11th Day of Christmas - Work Clothes

Whooosh!  The New Year is off to a mixed start.  I needed to make a couple of pairs of work trousers - quite standard, I've made them before (two years ago in fact!) and am in need of some more.  I've adjusted the pattern a couple of times (it is a TNT McCalls 5239), I shaved off the edges last summer when I lost weight, and need to add it back on (sigh!)  So, I cut two pairs out - nice and simple elasticated waist, lined, side seam pockets etc.,

These are just plain black wool and I think that I've hemmed them a little long.  Grrrr.  You can see them bagging out as a result.  The hems are handsewn so I'll take a look at that during the week.  Shouldn't take too long.  Just grrrr!  The vest top is another Sorbetto with a gathered frill down the front (a la Tina Givens!) just for decoration.  Due to the colour, it will get worn a lot!

The coral coloured jacket is yet another McCalls 6169 and is made up in a rayon knit.  It is quite thin and floaty and will be perfect for work.  I think that it will work pretty well in Summer as well as it is so light.

Because black trousers are so boring, here is another look with a black cotton jersey McCalls 6169.  This is much heavier than the coral one above . . . . and beautifully shows off the white dogs hairs from young Nico.  I actually made this last December. I am wearing it with a lovely red scarf that makes me smile whenever I wear it!  Such a cheery colour.

The second pair are made from a black pinstripe wool/poly blend.  Maybe not so much on the wool actually, but the fabric is just delish - very soft and drapey.  The stripes are brown, bordered by skinny white stripes.

These are a much better length, but to my mind, the legs are rather baggy.  I probably should have gone back to the original pattern and altered that rather than the adjusted TNT.  They do look great from the back though and both pairs will be worn through the winter at work.

Whilst I was prancing about taking photos (Mr. SDSC was busying himself making a lovely late lunch - thanks honey!) I spied a wool, tartan (well, plaid) Patricia skirt by Tina Givens that I don't think I'd photographed previously.  I made this in December last year as well:

I love this skirt!

So, that's my start to the New Year - two pairs of trousers.  How about you?  How is your New Year shaping up?

TG - 1, 2, 3

So far, so good - I've made three pieces for my Lagenlook/Tina Givens SWAP.  And I am really please with how the pieces have turned out so far.  Unfortunately I've not had chance to model the pieces myself - so 'hangar shots' will have to suffice.

OK, here we go!  First of all we have Jaqueline, and this is the photo from the website:

Source

All these garments are from woven fabric, and I have made a pair of the trousers and two of the slips.  The first was in a white rayon and drapes beautifully.  Gosh, my photos look rather drab in comparison - I will need to learn to photograph like she does!

As you can see - pretty plain, nothing really to report.  I used my serger to complete a rolled hem and bound the neckline and armholes.  Those armholes are HUGE!  It is a good job that I will be layering this top as it verges on the indecent as far as the armholes are concerned!  I had to add two little darts to take in some of the excess fabric around the armhole - you can probably just see one in the photo above.

I sewed a small linen bias square on the centre back which will fray when washed - a little bit of whimsy!  And if I don't like it . . . . I'll just unpick it!

I then made another slip - after all, when I have been known to make just one iteration of a pattern?!  This time I used a gorgeous coral coloured linen.  I made a number of changes to the armhole and neckline (no armhole darts this time!) - I actually used my Sorbetto pattern which I had fitted many moons ago.  I did not include the bust dart or the centre pleat, and the fit is fabulous.  Really!

I have quite sloped shoulders, and as all the best sewing/fitting teachers will tell you - get the shoulders right and everything else will fall in place.  Well mostly.  But you get my drift!

And lastly - some trousers.  Ms. Givens appears to favour dropped crotch trousers, and I am not quite ready to embrace that as yet, so I used my TNT trousers pattern.  That dealt with the waist/crotch and I used the Jaqueline leg pattern for the pleats, binding etc.  I did shorten them a few inches so that they sit mid calf, rather than the designer ankle length, but will probably make a longer pair next time.  I used some tan ramie for these, and I am pleased with these as well.

I know, I know, hanger shots are not that inspiring, but I wanted to have a complete 'outfit' before taking 'person' shots, but also wanted to record my progress!  Next up with be the cropped top which is likely going to be based upon the jersey cardis that I have been making recently - Simplicity 2154.  I will shorten the top and then add a frill/peplum to get the 'feel' of the TG pattern.

I have to say that I am loving these garments.  They are pretty quick and easy to make, they fit well (when I sandwich them with my TNT's for shoulders, crotch curves etc) and the fabrics are gorgeous.

The next pattern on my list is the Phoebe:

Source

Closely followed by the Peplone:

 Source

And the Briare, which incidentally is a freebee pattern!

Source

I am having to be very careful with fabrics - I don't want to look like someone from Little House on the Prairie, so I have a lot of plain fabrics planned so far, and have swapped out a couple of the patterned fabrics I had as I think that they will look a bit too cutesy . . . . but that means I can use some of my more brighter and bolder fabrics.  Watch this space!

A word or two on these patterns, there is not much in the way of line art.  if you are interested, it is worth downloading the instructions (from the website, and free of charge) to get an idea of pattern pieces and style lines.  I think that they are are great starting point if you have some TNT's that will assist you with fit, like I have done.

Finally, I was pleased to see that Beverly Johnson, the Fairy Bra Mother, has a new Craftsy class - Sewing Bras Designer Techniques.  I managed to pick up my class for half price, and will be making some designer bras over the next few weeks.  Details to follow!

I think that I am getting a handle on my Spring sewing, and the SWAP - are you sewing into the new season?

Jean Jeanie

It was bound to happen.  I just can't make something once . . . . and my jeans pattern is now a firm TNT!

But let me take you back a few steps.  I made a pair of Ginger Jeans a week or so ago, and although I loved all the top-stitching and the actual 'putting together' of the jeans, there were a few fit problems.  Well, one major one really - the 'ole saggy butt'.  I do not have a pert tush to fill out jeans, and toddled off to my fabulous sewing teacher Janice for some advice.  There was the option of taking a huge horizontal pleat just under my butt, then dealing with all the other required alterations, or using my trousers TNT and moving on from there, so McCalls 5239, come on down!  I have used this pattern many times to make pull on, lined work trousers.  It fits well (thanks to Janice's fabulous pattern alterations) so what a great place to start.  It should be added that I tissue fitted the Ginger Jeans, and I could immediately see the problem - the pattern is clearly designed for a more hippy sistah with a well defined hip and waist.  Unlike myself with a more 'cylinder with dents' figure.

I used the Ginger pattern for the pockets, fly, yoke and general style, and my TNT for the rise and crotch.  My wearable muslin worked well - sorry, no pics as the fabric creases terribly and I have already worn them to work, so today I made up a pair (#3) in a dark navy denim.  This fabric is heavier than my first pair - and my machine can tell the difference - but they sewed up well.  I made a few changes (well, who wouldn't) and I am thrilled with his version.

Pockets - my wearable muslin had packet stays, and they were OK, but for pair #3 I used the Ginger pockets - I love how they are just one piece and fold over.  I did make three inches longer though - the original pattern piece is very small.

For topstiching I used regular thread in gold.  I think that it looks more subtle than the proper thread.  In fact I made a quick sample to test the differences:

I also changed the back pockets.  They were designed to have a straight side and a curved side, I redrew mine to be symmetrical and have two straight sides.

Waistband - I attached this in a totally different way.  I like to think that it is one that I have developed myself, but I suspect that it is a common way of doing it - just new to me!  My problem with waistbands is that I struggle to get a nice looking seam on the inside where the waistband and the trousers meet.  Like this:

So what I did with these was attach the outer denim waistband as usual, I then attached the waistband lining along the same seam.  Next was to sew the two short ends (right sides together).  I now have a raw edge for both the outer and the inner waistband along the top waist seam.  I pressed each piece down 1/2", and when I top and edge stitch, this raw edge was sewn closed.  I really like this finish and think it looks a lot smarter.

I do still have a problem with excess fabric in the upper thighs, and I will work on that.  I think it is getting better though.  This pic shows RTW cords, jeans #1, jeans #3:

It looks as though I will need to re-hem #3 as they were bunching up rather unattractively at the bottom, hence the 'turn ups' here!  I think I can do with taking out 1/2" horizontally from the yoke and it also looks as though I have one hip lower than the other.  But I think that has more to do with how I was standing.  I was kind of 'over' the photo session!

I also wanted to show you the guide that I use when sewing the fly.  When I took a class with Ron Collins last autumn, he recommended these guides, and I managed to pick them up on eBay really cheaply.  You can use them on the fabric and sew up against them, but I prefer to use them to chalk the sewing lines.  They come in different widths to accommodate various fly sizes.

And that has been it really.  I cut out another pair last night in a slightly lighter blue denim, and I now feel happy enough with the pattern to be able to sew these straight off the pattern (I do need to work on the pocket topstitching - have a signature design!), and I will be making some tops and cardis next weekend.  I feel that I am slowly getting a handle on my 'casual' wardrobe, and it feels good!

PS.  Still no outside photos - the weather had picked up nicely, then Friday night we had about 10" snow.  It looks lovely, but a pain to take photos in!

New Trousers (Cardis and Socks) for a New Year

Did you manage to get any sewing done over Christmas/New Year?  I was lucky enough to have a two week break from work (woohoo!) and got LOTS done.  I've already blogged about the Christmas sewing, waistcoats and Princess and the Pea (x6), so now it was back to sewing for ME!

I needed to make some more work trousers - I made some this time last year and they are now too big on me.  I like baggy as I like to be able to move, but I definitely needed to go down a size or two.  Fortunately my TNT pattern just needed an inch taken off the side seams and all was well.  I'm thinking thought that I will probably need to make further adjustments as the crotch curve is now bordering on being too large, but that is for another day!  My trousers are based on McCalls 5239.

One pair as made out of a lovely brushed wool (I made my father's waistcoat out of this fabric, and their was just enough in the off cuts to make one for Mr. SDSC - I'll share that once I have finished it!).

The second pair was made out of a woven cotton stripe (yep, Mr. SDSC's first waistcoat was made out of this fabric).  I am finding that the odd shaped leftovers that I have after cutting out trousers for myself tend to leave just enough fabric for a waistcoat, although an agreement has been made that a waistcoat (my father or Mr. SDSC) and trousers (me) made out of the same fabric are not to be worn at the same time - none of this matchy matchyness going on in this house!

Both pairs were lined with some apple green lining picked up in the bargain bin in my local fabric store.  They discount a lot of linings - so it is a matter of buying it when I see it, despite the colour!  I try and use Bemberg wherever possible, but this has a slight stretch to it and is almost a lightweight satin, so along with the cheery colour I couldn't resist.  I have a feeling it may be some kind of lingerie fabric - it is very soft and silky!

I also made a couple more pairs out of a light/medium weight wool suiting that was on sale for just $6/m.  I bought a lovely charcoal grey and black.  I did take pictures of these trousers, but to be fair - they just looked like black/dark grey trousers - hard to differentiate between them.  So here is a down and dirty montage!

I also completed a couple of cardis based upon Burda 8869. The first one was with some very loud pattern fabric that is made up of my colours:

Below I am wearing the brushed wool trousers that I mentioned above:

Lovely.  I put four brown snaps down the front, but this cardi looks much better opened.  The second one I didn't even bother with buttons or snaps - I like it as a 'slip on' casual long-line coverup:

I also finished off my first pair of socks for the year.

There is a story to this pair of socks, one I wish had never occurred, but a story nonetheless.  I started knitting them a month or so ago, had reached the stage where I was getting ready to to decrease for the toes, and tried them on to check for foot length. I have knit this pattern so often, that it is not necessary to try the socks on prior to this moment, but on this occasion, just 20 rows away from completion … . disaster! I had used a different cast on method and the sock was too tight. Sigh. After a trip to the frog pond, I cast on and started up again . . . . .

So, instead of being the last pair of 2014, the ended up being the first of 2015!

TNT Houndstooth Pants

My TNT pants pattern (based upon McCalls 5239), is probably the hardest working pattern is my arsenal!  I picked up some lovely brown/black houndstooth fabric (rayon/poly) in the sales and made up a lined pair for work. 

The houndstooth is so tiny, the fabric looks more like a tweedy brown.
 

I will probably wear them with this cardigan - smart enough for work!

My heels were sinking into the carpet . . . . !

The trousers are lined with some mid-grey Bemberg.  I like my linings to hang loose, and it makes them feel very luxurious!

What are your most popular TNT's?

5 for 5 - and Wearing My PJ's to Work!

Here we are on January 5th - back to work tomorrow, and I have now completed five garments!

I thought that I would use some of my time off work over Christmas/New Year to make a few items for work. I work in an office - business casual, but we can actually wear denim if we like as long as we have no meetings with members of the public on that day. However, having attended school where I had to wear uniform, then spending a number of years wearing Police uniform, I like the idea of having clothes in my wardrobe that are effectively a uniform. I really dislike fumbling around in the morning having to choose clothes to wear - I want them to mix and match, I want to be able to walk into my closet, and pick out two or three items that work together fabric/design/color wise. Easy!? Well, it is a work in progress!

To help this along, I have made two pairs of trousers (McCalls 5239, my TNT pants pattern) - fully lined, and two more ponte cardigans from McCalls 6168 . . . . to go with the other 5 that I have made!!  Here are some photos starting with the royal blue cardigan and the houndstooth trousers:

And my Christmas double chin . . . . !  I used silver colored metal buttons from my collection.  Over the last few years I have picked up some jars of buttons at auction and there were lots of buttons in the drawers of my Singer treadle machine when I bought that, so it is great to be able to use them.

 I am thrilled with how well these trousers hang from the back, well, certainly in the picture below!

Now the red cardigan with the same trousers:

It is very 'swishy'!  I love swishy!

I am suprised at how much bunching up of the fabric there is in the legs at the front of these trousers, but I suspect some of that is due to my appalling posture . . . .

And here are the second pair of trousers - a heavy but very drapey tweed fabric.  I love this, and have made a couple of skirts out of it already.  I managed to get another 5 metres in a recent sale.  Love it, love it, love it!  Look how well they hang!

Just love the way they hang!

Looking at the picture above, I wonder if I have one hip lower than the other and that is what causes the bunching on one leg.

And the pants look pretty fine with the blue cardi!

The black top, just peeking through the 'v' neck of the cardis is a a RTW tank that I bought about 3 years ago.  I have noticed that it appears on loads of my photos as a neutral top with various ensembles.  So, guess what I am going to be making next?  Yep, some plain, black tops, probably Sorbettos!  I know that I have some black linen, so that will do for 'starters!

Now, what is all the PJ talk about?  I hear you ask.  Well, would you believe that the pattern I use for the trousers (McCalls 5239), is also the same one that I have used for my PJ bottoms.  The only difference is that I take a 1" side seam to get rid of the bulk around my hips/waist.  I know that a lot of sewists really do not like 'pull on' pants/trousers - but as far as I am concerned, if they fit well, look good - who cares what the waistband treatment looks like! 

This posting is already really photo heavy, so I will show pics of the lining and hem finishes in a later post.  The lining is Bemberg rayon - sooooo silky, and it hangs loose - like a tradition lining rather than the trousers being underlined.  I will be interested to see how the lining wears.

My final garment that makes the 5th garment completed by the 5th of January will be featured during the week - I really don't think that you can take more photos!

So, how is your New Year sewing coming along?