My Ivy (Karen) Pinafore

Today I've got another 'look what I made!' blog post for you because I have been sewing A LOT recently. The weather has been horrendous for what feels like months, and my response has been to really hunker down and get my sew-on. I've also made a commitment to myself to steadily turn the contents of my fabric stash into fabulous, wearable garments, but I'll blog more about that soon. In the meantime, look what I made!

Pattern: 

I've had my eye on Jennifer Lauren's Ivy pinafore dress pattern since she released it about 18 months ago, but I held off from buying it immediately because of the need for breast-feeding related access. I eventually I bought it at the end of last year, and shortly afterwards I realised that I already had the perfect fabric sitting right there in my stash!

Pattern: 

I've had my eye on Jennifer Lauren's Ivy pinafore dress pattern pretty much since she released it about 18 months ago but I held off from buying it immediately due to breast-feeding restrictions. I eventually I bought it at the end of last year and a couple of months later I realised that I already had the perfect fabric sitting in my stash!

I LOVE the utilitarian vibe of a denim pinafore type garment, and Jennifer's denim version looks pure perfection to me. There's a lovely lady called Karen who takes her grandson to the Story time group at our local library that we go to every Monday, and she often wears an olive coloured pinafore that is really similar to this. As I've got to know her, aside from having fabulous style, I've discovered that Karen is awesome in many ways and I basically want to be her when I grow up. 

(image source: Jennifer Lauren Handmade)

But back to the pattern. The pattern view I prefer is a deceptively simple looking shift dress with bust darts, slight waist shaping at the CB, and a fabulous curved yoke. It's lined so it won't stick to your tights when you walk, plus the pattern also includes in-seam pockets, which I omitted in the event that I'd need to monkey around with the fit. 

First up, let me say that this that this project was really fun to make. I find the process and effect of contrast topstitching to be so satisfying. That said, it's now confession time: I didn't make a toile, which is naughty! I felt that a simple pattern such as this would be fairly simple to tweak midway through the construction if need be. According to the measurements, I fell between the size 10 and 12. I erred on the side of caution and went for the larger, however it ended up way too big. I took in the side seams by about one size, but looking at these photos I think it still looks a little on the large side. I plan to remove and reattach the buttons so the straps overlap a little more. That should raise the dress a bit and hopefully get the bust darts to sit more where they belong. Of course, that would all have been avoided if I'd just made the freaking toile that I knew I should have. 

Fabric:

I 'rescued' this length of vintage denim from a retro/vintage furniture and homeware shop near my then-home in Hove. Whilst I loved this fabric immediately, the inbetween-y too-thin-for-trousers-too-thick-for-a-top-or-dress weight confused me so it has remained in my stash for about 5 years until I figure this shift pinafore was its destiny. There was about 3m of it, but it was really narrow so I more or less used it up with this project. The fabric had a pleasing white selvedge which I managed it incorporate along the CF, but because this dress is fully lined, the selvedge is sadly hidden apart from at the very bottom by the hem. I found the buttons, which I believe are also vintage, in my stash and I have absolutely no idea where they came from or how they found their way in there. 

Thoughts:

I'm really conflicted about this project. I certainly have a lot of love for this dress; I wore it three days in a row after I finished it. If I'm honest, I don't usually enjoy wearing dresses very much, but this is sooo comfy that it could definitely be classed as covert pyjamas. But when I see these pictures, I'm questioning how well it fits and how flattering it is. I really should have read the instructions through before starting this project because I would have discovered that this has been drafted for a C-cup, which it turns out is possibly a bit full for me post-babies, and I could have done something about it on the pattern before cutting into my fabric. Now I'm looking at these pictures some more, perhaps shortening it might make it look a bit less like I borrowed it from my (imaginary)big sister. I welcome your thoughts...

But it doesn't even matter what I think about this dress because when I wore it to Story time, Karen loved it. So much so, she enquired how much such a garment would cost. Dammit! I hate having to avade a commission. But what a compliment: my muse likes it so much she'd like one for herself! Anyways, where ever I eventually fall down on this particular garment, I definitely see myself using this pattern again. Perhaps in a burgundy needle cord, but starting with the size 10. Lessons learnt.  

Cost:

Pattern: $9.09/approx. £6.50. I bought it at a Black Friday discount, normally it's $12.99/£9.30 available here. 

Fabric: £10 

Lining: £8 from C&H

Buttons: £0 (from stash)

Total: £27.30

Breton Perfection: The Gable Top

I know it's a bold claim, but I think I may have made the perfect basic knit top. I actually made this at the beginning of summer, but it's been so warm that I've only worn it once so far. But now that Autumn and long-sleeves weather is just round the corner, I felt it's time to share it with you...

Pattern:

It could be argued (and often is by me) that Jennifer Lauren's Bronte top pattern is the best knit top pattern ever. Well, hold all your calls, because her Gable top pattern is clearly another contender for that title. It has a 50's style slash neckline that I didn't realise I needed in my wardrobe until Jennifer released this pattern. She really is so skilled at making vintage/retro stylings super wearable.

(image source: Jennifer Lauren Handmade)

By comparing my (well-used) Bronte top pattern pieces, for which I use the straight size 12, I was able to ascertain that for the Gable I would need the size 10 at the top and blending to the size 12 at the waist and hips. I also pinched out a couple of centimetres at the waist to account for my short-waisted-ness. When I tried it on, I found the shape slightly too boxy for my personal preference, so I shaved away at the sleeve and side seams here and there with my overlocker until I was happy with the fit. What I'll probably do for future versions is make a Frankenstein Bronte/Gable using the neckline of the latter with the sleeve and side seam shaping of the former.

Fabric:

As Jennifer's versions prove, this pattern is kind of screaming out to be made in stripes. Now I can't pretend that my wardrobe was a stripe-free zone before I made this, but the recent demise of my slinky Breton top, and my striped maternity top being too stretched out to bother reworking, meant that a new Breton top would be a welcome addition. After a lot of searching, I finally found this lovely medium-weight cotton/lycra blend jersey at the Ditto fabrics warehouse closing down sale/Portslade sewing meetup in April. It has enough body to keep that neckline in shape, but the lycra content means it has excellent stretch and recovery so is super comfy to wear.

I also want to show you the back neck label (Gable-label!) that I added. It's a folded over piece of printed grosgrain that was lurking in my stash. I have no idea where it came from, otherwise I'd go back to its source and buy up their whole supply so I could add these to everything I ever sew.

Thoughts:

The presence of this top is making the thought of cooler weather acceptable to me. I'm looking forward to incorporating it into different outfits, and I've got a couple of other garment projects in the pipeline that I'm hoping will pair with it well. If you're looking for anymore reason to try the Gable top pattern, then check out Jane Makes's wonderful (non-stripy) versions.