So, Zo... Strappy Vest Top III

I highly recommend this pattern as a cute little scrap buster. I had some of this soft stretch chevron fabric left over from a fabric haul a few years back. I never did know what to make with it! I ended up making a very unadventurous T-Shirt and had an awkward amount left over. 

The amount was so awkward in fact, that I played about for quite a while making the pattern shorter and shorter to get it to fit on my remenants. 

The most important thing for me was to make sure the chevrons at the front and back were equal. I needed them parallel to the hem and also equidistant from the centre front / centre back so there was no chance of looking lopsided! I would have been happy to make a super croppy version of the vest but there was enough fabric left and it was soo stretchy that I couldn't even really tell that I'd made the pattern any shorter. 

I asked for a roll of black fold over elastic for my birthday this year, so there was plenty to go at to bind the edging and make straps. I tacked this to the top by hand first, as the machine was keen to chew up the fabric before everything was lined up. I then secured with zig zag stitch over the straps and neckline. 

And thats it really! The pattern is so versatile, you can use pretty much any stretch fabric that takes your fancy. I would like to make a tiny croppy version for next summer, or to wear as an under-layer for all these autumn cardigans. 

Scrap-busting here we come! 

x
Location: South Parade, Doncaster
Currently listening to: No More Virgos, CMAT

Mood Sewciety, Almond Bodysuit

Do you like free stuff? Do you like to do a bit of problem solving? Do you like fitted body suits and stretch fabrics and mildly suggestive cutways? Yep Yep to all of the above. 

The Almond Bodysuit is a free pattern from Mood Sewciety. The problem solving comes in the form of maneuvering your way through the slightly sketchy instructions on the website. There's a bit of filling in the blanks needed as you work your way through, you need to really tune in to how the crossover sits at the neckline and shoulders, making room for the seam allowances where the neck band and sleeves sit. 

The pattern suggests cutting a slit down the back of the neckline, and I later saw something about adding velcro to the neck?? Let me just say, if you're using a stretchy fabric I'm sure this is all completely unneccesary. My fabric didn't even have the greatest %stretch but I had no problems in getting my head through the headhole when I'd done. 

First major problem to tackle is not stretching out that outside curve of the over lay when you hem it. Zizzag stitch was just sending the fabric a bit nuts - I didn't want to press the hem too much and add too much heat to make it stretch out, so I turned this under by 1.5cm, pressed lightly and tacked by hand before using a piece of pattern paper between the machine and the needle. The overlay doesn't really need mcuh stretch to it, so to avoid over-handling the fabric here I just used a long straight stitch to hold down the hem. 

It came to finishing the shoulder seams (slightly chunky due to the layers of the overlay but not insane), and my overloacker had a bit of a nervous breakdown. I've notitced it getting a bit jammy and fluffy around the blade for a few projects now.... And is it any wonder handing never changed the blade in 9 years! It slowed me up to mailorder new blades.. and slowed me up a bit trying to change them (queue MY nervous breakdown), but once it was done.............. Oh my my my how easy overlocking had suddenly become! I can't eve begin to epress the joy! It was like being reborn! Bulky seams no longer a problem I was able to finish edges without any more drama. 

My go-to bodysuit pattern is the Simplicity 8513, from this I knew that I would absolutely need to include a centreback seam for a close fit to my back curves. This was a bit of a winging it process- just grab the excess fabric in the centreback and effectively sew a massive dart starting somewhere between my shoulder blades (widest part) and ending at the widest part of my bum. Once happy with the fit I trimmed the dart and pressed it open which helps release the curve and fit that little bit better to my lower back curve. 

This pattern gets a lot of stick for it's superlow neckline. It doesn't offend me, and I think using a fabric with a better stretch recovery would have made me feel a bit more, er, secure, but this is something I would alter if I made the pattern again. It either needs to be not as deep or not as wide. In turn I would probably also extend the width of the overlays at the underarm where they meet at the side seam. 

Instead of just turning under the raw edge of the legholes I attached some underwear elastic with a nice picot edge. This helps with the fit and prevents any gaping around the crotch (no one wants that). 

If I'm honest there were times I almost give up on this garment. My motivation was thwarted by getting dumped mid-make, leaving the garment sat on my attic floor for two months while I tried to stick my life back together. It didn't take me long to realise the fabric could have done with being a bit more 'springy' in it's stretch and I was worried the whole thing would be a waste of time. The overlocker blades finally calling it a day almost made me do the same to be honest. Hating leaving anything unfinished though I powered on, and I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out. Yes I would make a few changes if I made it again, but if I found the right fabric I do think I *would* make it again. 

Have you had any lucky free-pattern finds? Or any to avoid! Do you have fitting issues in the back everytime you make something fitted? What are your usual pattern hacks to aid this? Drop me a line.

x
Location: Doncaster City Centre, Multi-storey Carpark
Currently listening to: With A Woman, Tempesst

Closet Core Patterns, Kalle Shirt

The Kalle Shirt has become one of thise iconic patterns like the Ogden Cami, like the Linden Sweatshirt, like the Bakerlou Blouse, that pop up and you instantly go YES. I think it's been such a hit because it can be made to suit literally anyone for literally any occasion. There is so much room for personalisation with this pattern. The length, the placket, the hem, the back pleat - start teaming those variations with different fabrics and you've got endless options. 

This is my second Kalle, my first was in quite a heavy fabric, so I was excited to use a lightweight viscose to see how differently it would hang. With this warmer weather we've been having recently I wanted a short sleeve shirt that was appropriate for work, but in a fun fabric that had a bit of individuality to it. 

That's where this gorgeous new tiger print from Minerva comes in. This is part of their lush new, exclusive range of viscose challis fabrics that have just hit their website. The range is worth a browse, there's summer vibes a plenty with leafy, tropical style prints, jazzy styles in neutral tones, and if like me you're a fan of creatures making an appearence, there's plenty of wildcats prowling their range too. I love these felines as they are so subtle and understated, yet undeniably feirce. In the list of stellar qualities my bestie put in my 30th birthday card Feirce made an appearance, and although I don't think I've been feeling it recently, I'm hoping this shirt will inspire me to be a bit more kickass! 

The fabric itself has a lovely drape to it, feels comfy against the skin and didn't ladder when sewing or cutting my button holes. Overall just lovely to handle! I would just recommend being careful when interfacing as I did notice a bit of shrinkage when applying heat to fuse. 

There are some really lovely tones across the whole range of new Minerva fabrics - I can imagine pairing some of these together to build a little capsule wardrobe. 

I made a tiny change to the pattern from last time, and that was to make the back shorter and do away with the curvy biasbound hem. I really enjoyed sewing it on the last one but I'm a tuck-it-in kinda girl so that extra length in the back was just a waste of time. I altered the hem so it was still slightly curved and still slightly longer at the back, but all in all much less dramatic and easier to both tuck in and sew! I did a simple double turned hem which also meant I didn't have to cut through a load of fabric to make some bias binding. 

Button choice, I went for classic gold to match my glasses and bring out some of the yellowy/oranges from the tigers. These were like 30p each from the market or something. I still super hate doing button holes but I have found they have been much improved since using a fray stop in them as soon as I've cut them and I invested in a new quick unpicker! About time! With that and new blades on my overlocker I was slicing my way into absolute sewing heaven this weekend. 

Cutting out is always my least favourite part, but once that was done it took maybe a day's casual work with lots of breaks for snacks and dancing and posting on Instagram, for the shirt to be completed. There's no darts so fitting is simple! The placket is maybe the hardest bit, but it's also the first bit so you get that done while your attention is still fresh! My advice is just make sure you transfer the pattern marking really well and follow the instructions. Take your time and you'll earn yourself a beautiful placket! 

This was such a great project to help get my sewing mojo back. I have been a bit all over the place of late, trying to figure out what I want, how to do it and who I want to do it with. Learning new things has been exciting and a good distraction to get me out of the house but I have missed sewing so much. Next up I really do want to make something sporty so I can feel feirce as f*ck next time I'm at the badminton courts, Or the Netball courts, or the Boxing ring, or the driving range or the swimming baths. Like I said, it's been a busy time, but god it's good to be back. 

x
Location: Charter Square
Currently listening to: Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand

McCalls 7606, Wrap Skirt

I cut a straight size 10 for my toile and found it fit really well without making any alterations. I was also pleased to find that long skirts did actually suit me- despite it being years since I owned one. 

I chose the ruffled version for a bit of extra pzazz, I was planning my holiday sewing after all. The non-ruffle version follows the same shape as the fancy version but is just a bit longer and has a simple hem along the bottom - so definitely could be a good choice for the future if I'm using fabric that won't ruffle so well. 

I didn't really skip any steps when I made my toile as I really wanted to check that I understood the construction of the waistband and ties. It's really important not to get confused between left and right so that when you do the wrap around bit you insert the correct tie through the gap in the waistband. Once you've cracked it it feels like quite a magical invention that could easily be made to fit anyone. 

My tips for making the skirt as follows:

*Mark the middle of the ruffle once you've sewn the 4 strips together, then gather inwards from eitherside towards the middle. This prevents excess fraying or possible stretching on one side while you shimmy those gathers down. 

*Make sure you mark those dots on the skirt! These are essential for making sure you're evenly distributing the fabric in the gathers. The dots are definitely your friend on this pattern.

* Similar, but lining everything up neatly at the top (pay attention to that top dot) will prevent ruffles from getting in the way of the waistband when attaching it to the skirt.

Once I'd cut my toile for this skirt I did a little bit of construction every morning before work, just 10 mins or so before I left the house. I loved breaking down the process and not always rushing to get to the next step of the instructions. I hope I can continue with this way of working for future projects as it helped soothe my mid-week longing for stitching. The gathering probably took the most time and definitely the most concentration for this make, but was also the most exciting part! 

My real fabric had been in my stash since last summer, with the intention of making a summery two-piece. I grabbed the three pieces they had in the Abakhan stash bins knowing I wanted as much as possible to build my summery capsule wardrobe. It's been sat waiting for the perfect pattern since I bought it! 

It's more billowy/drapey than my (bedsheet) toile. It has a bit more stretch to it to had to be careful not to stretch out the seams - particularly sewing the curves (see slight curve at top of the back piece on pattern). This slight stretch resulted in the gathers being much softer that those on my test version, which I thought was going to disappoint me, but once it's on I think they hang pretty good. 

The fabric also posed all the usual considerations that come with sewing with stripes. I didn't want any mismatching! I decided I wanted vertical striped for the skirt and ruffle, but horizontal for the waistband. I paid extra care to make sure the same stripes ran through the waistband and the ties (messed with my head trying to figure out left from right and top from bottom whilst trying to make sure my 'favourite stripes' were showing on the outside not the inside!!). 

Then that's it! No faffy fastening, just wrap that tie round and give us your best bow! Don't you think the McCalls M7606 lends itself to being replicated loads of times with ALL the lovely fabric! All we need now is all the sunny days to wear them. 

x
Location: PlantSheffield, Eyre Street
Currently listening to: Eez-eh, Kasabian