This is my latest sewing. Sorry it's so crumpled.. I've been out all day and also did some house jobs before thinking about photos. I had planned to take them while I was out, but of course I forgot my phone today so I used my real camera. I think they are better although the colours aren't perfect.
Finally something my $5 pink plastic watch matches!
I had shoes on but ditched them when I got home for my trusty Birkis! Introducing my overgrown garden made worse by the heavy rain last week.
The patterns are the Grain Field top from the current summer Ottobre 2/2015. Sue, from Quilt, Sew, Sew Sue has also made this recently and she has the line drawing there too, if you'd like to have a look. It's an easy pattern and made up in a couple of hours. The fabric is a remnant piece I bought from Spotlight in Adelaide when I was there in 2011. It was only about 80cm long and 120cm wide. I shortened the top length about 6 cm as Ottobre is made for a taller body than mine (but I can't remember exactly right now) and I made sure it was above where the top fanned out so not to lose the flare. I think it's a good length for me. Ottobre has made it up with an invisible zip but my pin head fits very easily with no neckline opening. I made a size 34 at the shoulders, going out to a 42 (?) at the sides from the bottom of the arm hole. Easy FBA! I took a small dart out of the back neckline as even the smallest neckline/shoulder measurements are way too big for my tiny back/shoulders. I should have taken some out of the front but as I didn't I gathered the front a tiny bit so it wouldn't gape. This worked fine. I made 1.5cm bias binding and sewed it to face the insides and this also worked well. I read a review (post sewing) that said the Ottobre measurements for the bias was too short but I just pieced it from 2 short pieces x 3 and cut off the excess. This is a stretch cotton sateen but I have seen a dress made online in Australia (forgot whose) which is the same print but a knit!
This is the Burda pattern for the pants. This was a generous gift along with many other patterns and many, many Top Kids pattern magazines. Judith from Made by J, who lives not too far away contacted me and asked if I would like the magazines and I said "Thanks". There were lots of patterns (maybe 20?) and many magazines. As I have a boy, I have only kept 3 of the magazines but I have passed them onto a friend with 4 children who she is keen to start sewing for... so gone to a very grateful home. Thanks Judith!
This is a super easy pattern, with a big box pleat on each side of the front and just one dart each side at the back. There is no waistband, just a facing and a lapped zip at the front. I could have put side pockets in but chose not to.. and I certainly didn't want those huge patch pockets either. I do kind of miss the side pockets though, but the fabric is a heavy pants weight cotton stretch sateen too (from East Coast Fabrics $2 per metre, thanks for that!) and I just thought it would be too much. I think I made a waist of size 38 and the hip size 46 by the measurements, but these are very voluminous in the leg and I ended up tapering them back to about a 40. They are unbelievably comfortable and I will make them again with some polka dot cotton/linen I recently bought.
Overall, I love this pairing. Initially, I thought that pink pants would be dreadful as I made them first but when I stumbled on this remnant for the top, after not finding some other fabric I wanted, I thought 'perfect'. This is a great coupling of patterns - easy and quick, and with different fabrics, would give different looks.
When I was placing the pattern on the fabric, it wasn't quite wide enough so I overlapped the fabric and placed the pieces so that the very wide bottom of the top would fit against the top part. Of course this worked only because this isn't a directional pattern.
I also have that batik '80's (or was it '70's) dress I made before this outfit, but it is in the ironing basket so I'll show that next.
Don't forget the fabric sale coming up (see last post) if you live locally. Thanks for reading.
Comments
I have a similar pattern to the trousers, and I also have some pink trouser-weight cotton-sateen from Spotlight, but not for $2m lucky you! I've just sewn it up in a TNT trouser pattern nothing like yours though :-D
I also saw on another blog which of course I can't remember whose, but she made the garment up from the cotton sateen, then wore it for half a day and refitted the wear-stretched result. She was happy with that :-) I haven't tried it though.
Makes up into nice dresses though. Maybe dresses just have less stretch-out from wear.