Puff sleeves, suits and chickens

 Hello Christmastime sewers!

I've been sewing a lot since the pandemic began, but the blogging hasn't been so good - I do want to keep track of progress though, so here I am with a puff-sleeved self-drafted shirt! It's in an ikat from (I think) Merchant & Mills a few years ago. I used Simplicity 8523 (view B) as a block and went from there - I made the armscye bigger, added a button placket, and lengthened and massively widened the sleeves. It was all pretty fly-by-the-seat-of-pants in terms of drafting, but I think it's turned out really well and I love it! This is actually the third iteration - I'll post the others soon.

The buttons are from lovely Textile Garden. Trying to show the big armscyes below - lovely and roomy! (I'm wearing the shirt with some old True Bias Hudsons in slub cotton jersey from Organic Textile Company).

I made some trousers from this ikat last year, and now with the shirt I have a jolly suit too. The trousers are also based on the Hudsons, sized up for wovens, and straightened out in the legs - this was before Anna Allen released the Pomona Pants pattern, which is my go-to at the moment for stretch-waist trews.

I really like it as a suit like this with the shirt open - with the shirt done up it's a bit clown-in-pajamas for my current tastes. But when that look comes in sometime in 2021, I'll be ready.

I also thought I'd show a couple of the Christmas presents I sewed this year. These are chickens for holding plastic bags - I based them on a plastic-bag chicken my mum gave me a while back, and I'm really happy with how these came out. My original is in jazzy stripey cotton jersey - I think these more "realistic" colours work better.

CHICKENZZZZ and suits!!

Reeta V - good grief!

 Hello my fellow sewers! Here I am to show off my FIFTH Named Clothing Reeta dress! 

As I said in my last posts about this dress, I never felt I loved it on me - until I took off the collar, then suddenly I could get on board with this - Reeta IV was a hit. And when I saw this Merchant and Mills linen check, I saw them together.

(Please do enjoy this dress/rug combo, not at all a happy accident but a carefully planned out photo concept.)

Like my other four (!) versions, I cut a straight size 38, with no adjustments apart from to leave off the collar - I added a facing instead, as I did with Reeta IV. But instead of the grown-on batwing sleeves, I reverted to the old sleeves and used the slash and spread method to widen them, a little at the bottom, but more at the top, to get a puff sleeve cap. And I put in some thin elastic round the arm bands to get more puff. REETA V - THE PUFFENING.

I haven't much of a stash these days, and find it easier now to browse fabric online, and identify possible patterns to match them to. I feel like it's stopping me being overwhelmed, though it also takes away the more spontaneous kind of sew.

I used Prym 15ml self-covered buttons for this, and really like how they look.

Without a belt - I'm thinking of making a self-fabric belt for this, as I like the uninterrupted check here, but don't like the floaty structure on me so much.

Yaaay! Let us all sing together:

Reeta I, you were no fun,

Reeta II, you I outgrew,

Reeta III, no good on me,

Reeta IV, I did adore,

Reeta V - now YOU'RE my jive!!

They call me Unmellow Yellow

Hello sewers! 

Next up in my list of "Nowhere to go, so this fancy thing shall I sew" is this yellow dress! I originally bought this double gauze from Merchant & Mills with a modified Fringe Dress in mind - I wanted to copy Catherine's beautiful version. But giving it some thought, I realised that much as I loved the dress on her, I don't think it's a silhouette I'll wear. Whereas this tried and trusted hack has been a winner for me in both blue and white.

I haven't anything to add about this dress after my last two versions - the only difference I made was to round the neckline, which I think gives it a more 40s feel. I just love a button-through dress so much! Will I ever tire of them... Plus because I ran out of buttons the gape at the front matches the back, so it looks a bit jumpsuity from some angles - bonus! 

I also wondered to myself if another reason I reached for this pattern rather than tracing and cutting the Fringe Dress out was something particular to this time. Sewing is my favourite hobby - absorbing, stimulating and satisfying - BUT, I wouldn't call it soothing or restful. Do other sewers feel this - is it a hobby that becomes more relaxing as one improves? I find I'm sort of white-knuckled most of the way through the process, I think waiting for a mishap, even though they are almost always rectifiable... As well as joy and pride in finishing something I like, there's also RELIEF - is this a common feeling?

This was my first time working with double gauze - I'm mad about the colour but I didn't LOVE the fabric itself  - maybe it's not the greatest fit for a structured dress like this - it might prove a little lightweight. Only time and the million cocktail parties I'll shortly be wearing it to will tell. Oh, wait...

Thanks for reading! x

Lounge suits you!

 Hello sewers!

After I'd made my first two pairs of Pomona Pants, I started craving a white pair! Having absolutely nowhere glamorous to go doesn't appear to have stopped me making outfits for these fantasy occasions. My first two pairs of these trousers were the wide-legged View A - these guys are the slimmer version, View B. 

Two-pocket butt! This is cream corduroy from Ray Stitch - I'd imagined them in denim first but couldn't spy a white fabric online that I fancied enough. Again I made the size 10 without adjustments.

Once I'd finished these amazingly practical trousers (they got dirty while I was sewing them. They're getting dirty because you are looking at this photo of them) suddenly a full suit seemed in order! After much jigsawing though, I realised I couldn't get a full jacket out the remains of my fabric - and I'd got the last of the bolt. So, a waistcoat plan was born!

No jacket required - naturally.

I used the Grainline Studios Morris Blazer - which I've made several times before. I left off the arms, and cut the armscyes slightly bigger once I'd sewn it up - I just eyeballed it. Then I finished the armscyes with bias binding. I hadn't enough cream fabric for the back so used a denim twill I had - which is much more smart-waistcoat canon anyway. There were a lot of happy accidents with this waistcoat, and I think it works a treat!

In my mind, with the full outfit and gold colour jewellery I look like either a ballroom dancing teacher or a croupier - both are looks I feel really good about. When I described this outfit-in-progress to a friend she suggested it might end up more lounge piano player - it could've happened. I don't know - I love it, in any case. Utterly impractical sewing encore!

Thanks for reading!

My Pomonas

Hello sewers!

It's been over a year since my last post. The first seven months was because I moved to Florida to do a comics course, and had to leave my sweet, sweet sewing equipment behind. And then of course the pandemic happened. Once I came back to the UK I started sewing a lot - it's definitely been a helpful hobby when I can't concentrate on other things (a fairly constant problem these days). I thought I'd start blogging the backlog - it's nice to keep track of the things I make, plus I still enjoy seeing other people's makes and blogs. 

As soon as I saw Anna Allen's Pomona Pants I was keen - I love an elasticated trouser! This is a lovely burnt orange needlecord from my new favourite shop, the wonderful Cousette. It works really well for these trousers - it's fairly light, but keeps its shape and I think it looks great. There are lots of other lovely colours on the website...

I opted for one front pocket and none at the back - I miss having side pockets although the line of these is lovely. I sewed up a straight size 10 with no adjustments. I guess there's some excess fabric around the crotch area, but I think it shows up more in these photos than in real life (also, I think I'm a weird stander!!?) I love these trousers and have worn them an absolute ton since making them a couple of months ago. 

Thanks for reading!