Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Late to the Party - Simplicity 2154 with a side of Ginger

If truth be told, I am not one of the cool cats, that jumps on a new pattern as soon as it is published, makes it up without delay, and then posts fabulous photos online to make everyone else drool over it with envy and longing.  In fact, I fall into the 'envy and longing' hanger on category and on a number of occasions, by the time I come to buy the pattern it is fast on it's way to becoming OOP.  Such was the case with Simplicity 2154, a retro suit pattern.  It was the cardi that I was interested in - I love cardies, and have made one or two in my time, so this last weekend I thought that I would have a play, using up some leftover lengths of fabric.

I give you pink:



And lilac:


And stripes (Oooh!  Looking a bit grumpy here - and this was the best pic out of the batch!):


And to finish off, a bright cheery one!  You may recognise the fabric from another cardi that I made a few weeks ago.



So, what can I tell you about this pattern?  I love it.  The only changes I made was to chop 2" off the length, and one inch off the shoulder length.  Other than that - this was a 'straight out the packet' sew for me.  I will probably play around with the sleeve and draft up another, slimmer fitting one that comes down to my wrist - this one is designed to be cropped a little higher.

The pattern comes together very easily - unfortunately I managed to loose the instructions, so I made it up in my own way.   The only issue was with the front facing - I had to search around a little to work out how to attach it and I am really pleased with the results.  All the seams are overlocked/serged, and then most of them are top-stitched in place.  I did have some fun with the facings and used some pretty ribbons:


Most are 7/8" or 1" with the exception of the blue ribbon which is 1.5" wide.  The cream facing is the only grosgrain - and I did wash them all first, so that there won't be any 'shrinking' surprises! I also used snaps on these cardis - The thought of so many teeny tiny buttonholes did not fill me with joy and happiness.  I am happy with my decision - the snaps work well with the casual vibe of these cardis.  Aaaaaaand, there are another four in the wings - just waiting for some more snaps to arrive to finish them off!  My Pattern Review can be found here.

Why yes, thanks for noticing, I am wearing more jeans in these photos!  I now have the blue stripes that I mentioned in the last post (see the pink cardi above), some plain black ones (patterned cardi above) with black top stitching, and some thinner blue/black jeans with purple topstitching (lilac cardi).  Here are a couple of close up that show the stitching and the gorgeous co-ordinated pockets, zips and waistbands.  First are the blue/black denim with purple stitching:




And here are the black ones - not sure what happened with the zip colour when I took the photo, but it does match, honest!


This last pic shows that I add a small piece of leather to act as a washer in between the waistband and the pin that gets hammered into the jeans button.  I use a small punch to make the hole in the fabric, and was concerned that the (cough, cough) stress on the waistband might pull the pin out, and this small piece of leather (cut from a bag of offcuts I picked up somewhere, very cheaply!) works perfectly!


So, what is next?  Well, I think that I need some lightweight tops to wear with my jeans, and under a cardi - they would be perfect for layering, and also on their own when (if) Spring arrives.  I have seen quite a few versions of the Gibson blouse, and the Sutton top, and have both of them downloaded and printed!  I also picked up some of this gorgeous fabric which will almost certainly end up as small pouch bags (like I used for the Princess and the Pea)!


How is you sewing coming along?  What plans are you working on?

11 comments :

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks - I find them so versatile, they will work well in the summer as well . . . . I hope! I plan on making some very cute summer dresses!

      Delete
  2. Impressive, so many great jeans and cardigans, they look wonderful on you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thanks! They have been fun to make, and it is good to learn some new techniques (fly zippers, grosgain placket etc) that I had previously shied (is that spelled correctly?) away from.

      Delete
  3. Great cardis and jeans. Particularly love that last cardi. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been totally inspired by your lovely tops & trouser combinations . . . . and I may have picked up a couple more lengths of fabric this week :)

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Thank-you, it was fun matching up the fabrics and trim!

      Delete
  5. I love the facings with the pops of color. THis is a new interest of mine and I get so excited when I have some pants that have a pretty facing. I always feel like it's a little better made if I see a pretty facing in there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are quite right - I often forget what fabric I used, and then as I am getting dressed I get to have a little snigger at myself :)

      Delete
  6. I am grateful for the many pictures of details with this review. I have dug out this pattern to finally make the cardigan. The notions list on the envelope calls for " 1/4" wide straight seam binding" and I did not know what it meant, and it seems to make no sense, given that the buttons are called for are 1/2". I see you used cute grosgrain ribbon and it looks wider than 1/4". Thank you again.

    ReplyDelete

Thank-you for taking the time out to leave a comment - it is much appreciated!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.