. I’ve been really impressed with all the Muse Patterns that I’ve tried – the instructions and the drafting are great, and I really love the styles. I think I might try the Gillian wrap dress next!

Incidentally, after resorting to mirror selfies for the last week or so of Me-Made-May, I knew I would need to find a better way to take photos while I'm living on my own. I could ask a co-worker to take photos, but I'm quite picky about my photos and take lots of them, so I don't like asking people to take them for me until I know them well. I'm rather proud of my solution:

It's a holder for my phone made out of duct tape, that I taped onto the railing of the porch at my uncle's condo where I'm staying! I use a timer with it, and managed to get some pretty clear photos. Although the background isn't that pretty, the lighting is good, and my phone can take decent photos so long as there's good light (inside, like for the flat shots, they get a bit grainy). They've also just replaced the wood on the porch but haven't painted it yet, so I don't have to worry about peeling off the paint with the tape. I wish I had figured this out for Me-Made-May!

UPDATE: This dress was picked as one of 15 finalists in the Indie Pattern Month Dresses Contest over at The Monthly Stitch. If you like the dress, I'd really appreciate it if you head on over and vote for me!

Thanks for reading!

Dress: Me-made (Muse Natalie dress)

Shoes: Bought second-hand from the McGill Clothing Exchange (Sperry)

Guest Post: Smooth Sailing Trousers Review

Finally, a finished project to break the monotony of all the Me-Made-May photos! Today's post is a guest post at Sew Sweetness as part of her Dress Up Party. I reviewed a pattern I made a while back but never blogged about, the Wearing History Smooth Sailing Trousers. The full review is a little long, but I'll share a shortened version with photos and construction notes here.

Can I just take a moment to comment on how difficult it is to get good photos of black clothing? I wish you could see the front pleats in these photos, because they're nice details. There are also darts at the back, a side zipper, and optional cuffs, belt loop and belt. I made the version without cuffs, but with the belt loops. I skipped the belt, though, because I have a couple black belts already!

Photo source

I made a muslin and cut a size 12 at the waist, grading out to a 14 at the hips. Now, when the instructions say that the pants have very little ease at the waist, they mean it! My muslin fit, but I like a little more ease for moving, sitting, and, of course, eating. The crotch was also a little too low, so for the real pants, I cut a 14 at the waist, but kept the darts and tucks from the size 12, and cut out the crotch curve from the size 12. I cut out the version without the cuffs, and I also shortened the pattern pieces by 2".

The fabric I used for these has an interesting story behind it - I bought it (for $3/metre!) from a fashion designer who was clearing out her stock that she used for making samples, same as the fabric for this dress. I'm not exactly what to call it - it's bamboo rayon with nice drape, but it's also quite thick. Before washing, it was very crisp and linen-like, but after washing and drying, the texture changed completely! It got much softer, but also much shiftier and lost its crispness. It also shrunk like crazy - I had about 6 metres and cut a 2 metre piece for the pants, and it shrunk over half a metre. In the end, this fabric really wasn't a good choice for these pants.

These pants came together pretty quickly and easily. The hardest part was working with the fabric, which was shifty and really stretchy on the bias.

For the zipper, I would have done a lapped one, but the seam allowances are only 1/2" and I forgot to add extra, so instead I just did a centred zipper, and hand-picked it. The interfacing that I used to stabilize it was probably too heavy, since the fabric was bulky already, and the extra bulk made it ripply. Once they're on, though, it's not that noticeable.

Rather than using the turned belt loop pieces included, I took the belt loop piece from the Sewaholic Hollyburn Skirt. I find this method (folding in the edges of one long piece then cutting it) faster and easier, though it does make wider loops.

Because you sew the loops onto the waistband before attaching it, I couldn't quite get my belt loops to line up properly with my pleats (I think because the fabric stretched, and I had to take in the side seams before attaching the waistband).

I added a beautiful vintage button from my grandma's stash, above the zipper. (The waistband does actually line up in real life, I promise.)

I originally hemmed these to wear with heels, since I think that looks nicer, but I've since ripped out the hem and will re-hem them to wear with flats - I just don't wear heels enough!

The final verdict? I kind of have a love-hate relationship with these pants. I LOVE the style and the pattern, but as I mentioned earlier, this fabric really wasn't right, and they've stretched out quite a bit, which really bothers me. I took these photos when I was home for Christmas (hence the wool socks worn in my heels - I was cold!), and they've stretched out even more since. I'm in the process of re-hemming them, and might also take in the side seams and move the button, but I just really dislike alterations so I haven't made much progress.

I just finished another pair (yesterday!) with a couple alterations and better fabric. I just need to find someone to take some photos for me, then I'll have that pair up on the blog!

II would definitely recommend this pattern if you're looking for vintage-style wide-leg trousers, or if you're just looking to dip your toes into making pants, but find more fitted styles a little daunting, like I did before making these. Next on my to-sew list are the Ginger jeans!

Thanks for reading! And be sure to head on over to Sew Sweetness for my full review!

Pants: Me-made (Wearing History Smooth Sailing Trousers)
Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell)
Belt: bought from a craft market
Shoes: Thrifted (Arnold Churgin)

Completed: a Muumuu Refashioned into a Sewaholic Pendrell Blouse

I have a confession to make: I love muumuus.

Especially muumuus made out of lovely drapey rayon that are on sale for $5 at thrift stores, like this one, because they are so easy to refashion.

Flattering, no?

It was a homemade muumuu, so I almost felt guity unpicking it! After a while, though, I figured that whoever made it would probably be happier to see it unpicked and made into something else than thrown away. After I unpicked it, it was basically two big rectangles and the yoke. I straightened the edges, and then just used it like any other fabric, and cut Sewaholic's Pendrell Blouse from it.

Side note: I only just learned that muumuu is spelled that way... I always thought that it was spelled mumu. 

I've made this blouse a few times before, and I love it! It's quick to put together and fits me very well, so I figured that it would be a great blouse to compliment my denim Hollyburn skirt as my entry for the Monthly Stitch's Indie Fan-Girl contest.

As much as I love the sleeve options that come with the blouse, they're not very easy to layer over, so instead, I borrowed the cap sleeves from view A of the Alma Blouse. I'm really happy with how they turned out! It was a very easy switch, since the armhole of that view of the Alma is finished with bias binding, exactly like the Pendrell. I've done this before, when I made my knit Pendrell top.

I ended up doing a lot more hand sewing on this blouse than I anticipated, since I decided to slipstitch all the bias binding at the neck and armholes, rather than stitching it by machine. It took more time, but I'm glad I did - it gives such a clean look to the edges.

I also catchstitched the hem, after turning it up 3/4" twice (rather than 1 1/2" once). I think this is a neater finish than serging the edge, and the fabric is thin enough that it doesn't show through.

I love how neat the insides look with the bias binding! I usually prefer facings (yes, I'm one of few), but when done by hand, finishing with bias binding that matches looks really nice too. I only wish that I had also finished the seam allowances of the princess seams with bias binding! I'll make a note to do that next time - it would make the insides look so nice.

I really love this blouse! It pairs very nicely with this skirt, but it will be very versatile over the summer and into the fall with a cardigan over top, and it's flattering untucked with jeans as well, although I prefer it tucked in.

If you like this outfit as much as I do, I'd love it if you'd vote for me on the Monthly Stitch! Thanks!

Blouse: Me-made (Sewaholic Pendrell)
Skirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Hollyburn)
Belt: RTW (can't remember the brand)
Shoes: Vintage