Gathered Traffic Blouse

It's Me Made May once again, so with lots of sewists around the world I'm aiming to wear me-made clothes every day this month. Hopefully it will also prompt me to post my unblogged makes here as I wear them. Like this blouse started late last year and finished last month.

The pattern is the Gather Blouse from Japanese pattern book She Has A Mannish Style (English-language version now called She Wears The Pants). The oversized shape gives it a more masculine line which is softened by the gathered back, curved hem and close-fitted round collar. The fabric is a Liberty tana lawn from The Fabric Store. The print is Hunter Truck C which The Fabric Store don't seem to have in tana lawn anymore but the corduroy is still on their website. I thought the more stereotypically masculine car print in feminine pinks made it a perfect match for the pattern.

The piece of fabric was not quite large enough to fit all the pieces on it. So I had a look through my stash to see what else I had that would work with the print and match the weight of tana lawn. I'm not sure when or where I bought this basic black cotton, but it was exactly the right fabric to complement the cars. I decided to cut the front yoke, placket, sleeve cuffs and collar stand out of the black fabric so that it would be enough contrast but not become the focus. I think using the black for contrast helps the blouse not be so overwhelming with its print and also highlights the design lines of the pattern.

I made most of this blouse last year, except for the collar, buttonholes and buttons. I really wanted to make this blouse look as polished as I could, and collars and buttonholes have tripped me up a bit before so I put them off initially. The collar includes a collar stand, not just a basic top and undercollar piece, and my copy of the pattern book is entirely in Japanese with just illustrations to guide me, so I was a bit daunted. I did it very slowly over a number of days, doing one step or part step at a time, then taking a step back to look at it and check it looked right. Sewing the front and back collar stand down evenly was difficult and I had to redo it because my first attempt was uneven and didn't catch both layers. The curved edge at the front doesn't look fantastic, but it's not really visible so I'm happy enough with it.

I then still needed to do the buttons and buttonholes. At first I delayed because I hadn't decided what buttons to use, then had to go and buy some black buttons to match the placket. But I'm really not a fan of doing buttonholes, and had just finished making a skirt (not blogged yet) with a button front that my machine had some real issues with, so I wasn't in the mood to do another set of buttonholes. In the end when I pulled this back out last month the buttonholes were very quick and easy. The placket is interfaced and the black fabric has a slight stiffness to it which meant it was stable and smooth through my machine, so the buttonholes were all done in about half an hour. It took at least twice as long to sew the buttons on!

I used a twin needle to do black topstitching along the around the pockets, on the front and back yokes and along the hem. Because the pattern is quite busy the topstitching is not particularly visible - with the possible exception of around the pockets - but it gives a much neater and more professional finish, especially in keeping the seams flat along the yoke.

It took a long time but I'm incredibly happy with how this blouse turned out. I think the fabric and pattern complement each other perfectly. The style is also good for the current social distancing work from home situation - it's not a formal workwear blouse, but it is dressed and a few steps above pyjamas. It's a relaxed style but with professional touches, and I'm sure it will get lots of wear for many years.

Lorenzo Jungle Dress

This is the Lorenzo Jungle Dress, a casual winter/trans-seasonal dress.  The fabric is a Liberty Lantana called Lorenzo from The Fabric Store. It's 80% cotton and 20% wool, so it's a similar weight to a flannelette but nicer feel and quality.

My initial thought for this fabric was to make a pinafore. But the fabric is very colourful and the print pretty kitschy so I was concerned it might be a bit too childish made into a pinafore. I flicked through my patterns to see what else I had that might work for the fabric and saw the dress on the cover of Stylish Dress Book (pattern E in the book) and thought it could work. I couldn't decide between the two so posted both options on Instagram asking for opinions, and the stylish dress book pattern narrowly won out.

I have made this before in a wool a number of years ago and retired it from my wardrobe earlier this year. So I knew it was something I could make easily, and knew the changes I'd want to make sewing it up a second time. Given how loose and full the dress is I decided to lengthen the hem and also narrow the pieces. The front is pleated and the lower back of the dress is gathered, so it was easy to reduce the bulk by placing the pieces over the fold line so that they were smaller. I also cut the pieces straight up the sides as the weight of this material didn't need anything extra.

This dress is an incredibly easy make. There are very few pieces, one for the front, two for the back, sleeves and patch pockets. The sleeves are cut a little narrow and do not have much in the way of fullness and the sleeve cap. Combined with the loose trapeze shape this can mean that the dress rises up when lifting up your arms, another reason why I lengthened the hem. For the hem I added around 10cm so that I would have enough extra fabric there to do some trial and error on deciding the right length.

In the end I think this dress struck a good balance in using the kitschy fabric but not turning out too childish. It's a fun print, and while it's probably designed with childrenswear in mind, I love a great print and don't think there's any problem with adults wearing something bright. This definitely isn't work wear, but I think it will find a good place in my wardrobe.

Floral Vampire Batwing Dress

I'm often a bit lazy with my sewing. I don't like changing my needle, so if I've put in a jersey needle I generally try and make a few things before changing the needle again. So when I made the side drape merino dress I went through my stash to look at other stretch fabrics I could sew up. One thing I pulled out was a heavy black and floral jersey. The pattern is another one from Drape Drape 2, the two-piece open batwing dress.

The fabric was from a Sydney Spoolettes fabric swap last year. I picked it up and put it down a few times, because I wasn't sure what I would do with it. It was a very large piece (1.5m by over 3m), a fairly thick jersey and quite a large print, so it needed a winter pattern that was big but wouldn't be overwhelming with the print.

Given I'd only just finished making something from Drape Drape 2, I'd already been looking through that book and it was fresh in my mind. It has two different batwing dress patterns, both of which I liked, but the other one looked like it needed a lighter weight jersey so I chose this one.

The pattern pieces for this dress are incredibly large and strangely shaped. Tracing them out was complicated, as there are multiple parts to join together, and it being a Japanese pattern there are many different patterns overlaid on each other on the page it can be hard to identify the correct lines. And the pieces couldn't even fit on a single piece of pattern paper, so there was lots of cutting odd bits off the side and attaching them on edges until I had what looked like a bat in flight.

Surprisingly, when I laid the pattern pieces out on the fabric, there was actually a fair bit of fabric left over. Yet the main piece, which makes up the front, sleeves, and upper back of the dress, was taller than me - not including the sleeves. The pattern pieces aren't only large, they have some strange angles which go in to making the gathered skirt, so it requires a lot of pins to cut out.

There are only a handful of steps to sew this pattern up and turn it into a mid-thigh length dress. The main thing to do is gather up the sides, which transforms a person-high piece of fabric into a skirt. The pleats on each side are sewn first, then the centre back seam, and the lower back piece is joined on. For the sleeves, the cuffs have pleats in them but were still a bit too loose and looked overwhelming with the large amount of fabric, so I added an extra pleat to make them slightly fitted at the cuffs.

I finished the dress a couple of weeks ago but haven't worn it yet. It's thick jersey, but the open sleeves mean it isn't really warm, and it sits somewhere between casual and dressy so I need to work out what it would suit. But I do like it and did enjoy making it.

Teal Merino Jumper

Another jumper to round out the winter wear. This jumper was also in my last post with my pais-liberty skirt, but here it is on its own. This is a very simple jumper in a pattern I've used many times for various tops because it's a simple and versatile shape that works as everything from a t-shirt to a jumper.

The merino is from The Fabric Store. It's a teal colour with a darker greenish blue pattern that looks a bit like it belongs on tiles. It's a heavier merino at 240gsm, and is more of a Hacci knit than a jersey. It's very soft and light but still warm. And fortunately it isn't itchy, which wool can often be.

The pattern is the epaullette sleeve top from Japanese sewing book She Has A Mannish Style, but I've narrowed the sleeves and narrowed and lengthened the body. Because I have the Japanese version of the book rather than the English translation I have to follow the pictures as my only instructions. As is typical with Japanese patterns the seam allowances aren't included. Given I wanted to narrow and lengthen the pattern that mostly didn't matter, except that I forgot to add seam allowance at the neckline so it's a littly wider than ideal.

I used the selvedge of the fabric for the sleeve cuffs so I could leave them unfinished. Both the hem and neckline are hand finished in order to keep the jumper looking neat. I always prefer this look, and it was especially good on the hem here because I had cut it slightly unevenly, which would have been highlighted by visible stitching.

The jumper is photographed here on a week away down the south coast and featuring the roots and base of the trunk of the largest Moreton Bay Fig I've ever seen. This jumper is one that can be casual with jeans like I'm wearing here or worn to work with a more professional skirt or pants.

I had plans for more a little more cool weather clothes after this jumper, but Sydney seems to have flicked the switch straight from winter to summer so I'm not sure how much need I'll have for long sleeves now. I will wear it when I can though, because it's very comfortable and soft.

Liberty Tie-back Trapeze Top

Before winter leaves Sydney I'm trying to get a little more cool weather sewing done. This jumper is the first, bit of that, I'll see how many more I get done before the weather warms up.

The fabric is Liberty loopback 'Jody' in green, bought at The Fabric Store. It's a loopback rather than a fleece, so it's warm but not hot so I can wear it more of the year. There's a growing amount of Liberty fabric at The Fabric Store and it's well priced (still expensive, but cheaper than other places) so I'm glad that the Surry Hills store is just a bit too far from the office for me to get there and back during my lunch hour, and their opening hours mean I can't get there after work either. Otherwise I'd visit too often and spend too much.

The pattern is from the Japanese sewing book, Couturier Sewing Class. When I was flipping through the book in Kinokuniya this jumper was the pattern that stood out to me and was the reason I bought the book. The top has a raglan sleeve, a tie back and shoulder darts to give it a bit more structure. The pattern is one of two versions in the book, there is also a dress length version.

The fabric is a knit, but is a stable knit so it doesn't have a lot of stretch. That makes it work really well with the slightly structured nature of this jumper, expecially because it allows the trapeze shape to keep its shape. It also means the bow for the tie back stays upright and in place. So overall, this type of fabric is just right for the pattern, and the feminine floral print is a nice contrast with the structured shape.

As is common with Japanese pattern books the sizing needs some adjustments. This pattern book is designed for a slightly older sewist than the stylish dress books, with the sizing starting slightly larger, covering small to extra large. However the heights are shorter for this book, under 160cm for the small and medium, and up to 165 for the large and extra large. The small's bust, waist and hip measurements were right for me, but I'm taller than the tallest height. Given the pattern also has a dress option, I traced out the extra large dress length and simply cut the top further down than the pattern suggested.

The top was very easy to cut out and to sew, and extremely quick to put together. It's probably a good pattern to make if you've been feeling uninspired and want something good that's fast to restart your creative juices. It's also extremely wearable. I've already worn it twice, both with jeans and with a skirt, so it's versatile which makes it a good wardrobe staple. I definitely recommend this pattern and this sewing book as one to look out for.

Punto Drape Dress

I've finally got my sewing room set up, and two weeks off for the Christmas/New Year's break, so time to sit down at my machine and start stitching again. First up was this dress, made on Boxing Day.

The fabric is Blimm's World Punto from Tessuti Fabrics. It's one of a couple of Italian pontes that are so popular that they tend to sell out within a day or two at most, so it's lucky that I can get down to Tessuti at lunchtime. After they posted them on Instagram one morning I headed down at lunch and fortunately this one was still available.

The print is very busy (yes, that is a man falling out of a hot air balloon and a map of Asia with a black bear representing Russia), so I had to choose a pattern where the fabric didn't overwhelm but where I wouldn't lose any of the fun of it. I decided to go with the drop-waist gather dress from Drape Drape. It's a semi fitted pattern with a tulip skirt, and the fabric is cut all in one piece.

The pattern suggests putting a zipper in the back, but given it's a jersey fabric I decided that didn't seem necessary. The dress is fitted but not tight, so it is still easy to get on and off without a zip. I did the gathering for the shoulders and skirt both by hand so that they would be even and neat.

The piece of fabric was slightly shorter than the pattern needed, so the back of the skirt had to be cut differently. I couldn't curve the hem down, so had to cut it more like a typical gathered skirt. It also meant that the hem was initially higher at the back, so I had to trim it shorter until it was even. I was a bit worried about that I'd lose to much length, but fortunately it's still long enough.

This was my first make from Drape Drape, a book I'd seen a lot but was always a bit daunted by. I was surprised at how quick this was to make. All up, measuring, pattern placement and sewing took me only a matter of hours. Basically it's the best sort of pattern - one that looks much harder to make than it is!

Leopard Bow Blouse

And another blouse.

The pattern is from the Japanese pattern book Les Couleurs Francaises. I'd post a link, but can't find anything other than a handful of blog posts. Which is unfortunate, because it's quite a nice pattern book. It's mother-daughter patterns, with lots of matching or similar styles. They're all fairly safely classic and feminine, so they're unlikely to become too obviously dated. It's worth picking up if you ever see it.

Now about the fabric. I do like my kitsch animal fabrics. I'm not particularly excited by standard animal print fabrics, but fabrics with animals on them? Those are great, and I've made clothes from quite a few animal fabrics. So how could I not buy this leopard fabric?

The fabric is a poly with a nice drape. I bought it on a trip to Cabramatta with the Sydney Spoolettes. I think it cost $5 for a metre, which is actually mid-price range for Cabra. The number of fabric stores there make it well worth a visit. The quality of fabrics is variable, but given you can get things as cheap as $2 a metre that isn't surprising. And most of the fabric is pretty good quality.

 As I said the pattern is from the Japanese sewing book Les Couleurs Francaises. It's pattern W, a tunic style pussy bow blouse with elbow length sleeves and front and back yokes. It's one of the patterns that made me buy the book about five years ago, but this is the first time I've made it. In the book they've made it with a broderie-edged cotton, and I'd always thought I'd do something similar. But a fabric printed with a member of the feline family is obviously the perfect choice for a pussy bow blouse.

Being poly the fabric is easy to care for and doesn't seem to crease. However it can fray, so as usual I did French seams to give it a cleaner finish. I also stitched down the yoke seams, both to keep it neat and flat and to highlight the yoke. I didn't have much of the off-white thread I used as topstitching left so all the inside stitching was done in white At first I worried that the topstitching thread might still be a bit too white, but in the end it doesn't stand out much, just enough to accentuate the seam but not so much that you look at the line.

 The pattern was a very straightforward make. Although it has both yokes and ties, it doesn't have anything that's difficult to do. It's loose fitting, so there's no buttons or zippers to worry about. Setting sleeves always requires patience, and a bit of attention is required to get both the keyhole neckline neat - both having the yoke pieces just overlap and stitching the tie to the neckline - but it isn't hard to do. It's probably a good pattern for someone who knows all the basics and either wants to try out Japanese patterns for the first time or just wants to slightly challenge their skills.

 In the pattern book this top is worn untucked, but in most of the photos I've worn it tucked. I think it works better for this fabric, and as a blouse to wear at work I think tucked in is neater too. Although it possibly could stand to be an inch longer, or I could wear it with higher waisted trousers or skirt. But overall, I'm really happy with this blouse and think it will get lots of wear.