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: 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

Completed: Denim Hollyburn Skirt

What's a girl to do when she finds a cute blouse at a thrift store, but doesn't have anything to wear it with?

Make a skirt to match, of course!

Only joking. Sort of. I did come up with the idea to make this skirt because of this blouse, but mostly because I needed a casual summery skirt that I could wear with everything.

I don't usually buy tops at thrift stores unless they're silk or really well made, but I fell in love with this print - it's teacups! It feels like a cotton blend, and it was a few sizes too big, but I took in the sides, the darts and the straps quite easily, and it fits me pretty well now, considering that it's only a semi-fitted blouse. It'll be a nice casual piece for summer, and great for layering! Not bad for $2.50 and an hour's work.

Right after that trip to the thrift store, I went fabric shopping, and while I was there, I realized that I didn't have anything except jeans to wear it with, since all my skirts are either black (which I don't like wearing with navy, or with bare legs in the summer) or printed. I happened to be standing near the denim section at the time, and I had the idea - why not make a denim skirt? It would be casual but still my style, and it would go with just about everything.

That's how this skirt started, and it later turned into an idea for an outfit for The Monthly Stitch's Indie Fangirl Contest (I will post about the blouse that I made to go with it tomorrow).

The denim that I bought is a lightweight (I believe it was 5 oz) denim from Fabricana, which probably wasn't the best choice. It wasn't expensive, and I soon discovered why! It gives off a funny smell when it's ironed (even though it's 100% cotton), and it's quite loosely woven, so pulls a little at the seams. In retrospect, I could have chosen a slightly heavier weight denim, but I do love the drape of this one.

The pattern is the Sewaholic Hollyburn Skirt, which is a great simple skirt. I've made it once before (before this blog, but you can see it in my Me-Made-May posts and my 2013 Round-Up post), and I've worn it out completely. I made view C in size 0 since I had already traced that view, but lengthened it an inch, and added the belt loops from view A. 

I love how quick this skirt is to make! Even with all the hand sewing (which is optional), I finished this in probably about five hours? I didn't really keep track! 

Rather than the centered, machine-sewn zipper called for, I put in a hand-picked lapped zipper - my favourite kind!

I hand stitched the waistband down rather than topstitching it, which takes more time but looks really clean and polished. 

The hem was probably the hardest part - I still struggle with curved hems! I took a really narrow hem, but decided to use contrasting rayon seam binding, for fun. Next time, I'll try hemming it with bias binding, because I found the seam binding difficult to ease in. I catchstitched the hem, and I'm happy with how it looks from the outside, anyways! I really love the looks of hand-sewn hems.

I'm really happy with this skirt! It came together quickly, and I think it will get a lot of wear. I'm glad I tried out this pattern again, because I love it! I can see myself making many more this summer. 

Blouse: Thrifted and taken in (brand unknown)

Skirt: Me-made (Sewaholic Hollyburn)

Belt: Thrifted (brand unknown)

Shoes: Thrifted (Arnold Churgin)

Completed: Sewaholic Alma Blouse

So, I pretty much lived in this blouse all summer and I'm sad that I'll have to put it away soon.

I made it back in the spring, and I wore it so much this summer. I *almost* have something new to post about, but I need to figure out what is up with my machine first (the threads keep getting tangled and I don't trust it with my buttonholes). That, and I need to find somewhere to buy buttons to cover. Anyways, I wore this when we had family over for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, and I thought it would be good to post about it while I can still remember all the construction details. 

The pattern is the Sewaholic Alma Blouse, View B, in a size 0. The collar is meant for a contrasting fabric but I wanted it to be a little subtler so used the main fabric. The pattern is very well-drafted - there is even an upper collar and a lower collar so that the lower collar lies nicely underneath without the seam showing.

The fabric is a medium-weight cotton (I don't remember exactly what they called it) with 2% spandex, purchased locally for around $12 a metre. It was really easy to work with - even with the spandex, it was quite stable. It turned out to be a perfect weight for the shirt, and has softened up nicely in the wash.

I decided that, to save time, I wouldn't make a muslin, which backfired as per usual. I made my usual change of tapering down the shoulder seams and went right ahead cutting out the fabric. The fit was pretty good, but not great. I should have known better - Sewaholic patterns are designed for a B cup. I fiddled with the darts a bit and now the fit is good, but the darts are definitely in the wrong spot. They end only about a centimetre away from each other, which would be really obvious is a solid colour. Luckily the busy print hides them, but when I made this shirt again I will have to adjust them properly, and will probably try a FBA.

Other than that, the construction was pretty straightforward and I made no more changes. I successfully put in my second ever invisible zipper, which hasn't broken yet and that makes me really happy (I haven't had the best of luck with invisible zippers, such as with this dress).

Do you see that invisible zipper? Me neither.

For next time (there will be one!), there are a couple things I would do differently, other than adjusting the darts properly. I would probably do the under collar and facing in a lighter weight fabric because it's a little bulky at the shoulder seams, even with all the grading that I did. I might also take in the hips just a little bit. I'm not quite as pear-shaped as the pattern is designed for, and I think it could be a little narrower at the hips. The sleeves could also be just a touch narrower, but none of these are major fitting issues and it's very wearable.

Overall, though, I'm very pleased with this shirt. It's loose enough to be comfortable yet fitted enough to be very flattering. It looks great untucked with jeans, or tucked into a skirt with heels for a dressier look. My only regret is that this version isn't that great for fall, despite being in nice fall colours. With the sleeves and the collar, it's difficult to layer pieces over top, and it's too chilly to wear it on its own. Oh well, I got lots of wear out of it this summer.

One of the reasons I prefer skirts rather than pants is that I can hold them in pictures so my arms don't look so awkward...

If these pictures look better than usual, it's because my brother took them during the summer, and it just took me a while to write about it. (This also explains why I'm outside in a short-sleeved shirt, because there's no way I would do that with the chilly fall weather.)

Oh, and since today is Thanksgiving in Canada, I'd like to say thank you to all my readers and followers so far, and thanks for all the wonderful comments! Happy Thanksgiving!

Blouse: Sewaholic Alma

Jeans: Consignment, CJ by Cookie Johnson

Shoes: Consignment, Hego's