Sunday 27 November 2011

Simplicity 3686 - wide leg pants

I'll apologise right off the bat for the terrible photos.  It has been pouring rain in Melbourne, everything is soggy and today is dreary and overcast so these are the best I could manage.

I bought Simplicity 3686 about 4 years ago when I really started sewing for myself.  Up until then I'd been sewing lots of kids clothes but hadn't really made too much for myself.  Then one day I stumbled across Erica B's blog and it gave me the jolt I needed to sew more for myself.


Anyway, back to the pants.  I made a version of View B.  I left off the pocket flaps and the side strip, I shortened the waistband so it finished at the front and I added belt loops.  There aren't any wrinkles when I don't have my hands shoved in my pockets.


I didn't realise when I bought the pattern that sewing patterns and RTW sizes weren't the same.  This pattern only goes up to a 14 and I need a 16.  So to adjust these so they fit me I added 1cm to the the side seams and only used a 1cm seam allowance and I added extra length (2.5 inches if I want to wear heels).  This time around I also added 1.5cm to the crotch curve by slashing and spreading the pattern and reduced the circumference of the legs by over 4 inches (these are really wide legged pants!).  I found that when I sat down in previous versions they were just a little bit too tight in areas you really don't want it to be!  It seems to have fixed the problem so I'm happy.


Overall I'm pretty happy with the fit of these pants, certainly they're a better fit than anything I could buy at the shops.

Thursday 17 November 2011

Teal Dream - Simplicity 2443 take 2

As soon as I saw this fabulous teal ponte knit in Tessuti I knew I was going to make another Simplicity 2443.  This fabric is just a dream to sew with and wear - I really noticed a difference between the cheaper stuff from Spotlight and this lovely fabric.


My favourite parts are the pockets and the the racer back.  Unfortunately my sports bra isn't doing me any favours (it's tighter than my regular bras, hence the back bulges).  This time around I added another inch to the bodice for a total of 2.5 extra inches of length and I think this looks better on me.  I can't remember if I added extra length to the skirt last time, I didn't this time and I've left it unhemmed because I like the current length.  I left the zipper off again too.

This dress has been sitting waiting for me to attach the straps/bands for over a week but I just lost my mojo, I finally finished it last night so that I could wear it to work today.  I'm not sure what I wore all last summer but I can't seem to find anything I want to wear.  I think my sewing productivity is about to increase!

This photo shows how I clip the bands to attach them smoothly in and around the tight curves. 


You haven't seen the last of this pattern, there's another modified version already in the pipeline.

Saturday 5 November 2011

Some Red Love - Simplicity 2584

The weather is perfect today so we grabbed the camera and headed out to take some pictures of Simplicity 2584.  Sorry about the blinding white legs - my youngest actually asked if I was wearing white stockings!

Showing off my new shoes - kind of look like a Christmas elf

If you don't like flashing your assets then I'd suggest you raise the neck split an inch or so.  I forgot to raise mine but I'm not too woried, the interfacing in the neck facing stops the neckline from falling open so I don't feel too exposed.  Am I making sense?

Gathered sleeves

This is view B, I cut a 14 and used a beautiful linen from Tessuti Fabrics.  This went together really quickly, probably because I left off the neckline applique piece, the hem tuck and the back zip.  I basted the back closed to check the fit, but with the neckline split I found that there was no need for the zip.  I don't plan on wearing this number to work so I hemmed it a little higher than I normally would. 

Side view - not too maternity like

The most unflattering back view possible

I've got to say that after wearing this dress all day I'm really impressed.  It's been cool and comfy and I haven't felt my movement restricted at all.  And hubby loves it - that neckline's going to get me in all sorts of trouble ;)

Tuesday 1 November 2011

On a roll

I've got another finished garment!  Sadly it's too cold to take photos today but hopefully later in the week I'll get lucky.

My beautiful linen from Tessuti finally arrived - apparently the courier company couldn't locate my house but didn't think to contact me, once I contacted them and provided directions they still failed to meet the delivery timeframe they gave me.  Tessuti - please go back to Australia Post!  Anyway - here it is all cut out and ready to be sewn up.

Today was Melbourne Cup day, a public holiday in Melbourne, so I was free to play around in my sewing room.  This dress is a really quick sew - I'll do a full write up when I grab some photos.

In other sewing news, I had a great day in the city with my sister last week and I made a few purchases.  I know exactly what I want to make from every piece of fabric I bought and I have patterns for all but one of them.  Purchases were made at Tessuti, L'uccello (who gifted us some sweet buttons) and Clegs.  It's not sewing related (but definitely worth a mention) we had dinner at Parliament House with Hugh Delahunty and his lovely wife.  They were great hosts, very warm and engaging people and the evening was lovely.

The new additions.
I'm off to cut into that beautiful teal ponte knit from Tessuti.  With any luck there will be enough left over for an extra project.