1960's Breton Top: The Best Thing I Have Ever Sewn, Maybe

A bold title, non?! This top may not look super-exciting, but by making it, I have managed to make EXACTLY the garment I wanted in my wardrobe. So, some back story... 

You know me, I usually prefer to make/wear vaguely retro style clothing, and I've been thinking about moving in a slightly different direction from my usual inspiration points. For a couple of years now I've been inspired by looser, boxier fitting tops from the 1960's, like the garment on the right of the pattern illustration pictured below, but haven't done anything about it. Until now, that is. 

This style top looks excellent with skinny jeans and capri pants, and seeing as I already live in the former and would like to wear more of the latter, I knew this type of top would fit in with what I've already got going on. 

Pattern:

I've had Simplicity 7023 (pictured below) lurking in my stash for yonks. In fact, I can't remember when or where I bought it, but I wouldn't be surprised if eBay was involved. The overblouse design has got the right silhouette for my needs: boxy but not baggy. Plus I love the bateau neckline and extended/dropped armhole seam.  

I toyed with the idea of making a roll collar to create more of a look like this or this. But to make a garment with maximum usefulness, I knew it needed to fit easily under a cardigan, jacket or a coat so I went with the pattern's original neckline. 

I made a few modifications to the original pattern. The major change I made was to eliminate the centre back seam and fastening. I measured the neck hole on the pattern first to make sure I wouldn't have any trouble in getting it on and off, then cut the back piece on the fold instead. I also made the hem a bit wider to accommodate my hippage, plus added side splits because I really like that detail on these kinds of tops. I altered the sleeves too, but I can't remember exactly in what way, perhaps making them a bit narrower and shorter at the hem? And of course I drafted some simple patch pockets that would allow me to alter the direction of the fabric for a bit of interest. One more thing I did that turned out to be completely pointless was to drop the bust darts by about 2 cm to reflect my shoulder-to-bust point measurement.

Fabric:

This navy and white stripy, synthetic double-knit-type-stuff has been burning a hole in my stash for a few years. I've had so many ideas for it that I was kind of paralysed by indecision and it languished in there unused. When I first acquired it (I got it second hand, it could well be from around the same time as the pattern!) I was erring towards making a dress, perhaps something fit and flare like this, or more of a shift dress shape like this. Then, I started imagining spring coats and jackets, perhaps along the lines of this. Eventually reality kicked in and I figured out that I probably didn't have sufficient quantity for any of those plans, and a top would be far more practical and useful for me anyhow. 

The navy stripes in the fabric have a raised texture which made pattern-matching at the side seams a nightmare/impossible, so I brushed my shoulders off and moved on. The fabric doesn't fray so I stitched it using my regular sewing machine and left the edges raw. Not much else to report I don't think.

Thoughts:

Umm, I've not exactly been subtle so far about my thoughts and feelings towards this top! I freaking love it and that's all I can say. As soon as it comes out of the wash it gets put on again. I'm not sure quite what I'm going to do during Me-Made-May, because I keep wearing it with the charity-shopped skinny jeans as seen in these pictures, and I'm not sure I'm going to get a chance to make some myself before then. Hmm... just one of the many challenges to figure out during May I guess!   

So, what's the best garment you've made to date? 

Refashion Friday: Men's T-shirt to Toddler Retro Running Shorts

Refashion Friday is back and it feels good! Recently I'm feeling really excited again about reusing existing garments for my sewing projects so I'm sure Refashion Friday'll become a more regular feature round here again. Today I'm going to go into detail about one of the two projects I undertook last week as part of the upcycling edition of the Kid's Clothes Week challenge. So let's talk about these retro running shorts! 

Pattern:

I started the beginning of 2015 by whipping up about 10 pairs of baby/toddler leggings (that I didn't bother to blog about specifically because I used a pattern I've written about on here before). It gave me quite a high to be so productive so I was looking for another quick-fix jersey project for part of the KCW challenge to make use of some of my stash of unwanted t-shirts. I decided to use the Prefontaine shorts pattern designed by Made with Moxie, which I was lucky enough to receive from my involvement in a previous Perfect Pattern Parcel blog. 

Aside from the awesome retro vibe, I also like how the pattern encourages the maker to repurpose old t-shirts for the binding. The pattern states you can make these shorts in pretty much any type of fabric, but personally I felt it'd work best in some kind of knit. 

Now don't get me wrong, I really do love this pattern and will definitely use it again at some point, but it wasn't the quick-fix project I was hoping for. I was probably being naive in thinking it would be. To get all that binding looking nice and neat made the project take a lot longer than I'd anticipated, even given the fact that I was making two pairs at the same time in a mini-production line. 

I think one of the reasons I expected this to be a quicker project because there's something slightly less polished about this pattern than some of the other downloadable sewing patterns out there. I mean no offence to anyone here, lord knows I'm aware how tricky drafting, grading and publishing a sewing pattern can be, but I need this review to be honest so I'm telling it how I found it. 

For example, I found sticking the pattern together to be a little inaccurate because there are no inner boxes to line up the edges against. Also, the pattern pieces have no grainlines on them which I think most sewers would expect to see. And one more thing is that the length of the inside leg seam is the same for all the sizes. So size 1 (approx. 18-24 months) and size 5 (approx. 7-8 years) have the same inside leg seam measurement which feels a little odd to me, and something I'd probably alter if I were to make the larger sizes. Don't let those things should put you off from purchasing the pattern if it appeals to you though. It really is a great little pattern and the instructions for construction are excellent.  

I made the size 1 (approx. 18-24 months) hoping that they would fit Dolores this summer (she's 16 months right now). The judo pair is intended for her and the Oxford university pair for her friend Arthur. However they have come out much bigger than I anticipated. She is on the slightly skinnier end of the baby-spectrum, but slightly above average height and as you can see from the pics in this post they look like a bit like this one her:

(image source)

As I was nearing the end of the make I realised they were coming up big so I made the elastic on the larger size so they can be worn in summer 2016 instead. 

Fabric and Notions:

The main fabric started out as a ma-hoo-sive second-hand men's t-shirt that I snaffled a few years back. It had obviously been worn, but barely, and the colour was still incredibly vibrant. When I initially saw it I thought it would be fun to incorporate the university logo into whatever I made from it, and it nearly became a pair of pants (undies). I'm glad I didn't use it for that purpose because the thick, sturdy jersey would have worked much better for this project. And what a win being able to just about squeeze not one but two pairs of shorts from one unwanted garment! 

The judo patch on Dolores's pair also came from my stash. Back when I was 18 or 19 I used to drag my-then-boyfriend to the jumble sale that took place at the school next to his house. I would buy ridiculously things for 10p each on a whim, filling up whole bin bags that it was his job to lug about the hall and hold open for me. One of those purchases was a child's judo outfit (!). I have no idea why I bought it, but I unpicked this little logo before donating it back to charity. 

The strips of white jersey that formed all that binding was harvested from an old t-shirt that I also already possessed. Literally nothing new was purchased for this project. I even printed out the pattern on paper that had previously been used on the other side!

Thoughts:

I am totally in love with these shorts! I must admit to being disappointed that I have to wait over a year to see them in action, unless Dolores or Arthur perform some kind of insane growth spurt in the meantime. But the great thing about making kid's clothes is that, when they come out too big, they will fit them eventually at some point. Especially now she's out of the stage where a particular garment only fits her for what seems like a matter of weeks. 

Deep-Maternity Sewing: Thoughts please..

Well my lovelies, the on-going adventure of 'what the hell is happening to my body?' (AKA pregnancy) continues... I must admit to being a bit frightened as next week I head blindly into the third trimester. Just how damn big and uncomfortable is there left for me to get?! Only one way to find out. 

So to calm myself I have decided to turn my thoughts to my guaranteed relaxant: sewing. Planning how  I'm going to approach any new phase of my life through what I may or may not sew always lends me some sense of control. For a while now I've been collecting maternity sewing patterns, which all seem to be for the last trimester, plus recently I've been donated some more (thanks lovely ladies!). When I went to get them out to consider and photograph I was surprised just how many I've collated! Now, my life doesn't require me to dress up very much these days (read: hardly ever), but I'd like to make at least one garment from my maternity pattern collection, otherwise collecting them would have been somewhat pointless I fear. Hopefully I can make something that'll be day-wear appropriate also if the sun shines, I can prevent myself from automatically heading for the jersey top/tracky-bottoms combo. I was hoping you'd be able to help me decide which to go for... Patterns are roughly organised in chronological order, from oldest to newest. 

Vogue 9876: This is a beaut, is it not? I snapped it up on eBay a couple of months ago. It's very 'dressy', fabric-hungry and potentially 'night-gowny' however...

Butterick 594: I'm totally NOT going to make this outfit. Who has time to make an entire lined jacket for only two/three months worth of potent wear (weather-permitting)? Not I. It's lovely though. The skirt has a really weird panelled flap contraption that I can't even be arsed to figure out. Ah, the advent of jersey really couldn't have come soon enough for preggers ladies, could it?!

Vogue 6497: Potentially a bit 'tenty', but with really lovely design details. Lots of options for customisation and embellishment as well me-thinks. What if those buttons were little gold ones on navy? Some anchor trim on the pockets?

Butterick 4722: Another interesting 1960's option. Those side tabs make me think of a children's painting tunic!

Butterick 2368: This one would require a bit of grading, but I might actually find the motivation for that considering the style is just a small spit away from being full-on nautical! I'm pretty sure I have some chunky silver anchor buttons that would look killer on this. It could also be a good layering item, with my mid-maternity stripes T-shirt underneath. 

Vogue 7382: Oh this is a cutey, isn't it?! I think the plainer version is white is the most appealing. How on earth has the illustrator avoided drawing buttons on those front plackets? Hmm, maybe they had to avoid giving the impression that there was a functioning button closure. I'd faux-button placket mine to the hilt!

Style 1503: Another potentially tent-y option, but I really like the options for contrast yoke/straps and for choosing a couple of awesome buttons for the front detail. I'd be more tempted to make a dress version if I could find a fabric from my stash that would work well. I think a dress would be more useful at this stage, unless I made the tunic length with sleeves. 

Style 4718: Hmm, you could do something super-cute with this sweetheart seamed design. Some piping? Inserted lace? Lace overlay over the yoke? Anyways, not sure I'll make this as it's way too small for me now. When I snaffled this pattern up at a vintage shop early on in my pregnancy I didn't have an inkling of kind of life of there own that my boobs were about to take on!

Simplicity 9427: Umm, with the belt tho isn't a million away silhouette-wise from my recent men's-shirt-to-maternity top refashion, IMO. Not that that refashion fits me anymore, damn you once again expanding bust and rib cage!!! I'm not sure I can be bothered to make something that looks like a shirt refashion from scratch.

Simplicity 3799: Yes I have shown you this pattern before. No I haven't used it yet. I'm going on a short break to Southern Spain in August which will probably feel about as hot as the surface of the sun, so thinking this might be worth making in the lightest flowiest stash fabric I can locate.  

Megan Nielsen Ruched Maternity Skirt: This pattern has been leant to me by the awesome Emily of The Botterman Empire. It could be awesome, but I'm must admit I haven't missed wearing skirts at all since I've been pregnant so may not make this. But I may. AGH!! Thoughts please!!!

1940's Pin Up Tea Dress

Alrighty, well seeing as I'm in The Jar having pledged to make 12 wearable garments this year, I'd best get one under my belt should I be called upon to give an update of my progress. Yes, dear fellow Jar-ee's, when I saw Karen IRL yesterday, she confirmed that she would be dipping her hand in there and pulling out a name now and again and contacting that person for an update on how their sewlution is going, be warned! 

So here you are: my first completed wearable garment of 2013. However, my criteria of 'wearable' (successful enough in comfort, fit and in reflecting my sense of style, that it becomes a regularly worn item) will remain to be seen because this dress is too thin for February and too low cut to wear a vest underneath! On to the deets:

Pattern:

You may be a little surprised that I've opted for such a grown-up, lady-like pattern here. I actually made this dress to test the pattern and instructions before teaching the 1940's Tea Dress class at Sew Over It a couple of weekends ago. This is not the kind of dress or type of fabric I'd usually reach for, but I'm mighty pleased I was forced out of my comfort zone a little. It's a little tricky to see in the black fabric I've used, but it has a panelled, shaped front mid-drift section, gathered bust panels, a gored skirt, lightly gathered sleeve heads and little turn-up cuffs on the half-sleeves.

Pattern Sizing and Changes:

I was a bit worried about picking a size because rumour had it that this dress came up a bit small. I initially cut out a size 14 bodice which was WAY TOO BIG, but thankfully I had sufficient fabric left to re-cut a 12. I think I still ended up pinching a little out at the bodice side seams, but I may not have if my fabric had had less 'give'. If you know what I mean. If I were to make this dress again, I'd add 15 cms to the skirt length for a more vintage look. 

Fabric Choice:

Straight up confession: I bought new fabric for this project, which as you may or may not know I generally try not to do. Yes my fabric stash could be put to use and clothe a small nation, but in there I failed to find anything that would have been suitable for this dress. Initially I had honed in on some stash-residing navy crepe for this project, but when it came to cutting the pieces, I discovered the quantity was wholey insufficient, so to the fabric shop I went. Damn, buying new fabric is easy, isn't it?!  I just rocked on up, found a couple of drapey woven fabrics (although I was pretty disappointed at the lack of options at the shop I went in, but time was not on my side to shop around) and picked one. Snip-snip went the shop assistant (WHY do some shop assistants refuse to give the rest of what's left on the roll if there's only a tiny length remaining?), tip-tap went my pin number into the machine, and there I was, free to walk away with some brand new fabric. I could get used to it... Only kidding ya! 

As for what the fabric actually is, all I can say for certain is: black. And drapey. The tag had fallen off and the assistant wasn't sure. Anyway it was fine for this project. 

Details:

The version of this dress that hangs on a dress form in Sew Over It has a few delightful little contrast buttons down the centre front. I wanted to add some buttons as well because this dress was looking super-boring without. I hunting through my sizeable button stash and located these beauties, four sexy pin-ups in different poses! I bought them a whole chunk of years ago from a button shop near the Farmers' Market in L.A. back when I didn't realise that only buying four buttons would be entirely insufficient for most sewing projects. I'm so glad that I have been able to finally use them for something!

What about you? Have you sewn something that has taken you out of your stylistic comfort zone recently? Was it a surprise success or has it remained in your wardrobe since completion?

Giveaway: Eliza M's Vintage-Inspired Sewing Patterns!!!

**PLEASE NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING**

So, dear sewers, have you heard of Eliza M's vintage style sewing patterns (website pictured above)? Due to time constraints I don't get to spend as much time surfing the online-sewing community as I'd like, but I have to admit that I hadn't heard of them myself until last week. But I am very pleased that I now have! Based in Manchester, UK, they have recently relaunched themselves and I recommend you to head over and see what they've got on offer. 

If, like me, you're into sewing vintage-y/retro-y garments but find all the sizing-confusion and redrafting of vintage patterns a bit of a drag, their range is definitely worth a look. I've just received my copy of the Pussy Galore blouse (pictured above paired with the Hop and Swing pants) and the packaging looks great. I'm really excited to get cracking on it early in the new year, after which I'll of course post a full review. 

In the meantime, the Eliza M team are offering up a free pattern for three of my lovely blog readers so you can give them a whirl yourself for nowt. Consider it a Christmas present you'll really want to receive! And what better way to kick start your New Year's sewing, with more than enough time to create a nice addition to your self-made wardrobe for 2013's Me-Made-May?!

Excitingly, entrants to this giveaway can pick their favourite pattern to win. So whether it's the 40's inspired swing style Grace dress (pictured above), early 60's style Ruby Wiggle dress (pictured below), or any of the others in their ample collection, there's probably something that could become your next party outfit or daywear addition.  

Eliza M patterns are like genuine vintage patterns in the respect that they are single sized, so you'll need to let me know which pattern AND which size you require when entering. So let me know those two things in the comment section below, and whilst you're at it, let me know what fabric you'd possibly make your pattern in if you're successful in winning it (just because I'm nosey!). 

If I can't access your email address within two clicks of the mouse, please include it in your entry comment. Email addresses will not be used for anything other than to contact you if you are one of the three lucky winners of this giveaway. This giveaway is open internationally and the winners will receive their choice of sewing pattern completely free of charge. The giveaway entries will close at midnight GMT Sunday 6th January 2013 and the three winners will be chosen by random number generator and contacted Monday 7th January. Good luck, my pattern-loving friends!

My Nan's Sewing Pattern Stash

A whole bunch of time ago (like 15 years or something), my nan, who has since passed away, went into a home for the elderly when she was no longer able to look after herself. My folks spent ages sorting through and re-distributing decades worth of her possessions, including wardrobes upon wardrobes full of clothes. I also recall a couple of suitcases full of 1960's fabric and wool from her former crafting days, but those got chucked out. There was also a brown paper bag containing sewing patterns from the 1950's - 1970's which my mum was also about to throw away. I don't know why, because as a moody teenager I had yet to develop an interest in sewing, but I suddenly got a sense that throwing them away was a terrible idea and I rescued them from the 'to bin' pile. 

I had no idea what I would do with them, if anything. But even then, at the stage when I was at my most selfish, I think I had a sense that this bag of home sewing patterns was a tie to a former generation that was starting to slip away, although I wasn't quite able to fully recognise or express that at the time. But I have to be honest with you here, my parents and I had a far from close relationship with my nan, so this move to rescue her patterns was not born out of sentimentality, although now I am older I do feel pleased to have a physical link to the era and situation my dad came from. 

My mum (who hooked up with my dad in the mid-sixties when they were just 16!) remembers this nan (my dad's mum) doing a bit of sewing and knitting around that time. My mum also remembers making some of the later 1970's patterns for her. I find it really interesting that my dad's mum had this looser domestic approach to sewing and knitting, whilst my mum's mum and aunts were factory and workroom based seamstresses by trade. It's a bit bizarre that my own relationship to sewing is slap-bang firmly in between the two! Or straddling the two perhaps. FYI, 'Seamstress' is written as the occupation on my wedding certificate, for lack of knowing what else to call myself!

Most of my nan's pattern stash seems to have come from magazine offers. Many of them are still in the envelopes she received them in, which is how I know they are all from between 1956 and 1978. She must have filled out the offer coupons, specifying her size, and posted them away. Those coupons were then glued to the front of the envelope to form the address labels (pictured below). 

I've tried to arrange the patterns in this post roughly in date order from oldest at the top to the most recent at the bottom. My favourites by far for envelope design alone are the 'Be a SUN-GAY GIRL' and 'HOLIDAY HAPPY' patterns pictured below. On the 'Sun-Gay' one, it looks like my nan took a biro to the situation and did a bit of re-designing of the neckline!

At the moment, all but the 'Sun-Gay' one are still living at my folks', where, I'm ashamed to admit, I still store a fair chunk of my possessions! I'm 33 and married yet still clog up my parents' house with my stuff. Not very impressive, eh?!

I haven't made any of these yet, one reason being is that they are all one size bigger than I like to start with, and I'm a lazy-arse who can't be arsed to grade! But I would like to one day. Which of these patterns, if any, would you be tempted to make first, and what fabric would you use?

Bridesmaid Dress!

Time for another instalment of wedding related business. As well as organising my fabulous hen do (which I know was a lot like herding cats), spending the entire first half of my wedding day repeating the mantra 'everything is ok, everything is fine' to me AND being generally incredibly supportive and amazing from the minute I told her I'd got engaged, she also performed the task of looking incredible as my wing-woman/bridesmaid.

Vic didn't even bat an eyelid when I flipped out and abandoned the initial plan I had for her bridesmaid dress about four weeks before the actual event. Instead she calmed me down and encouraged me to do some research and then talk through with her possible alternatives. When I'd come up with the  new plan and the sewing pattern I wanted to go for, she even bought it for me and got it sent to my flat so I could crack on. There is literally no one on earth who is capable of calming me down like Vic is. Whenever I have a super-busy day ahead or I'm going on a trip and she's around, she is amazing at helping me plan things out and making me feel I haven't forgotten anything. She's basically my unpaid, part-time PA!

I won't bore you with what might have been, instead I'll explain that I finally opted to use a vintage repro pattern, Simplicity 3673 (pictured below), as the basis for her bridesmaid dress. Bless Vic for believing me when I told her this pattern could yield suitably glamorous results. The basic elements were there: the flattering gentle scoop of a bateau neckline (a feature Vic loves), the bust gathers into an empire line waist, a potentially sleek silhouette and general overall mid-century vibe to reflect the feel of my own dress. I knew I wanted to make Vic something that should could wear again and I really wanted her to feel comfortable all day and night, so I chose this sateen-like black fabric from Borovicks fabric's, the same place I bought my wedding dress fabric. It is quite weighty with a nice body to it to create a sleek silhouette yet it has a decent elastane/lycra content to it so dancing, sitting and eating were also firmly on the cards for her!

I wasn't a massive fan of the lower section of this dress pattern, so I frankensteined the top detail with the pattern I used to make my coral dress and leopard Rockabilly dress, which I know fits Vic well. The tricky part lay in the fact that Vic and I live in different places so meeting up for fittings was a bit tricky. We were able to have a brief fitting on the weekend of my hen do which highlighted a couple of fit issues (too wide in the bodice under the arms and an excess of fabric at the CB at the upper back). I made those changes and crossed my fingers. Vic came down to Brighton a couple of weeks before the wedding for a second and final fitting and, thank goodness, it fit like a glove!

I left her to find a diamante brooch for the centre bow detail of her dress. I think she found this beauty on Etsy and it really couldn't have been more perfect. She chose these fabulous red shoes to reflect the roses in our bouquets. She did her own makeup and hair which looked absolutely stunning. Unfortunately you can't see it in these pictures, but the back of her hair was in a glamorous 1960's-esque bun using one of those hair donuts. Her makeup also reflected the early 1960's feel with black liquid eye liner flicks, fantastic false eyelashes and pale pink, almost nude lipstick.

I really can't thank Vic enough for her help as I made this weird change from being someone's girlfriend to someone's wife. She really has been the most awesome best-mate to me for the last 20-ish years, and this whole wedding-thing was all the more special because she was such a significant part of it.