I've been sewing since 2004, and properly sewing for myself from circa 2011. This blouse almost broke me. Every seam I stitched for the shoulders and back neck facing had to be unpicked and redone. Hot tip: do not French the shoulder seams. It cannot be done. They need to be regular 15mm seams to do the origami-fold-back-neck-facing-madness. I struggled and toiled and swore. I even watched the sew along video to no avail! Almost defeated, I pinned the facings the way it should work when finished, and then reverse engineered where to sew. The poly crepe fabric is from Spotlight, purchased many many moons ago. I remember being drawn to the warm mustard and dusty pink tones. It was a delicate floral beacon, bewitching me from the shelves. There is a lot of hate on poly fabrics at the moment in the sewing sphere but they can be really great for travelling. Don't need ironing, quick dry crepe, scrunchable in a suitcase. It's such a practical win. The Anderson Blouse pattern is absolutely designed for a fabric that naturally drapes in a gorgeous way. Essentially, I am Gillian Anderson now. Well, Gillian Anderson as Stella Gibson in The Fall. I wonder if I will make another. Maybe a cream brushed satin... Notes:
Blouse: Sew Over It - Anderson Blouse Fabric: Poly crepe from Spotlight Skirt: By Hand London - Charlotte Skirt (squared from the hip line, part of my Blue Suit) Sunnies: Local Supply
0 Comments
You have redeemed me. I am your humble servant. And I love you. With dialogue like that, how can you say no? Usually I'm not into historical telly / film. My style interests are anchored firmly in the mid 20thC. But Poldark just got to me. Specifically the menswear. Sweeping linen shirts, braces in the early seasons, drop front trousers, riding boots rather than breeches and stockings, well placed greatcoats. Oh, and Aidan Turner. The women's costumes were gorgeous too - I'm all about Demelza's rich colour palette of maroon, green, and earthy browns. Sign me up! Early season Elizabeth wore beautiful pink and blue silk gowns with her cascading romantic hair. Ah, so much to look at. Poldark is set in the late 1700s and the final season spills into the new century. I'm not fond of the Regency period in the later seasons with the empire lines for ladies. But again - the menswear! Anyway, after watching the show I decided I could definitely make room for one of these wonderfully clever mens shirts. They are a collection of rectangles, gathered and cuffed. You need some key measurements like upper back shoulder to shoulder, base of neck, wrist circumference, preferred length. But really, the "standard" measurements would have fit me fine. I also tried styling the shirt with a more retro vibe. Enter a classic grey textured pencil skirt from Vivien of Holloway! Sure, there was some noodling about trying to get all that fullness sitting nicely while tucked in. Time well spent I say. To sum up, I love this shirt. There is something wonderful about garment design that is sensitive to the fabric. I never felt like I was wrestling with the linen to try and make it behave in a way it didn't want. The soft gathering suits the drape of the fabric and honestly, it was a dream to sew. I used the drawing thread method to cut all my rectangles perfectly on grain. It took a lot of time, but the finished garment hangs so beautifully. There is no need for me to make another shirt like this. My sweeping romance dreams are entirely fulfilled! Details:
Shirt: Made my me with white linen from Spotlight. Used these instructions. A well placed Google search will get you to the pattern measurements. Trousers: Made by me Boots: Roc Skirt: Vivien of Holloway If you made it this far, well done. Here is your reward of inspiration pics. From my quick pre-project research, the same shirt design was used for all males (both high and low status), and older, worn shirts became work shirts. You can see the drop shoulder seam, the tight cuff to control the sleeve fullness, and the way the collar can be flipped up for a neck cloth. The sleeves / back neck could be gathered OR tightly pleated for the upper classes. I think George actually has pleated sleeves and ruffled neck openings as he gains more power and wealth through the show. I'm unstoppable. I can't stop making suit sets. Suits are so polished and put together. Instant style. I don't know what it is about matching sets that immediately reads as overdressed. Is it because this has been the pandemic of stretch trackies? Who knows. This suit is a simple straight skirt and a what is basically a blouse with a bit more ease. But somehow, it looks so much more formal that it is. This is the same Simplicity 8747 jacket as seen in my green wool suit post. There are lots of modifications! Scroll to the bottom to see them as a list. I have really enjoyed this pattern and made it 3 times now. I like the amount of flare in this version at the back, and the flappy turn-out collar is a bit more relaxed than the Peter Pan style collar on the green version. I've been highly recommended to try the skirt from this pattern - apparently it's a bit Victorian in the back? Might give it a whirl in the future. Sure, the sleeves aren't set in a smoothly as possible. But mate did I wrestle with them! This cotton drill from Spotlight doesn't have much stretch in it, so it was a serious challenge to get any ease happening. Eh, not that big of a deal, because LOoK aT hOw cUtE iT Is! Mods
Details Suit: Simplicity 8747 & By Hand London Charlotte Skirt Shoes: K-Mart, circa 2015 Clutch & Brooch: Vintage from Etsy Hair flower: Target It's finished! This suit will be my partner in crime for stylish social gatherings and assorted civilised mingling. If you follow me on insta, you will recall some tense moments recorded in my stories. The most emotional of these moments was The Collar Issue. It was dire there for a moment, but nothing 6 hours of painstaking unpicking, thread marking and hand sewing couldn't save. Now, you couldn't even tell that I butchered the collar. Sure, the skirt insides are a bit... post modern. There is the champagne coloured lining, buttery yellow petersham ribbon facing, and then Kelly green rayon hem tape. A post-modern party only I get to witness...and viewers of this blog. But still, this is the 1950s suit of my dreams. Simplicity 8747 has a lot of flare in the back. I'm talking needs-to-be-wrestled-into-submission sort of flare. The CB seam has ample swoosh which could cope with having half the amount (if you take your reference from the CB seam line). There is also space to remove some flare from the back princess seams. It feels like a circle skirt back there. Dramatic, absolutely. But perhaps a little impractical. I'm struggling to get it to sit nicely. All in all, this took about 5 weeks to complete. That included having a week off while I was waiting for petersham ribbon to arrive. There is a lot of hand sewing in this project, but living in Sydney lockdown means I had plenty of couch time for that! This suit makes me so happy. I was thinking the other day - what's the point in sewing clothes if you don't make things you absolutely love? Mods / notes
Suit: Simplicity 8747 jacket and By Hand London Charlotte Pencil Skirt Fabric: Wool Cashmere in the colour Kiwi by SuperCheapFabrics Hat: Vintage Bag: Vintage Out of frame shoes: Kitten D'Amour IT'S SO CUTE!
My sister-in-law is having a baby soon and requested a 10-12month old knitted thing for Winter 2021. Why yes, I can deliver! This is a pattern I have used before but this is a larger size. Previously, I made the newborn / 3 month size in a beautiful cornflower blue merino. This time I went for a lovely rich green by Bendigo Woollen Mills - do they ever get it wrong? No. No they don't. It's the colour 'Clover' in Luxury 4ply. Seriously, I think this has to be my favourite yarn for knitting. The white buttons came from my stash. Pre 2020 lockdowns I ordered 50 white buttons from eBay thinking they would be a great basic to have and boy was I right. The contrast between the green and white is adorable. If I have the choice, I don't think I would knit this pattern again. The body is simple with limited shaping. However, there are so many separate sections to pick up and knit: front crotch band, back crotch band, front left shoulder, front right shoulder, back left shoulder, back right shoulder, front neck, back neck. GROAN. It creates a nice finish, but mate is it tedious. Anyway, very happy it's done and now... onto the next thing! |
AuthorKnitter. Home seamstress. Dance Teacher. Archives
April 2023
Categories
All
|