Simplicity 1366 is really doing the rounds of the sewing blogosphere at the moment.  Anna has just blogged a beautiful version (that I was very tempted to steal when we were at Sewjourn until I remembered that she sews a smaller size than me) and I have made it twice before.  I really like the jumper version that I made, so when I came across some scraps of this unusual green/black/metallic gold knit in my stash that were just enough for another 1366, I decided that it was destiny.

Once again the length of the sleeves was rather random. I just cut another four inches or so – maybe it was five – then did a simple turn and zig zag hem. I sewed a straight size 12 otherwise. Unlike many I have left the length as per the pattern. I’m still getting used to letting contrasting layers peek out underneath.

I suspect that this is actually the “wrong” side of this fabric. The other side is much greener, but also much more metallic. For this top I was aiming at something a little more subtle. You can see the other side in the Vogue jacket that I blogged here. I used a strip of the same fabric like a bias facing around the neckline, stitching it to the right side then turning it to the inside and top stitching.

I suspect that without the sewing blogosphere many would have overlooked this top pattern, instead focusing on the rather dramatic skirt that is included in Simplicity 1366. There are still many more renditions of this in my future, including in woven with shorter sleeves for summer. Highly recommended.

Yes, it’s yet another repeat pattern.  Style Arc Molly.

This time it’s in a stretch poly/spandex crepe, possibly from Spotlight. Size 12, no alterations other than leaving the front tuck off. And on me instead of Ada who has a whole lot less of a winter coat:

The pants are Style Arc Barb in Style Arc bengaline. I wore this to work with a jacket over the top. Draws less attention to the muffin top.  These are end of the work day photos so you get the see the garments at their most worn.

The amount of ease in this top is perfect for me for work. Not oversized, not skin tight. If you have more waist and less stomach than I do – but more hip – you might want to shape it a bit more. The slight cowl is highly wearable.

Details of my first Molly top are here.

Remember, this blog is a sewing journal – so it’s not all about the readers!  I am compelled to record that I made yet another Deer & Doe Plantain tee.

Essentially the same as every other Plantain I have made; a blend of sizes from bust to waist to hip (essentially removing all waist shaping). I really like the scoop of the neckline on this tee. Fabric is a teal stretch poly/spandex crepe, possibly from Spotlight? A terrific layering piece as it is fitted but skims rather than clings.

This blog post has been a long time coming – because I sewed this about nine weeks ago, according to Instagram.  Oh my!

I jumped onto the Grainline Morris Blazer pretty much as soon as it was released. A blazer that could be made in a knit or a stretch woven, unlined, with boxy shaping. Right up my alley! The description from the pattern page is as follows.

GARMENT DETAILS

The Morris Blazer is the perfect mix of casual and cool. It will quickly become the go-to garment to complete any outfit. With a mixture of drape and structure, bracelet length sleeves, and gentle shawl collar, it looks great dressed up or down. It works up well in fabrics with stretch, making it comfortable on top of everything else!

Techniques involved include sewing a straight seam, setting sleeves, sewing a shawl collar, facings, and topstitching. Pattern is nested to facilitate cutting between sizes if needed.

SUGGESTED FABRICS

Medium weight woven fabrics with a bit of stretch or medium weight stable knits. Various stretch wool suitings, stretch cottons, ponte knit, and French terry are all suitable, though the drape on each may be slightly different. This blazer is unlined.

I chose to sew my Morris in a relatively light weight printed ponte that I had just bought from Darn Cheap Fabrics.  It was rather soft – and this proved to be a problem.

Spotted it yet? It doesn’t take long! The Morris is unlined and the facings that form the collar and hem edges are interfaced down to the points at the hemline. The main fabric is not. So in a soft fabric such as the ponte I had chosen, the fabric sagged terribly at the bottom fronts and wouldn’t sit flat. After some thought I decided to topstitch the facings to the fronts along their entire length. This pretty much fixed the problem.

There are still some folds in the fabric in different places that are due to the drape of the cloth rather than the design of the jacket. I sewed this in size 12, I think. I found it hard to decide on what size. My bust measurement would have put in at a size 14, but a small voice inside told me to go smaller. I could possibly have gone down to the 10. Luckily the overall style is a relaxed one, and it doesn’t really matter a great deal. Despite the claims of some people in the sewing blogosphere, in my experience indie patterns are just as prone as Big 4 patterns to have large amounts of ease included in the design. It’s always a good idea to check the finished measurements and take your own ease preferences into account before deciding what size you want to make.

I rather like the fit across the back. The centre back seam could be shifted to be on the fold, but it provides some structure when sewing in a soft fabric like this one. One criticism that I do have of the drafting is that the facing that forms the collar does not allow for turn of cloth. It is cut to exactly the same measurements, so there is excess fabric at the back of the neck once the collar is folded back and the facing stitched to the seam on the inside. You can’t see that excess fabric because it is essentially under the fold of the collar, but it irritated me that it was there. The facing pieces needed to be cut larger at the back neck so that this wouldn’t happen.

There is now a sew-along for the Morris Blazer on the Grainline website.  I notice that they have mentioned the front sagging issue for soft fabrics, and suggest that you interface both the fronts as well as the facing.  I don’t doubt that this would work. The other option is to do as I did and topstitch the facings to the main fabric, or you could hand stitch them invisibly instead.

I think that the Morris is a lovely casual blazer. Despite it being casual, I wore it to work (with Style Arc Barb pants and a Liesl + Co Maritime top – these are end of the day photos so all a bit crumpled). The shawl collar sits beautifully at the front – I talked about the back earlier – and I really like the shape of the simple pointed lapels. I think that it would fit easily into many wardrobes, and I’ve seen some beautiful versions around the internet. I do have another one cut out – also in a knit – but am tempted to give a stretch woven a try. Construction was shared between the overlocker and the sewing machine.

One of my dear friends – I met her through blogging, oh the wonderful powers of the internet – loves green.  She also loves a pinafore.  While I was at Sewjourn I sewed both.  For myself.

The tee is pretty basic. It’s a Deer & Doe Plantain tee, graded to my measurements. That means that it goes larger at the waist and narrower at the hips. Combined with the design ease and flare through the body, I end up with a body-skimming, scoop-neck winter tee that is perfect for layering. Poor quality photo follows but at least you can see the neckline depth and width.

The fabric is wool jersey, bought from Rathdowne Fabrics. It sewed up beautifully on the overlocker, although I did make certain to stabilise the shoulder seams and the neckline before assembly. I used Gillian’s technique to get the neckband length and stretch right, as I usually do. It’s a great technique, especially when the neckline has a considerable degree of curve and the neckband is wider rather than narrower. The leftovers became a simple Infinity scarf. If you need a tutorial to make and infinity scarf there are plenty to be googled. I sewed the long sides of the fabric right sides together to make a long tube, then sewed the short sides right side together for as far as I could, leaving a gap for turning to the right side then stitching the gap closed. Easy peasy – and warm and effective. This one is long enough to double up again and become a higher snugglier scarf.

The pinafore was really an impulse item. I had been eyeing off the Style Arc Jodie pattern for a little while, but only recently took the plunge and obtained it. At the time I had no idea what fabric I’d use, however once I’d cut out my Misty jeans I realised that there was enough of the M. Recht denim left for something simple. I didn’t want another denim skirt or jacket – so a pinafore it became! It used up every single scrap.

Style Arc’s pattern picture and description are as follows:

JODIE DRESS / PINAFORE: Fun style tunic can be worn with leggings during the cooler months or with sandals on warmer days.
The side inset panel with curved hemline makes this style distinctively different.
Approx back length 90cm or 35”.

FABRIC SUGGESTION & DESCRIPTION: Soft denim or any woven fabric.

I sewed this in a straight size 12 without any alteration.  So take it from me – this dress/pinafore is short at the sides!  My only regret is that I failed to stabilise the hems before stitching the facings to them.  I didn’t take the stretch of the fabric into account, particularly around the curves.  It’s not a deal-breaker, but the hem is a little wavy and I know that I could have done better.  I may (or may not) feel tempted to unpick and restitch and re-tostitch them at a later date.  If you were using a non-stretch fabric this wouldn’t really be an issue.

Topstitching was done with upholstery thread. I find this works better in my machine than topstitching thread, especially if I make sure that I lengthen the stitch and use a needle with a larger eye. The instructions were the usual for Style Arc in that they were relatively sparse in some places, but an adequate order of construction. The tutorials on their website often help to fill in any gaps. Setting in the front zip was rather fun.

The zip that I had was way longer than required. Rather than take advantage of the knowledge imparted by numerous “how to shorten a metal zipper” tutorials, and fortified by some excellent champagne, I got my scissors out and just cut the bottom off to the length that I wanted. Much faster and simpler! Of course I did do it carefully, and my scissors don’t appear to be any the worse for wear. I did cover the end of the zipper tape with a scrap of denim to ensure that it wouldn’t be scratchy against my skin on the inside of the pinafore.

You know how I often go on about how fast things are to sew? This pinafore wasn’t especially fast. Zips to insert, pockets to add, facings to construct and sew in place, topstitching to do. I even had to do some hand-stitching on the shoulder seams. It probably took me four or five hours?

Oh, the leggings are Style Arc Laura leggings, made forever ago. I really like this outfit combination, and am sure that the pinafore will layer well over a variety of coloured tops.  So Tan, have you finished your pinafore yet?