So50visible challenge

When I recently dove headfirst into the online community of sewists, I expected to find inspiration to nourish my creative side.  What I didn’t expect is that I would also have an opportunity to be an activist. So, I was surprised and thrilled when I discovered Sewover50 and their Sew50visible challenge specifically aimed at raising awareness and calling for pattern makers to include older models on pattern covers and in other marketing for the pattern.

Here is the deal for this challenge: you have to submit a new or recent make of a pattern that features an older model in the styling.

No need to ask twice for me to be completely on board with this. 

I started searching for patterns with older models.  Unsurprisingly, it took effort, and the choices were slim. The bright side of this search is that I discovered several independent pattern designers that were new to me.  Among the options that qualified, I found the fabulous Romero pant pattern by Pauline Alice.  BINGO!  I have been meaning to try a wider leg pant and now I had a reason to do it.

First, some praise for the pattern. I love, love, love the clever button/pocket closure construction scheme for these pants. Romero is closed by buttons on the sides and waistband. You will be happy to learn the pockets are fully functional, and I really appreciate the clean finish with French seams. 

I obtained the PDF download and the pattern and instructions were crystal clear.  I also appreciate the great video instructions at the Pauline Alice website- no need to speak French.  I did add my own modification/suggestion to this construction scheme.  I put the second waistband button on the inside of the waistband to reduce overall buttons showing on the front.

It has been a minute since I made a pair of fitted pants.  I foolishly sewed these up (quickly) going by my waist measurement only.  In the end the waist fit was fine- but too tight elsewhere.  I didn’t want to remake the pocket construction- and I didn’t have enough fabric on hand to recut the front, so I took out the back, and recut the whole back pattern piece with a full-butt adjustment- or in gentler terms- adjustment for a naturally round derriere!  I follow these fabulous instructions from Colette when modifying a pant pattern.  And now though they are not perfect, they are a pretty good fit.  Next time, I will go up a size also.  I used a light-weight denim with a bit of stretch from my stash. In the end, it is a satisfying fit story. 

One word of caution for this pattern- I am 5’4” and usually never have to worry about length, but these pants are short.  There was very little length for a hem- I had to use some wide hem tape in order to get a one inch hem at this length.

Sweatshirt in Liberty of London fabric

I am a huge fan of Liberty of London fabric.  Choosing a print can be tricky- but choosing a pattern from Liberty of London is easy.  Every Liberty print is fabulous- you can’t make a mistake.  So when I saw that there was a Liberty print available in a cozy fleece from the absolutely charming Guthrie Ghani Fabric Shop- I couldn’t resist.  What could be better than an everyday sweatshirt in an extraordinary print? I ordered the Liberty Ruby Templar A Linford Fleece Backed Cotton Sweatshirt Fabric and I am glad I did because it wasn’t around for long! You can find Liberty of London sweatshirt material here.

Ordering from this lovely fabric shop was a snap- the yardage arrived surprisingly swiftly- and included a friendly note from staff. 

The fabric was even better in real life. The print and colors are amazing and the material is super soft and cozy!! You can glimpse the softness on the back face of the fabric and some hand sewing on rolled neck in progress.

The most difficult decision for this project was choosing a sweatshirt pattern.  I absolutely couldn’t decide, so oops- I made two (I promise to pass one of these off). When a project is simple- it is difficult to stop at one.

Here’s the version that I made from the trusty Grainline Linden.  This particular Liberty fleece fabric has practically no stretch- minor inconvenience. Happily, the Linden is roomy, so no worries. Because of the lack of stretch and the posh patterning, i decided to eliminate the sleeve cuffs and banded hem. My model is very similar to Lauren’s - adorable owner of Guthrie and Ghani.

For the second, I used this Simplicity pattern which is a bit more refined (boring?).  The lack of stretch in this model was more challenging- wish I had a smaller head. 

Now that they are both finished I still can’t decide which model I prefer.

 But I know I love the print!

Shift Shape

This dress is a real workhorse. It couldn’t be more useful or easy.  It is a one and done outfit and it will work for all seasons. 

Let’s talk about the style first- I am a longtime fan of the shift dress.  It is well documented that a shift dress is pretty much timeless, ageless and universally flattering. But don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this style. A good shift takes thought and effort. The best shifts have shape and fit well.

For this shift dress I started with my well-worn Simplicity 2584 Cynthia Rowley pattern-regrettably now discontinued. There are so many shift dress patterns out there- but don’t be sidetracked by the sleeves or necklines. Find the cut that works best for your body and then you can swap out necklines and sleeves easily. This particular pattern is drafted with a narrow and subtly fitted back and slight A-line. The narrowed and curvy back gives the dress a nice shape.

As much as I love this pattern, the dart placement is not optimal for me- so I have to fiddle with that. My short-cut, simple pattern hacking fix is to use a bodice front pattern piece from another pattern with a better fitting dart placement. I simply line up the waist line and shoulders and draw in a new dart. You will also note that I fiddled with the neckline - omitted the slit and opted for a plain jewel neck- and I modified the sleeves a bit.

A useful dress for taking care of business!

Now let’s talk about the fabric: I used a nearly perfect cotton that I purchased from Mood Fabrics with a little bit of elastane for stretch.  I absolutely love this type of cotton stretch fabric because it has great body, it isn’t clingy, it doesn’t wrinkle and it moves with you!

This particular fabric is unavailable- but there are so many stretch cotton woven fabrics to choose from here.

Extra bonus- these black and white checks will work in every season- just add (or subtract) tights.

Pattern love

This post is devoted to one of my best loved, most often used patterns. 

I LOVE this Vogue apron pattern.  This is what I am wearing today - while making special dinner at home for my Valentine - and what I wear whenever I need to be fancy in the kitchen.

At first glance, this may look like a superfluous pattern- done up in silk organza on the pattern illustration.  But don’t be fooled- this pattern is a workhorse. The pattern has great curved seam finishes and a nice shape and -well- it fits everyone perfectly! How great is that?!  This is a pattern I do not fiddle with and cannot improve upon.  I have made this apron countless times. While I typically make it in cotton or linen, I have actually made it in silk twice- as shown above and below.  I have made several of these aprons for the family and others to give as gifts.

Apron GLAMOUR!

For a recent bridal shower and a few very special parties, I made up three or more of these aprons for daughters and helpers to wear in a fabric to match the party theme/décor- yes, I am that kind of person.  And because middle daughter has genius silk screening skills, we silk screened youngest daughter’s image on this apron -made up in gingham- for her high school graduation party.  Don’t look closely at the seam work- you know I was making this in a hurry.

Burda in a bold hue

i freely admit that I like Valentine’s day.  While Valentine’s Day has it’s detractors, I proudly stand behind a holiday that promotes love -and conversation hearts.  February can be dark and cold- and the holiday is a welcome distraction.  When my kids were young, we celebrated this holiday big time. We always made handmade Valentine’s day cards for school exchanges.  I routinely made some sort of heart themed (or pink) gift for them: felt hearts appliqued on t-shirts, heart trimmed pillow cases, heart wristbands- you catch my drift. 

Now, the kids are older and a little less into pink and equally less into hearts on their belongings.  I have come to terms with the fact that they celebrate this holiday in more subtle ways.  But that won’t stop me from wearing pink this week.

This top is actually made up with leftover fabric from my youngest daughter’s dress project. This very berry pink cotton pique is from the marvelous Treadle Yard Goods. 

The pattern is Burda 6914, and in my true fiddling style- I changed the sleeve a tiny bit and eliminated the slits on the hem.