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?
