Don't give up hope could be the anthem for this year. As I typed this I was thinking about the Peter Gabriel song Don't Give Up which suited my mood but...
...in my Google search I found this song Don't Give up Hope by Third Day which whilst not my type of music its lyrics are tailor made for now even though it was released in 2010.
However this is a sewing blog and it is all about a piece of fabric purchased from Gorgeous Fabrics at the beginning of the year in the early days of COVID when my fabric still flew across the Pacific Ocean to arrive swiftly in my collection. Now shipping takes so long the fabric must be swimming here under its own steam which is a positive as I am less tempted to buy it!
The finished garment
This top has been worn quite a bit and goes nicely with my Megan Nielsen Flint mustard boyfriend jeans which hadn't been made when these photographs were taken. These pictures were taken at different times over the two months I spent at home earlier this year and contrary to the evidence I didn't spend the whole two months wearing this pair of Andrea Moore Boyfriend jeans. It is quite revealing that I am wearing different shoes (Trippen Fight boots in the first collage and Clamp Uncut ankle boot in the second) but the same trousers.
A Gorgeous Fabrics label was used in this top to remind me of where the fabric came from and the photographer even took a picture of the top with the label sticking out to prove it!
The fabric
This fabric is the Don't Give Up Hope Italian rayon jersey knit purchased in February 2020 from Gorgeous Fabrics. A very popular fabric that flew off the shelf and I was lucky to get a piece. I was attracted to the colours and print not realising then how much we would need such a sentiment this year.
The pattern
The Alabama Sweater pattern can be made in tunic, top or crop top versions. It features a V-neckline and is loosely fitted through the bust with a generous flare to the hem. The Sweater pattern also includes five sleeve variations (sleeveless, cap, short, three-quarter and long-fluted sleeves). The tunic measures approximately 29", the top 26" and the crop top 23" in length. It was part of the Alabama Chanin 2016 Build a Wardrobe programme.
The PDF download includes the nested pattern and comes in sizes XS to XXL along with instructions for fabric selection, cutting, and garment construction.
The pattern card
I am loving my pattern cards as they are a great aide memoire. For example I really thought this top was sewn during April whilst we were keeping safe at home (also known as lock down) but apparently it was sewn in early March only a month after the fabric was ordered. This must be the year of sew one of the fabrics purchased immediately. That could almost be considered stash reduction if I only bought my fabrics one at a time!
The pattern alterations
This is a previously used pattern and I made no changes to it, sewing the size medium top version with elbow length sleeves and a forward shoulder adjustment.
Until I read my old post I had forgotten that the original pattern came in so many variations and am now tempted by a short sleeve or sleeveless one. Maybe even a tunic version to be worn with leggings.
The sewing
One of the quick and easy to sew tops, which was the sum total of my sewing at the beginning of the year. It didn't really fit into my Sunset SWAP but suited my mood and need for brain optional sewing.
The seams were sewn with the overlocker (a four thread stitch) and the hems on the trusty Singer Featherweight. Fold-over elastic (black with white polka dots) was used to bind the neck edge, sewn on with a straight stitch on the Featherweight. I even followed the order of construction included in the pattern instructions just not hand sewn in the Alabama Chanin way.
Outfit of the day
There are no pictures of this top being worn in the real world, only garden pictures. An indication of the times we lived in when this top was newly sewn.
There is more venturing out now as New Zealand has managed to stay pretty much COVID free. Even went to a craft fair today which apart from the hand sanitiser and recording the visit on the contact tracing app is how life used to be.
Why do I always disappear down the rabbit hole of wardrobe contests? So far I have never managed to put together sufficient garments within the timeframe to enter one so why am I fascinated by them? Maybe it is the rules that make me want to join in. They always seem so simple - my creative juices start whirring, fabric and patterns flashing across the mind and then... No sewing.
The problem this time wasn't no sewing it was unfocused sewing. At the end of two months I had five out of the ten required garments sewn, plus a few other things that weren't part of the plan.
So is it just the planning that appeals? Capsule wardrobes fit in with my lifestyle and I have long since given up making or buying orphan pieces. The Endless Combination competition was the closest I have ever come to an entry, even had enough finished garments - close but still no cigar.
With the Endless Combinations plan my downfall was not having pictures of the finished garments. This time I took pictures of the wardrobe combinations as the garments were finished, unfortunately this is pretty much the wardrobe - not quite ten finished garments.
The ideas
The changing seasons, a wardrobe contest, great rules - ooo lets put a wardrobe plan together or three.
Wardrobe plan version 3
Wardrobe plan version two
Wardrobe plan version one
Plan one was based on the Prince of Wales check trousers sewn over the weekend of 19/20 September. As well as the black and white there are stripes of red, purple and green. I was also really keen to sew another version of Vogue 1836 the Issey Miyake coat this time in a shocking pink waterproof fabric. The other fabrics were chosen from this starting point.
Then the Cone Mills Loomstate mustard yellow denim arrived and I couldn't wait to sew that so out went the DP Le309 Boyish trousers in a pink alphabet stretch cotton. The Liberty Satin Cloud Linford brushed sweatshirting replaced Vogue 1836. There wasn't enough of the bright flowers fabric to make the Tom and Linda Platt Vogue 1348 dress (more is on its way) and so it went on until I ended up with version three.
The rules
The contest was discovered on the weekend of 19 September so rule 5 was a non-starter but for the others lets get planning and sewing.
Between 15 September and 15 November sew ten unique garments (a topper, two bottoms, two tops, an accessory, plus four other garments which can be any of the former but no more than two dresses and/or one additional accessory)
Everything must be sewn by machine or hand; using any pattern (or no pattern)
Everything must form a cohesive wardrobe ie each top must look good worm with each bottom; the topper must be able to worn over each top and go with each top, bottom or dress
The wardrobe must be sewn for a human (adult or child) no pet or doll wardrobes!
Fabric may be pre-treated before the contest start and patterns muslined but no fabric can be cut prior to the start
A review needs to be written for each item sewn with at least two pictures plus a composite review linking all of the individual reviews and including a photo of all the combinations
The topper
Instead of Vogue 1836 the Issey Miyake raincoat the topper ended up being Style Arc's Palermo jacket in a Liberty of London fabric (Satin Cloud Linford brushed sweatshirting). The pattern and fabric entered my stash at the beginning of October and were made in time to be entered into the Pattern Review Warm and Cosy competition. Not only did I manage to write a blog post about making this shrug I also wrote the required review and competition entry on Pattern Review. A miracle!!
This has to be one of the quickest garments to sew and I can see many more in my future.
Style Arc Palermo jacket and Liberty Satin Cloud B Linford Brushed Sweatshirting
The bottoms
Both pairs of trousers were made using the Megan Nielsen Flint pattern. This has become my go to trouser pattern and has been made too many times to remember. These latest versions of the pattern have been changed to a fly front zipper. One day they may get a blog post of their own to explain the various pattern changes made to alter the style.
The style for the Cone Mills Loomstate mustard denim is based on a pair of ready to wear boyfried(ish) trousers that get worn a lot. My intention originally was to make the DP Le309 Boyish trousers but they were much wider in the leg than my RTW pair so Megan Nielsen Flint trousers were adapted to my vision. The smile lines over my tummy didn't appear until I stitched the waistband facing down and as it is generally covered by a t-shirt I decided not to unpick and fix it, especially as it would have required the removal of the belt loops too.
The fabric for the Prince of Wales check version of the Megan Nielsen Flint trousers was bought from House of Fraser on Oxford Street in London way back in the late 1980's. I was just about to graduate from university and needed some smart work clothes. Enough fabric was purchased for a jacket and skirt which never saw the light of day. The fabric made the long sea voyage to New Zealand inside the shipping container with our other worldly possessions, has survived many fabric culls and finally became a finished garment. I love these trousers, really have to make a conscious effort not to wear them to work every week.
Megan Nielsen Flint trousers and Prince of Wales Check fabric
The dress
This Sun Daisy Liberty tana lawn has been on my list of must sew since last summer. I originally purchased two metres of fabric to make a sheath dress then decided I really wanted another Lynn Mizono Vogue 1410 dress. Unfortunately there was not enough fabric and Liberty had sold out. Some weeks later when the summer sale came along so did this fabric and I was able to buy another two metres. Once the dress is made I need to decide what to do with the left overs!
Vogue 1410 and Liberty Sun Daisy Yellow Tana Lawn
I am hoping that this merino knit is stable enough to be successfully made into Vogue 9243 The Twirling Dress. I love this pattern and in the last year have made a midi and knee length version. This ochre merino knit from The Fabric Store will be made into the midi version. A versatile addition to my wardrobe.
Vogue 9243 and Ochre 180gsm Premium Merino
The tops
First the only top that actually got made. Yep another version of Vogue 8710 and there will be more. I already have the ochre coloured merino version (part of this wardrobe plan) cut out although it might be Christmas before it is sewn as there are other more pressing things to occupy my sewing time now.
The Happy Flowers fabric came from eQuilter and it too spent minimal time in the stash before becoming a finished top. I took this and the ochre merino away with us in October and whilst I took the pattern envelope my traced off version of the top was missing. So this version is made from a new tracing of the pattern with a two inch full bust adjustment. The last version I made had a 2½" FBA but seemed a bit big. In hindsight think I should have stuck with the 2½" FBA.
Vogue 8710 and Happy Place Flowers Cotton Jersey Knit
And here are the other ideas that didn't come to fruition, even though I am desperate to make both the Style Arc Georgia Peplum and Oki Style Sine tops.
Style Arc Georgia Peplum top and Prince of Wales Check fabric
Oki Style Sine top and Middle East Animal Print Rayon Lawn
Vogue 8710 and Ochre 180gsm Premium Merino
The accessory
The idea of an accessory being a must have component of the wardrobe was especially motivating as I was keen to make an Arden shawl carefully explained in Silhouette Patterns Let's Sew Episode 175.
No pattern Arden Shawl and Ochre 180gsm Premium Merino
I will do a full blog post on the making of the Arden shawl once I have made another one. This first version made using the measurements Peggy gave is much smaller than the inspiration version. As I am never likely to find The Row's Arden Shawl in a shop in New Zealand I have spent lots of time measuring the picture to try and work out what the measurements need to be for me to get the same look. Luckily this ochre coloured merino is still available at The Fabric Store and I was able to purchase another piece for my next version of the Arden shawl.
The extra fabrics
As always when I start doing a wardrobe plan I have lots of other fabrics that didn't quite make the final top 10 but could be made over the Summer months or stored in their plastic boxes for a few more years.
This dress was made in May, a little spot of sunshine in early Winter. Although the week it was made was warm for the time of year and sunny at the little bach we rented over on the West Coast.
Whilst this is the fourth version of this pattern it is the first to make it to the blog as a pattern review. Two were photographed as part of my end of 2019 round-up - one is worn often and the other has left the wardrobe. Luckily number four is a keeper.
The finished garment
The cut out dress was taken on holiday to be sewn as the colour perfectly coordinated with the other yellow / mustard items in the travel wardrobe. It was sewn on the Sunday and worn on the Monday. A perfect match for the Untouched World Weekend jacket in a colour they called Kowhai with Ernest Wyler Keesha booties in colour sunflower. The Weekend jacket is in my favourite Ecopossum knit, warm and cuddly for early Winter.
This dress had an unsolicited compliment from the farmer's wife we rented the bach from, and generated even more admiration when I said I made it the day before!
Love the "colour pop" picture Google created for me
The finished garment pictures were taken without make-up or shoes. A truly back to nature west coast photo shoot!
The fabric
A lovely bluey grey cotton jersey printed with two inch mustardy yellow dots from Fabric Vision. There is quite a bit of this fabric left over as originally I thought it would become another version of V9243 The Twirling Dress but then I decided I would prefer it as a knee length dress. I am sure you will see it as a top at some point as the dots make me happy.
The pattern
Silhouette Patterns #4000 Swing Dress is now discontinued and comes with pattern #4009 Morocco's Dress as the under dress.
I have pattern #4009 but never really considered making it. I was curious writing this post to know how my version of #4000 compared. The skirt of #4009 is almost twice the width of #4000 and whilst longer than the original length of #4000 is a couple of inches shorter than my TNT version. Below is a picture of my TNT version of #4000 on top of #4009 for comparison. I am intrigued now and might find a cheap lightweight fabric to make #4009 as a swing dress without the overlay.
The pattern card
All of the pattern alterations are not written on the card because it is a TNT pattern with the original made so long ago (early last year) that until I wrote this blog post I had forgotten all of the changes made to reach this stage.
The ½" forward shoulder adjustment is my standard alteration and the only one I remembered! Will go back to the pattern card and make a note of the length changes.
The pattern alterations
This is one of the few Silhouette Patterns that have caused a bit of head scratching. The reason is the sizing. I make the smallest size (size four) in a D cup which has a finished garment measurement of full bust 36"; waist 36" and hips 44". Normally I make knits in a size 38" with two inches of negative ease at my full bust so the first dress I made was in the size eight. This version was so big I took it apart and re-cut the fabric. The size four Swing dress in a firm knit is just right. When I have made it in an ITY knit I have sewn it with a ⅝" seam allowance (sewn first with a ⅜" seam allowance; then tried on and looked too big; sewn up again chopping off the previous overlocked seam).
I have also had problems with the length. The pattern as printed seems very short more tunic than dress length. My TNT version has been lengthened 10" at centre front and 7¾" at the side seam; centre back was lengthened 7" and 7½" at the side seam.
Other than that I have made my normal ½" forward shoulder adjustment but no sway back adjustment which looking at these photographs I should probably add.
The last change made is more to do with a sewing preference as I cut out the dart to mimic a french dart otherwise there is too much dart fabric sewn in at the side seam.
The sewing
A very easy sew whipped up on the overlocker using four threads. Took me longer to find the right colour grey thread in the little fabric store in Westport (Buller Fabric and Fibre) than it did to sew. And yes I took both my overlocker and sewing machine on holiday with me - well we did travel by car. Even I'm not brave enough to suggest I take both on holiday if we fly.
My order of sewing is to sew the darts first from the tip down to the side seam, then the right shoulder. Whilst the left shoulder is unsewn I attach the neckband then sew the left shoulder seam. The sleeves are attached in the flat and the side seams sewn. All seams are pressed to one side (to the back generally or down in the case of the bust dart) before the next seam is sewn over it.
For the hems I turn up the hem and press it in place whilst the fabric is flat, as it is easier to iron at that stage (I don't sew the side seams with the hems turned up). Once the side seams are sewn and pressed it is easy to fold the hem in place using the previously ironed crease and sew it down. The hems for this dress were sewn with a straight stitch on my old faithful Singer 221 Featherweight.
To make this basic dress a bit more interesting I did the Katherine Tilton twisted neckband as demonstrated on the Craftsy Artful t-shirt class. The twisted neckband requires a fabric where either side can be visible and whilst the dots are only printed on one side I didn't think that mattered for the neckband.
A 2½" strip of fabric folded in half was used for the neckband. The finished width is ¾" so the seam allowance was removed from the dress neckline before the neckband was attached. I sew the band to the neckline with a ½" seam allowance (the overlocker chops off ¼"). I mark two points (with a pin) on the front and one on the back neckline for where I want the twist to occur. I started sewing from the left shoulder down the front neck edge with right sides of the neckband fabric together, as I came close to the pin the fabric was twisted so wrong sides of the neckband fabric were together and sewn in place. The closer to the twist you hold both sides of the fabric together the tighter the twist will look. At the next pin the fabric is turned right sides together again and at the last pin it is turned wrong sides together.
Close-up shot of KT's Twisted Neckband
It is a bit persnickety to attach and get the twists sewn in but it gives an interesting finished neckband that is worth the effort.
The swinging winter red dress
This version of SP4000 was the first version sewn - sometime last year, ages before the Dottie dress. It was never blogged, partly because it took a while to become a finished garment. I thought it was so unlikely to become a wearable dress that I purchased more of the fabric to make something else.
For this first version of I lengthened the dress the same amount at all seams which when worn the hem curved upwards very noticeably at centre front. This also started off as the size 8 and looked so baggy on. The fabric saved this dress as rather than going straight in the bin it sat on the sewing table for some months awaiting inspiration. Eventually having sorted out my starting size I only had the length problem to deal with. I decided to just shorten it to a long tunic length for wearing with leggings. At home it can be worn as a dress but it's a bit short for me to feel comfortable wearing it in public as a dress.
I loved this fabric and was only brave enough to fix the problem with scissors after I managed to buy some more. This version hasn't been worn very much and may eventually be sent to the charity shop and the dress made again (properly).
Another clue that it was sewn and photographed some time ago is I am actually dressed up complete with make-up. Post pandemic wave one getting all dressed up with nowhere to go is a rare event.
