Literary Sewing Circle: Pattern Inspiration

It's the first check-in for our Summer Literary Sewing Circle. Have you got your hands on a copy of the book yet? Have you started in on it?

This week I am sharing some inspiration in the shape of ideas for patterns we could pull out of the story -- if anything has come to you so far or you have ideas of your own, please share in the comments! Also, feel free to share the Literary Sewing Circle with anyone you know who may be interested :)

First off, the whole tropical feel of the book and the vital role of the sea puts me in mind of these kind of makes:

The  Bombshell  or Sophie swimsuits by Closet Case Patterns

The Vintage Capri Sunsuit by Burdastyle - now that's a skirt Calamity could have used as a beach blanket without stripping down as well!

Hector's ocean based work might be better served by some full body swimwear like Jalie's whole family wetsuit patterns.

The opening scene of the novel is both dark and hilarious. It suggests an elegant black dress for these kind of formal, solemn occasions, such as the Olivia Wrap Dress by Named Patterns.

Or of course, undies with proper elastic in them so they won't fall down at inopportune times! Try the free Acacia undies by Megan Nielsen:

Or try Colette's free Madeleine Mini-Bloomers if you want really cute and snug!

The whole summertime vibe of the novel also suggests sundresses. Here are some that seem suitable:

The Cambie Dress by Sewaholic, a real classic. Here are a few of mine, for example.

My first Cambie

One of Gertie's sundresses from her Butterick line might fit the bill, for example, the 5882

Or the brand-new Fiona Sundress from Closet Case Files! 

If your style is more like Ifeoma's, you might like a bit more of a casual, loose fitting look.

Style Arc's Adeline Dress might be one that she would rock:

Tessuti's relaxed style might also be something Ifeoma could appreciate. I suggest the Lily Dress --

Or perhaps the Tessuti Eva Dress:

Whatever you choose, be sure to share what part of the book inspired your make, whether a character, a setting or even just a phrase. And if you post about your intentions please share a link in the comments!

Hope you're enjoying the book so far :)

Hits & Misses of 2017

Once again this year I'm joining on the Top Fives hosted by Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow. She's such a great inspiration in the sewing world, and this idea of hers is a great way to round off the year.

So here are my Top Five Hits and Misses for 2017. 

First off, my hits! Even though I didn't sew as much as I wanted to, I did end up with some wonderful pieces.

The "Cat's Away" McCalls 7534
I made this as a project for Fabricville and just love the fun print and the comfortable wearability of this dress. I've worn it a lot since making it!

"Lindeta" Hack

This was a real challenge which I took on during the Monthly Stitch's Indie Pattern Month. Using the Moneta bodice, the Lindy Petal skirt, and some fabric gifted to me by a friend's mom, I ended up with a dress that I just love.

McCalls 7597

Colourful, cheery, comfy - I've worn this a ton, and had it complimented by visiting authors when I wore it at our local literary festival :) Pretty good for a dress which made me think of Jane Austen...!

Tropical Cambie
My third version of a favourite -- this one made of some great thrifted fabric. I love the way this pattern fits.

Carnival Rose Dress (Simplicity 2927)

This dress turned out to be the perfect choice for my Literary Sewing Circle project, in so many ways! I haven't had too much of a chance to wear it yet as I finished it in late fall but I look forward to getting more wear out of it next year.

And my top 5 misses? I find it hard to choose these as they end up being mostly unfinished projects. But there are a few pieces I never really warmed to, through no fault of their own, poor things!

Red Simplicity 1919 skirt - I just haven't worn this. I think because I made it in a hurry, and because the fabric is quite stretchy, it just doesn't fit quite right. I can get away with it but it's not my most comfortable or favourite wear.

Butterick 6182 - I find this birdish dress sweet, adorable, and a bit too tentlike to feel 100% comfortable in. Maybe I just have to adjust to the silhouette but it doesn't feel quite like me at this point. 

New Look 6185 - I didn't wear this top a lot; I think the neckline is too big and shifts around annoyingly. It's not terrible but not the first thing I reach for in the summer.

KwikSew 3757 - This knit dress is comfy, fun but just not very flattering to me. I don't feel good in it. So haven't worn it very often at all!

Top Five Highlights

1. The Literary Sewing Circle -- I enjoyed starting this readalong/sewalong this fall -- and in related news, being a guest on the Clothes Making Mavens podcast to talk about the Literary Sewing Circle was also tons of fun!

2. My Mom's visit in May!

3. Winning a prize in the Monthly Stitch Indie Pattern Month contests for my Washi

4. Finishing my first little art quilt - which I haven't really written about yet but will

This is one corner of it....

5. And... Joining the planning committee for 2018's PatternReview Weekend which is going to be right here in lovely Stratford, Ontario next year! Hope to see you here!

Monthly Stitch Hack It Week: Floral 'Lindeta' Dress

This week at the Monthly Stitch, sewists are challenged to Hack a pattern -- whether that's changing up one pattern or combining a couple. I thought about this challenge, and looked through my fabric and pattern stash, finally deciding on this project.

I started with a pretty dark blue/pale blue/mauve floral knit that was given to me by a friend's Mom who was weeding out her own stash. It's a thin and stable knit, not overly stretchy, but enough so for a comfy fitted dress.

\Lightweight, as shown via the Petal Skirt crossover

I trialled a few ideas, and settled on this combination: an Itch to Stitch Lindy Petal Skirt, with cut-on pockets added, based on the Sewaholic Cambie dress, and a Colette Moneta bodice.  

The bodice was the most straightforward part: I cut my usual size but added a bit of width at the waist to compensate for the lower stretch of this fabric compared to my last Moneta. I also cut the neckline much higher and narrowed it slightly, to give a more retro feel to this make. I used the short sleeve version, and used a bias binding at the neck rather than facings.

Then I got to the skirt. I used the free Lindy Petal Skirt pattern from Itch to Stitch (my first make from this company, btw) and found it well-drafted and with solid instructions. It would have been quite straightforward but I decided to add on some cut-on pockets as I can barely stand to wear pocketless clothing. But I didn't want the pockets to interrupt the lines of the skirt, so cut-on it was.

I used the Cambie pocket design as my base, though I found that I had to reshape the pocket bag to fit this pattern -- only a few inches and different angles here and there. It's still not exactly right but fairly close to what I was going for -- a smooth pocket in this shaped skirt. On my first try, I cut an angle at the side seam on each piece to add the pockets, and only realized as I was putting the skirt front together that it meant that one pocket would be completely covered up under the seam - doh! So on the second try, I cut one layer of the skirt piece normally, and added the pockets to either side of the piece I wanted to go on top of the skirt. That means that on one side you sew through a few more layers than the other, but it works out if your fabric isn't too heavy.

The only real difficulty was with the waistband. I wanted to maintain the waistband of the skirt to give the dress some definition, but had to totally change the construction, as it's not a folded over elastic casing any longer. I basted in on to both skirt and bodice and then tried it on. I had to take about 1.5" out of the full width to make it balance & fit right, and then narrowed the side seams from 3/8" at the skirt edge to 6/8" at the bodice edge (seamed on an angle). This gave it the correct shape and made it fit both edges without any gathering or puckers. I also stitched it down permanently with some clear elastic in the skirt seam to give it some support and structure. I should have interfaced the waistband piece with some knit interfacing but didn't think of that until I was done.

I really like the look of this combination, and the fit is both close and yet comfortable. I am also considering making a detachable collar that I can add to this dress whenever I want to change up the look (something like this one)

I don't think I would have gone to all this effort if it wasn't for the Hack It challenge, so I really do appreciate the impetus to try something new! I really like this new dress.

All my photos were taken on a lovely evening at one of my favourite local churches, St James Anglican Church. I get to walk through this gorgeous garden-filled churchyard on my route to work, always a pleasure. This church has a 15 Bell Chime & gives chime concerts, and it also is the site of the *best* local rummage sale every spring, notorious for multiple rooms chock full of things, including a linens room where I've found many treasures over the years. They have some spectacular volunteer gardeners among their parishioners and I've always wanted to take photos there. I'm glad I finally did...and so are the mosquitoes!

Monthly Stitch: A Tropical Cambie

This month's Monthly Stitch theme is the long-awaited Indie Pattern Month. Unlike other months, this is also a competition of sorts, with prizes for each weekly theme.

Week One's theme is Dresses (posting til July 7, voting starting on July 11), which is in my direct wheelhouse over here.  I love making and wearing dresses. Love it. This gave me the incentive to make up my third Sewaholic Cambie (second which follows the pattern exactly).

I bought this tropical print cotton just a couple of months ago at a thrift store, and knew immediately that it would make a fabulous Cambie. It's a medium weight with a crisp finish, and it just called out for a sundress.

Love these cut-on pockets!

Back View

Since I was already planning to use this fabric for a Cambie, the Monthly Stitch theme gave me incentive to get moving on it. I cut it out on a Wednesday night, and was finishing up the hem on Sunday morning. Sometimes a group deadline is really helpful!

The busyness of the fabric was both blessing and curse. I had to lay out the pattern pieces carefully, and moved them around quite a bit before cutting, since I wanted to avoid a red flower or yellow stamen landing in the wrong spots. I think I managed in the end. You can see the print clearly in these closeups.

 It's a very well-designed dress, fully lined, with the nice suggested detail of making the inner waistband piece in the fashion fabric. I love that detail even if only you know it's there. It gives the inside such a nice feel. And there is a fabulous technique for sewing the lining to the invisible zip so that you don't have to hand stitch it, which I love as it is both quicker and tidier looking in the end.

 I also love the cut-on pockets -- they hide visually in a print, but are so convenient. They lie smoothly and don't rumple up like side seam pockets can. And they are also fairly easy to sew up.

 

 I made my regular size alterations: a horizontal wedge out of the mid-back and a vertical one at the shoulder, for my shorter upper back. I also shorten the shoulder pieces by 1/2" as I need to raise the bodice a bit, again, short upper torso. I'm also not a big fan of a princess neckline on myself so I once again changed this neckline to a straight one; I quite like the strong square effect it gives with this shoulder straps. The only other alteration I made was to add an inch to the length, as I wanted it a little longer than my previous make to give it the right vintage feel.

It's not only well designed theoretically, it's also comfortable for sitting in. Because the bodice and waist are so fitted I find it doesn't ride up when you sit down. But this fabric has just a tiny bit of stretch in it so it's also very easy to relax in.

 Another win for the Cambie. It's a great pattern that makes a lovely dress. I found that I had to make a bodice muslin the first time around and did have to make a number of minor adjustments, as I've noted. So I do recommend muslining this one. But because of the drafting with the pear-shaped figure in mind, I didn't have to make major adjustments like usual with a fitted style. I love this design and think it is a really sassy dress. Here's me feeling a little like Anna Wintour in it!