Flashback to summer 2022... In an attempt to feel more "Christmas spirit", I thought maybe I needed a red suit. Something that would make me feel fierce and epic, but comes across as festive etc. Too bad that Covid got me on the 20th of Dec and I was out for the season! What an underhanded play there by Covid. Anyway, I continued on making the red suit around the Covid iso parts of the holiday season. And then I stopped. The Simplicity 8784 jacket wasn't completed until mid March 2023. It languished, sad and deflated on my dress form for months. I finally got around to doing the last bits of hand sewing, and the button holes, etc and it was ready. It was worn to celebrate the wedding of two dear friends. This trouser suit was chic, comfy, and allowed me to cut a rug! Contrary to the evidence in pictures, I did have the jacket done up at some stages of the evening. This was the time and place for Lucille Trousers with The Curved Waistband! And it makes them much more epic than the standard straight waistband. Sure, there is a lot more work involved, but it's stylish. I didn't put any boning in the waistband - if I do need it then I will add on the waistband lining and wrapped in twill tape as the casing. We shall see! [Edit - having worn these trousers a bunch of times, no additional structure is needed.] Details / Mods: Jacket - Simplicity 8784 - Used the same jacket pattern as The Blue Suit - minimised back flare, and changed collar. - Scrappy full sleeve mod where I folded out the wrist dart on the pattern, marked my sleeve length from the underarm, and folded up the all-in-one cuff. It's not an elegant solution, but worked okay. - Put small ready-made shoulder pads in. For additional epic-ness. - Fully lined with a red Bemberg lining from Spotlight. - Hand prick-stitched the front panel including the collar piece so make sure it all lies flat and smooshed. Trousers - Lucille - didn't use a lining fabric for the pocket bag because I am a rebel. - Had to schmooze the curved waistband lining. After the understitching, trim the waistband to be the same length on the raw edge. I didn't do this - regrets. To combat this I just pushed the seam allowance of the lining side up further before whip stitching it down. - No cuffs. Length suitable for flats. Yeah, so I need suits in every colour. NEED. Suit:
Jacket & Trousers - made by me Blouse - fcuk silk blouse from eBay circa 2016 Shoes - Asos wingtips Dancing Legs: Blouse - Dangerfield Shoes - Asos brogues
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First was the grey gabardine, next the brown wool, finally green wool/poly blend. The Lucille Trousers by Charm Patterns are a wardrobe staple. Not just for retro and vintage folk, but for all who want a bit of decadent trouser elegance in their lives. When this pattern says it's a wide leg they are not having a laugh. The back of this pattern through the crotch line is so wide. SO WIDE. However, the bum sits nice and flat without extra pooling at the upper thigh. Due to the relaxed fit they are pretty quick to put together and can easily be sewn in a day. Not to mention the cutaway pockets. So sleek and stylish, and they fit an iPhone! The green trousers are actually part of a suit that I have yet to finish. It's slow going on the jacket, but it's already shaping up to a seriously overdressed statement suit. From these images, it appears as I love to pair them with a hand knit jumper! Peach jumper is Beauty School by Poison Grrls, mustard jumper is Tesselate by Untangling Knots, cream jumper is from a vintage 1970s pattern. If I lived in the Lucille Trousers I would be a happy woman. Maybe I should make a pair for house lounging... Construction notes are at the bottom of this post.
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 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 |
AuthorKnitter. Home seamstress. Dance Teacher. Archives
April 2023
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