Tag: corduroy

Simplicity 3968 – Toile

This is Simplicity 3968, a pinafore (jumper) dress pattern from 1952. You may guess that I bought it solely because of the hilariously large pockets, and of course you’d be absolutely right!

I plan to wear it for work, over the top of my smart TM Lewin shirts. I needed the fit to be right, so I pulled out some plain polycotton fabric and made a test version. The added complication was that this pattern doesn’t actually exist in a size that’s quite big enough for me (a 1952 size 18 being significantly smaller than a modern one), so I had to make some alterations as I was going along.

Simplicity 3968 - toile

I’m very pleased to say that it’s come out really well! All the pieces fitted back together once I’d finished fiddling about with them, which is always a good start. The main change I need to make is to balance the front of the bodice, between the darts, so that the waist seam sits flat instead of curving upwards. The next challenge will come when I have to put in the zip at the side. The skirt panels are on the bias at the side seams, so there’s potential for it all pulling out of shape and going horribly wrong. I think a little bit of seam binding at that point, or perhaps a small facing, might help everything to stay in place.

Now I just need to decide on the perfect fabric. I have a few lightweight options in the stash, but nothing heavier. I know it’s supposed to be nearly summer, but somehow this lovely Harris Tweed from Merchant & Mills, or an organic cotton corduroy, seem much more appropriate than a shirt weight cotton right now.

Corduroy and Velvet

Corduroy and velvet

This weekend I’ve been sewing the waistcoat to go with the Dorset buttons I made last Sunday. The pattern is McCalls 8285, and the fabric is a sage green cotton velvet. It’s almost finished – I just need to make the buttonholes, and sew a little silver buckle onto one of the straps at the back.

The trousers I actually made a few weeks ago. I didn’t photograph them because as soon as they were finished I put them on, and I’ve been wearing them (or washing them) ever since! They’re another pair of Vogue 1034, this time in black needlecord with a bit of a stretch to it. The pockets and waistband are lined with the remnants of the Sea of Holes fabric – just so I could feel amused by having pockets full of holes. (Yes yes, groan, I know.)

The trouble with wearing both cord and velvet is that they both act a bit like velcro when it comes to fluff. The cords accidentally went through the washing machine with a stray tissue which left them all white and fuzzy, and now they’re covered in green dandruff from cutting the velvet.

This outfit is two-thirds of what I’ll be wearing when I go out playing the recorder with the clog dancers. I now have just less than three weeks to either make or buy a shirt with long sleeves and no collar. I’ve got miles of white polycotton that’s suitable for shirting, and two patterns that would be fine. One is Folkwear 117 that I’ve made before, and the other is McCalls 5976. It just remains to be seen whether I’ll have time to make one of them, or whether I’ll need to dash down to the shops. Thankfully pintucked shirts seem to be in fashion at the moment, so hopefully I won’t have too much trouble finding one that’s suitable.

Three weeks until my first recorder-playing performance in about eighteen years. Gosh.

Completed Cloches.

Two completed cloches

The black corduroy cloche that I showed you the other day has now been livened up by a lime green bias tape band.

The red cloche is made from two layers of polar fleece. There’s also a black bias band on the inside, making it fully reversible. My brief for this one was to make it bright red, and soft enough to fold up.

The brim of the red hat is made from two layers of fleece and a layer of craft weight non-woven interfacing. For some reason my sewing machine wasn’t too happy about sewing through the fleece and interfacing combination. I had to try several different needles before I stopped getting lots of skipped stitches.

I’m really pleased with how the finished hat’s turned out though, and I think it will be lovely and cozy to wear. I might make another one for myself.

Corduroy cloche

Cord & fleece cloche

This is my second cloche hat, with a symmetrical brim this time.
(You’re looking at the side of the hat – front at the left of the photo.)

It’s made from heavy black cord, and lined with black polar fleece. This hat’s going on a honeymoon to Iceland in a few weeks, so it should be the perfect thing for keeping Clare’s ears nice and warm!