dressmaking | Sewchet

December 20, 2015
by sewchet 46 Comments

Sunday Sevens #68

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series where you show seven-ish photos of your week. Visit Nat at Threads & Bobbins to find out how YOU can join in.

We took The Boys to a local farm to choose our Christmas Tree. Don’t you just love the farmer’s hat with tractors on it?

Christmas tree shopping

2. The tree stood in the corner of the dining room for a couple of days before we had time to do anything with it ( I was sewing). In the end the men put it up in the corner of the lounge.

Putting up the tree

3. Another day passed before No.1 Son realised it wasn’t going to decorate itself so got into his Santa Onesie and did it by himself (whilst I carried on sewing…..)

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4. No.3 Son decorated the little ‘fake’ tree that we put up in the kitchen room each year whilst dressed up in a Prince’s outfit, as you do.

Meanwhile, I did some sewing.

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5. Remember those Angel costumes I made last week for The Boy’s Nativity? We went to said production on Tuesday. What you can see in the photo is the ENTIRE school which amounts to 100 kids aged 4-11.

Nativity

6. One of the activities in the advent calendar was to get into PJs and drive around looking at the Christmas lights.

Christmas lights

7. The Boys took flasks of hot chocolate and I took a glass of Bailey’s:)

Bailey's

8. On Wednesday I started my ball gown for Mr H-L’s annual company ‘do’.

The ‘do’ was two days later.

There were 78 pattern pieces.

It took me over three hours just to cut it out…..

Cutting out

9. My Thursday class finished their skirts in time for Christmas and were VERY pleased with themselves!

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10. I was also very pleased with MYSELF as I finished the dress with an hour to spare on Friday morning. Here it is all lined and ready for the corset to be sewn in.

Ball gown

11. Hubby and I drove the two and a half hours to Stanhill Court Hotel where the company puts us all up overnight and where the party is held.

Stanhill Court Hotel

12. Here’s a sneak peek of my dress laid out ready on the bed.

Four Poster

13. We stopped at the services on the way home to rehydrate after the previous night’s excesses. A brass band was playing Christmas carols for charity so we sat outside and enjoyed the music for a while.

Brass Band

14. This morning I’m getting on with the last of my #stitchingsanta gifts which involves glue and……

Tialys hexagonal sewing box

……more sewing!!!

September 23, 2015
by sewchet 35 Comments

Marcy Tilton 8813 – Vogue Linen Dress

If you have been following my blog this Summer, you may have noticed my penchant for linen and the ‘Lagenlook’ style of clothing.

Linen is not only comfortable to wear and brilliant for keeping you cool on those long, hot Summer days, (not that we had many of those in England this year) but it also gets better with washing – softer and more drapey.

The pattern I wanted to try was V8813 by Marcy Tilton for Vogue which called for a lightweight linen or jersey. Obviously I chose a linen, and went for a stunning Pillar Box Red 100% linen from Minerva Crafts. It has a subtle sheen to it which is quite unlike the linens I have bought before.

This is what arrived in the post: –

As we’re heading into Autumn, short sleeves were not an option so I opted for view B with three-quarter length sleeves.

Although not immediately obvious on the pattern envelope, the oversized pockets have a pleat in them which is held in place by a button. As the fabric is plain, I decided to make a statement with these swirly patterned buttons which are very striking and quite unusual; they look like they’re hand painted.

The dress came together very easily but, although I washed the fabric before starting to sew, it is still stiffer than I’d like. A few more washes will soften the linen more and more though, and those pockets will drape better eventually – they just look a little too structured at the moment.

After the main body of the dress has been constructed, the centre front panel is inserted and then the gathered detail is added.

Having read several other blogs featuring this pattern, it seems some people are finding that it is less fiddly to complete the gathers prior to inserting the front panel. However, I am used to using Vogue patterns and decided to follow their instructions which worked for me.

The pattern includes a great way to get really even gathers so I thought I’d show it in more detail as it’s a technique that would transfer to many other projects.

You cut lengths of cord twice as long as the guide lines – I used a baker’s twine but any thin cord will do.

Pin the cord in place along the guidelines.

Set your stitch width to a wide zig zag.

Choose a medium stitch length.

Zig zag over the cord being careful not to catch the cord in the stitching. I found that it just stayed in the groove of the sewing machine foot which made it easy.

When all the cord has been enclosed, secure one end of each of the cords by wrapping it around a pin in a figure of eight motion.

Then simply pull the other end of the cord to create even gathers across the entire length.

Secure with another pin at the other end and steam the gathers so they stay in place.

Finally, top stitch from the right side in two rows either side of the previous zig zag stitching.

This is my favourite way to create gathers which are nice and even – it might take a little longer than the usual method of just pulling up the bobbin thread, but it’s much more professional looking and well worth perfecting the technique.

I amended the design by adding a row of top stitching to the shoulder seams as it’s always a nice finishing touch.

I prefer to leave the sleeve hems and bottom hem to the very end so deviated from the instructions at this point.

The very last thing to do was to sew those wonderful buttons in place!

Can you see the slight sheen? It’s almost like silk.

It is SUCH a comfortable dress to wear and will drape more softly after a few more washes. I can see myself teaming it with a pair of tights and boots for the colder weather.

If you are tempted to try this pattern, there’s never been a better time as it is half price at the moment!

Here’s the link: – V8813 Marcy Tilton

July 8, 2015
by sewchet 41 Comments

Fuschia Linen Tunic Dress

Well that’s it, all my lovely linen used up and made into loose Summer garments which have been perfect in this recent spell of hot weather.

Remember these citrus shades I bought from Calico Laine?

I made a sleeveless dress from the “Pool Blue” and self drafted a tunic from the “Leaf Green” (Don’t you just love the descriptive colours?)

I wanted something along the same lines for the fuschia linen, another loose fitting, easy-to-wear item that would be a delight to wander around in on even the hottest day.

In the end I decided to make a dress based mainly on the tunic but, this time, with sleeves, albeit short ones.

This is what I came up with for the pockets, the lines marking the placement for an inverted pleat.

I used a combination of flat fell seams and French seams for the construction.

Narrow hems were made throughout, so no need for facings.

I really liked the details in the tunic so I applied them to this dress as well.

The parallel pleats on the front and back which draw the centre upwards and allow the edges to hang lower in an interesting shape….

…the exterior pleats on the back which add shape as an alternative to darts…

….and the inverted centre front pleat adorned with two coconut shell buttons.

I added two pockets this time, in a slightly different style….

…and this is the finished article!

The sides are split to mid thigh level which lets the breeze in to keep me nice and cool!

I can also wear linen trousers underneath for a different look (or if it gets cooler).

Very casual, comfortable and cool – three reasons why I LOVE linen!

June 26, 2015
by sewchet 41 Comments

Self-Drafted Linen Tunic

You may remember that a few weeks ago I showed you some brightly coloured linen that I bought from Calico Laine.

I made this Vogue designer Summer dress from the ‘Pool Blue’ and blogged about it here.

The gorgeous ‘Leaf Green’ was destined to become a tunic top of sorts, but I couldn’t find an off the shelf pattern that I liked enough so I decided to draft my own.

I had several features in mind from other tops I own that I wanted to incorporate, so I played around awhile until I came up with this: –

A one-piece front with a centre front pleat and two horizontal partial pleats running parallel to the hem.

The back was also to be one-piece and would have some added shape in the form of external darts.

It was also to be shorter than the front and there would be slits on both sides.

This is the finished tunic which, from the creases, you can see has been worn quite a bit already.

The inverted centre front pleat was reinforced with a line of top stitching….

…and a couple of coconut shell buttons.

The parallel pleats at the bottom were designed to lift the tunic in the middle leaving the sides to drape lower.

To acheive the desired effect, the pleats were only partial and I only sewed between the pins as shown below.

I like the darts from the dress I made but was happier after securing them flat against the back, so I did the same with this tunic.

Much better!

French seams and narrow hems were used throughout.

The front pleats hang exactly as envisioned….

…and I added a gathered pocket at the last minute, matching the style with a pleat and another coconut shell button.

It’s a little bit stiff at the moment but will soften after the first wash.

I love it – the perfect loose, linen tunic to throw on over a pair of comfy linen trousers and mess around in the garden.

So cool and easy to wear and a lovely cheerful shade of lime green!

I could have brushed my hair for the photo though – I look like a tree with a bird’s nest on the top:)

June 17, 2015
by sewchet 43 Comments

Bellville Sassoon Dress For Ascot

Well, I’ve had a wonderful two days virtually locked away in my studio, only surfacing for the occasional fuel break – No.1 Son has even been making sure my G&T levels didn’t drop below a critical level!

What have I been so immersed in?

This year’s dress for Ascot – Vogue 1108 by Bellville Sassoon.

It has been BRILLIANT getting my teeth into a proper Couture make again.

Don’t get me wrong though, I love quick and easy dressmaking projects but, once in a while it’s just fantastic to challenge myself with something a bit more meaty, so to speak.

Vogue classify this as an ‘Average’ make in terms of difficulty, and I agree – I have made much more complicated dresses than this.

I love the labels that come with each designer pattern for you to sew into the garment:)

This bundle of fabric arrived from Minerva Crafts – several different types of fabric in a glorious shade of Fuschia: –

There was Bengaline for the main body of the dress, organza for interfacing, lining and habotai for the foundation layer and, yes, that is boning you see sat on top of the lot!

Let me tell you now that there are over SIXTY pieces of fabric holding this dress together and only FIVE are visible from the outside!

That is a hell of a lot of construction hidden inside and I used up two entire 100m reels of thread in the process!

I love a good puzzle and this pattern had a few to solve, such as all those pleats on the left front:

I won’t take you through much of the process because that would take up more space that any blog post should do – I’ll just whizz through the main bits.

First, you make the pleats and darts in the front and back sections.

Next, you make the foundation which is the middle bit of the dress sandwiched between the outer dress and the lining.

It consists of a lining layer, fully interfaced, which has the boning sewn to it.

The instructions called for boning in its own casing but, as I couldn’t get any, I made my own using normal boning and some offcuts of habotai.

Voilà!

This is the inside showing the boning in place….

….and this is what it looks like from the right side.

Very nice.

It’s almost a shame that all this beautiful work will be completely hidden from view:)

The foundation sections are then sewn to the body of the dress….

….and the front is stitched to the back at the side seams, leaving an opening for the zip.

Now, I have never used a dedicated foot to insert invisible zips, I learned to sew them using a normal zipper foot and don’t find it an issue.

I don’t know if you can see, but I open the zip up and sew really close to the teeth in the same way a specialized foot would do.

There, pretty invisible, wouldn’t you agree?

The zip needed shortening which is just a case of sewing a new stopper from thread and cutting off the excess below.

Now, onto the lining.

Of course, all the way through we’re sewing princess seams – isn’t it a little bit of magic when you fit the fabric around the curve? Like fitting a square peg into a round hole, it doesn’t seem possible at first.

A few clips to the stay-stitching and job done!

Lining completed.

The lining is slipped over the dress and foundation and sewn right sides together around the neckline and armhole edges.

The bow, which is stiffened with organza, was made and secured in place amongst the pleats.

The hem was faced with organza and turned up with herringbone stitch.

The lining was slip stitched to the hem, leaving a folded pleat as ease.

Looking at the inside when finished, you’d have no idea of what it’s hiding underneath!

The quality of the fabrics is amazing – the bengaline handles beautifully and has a discreet watermark to it.

The polyester habotai was chosen as an alternative to china silk for the foundation and looks and feels superb – such a shame it’s hidden!

This dress does not photograph well on the hanger – all those pleats only sit properly on a real body.

Oops – better press the hemline before Ascot!

So, what will I accessorize with?

I made two jackets for Ascot last year – this is the other one (see last year’s post).

The boning means I shouldn’t have to wear a bra but, looking at this photo I definitely do. My bust is too heavy and is dragging the front down causing it to gape – a strapless bra will do the trick.

So this is me, all ready for Ladies Day on Thursday and there’s just one more thing left to do…..

…. get my French manicure redone – it’s all stained from handling all that pink fabric!!

June 10, 2015
by sewchet 49 Comments

Vogue Designer Linen Sun Dress

Forgive me, Bloggers, for I have sinned – it’s been a week since my last blog post….but with good reason.

My ‘phone died.

Kaput.

It is an ex-phone.

I had faithfully recorded images of my week for #sundaysevens (including some lovely Spanish sunsets) but could not share them with you…yet. It is in the gadget hospital as we speak so, hopefully, the techy bloke will work his magic and retrieve some of the lost photos for a later post.

As you know, we recently hopped over to Andalucia in Spain for a couple of weeks to stay with my Auntie and her partner.

This is Auntie, looking very glamorous and stylish. Not your average ex-pat, I think you’ll agree.

Boy, do I hope I’ve inherited her genes – hardly a grey hair in sight and she’s seventy-six this year!

Auntie wears a lot of linen.

With temperatures well into the high thirties in the height of Summer, it’s the coolest and most comfortable fabric to wear, after all, you can’t walk around naked all the time, can you?

Having long admired this style of clothing, I persuaded Auntie to take me to the Tuesday market in Albox (photo amongst the many lost in the depths of my iPhone) to buy something similar in an effort to keep cool in the blistering heat.

Apparently, it was a balmy 26°C and pleasantly cool for the locals.

I was sweating my t**ts off.

You’re talking to someone who gets the shorts and flip-flops out as soon as the thermometer reaches double figures for seven days in a row:)

The Boys stayed at home frolicking in the pool for the morning whilst we spent a blissful few hours wandering around the market, stopping occasionally for Tapas and the odd chilled beer.

I came back with a dress, one top, two tunics and two pairs of trousers, all Italian and made in 100% linen for €108, which is about £78!

The remainder of our holiday was enjoyed in cool, linen comfort and I vowed to make more things in this magical fabric on our return to England.

The wonders of online shopping resulted in this little lot being delivered within a few days of arriving home.

I chose this fabric from Calico Laine, a blend of 55% linen and 45% cotton, in three shades, ‘Leaf’, ‘Fuchsia’ and ‘Pool Blue’.

As I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to actually make yet, I bought three metres of each which would be plenty for any single garment.

At £8.99 per metre, it is much cheaper than pure linen with the added bonus that it shouldn’t crease quite as much.

Look at that lovely loose weave – fabulous texture!

After having a mooch around online, I settled on this pattern by Lynn Mizono for Vogue.

I love Vogue patterns, especially the ‘Designer’ range, as you’re always guaranteed to find something a bit different to the norm, which I like.

Whilst linen wasn’t on the list of suggested fabrics, silk dupioni was and, as they are similar in weight and characteristics, I knew it would be perfect for this design.

Described as a “very loose fitting pullover dress……with three adjustable lengths”, it seemed ideal for the look I was after – something cool and comfortable to move around easily in, yet still stylish enough to make it look as if I’ve made an effort when clearly I haven’t.

Then I realised I’d made a silly mistake – I’d ordered a size 14 forgetting that the US equivalent is a size 18!

I added a couple of inches to the bustline and lowered the shoulder seams by half an inch – problem solved.

Construction was simple – just two pattern pieces; a front and a back.

French seams were used throughout, making the seams nice and tidy with absolutely NO chance of fraying – a real problem with linen.

Narrow hems finished off the neck and armhole edges beautifully.

This finish can be tricky in other fabrics but, with linen, it’s very easy as the loose weave makes for a flexible fabric.

I didn’t even bother pressing under the seam allowance first, just folded and pushed under the raw edge with my fingernail as I went.

The instructions called for two buttonholes in the front pleats for the cord to pass through, but I replaced these with eyelets as I thought they would look neater and place less stress on the linen.

I only had a lime green cord stop left over from the pack purchased when making this crocheted back pack.

Hmmm…..I’m not sure whether to change if for a brown one.

There were a couple of things I wasn’t happy with – the armholes gaped a little so I added a dart each side for a better fit.

The back pleats are left ‘hanging’ according to the instructions.

I’m wondering if they would look better stitched flat against the body.

Overall, though, the finished dress is just as I pictured it.

An interesting shape, casual but quite stylish.

I bought these gorgeous clogs in another Spanish market a few years ago.

The perfect shade of turquoise that matches exactly!

Of course, I forgot to put them on for the obligatory selfie….

It’s pretty versatile, too – I reckon it could be dressed up for the evening with those clogs, a statement necklace and an up-do, or teamed with flip-flops, floppy hat and shades for a day at the beach (perish the thought – I hate sand!).

Right, now to catch up on all your blog posts that I’ve missed since the ‘phone died.

Better settle down and get comfy with a G&T – could be here a while….:)

May 27, 2015
by sewchet 41 Comments

Liberty Print Blouse

Hmm, it’s 8pm, we have to be up at 3am to travel to the airport, and I’ve just finished sewing my last top for holiday! (This post was scheduled to go live whilst we were away)

Does that sound familiar to anyone, or is it just me?

Back in April I went to Liberty’s London store and bought a metre of this lovely fabric.

I chose McCall’s 2818, view ‘D’ which is bottom left on the envelope front.

The pattern called for 1.5m of fabric and I had the last 1.10m on the roll, so I knew it was going to be tight, even at 150cm wide. Reading through the instructions first (as you always should!) I reckoned I could get away with it if I used plain white cotton of the same weight to make the back facings.

To ensure that the print matched at the hem, I lined all the pieces up so the bottom edges lay on the same line of flowers. I couldn’t match at the side seams as they were all Princess seams and curved.

The instructions required full interfacing on all the facings but, as the cotton is very thin, I thought it would be too stiff so I just used a strip around the neck edges and the buttonhole edge. This worked perfectly.

The white cotton was fine as the back facing.

Not as pleasing on the inside as the Liberty print would have been, but it would have cost £12.50 just to buy half a metre to make the back facings – so I figured the plain white cotton would do.

The inside front is better:)

The hem at the side backs and side fronts have a cute little split detail. (Just spotted some thread that needs trimming…)

The neckline with its sharp ‘V’ cutout makes a nice change.

Top made, now into my wardrobe to see what it might go with.

Rolled up jeggings and navy wedge-heeled flip-flops?

Yep, that’ll do nicely.

Right, I really MUST start the packing….

May 20, 2015
by sewchet 31 Comments

More Holiday Dressmaking

Ah, the wonders of technology – I’m probably sat around the pool in Andalucia, sunning myself with a cheeky G&T for company as you read this, as I planned ahead and scheduled this post in advance!

If you saw my post ‘Holiday Sewing’, you’ll know that I wanted to make a few new things to wear, so this is the second in the series, so to speak.

You may have noticed over the past year of my blogging journey, that colour is a recurring theme – and lots of it, preferably clashing.

The wackier the print, the more likely I am to want it and, as The High Street doesn’t often float my boat, I source fabrics online to conjure up my own creations.

As a member of the Minerva Crafts Blogging Network, I received this cheery package for this month’s make: –

“Where have I seen that wacky animal print before?” I hear you all cry.

Well, unbeknown to me at the time, Lucie of Love,Lucie had also fallen for its charms and has since used it to make a stunning Summer dress (click here to see the Wow! dress).

It’s a supremely soft textured Stretch Cotton Sateen which has proved so popular that Minerva are having to restock!

The pattern is New Look 6983 and includes cropped trousers as well as variations on a tunic.

Liking the look of a bold print tunic worn with a pair of Daz-white three-quarter lengths, I also ordered some of the same fabric in plain white.

So, onto the construction of the top which consisted of three basic pieces – a front, back (with facings) and sleeves. Shaping was in the form of two bust darts so, really, it couldn’t be simpler for even a beginner to do.

After putting together the basic shape, including the darts, I always try garments on inside out. This way you get a better idea of how well/badly it actually fits without being distracted by the pattern, and you can also pin any adjustments that need to be made.

Obviously a dressform would be ideal, but I outgrew my old one while I was pregnant ten years ago and have decided the two stone of baby weight is here to stay:)

Again, being a UK size 14, I cut out the US equivalent of size 18.

This time, it really was too big by quite a long way and I ended up taking it in all the way by a whole dress size.

The pattern is very straightforward but included nice details like understitching of the neck facing to create a neater, flatter finish.

I’m really pleased with the way it turned out – it has already attracted many comments:)

The cropped trousers (well, they weren’t until I shortened them by three inches at the “lengthen/shorthen here” mark!) were also too big initially, so I took them in by a whole dress size too.

There was no waistband for a change, just a facing of petersham ribbon-type tape which lends a clean, minimal look to the trousers and also makes them super comfortable to wear.

The lapped zip is always a neat addition when inserting into a side seam.

A tip is to reinforce at the bottom with several lines of stitching though, as I’ve done here.

They fit well and the stretch in the cotton means that they will be a pleasure to wear – and somewhat smarter than the white leggings that I usually favour!

So, how does the outfit look as a whole?

Just as I had hoped, actually and feels even better due to the stretch in both fabrics.

The New Look pattern was easy to understand and the instructions simple to follow.

The cotton sateen is heavy enough to add structure and the stretch makes for incredible comfort.

Sunnies on and I’m ready to go!

Why not pop over to Minerva Crafts to find your own piece of fabric heaven?

May 14, 2015
by sewchet 39 Comments

Holiday Sewing

🎶 “Oh, this year I’m off to sunny Spain, Y Viva España” 🎶

We’re talking HOLIDAYS – a whole two weeks!!!

My Auntie lives in Spain and we hop on a plane as often as possible to visit her in the beautiful mountainous region of Andalucia.

That time has come around again and not a moment too soon considering the pretty grim weather we’ve endured recently. I mean, The Boots have made a reappearance after having been enthusiastically relegated to the back of the wardrobe for the “Summer” after the glorious Easter we enjoyed.

I know, a tad optimistic, I’ll grant you, but flip-flops make you feel summery, don’t they, and I kind of assume the sun would be duty bound to follow.

Not so. So, Spain, here we come.

(Burglars please take note: we have House Sitters for the duration. And dogs. And a feisty Cockerel. You have been warned.)

Anyhoo….

I took a quick look through my wardrobe and decided that, although I have plenty of summery clothes, I fancied making a few things.

I have acquired several pieces of fabric lately (as you do) and this one in particular caught my eye, glaring garishly back at me from the ever-growing stash.

Not for the faint hearted, I’ll admit, but it’s so “me”.

A medium weight polyester jersey which is incredibly soft to the touch, I imagined it would drape perfectly on a cowl neck.

I chose Simplicity 1716 with view ‘D’ in mind, but with the pleating continuing to the hips as in view ‘F’.

I’m a size 14 in UK stores which equates to a US size 18, so I cut the pattern pieces out accordingly and the fit was spot on without any adjustments.

I didn’t have any black cotton tape for stabilising the shoulder seams so used white but, as the fabric is opaque, it doesn’t show through so all is well.

I like the neat method of attaching the facing to the back neck…..

…and the armholes.

The cowl neckline does indeed drape beautifully, falling into soft folds right down to the hips.

Excuse the scary expressions in the photos that follow – it’s a case of set up the self timer and run!

Hmmm, far too short to wear as a dress – note to self, allow another four inches for the hem if combining two pattern designs.

A quick root through my wardrobe resulted in some coordinating items.

That’s better, but what about the slightly saggy upper arms, after all, I can’t walk around with my hands on my hips all the time, can I?

Sorted!

Although, in Spain it’s currently 40°C so a pair of bikini bottoms is probably going to be the most I’ll wear. (It’s a private villa, otherwise it would be a maxi dress).

Right, onto some tops using that gorgeous Liberty fabric I bought in April:)

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Tag Archives: dressmaking

Sunday Sevens #68

Marcy Tilton 8813 – Vogue Linen Dress

Fuschia Linen Tunic Dress

Self-Drafted Linen Tunic

Bellville Sassoon Dress For Ascot

Vogue Designer Linen Sun Dress

Liberty Print Blouse

More Holiday Dressmaking

Holiday Sewing

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