Simple Sew Patterns, Serena Dress

We finally got some sun! We've been waiting over 365 days for this and it's finally here! Cue a mad scrabble to the summer patterns! 

I wanted to make something light and floaty and this pattern and fabric combo definitely hit the spot. The pattern is the Simple Sew Serena dress, however I've modified it in a few places - most notably the length 😜 

The fabric is this super duper lush silk crepe de chine from Minerva 😍😍😍 Obviously I was first drawn to it's safari style print, then browsing the Minerva site I got super excited about its evident drapey qualities. I wasn't disappointed when this arrived. 

The silk crepe de chine was quick to dry, easy to iron and press, reluctant to fray unless you really ragged it around, easy to cut without it going wavy and easy to maniplulate. Literally an absolute dream to handle! The only thing I struggled with with this fabric was fusing interfacing - the interfacing seemed very reluctant to stick to the fabric, and if I applied more heat the fabric did seem prone to shrinking a little - just something to keep in mind! 

Lets just go back to the print design, I love the simplicity of the line and the two tone black and faun kind of colour. I can feel a bit exposed in lighter colours, but this off white compliments my skin tone a little more and creates the safari vibe! Leaf prints are very on-trend right now, and who doesn't love a tiger 😍🐯 

On to the pattern adjustments - I had made this pattern 2x before, but I found both dresses are looking a bit worn and have a slight fit issues that I wanted to address this time round. 

Firstly, I committed a second dart to the bodice from the arm scye. Ive snook this on as an after thought in the past so knew it needed to be there from the start this time. With this in mind, I thought I would need to add a little length onto the bottom of the side of the bodice to make up for the fabric the dart took up. I then added this length onto the side panel and back piece to keep it even (I later found I'd over compensated somewhere as the bodice and side panel met at a bit of an angle that I needed to amend when I tried it on...). 

I noticed a bit of gaping at the under arms on the side panels of my last attempt, so I squeezed out a 1-2cm triangle at the top of the panel pattern piece before I recut. This just meant I needed to slightly true the curve at the underarm when I cut the piece. 

The back of the dress is made up of a shirred panel. I highly recommend drawing the lines on to follow first! In the past I have used the foot-width as a guide, but it all gets a bit crazy and wavy after you've added 4 lines of shirring, so it's best to follow a guide. The pattern has the shirring at 1.5cm intervals - I would probably change this to 1cm in the future to give it a bit more spring. 

I used the folded over top edge of the backpanel to insert a piece of flat elastic. This wasnt included in the pattern, but either my shirring elastic was getting a little old (anyone know the lifecycle of shirring elastic??), or I could have done with some more lines, as the panel wasn't quite as 'grabby' as I would have ideally liked. To combat this, I did make the panel 10cm shorter before attaching into the side back seeam. The elastic worked well though, and I think I would include this next time just to add a bit more stability to the back. 

To further increase stability, I interfaced the straps and the front and side of the bodice. The fabric is really light and a bit see through and I didnt want the piece I'd used as lining to show through. 

I slightly altered the bust darts - The still start and end at the same place, but instead of looking like pyramids, they look like houses with rooves! I'm sure there's a name for this?? Essentailly the lines change angle half way up before they meet (creating the 'roof'!). 

The adjustments I made made for a much better fit this time around! If I make Serena again, I would move the front straps inwards a little as they do sit a little bit wide on me, but I'm really really happy with the fit, particularly the bust darts. 

I was terrified that the overlocker would mash up the fabric with it being so fine, but overlocker and fabric were both very well behaved. I finished the dress with a lovely little narrow hem that keeps it light and airy, washed off my water soluable pen marks from the back panel then I was out in the sun 😎 

x
Location: Loxley
Currently listening to: Hot In The City, Billy Idol

McCalls 6469, Polo T-Shirt

This was my second time using this pattern. For my first attempt, I hacked this ?pre-teen PE kit style top into a rib-knit polo dress. I really loved using rib-knit for this pattern, so I went on the hunt for another ribbed fabric that would suit it. 

I found this stripy red and white ribbing in Hillsbrough Fine Fabrics and thought it could look suitably sporty. I used a little for my vest top / bodysuit hack at the end of last year and found it really easy to work with, so was excited to combine it with this pattern. 

I think the pattern is desinged for that kind of waffley/basic polo top fabric, and designed to fit a bit loose, so I made a few alterations to the pattern to make it more fitted. I took 2cm out of the front piece and back piece by slicing the patten in a straight line from shoulder to hem, this took out 8cm in total but kept the integrity of the neckline at the front and back. All I had to do was smooth off the line from neck to shoulder. 

I also took 8cm off of the length of the sleeves to make them more of a capped sleeve. 

Using the fabric stripes meant that I could ensure my pieces were symmetrical and also that the side seams would line up and match perfectly 😊 

The hardest part of the top is that polo neck opening, it's pretty much the first step in the pattern, I like that we're thrown straight in there! That said, if you have marked your pieces well and you follow the instructions, the construction does make sense and the end result is very satisfying. Would not suggest winging it without transferring the pattern markings as I found these super essential. 

Constuction from there on is as you would expect, shoulders, side seams, collar, sleeves, hem. I used a zig zag stitch on all of the seams to allow for stretch. I found the sleeve caps a little too large for the arm holes, even with substantial easing-in. If I use a similar fabric again next time I could get away with taking a little out of the sleeve width for easier easing and a slightly closer fit. I increased the under sleeve-seam seam allowance to 1.5cm, and I hemmed them flat before inserting them to the top. 

This sportly lil top was a quick and satifying make, which is what I needed! Would love to make more on other coloured rib, (yellow and black anyone?), maybe play around with the length / add a bottom band for a different look. 

x

Location: Arley Street, Sheffield
Currently listening to: I Like It, Cardi B

New Look 6843, Mini skirt hack

The perfect mini skirt doesn't exist in shops. Clothes are so generically designed, that I've found it impossible to find the perfect fit.

In theory it should be easy, less than 70cm of fabric wrapped around my middle, but I find they always gape at the back, or flare out comically towards the hem. They sag at the front or they are a bit too long. Size down and they grasp like an elastic band around the waist, making meal times particularly uncomfortable. 

That's why I was delighted when my efforts paid off in hacking the New Look 6843 skirt pattern into this perfectly fitted mini. I tested this already with my gold leather skirt last year - it proved to be a hit, but what I wanted now was a day-wear version that I was less scared of wearing 😅 

The fabric was from the stash bins in Abakhan Manchester. I had been avoiding buying plaids for ages, simply due to a laziness that washed over me whenever I thought about pattern matching. I liked the dual sides to this fabric though, one side having this fibrous, wooly wintery look and the otherside being reminiscent of a pleated school uniform skirt. I knew which side I wanted the outside to be intantly, but I liked that there could be more than one option for any leftovers. 

What I reminded myself, was that pattern matching with plaids can actually make the whole process easier, providing you cut out accurately in the first place. If you cut out symmetrically, sewing together is like matching up gridlines. The important places for me to pattern match were the horizontal lines at the side seams, and of course the centreback seam that would be spliced with the invisible zipper. The 2 back pieces must be prefectly symmetrical for this to work, and you must remember the seam allowance on the centre back pieces (ie, the two pieces must but cut from different parts of the fabric to allow for the seam allowance on both and the pattern to still match up). 

The best way to ensure symmetry is to cut the pieces on a single layer, then flip the cut piece over and ensure all the 'gridlines' of the cut piece line up with the fabric below. This is made easier when the design is visible on both the front and the back of the fabric. 

My take on the skirt pattern removes the waistband and opts for a hidden facing inside the skirt. I made sure this was well interfaced before stitching my fabrics together, as stability in the area likely to crinkle a little after being sat down in a few times is essential for a long lasting professional finish. 

Attached to the facing on the inside is a satin lining, like a mini version of the skirt as the facing inside creates length too. There are tucks where the outside skirt has darts to allow for both shaping and movement. 

The zipper was fiddly, in as much as I wanted a perfect pattern match down the centre back, and although my first attempt was neatly sewn and a good fit, there match was a few millimitres out. Any seamstress will relate to that frustration. I unpicked and realigned. But then, I never expected to get it right first time ha! 

After zipper came the hem, as I wanted to see the skirt zipped up and sitting where it would be sitting on my hips before I made a commitment to thre length. Annoyingly, I was more than happy with the length already, which meant I had to choose a hemming option that would use minimal fabric. I turned it up 1.5cm, and then turned the raw edge under to meet the crease. The result was a narrow hem than this kind of skirt suited, but I was particularly happy with the effect of my blind hem which I stitched by hand. If I should find the hem to be lumpy or unsecure after a few wears I will unpick, overlock and turn the hem back over 1x before blind hemming again. But fingers crossed my narrow little hem will stay in place. 

My lovely little mini skirt! So versatile! So chic!  I want a million in all the different wool blends! Using less than 70cm of fabric also makes this pattern a fab little stash-buster 🥰💋 

x
Location: No Name, Crookes
Currently listening to: Speedway, Morrissey (always makes me think of you)

Hariito Patterns, Hibou Bodysuit

In 2023, I discovered my new favourite part of Christmas. The 12 days of Christmas advent giveaways on Instagram! There seems to be loads of profiles getting involed at the end of 2023- I had a lucky feeling and threw my hat into the ring for a few. I actually ended up with a few prizes! 

I've been eyeing up Hariito Patterns Hibou Bodysuit ever since it landed in 2020. The mesh panels resonate with the lingering Simon Preen fan-girl in me (who reached her height in the 2014 Tumblr era), and any excuse to play with velvet and picot elastic gets me excited, as we already know. 

So imagine my joy when I entered Hariito's advent competition and won the pattern! Yay! I downloaded stright away and was very impressed with the pattern package. It features the PDF for 13 sizes (with the option to change cupsizes), and something I've never seen before - the function to turn other layers off so that when you print you only have the lines you need (am I late to the party here guys 😗). The instructions are thorough, walking you through measuring, printing, assembling, cutting and sewing, with tips along the way for elastic variations. There are instructions for adding the gusset in one piece as well as splitting it in two and adding snap closures, and then another helpful file to guide you through fit alterations. 

I measured myself to be a size 36, A/B cup size. You'll see once you select your size that some of the pattern pages are redundant, so it's a lot easier to assemble the PDF than you may think at first glance. Obviously you only need to cut the front top cups to your size so again, there are some pattern pieces that print out that you won't need. 

Once I'd cut out the pieces from my toile velvet, I did think the body looked a bit short for me - I am maybe a little taller than average, so this made sense. The gusset piece does add some more length to the front body (it kind of sits a little further forward than the gusset in the Simplicty 8513 Bodysuit I'm used to, so the extra length here is added to the front but not really the back). I was lazy when I made my toile and decided to do the 1-piece gusset. This made it quick to try on once I'd put all my pieces together, and I could easily assess the size. After a little sensible thinking I realised that going for a wee would be a massive pain in the bum if I didn't make the snap closure version. Initially I was annoyed that I would have to fiddle around with the pattern piece to split it into two, however the instructions are really clear what to do, and this minor alteration does give you a sene of accomplishment! 

I was right in that the bodysuit was a little short on me. My toile fabric wasn't the stretchiest lengthways, but it was clear that the underbust seam was too low. I was very happy with the waist and hip fit though. I thought the waistline looked a little to defined on the pattern to match with my body, but it sits really nicely. This made it easy to identify where I needed to add the length in the pattern (ie, above the waistline). I added an inch into the front and back pieces (very easy alteration - just make sure you slice the pattern at a right angle to the centre front/back fold line and add the inch all the way accross). 

My favourite part of sewing any project is that moment when 2D becomes 3D. With this in mind I was stoked that the first step in sewing the pattern was making the cups. After literally ONE line of stitching the cup pieces become curved and well, cup-shaped. SO satisfying. The line of top stitching along this seam really adds to the professional finish. My new sewing machine has made it sew easy to line up top stitching. I used 3 stitch length and 2 stitch width for both the seams and top stitching throughout the pattern. 

I think anyone who has made this bodysuit would agree that the hardest part is attaching the top front (ie, the mesh M-Shape piece), top the top of the cups. There are a lot of opposing angles to match here. I found it particularly difficult to sew the points - the pattern says to sew to the top of the cup, keep the needle down, snip the mesh at the pinnacle and then sew down the other side. Did anyone else find it impossible to snip accurately whilst still attached to the sewing machine? Even with the presser foot up I couldn't really get in there to see what I was doing. Also, the pattern wasn't super clear about where to match the mark on the mesh to the cup seam (I aimed for the sewing line as marked on the pattern but I can't guarentee thats where it ended up!). I would recommend definitely marking these points with thread tacks so you know where to stop stitching and pivot. 

Once the top front is attached you can breathe a bit - the rest of the assembledge is intuitive. I did note that the instructions for sewing the gusset in two pieces didn't seem to quite make sense. The steps seem slightly jumbled and theres is suddenly mention of 'turning the elastic to the inside'... what elastic! We haven't used any elastic yet! Very bizarre, but as I said - Everything is quite intuitive, so I did the same to the back and front gusset pieces and successfully ended up with the seam allowance and interfacing sneakily sandwiched between the fabrics. 

Sneaky top tip for sewing velvet and other fabrics with nap- I have an old (clean!!) mascara brush (one thats a bit fuzzy rather thank comb-y) that I run over the topstitch and the seams. This helps the stitches nestle into the fabric (and also helps to hide any wobbles !!). 

There are instructions included in the pattern for adding fold over elastic or picot edge elastic as a means to finishing the raw edges. You know me, of course I used picot. I loooove that the pattern tells you where you should increase the tension on the elastic (around the bum) and by how much. The result is a really neat finish with equal fit and tension where it needs to be. 

I used a hotknife to seal the ends of my elastic (and ruined my butter knife in the process whooooops), then hand stitched three snaps into place on the gusset. 

The final step is assembling straps and attching where necessary. Or, if you're me, the final step is a trip to Primark to buy a cheap bra, butcher the straps and then attch them as you're own. The lady on the haberdashery stall once pointed out to me its more economical to buy a bra and deconstruct it fir the parts you need than to buy all the parts separately. She's not wrong. 

A slightly odd feature of the bodysuit, is the straps sort of go on back to front, with the 'doubled up' bit attaching to the front and the single strap attaching to the back. This is because the strap extends under the mesh at the back and is fixed at both the velvet/mesh seam and the picit edge, allowing for double security. I did find it hard to know exactly where to attach the straps, and whether the should be angled at all??? Essentiall though, I found as long as both sides did the same thing then we were winning. 

Voila! Ive been reading a lot of books recently about dance halls and cabaret. This bodysuit has got me feeling like I'm fresh out of the Follies 😘👙👯‍♀️ 

x
Location: Home Sweet Home
Currently listening to: King Of The Highway, Chris Isaak