Sewaholic 1302: Tofino pants

I was lucky enough to get picked to pattern test these (I am such a fan girl, I was so excited to get that email!). They are a pajama/lounging pant with an elastic waist and side panels that have optional piping on them. I ran out of satin for the piping so only put piping on the front seam.

I made a size 16 with about 1" added to the inner seam on the back and front legs. They are generously cut though and easy to adjust with the elastic waist.

The only thing to note is the side pattern piece stays the same for all the sizes so you don't see as much of the piping as you would in the smaller sizes, next version I think I'll take an inch from each of the front and back pieces and add them to the side pattern piece.

I did a 3 step zig zag around the top of the waistband to keep the elastic from twisting. I love the waistband tie, its nice and long!

The fabric is a vintage rayon I bought a couple of years ago, I got it on ebay and its moderately faded out, enough so that I didn't want to use it on a dress but its perfect for these pants.

I like how these are cut for a slimmer fit through the hips and waist, its still comfortable and doesn't have the bulk that you sometimes get with an elastic waist.

Cake 0169: Pavlova Top

I liked this pattern when it first came out but it was Heathers version that pushed me over the edge to make it! I really like it tied with the neckline lower and the look of it open as a draped cardigan.

This is a sz 45 but I took the side seams in by nearly an inch under the arms especially. Next time I'm cutting out a 45 on the back and a 40 on the front which is what I do for the Tiramisu dress. I copied Heathers idea and rounded off the back flap too as I'll be mostly wearing it over pants. Be aware that it is pretty short, I wore it out today with a singlet underneath because I don't have any pants high enough waisted.

Fabric is purple bamboo rayon from fabric.com. Its a funny colour, looks blue in bright light and purple in darker light. Its just gorgeous, has great recovery and feels so soft. Next time I order from them I'm getting more of it!

The lapped seam had me scratching my head until I started doing it and then it all came together.

 

I really like it left open as a cardigan too so if I don't wear it much as a top I'm cutting the ties off, I did have a think about how you could make the ties removable (press studs? zipper? tied on somehow?) because that would be pretty cool! But everything I thought of either wouldn't be strong enough or would make it too stiff.

Burdastyle Sewing Handbook: Bag

My poor handbag is falling to pieces and I can't find anything I like in the stores at the moment so thought I'd have a go at making a bag. This is the pattern from the Burdastyle handbook, its the main version of the bag with a couple of changes like inside pockets and different straps.

I had fabric leftover from my rose trench coat so first made an underlined pencil skirt....... which bagged out and looked terrible so I unpicked it and remade it as a lined pencil skirt....which fitted badly enough I didn't even hem it. So it was oddly satisfying chopping it up for this bag! I reused the original skirt lining too as the bag lining.

The straps were originally sleeve bands for the trench coat which I left off so it was nice to use them for the straps since I'd already done bound buttonholes in them. The silver buttons are out of my stash.

 

Because I was using a thinish cotton sateen for the bag I interfaced it and also used fusible fleece on the lining to give it a bit of thickness and strength. Haven't used fusible fleece before but it went on really easily and adds a bit of heft to the bag without making it too stiff.

 

I added a couple of open pockets to the inside for my iphone and a magnetic closure. It would have been nice to add a zipper to the bag and a inside zippered pocket too but it hurt my head too much thinking about it so went the easy way! Surprisingly Spotlight had a decent range of bag making notions, its where I got the d-rings and the magnetic closure from.

 

I'm still a sucker for a nice leather handbag, but this cost next to nothing (about $10 all up for the fusible fleece and the notions) and its a lot nicer than what I've been using. I do think its too deep though and not wide enough, I didn't gather the top of it as much as the pattern says because I wouldn't have been able to fit my wallet in. Next version will be wider by about 2" and lower by about 2" with a padded ipad pocket inside and there will be a next one, I really enjoyed making this!

Style Arc: Sailor Sue Palazzo pants

 

I'm really liking pull-on pants at the moment, they are just so comfy to wear at work. These are meant  to be made in a knit but since I'm still stash busting I used some bengaline I had leftover.

These are a sz20 with width added to the inner leg seams and I added on a waistband. Not sure if they look better with the waistband but I like the extra thickness around my hips.

 

I'm counting these as a wearable muslin, I had to adjust the front crotch length more than usual. The pic on the left is my usual adjustments and on the right after I took out a 2cm wedge at the centre, grading out to nothing at the side seams.

The waistband needs to be a bit tighter, its slightly too loose and I'd like to add some patch pockets to the front too. I have some nice black bengaline in line for the next pair, I reckon they'd be really nice in a ponte as well.

I really like these, the shape of the leg is wide without being shapeless and I feel like it balances me out a lot more than a tighter straight cut leg like the Wendy pant.

Robert Kaufman: I am Ninja quilt

I have a family who loves Karate, we all train each week and love it!  When I first saw this pattern I was planning on making it for my daughter until my husband saw it and really liked it (I have a blue colourway version planned for her!).

 

The pattern is a free download from the Robert Kaufman website and I got the fabric from etsy, though Hawthorne threads is stocking it all now too. The amounts given in the pattern are quite generous, I have about half of the kanji and red ninja print leftover. Also, the pattern doesn't differentiate between directions for cutting out the red ninja and black kanji print so if you want the background all to run the same way keep an eye on it, I only cut as I needed it to help me get it all going the same direction.

 

Its a very easy quilt to make, I used basting spray because I find straight line quilting shifts a bit on me and the spray helps keep it all together. I quilted 1/4" on either side of the seamlines around most of the shapes, changing threads colours to help blend it into the background.

 

I hung the quilt using this tutorial and really like it, it gives the wall a real texture compared to just hanging a painting.

McCalls 5525: Rose peplum trench

 

 

I love trench coats! I like how you can make them fit loose but then cinch them in with the belt, the perfect blend of flattering comfort.
The fabric is sateen from Spotlight, I've had it in the stash for awhile not really sure what to make out of it. It alwasy screamed a full skirted 50's style dsress but since I never seem to wear them a nice floral trench seemed the go.

 

Pattern adjustments;
Same as last time; I used a sz 18 with a 1.5" FBA and (from memory) about 1" to the back width and arm width.
 I added the peplum onto the back, its about half a circle skirt. 
I lined the peplum before sewing it on, I've tried bagging out the lining on a a jacket with a peplum before and found the lining hangs down and the peplum doesn't sit right.

I did bound buttonholes.

Single welt pockets

 

 

The lining is just plain black with flat piping around the facings.

I've got a lot of excess at the back of the sleeves/upper back again. I've had this happen on a few jackets, I have pinned it all out in the past but then found it restircted arm movement and since it drives me nuts to have to take jackets off to drive I left it alone. I have a theory its because I do a wide back adjustment out of FFRP and then gather the excess when I sew the shoulder seams together, it seems to leave excess sitting there in fabrics that won't ease out easily like a wool.
I noticed it as well on The Great British Sewing Bee and Patrick said you need seom excess to allow for movemnt so I feel a lot better! On that topic, I love that show and am so gutted its finished, bring on the next season!

I couldn't get this to photograph properly, all the pics came out overexposed and I adjusted the colour and now they are a bit too saturated, grrrr, anyway the background is black and the roses are a nice blue toned red btw. I've had this finished for the last week but these are the best pics I could get!

Simplicity 2250: Ponte Jacket

 

 

This top has to be the most perfect mix between a cardigan and a jacket! I passed over this pattern until I saw it on Sew Brunswick and thought it looked great.

I did a 1" FBA on a sz20. The pattern doesn't have side seams, it has side panels instead so I ended up cutting them in half, doing a standard princess seam FBA on the front half and then taped it back together.

The fabric is a ponte knit that I got on the Melbourne sewing trip. I really wish I got more because it is a great fabric and hasn't pilled like the cheap pontes I get from Lincraft (even though it was actually cheaper!)

 

The pattern has you use a self fabric for binding around the edges but the ponte I used was way too thick for that so I used a cotton bias binding instead

I added a button to the front instead of having the tie belt that came with the pattern. Its ended up a little off centre because the fronts are wide to allow for the tie belt so I had to put the button across too far. After I took these pics it annoyed me enough that I skimmed some off the side seams and moved the button across but am too lazy to take new photos, sorry!

I'm really happy with how it turned out. I have a real thing for jackets but just never wear them so I like how this looks more like a jacket but has the comfort and ease of wear that a cardigan has.