Knit and Sewn Outfit

 

Well, we have a goody today!

A project I am really proud I made and I know it is going to have a lot of wear. Let me explain the creative process.

The main inspiration for the top is Kim Hargreaves book, Heartfelt: The Dark House Collection. I bought the book online for a project a friend found for me, and this is the 2nd project I made (see the 1st one) from it, and it is not going to be the last. Designs are gorgeous and totally my cup of tea, and patterns are perfect and really fun to make. 

The yarn recommended is some outstocked bamboo, but I decided to adapt it to this beautiful organic cotton by Katia. I had made another project with it, and it had the perfect feel, thickness and colour. This shade of beige can be tricky, and I wanted it to be natural and antique... it's perfect. 

It took quite a while for me to knit it, I started in June and finished at the end of the year, when it was too cold to wear it (typical). 

After some trials with different needles, I adjusted the pattern to my gauge and started knitting. When I got 20 cm from the bottom up, I realized it was too narrow, and I had to undo it and start over, but it was completely worth it, as it always is, because now it is just perfect. See the project at Raverly. 

I had this skirt in mind for quite a long time now. The inspiration is the Gabriola pattern. I love to be able to copy commercial patterns by adapting my own. In this case, I used the long A skirt pattern. I took the upper part and draw some lines with a ruler in the pattern paper, creating these three top pieces (front and back), and the remaining long bottom piece. The final result is quite good, but I had to make lots of undoing and redoing because there were some weird wrinkles over my bottom, which I finally took rid of. They were probably caused by imprecision, aka, I had not marked the fabric, as I always do, with tailor tucks. Seam allowances were so sparse, no sense in doing so.  Another problem was fabric scarcity. I cut the pieces too tight and that gave me no room to manoeuvrer, so I ended up with a tight skirt. Anyway, it does not flatter my protrudent tummy area, so I am wearing it covered. But now I have the doubt of how it would be if it were looser. I will experiment more with those Gabriola pieces, cutting them a couple of cms wider at the sides. 

Well, the final outfit is gorgeous, don't you think?

Organic Thick Interlock Dress

Wonderful new interlock I've found at Ecological Textiles. 

Touch, hang, low wrinkling, shade of black, the matte finish, stability, everything is perfect with this fabric. 

I plan several pieces in it, so great!

I though this BurdaStyle magazine pattern (January/21) would be nice in it, and I am really glad about the result. This is a dress I will wear and wear. Comfortable, classy and sporty at the same time, warm and breathable... well, it has all the right ticks.

 

The construction had some thrill in the neck area. The instructions of the pattern (we all know Burda for their meagerness) suggest that I left row seam allowances around it. I wanted to encase it all in itself and after some jig jawing, I managed a neat result I am very proud of. 

As always, sleeves are almost perfect with Burda patterns. I had only to sew them 2 cm inwards the upper armscye seam. 

I am also proud of by wooden buttons. I bought them in a big box, two sizes, and they are awesome, I use them all the time. And they read MADE WITH LOVE, engraved in the wood, which is lovely. 

It is a pitty how bad black fabric gets on camera, the details of the neck are perfect. A perfect pattern for a perfect fabric. 

Dark Blue Organic Jersey Top

This is a failed attempt to combine with my previous linen-wool pants.

The pattern is from Burda, and it was OK, but I had to take off a total of 8 cm of ease, and it is not thight enough to wear inside my wide pants. 

I changed the neck binding though, and used the same pattern I had used in my last jacket. 

The top in itself looks good on me, though, and I will wear it with jeans. 

Linen - Wool Trouser Suit

 There is a web in the Netherlands that sells ecological textiles, and I love it. I had to buy some interlock and as I reviewed all the new textiles they have (to make the best profit of the shipping costs, my good conscience said) I saw this beautiful pied de popule in a linen and wool blend. I have been looking for a blue "Channel" jacket wool fabric for some time now, because I own one that is OK, but the fabric is polyester, and it does not feel right. (I am mad, it seems). So I thought this was the perfect option. 

And then the parcel arrived.

The pied de popule was 10 times smaller than I imagined and the fabric 4 times thinner. Boomer. 

After swearing to myself I would never buy  fabric online again (hahaha), I started to think what to do with this beautiful fabric. I had bought 2 metres because they do not sell halves, so I decided to go for a trouser suit. 

I saw the pattern of the jacket in a BurdaStyle magazine in my local library (which is on wheels and fantastic, by the way). It was perfect for this thin wool-linen mix, had three-quarter sleeves, which meant fabric savvy. The pattern is really beautiful, and it has proved so in sewing and wearing it. Burda never disappoints, their patterns are great, specially sleeve caps. 

The pattern for the trousers came also in BurdaStyle magazine. It was wide trousers, but I took 8 cm off in the first fitting, goodness, they were enormous!!! 

So, this pattern for the trousers did not please me very much... I have yet to find the perfect pattern for wide trousers, and I am starting to suspect it might not even exist... because of my body type. But I have not desisted yet! I am planing on some wool crepe wide pants, we will see... 

Denim Three Quarter Sleeves Mini Dress

 Well, to be honest, this is a disillusionment, in more than one sense. 

First, I bought the fabric online last year, from the UK. I can't remember the exact shop, it could be Stone Fabrics, but I am not sure... I have looked their website now (and some others) and it is not there any more. I remember it was Robert Kaufman's, and I also can recall the disappointment in the colour of it. If I can get the right colour with my S10 phone, how come they cannot get the right colour in their pictures??? I was looking fore something paler, closer to classical medium coloured denim. The good part is the fabric is still beautiful, in spite of the too flashy blue, because of the sewn in white dots. Well, that for the first disappointment. 

But there are more. 

I saw this pattern in a BurdaStyle magazine, held by my local bibliobus (which I totally adore). I am eternally looking for the perfect gathered-at-the-waist dress. Not found it yet, I am always trying a new one and having to do major adjustments. This particular one was thought for viscose, so the 1st fitting was hilarious (in the opposite sense). To the button stand and opening at the front starting point modification, I had to lower the waist 4 cm all around, and take A LOT of fabric off the skirt. The only good news is that sleeves were perfect, and the open front and v-neck were too. 

But then I cut too much fabric off, and I had almost not fabric to gather. I almost flunked it to the bin! It was a complete failure, it looked like a sack, and not in the good sense. 

Luckily, I had the brilliant idea of tightening the upper bodice 8 cm in total at the waist, and this gave some more figure and some more skirt gather! Few!

I finished the dress in cold weather, and I could only wear it once. The pictures were taken after working in it all day and sitting in a bar some more. It wrinkles in an ugly way, is the last of my disappointments. So, I do not know it this will get much wear or not, we will see. 

Update: who'd know this would end up being one of my favourite dresses? I love it! I feel great wearing it, it combines wonderfully with my grey wool jacket and I'd make it again with some spotted corduroy I've seen online, if I hadn't thrown the pattern away after so many major changes. So, great dress, still looking for this pattern.

Liberty Summer Halter Jumpsuit

 Well, I fell again!

I saw this Liberty fabric online, and I started to have fantasies in my head about a sleeveless jumpsuit, just perfect for this wonderful parsley. 

I looked throughout all my pattern magazines, I remembered one jumpsuit I made 25 years ago, haha... but I could not find it, because I am no keeper, and one day I threw all my old pattern magazines away, keeping only the best and most modern ones. No regrets!

I went online and finally found the perfect pattern in BurdaStyle online. It is a pity you cannot see the number in which it was published until you buy the pattern... I could have found the issue in my library... any ways, it was quite cheap, €5.... but i had to print it, assemble it, and then trace it. I prefer to just trace it, but this was the only way.

It was wonderful to sew with Liberty cotton, as usual, and I enjoyed the make quite a lot. The only necessary modification was the width of the pants, I took 2 cm off the outer and inner seams, a total of 8 cm by leg! Now I think it is the perfect width. Burda is always a sure bet. 

It is a lovely make, very comfortable for really hot weather, but I have to have a nice tanned back to wear it, so better for middle or late summer. Being a tight jumpsuit, it is quite forgiving of my inverted waistline or my tummy. And it has pockets!

I was only able to wear it once in Sitges, now it is too cold already... see you next summer!

Sade Blouse in Organic Jersey

 I cannot remember where I bought this wonderful organic jersey... but just before the summer began (I could not wear it until now, in autumn) I had the inspiration of making the Sade blouse from the Named book Breaking the Pattern, which is proving quite useful.

This is a blouse for warm weather, its long sleeves being open, and it is thought for woven fabrics, but I decided this sporty grey jersey with black shiny laces would  be nice, and it really did. 

I made the pattern with no modifications at all, stitching it directly with the machine, skipping basting it. I simply left 2 cm around every piece. This is the preferred method in American and English patterns, but I always take the seam allowances off the paper patterns and do it the proper way. Even when I do it the fast way, I prefer the pattern to be REAL, and leave the seam allowances around it when I cut it with my scissors. 

The result is awesome... maybe the pictures are not up to my self-image wearing it. I felt sophisticated and comfortable, and I got some compliments. 

A total success.