Does it go together?

 

Here are the first clothes I made this year for Spring. Unfortunately I have almost no occasion to wear them! A month ago the weather started to get really warm an sunny, but now it's just rainy and cold. Why?

The bermuda is the second I have made. Last year I made the pattern and really enjoyed wearing them by not too warm weather. They really are a staple in my wardrobe, very practical and elegant I find. I intend to wear them in town, better then shorts no?

The fabric is synthetic crepe. It's really a magical fabric: it doesn't wrinkle and has a nice structure. At first I bought it to make a top for Winter and never made it. I have already used crepe for a dress, and I really love it, it moves superbly and looks really chic. It's the kind of fabric you often find in hight end stores, because it holds itself really well.

 

The back is a bit tight... I have been training and I guess my efforts are paying off.  Have to revise my block pattern!

Construction was easy. I really love Summer sewing: shorter seams!! Yeah! I did Italian pocket and a fake velted one on the back. I like the look of velted pockets but never put anything in them!

For the top I did a simple loose shirt. I like this style, it's breezy! I thought the colors of the bermuda and the shirt would go together but I am not so sure anymore.

I wanted to have "some" design element in it, so I choose to make kind of a cowboy shirt, but without all the bias cuts, I find it too distracting for the eye, I like clean lines.

So I made some piping, always fun.

 I have to say that placing the piping on the curved line on the back was not easy, maybe because you shouldn't do it :-)

So when I stitched the front pieces I used two pieces of piping instead to make a sharper point, worked well and the result looks good.

The fabric gave me some troubles. Can you see in the picture, it doesn't go at all straight! That piece of fabric is perfectly cut on the grain, but it goes all on the side! What a pain. But the fabric is soft, so it's forgiven!

Here is my obsession for this Summer: knots, love it!! Apparently it's what's in this year, don't know, I just like it, and I will make some more. Maybe it's just my love Dirty Dancing that expresses itself?

Come on, I know you love it too, it's the perfect Summer movie! First, Summer, right? And dancing, romance, nice outfits, I really have to watch it again.

Yeah, those colors don't really go together right? Never mind, I still have plenty of time to make something new that goes with both, "sight". Where are you lovely sun?

Cheers

Good bye Summer

Hi everyone !

I thought I ought to have a last post before Autumn to make a little review of my very sunny Summer.

As I spent most of my time outside to enjoy the marvelous weather, I don't have a lot to show. Just a few basics that I thought would be very useful, and they were.

Lazy girl!

 So, there we go, summer sewing:

A little walk on the wild coast

We had really few days without sun. During those I wore my bermudas. But they seemed too long, so I chopped them of 3 cm. And they felt immediately younger.
I also made a long sleeved T-shirt inspired by a local manufacturer: Armor Lux. It is so popular, that we almost look all the same with our striped t-shirts, it's really silly when  you think about it: villages full of striped clothed, bad haired people! Yes we tend to have our share of wind, hence the impossibility to keep a perfect hairdo.

After I cut them, better no?

Do you have megaliths as well ?

Then, I made a few things for those incredibly warm days:

A bathing suit! Well, in fact two, but I am waiting for my mother in law to send me the pictures of the other one. Not a big loss thought. It's basically the same model. This one is the second I made.

I prefer to wear it without the tie in the middle but it's more practical for swimming.

The first time I wore it, I had my parents in stand by with a towel in case I had a major shameless incident while going out of the water :-) I am very pleased to report that the lining did it's job.

In order to nail the top part, I used an old skanky jersey dress as a muslin. I took it back here with me to try other forms. And for the bottom I just copied an old one I love.

I also made a pair of shorts based with the same pattern as this one. It is very rare that I use the same pattern twice, but shorts are essential to me during summer, and I always need a white one. It's fancy and it enhances my tan! I know, I'm shallow when it come to my clothes!

It is made of a stretchy fabric. Don't know what exactly. I think I found it in a box of pre-cut fabrics at my favourite fabric shop in Rennes: TOTO SOLDES.

Because of the stretch I omitted the zipper. But added two velted pockets at the front and two at the back. But only the front ones are real. The back ones are just for show.

Then, I used a small piece of liberty fabric I had for a year in my stash to make this so cut top:

A simple V shape for the front. Diagonal darts for the bust ones. The house in the background is so lovely don't you think?

 

 

Can you see the crocheted curtains on the windows? They are traditional on the island of south Brittany, and so sweet. 

And finally, the best part: the bare back! I just made tiny bias straps and attached them under the arm to prevent any gap. This is a great top for warm weather. I think that using liberty fabric makes is more romantic and elegant. Had I used an other fabric, it may have come across as vulgar. Maybe I should try :-)

To finish the edges I also used some self made bias of the same fabric. I wondered if I could have used a contrasting fabric. It could be a good idea for a black and white one. Could give it a bit of a Chanel edge.

 The pattern posed a small problem. It was too large on the sides. I think because it was not hanging from the shoulders it was necessary to remove 3 cm on each side to have a good fit. Not too hard to do, except when the side of your garment is not straight. A picture is always better to understand no?

The red line are my new side seams, see the problem? I had to trace a new underarm line, it made this part of the top a bit lower than I wanted to, but hey, who knows? And I think it looks good anyway, so, I don't care.

That's all for summer. A bit short isn't it? Finally we had this kind of weather for only two months. Now I have to put my mind into Autumn sewing.
The change of seasons always makes me wondering for a few days. For Autumn, I like to think about the UK, you know, miss Marple, Downton Abbey, that sort of things. And eventually my pattern making mojo comes back, and I run to the store to buy plaid fabric!!

Anyone still in summer mode or is the weather so terrible where you live that you are already wearing socks? I know I did last week!

Cheers!

A summer basic and a little pattern making explanation

Hello,

finally, a day of almost nice weather! I mean, I thought time was going backwards and winter was there again. No! I don't want to shovel any more snow!!

I have been sewing summer clothes for a few weeks now and haven't been able to wear any of my new outfits. Rain, rain, and some more rain, made even impossible to take pictures inside because of the lack of light. I'm telling you, depression was right around the corner.

You can imagine how delighted I was Sunday when finally I could wear my new bermuda. I don't know how it's called in English.

It's a very preppy look, in French some people would certainly call it BCBG.  I just find that practical. Those very long rainy days allowed me to think about what I really wear in summer. And let's be honest here, Brittany is a great place for holidays, but you never know what the weather is going to be. So I chose to make a piece I am sure to wear.

I made it with the big piece of fabric I bought at the Stoffmarkt Holland market.

It's cotton. I think. I don't know if I red the label, and even if I did it was certainly written in German, and you know the state of my German. It's shameful.

 

The fabric is very soft on the inside, love it. But has no stretch. This is why I made the pattern with a straight pant pattern, slightly narrow at the knee. I want to be able to ride my bike with it.

As usual I made Italian pockets at the front.

Can you see me holding my tummy in on this one? 

The pocket on the back is a fake one. According to my book, it's a flap under a velt. Correct translation anyone? 

 It looks like a real one...

but it's not! Can you see where the pocket stops, just above my thumb?

I do that sometime, because I don't use my back pockets, and my pants are usually very, very tightly fitted on my butt. So there's no place for a real pocket there, and when I make one, usually you can see it through the fabric. I don't find that particulary nice looking.

I used a very rigid interfacing for the belt. A vliseline H250 for the French readers. I worked wonderfully, I think it's the most beautiful belt I have ever made. It holds superbly, no wrinkles. I have to admit that last time I made a belt, I had to remove all the finishing stitches and stitch it again because it was crap, so this time I payed attention.

See, no place for a pocket here!

 

But why is she dancing in the garden, pretending it's warm?

Because I also made a T-shirt! I love it.

Of course, the fabric was also bought at this famous market. I tried something new, well two new things. One worked, and the other, well, you can almost see it.

First construction. 

Lining the strips before cutting

 It is out of question that my stripes are not matching, it's a big no no.

And then preparing the different parts of the pattern to match.

I mark on the pattern where the stripes are. Then I put the front and back pieces of the pattern on top of each other and report my marks on the other pattern pieces. This way I make sure that when I stitch the pieces together the stripes line up.

So what is new about this T-shirt? 

It has sleeves, but they are fake kimono ones. I love it. I just lowered the armhole of 5 cm and at 2,5 cm from that point to the side traced a curve for the under arm. Then prolonged the shoulder by I think 10 cm and traced a perpendicular line to join the under arm curve.

Then I tried, to make a cowl neckline. But I think I didn't make the collar wide enough. Scratch that. IT IS NOT WIDE ENOUGH!!
But it's there see:

And there, can you see it at the collar? What are you saying? You need a magnifying glass to see it? Can't you see the sort of drape at the front ?

Anyway, I have made a drawing of how to make the pattern of a cowl neckline:

Take your basic pattern. Choose where the neckline begins at the shoulder and on the middle front line, then trace a perpendicular line beginning at the middle front and stop it a few centimetres away. This is where I made my mistake. I didn't trace this line far away enough from the middle front. The longer this line is, the more draped is your neckline. Then trace your new middle front beginning at the hip line and joining the lower part of your neckline.

Easy enough, but if you want a very draped top, then you won't be able to have a fitted garment.

And depending on where you start your "décolleté" you may have to shift your bust dart.

That's all for today. I am actually working on the cutest top. I hope the weather is going to be warm enough so that I can wear it (witch is the purpose of my sewing :-), and most important take pictures!!

Oh, I tried to have some non blurry pictures this time. It's getting better, but there is still a long way to go. Ah, men...

see you soon.