Last of the Summer Sewing V

 Just thought I'd throw out a little end of August round-up of some other makes that never got blogged this summer.

I had myself a little True Bias revival during the hotter days and whipped out the ol' Southport Dress pattern. I'd made this many years ago and needless to say I had to cut fresh pattern pieces for my new size. I'd forgotten how lovely this pattern is to sew. The bound neckline and arms are great and the front button placket can easily be made 'faux' as the dress just pops on over your head anyway.

The fabric is some lovely Lady McElroy viscose from the stash but I really liked the bright pink tones in there. I never had myself down as a 'pink' kind of person but I do like a bright fuschia!

Also in the stash I found a bit of purple cords and some pink binding so they did the job nicely! I must remember this pattern for next year should holidays become a thing again as it's a great option for throwing on and keeping cool.

I also made an Ogden Cami dress a couple of months ago, again when any fabric near the skin was annoying due to the heat. Seems like the Ogden 'dress hack' is having a thing right now so a good time to share this make.

The only change to make it into a dress was to lengthen the pattern, and make sure that it was big enough to go over my hips at the side seams. 

The fabric is a freesia print viscose originally from Fabric Godmother but had been in the stash a few years. Another I'd been saving for a special occasion but we have learnt these may never come so this lovely dress was made :)

A nice feature of this dress is that I gave it adjustable straps! I had some rose gold bra findings so used those on the straps so that it was more comfortable to fit and stop sliding off my shoulders. I need to remember to do this on future cami tops as it's really useful for my one slopey shoulder.

I had a good chunk of the freesia fabric left so I thought I'd try something entirely different -  The Hunter Tank by Jennifer Lauren.

 

 Not a style I've ever worn before but I figured it would look nice with high waist jeans (on the off chance I'll ever fit into those again).

It's cut on the bias so that was also a new one for me. The neckline and arms are bound with yellow bias tape. The top itself didn't actually take up too much fabric. I definitely didn't pattern match as you can see! 

Not worn yet but I will be giving it a go when it's trousers weather. Which is probably in about 5 minutes given how changeable it is right now.

Lastly a bit of menswear! I've made quite a few Liesel + Co t-shirts in bamboo jersey for the fella, however a photo is quite elusive! The pattern is lovely though and fits really well. Here's the black version (rainbow coverstitch of course heehee).

Wardrobe By Me also brought out some men's 'summer pants' and these turned out to be brilliant! I cut a size 3XL and didn't have to make any alterations at all. 

 They have a faux fly, side pockets, elastic waist also with a drawstring and the back has a yoke and flat felled seams making them look really well thought out. For me, there are about 8 pieces too many with regards to the pocket and waistband however it's a very well drafted pattern and expertly done. My machine did struggle at some points where there were about 6 layers of fabric where the pocket, facings and waistband all sat on top of each other. I'd be tempted to leave out the pocket facings next time as they were structured enough due to the fabric. 

These are made in Ramie Linen from Textile Express and it's such a good fabric. Soft but sturdy and durable. These are the shade 'midnight' however I also bought purple (for myself) and a denim look version too. The denim version was however vetoed by husband as he said he didn't want to look like he was wearing cut-offs! 

So at least someone got successful shorts this summer!!

Onwards into September 2020 then people, I wonder what's next...

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When Style Arc Saved Summer

 You can tell how long I've been making these Clare Pants for by the progression of my hair cuts!

This pattern by Style Arc seems to have been incredibly popular and I can tell why there are so many converts. Despite the 'thin' (yet perfectly understandable) instructions they are superbly drafted, easy to put together and the fit is fantastic! Not a crotch seam scoop or a hem tweak in sight for these ones. Wow.  

These have been through many iterations to end up with my new favourite pair or summer trousers!

The pattern is for pants which are are elasticated in the back, with a flat front, a tie belt that hides the elastic gathers and HUGE pockets. There's also a couple of front pleats for added interest factor.

I made these in a straight size 14 and due to the ease and elasticated back, they go nicely over my hips and fit well at that size. Any smaller and I think there would be a struggle to get them on despite how roomy the legs are.

The first pair I tried out were made just after Lockdown started in April in some gorgeous triple crepe from Sewisfaction. Ooo this fabric really is 'Luxe' as described. The drape is beautiful and it's a great weight for trousers. The fabric really took the front pleats well and they hang over la derriere just right. The only tweak to these I would like to make is to take the legs in a bit as they are very wide to the point of trip hazard.

 

Almost immediately after I made these the weather turned and we were all sweating away in 30 degree heat for a while there. Returning to the Clare pants, I thought they would make excellent shorts! Now, yet again the curse of the 2nd make struck and some black linen shorts I made with this pattern totally failed. I still don't know how. Same pattern pieces, same elastic length but NOPE my legs and butt were not going to fit in them.

For some reason I thought I'd go for 3rd time lucky - and it worked! This time a bit of stretch linen from 1stForFabrics won out. Linen. That stretches. Heaven.

By the time I finished these the weather turned again and the rains came. It became a joke in our sewing group that I needed to stop making shorts as it was ruining the weather!

 

No changes made for these save to chop them about 7 inches from the inside leg for shorts length. 

The shorts went away whilst the weather decided what it was doing, then the whole of Britain started chanting 'I'm too hot...it's so hot...' in unison. So wafty breezy summer pants were needed!

The fabric for these bad boys was some Art Gallery 'Tropicalia' viscose from Minerva (not a gift) which I had been 'saving' for a special occasion. But one day on a total whim I just wanted to cut it and see what happened. Jazzy pants is what happened!

For this version I took the leg seams in by about 1 inch either side and tapered up to the pocket. I should have interfaced the belt as it's really flimsy but no real issue. Super comfy summer Clare pants!

Just to finish off the outfit, I also whipped up an Odgen Cami by True Bias in some leftover black viscose and it feels lovely to wear together.  It doesn't tent quite as badly in viscose which is what I'll be using for all future Ogdens! - You know they'll be more. 

The sun shall set, the tides shall go out and people will still be sewing Odgens.

(Just FYI for the Ogden, I used a size 14 and added about 1/2 inch to the under arm/side seam for a slightly wider/looser fit. I tried the new pattern 14 with a bust dart but unfortunately it was way too big on me, so I reverted back to the original pattern for this top pictured.)

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Jenny Shorts and Ankara Adventures

 If you've read my previous posts you'll know I become a little obsessed with shorts this summer and finding some that actually fit properly.

Not finding too much joy in the elasticated woven kind, I figured it was time to bring out the big guns. 

Closet Core Patterns.

 It's no secret I love Heather-Lou and the best part of the Closet Core Patterns (formerly Closet Case Patterns) collection. Even the ones I don't love you know are going to be really well drafted. Her trousers tend to fit me pretty well without too many major scale tweaks so why not I thought, give the Jenny pattern a go. 

Granted it was a bit extreme to buy the full Jenny Overalls pattern just for the shorts version but hey, dedication to a cause. Plus a cheeky discount swung it. 

Size: I cut a 16 at the waist grading to 18 at the hips. A quick toile made up revealed that I did need to tweak the crotch curve a bit and I scooped a fair amount out of the back to accommodate the booty. 

I just love how this pair turned out. They seem to fit my contours really well and are very comfortable to wear indeed. They have been worn out and survived a full day of walking without much issue.

Pattern: The pattern has loads of choices for fastenings and my favourite part is this brilliant side 'arrow' which wraps around the waist. The pattern called for a lapped zip but I went for an invisible one which worked just as well. The overlap of the button placement on the waistband makes a nice feature and also allowed the waist to be nipped in a bit more aswell.

I also omitted the pocket facings aswell. I didn't want the extra bulk and the fabric was sturdy enough as it was.

 Here are the insides:

 
Fabric: This pair is some beautiful Ankara fabric from KTextile19 on Etsy. Whilst I was doing the toile for these shorts, there was Ankara Fabric Appreciation week over on Instagram. It was so lovely being able to see everyone's creations and learn about the history and culture surrounding these prints.  
 
Did I pattern match? Absolutely not. Does it bother me. Not one bit.
 
 
 I then decided that one pair was just lonely and so made a second in some more Ankara, this time from DiligentHandsFabric. I couldn't resist these lovely blues and paired them with a Turtlebird button.


 

 The curse of the second make struck though and despite using the IDENTICAL pattern pieces, the second pair seem to fit differently for some reason. The front rise seems 'off' somehow with too much fabric in that area. I have no idea why, and others I have asked say they look ok so I'll just go with it.
 
 
I appear to be far more joyous in the bright pair however this pic was taken very much on the fly!



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Myosotis - The Good Place

Late to the party as ever. Myosotis - not a dress I thought I'd ever make.

The back story to this one is that I became a bit obsessed with a dress worn by Eleanor on The Good Place. It was in the final episode and wow was that a tear jerker!

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I surprised myself at how much I liked it as usually I don't go for anything too frou-frou or flouncy or gathered or ruffly or.... well you get the picture.

Yet here we are! In gathers and a ruffle.
I swear I'm happier about this dress than my face suggests here.

Turning to the good people of The Fold Line Group for ideas on what pattern might suit my inspiration pictures, almost immediately this Deer & Doe number was suggested. In shape and fit it's almost identical!
The hunt for suitable fabric proved difficult. Trying to find blue stripe viscose proved almost impossible. Ideally the larger striped in the screen shots would have been good but no matter. I started searching in February and only just came across something vaguely similar to the pictures in June. It's from eBay and was only £4pm - absolute bargain - but the quality is great.

I made a grand total of ZERO changes to the pattern which is incredible. That being said, according to the size chart I was a 44 but something just didn't feel right about that and I gambled on a 46. This was a good choice in the end as it fit just right in the bodice.

Construction wise it went together well. Bodice first and skirt pieces attached after. I used some of my 'Greek island' buttons from Turtlebird UK
Gathers being my nemesis, I was a little reluctant to do the skirt parts however using the 'zig zag over a thread' method it wasn't too painful in the end. They definitely needed a press down to stop the poofy nature of the skirt though.

Full disclosure here though - my overlocker blade went straight through the middle of the front skirt!!!
A little patch job had to do and after snipping away the edge threads its ok. When worn you can barely see it so I'm not too fussed about that. Things aren't perfect.

When I first tried this on I wasn't too keen however waist ties were suggested to nip it in a bit and it went from sack to chic in 60 seconds. Now I love it.
Now I understand why everyone raves about this pattern. It meets my comfort criteria very well and I feel like I'm wearing something special even though it's just a loose dress. How nice this would be for wandering around some Mediterranean town. (One day.) For now I shall just float around my house in it on warm days haunting it like some stripy clad Northern ghost with excellent taste.

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