Dolman Sleeved Top

Rubbed off the pattern from an existing garment. Because it was essentially two pieces it was a fairly easy pattern to draft. The construction was a breeze except for the exposed zipper closure. 

I used a different method from the skirt exposed zipper closure I completed recently. Although the method for exposed zipper for the top is slightly trickier but it provides a neater finish in my opinion.

Basted the facing onto the top before hand stitching

I used a facing instead of bias binding and there's nothing more annoying then the facing flipping out as you wear it, so I stitched the facing down with tiny catch stitches.

Sleeve band detail

Reduced the seam allowance width to accommodate the curve of the dolman sleeve

The denim tencel fabric was lovely to work with. It's soft with a slightly heavy hand.  Needed only 1M of 60" width fabric.  Fabric is from Spotlight during their recent sales.

Study in Striped Knits

Coco Chanel (pic credit)

Knit striped shirts are really in a class of it's own. It's such a classic. It has stood the test of time and have become quite iconic when it comes to casual wear.  The cross over of the striped shirt aka Breton from utilitarian wear to fashion, from men to women's wear is attributed to Coco Chanel.

Jean Paul Gaultier (pic credit)

However, in recent modern times Jean Paul Gaultier has been associated with popularising this nautical casual white and blue striped shirt.  The Breton shirt is so ingrained in French society that it was one of the official garment for the French Navy.  There were specific attentions to details.  A Breton is 3/4 sleeve length and has 21 stripes to denote as many victories of Napoleon Bonaparte.  So much history.  Read more in WikiFashion.

And here's my humble interpretation.  Not to specifications of course.  Maybe one day I will endeavour to research even more and come up with a Breton that's historically correct.

I've wanted to sew this bateau neckline version for some time.  I saw a similar shirt at a store around Christmas time last year.  So I studied how it was constructed and it wasn't too difficult.  That's the good thing about sewing our own garments, we can replicate most designer looks or style lines without robbing a bank!  Not to say the top I saw was very pricey, it was more 'hey ... I can do that!'

This is my OCD playing up! LOL!!  I took insurance by pinning every stripe so as to match up the side seams.

And of course the result ALWAYS justifies the extra work put in :)

I find myself gravitating to stripes lately what with the pink Breton in my previous post over a week ago.  I've also bought some shirts from the store.  I know ... I broke the cardinal sewers' rule!  I assure you they were pretty reasonably priced and I've classified them under R&D.  All in the name of improving my sewing and learning certain details and style lines.  My threshold of workmanship and quality is very low with these store bought items as evident in this raglan sleeved shirt below :p

Pink The New Blue?

 

Seems like I'm having a pink phase at the moment.  I attribute this obsession temporary phenomenon to working on my Tilda House Tapestry blocks and those cutesy children's wear that I'm planning.  Not to worry ... boys will get that fair share in blues.  What can I say? ... I'm old fashioned.

Or maybe it's a stripe thing.  I don't know why but once in a while I like to kill myself matching striped side seams.  Therein lies the challenge.
 

Believe it or not, the pattern for this top is my all time favourite Scout Woven Tee.  A pattern that's meant for woven fabrics.  As I browse through the blogs I find there's been many successful versions of the Scout Tee sewn up in knit fabrics.  Needless to say I had to attempt it myself.  And I absolutely love it!

Ironically I did not need go down a size as the norm suggests when sewing with knit fabric using patterns meant for wovens.  That's a real bonus because I didn't need to trace up a smaller sized pattern.  I always cut and sew on separate days especially when cutting striped fabric and hoping to match them was rather tedious.

And here are some pink fabrics that I'll be working on for those Tilda blocks.  They sure look so pretty together.

So what's next on my sewing table?  Blues and whites ... do I hear a collective sigh of relief?!  LOL!!  I've got a Plaintain cut in a Breton like stripe and more thin striped knit in the horizon.
 

The Skirt

The skirt in my opinion is an entry level item to garment sewing.  I sewed quite a number of them in the early days.  It's pretty straight forward and the only 'difficult' component is applying the zip closure.  As always my preferred zip closure is the invisible zip.  The more you practice sewing invisible zips, the more you'll discover that it is easier to apply when compared to a centred or a lapped zipper.

Then there are other components that you might look into for eg. types of  pockets and lining.  There are no pockets for this skirt but it's fully lined.  It's a simple enough skirt with hand stitched hems and facing for a touch of couture.  You see, it's all in the details.

This skirt pattern was rubbed-off from an existing denim skirt.  Changes were made to the paper pattern accordingly as per request and then the subsequent process of cutting and sewing.

Let's Akita!

The Akita top pattern by Seamwork is a one piece pattern.  Something out of the ordinary.  It's an easy sew with stable fabrics such as cotton or linen but definitely more tedious when sewing with georgette chiffon.  It's part of my practice fabrics that I'd like to conquer this year.  I'm getting the hang of it ... slowly but surely.  I really like the turquoise / teal colours of the fabric and it's semi sheer quality.

The neckline is finished with satin bias binding

Bust darts for shaping

Side slits

It has some detailing as in bust darts for some shaping at the front bodice and side slits to accommodate the hips.   The neckline is finished with satin bias binding.   Side seams were serged and pressed open, while the hem has a clean double fold finish.  These details are great for stretching the skills of a new garment sewer.

I stay stitched the neckline to prevent it from distorting.  I thought this store bought blue satin bias binding blended with the fabric colour nicely.

The important consideration with this pattern is the fabric must be non directional for eg. a floral design with the flowers growing upwards.  With the Akita top pattern the flowers will end up  growing downwards on the back side.  However that can be easily rectified by incorporating a shoulder seam if need be.

I will be conducting a sewing class on how to sew the Akita top on 23rd January 2016 (Saturday) at Yee Button.  For more info please click my Facebook Event Akita.

Polyester Chiffon: The fabric from hell!

Onward my sewing journey, I am challenging myself to sew with non-behaving fabrics.  Notably chiffon, silk and satin.  I will always love cotton, linen and their blends. I've conquered knits, really there's nothing to it.  It's all in the mind.  But chiffon is REALLY a pain!  You have to have the patience of Mother Theresa.

Mid way, I felt like throwing the whole top away and call it quits.  But I wanted to show the fabric who's boss.  I had visions of a breezy sleeveless top, not so sheer, a check on my modesty.  The print and colour of this fabric is perfect for my skin tone.  It has a border print and is 60" wide.  So 1M is all you need and for RM5/M (Spotlight sale) it was a no brainer.  In fact many other chiffon pieces came back with me that day.  I figured that's an excellent price point to hone my chiffon sewing skills.

This sleeveless top is a a free pattern by Colette called Sorbetto.   I've made many tops from this pattern and all in cotton and linen, never in chiffon.  After many tribulations and plenty of perseverance, I now love the flowy silhouette and it looks quite slimming too.

Iron the fabric allowance towards the bias binding

Iron again and ensure that the bias binding is  not visible,  this is called favouring

The neckline and armhole are then top stitched

French seam treatment for the side seams

The walking foot is the workhorse of sewing with chiffon and even knits.  It helps immensely in ensuring the top and bottom fabrics move in tandem.  Another important notion is to use a fine sewing needle i.e. 70/09.  An 80/11 will just make large holes into the chiffon fabric.  Most importantly you'll need to have truckloads of patience, you'll get there ... eventually.

Shirt Dress - Custom

Pattern: Self drafted
Size:  As per sample
Details:

• Used the sample to draft the pattern
• Made the requested adjustments 

Back View

With the front faux sleeve and large front pockets untied

The original sleeveless shirt dress

Alabama Chanin Basic Top

Another basic T-Shirt completed.  This time with negative reverse applique and bugle beads running stitch.  Love the shimmer of the bugle beads.  Their 8mm Apple / Toho beads. Stitched with 2 strands of red Coats Dual Duty Plus.  Template Anna's Garden.

The neckline is stitched with Cretan stitch.  Cut this T-shirt from a larger sized one.

Love how the applique fabric naturally roll after washing