Fancy Pants

Sometimes I don't feel like I take enough advantage of being a sewer. Hear me out: while I sew every chance that I get, I don't always make things that look that different from ready-to-wear. Jeans are jeans, t-shirts are t-shirts, and, at the end of the day, most of what I sew isn't that unique. Sometimes I wonder, am I really getting the full utility out of making things myself?

But these pants. THESE PANTS. These pants you can't buy off the rack. These pants are weird, creative, and very different. And they make me glad I can sew and wear whatever the hell I can dream up. 

Pattern: Style Arc's Ebony Woven Pants

Fabric: 1 yd embroidered stretch velvet paired with 1 yd stretch suiting

Cost: $40

The inspiration for these pants came from Pinterest - it's a very unique design from the Chloe 2013 spring collection. In it, one leg is covered with 3D flowers while the other is a plain solid. I copied this design using an embroidered stretch velvet from Stone Mountain and a Robert Kauffman stretch suiting remnant from a jumpsuit. It's a great way to feature a more expensive fabric like the velvet because you only need half of what it would take to make a full pair of pants. And I love that Robert Kauffman stuff. It drapes like a dream. 

The pattern is a fun one, too. It's the Ebony Woven Pants from Style Arc, which have a cross-over feature at center front, kind of like Thai fisherman pants. I feel like this draped portion was really necessary to emphasize the embroidered velvet fabric and give it some extra treatment. See how it folds over the center front? I even appliqued an extra flower at center front to emphasize the design. 

I wasn't sure exactly how this pattern was going to fit since I had never made it before. Not wanting to make a muslin, I simply compared it to a pattern that I knew already fit me well: the Thread Theory Lazo Trousers. I sometimes need a knock-knee or crotch curve adjustment in Style Arc patterns, but the fit seemed pretty comparable so I plunged ahead. 

These pants have a flat-front elastic waistband, which also makes them easy to fit. While I normally grade out from my waist to my hips, I am aware that if you do this in an elastic-waisted pattern then you might not be able to get the pants over your hips. So, I cut my full hip size for the entire pants and planned to use smaller elastic to draw them in around the waist. This worked well. The pants aren't super snug at the waist, but this makes them quite comfortable. 

If you can decipher the brief Style Arc instructions they are quite quick to sew and only took me two evenings to put together. The only thing that I would change is I don't think the front crossover goes quite far enough, so I could see extending it to really emphasize the style. I also think the pleats on the under side (my left) look a little sloppy on most versions like they don't quite hang with the drape. You could probably eliminate them and still get the same fun look. 

Speaking of look, I didn't quite intend to go all sun flare artsy with these photos, but that's what you get when you're a one-woman-show shooting on a tripod. Yes, that cameraman husband of mine gave up on taking my pics ages ago. 

I am feeling quite fancy in my fancy pants. I plan to wear them out anywhere that I want to feel dressed up but also a bit artsy or quirky. They've already come with me to dinner and a concert and gotten compliments from my stylish friend, so I think I'm on track. The elastic waistband and roomy fit also make them perfect for eating large meals or dancing the night away. Could you ask for anything more out of your sewing skills? 

Perth Top and My Menswear Obsession

I have determined that this is the year I return to sewing things with interesting details. I'm a fairly standard size and I sometimes wonder, what's the point of making things yourself if you aren't getting something unique in the process?

Pattern: Carolyn and Cassie's Perth Dress and Blouse
Fabric: 1 1/2 yds rayon blend
Cost: $16.50

But before I tell you about this blouse, I have to tell you about the menswear top obsession that led me here. You see, for the past year or so I've been drooling over these crazy top-with-tie blouses. I wasn't sure for what occasion I'd wear them, but I loved the pattern magic of creating a tie from nothing at the front of a blouse.







Source: Pattern Magic Book 2, Moldes Edicas Moda, Visie Clothing, DP Studio

The original pattern pictured at left is from Pattern Magic Book 2, with the middle two shirts drafted from that or using a similar method. I love those middle ones because, unlike the one from the book, they don't use a seam line to create the tie. However, I never took the time to really work all that folding out for myself (though if you are so inclined you might be able to work out some instructions from this page or this one).

After staring at the first three designs for some time, I was really excited to find the DP Studio blouse on the right. With its collar and center pleat, it mimics the look of a tie without really being one. However, there are several aspects of the pattern that kept me from pulling the trigger. For one, I didn't like the gathering at the waist. And I wasn't sure about all those other pleats at the neckline. Or maybe I would like them?

Anyway, I stalled enough thinking about this design to finally come across the release of blogger Carloyn's Perth Dress and Top. After thinking about it for a few days, I went for it! It is much more simple than my inspiration pictures, but that also meant it would take less time and be much more wearable. Finally, I had my menswear top!

To make it as menswear and business-y as possible, I made this up in a white shirting. It is a rayon blend so it has a bit more drape than a standard shirt, and I think that works well for this design. Carolyn has mentioned that getting the drape right can be a big part of making this shirt.

I also lengthened just about everything on the blouse part. It is full length instead of cropped, and I hemmed the sleeves with a narrow hem so they are longer than drafted. The longer sleeves are a bit out of my norm, but I'm really loving the whole thing! It hangs nicely off the body and feels like it is the right size. Plus, look at that lovely shirt-style back.




I wore this out for the first time to facilitate a meeting with some company bigwigs and felt comfortable and myself the whole time. For me, it is just the right amount of detail to be interesting but not distracting in a semi-casual business setting like San Francisco.

Would you wear the Perth blouse to a meeting, or is it too out there?

Hanging Out on the Fire Escape with Granville

Pattern: Sewaholic's Granville Shirt
Fabric: 2 yds Pumpkin/Slate Cotton/Rayon/Tencil Gabardine from Hell Gate Fabrics
Cost: $15 after gift certificates and discounts

It's been a cold summer. I've rediscovered sweaters I haven't worn in years, turned on the heater at least once, and started in on my autumn sewing, apparently.

Not much to say here as this is my fifth Granville, but you can find the others here. I am still struggling with having over-tightened the sleeves and upper back (my second version fit perfectly!), and so I may need to substitute out another patten's sizing. I splurged on the paper version of this and cut it all up, and now I regret it. Can't beat that fit with the back princess seams, though. I am rather obsessed with this pattern, and hope to see good things continue to come out of Sewaholic after she's sold the company to a fabric store. Here's hoping!

The fabric for this one is lovely. I have had my eye on it ever since Sonja opened up Hell Gate Fabrics. It's pretty much my perfect fabric - fall colors, plaid, and super soft. When she had a sale several months ago I used a gift certificate and snapped it up.

Mr. Made and I caught some fleeting evening light at his office for these pics. Even with all the professional lighting he has inside, there's nothing better than that afternoon glow!

Every time I finish a button front shirt I swear I'm never making one again. And then I buy fabric and pin inspiration for five more. Next I want a sleeveless button down shirt dress. I even have the denim. Perhaps when the weather warms up in the fall? 

Alaska Wedding Dress

Pattern: Simplicity's Special Occasion Dresses #4070
Fabric: 2yds rayon poplin + rayon challis lining
Cost: $35

First off, thank you all for the comments from my jacket series. It was a wonderful learning process, and it got me thinking - wouldn't it be great if there were more patterns on the market that lead you through some of these more complicated steps?? While much of what Beth shared with me was good tips for sewing in general, there are definitely some steps that were crucial to making a nice jacket: how to sew a sleeve head, where to clip certain corners to get your collar to lie flat, etc. Yet none of the blazer patterns I've used in the past mention these things. I would love to see a pattern or a book-with-a-pattern out there that tackles more complicated garments with some of the same handholding that indie companies offer with their beginner patterns. Of course they'd probably have to charge a good sum of money for it, but taken like a class it would be well worth it! I don't know if there is actually a market for this or if this material really is better as a a class, but I would certainly put some money down for a step-by-step jacket pattern or other complicated garment. Have you followed any particularly good jacket patterns out there?

Anyway, all this jacket talk and I haven't even mentioned its companion, my new Simplicity 4070 dress. Unlike the jacket, this dress was much more simple to make, and the perfect completion to my wedding guest outfit. It's a classic princess seam shape that Simplicity uses as the basis for many of their formal wear patterns (at one point I counted nine patterns made from this block). I really wanted to use a princess seam pattern for this dress because they are classic, easy to fit, and work nicely for formal wear.

I bought this particular pattern in 2011, when I had only been sewing intensely for about a year. And, unfortunately, I ordered the wrong size - I clicked the larger size range instead of the smaller sized pattern by mistake. Now, I mention that I had only been sewing seriously for about a year because that was enough time to give me the idea that, 'hey! I could grade this pattern down!' without the knowledge that different size ranges are made using a completely different pattern block to account for the proportions (Colette did an interesting post on this before they started creating patterns in a wider size range).

So, 2011 Meg grabbed her felt-tipped pen and graded down a size or two to make up a simple woven dress. Looking at the blog picture now, I must admit that the results were actually not bad! It appears that there was a little extra room at some places in the bodice, but overall it was definitely wearable. So I hemmed and hawed about whether to use the pattern again and, after not finding another suitable pattern in my stash, I decided I should at least make up a muslin of the bodice to test the fit. And you know what? The fit was actually really good! Perhaps the two size ranges weren't that different after all, or 2011 Meg actually knew what she was doing, but I was very pleased with the test fit. So much so, in fact, that I plan on actually finishing that muslin to make a crop top. But that is for another time...

This dress was sewn up in a rayon poplin from Fabric.com, chosen because it resembled this beauty from Pinterest. I thought the flowers would be great for a summer wedding, and the dark colors both suit me and the moody atmosphere of an evening wedding in Alaska. Apparently I was not the only one with that idea because at least two other friends showed up in floral-on-black dresses, too. But at least when you make your own no one can show up wearing the exact same dress!

After making my jacket, the construction of this was a breeze. Once I verified the fit, I sharpened my scissors and jumped right in. I tried to use as many of the techniques Beth had taught me, especially around the basics like cutting carefully and paying close attention to the notches and seam allowances. To keep the poplin fabric and challis lining under control, I used spray starch for the first time, which did help. I thought the starch would make the fabric super stiff, but in reality it just gave a bit more body to the light fabric which helped keep the grain straight when I cut and sewed.

To showcase the beautiful fabric, I took pains to pattern match across the princess seams and back. It is, of course, impossible to get a perfect match on princess seams, but by cutting with care I avoided breaking up the print too much. And my favorite part is the back slit along the neck, which gives a nice touch while still being conservative enough for a church wedding (or at least for this wedding).

I also attached a strip of fabric as a "belt" to help give some waist definition. The pattern actually has this in many of its views, but I just "drafted" my own after the fact when I tried the dress on. I think the dark fabric there helped break up the pattern a bit and accentuate my mid section.

To finish, I followed the pattern and lined the bodice and skirt separately and then attached the skirt-and-lining to the top-and-lining with a single seam. It's not as elegant as constructing the entire lining and bodice separately, but it does help keep everything in place at the waist. Unfortunately this is not so great for creating a clean back zipper, so I ended up unpicking a bit of the waist seam so I could enclose the zipper between the shell and the lining by hand. While I almost never hand sew, I didn't mind stitching the lining to the zipper in while watching a bit of the Warriors basketball championship games. Go Warriors! Go hand sewing!

For the hem, I kept it long and cheated a bit with the hemming by cutting the lining shorter and sewing it to the dress right sides together before attaching the skirt to the bodice. This was a bit of a pain because the challis lining was a bit shifty, but it gave a nice invisible hem without all the trouble, and if you cut carefully you can get a nice, even hem.

Overall, I am very pleased with this dress. It is very comfy as long as you don't eat too much wedding cake, seems to fit great, and could be worn for a number of occasions. Win win win!