Bruyére the First

Hello to all of your beautiful faces! Spring has officially sprung and I can't wait for when I can shove that coat deep into the depths of my closet, hide my boots somewhere I can't see them and bask myself in the sweet-sweet warmth of the sun. Maybe, just maybe, I can even get a tan again this year! That would be two years in a row! And I know that everyone asked "What tan?" when I said that I had the best tan I had had in my life last year but that's the glory of being pale. You tan, feel super proud of your tan and you could still be mistaken for a swan. Anywhooooooo. That's not what I wanted to share with you today, but whatever. Not deleting that sooooo... Meeh. Here's the real post.

This is my "wearable" muslin for the Bruyére shirt by Deer and Doe. When it came out last fall, I was instantly loving the look of it. A simple buttonfront shirt with pleats and that is long enough to cover your bum so you can wear it with tights? Don't mind if I do. I didn't feel like making a real muslin so I decided to use a fabric I wouldn't feel sad about if the shirt ended up being a huge fitting fail or if the fit was kind of off and it got demoted into a "at home" shirt. So I took a piece of dark blue polyester fabric and a bit of bright blue to make the shirt look more alive.

After consulting my measurements and size chart, I traced and cut out size 42 and made no modifications to the pattern pieces. I followed the instructions exactly like they were written and thought they were relatively clear. I did jump between the English and French instructions because the English instruction had all the measurements in inches and I feel a lot more comfortable with cm but now I've written the corresponding cm measurements to the English envelope with my own little shaky hand so no going back and forth between the two in the future.

I decided to serge all the seams instead of french seaming because ain't nobody got time fo dat, if it's a wearable muslin. And let me tell you, I am happy I did not put that much effort into this thing. Because whatever is going on with the dark blue fabric, it makes my skin itch. So far only organic wool yarns have made my skin itch like that but that fabric does not have any wool in it. It is flat out polyester and feels like yuck on my skin. I've tried to suffer through a day in this shirt but unless I put a longsleeve under it, I will want to scrape my skin off with a sandpaper.

Okay. So about the fit. The waist is a bit too big under the bust, so I'm going to have to take in the front waistband and play around with the shape of the bust dart. The shoulder was a bit too long, so for the next version I'm going to have to shorten the shoulder by 1cm. The sleeve is also a bit too wide. You can clearly see that the sleeve is Fifty Shades of Baggy around my arms and it also had a bit too much ease at the armhole. So it didn't really ease into the armhole and really wanted to have tiny gathers. And a fabric that is a bitch like this one, it really shows. So if you are making your first Bruyére, I recommend you make sure the sleeve eases in well and you might have to take off some of the excess ease. I also recommend considering using snap buttons instead of regular buttons because opening and closing this amount of buttons every time you wear it is really time consuming and annoying.

So. Will I be making other versions? Heck yea. I actually already have made more. And I have seriously considered burning every little piece of the itchy fabric I have left. Because nothing is worth that amount of itch. Good thing I got it from Gran S and didn't pay for it.

Pattern testing: The Lou Box Top (and a self drafted skirt)

Heidy-ho, peeps! Once upon a time I did a teeny-tiny bit of pattern testing for Beth's new pattern- The Lou Box Top. And here's my make.

Lou Box Top is a loose fitting top with two neckline and three hem options. For my version I chose the crewneck with dipped hem. I followed the instructions to the dot and thought they were pretty straight forward and clear. However I am not sure if I'll be following the given instructions the next time I decide to sew this pattern as I am pretty bad at following the instructions unless I absolutely have to. I'm an adult, I do what I want to do, haha.

For the fabric I used this very drapey and silky feeling rayon, that I got from my Gran S. It has a big issue with the white dots bleeding all over the fabric so I thought it's the best if I used it for projects that might end up as a giant flop.

For this version I sewed the size M/L and I feel it looks great when tucked into a skirt. However if I were to make it for wearing over jeans I'd cut out a smaller size maybe even go as far as cut out the smallest size to lose a lot of that ease.

I think this is my favorite part of this top. This little button loop and that pearl button. It looks so cute on this dotted fabric. There is something magical about dots and pearl buttons. *swoon*

All the seams are finished on my trusted serger and the hem+sleeves are finished with a rolled hem. I hand stitched the bias tape on the neckline because for some reason my machine DID NOT like this fabric. Kept skipping stitches and stuff. I think the thread is the culprit here as I've had similar problems with different fabrics but the same thread so...Might have to toss it or just use it for only bobbin.

And now the skirt. It's a semi circle skirt with pockets and an exposed zipper. If I'd tell you that I knew exactly what this skirt would look like when I cut it out, I'd be lying. At first I planned on making a very simple black short semi circle skirt with pockets. Most important part of that plan was the pockets. Because pockets are awesome. And then I had to drop by the local fabric shop for other stuff and saw this cute lacy zipper. So I had to get it and put it on the skirt.

Then I thought that only having white zipper and everything else black would look strange and I decided to use a bit of white lace I had lying around for the waistband. So I guess this skirt is all about making things up as I go. And sometimes it's good to not have a solid plan. Because reasons.

The skirt is finished the same way as the top. Seams serged and hem rolled.

Have you ever had a project that you kept changing and designing as you went along? How'd it go?

Hawthorn - The wearable insanity

What do you call a person who not only makes her muslins both wearable and double sided? Insane. I guess that's what I am because I did that. 

The story begins with this thing on the right. Somewhere around July and August my Gran M gave me this wrap skirt/apron thing. And I thought it looked absolutely hideous. I tried it on once and I felt like I was being eaten alive by a weird skirt monster. Not only was it way too big, it was also too long and looked awkward on me. Let me tell you, four layers of this thing was anything but flattering. So I threw it into the "Nope, not wearing that" pile with the thought of using the fabric to create something that looked decent enough to wear. Which was kind of doubtful as I didn't like the colour either. I guess one can only hope. A little later I started to toss the idea of turning it into a reversible top.

So I kept that idea in the back of my mind and one day I found the Hawthorn dress pattern in my stash and I knew that this was it. So I traced the size 10 pieces for the blouse option and decided to omit the sleeves as I didn't have enough fabric for them. After that I cut out the pieces from the fabric and sewed them together. Then came the tricky part. Fitting. I knew this would be the part where I want to toss it all aside and never finish the blouse because it was all wrong. There bodice was too long for me and it made a huge mess around the shoulders. The shoulder line was too high and it was a hot mess. The other big issue was the shape of the bust dart. The shape was wrong and I needed to adjust them. So I lowered the shoulder line by 2,5cm from the neckline and 1,5cm from the armhole side. So not only was the shoulder too high for me, the angle was off as well. Blame my short torso and weird shoulders(I have the shoulders of a man, haha) I also took in the side seams by 1cm.

As you can see in the picture above, the original bust dart shape(grey) is really different from the one I ended up with(green). This right here is the reason why most RTW fitted tops and dresses don't fit me. The darts are wrong for me. 

So here's the final result. Right now the fit is a bit too snug. Damn you, holiday food! But I'm working on losing all of that extra padding so, it should fit me better again soon. On this side, I made the floral peplum layer a bit shorter(I ran out of fabric). This is a bit more modest side, I think with only a bit of floral pattern on the collar and peplum.

I used snap buttons instead of buttons. Mainly because buttons are tricky when you need them to function both way. And because I am lazy and find myself hating the process of getting dressed every time I have to close SOOOOOOOO many tiny buttons. Ain't nobody got time fo dat.

And this is the side that I think looks more loud. However as the color itself is kind of quiet and not all up in your face, it's still not really that loud. I love how the floral peplum still is seen through the solid layer. Plus it eliminates all possibilities of my tummy flashing itself. Which is another win in my eyes. On this side the snaps are little silver rings while on the other side they were white little dots(Almost like buttons). 

As you can see, I topstitched the collar and the front. I finished the hem with teeny-tiny baby rolled hem. To avoid any serged edges peeking through while wearing, I finished the peplum seams with flat felled seams. 

Also. The story is not over yet. Picture me in my sewing room, all giddy about finally finishing this thing and still unsure if I would ever wear it for real because of  my dislike of the color. I had just attached the peplum to the bodice(I had sandwiched the bodice between the peplum) and done the topstitching over that seam line. And here I was, trimming down the waist seam allowance so I could do the final topstitching on the front seam and then attach the snap buttons and then.......................

THIS happened. You know when everyone keeps telling you that you should be super careful when trimming seams. This is why. I had been reckless and I was staring at the result of that. I did not know what to do, to cry, yell, laugh or chuck the whole thing into the bin as it's clearly cursed. So I did what anyone would do. I Instagrammed it. And then took a lot of deep breaths and took my good friend seam ripper to rip up the waistline seams. Then I lowered the seamline on the bodice by as little as I could to hide that notch but still maintain the length I wanted. Everything after that is ancient history.

I have been trying to think what the real moral of this story is. And I can't say there is only one. There are three.

1. Don't hurry and pay attention to what you are doing, dum-dum

2.Use interfacing that is more similar to the main fabric when working with slightly sheer fabrics. I really should have used a purple/pink interfacing instead of white.

3. Never say never. I actually like this thing. I still dislike pink/purple/blue but I really like how this blouse looks on me. I might be actually crazy. Probably left the last bits of my sanity to the part where I nicked the fabric while trimming down the seam allowance.

TESTING: The Enid Sweater

I feel like I should start this post with a disclaimer. This is not a review post. I am just talking about a pattern I tested while it was still in development stage. I was not paid or asked to write this post. I am merely sharing my make because I want to not because I got a free pattern for testing it out. These are all my thoughts and I am expressing my honest opinion.

Now, as we got that out of the way let's start talking about what this post is really about. The Enid Sweater (pattern here). Back in 2014 I received an email from Jennifer Lauren Vintage as I was signed up in her testers mail-list. I quickly wrote back that I would be thrilled to test out this one as I missed out on the last pattern testing due to me being a slowpoke. This time I was fast enough and thus the testing begun. The pattern is cut out on the bias as it's meant to be made with sweatshirt fabric that has little to no stretch and the sweater is meant to be quite fitted. Due to that there is slightly more pattern piecing needed when assembling the PDF pattern but it wasn't too much for me. The pattern has two views. View 1 with a boxy neckline and view 2 with a V-neckline. I made both versions for scientific and selfish reasons. I simply couldn't decide which version to try.

So lets start from the top. Version 1, with a square neckline. I was right between sizes that are now 10 and 12(12 and 14 during the testing) with a 97cm bust and 74cm waist, I decided to test out one version with size 10 and other in size 12 to get a clear idea which would be the best option for me or if I really needed to do a bit of size matching and do a hybrid size in the end. Version 1 is in size 12 and made with a lightweight cotton and polyester blend sweatshirt fabric. It is slightly lighter than the recommended weight but I wanted to try out a slightly lighter fabric as well to see if it would work. And it did. The test version sleeves are slightly wider than the final sleeves and with this lightweight fabric they drape a bit better and don't look too boxy.

The back piece is the same for both versions so there's no extra pattern piecing needed for that, which is great. Here you can really see how the bias of the fabric shows as an interesting design feature as the fabric had a bit of a splotchy coloring and it becomes really prominent here.

The neckline is finished with a rib knit and the seams are finished with a serger and then top stitched down. Though this is the more "advanced" neckline option, the instructions were clear enough with the illustrations to show what you need to do, so if you feel a bit intimidated by this, don't be scared. In the end this is virtually the same as a V-neck only with two corners you need to turn. So deep breathe and keep going.

Just like the neckline, the cuffs and the hem is finished with a rib knit. As the sleeves have been made a bit slimmer in the final pattern, there shouldn't be as much bubbling in the area between the main fabric and the cuff where the cuff pulls the fabric close to your skin.

Size wise, I think the size 12 would be a great option for me if I want to make a bit more slouchy and loose sweater without it being too big. Or if I wanted to use extra thick fabric for maximum warmth. And I need my warmth in the long-long winter here, Brrr.

I cut the version 2 in size 10 and I used a really weird pink fabric from my stash. It's a synthetic fabric that has an extremely oily and synthetic feel to it however it doesn't do any funny business when ironed so I really can't tell you what this thing is except weird. I got it from my Gran M a few years ago and I couldn't see myself using it for any "real" garments so I decided to use it up for a test version of something. The fabric itself is stiff and drapey at the same time, so it basically does whatever the heck it wants to and gives me superpowers of zapping everyone I touch while wearing it. So the fabric is  a massive fail. Though it does keep me warm but breathes at the same time, so I guess it makes a great piece for doing some work outside.

The neckline is finished with a rib knit again and sewn in as one seam. It is easier than the square neckline but only slightly. The seam allowance is finished with a serger and topstitched down just like with view 1.

Sleeve and bodice cuffs are made of rib knit again. Here you can see the difference two different rib knits can make with two different fabrics. With version 1 the fabric was lighter and the rib knit was also lighter and more stretchier. Here the fabric has more weight and body to it and the rib knit is more stiffer. So here the cuff and sleeve end look really different, even though the difference from the cuff to sleeve is the same on both sizes.

Derpface

So about the size. It fits me more snugly, so when I would use a lightweight fabric, I would go for size 10. I would NOT use this nightmare of a fabric again for sure as it sticks to me on some places at times when the static electricity builds up too much. But if I were to look for a more fitted look, I would definitely go for size 10 as I was over the bust size by only 2cm and the little ease in the pattern lets me get away with it. Especially when I'm not packing the extra post-Christmas weight like here, haha.

So. Will I be making another version of this pattern? Probably. I really like the look of these and recently I have begun to think I need more basic garments to wear to work and to combine outfits with. I've made most of the things in the past with patterned fabrics and colourful details which makes them really hard to pair without going overboard with the details and attention drawing.

Anyways, I hope you all have been good.
Luv ya,
Fooniks

Moneta and Delphine Smashup

So I might or might not have been sitting here, watching the screen for the past hour or two and try to think of a good(ish) introduction for this post and my mind came up with blank. Well it didn't exactly come up with blank, it came up with EVERYTHING BUT something to say in an introduction for this post so....[Introduction]blah-blah-blah-blah, you don't want me ranting about random things anyways and want to hear about these things I made [/Introduction]

So I made a Moneta. Again. I might or might not need an intervention. But that's not really important. What is important is what I did with this version. I've so far done four versions of this pattern: One, Two, Three+Four. And when I was preparing myself to cut out my Myrtle, I realized that if I cut my Myrtle as a top, I can use the rest for a Moneta top. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Pattern alterations: I cut the bodice out straight up size M, so no changes there, for the lower part, I placed the bodice piece on top of the lower piece, to have matching seam lengths and then slightly made it wider as much as I could. By now I was really doing some puzzle matching and couldn't morph the top and lower pieces into one. I also realized that I didn't have enough fabric to make the short sleeves that I originally planned, so I decided to make tiny cap sleeves that are slightly ruffled.

I used serger to sew all the seams. I used the twin needle for hemming the bottom and to finish the sleeve edges, armholes and the neckline. I didn't feel like making anything fussy for the neckline and reckoned  a simple twin needle finish would be enough and I quite like it.

Mr.Man, what are you taking pictures of? Beeeewbs.

I think you all have heard/own a copy of Tilly's book Love at First Stitch. It's an awesome book with five printed patterns plus additional instructions to draft two patterns. The book is full of witty comments, smart tips, plenty of directions for different methods and it's all illustrated by gorgeous pictures. After I found my book in the mail, I was obsessed with it, I kept scrolling through it and couldn't put it down. One day I decided to start working my way through it. No matter how many skills you have, it doesn't hurt to go through the basic stuff to reinstate your knowledge.

I skipped the Brigitte scarf(I'm really not a scarf kind of girl) and went straight to the first skirt. The Delphine. And what a delight she is. As the fabric I chose a piece of mystery blend I had in my stash. Is't a grey fabric with tiny white triangles in it. I'm yet to go a burning test to determine the compound of the fabric. Anyways.

I cut out a size four. It seemed to fit my measurements the best and as it was my first version, I decided to keep it simple and test it out. I followed the instructions to the dot(for a change) and when I got to trying it on I saw that the fit was quite good. I loved the length and how it fit my hips. But it was a bit too loose around my waist and only in the top part. So I changed my waistband pieces a bit and took in a bit from the very top of the waistband and gradually connected the lower point of the waistband that fit with the new top point. So in the end I took in a total of 6cm from the top of the waistband while the bottom of the waistband remained the way it was on the original pattern.

Itty-bitty print matching, yo.

For the skirt I finished all the raw edges with my serger, I used a rolled hem to finish the hem and I used an invisible zipper as per instructions. While wearing the skirt I noticed that the fabric is a tad bit too stubborn for the invisible zipper and the fabric gets a bit in the way while unzipping or zipping up the zipper, so I might change the zipper at one point, or I might not, we'll see. The fabric has one other fault as well. It gets stuck a lot, if there's a TINIEST bit of some sort of a surface that it can get it's threads stuck to, it will, so I already have a few white threads sticking out so I need to be really careful of what I'm doing while wearing the skirt and I've got to hide those loose threads when I see them. But that's the fabric's fault and not the pattern's. The pattern is a delight and super easy to make. I'm sure I'll make another one in the future, I already have a fabric for it in my sights.

Simplicity one-eight-zero-fail

My pc is fine now! Yay! Back in June I made a wearable muslin for the Simplicity 1803 dress I made for the Outfit Along. For it I used a gray linen and polyester blend with orange roses.

I used the view A pattern with cap sleeves. The dress has pockets and I decided to add the narrow tie belt pieces as well. The fit was good overall but I needed to make the yoke and top of the bodice a bit narrower as I saw that the fabric was bulking a bit. All the seams are overlocked, for hemming the sleeves and bottom of the dress I used rolled hem. For the facings and pocket fabrics I used white viscose fabric I had a few scraps lying around.

Now let me tell you why this project is a fail. The fabric is a nightmare. If the seam goes wrong and unpicking is needed, the fabric gets holes and pulling where the old seam line was. And that with a 75 needle. The fibers of the fabric start to shift really easily and once they do, the fabric looks like poo. I guess the linen and polyester don't really like each other and they fight a lot and make the fabric look ugly where a battle of wills has taken place. Luckily I got the fabric from the "treasure chest" in the local fabric shop so it was dirt cheap. But I've worn the dress three times and the fabric has shifted around the waistline and in some of the skirt seams so now it just looks ugly. At first I thought that the shifting was only in the waist line and maybe the waist was a bit too snug, but I didn't feel like it was too snug and when I found the shifting in the skirt areas where there's no pulling, I realized that the fabric is at fault here.  I still like the print tho, it comes in yellow as well, I want to get it but I'm scared it'll ruin my work again. *sigh*

Sooooo. This is happening all over the place. :(

But I still love the pattern. I guess I have a dress for wearing at home when I feel like dressing up but don't want to risk my other clothes with food stains or whatever stains I might encounter(I'm clumsy, stains happen)

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Have you ever encountered something like this? Has a fabric quality ever ruined your projects?