Wearing the pants: True Bias Lander

Wearing the fabulous Lander pants- finally!  You might be thinking I am rather late to make the infamous, celebrated, honored, and lauded Lander pant by True Bias- and you would be correct.

The thing is, I am a bit biased to making dresses. I absolutely love making and wearing dresses.  And, truth be told, I don’t know if I ever had a pair of pants ready made or otherwise that were truly comfortable, flattering and well-fitting.  But that was before I made the Lander pants.

And here’s a bit of a dress-making back-story.  I grew up in a small town and I wore a uniform –a simple plain blue pinafore- to primary school every day.  Besides a few play outfits, I didn’t have many other clothes.  I dreamed of owning and wearing a closet full of dresses. Because there weren’t many ready-made dress choices in my little town and funding was an issue, I figured the best way to accomplish my dream was to learn to make dresses for myself.  So, I begged my Mom to teach me to sew.  She put me off until -left to my own devices at my grandma’s with a swath of fabric, scissors, and access to her ancient sewing machine one lazy Sunday- I made myself a dress.  When my Mom came to pick me up and I was decked out and proud in my completely self-drafted cobbled together hand-made dress- she finally agreed to teach me to sew.  And my dressmaking odyssey began.

So- back to these Landers. These pants might rival some of my favorite dresses and convert me to a lover of pants.  They are comfortable and the pattern is so flattering.  And they are pretty close to a perfect fit.   I did not make a muslin and I would only add a few fitting tweaks to the next pair.  These are probably my best fitting pants right now.

The pattern is well drafted and the instructions are clear and straightforward.  This pattern is definitely deserving of the praise and legions of followers.

Amazingly- I discovered the Lander sizing is very close to my measurements.  Extra bonus- this pattern is drafted for a 5’5” individual- just an inch taller than me.  And although a muslin is recommended- I felt so encouraged and emboldened by these similarities- I simply cut a size 6 and went for it.

I used the Lander fly zipper expansion- I like the clean look and don’t want to fiddle with buttons on the fly.  The zipper pattern and instructions were clear and easy to follow. I also eliminated the pockets- because I may be one of the few people out there who is ok without garment pockets and I am always looking to reduce midsection bulk- both front and back.

The Jetsetter Twill I purchased from Lakes Makerie turns out to be the pant fabric of my dreams.  This is such an awesome color and a perfect weight and smooth twill face.  The fabric has stretch-love that in pants- with great recovery- no bagging out.

The shirt is a mash-up: self-drafted somewhat including bits and pieces of various patterns.  It is not super successful so it doesn’t deserve a discussion except to note that the fabric is the best, lightest weight, silky cotton lawn- purchased from Mood Fabrics.. 

Feminine, flattering and French- Majestic Aime Comme Marie

Here I am dabbling in French style in the flattering and feminine Majestic from French pattern maker: Aime Comme Marie.  I am always on the lookout for a pretty and versatile top pattern, and I was inspired by the lovely Bee Made’s fabulous creations sewn from predominantly indie French pattern makers.  The only hindrance to ordering French patterns- and cultivating French style- when you live in the middle of the United States is the international shipping cost- ouch.

The Aime Comme Marie website indicates the printed pattern includes English instructions- but when the pattern arrived, I discovered that the English directions were very brief and a wee bit rough.  Thankfully, the line drawings included with the French instructions need no translation. I also found the top to be well drafted and it was straightforward to put together.

One other caution- I was a little disappointed that there was no mention that the pattern did not include seam allowances. The instructions didn’t discuss this- and even though it was somewhat evident from the pattern pieces- I did an internet check to confirm.  I know it isn’t a huge deal, and I get the flexibility - but adding seam allowances makes me a bit grouchy.

These are minor grumbles compared to the pay off for this pattern.  I am more than pleased with this flattering and stylish top.  Note the cute little scallop cut out at the hem. There are similar scallop cut out details at each sleeve hem. The fit of this pattern is fabulous for me.  I cut an extra small and graded to a small at the hip. 

The fabric is a delightful mid-weight Japanese cotton from Lakes Makerie- which perfect for this structured top. This fabric washes beautifully and -even though it’s cotton- it is wrinkle resistant. An excellent match for this stylish pattern.

Burnside Bibs: The third pair are mine

I never thought I would find myself sporting the fabulous Sew House Seven Burnside Bibs.  That is not because I didn’t think they were adorable with a clever, distinctive style.  In fact- I am such a fan, that I made two pairs to give as gifts.

I completed the first pair for a Christmas gift.  I was not tempted to succumb to the “one for her one for me” practice- even though I admired the pattern, clear directions and the end result.  They were very cute, went together easily, and looked so comfy.

This Spring, sewing bibs and jumpsuits was all the rage.  Seeing all the bibs and jumpsuits and overalls got me reminiscing about my overall love in college.  I owned a pair of forest green fine wale corduroy overalls and a pair of painter cloth overalls- I wore them constantly.  So what was holding me back?

Then, in April, I made another pair of the Burnside Bibs to give for a birthday present.  While sewing this pair, I started to fall in love. It was like the second date sealed the deal.  After completing the second pair of Burnside Bibs, I was smitten.  I decided I needed a pair of my own.

So- here is my THIRD make of Burnside Bibs- this time for me!  I made all three with the exact same material- a linen rayon blend that I believe is perfect- from Lakes Makerie.

I kept with the same winning linen rayon blend fabric because the drape is awesome.  This fabric has also proved to be wrinkle resistant and turning those straps was very doable.  A stiffer fabric would be a bit of a challenge.

I made the slimmer version with the invisible zip.  Did not need extra fabric in the back- there is plenty of room. 

Can we talk about ease?  With the clever straps, you can adjust the rise and waist fit.  Sold! Next pair, I make blindfolded!

A denim worker dress- Butterick 6655

Because May Day 2019 is both international workers’ day and an office work day for me, this past weekend, I made a denim worker dress.  Denim is a workhorse of a fabric and appropriate for the tough jobs.  We all know and love denim for many reasons: it is perfect in all seasons, washes and dries and ages to a beautiful patina, goes with almost everything, and it’s blue.  This particular denim has some stretch which gives it even more super powers in my book.  Denim fabric is easy to track down.  I found this fabric at Treadle Yard Goods

I snatched up this new Butterick pattern in a hurry during a pattern sale because of the appealing asymmetrical buttoning.  I didn’t realize it was actually a faux button-up- until I cut out the pattern!  Completely my fault for not reading the pattern description which clearly discloses this is a mock button front.

Button fake out!

And even though I was initially a bit disappointed by the mock button trick- I am super pleased with this pattern and results.

The fit was perfect.  Because this dress is a simple shape, I could do a quick comparison to my trusted dress (makeshift) sloper and determined this dress would fit well- and it does.

I made absolutely no changes to this pattern- which is unusual for me.

I envisioned sturdy brass worker buttons and after some hunting- tracked them down at JoAnn.

Liberty for Spring

Wow- it’s the middle of April, and we were assailed with another snowstorm! The only rational response to Thursday’s thunder blizzard was to sew a mood brightening dress in cheery Liberty print. 

I keep a modest amount of Liberty fabric on hand for similar emergencies.  I recently purchased this happy print from The Fabric Store during their Liberty sale.  I’ve made a fair amount of Liberty print button downs over the years- but an April snowstorm required a more significant floral response. 

This was a super quick project.  I used Simplicity 8295 with minimum hacking.  I added a back yoke facing- not called for in the pattern- but pretty essential in my book.  I simply cut two back yoke pieces instead of one.  To attach the yoke and facings, I follow excellent instructions from Grainline Studio with two options for yoke facings; the first is here and second option here.

The only real change I made was to shorten the front band which originally ended at the waistline.  I shortened the band to mid chest.

I cut a size 6 at the top- and the shoulders were plenty roomy.  I graded the waist and hips to a size 10 - all the better for biking! I also added 2 inches to the front and back hem length. 

Yes- that is snow behind the small green plants!