Copy of RTW Tristan V-neck Pull-on Dress

Last year, spring 2016, my mum and I went to Montreal for a weekend shopping trip. It was great! Other than it rained the whole time, so we spent most of our time downtown in the underground shopping malls. But, I did find some great RTW pieces, and one dress from Tristan that screamed COPY ME!!!!

So, on my return, I hauled out a knit that I’d bought the previous year in Montreal, which I think is rayon or viscose with spandex (or something along those lines) . Another one of those purchases that I had no idea of what to make with when I bought it but it felt so lovely, and straight to the stash it went.

Here’s the RTW (blue) and Copy side by side. It’s actually the second copy, the first one was a wearable trial, as in I’d wear it camping (did that) or in the back yard only.

 

This dress is actually two pieces, top and skirt, attached at the waist with an elastic casing and a drawstring. The Jalie 3352 dolman top turned out to be a prefect starting point. Using the measurements from the RTW dress, I traced the Jalie pattern and made the following alterations:

• Bound V-neck, overlapped at the V (simpler construction)
• Shoulder brought up closer to the neck, not so wide as Jalie’s top
• Shoulder seams moved forward 2.5 cm
• Top length about the same as Jalie’s to form blouson effect, cut straight across
• Simple skirt, very slight A-line
• 2 buttonholes at the top of the skirt for the drawstrings
• Attached strip inside to form the casing for the elastic and drawstring

This is what I use my sewing journal forms for, it’s so handy. (FYI - there’s going to be an update/additional version up in my Google Drive soon, because of my new-ish machine…yet to blog.)

Hopefully I can find another knit in my stash for one more, it’s a stash busting year for me. And because I love it so much, I made a construction/assembly sheet for the next ones. (Available if anybody is interested, DOCX and PDF files.)

I’ve loved wearing both dresses last summer. They’re casual and comfortable, and it’s just so nice and simple to have one piece of clothing to decide on. I can even bike in them, as long as I wear my girlish biking shorts!

Dreaming of summer!

Day-to-Night Top in Red

This pattern is Maria Denmark’s Day-to-Night top. Lovely, quick top, what’s not to like! Also, uses hardly any fabric.

(It’s hard to take a nice shot with a timer beeping! I get all awkward.) The fabric is leftover from my Pavlova top, and still have large bits left. This fabric is lovely to sew with, unbelievably, for a jersey.

I cut the top according to my bust/waist/hip measurements, so graded between sizes. It really is bang on! I like how it’s snug at the bust, since cowls have a tendency to expose oneself when bending forward. That’s the one thing I don’t much like with cowl tops, but they do look dressier than a plain neckline. This one doesn’t really do that! so *snug* must be the right thing for cowls.

I don’t think I made any alterations to this, but I will next time. The shoulder seams need to be moved forward, they’re too far back on me, but that’s my forward neck tilt. This alt is a standard on all tops, but I couldn’t get my brain around it at the time! The lower back has excess fabric, as usual, so I’m looking into sway back adjustments again. But I’m happy with this, it’s wearable, and there are 2 more pieces of fabric that will soon be made into this top too. I need them for MMM next month.

Oh, yeah! I finally wore my Colette beignet skirt the other day, but I’m not happy with the back waist – it sticks out and looks weird. I’ll post about it soon (I keep saying that!) so you can see. It needs redoing… ~sniff~ I have to remember: KEEP CALM AND SEW ON!

Burda Style 02-2013-127 Top with Raglan Sleeves

As soon as I saw this top I knew I had to try it. Those ruched raglan sleeves seem to draw the eye upward and widen the shoulders. And after seeing some others appearing in the blogosphere it clinched it.

I decided to leave the hem alone, the fabric just rolls like crazy.

We had a really nice day last week and finally I didn’t have to wear winter boots! I love these brown boots, and they’re great for the shoulder seasons, they seem to go with many things too. Like grey! I love this combination. (Next time I’ll smile a bit!!)

 

And instead of the standard binding for the neck, I sewed one long edge to the inside first and then folded it over the front and topstitched without turning under, so the raw edge would roll over the stitching. I really like it! The only thing is that the binding is a bit too short and pulls the neckline. But oh well! Next time.

So fabric, I used another piece of fabric from stash, one of two pieces – different colours, same type - bought at the same time with the intention of making the same top. (This is also how I buy RTW, in multiples.) It’s a cotton/spandex and handles very nicely. I really like this grey colour, it’s becoming one of my basics, and I like how it goes with other basic colours.

As to the pattern, I made quite a few alterations. Even though I went with a size 38 for the upper chest/shoulder area it was really loose on my muslin (yes, I did a muslin!) and even when I tried it on too. This is an old T-shirt, it has no spandex so not a lot of stretch.

Oh right, I’ve decided to name my dress form Annie! It came to me in a flash, maybe a bit lame, you know,… I’m Steph and …she’s Annie…

Anyway, there was a lot of fabric in the shoulder area (on me and my dress form) and  started by pinning out across the front, a typical forward neck tilt alteration for me. But I see from the photos (I realize only *now* how this is useful!) that I removed this, and then tried a few different things (I LOVE having a dress form!) and ended up doing a bit of a full bust adjustment. NEVER in my life have I done this before, I never thought I needed it. But it seemed to help reduce the pulling. I have to mention, someone commented to this effect last year on my Sorbetto tops.

   

I slashed the upper back and raised it, also a standard alteration for my forward tilting neck (photo at left). Then I tried to minimize the sway back (right photo), but this didn’t translate well on the finished garment! Different fabrics sure behave differently! The sleeves got a big fisheye dart taken out too, but in hindsight this might not have been a good move because it changed the raglan seam from a straight line to a curve.

The altered pattern pieces look like this (back, sleeve, front).

After looking at the photos again, I might just nip in the waist a tiny bit. Overall though, I really like this top. And I’ll make another one soon too! Need more tops.

Next time I’ll reveal the Maria Denmark Day to Night top I made from the leftover red fabric of the Pavlova. This was such a nice quick make! And soon, soon the Beignet skirt…it needs a belt, and I have to make one.

Happy Easter everybody!

Pavlova Wrap Top

…is finished. I finally managed to follow along with a sew along! It’s great to see everyone else’s versions coming to life. (Updated March 29 with better pictures.)

Pattern:  Cake patterns #0169, Pavlova Wrap Top and Skirt. I just made the top.

Description:  Ballet style wrap top in jersey ties at the natural waist while the back tucks into the skirt as a 'muffin cover.' The top is cut all in one piece with the sleeves, which may be cut longer or shorter. The four-piece circle skirt makes optimal use of fabric, zips up the back and features a pintucked patch pocket. A strong, simple, neat double binding finishes the waist edge of the skirt.

Sizing: I was on the bottom end of size 35, but went down to a 30 and made some alterations.

Fabric:  From the stash. It’s a pretty stretchy cotton/spandex knit from Fabricland, bought over a year ago. I used approximately 1.2 m of 140-ish cm width.

Alterations:  Since I went down a size I had to lengthen the top by 1.5 inches, and increase the circumference of the sleeves by 1 inch. I ended up lengthening the top in 2 places, splitting the increase, and the higher increase also incorporated the sleeve width increase.

Likes/Dislikes:  I do like this top, especially the back ‘muffin cover’! It’s very comfortable to wear. But because this top stops just at/below the waist, it is best worn with skirts/pants that are waist high (unless you don’t mind exposing your belly!) I don’t have any high-waisted pants or jeans, just a couple of skirts.

Steam-a-Seam!! I’d never used this before, can you believe it? It’s amazing stuff! This made sewing the loooong front facing so easy, as NO pins were required.

Notes:  The neckband application is a bit unusual, and I stared at the instructions for quite some time (other participants mentioned the same thing). Steph C (the designer) added more photos and tips during the sewalong, which were invaluable in figuring it out!

There are a few things that need tweaking: the sleeves need to be longer OR shorter, they’re right ON my elbow and it’s rather annoying. Another 1/2 inch added to the sleeve width would also make it more comfortable. I’d probably also add another inch to the body length, so it’s not so snug on my shoulders.

Conclusion:  I’d probably make one more top in another colour, maybe two more. I just like having multiples of the same things! It would be interesting to make this in a slightly warmer/thicker fabric, as long as it has great drape. I’m just a bit concerned with the amount of fabric at the waist, it’s not a place where I need more bulk! Merino wool knit sounds fabulous, I just don’t know where to find this in Canada.

One thing I have realized is that I won’t be making the skirt. There’s a lot of fabric there, and being the pear shape I am, it will only make me look more so!

So there you have it! I have been quite busy sewing and there are two more finished objects: a ruched-raglan sleeve Burda top 02/2013 #127 and the Colette beignet skirt. You’ll be able to see those next time.

Copying a Favourite Top, and Variations

Last summer I had meant to write about this series of tops, but life seemed to be too busy for any blogging, so here it is almost a year later. At least this is the right season, and we’ve been getting some pretty hot days lately (last weekend it hit 30 Celsius!)

One of my favourite RTW knit sports tank tops was starting to look a little… well, rundown! Without actually pulling it apart I just traced around it. This is the first copy in a lovely, drapey pink from Darrell Thomas, made a couple of inches longer than the original:

 

and the original (FILA tank, circa 2005):

There’s a lot of puddling at the lower back of my pink top, so for the second version I just sewed a horizontal dart (wedge) across the back just under the armhole; it’s about halfway down the back, which in hindsight is not the most pleasing, so in future I’ll *try* making the alteration over in the side seam and hemline. This one, by the way, is made in a bamboo/cotton blend with a little bit of spandex, from Wazoodle a couple of years ago (I think they still carry this type of fabric). It became another absolute favourite, and now it is also looking a little over-worn!

 

Then I thought, why not a dress? The thing though, was to add enough ease so it would just skim over my tummy and behind! I measured my abdomen at the fullest point (side to side) and graded only the front piece out from the bust level, then measured my behind at the widest part (side to side) and graded out only on the back piece from the back dart. This kept the side seams vertical, with no pulling. This is it, in a basic cotton knit without spandex from the remnant table at Fabricland:

 

Now, I’m not wearing a slip, and I don’t think I wore one last summer either. In hindsight (pun intended!) I think a slip IS needed. The back of the dress is sitting on my backside! Ooooh, not good!

All three pieces got worn loads of times last summer. Almost everyday. They were great to have running around with the boys at parks and places. I’ll definitely make some more for this year, but perhaps I’ll shelve the dress idea? Or is it that it’s also a bit too long? Maybe hem it to or above the knee?

I’d love to get some feedback here, what are your thoughts?

More Burda 09-2010-121 Turtlenecks

Yes, just like everyone else I couldn’t resist making more tops with this pattern!! They’re so simple to make and the top is great as a layer. It’s just the damn fabric I’m always drawn to, it’s *very* slinky cotton jersey (or rayon, I forget!), and handling the stuff is a pain in the neck. To make matters even harder for myself, I only bought 1.0 m of each colour, which is way not enough according to the pattern, but I managed to **squeeze** the top out of it by placing each pattern piece separately, including each sleeve. I think it took more time to cut out then to sew together!!

The colours are vivid, but they’re fun to wear. I’ll probably make more some time, but I did these to take a break from sewing the jeans I started with the PatternReview Jeans course with Jennifer Stern. More on that later.

Burda 04-2009-110 Top

Last spring I found a beautiful RTW dress. I loved it! But it was retailing for about $225, and I’m not in any position to justify that at this point in time!

I’d seen a pattern on the Burda magazine website, the photo is gorgeous and really struck me. When I couldn’t find it anywhere in town I became desperate! I tried the Burda site, on their forum, and on PR asking if anyone would sell their issue. Two sewists on PR offered to trace it for me, which I think is incredibly nice of them, and soon received the pattern in the mail. This is it, similar to the RTW, and also very nice.

This top is really a muslin, but it worked out OK in the end. With the shaping detail on the front it would probably look much better in a solid colour. But the fabric was just right, it has a nice drape and is quite light.

I had to do some major alterations for petite sizing, and a small high bust. Some of the other reviewers on PR also found that this top has a rather low “plunging” neckline. I shifted the neckline opening up by 1” along with the under-bust seam, and so had to insert 1” to the top of the lower part.

With the fabric being so stretchy, I had to increase the back darts and took in another 1” on each, going up into the upper back. The front neckline was still a tiny bit too low, so I fiddled with the facings a bit.

I’ll make another one in the future, and maybe even a dress. But a solid colour would really look smashing!

KwikSew 3016 Pants for Kids

This pants pattern is a keeper, I’m happy with how it turned out. Next time I’ll use elastic that’s double the width that the pattern calls for as it seems a bit flimsy, and there’s lots of room in the seat so it wouldn’t hurt to lift it up a bit. It has a closer fit around the hip than the pants pattern from the KwikSew book for kids, which dates back to the 80’s.

The fabric is a stretch French Terry and the stripes are a simple cotton jersey. I like the leg bands, which are self fabric, as they stop the pant leg from falling past the heel. They are a bit too long yet for O (that’s my oldest boy) so when he wears them he doesn’t step on the bottom.

So easy to sew, I’m going to make more of these. And what kid doesn’t like sweatpants?!

And another one…Burda 09-2010-121 Top

I love this top, it really is fast and easy to sew. So, I did another one in some funky stretch jersey (from C&M Textiles). I also did the fast neck assembly that I mentioned in my previous post, but it’s a bit stiffer and creates a bit of a jagged edge at the top (it’s a bit hard to describe). The way I did the first one is better, and I think is easier to follow than what Burda have (see pics in previous post).

I didn’t do my usual petite adjustment to the front, and find it tends to hitch up creating a fold across the top at armhole level. Next one will be fixed, as I’m definitely making more of these!

Burda 09-2010-121 Top

(Note: I have updated the pictures with more information for sewing the neck.)

Yesterday was an amazing day: I was home alone for 6 whole hours!! So, after getting the bread machine setup and the lentil soup in the slow cooker, I was able to sew without interruption. This was only possible by having a good friend pick up my little guy from his nursery school at lunch time. What a treat! Next week it’s my turn to look after her little guy and give her a whole day to herself! She’ll love it!!

This pattern is great, and as the other PR reviewers have said, it’s a terrific base piece! It’s simple and quick to sew up. I did just a few alterations on the arms: shortened them by 2 inches and widened the upper arm by 1 inch. The waist and hips were bang on; I made this in a size 38 as usual. Next time I may slope the shoulders down a bit to try to remove some wrinkling at the bottom of the armhole. The forearms could also do with a little more easing as it’s a bit snug; the fabric is a fine cotton/poly (I think) jersey but with no stretch fibre.

When I read the neck assembly instructions it seemed a bit convoluted! It occurred to me that this was essentially the same as the opening on some pillow cases that I’d made. This is how I did the neck, with pics below (it IS the same top, just different lighting conditions!):

 

 

 

After I did the neck I realized that there’s an even easier way! You don’t even need to do step 1 first, just sew the neck and side seams together in one go at step 4, and baste beforehand. Next top I make I’ll do it this way.

Update: It turns out that this way worked best, it gave the cleanest result. So don’t skip step 1!

Burda 05-2010-105 dress

I haven't posted in ages because I haven't been able to do any real sewing until last week! And I've just finished my first dress in years! It's a great dress; sews up really quickly, and it's very comfortable. I was going to use this fabric for something else, but when I saw the reviews on this pattern I knew this was the best.

The fabric is a fine cotton lycra jersey. I added a lining under the skirt, as one of the other reviewers suggested, and it turned out pretty well. I was a bit concerned that it might add some bulk around the waist, which I don't need! When I sewed the lining, I made it a bit narrower at the waist, and just stretched it when I sewed it to the garment.



I'm flying out with the boys to visit my sister and her family on Tuesday, and this dress will be so comfortable to wear on the plane. My mum lent me some nice shoes that are so comfortable and are great with this dress.