Firetruck proof skirt

It's been a busy few weeks! Last time I wrote was 3 weeks ago (which I'm not going to apologise for :)), life just got in the way. For those who missed it: we are about to move into our firetruck/campervan and travel Europe. We've got three weeks left in our house, during which we have to get rid of most of our stuff, pack the things we absolutely do not want to part with and oh yeah, we're also still in the process of releasing our first pattern, the Jade Skirt. As if that wasn't enough, I heard a couple of weeks ago that before we leave, I had to have a surgery. Luckily they were able to schedule me very fast, so I could get it this monday. So here I am in the midst of all this, lying on the couch unable to do anything :) But I'm recovering, and at least there's time to blog now! I did have time to photograph some projects last weekend, and first up is a skirt that I think is perfect for our trucklife.




It's the Megan Nielsen Cascade with some alterations. I'm sorry I couldn't get such a stunning location as SewBusyLizzy with hers. The busy pattern does not go well with the busy wallpaper and the busy carpet. The pattern might also be too small for a big skirt like this, I don't know. But it's a wonderful skirt to wear, so soft and swishy. It's a 100% viscose rayon like Liz' Cascade, and I think it's the best type of fabric for this skirt.



My only problem with the pattern was that it has SO MANY 'cascades'. It's basically a huge circle skirt. I don't remember what the original circumference was, but I took out half a yard, equally distributed along the skirt front and back. Not at the waist, just pie-pieces tapered towards the top. And it doesnt even show that much, except that maybe it doesn't hang quite the same at the sides. It was also the only way I could use this fabric because I only had 1,5 metres, while the pattern calls for 2.7 metres. I also had to make the button band option because of this, but I was going to anyway. I used two black snaps, I figured that would hold better than buttons.



I cut XS for the waist and XL for the hem, because I wanted it to be as long as possible and I'm 5 foot 10. This skirt is where I first noticed (AFTER cutting ofcourse) that I've gained some in my waist. The overlap is a few cm's short. It's still decent but I'd have to cut an S next time. Oh, and why it's perfect for truck life - it's a pretty high step up to get into the truck. I've tried with maxi skirts, and it's hard not to step on them. There's no chance of this happening with this skirt! Now let's hope we'll encounter some summery weather on our way. I say this is a 'south of Spain' kind of skirt :)

Camí Dress

Well here's something you might not expect from me: a retro shirt dress with a full gathered skirt! I was chosen to pattern test Pauline Alice's first sewing pattern, the Camí Dress. It's not something I would make for myself, but I had lots of fun making it and it was so good to strengthen my skills that come with such a dress. And you know what? I kind of really like how it looks on me!



There are two versions to sew: Version A has short sleeves, Version B has 3/4 cuffed sleeves. At first I thought I'd take the easier short sleeve route, but then I saw that the cuffs had no placket but a slit. I love that Pauline kept the cuff simple. If a project has too many advanced details it tends to slow me down. Now you can focus on getting the collar and buttonholes perfect, and still have a relatively quick project. I used a lightweight cotton with shiny embroidered dots. The pattern does not require a lining. And it has pockets!



The instructions are clear and straightforward. No room for chitchat, just what you need to know. There are lots of illustrations to accompany the steps. I did read every word though, as I have only made a collar twice (I think?) and a button down shirt once. What I also like is that even with a narrow waist and broad hips, it doesn't make you look big. My waist and hips are three size columns apart, so I was afraid the gathers would make my hips look gigantic. I comtemplated making a fitted skirt (which would be an awesome pattern hack anyway) but stuck to the gathers and I'm glad I did.




I did have some fit issues because I am tall (178cm/5 feet 10") and broadshouldered. If I close the top buttons the shoulders are pulled inwards, but I like it better open anyway. The adjustments I made were lowering the shoulders 1 cm, lowering the front darts 2 cm, and adding 5 cm to the hemline. It's still just a bit above my natural waist. Lowering the shoulders gave me more room in the armholes as well, but it has distorted the fit of the sleeves a bit ofcourse. I made these adjustments after cutting the pieces so this was all I could do. That's why you should always make a muslin, or at least compare your measurements to the pattern's. Because I never sew fitted shirts I didn't know what my fit issues would be.



I am not at all surprised a retro shirtdress is Paulines first pattern, she's such a classy girl! Just look at the Dior coat or the Scartlett O'Hara dress that she drafted herself, astonishing!

If you'd like to make the Camí dress yourself, go get it here!

3 years of sewing & blogging

I have to admit I totally forgot my own blog anniversary this year. It was actually more than a week ago, but I can still do the roundup, right? It's really nice to look back at least once a year to see what you've accomplished. For one thing, I wear something handmade every single day! I'd like to not only look at this year, but also at what is left of the previous years. Click on the year to see the complete overview, or on the photo to go to the original post. Here we go!

Year 1
Score: 20 items
Still in the closet: 6
Still wearing: 2



These pants still get worn, one by me, one by Stef. The hoodie has big stains but it's still here because it's kind of my signature piece. And it just might be getting made into a pattern. The dress is still here but hasn't been worn in more than a year. I'm just too pale for it. But now that I look at these pics, maybe I should give it another go?

Year 2
Score: 18 items
Still in the closet: 10
Still wearing: 8



That's better! Although some of those 8 are on the verge of getting tossed out, the quality and style definitely got better. Some of them are still in heavy rotation, like these shown.

Year 3
Score: 26 items
Still in the closet: 25
Still wearing: 12 + 4





This year gets a better overall score, but it's also clear that I'm not wearing any of the things I made for Project Pattern Magic. It was fun making them, but I'm just not a cotton dress kind of girl. I'm not tossing them out yet, some of those fabrics could be made into something else. But hey, I made a coat this year! And 4 items for Stef that he's still wearing.

My closet now consists of 41 handmade garments. Even though I'm wearing little more than half of them, that's pretty cool, right? It does mean that maybe I don't need more than about 30 things to wear. The problem is, I'm an addict now, I can't stop sewing. Maybe I should focus on Stefs wardrobe, since those four items are about ALL he wears :)

What also happened this year is ofcourse Paprika Patterns. We're still finalizing the pattern, we just keep coming up with ideas to make it better. I've stopped trying to set a date and decided we should just keep on working, when it's done it's done. Good thing the Jade is also an excellent autumn skirt :)

Sewing Quicky

After ten days of working hard on the Jade and without touching my sewing machine, the urge to sew became to great to ignore. I needed instant satisfaction. Both fabric and pattern had been in my stash for over half a year, so it was time to pair them up. I timed myself during this project, because I was curious how long it would take me. Like Meg, I always underestimate the time some tasks take. Cutting for instance took me one hour. For such a simple project! Granted, the pattern is off grain (aaah, that's why it was so cheap...) so that needed some extra attention. But it's something to keep in mind when planning a project. But back to the project: I made myself a Sloppy Josephine.



Everything started out quick and smooth - I serged the sleeves and side seams in under half an hour. The cuffs were no problem at all, but the neckband is when things started to slow down. I fiddled with getting the right stretch of the band in the right areas, but messed up anyway. Usually 10% stretch is good, but not in more curvy areas such as the front on this shirt. I should have stretched it for 20%, so now it doesn't lay nice and flat. I didn't unpick but went on to topstitching. I hadn't done this on my new machine yet, so I started at the basis. I lowered the presser foot tension and chose the lightening stretch stitch. That didn't work: the neckline became really wobbly. That seam was the hardest unpicking I ever did. I had to rip every single stitch and they were sunken in deep into the fabric. So that was another half hour for unpicking two inches of seam. Next step was to get out the walking foot I purchased with the machine. That went a whole lot better: a smooth but stretchy seam. Unfortunately the traces of that first seam are still visible on the right side. In total the neckband and hem cost me two hours extra.



I really like this shirt anyway, I love the brush strokes of the fabric and it's perfect if you want a simple shirt but not as standard as a Renfrew. I heightened the neckline at the front by an inch btw, I was afraid the neckline would get too wide. The raglan sleeves are super easy to set in. I'd like to make another one but with 3/4 sleeves. I made an XS but should taper to S or M at the hips next time. My three measurements are always alone in their separate columns. So my next goal: make a simple shirt and make it perfect. I should be able to do that by now, right?

Thrift Store Treasures #9

It's been way too long since the last Thrift Store Treasure! I was downtown for some errands and couldn't help sneaking in the thriftshop that usually has the best stuff. Beautiful motorcycle jackets, 70's shirts, vintage dresses. Not the shop you buy something for a couple of euro's. I had tried on some dresses (very cool but either white, beige or yellow, they made me look like I had the flu) and then found this jumpsuit. I chuckled and tried it on. The mirror was occupied so I walked around the shop, putting my hands in the pockets. It was so comfortable, I was sold before I'd seen what I looked like!



I've wanted a jumpsuit for a long time and even though I would have made something of a softer fabric, I love this print. It obviously needed some altering, it was at least two sizes too big. I started with cutting off the legs and deconstructing the pockets. I took 4 cm off both sideseams from the waist down, and then reconstructed the pockets. I like altering thrift store finds, but the deconstruction phase usually takes up half the overall project time.



Last, I took in the bodice side seams, starting at the armholes at 6 cm and tapering to the waist. I kept it loose to guard the balance between the bottom and the top. I've been thinking about taking out the elastic and putting in darts. It could make the whole thing a bit more elegant, don't you think? The elastic is a bit on the tight side anyway, and it makes my hips stand out more than they need to.



It took me about 5 hours altogether, but it wasn't a difficult alteration. I haven't changed the garment that much but it's wearable now. I'd still like to do something more radical sometimes, but for now I'm quite happy with my new (and slightly crazy) jumpsuit. I'm curious what you think, is this a bit of a weird clowns costume or would you wear it too?