Tag: patterns

Regency dresses or summer tunics?

This is Vogue 8434, a pattern I added to my stash recently – partly because I was thinking about shirts for the summer, and partly because Vogue were having a sale.

In my giant fabric mountain I have nine metres of linen – three metres each of black, white and purple. I also have three metres each of matching cotton lawn. This was originally earmarked for making three lined Regency-ish dresses to wear on a three-day trip to London next month.

I’d been wondering what to wear underneath the Regency dresses (more bloomers? Long, loose trousers?) and then I remembered that I have these Gossypium yoga trousers in black, white and purple. The purple ones used to be pale pink, but I dyed them in the same wash as the purple cotton lawn, so now they’re a perfect match! I could make three of these tunics in linen… or in lawn… or in linen with floaty lawn sleeves…

Question is, which am I going to get more wear out of – three Regency-ish dresses, or three long linen tunics…?

(And more to the point, what shoes am I going to wear?!)

Regency Bodice

Regency Bodice

Remember me saying that I fancied making a Regency dress for the summer? Well, I went and grabbed myself a copy of Simplicity 4055, read a number of reviews online, and started sewing.

Normally in a Simplicity pattern I’d cut a size 18, but I’d read that this pattern came up large, and I knew I wasn’t going to be wearing umpteen layers of Regency underwear underneath it. So I checked the measurements, took a deep breath, and cut out a size 14. I made a muslin, and it fitted absolutely perfectly!

I have to say that this is the first pattern I’ve ever made that I haven’t had to alter in the bust, or at least think “oh well, I’ll just have to wear a padded bra”. I suspect this means that almost everybody else who makes this dress is going to need to make a full bust adjustment, or actually wear Regency stays underneath.

The bodice is made from three layers. The spotty mesh is basted to plain black poly-cotton, which are treated as a single layer. It’s then lined with another layer of the same poly-cotton. The sleeves are also underlined, with black dress net (crinoline). The spotty mesh is very light and floppy, and I knew that I wanted the sleeves to stand up by themselves. I also wanted to keep the translucent quality of the mesh, so the net seemed like the perfect solution. Structurally it’s worked really well, but the armscye seams are incredibly scratchy, despite being run through the overlocker. I think I might have to bind them with tape, to enclose the edges of the net completely.

Unfortunately I didn’t make a muslin of the sleeves, which have come out just a tiny bit too tight. I’ll be alright as long as I don’t want to go around waving my arms above my head, but next time I’ll make them slightly larger around the bicep.

I plan to make the skirt in plain black poly-cotton, overlaid with the spotty mesh again. The slight spanner in the works with that plan is that the spotty mesh is only a metre wide (40″), and the pattern uses the full width of 115cm (44″) fabric. I haven’t had a good look at the pattern pieces yet – I might be able to lose a little bit of width at the hem of the skirt. Alternatively I think I have enough of the mesh to put a seam at the centre back, and leave the the centre front hanging in two pieces. I’ll have to see.

I’m trying to make this dress completely from materials already stashed in my Shed, so now I’m hoping that I’ve got enough narrow lace to trim the mesh layer of the skirt. It also needs three buttons for the back of the bodice, but I don’t think I’m going to have any trouble finding three black buttons in here!

Regency Summer

Today I would like to both praise and curse my friend Rhona, for being an extremely bad influence.

At the beginning of July I’m going to London for a three-day weekend with friends. Being London, and being July, I expect it to be excruciatingly hot and stuffy. (It’ll probably rain now.) In order to try and stay as comfortable as possible in the heat, I’d bought two patterns for sundresses – a 50s-ish halter neck, and a gathered maxi dress. I have absolutely miles of cotton shirting (mostly vertical stripes in various shades of pink and purple), plus all the organic cottons, so I figured these would be ideal. Long and floaty, nice and cool, and I could make little bolero jackets to go over the top to avoid sunburn.

And then Rhona started talking about making a very lightweight Regency-style dress to wear on her summer holiday. And then there were links to patterns, and fabric. And now there’s a fabric-shopping trip planned, and I want a Regency-style dress too!

So I’m looking at Simplicity 4055, mostly because I have a card from my local fabric shop for a free Simplicity pattern. (Hoorah for free!) And then I started wondering about Regency underwear (as you do), and discovered that there used to be a matching underwear pattern, but it’s out of print. And then I discovered that both patterns are actually by Sense and Sensibility, and I can buy the matching underwear pattern after all.

And then I started thinking about layers, and asymmetric hems, and combining lovely organic fabrics with stuff that’s been languishing in my stash, and about the visual ridiculousness of wearing a Regency-style dress with a half-shaved head and Doc Martens… and that’s something I really want to do! So, when I start wandering about looking like a somewhat punk Jane Austen, you only have Rhona to blame.

Joolz’ velvet skirt

Joolz' velvet skirt

Despite my determination that I would no longer be sewing for anybody but myself, my friend Joolz managed to convince me that she really needed a new velvet skirt. It’s about three years since I last made one of these, and I didn’t really need very much convincing to make another.

These simple elasticated skirts go right back to where I started my first business. I made them in velvet, and in four layers of net. Until we started printing the Baby Horrors t-shirts (and Baby Cthulhu in particular), the skirts were the most popular items that I sold.

This one’s simply four tapering panels, elastic at the top, trimmed with lace at the hem. Inside the waistband is a tiny pocket for a hanky, which was a special request from Joolz.

Happy to oblige!

Young Designer – Mary Quant

Mary Quant - Butterick 5912

During the 1960s, the big pattern companies enlisted the help of the hottest young designers to bring the latest fashions to their catalogues. This is Butterick 5912, designed by Mary Quant, whose patterns were licensed by Butterick well into the 1970s. I have a sneaking suspicion that this design is about as old as me.

I’ve been on a mission to track down a copy of this pattern in a size that I could actually wear. Unfortunately it looks as though it was only manufactured up to a size 14. Sadly, because of the way clothing sizes have changed over the years, I haven’t got a hope of fitting into a 1970s size 14 dress pattern.

I suppose the thing to do now is to look for a modern pattern for a short princess-seamed dress, then re-draft the top so that I can add a collar. This one from New Look would probably do the trick.

Mind you, I should probably have a rummage through my own pattern collection first. There must be something suitable in there somewhere!

Incapable of following instructions

This is Burda 7808.
(Information now only available in German, since the English site has merged with Burda Style and all the patterns are gone. *sigh*)

I bought the pattern yesterday because the weather’s gone mad, and I’m going to need some kind of loose summer dress so that I don’t inadvertently boil inside my own skin. Now I’m thinking through all the changes I’m going to need to make to the pattern before I actually start cutting fabric to make the dress.

For a start, I didn’t realise that there was a zip in the side seam. That’ll have to go. And then I’ll have to make the dress a little bit wider under the arms, so that I’ll have enough room to get it on and off over my head.

I don’t much like the larger collar, so I’ll probably make the little stand-up collar on the version with sleeves. I also want to increase the width of the sleeve head, so that I can make gathers at the shoulder to match the gathers at the cuff.

If I do make the sleeveless version, I’m definitely changing the way that they’ve applied the bias binding to the sleeve edges. I think the instructions given will make them much too bulky.

Oh, and I also want to add gathers to the back, so that it matches the front. Then I’ll make the ties much longer, and have them coming from the front panel rather than the back. A little ruffle of broderie anglais trim at the hem probably wouldn’t hurt either.

All of which makes me wonder why on earth I bothered to buy a pattern in the first place!

Actually, my answer to that is because I find that having a ready-made pattern to start off with is much easier than trying to draft something from scratch. I can look at the picture, the shape of the pattern pieces and the instructions, decide what I do and don’t like, and then make my changes confident that all the bits will still fit together in the end.

I’m going to try and make a start on this over the weekend, so hopefully photos will follow soon.

Summer Outfit

New summer outfit (prototype)

This week’s been a pretty hot one, as far as weather goes in the UK. I’m sure most people are thrilled to bits (in fact I can hear them all outside, laughing and enjoying their barbecues in their gardens), but unfortunately for me, I’m really not very good at hot. I get sunstroke very easily, and just generally don’t cope very well with the heat.

All my usual work clothes are making me much too hot, and all my summer clothes aren’t really smart enough to wear for work. Everything in the shops appears to be made of polyester, which is not a nice fabric to wear in the heat, so I decided it was about time I stopped moaning and tried to figure out something I could make quickly and wear all summer.

I started with an idea for a loose kimono-sleeved jacket, although the prototype didn’t come out very well. More work needed on that one. So I moved on to a very loose, draped top. This will definitely work better in a softer fabric, like a linen or a lawn, but I think it works nicely with a belt. A bit martial-arts-looking all in white, but I think that effect would be reduced in a different fabric or a different colour.

New summer outfit (prototype)

The trousers are a simple wraparound style with a drawstring waist. They’re so cool and comfortable, and they were extremely easy to make. These would definitely be lovely in a nice soft, crinkly linen or a handwoven organic cotton.

I think if I can get the fabrics right, this would make an ideal “smart-casual” outfit for work.

Andrea Katz Objects

This afternoon I went and had a little look at the Vogue Patterns website, to see whether they had any patterns I could modify for a dress idea I was thinking about. Before I’d even got that far I discovered that the new season’s patterns have been released, and this is one of them.

It’s a jumpsuit by Andrea Katz, who has a few designs with Vogue at the moment. Andrea’s clothes are described as “Architectural Objects for the Body”, which is precisely what I love about them. The jumpsuit is originally from Andrea’s Spring/Summer 09 Collection, which also contains such beauties as this bustled coat and a draped dress with the most bonkers pockets I’ve ever seen.

I can imagine it in plain black linen, or the chocolate brown herringbone linen I’ve ben using lately, or maybe a lovely soft wool crepe. I can imagine it with knee socks and brogues, or tall Doc Martens and stripy sleeves.

I know perfectly well that people will probably point and laugh at me in the street if I make and wear this jumpsuit. The question is – do I care?

To be honest, probably not.

Although my husband has just kindly informed me that “it looks like a clown outfit. From the eighties.”

*sigh*

Vintage treasures.

Over the years I’ve collected and been given quite a few vintage clothing patterns – most of them from the 1950s. Unfortunately most of them were too small for me to actually sew and wear, and although I have an abiding love of 1950s clothing, I’m really not a 1950s shape.

It’s taken me a long time to psyche myself up for letting go of these, and it’s taken all afternoon to list them, but my vintage pattern collection is now on Ebay, looking for a good home.

I’ll be particularly sad to lose this one in particular. Quite apart from those amazing cuffs (which are detachable!), I think the picture looks like a perfect candidate for one of Erin’s pattern stories.

A new summer dress?

I can’t even begin to count how many patterns I’ve bought in search of the Perfect Dress. Some of them I’ve made and then hardly worn; others are in the process of being cleared out on Ebay, completely unused.

Having recently discovered that an empire line dress is apparently the most flattering style for me to wear, I’ve been looking at this pattern – Butterick 5317. I was thinking that it looked like a nice smart, grown-up dress that I could wear to work with a little jacket. Maybe I could make it in a fine linen, or a swingy crepe.

And then I looked at my fabric stash, and wondered how it would look with a pretty cupcake print, or a selection of sugar skulls. Not so smart and grown-up, but much more fun!