Liesl + Co Rush Hour Lagos Laurel Blouse

Good job no one is hanging out for my every word as despite sewing up a storm so far this year I have not been very productive on the blogging front. Sometimes this is because I am not very proficient at the photography stage other times it is a lack of inclination to write the words. However after a long hiatus (more than three months if anyone is counting) I feel the need to commit my projects to the blog. I enjoy flicking through to see projects of the past so I need to up my blogging game and catch-up with the 2021 sewing. Starting oldest first this top was made in early January (twice - but more about that later) when I was still enjoying the summer Christmas holidays. Now we are enjoying the downward rush to winter.

This knit top was made as part of the therapy to ween myself off Vogue 8710 which I have sewn so many times now it almost sews itself. Two of the things I enjoy most about Vogue 8710 are the slightly flared hemline and the princess seams for fitting the bust. The Rush Hour blouse has an interesting peplum (the reason I bought the pattern) and the princess seams. Sewing it before peplums become passé was another motivator.

The big question is does the Rush Hour blouse have enough similarities with Vogue 8710 to replace it in my affections? I was hopeful the answer was yes and set off on my new pattern adventure.

The finished garment

This is version one which would never have been made like this if I had read the reviews for this pattern on PatternReview. However as I only read them after the event this version saw the light of day. It was worn on an expedition to The Fabric Store. As I stretched to reach or pull various fabric bolts I could feel a definite draft around my kidneys. An undesirable situation according to my grandmother who often exclaimed "you'll catch your death" when as a teenager my tops got too short thus exposing my kidneys to the cold. Wise words I didn't appreciate at the time but I certainly do now! 

A top that is only suitable for quiet moments of contemplation doesn't really suit my lifestyle so after a few pattern alterations a second version was born. I can reach and stretch to my hearts content in this and there are no unwelcome breezes on bare skin.

In all of the photographs I am wearing the Megan Nielsen Flint Peggy Yellow trousers and Arche Ikhini Yellow Sandal.

The fabric

Another Liberty of London fabric from The Fabric Store. This time it is the Lagos Laurel Ganton jersey in colourway B. I also happen to have this fabric in the A and C colourways. Whilst I clearly like this design this is the first of the Lagos Laurel fabric to become a garment. It is also the most recent purchase fitting in with my current yellow obsession, and my imaginary Stitcher's Guild SWAP 2021.

This Liberty jersey doesn't have that much stretch and I took that into account when thinking about the size to sew. 

The pattern

I had long admired this pattern and resisted buying it because I felt the design would be easy enough to adapt from the ever faithful V8710. Eventually I succumbed and the pattern was mine to sit quietly with its friends waiting for its turn on the cutting table. This is the second Liesl + Co pattern to join the collection but the first one to be sewn.

Liesl describes this top as a "lined, fitted peplum blouse. The princess seams on this style allow you to customise the fit easily. View B, the peplum top, features your choice of short or long sleeves and an asymmetrical peplum, with an invisible back zipper. The pattern includes cup sizes, a Dior dart, and instructions for customising the pattern to fit your shape."

The pattern card

The pattern alterations

I can't really detail the pattern alterations for this make because I didn't use the original pattern pieces for the bodice. When I looked at the pattern I discovered that the bodice wasn't a true princess seam as the centre front piece had a Dior (bust) dart, which means it has a shaped side front piece and the centre front piece has a short dart. In fairness the pattern description does highlight the Dior dart it just never entered my consciousness until I started working with the pattern to achieve the fit I wanted.

Even though this pattern comes with B, C and D cup pattern pieces I knew that the front pattern pieces would require alteration to fit when what I really wanted was the cut out and sew simplicity of a TNT pattern. Given the reason I bought this pattern was the peplum the easy answer was to add the peplum to Vogue 8710. This should have given me a perfectly fitting top.

The challenges of version one were because instead of using the length of Vogue 8710 minus the peplum length, I used the length of the Rush Hour blouse. It should be noted that the finished back length of the Rush Hour blouse is not stated.

The starting point for me for any pattern is choosing the size based on the finished garment measurements. For the Rush Hour blouse in a knit fabric I chose size 8 (D cup) at the bust grading out to size 16 at the bottom of the bodice pattern pieces (3, 4 and 5). There would be zero ease at the bust (the ease comes from the stretch fabric) and 2½" of positive ease at the waist. For no logical reason I can remember I chose the length of size 8. For a woven fabric I would choose the size 14 at the bust grading to the size 16 at the bottom of the bodice pattern pieces.

In short the bodice pieces of Vogue 8710 were cut at the size 8 length, shaped at the side seams to match the peplum / bodice seam width, and the original Rush Hour peplum added. This was done by:

• laying the TNT centre front and back pattern pieces for Vogue 8710 on top of the Rush Hour Blouse bodice (pieces 3 and 5) matching centre front / back, size 8 at the shoulder neck edge and shortening by chopping the pattern off at the size 8 length
• shortening the Vogue 8710 side front (piece 4) at the hem to match the seam where it joins to the centre front pattern piece
• removing the ½" centre back seam so pattern piece 5 is cut on the fold and the zipper omitted
• shaping the side seams on pattern pieces 4 and 5 so that the bodice seam length where it joins the peplum was the same as the size 16 peplum
• cutting the peplum (pattern pieces 12, 13 and 14) as a size 16 with no alterations.

Other alterations were:

• lowered the back neck edge ⅜"
• lowered the front neck edge 1⅜" and altered the shape to more of an elongated U
• used the sleeve pattern from Silhouette Patterns 195 Sweater Set (my favourite knit sleeve) which is the same sleeve used in my TNT Vogue 8710.

As I said at the beginning of this post this resulted in a top that was too short for anything but quiet contemplation and a few more alterations were made, as follows:

• bodice lengthened 1½". As I had used my Vogue 8710 TNT pattern pieces I just cut them off 1½" longer than version one. If I had been using the original Rush Hour blouse pattern pieces I think I would simply have added the extra length at the bottom rather than the lengthen shorten line. For reference my lengthened pattern pieces are ⅞" longer than the size 16
• back bodice side seam increased ½" at peplum seam line tapering back to nothing at the armhole.
• front peplum (pattern pieces 12 and 13) lengthened ½" at the side seam hem blending back to the original size 16 at centre front
• back peplum lengthened ½" at the hem and widened ½" at the side seam. I also wanted the back peplum to have more swing so I slashed the pattern piece at the hem up to the bodice seam line and curved out the hem edge until it was 1½" times larger than the bodice seam length
• ¼" dart made in the curve of the U as the front neckline gaped slightly.

If the original Rush Hour blouse comes in B, C and D cup sizing why would it require fit alterations?

• the bust dart tip is just over 4" from centre front (size 8 4⅛" and size 16 4½"). For most women this would result in the dart tip being at the bust apex, as generally the distance between the most prominent part of each breast is 8". From a pattern drafting perspective it is not incorrect as the dart can end anywhere within the bust circle. However as Ann Hathaway in that pink Prada dress will attest this is not the most flattering look. For me having a larger bust the dart tip is generally about 2" away from the bust point, as the more the bust is rounded the further away the tip of the dart will be from the bust point, with the dart stopping short of the flat part of the front of the bust
• the bust point is not marked but measuring down from the shoulder / neck edge point, based on where the dart tip is, it is about 10" (size 8 9⅞" and size 14 10⅜"). I need the bust point to be 11½"
• other alterations may be required but the reality is I can't ever see me making the Rush Hour blouse with the bodice pattern pieces. I have a good knit version now using my TNT Vogue 8710 and am most likely to make a woven version by adding the peplum to my TNT Silhouette Patterns 400 Traditional blouse.

The sewing

There is nothing interesting about the sewing and I didn't use the pattern sewing instructions. Apart from the hems it was sewn on the overlocker with four threads and a ⅜" seam allowance. The pattern uses ½" seam allowances so I increased the circumference of the peplum by ½" and at the bodice peplum seam line. 

The peplum hem was stay stitched at ⅜" and turned up. The open side of the right front peplum hem was mitred, using the same method as detailed here. The sleeve hem was turned up ½". All hems were sewn with a straight stitch (length 3.0).

The neck binding was a 2" wide strip of fabric folded in half and sewn to the neck edge with a four thread overlock stitch and ⅜" seam allowance to give a finished ½" band (⅛" is taken up by turn of cloth).

Sewing construction was: sew centre and side fronts together; sew front to back at right shoulder seam; attach the neck binding; sew left shoulder seam; sew the sleeve in flat; attach the back peplum to the bodice back; turn up the hems on the two front peplum pieces before attaching to the bodice front; sew up the side seams; hem the bodice and sleeves.

Take two

I wrote a lot of notes about what didn't work in the first version and decided it was unlikely to be worn as I don't want to expose skin when I reach forward or raise my arms. Luckily I had made this top from a relatively recent fabric purchase that was still available at The Fabric Store. Before I rushed off to buy more I got out the left-over fabric to see how much more fabric I would need to purchase. An amazing thing happened and the shapes of the left-over fabric were perfect to cut out a whole new top without the need for a fabric purchase. Think the cup of tea helped.

Outfit of the day

Whilst I was very happy with version two of the Rush Hour blouse it took until April to be worn in real life (for a whole day as opposed to the few minutes it takes for blog photos!)  It was worn for work and the outfit was recreated for these photos as I don't have the photographer with me during the week.

I do think I need to learn how to take timed pictures with my phone as I would like to record my outfits everyday as it gives a lot of useful insight both into what in the wardrobe gets worn as well as the different styling choices.

The Rush Hour Lagos Laurel blouse was worn with the Untouched World Weekend jacket in colourway Kowhai; Megan Nielsen Flint mustard check trousers and Ernest Wyler Keesha Sunflower ankle boots.

I preferred it styled with these mustard check Flint trousers rather than the peggy yellow ones. Both of these trousers were sewn for the never entered Pattern Review Endless Combinations 2020 competition.

The photographer found these photographs challenging to take as he kept capturing the moment I had my eyes closed. He also captured the moment I was futzing with the outfit.

Alabama Don't Give Up Hope Sweater

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. 

Silhouette Patterns 4000 Swing Dottie Dress

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. 

Style Arc Palermo Satin Cloud Knit Jacket

This simple jacket jumped many queues to become a finished garment within moments of acquiring both the pattern and the fabric. The plan for the 2020 Pattern Review Wardrobe Contest had already been formulated but I found myself re-thinking the options so this oh so cosy fabric could leap into my wardrobe for a few wears before the temperatures became too high.

The finished garment

Whilst the name of the pattern is the Palermo knit jacket the garment itself is more of a shrug than a jacket. It can be worn as outerwear on a warm sunny day but so far it has been worn as a shrug to snuggle into on a cool Spring day.

Not exactly demonstrating its warmth and cosiness with me squinting into the sun during the photo session, but here I am in my super cosy comfortable shrug not sacrificing style!

The Palermo Satin Cloud knit jacket is worn with the WORLD Pink Mustard Black Stripe Positivity Tee, Megan Nielsen Flint Boyfriend Mustard trousers and Ernest Wyler Keesher Sunflower booties.

The interesting seam lines of the jacket

Whilst it was a relatively simple sew the wrangling of the back hem warranted the use of one of my treasured labels. A gift from a friend they are used sparingly for those oh sew special garments!

The fabric

This wonderful Liberty Linford brushed sweatshirting entered the stash on 3 October 2020. It wasn't quite washed in time to be whisked away for holiday sewing but it was desperate to be made. A true love at first sight fabric. 

Liberty Satin Cloud B Linford Brushed Sweatshirting

This is a 300gsm 100% cotton fabric, one of the new range from Liberty of London at The Fabric Store.

It is described as "an Italian made Liberty cotton sweatshirting from the Linford range. Echoing the billowing pleats of the silk route’s prized flowing silk cloth this delicate Satin Cloud Liberty Fabrics print has cloud-like softness and energy. Linford Fleece is cosy and breathable, with a long-wearing pliability that only gets more comfortable with age. This super cosy fabric has been knitted with a loopback which has been brushed to create a fleece style fabric, super cosy and soft. The printed face of the fabric has a dry, flat texture whereas the reverse is a fuzzy texture in a plain bubblegum pink colour. The print design is made up of tones of clementine, purple and black on a black and pink base. A heavyweight knitted fabric perfect for sweaters, winter dresses, cosy loungewear, children and babies' winter clothes."

The pattern

I knew the Palermo knit jacket pattern had to be part of my collection the moment Style Arc sent me the email back in August announcing the release of the "gorgeously comfortable new discounted Palermo outfit sewing pattern bundle". I did wait until early October to purchase it as neither of the free pattern offerings in August and September appealed. Luckily the October freebie (Wilma woven top) tempted my fancy as the Satin Cloud fabric was desperate to become this jacket.

Style Arc describe the pattern bundle as "perfect if you are taking it easy and looking for ultimate comfort without sacrificing your style. The Palermo Jacket features interesting design lines, that are surprisingly created with only two pattern pieces! The relaxed look contours the neck and sits just below the waist. A shrug style jacket featuring long sleeves, neck hugging collar and interesting design lines."

Suggested fabrics are: sweater knit or any fabric with slight stretch and drape. Yippee for once my fabric choice matches with the designer's suggestion.

The other two patterns in the bundle (Palermo knit pant and Teagan knit top) were not purchased as drop crotch, elastic waist lounge pants have never appealed and I didn't need another basic t-shirt. Although now I have snuggled into my Liberty Linford brushed sweatshirting Palermo jacket I am sorely tempted by the idea of using the fabric for trousers. Luckily I am saved at least for the moment by the fact that we are fast approaching Summer so warm snuggly trousers have less immediate appeal.

The pattern card

The pattern alterations

Absolutely none. I did however sew the size 6 due to its oversized nature rather than my usual size 10 or 12 in Style Arc patterns. The finished garment measurements for the size 6 are bust 47¼ inches; sleeve length 27⅛ inches; centre back length 21½ inches and hem circumference 39¼ inches.

Very oversized garments don't usually suit my shape and I moderate the amount of ease by sewing a smaller size. It is a balancing act to retain the essence of the garment without swamping me.

The sewing

Style Arc class this jacket as an easy make as long as you follow the A, B, C notations - carefully marking them on the fabric. I would agree with this assessment. The seams were sewn up on the overlocker in no time. Up until this point the most time consuming part was changing the overlocker threads. With the high contrast between the the pink fleecy inside and the black exterior I overlocked the outer garment edges in black to finish them. Then for the seams changed to pink thread in the upper and lower looper and right needle with the left needle staying threaded with black thread to match the fabric right side.

Four thread pink overlocked seam - left needle threaded with black

The Style Arc instructions with their informative little diagrams were more than adequate for sewing up this knit jacket. The A, B and C notations were clearly illustrated and easy to associate with the markings on the garment. As my fabric was fluffy I snipped the fabric at the A, B and C points.

There were three instances where I didn't follow the instructions:

• After the side seam was sewn I sewed the centre back collar seam together. Then I folded the sleeves in half and sewed from the right sleeve hem up the arm, round the back neck edge down the left arm to the hem in one continuous seam.
• When I attached the shawl collar to the back neck edge I didn't sew in the facing. The entire facing (front opening and collar) were hand catch stitched in place at the end with the hem.
• Hem depth was increased for sleeves and garment body

Once the seams were sewn the sleeve hem was turned up 1½ inches instead of the ¾ inches allowed in the pattern. This deeper hem was perfectly accommodated within the width of the sleeve and made the sleeve length appropriate for my arms! The hem was hand catch stitched in place.

The sewing machine made a fleeting appearance to sew the facing to the garment body at the hem right sides of the fabric together with a 1 inch seam allowance to match the hem depth. The garment was then turned right sides out without trimming the seam allowance to make a sharp square corner a la Louise Cutting.

The hem was turned up 1 inch not the ⅜ suggested. Whilst I think it is better with this deeper hem it did cause the only problem I had when sewing this jacket. With the curvature of the design the hem would not lay flat at the side seam so I ended up cutting a strip of fabric as a hem facing for the back hem only. At the folded fabric edge the back hem is 16⅝ inches wide and the top of the hem is 1 inch wider at 17⅝ inches. This is clearly an improvisation at the end because the hem edge has pink thread overlocking not the black used for the other edges.

Improvised back hem facing

The styling

Whilst my entry for the 2020 PR Wardrobe Competition may never see the light of day as I have sewn only four of the ten necessary garments, the Palermo Satin Cloud knit jacket fits perfectly into another PR competition currently running - Warm and Cosy. This competition was discovered by accident when looking to find out the closing date for the Wardrobe Competition.

Luckily the rules were simple, requiring:

• the garment to be sewn in the month of October 🗹
• it to be something you can wear or use at home (no outerwear) 🗹
• take part in the contest discussion (well I registered my interest on page 34 of the discussion thread!)  🗹
• a review to be written that illustrates how my jacket is warm and cosy, with at least two photographs (and they don't need the garment to be shown on a person) 🗹
• contest entry to be before 11.59 EST on 31 October (hopefully fingers crossed)

I do curl up on the sofa like this next to the log burner but have to confess that this is very much a staged picture because it was a warm gorgeously sunny day when the photograph was taken. If we had taken the photograph a day later the log burner would have been roaring away keeping us toasty warm. Such are the vagaries of Spring.

At least I am not wearing sandals as I was when we took pictures of me wearing one of my other wardrobe contest items.

Left: Palermo Satin Cloud jacket; V8710 KT Happy Flowers top; Megan Nielsen Flint Boyfriend Mustard trousers; Arche Ikhini Yellow sandal

Right: Palermo Satin Cloud jacket; V8710 KT Happy Flowers top; Megan Nielsen Flint Prince Check trousers; United Nude Zink Pop Mid Black booties

Vogue 8710 a versatile Katherine Tilton top

In a search for the perfect top pattern to use with a wonderful Liberty of London jersey knit I rediscovered a Katherine Tilton pattern Vogue 8710. Like many of my Tilton sister's patterns it had never been used. I seem to admire the style lines buy the pattern and store it as a collectors item rather than using it. Don't know why because I usually love the finished garments made from their patterns.

Once it was rediscovered I proceeded to make view B four times, only the second top pattern I have sewn since Christmas. Other top patterns have been selected and the fabric cut out but they haven't made it to the sewing machine. I normally loathe the cutting out stage and can't wait to sew. This year however garments have been cut out and no sewing has followed. There are currently about ten to be sewn items sitting on my sewing table.

The finished garment

All four of these tops have been on constant rotation since they were sewn. Even though it is Winter now I am still wearing them with the addition of a woolly layer.

V8710 KT Dreams of Summer top

V8710 KT Dreams of Summer top

V8710 KT Little Mustard Stripe top

V8710 KT Fall Blues top (never to be worn again with these trousers)

V8710 KT Busy City Top

The fabric

The journey started with a wonderful Liberty of London jersey (94% modal and 6% elastane, 160gsm) called Dreams of Summer and sadly sold out. It was pretty expensive so I only bought one metre (137cm wide). My first plan had been to combine it with a plain mustard jersey knit but as luck would have it there was enough fabric for Vogue 8710 in size small.

The second version made from the mustard stripe knit fabric (95% cotton and 5% spandex, 190gsm) was chosen because I wanted to emphasise the little cut out by placing the stripes vertical with the rest of the garment having them horizontal like the top on the pattern envelope.  This fabric is extremely wide (175cm) and was bought from Fabric Vision here in Christchurch but is available online from Miss Maude (Torpedo Little Stripe Jersey Knit). There will be more versions of this top as I bought the same fabric in two other colourways duck egg blue and blush pink.

Then followed Fall Blues a brushed ITY knit from Silhouette Patterns. This is a light weight fabric originally intended for Vogue 9243 the Twirling dress. I made the mistake of cutting the fabric for the dress double layered creating a hideous pattern join at both the centre front and back seam. It looked so bad that I only sewed the centre front and back seam before throwing it in the bin. The positive side to this was using the left over fabric for V8710.

Finally I used the off-cuts from another dress Giorgio's Busy City Dress made using Silhouette Patterns 312 Giorgio's Top lengthened to the knee. The remains of the Busy City French digital print viscose knit 130gsm also from Silhouette Patterns was intended to be combined with other left-overs for a different Katherine Tilton pattern B6492. As soon as I saw how much fabric remained it inevitably became V8710. Maybe the scraps could be combined with two or three other fabrics to become B6492. I do want to get better at using up the fabric remnants rather than just storing them. If I continue to sew in themes combining the left over fabrics should be easier.

The pattern

The pattern includes two tops. I was attracted to View B for the little cut out piece and if you make it with short sleeves it fits on less than a metre of 137cm wide fabric. View B is described as a semi-fitted pullover top with top stitching details, forward shoulder, mostly cut on crosswise grain, bound neck edge, long sleeves, and stitched hems.

The pattern card

Back in March 2020 Grainline Studio wrote a getting organised blog post about pattern cards they specifically designed for home sewers.  Pattern cards are used in the garment industry to accompany a pattern around the sewing facility giving the people working with it the information they need to correctly cut and sew the garment. For me the value is in having notes about what pattern adjustments I made, the pattern pieces and fabric used, my measurements when the garment was sewn and the pattern size cut.

I downloaded the pattern card and have been trying to remember to fill it out as I alter the pattern and cut out the fabric. Not entirely convinced of the value of having one for each garment sewn from a pattern, when they are sewn in quick succession like these, as opposed to one per pattern or one each time the pattern is altered.

Storing them is a challenge I haven't quite conquered yet, as I don't keep my patterns on pattern hangers and even reduced to A5 size they are too big to be inserted into many pattern envelopes.

The pattern alterations

As this is a Vogue pattern it has ⅝" seam allowances. I chose to use the size small sewn with ⅜" seam allowances which increased the circumference from 35½ to 37½". This provided me with 2" of negative ease (the right amount for me).

The bust point was lowered by adding a 1½" strip above the bust point in the front pattern piece. For the side front piece I cut across to the side seam and created a wedge 1½" larger where it joined the front pattern piece and nothing at the side seam. I made the alteration in this way to increase the depth for a 1½" FBA.  For the fourth version (the Busy City top) I increased the FBA by an extra 1" as I was still getting a little fold of fabric at the bust which can be seen most clearly on the Little Mustard Stripe version. It is a bit hard to see in the before and after photos below due to the print in the Busy City top but in real life the difference can be clearly seen (if you sew and are attuned to these things).

The difference in the pattern pieces after the total 2½" FBA change can be seen in the photo below.

Pattern piece 8 (at left) is the side front; fitting into the curve on the left of pattern piece 6 Front

Rather than use the long sleeve intended for view B I altered the armhole to match my preferred sleeve from Silhouette Patterns 195 sweater set and used the short sleeve length.

Writing this blog post highlighted a small faux pas. Reading the pattern envelope and the notes on the pattern card identified I made a forward shoulder adjustment when one was already incorporated into the pattern. This explains why the finished garment sits a bit oddly on the shoulders. However this is preferable to the top always falling backwards strangling me with the neckline as tops without a forward shoulder adjustment do. For the next version of this top I will correct the double forward shoulder by putting my ½" adjustment back on the front pattern piece and removing it from the back.

The sewing

The pattern instructions are good and include some design studio tips. I veered off from the instructions by using the overlocker and not top stitching the seams. Also whilst the neck binding was attached as per the pattern instructions (albeit using the overlocker) I didn't use the neck binding pattern piece cutting a 1½" strip instead. This strip is stretched slightly as it is stitched around the neck to give a nice snug neckline.

The old Singer Featherweight was used for the hemming and stitching the neckband in the ditch.

Outfit of the day

These four tops went with me for a week away by the Okari lagoon near Westport on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. This was meant to be our Easter break but we weren't allowed to leave home then so it was deferred until late May.

V8710 KT Fall Blues top: Andrea Moore Boyfriend jeans; Ivy Lee Courtney Yellow Faux Python flats
V8710 KT Dreams of Summer top; Andrea Moore True Love orange pant; Birkenstock Arizona Metallic Silver sandals
Untouched World Ecopossum Weekend Kowhai jacket; V8710 KT Busy City top; Andrea Moore Boyfriend jeans; Ernest Wyler Keesha Sunflower bootie
V8710 KT Little Mustard Stripe top; Andrea Moore Boyfriend jeans; Face & Cie glasses

On the way home we stopped at the Maruia Falls. This waterfall was created by the 1929 Murchison earthquake which triggered a landslide in the Maruia Valley diverting the course of the Maruia River westwards and forcing it to cut a new channel over an old river bank. Once the river had eroded the gravel, the bank became the Maruia Falls. Immediately after the earthquake, the falls were only about a metre high, but after a year, the drop was 5 metres, by the early 2000s it was 10 metres.

Moochi Puffed Coat; V8710 KT Dreams of Summer top; Andrea Moore Cropped Boyfriend jeans; Ernest Wyler Keesha Sunflower bootie

This outfit was worn to breakfast and for my first haircut in eleven weeks. When I arrived home I took a selfie in the sewing room to record the moment! All of the other pictures in this post were taken at various points during this eleven week period. Is this proof I don't need a haircut every six weeks?

Untouched World Ecopossum Weekend Kowhai jacket; V8710 KT Little Mustard Stripe top; Andrea Moore Boyfriend jeans; Ernest Wyler Keesha Sunflower bootie

Vogue 9243 Twirling Rebecca Taylor Dress

I impulsively purchased a linen top in what to me is a pale orange colour (they call it vanilla), that has an extreme high low hem. The high is so high it makes it a cropped top but I envisaged it being worn over the orange dress in my imaginary orange summer wardrobe. I wanted to use Vogue 9243 for my orange dress but then I bought a sleeveless knit dress for a work event (no time to make anything) which left me pondering an alternative fabric - enter this lovely Rebecca Taylor ponte like knit.

The orange wardrobe may become a Stitcher's Guild SWAP 2020, a yearly wardrobe sewing contest to sew eleven garments that all work together. This year the rules are extremely permissive which is what tempts me but I'm not very motivated by deadlines in my sewing life. SWAP sewing happens over a four month period, beginning during my Christmas holiday so eleven garments should be extremely doable. All I need to do is commit!!

The finished garment

This dress is fantabulous for twirling, as well as feeling lovely and swishy when you walk. For the twirling action shots a large area of garden was needed and I wasn't entirely steady on my feet but it was fun.

Excuse the closed eyes the sun was blinding (but the best light for photographs)

The fabric

The Rebecca Taylor cotton poly knit has a lovely brushed back that makes it snuggly to wear but on the downside not suitable for a really hot summer's day. The fabric came from Silhouette Patterns and was bought to be paired with some leather (also from Silhouette Patterns) to make a trench like coat. The leather is more of a black brown colour than I anticipated and the Rebecca Taylor knit was completely the wrong colour so on to plan B...

The pattern

Vogue 9243 is copyrighted 1985 so an oldie but a goodie. A few years before I got back into sewing I had a big clear out of my patterns and most of them went to my local Bernina Sewing Centre. The ones I kept were mostly Vogue Designer patterns as well as a few other Vogue patterns that I felt were classics. This is one of the survivors.

It was a very interesting exercise to look at the pile of patterns and decide which to keep and which to discard especially to find the vast majority of those retained were Vogue. Nowadays I hardly even look at the offerings from the other big four pattern companies.

Discussing the age of the pattern with a colleague and the fact that it had survived a cull she immediately guessed it was a Vogue pattern. What is it about the Vogue patterns that make them keepers?

The dress is described as a semi-fitted and flared pullover dress, below mid-calf or lower calf, has back neck slit with button/loop, low cutaway armholes and side pockets. Narrow hem. Purchased belt.

Suggested fabrics are: Jersey, stable knits, light weight linen, crepe-de-chine and silk likely Jacquard. So for once I followed instructions as the Rebecca Taylor fabric is a very stable knit.

The pattern alterations

I overlaid the V9243 pattern pieces, matching at the waistline, with my TNT knit dress (a Silhouette Patterns combination of #195 Sweater Set and #2010 Yoga Skirt) and used that for the upper part of the dress merging back into V9243 size 10 below the french dart. The shoulder seam width is as per the original V9243, but the neckline was lowered slightly. The pattern was also lengthened 4".

Vogue 9243 compared to the TNT knit dress pattern

Vogue 9243 original pattern compared to the Twirling Rebecca Taylor Dress

This pattern would be fine to use for a woven version but there was too much ease for a knit fabric.

The sewing

Yet another extremely quick sew on the overlocker, apart from the hem and stay stitching around the neckline and armholes. The neckline and armholes were turned under at the stay stitching line and sewn down. As this was a knit the back neck slit with button loop was unnecessary.

I wasn't sure how the pockets would work in this knit so I only added one pocket on the right hand side really just as a place for my handkerchief to go. The pocket has proved quite stable so if the pattern is made again I might go mad and have two pockets.

The orange wardrobe part II

The week's workday wardrobe was planned around black/white and orange. None of these garments featured in my orange summer wardrobe so when I do start sewing that plan I will have no shortage of other clothes to mix in.

Monday to Thursday, left to right: Style Arc Maris Orange silk linen top with WORLD Two Wrongs Trouser Black White Mosaic; Witchery Vivid Coral Detail Swing Knit Dress; Witchery Vivid Coral Rib Elbow Sleeve Knit Top with same WORLD trousers as Monday; V9243 Twirling RT dress with Minx C Reed Clothing Vanilla Short Angel Wings linen top; all week I wore the Ulysses Horizontal Hold trench coat with an orange bucket bag, CODA orange paper brooch and United Nude Solid Fold mono shoes

The Witchery Vivd Coral Detail Swing knit dress was purchased for a work event after I spied it in the Witchery shop at Wellington airport. It looked fabulous paired with my blue jacket, CODA orange paper brooch and Vic Matiē Theo navy shoes. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of it, the closest I got was an outfit earlier in the same week, with a carefully staged selfie in the bathroom at work!