Just in the last week there’s been a cool change in the air and it’s got me in the mood for autumn sewing. Which is great timing, seeing as I just finished this rust jersey skirt which I was supposed to be wearing last winter! So you’ve already had a sneaky peak at this tribal Briar on Kelli’s blog and it was made especially to go with this skirt, due to killer color / pattern combo. The skirt is high-waisted, which looks cute with cropped tops but I wanted a little more coverage for winter and gave it a peplum. Yes, still very peplum happy over here.

Pattern// Briar

Fabric// A lightweight cream and navy cotton jersey from here.

Mods// I took inspiration from this top by Free People, I like the slouchier shape overall and the loose peplum but with fitted sleeves and thought it could make a cute Briar variation. Changes made were:

-Adjusted the curved front and scooped back to be a shallower, less dramatic high-low hem.

-Drafted two verrrry rough semi circles for the peplum. By quite literally standing my measuring tape on its side, molding it into a semi circle and measuring out approx 4 inches for the width all the way around. So lazy and so efficient.

Verdict// In love. Deeply.

Okay, this humble pencil skirt has just become one of my absolute fav hand-made pieces, like everrrrrr. First of all, the fit was spot on straight from the pattern. No adjustments. And like a good lover it hugs, not clings. It finishes exactly where a pencil skirt should, just below the knee. And it’s got GEOMETRIC shapes in front and an EXPOSED zip in the back!! There’s nothing else to say except Burdastyle, you did good, real good.

Pattern// Burdastyle Stretch Pencil Skirt

Fabric// Rust merino jersey from here

Notes// This jersey is on the lighter side so to make the whole thing sturdier and more like a double knit weight, I cut each piece twice and tacked them all together to treat as one piece before sewing. And that was after I printed the pattern, lovingly taped all it’s pieces together and added seam allowances. It was an effort but there was a lot at stake here since this amazing rust color goes with nearly every blouse fabric in the stash and most tops in my wardrobe. It kind of HAD to work out!

Construction// Those of you who’ve worked with a Burdastyle pattern before would know what I mean by their less is more approach to illustrations and diagrams. Being a visual learner it usually drives me insane but strangely this skirt was one of the most straightforward sews yet.

Beware the zipper// The amount I spent on zips and zip postage here is too embarrassing to disclose. Not helped at all by the fact that apparently it’s un-Australian to stock 27″ brown, two-way, reversible, brass coiled separating jacket zippers. I had to order mine from here. Which would have been fine except that it was all Goldilocks and The Three Zippers. The first, a 28″ (suggested size) was too long, the second a 26″ too small, and the third a 27″ just right. Sewing = the biggest test of commitment ever.

Annddd…that be me waving to an Ibis. I tried to coax him back but he didn’t want a bar of it…maybe it was my ‘special’ face?

Pattern Briar by Megan Nielsen

 Fabric Guipure lace. Every time I say or hear it, it’s different. Lets sound it out…. Gooo-eeee-poooo-reee. Pretty sure that’s not it. Anyway, this is the lace and there was only 90cm to play with!

Sizing a woven version was no drama. The fit is slouchy and dart-free, so I just assumed I could up-size and hope the underarms would be forgiving.. and it turned out a really comfy fit all over. The lace has a bit of give anyway, which probably helped so it’d be interesting to see how it goes in a regular woven.

Mods A pocket-less version with above elbow sleeves.

Like sewing air sums up the experience here. I skipped the ‘how to sew Guipere lace’ bit, sometimes you just want to jump in, right? So like a true rookie I was going to bind the neckline and hemlines but you could see it through the holes and wasn’t pretty. I went for fold over hems instead but then every few inches, two holes would line up. And it was all ‘WELL I CAN’T STITCH AIR NOW CAN I?!
I showed it who’s bosslady and filled in the holes to an extent by serging the edges to beef them up a little before folding the hems over. I’m yet to come down  from the high of this idea and when I glance at those neat little seams I’m sure I look nauseatingly smug.

More genius ideas Using cotton stay tape to stabilize the shoulder and side seams was another one (what can I say, I was on fire). Now I can officially say I’m still no lace expert…but after this round it looks like Sophie = 1. Gooeepeery Lace = 0

You may have caught me right in the middle of a fully fledged love affair with shorts. It’s like we’ve just met or renewed our vows or something. I never realized how impossibly cute they could be. And sooo practical. Nor guessed that I’d want to be wearing them every day. And sewing / wearing fancy stuff is something I like as much as the next person but sometimes you just want to chuck something on in the morning,  knowing you’ve got your ass covered, so to speak, whatever the day brings. Shorts are it!

Pattern Pattern Runway Scalloped Hem Shorts, cute versions spotted here and here.

Fabric A beautiful soft Nani Iro Double Gauze.  I tacked a silk cotton voile to the main front and back pieces, but not the pockets, before construction to make the minty colour richer and the need for flesh coloured knickers less critical.
Sizing Upon advice from Poppykettle and Cloth Habit I sized down, cut a small and the fit is perfecto. The side zipper makes them super flattering and comfy too.
Mods Quite a few but nothing brain-straining. It looked like this: 1cm off back sides only and hem facing accordingly. A wedge out of the back piece at the sides, because like Poppy Kettle, I found too much fullness around the thigh but strangely only in the back pieces. And as per usual I put the invisible zip in twice. All these little tweaks paid off in the end, now they sit sit right where I want them, on the waist, and I can wear things like a cropped Briar without feeling exposed.

Welt Fockits I’m not being rude. They’re just fakies. It’s a long story. I made a booboo somewhere in the marking, abandoned the idea of a pocket bag and hand-stitched the hole shut instead. At first I was sad that my pockets were fockets and nearly f$#&its but then I thought, you know what, they’re neat from the outside and I never stick things in back pockets. Who wants more bulk in the boot anyway?

Don’t be fooled by the seemingly serene, at-one-with-nature expression. The whole time I was wondering when I was going to get gobbled by a python. Or dragged off into the bush by a giant tick. Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration, but I did know of a snake that ate a puppy not too far from where we were shooting. I didn’t know him personally, the snake, that is. But close enough. Can’t say I’m especially fond of all our biting, slithering, blood-sucking wildlife!

A terrible attempt at pop culture reference aside, I’m smitten with my new hand-made printed leggings. It’s taken a world of self control not to just go and buy a pair since I’ve wanted in on this trend for a while. Or more accurately, since I grew out of a great psychedelic pair I rocked as a seven year old. I’ve been searching for some suitable legging fabric, tribal, preferably and with a four-way stretch. I did have this swimsuit lycra (from here) set aside for the day when the stars would align, the sewing gods would smile down and I would transform it into a magnificent bustier, high waisted bikini with boning. With my magic sewing wand. That I don’t have. So no hard feelings it didn’t happen this summer and is probably a few more seasons and a tad more garment experience off. Leggings on the other hand, for an hour and a half and no perspiration later, they’re slinking out the door in all their tribal glory.

 I’m holding Pinterest responsible for my slightly less hazy idea of what’s going on out in the fashion world these days. And I can’t get enough of what seems to be a perfect balance of fun / feminine: Peplums, geometric prints, tribal, leggings, high waists, blazers, peterpan collars, neon, maxi skirts. I’ll be sad when any of these go out of fashion again. If ‘you’re dabbling in DIY fashion, it’s a pretty exciting time too. Thanks to an ever-growing choice in sewing patterns and designers, making clothing that are ‘as good as the shops’ is not just a fantasy. Coveting some printed leggings of your own? Here’s a start….

Since I feel kind of bad flaunting this fabric from a store with no online shopping on the other side of the world to a good chunk of you, I’ve decided to be nice and share my current hotspot for some seriously random and wonderful printed stretch fabrics. This shop, happened upon by accident on Etsy, will probably be fished out now. But it’s okay because I stocked up a few days ago…mwhahahaha! When selecting fabric for leggings you want something super elastic, which is why 4-way stretch is good. Baggy knees are no-ones friend. If you don’t mind lycra next to your skin, swimsuit fabric makes for a great pair but there are others that will do the job too.

I chose McCalls 6173 and whilst I love the final result I won’t be recommending it for the sizing alone. I cut out what I though was my size according to the measurements and before I’d taken the scissors to the fabric, looked down at the pattern pieces and realized they were gargantuan. So, I thought, I’ll just sew the next size down and hope for the best since I am fundamentally opposed to muslins. Only, after trying them on, I proceeded to take, no kidding, a further 2″ off each leg seam from crotch to ankle. It became a fun game. Try them on, take them in, try them on, take them in until eventually they clung like a legging damn well should! Too harsh perhaps? Okay, I did like that the pattern has side seams only on the insides of the leg, good news if you’re trying to match up a print. A bonus point for you 6173.

Nope, nothing else to add…I think we’ve covered every angle.

I don’t really know how to begin this post. I feel like I’ve been well and truly back in the Blogosphere since early January. Happily lurking in the background, catching up on everyone elses posts, meanwhile working myself into a state over the perfect witty title / grand re-entrance scenario for my own. I figure it’s one of those things that’s just not going to happen if I wait around any longer, so here is me pushing myself out of the nest, getting back on the horse / any other awkward animal-related expression for starting over.

So. Happy New Year. Lets take a moment to chat about about the lovely Megan Neilsen. Fellow Aussie chick, mama, self-taught sewer, whom happens to just, you know, run a household, clothing label and design her own line of sewing patterns. Enough enough! The woman is a well oiled machine and could probably release a best seller on time-management. But for the meanwhile I’m content building up my hand-made wardrobe with pieces from her very-wearable pattern collection. You may already be familiar with her Darling Ranges dress (or skirt, when sizing charts elude), the Banksia blouse, the Kelly skirt (on the list) but her latest, the Briar, is my favourite yet…

 

Maybe you know what I’m talking about when sometimes an easy sew looks like an easy sew when its finished. Not the Briar. I’ve had more compliments lavished upon this top than any other hand-made item of mine which sees the light of day. And not once has it been followed up with ‘oh’… pause… ‘did you make that?’ + judging eyes. Certainly the best outcome for handmade stuffs but especially surprising because it’s such a simple top. It’s not overwhelmed by fussy details, just a wee pocket, a neatly bound neckline and a scooped hem. The Briar has nothing to prove. It’s comfortable in it’s own skin and it makes me feel just so wearing it.

If that’s not enough reasons to fall for Briar, it also makes for the perfect layering companion. I made it up in this metalic cotton knit (whatever thread in there that makes it metalic, also gives it a crushy effect which is kind of cool) originally to layer over my Tribal maxi dress but I’ve since had so much fun styling it with other things, it hasn’t even reached the maxi yet. I love that, in being so simple, the pattern leaves room for play. As well as a cropped version like this, you can make a t-shirt length variation or a straight across hem if the high-low trend isn’t your thang. And that’s before you even start to look at fabrics. I knocked my own socks off here, voluntarily choosing a SOLID. Not just being the print fiend that I am, but because I had Megan’s short sleeved tribal Briar on my mind. And if that’s not enough versatility for ya, the Briar also makes up in a woven…results in soon!

Okay okay, the glasses…just a prop. You guys know I like playing dress-ups!

At least, peplums were hot when I began thinking about this top almost two months ago. Are they still hot? Does anybody know? Anyway, I knew I wanted in on the action. I also knew the high necklines of these peplum patterns Vogue 8815, Burdastyle, Salme just weren’t going to cut it for my broad shoulders. If you remember this chat, and this one about the virtues of sweet heart necklines it will make sense that I pinned, this anthropologie number as inspiration for my ultimate peplum top. As for putting it together, the plan was just to borrow the bodice of my wiggle dress, Vogue 8280, make the sleeveless version, and, you know, simply move the zip from the back to the side and pinch the peplum from the Salme pattern. How hard could it be, right? Right?!

It’s come to my attention that the last three garments I’ve sewn have all had some mods from the original patterns. It’s been thrilling plotting ideas and just kind of sewing by the seat of my pants with a vague idea about the construction. But meltdown is never far away. Changing the hemline on this top went pretty smoothly, adding a side cinch to the Mission Maxi was manageable but let’s just say my trusty ‘how hard can it be attitude’ only goes so far. Peppi nearly killed me! The truth is, it didn’t actually take me two months to sew. At least one of those was spent avoiding it like the plague.

The details:

I followed the instructions for the lined sleeveless version of Vogue 8280 and lengthened the bodice by an inch. I was originally going to leave the peplum unlined but this beautiful Nani Iro Double gauze ‘Pocho’ dot is quite see-through and flimsy so I decided to line after all. That’s where things went rather pear shaped for a while. I attempted to bag out the hem but then I couldn’t turn the top back out the right way. I would have laughed but I was crying at the time. Unpicking followed, along with profanities as the delicate fabric threatened to disintegrate with every un-pick.  I couldn’t figure out the best way to hem so upon the advice of the girls at work, I basted the lining and the gauze together, folded over once and serged, which made for a super floaty finish. I attempted to put the zip in a few times before I was happy with it and ended up hand-stitching the lining to the zipper. It could also have done with some interfacing through the flange sections for support. It’s a hand-wash only garment!

So despite some tricky bits, it really turned out beautifully. And like childbirth as soon as I cradled Peppi in my arms I forgot the agony and just wanted another. But there’s too many new patterns, see here, to go back for seconds so soon. Besides I just want to follow a regular pattern from start to finish without any brain-straining modifications. Oh wait, that will have to wait until after my placket-less, lowered-hem, capped sleeve version for the Megan Nielsen Banksia Sewalong. Sigh…

We spent the weekend in beautiful Byron Bay, and finally had a chance to take some photos of the top. I have to say there were a lot more people around than I’m used to. Normally I like to go about it all as if reclining on crates, or sidling up to suspicious looking plants is just the most appropriate thing I could think to do at the time. But there were noticeably more ‘special’ faces to crop out in this lot so I must have been feeling the pressure.