Vogue 1777 is a Rachel Comey pattern.  After a bit of googling I discovered that this design is from the Fall 2019 collection. It is called the Tempo dress.

Apparently Vogue’s designer patterns are direct copies of the designer’s actual dress – they are given the dress, then Vogue drafts it up, grades it to their size chart, and writes the instructions.

I chose to sew it in linen from The Cloth Shop.

I have to say that the linen was absolutely divine, both to sew and to wear. The colourway looks a bit like denim or chambray, but it’s a substantial yet soft denim with some texture and slight colour variegation. I bought it in person, so am not sure of which linen it was, but feel that it could be this one.

This garment was not quick to sew. The bodice is lined; I used some coordinating Liberty printed lawn left of from a shirt that I sewed for Dan some years ago. It’s so smooth and soft against the skin.

I also used the Liberty print for one half of the pocket bags. Those welt pockets – they took ages to sew! You need to be really precise. Unfortunatly the instructions were a bit lacking in this area, and I ended up with one pocket bag done perfectly but the other one off-set and needing to be trimmed to fit. This isn’t an issue at all from the outside, and isn’t a problem in wear, but clearer instructions would have prevented it from happening at all. I spent quite a bit of time poring over those illustrations and instructions! More markings wouldn’t have gone astray.

The front bodice is bias cut, with cut-on facings and darts for added shaping, with the front lining on the straight of grain, whereas the back bodice fashion fabric and lining are both cut on the straight grain.

The sleeves are a little deceiving, and Vogue’s line drawing is not actually correct. They are not a set in sleeve, and there is no sleeve seam in the back; it’s an extended sleeve. The front sleeve does have a seam with an additional sleeve piece, and I think that it’s utilising the grain to improve fit. The cuffs are cut separately, attached to the sleeve, then are folded in half back to the sleeve seam.

Size wise, I sewed the Medium, despite Vogue suggesting that my measurements put me in a size or two larger. I always look at the finished garment measurements when selecting a size, in addition to the overall style. And have you been wondering about that surplice neckline? You wondered correctly – it’s fine when just standing, but once you start moving around it gapes open (maybe it wouldn’t on smaller boobs or if made with more ease). I ended up using some safety pins to secure it.

The collar sits beautifully around the neck, especially in this scrumptious linen. I didn’t make any alterations to the pattern other than shortening the skirt length quite a bit – maybe around seven inches? That still left plenty of fabric for a nice deep hem in a length that works with my 158cm height.

There is some topstitching around the collar, and I machine stitched the hem, but other than that there is no stitching visible. I used my sewing machine for the majority of construction with the overlocker used to finish seam allowances. I am very happy with how this dress turned out, and enjoyed the ‘slow sew’. I am sure that it will get plenty of wear once the seasons change. These photos were taken a month or so ago in Brisbane – thanks Anna for your photography skills!

Back in 2016 I sewed the Madeit Patterns Groove dress – twice!  Both versions of the dress were worn many, many times before they exited my wardrobe.  A month or so ago I decided that it was time to pull the pattern out again.

Gee, I like this pattern. There are a few style options included. As per the website: the Groove Dress is an utterly covetable swing dress made using knit fabric, with short or long sleeves and a high low or straight hemline. And as if that wasn’t enough, we went crazy to offer you five, yes five different neck options. Round, scoop, slash, cowl or hooded, whatever takes your fancy.

It really is a simple style to show off fun fabric. The fabric that I used is a textured knit from Super Cheap Fabrics. The border print has the pattern being more dense along the selvedges. It’s poly/spandex rather than wool, but in a medium weight sweater type of knit. I created a centre back seam in order to maximise the meterage when cutting out – there’s a small amount of fabric left that I’ll be able to use for something else!  I really tried to channel Carolyn‘s skill at utilising a border print when making this!

I love the way the red/pink print runs down the outside of the sleeves. This is such a straightforward garment to sew – I think it took around two hours from go to whoa! All the seams are overlocked, so I only used the sewing machine for the hems and to topstitch the neckband seam allowances down.

There is actually a significant amount of flare in the skirt, which starts just under the bust. So swishy! Mum knitted the hot pink scarf (which is super soft and light and airy yet very warm) and it goes very nicely with the dress.

I almost forgot the line drawing! This time around I chose the long sleeved, straight hemline, scoop neckline.  The scoop is not actually all that deep.  Size wise it was possibly size 12 or 14; I didn’t pay much attention but just sewed up the size I’d cut out six years prior!

This is another one of those patterns that I will reach for again at various times in the future – it’s definitely earned a place in my pile of keepers.

It often intrigues me how many variations there can be on a knit top!  Both the Style Arc Rhea that I posted yesterday and today’s Style Arc Lorna are sewn from knits, have 3/4 length sleeves and a round neckline, yet they are both so different.

I chose to sew this in a smaller scale print rayon/spandex Spotlight knit which unfortunately obscures the design lines a bit. From the Style Arc website:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Easy fit knit top
Hip length
Front and back yokes
Dropped shoulder line
Raglan 3/4 length sleeve
Elastic sleeve openings
Slight gathers at sleeve head
Crew neck band
FABRIC SUGGESTION
Jersey, cotton knit

There are a few sewing techniques that I tend to resist, not because they are difficult, but because for some unsubstantiated reason I find them tedious. Darts. Gathers. Yet each time I do them I am reminded that they are actually quite straightforward and worth the effort. This top has some gathers at the sleeve head, and in conjunction with the neck yokes they really make the style.

There is one pattern piece for the back/front and one for the sleeves. All the shaping comes from the front and back yoke pieces. Clever drafting!

I sewed size 12, without alteration. There is plenty of room through the body in this one. The sleeves are simply gathered with elastic in a casing. That’s the easy way to gather!

I have found that I prefer the look of wider elastic to narrower in these situations. I always cut the elastic with a bit of extra length and thread it through a casing so that I can just safety pin it to length and wear it for a day or two to check that I like the tightness before I actually sew it in place. I do the same thing with waistband elastic where feasible.

As is often the case with knit garments, the majority of construction was on the overlocker, but the machine was used for gathering, topstitching, and securing hems.  This is a very easy to wear style, and is definitely suited to a climate like Melbourne. Thanks again to Style Arc!

On the weekend I ferreted through my Style Arc drawers (yes, I have a larger two drawer horizontal filing unit especially for my Style Arc patterns).  I was looking for some specific patterns that I’d used before, and while burrowing into the drawers I realised that I have sewn up the vast majority of my extensive Style Arc collection.  I definitely take advantage of their sales and their free pattern of the month offers. Yes, there are a few patterns that are still waiting for their time to shine, but most have been used, and many more than once.  The ones that I pulled out on the weekend have been sewn numerous times; I definitely get more than my money’s worth out of some of my Stle Arc patterns!  However, the pattern that I’m sharing with you today is one of their newer ones, and one that I hadn’t sewn before.

This is the Style Arch Rhea knit top. I rather like a 3/4 length sleeve in a top; it works for much of the year in Melbourne.

From the Style Arc website:
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
Dolman elbow length sleeve.
Hip length
High low hem line
Bust dart
Crew neck with neckband
Top stitched front and back seams.
Suitable for layering.
FABRIC SUGGESTION
Knit jersey, baby wool, French terry.

The knit I used came to me via a friend and is lovely quality. It wasn’t until I was laying it out for cutting that I realised the stripes ran vertically – I had assumed that they would run horizontally with the fabric stretch!

As you’d imagine, this was pretty straightforward to make. I did size 12 without alteration. Construction was mostly on the overlocker, although the machine was needed for the bust darts, topstitching the centre back seam, and to secure the hems. This is an easy fit, easy wear garment that I suspect will stay in my wardrobe for some time.

Brrrr, it’s chilly outside!  Winter is here with a vengeance – and it’s only halfway through June!

Boiled wool is a terrific fabric for easy wear warm layers. I recently sewed the Style Arc Sigrid knit coat, in boiled wool from Super Cheap Fabrics.

I should have steamed out that centre back fold before this coat was photographed!  From the Style Arc website: PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Patch pockets,Full length sleeves with wide cuff, Open front with folded front tab. FABRIC SUGGESTIONL Sweater knit, or any fabric with slight stretch and drape.

I chose to sew size 12, and didn’t shorten it even though I’m 158cm. I wanted to keep it fairly long. I covered the seam front bands seam allowance with bias binding, as I knew that the front would sometimes flip open and the seams would be visible.

The side seam splits are lovely – nice wide self facings and hemline, which also provide a topstitching detail.

On reflection I probably should have raised the patch pockets a couple of inches in accordance with my height. My hands don’t reach to the bottom, although that’s not really an issue. I am also a fan of the wide turned back cuffs.

There is a separate back neckband piece which is seamed to the front bands at the shoulders and provides some gentle shaping that keeps the neckband close to my neck – even without a forward shoulder or high upper rounded back alteration. Bonus! The boiled wool moulds nicely to the body and also has good movement when the coat is in motion.

I find that boiled wool unlined coats and jackets provide an excellent winter layer that doesn’t make me overheat. Obviously I’d need something heavier weight and lined if I was spending more time outdoors on cold days, but for the inbetween days and the days when I’m moving between heated indoor environments and outdoors quite often, they work really well.

Many thanks to Anna who kindly took these photos for me.

A few weeks ago I sewed up a Butterick Tilton pattern, and the resulting dress was a huge fail.  As they say, them’s the breaks.  I needed a palate cleanser, so turned to Pattern Emporium and a previously stashed ‘textured knit‘ from Super Cheap Fabrics.

Honestly, this was such a satisfying garment to sew, with such a satisfying result! The body of the dress is the Pattern Emporium Exhale, size 12, cut at the ‘short’person dress length.

As with most Pattern Emporium styles there are lots of options within each pattern. I chose the high round neckline this time around, given that the dress will be worn in colder weather. From the website:

OPTIONS
4 Necklines: Rounded high, mid & low. V-neck.

4 Sleeve Options: Sleeveless, Short Sleeve, 1/2 & Long Sleeve.

2 Top Designs: Short & Long.

3 Hilo Top Designs : Top, Midi & Maxi.

Dress: Knee Length Gorgeousness with Optional Tie Belt.

I decided that I didn’t want to use the long straight sleeve that came with the pattern, and fortunately many Pattern Emporium designs are highly mashable. I pulled out the True Romance Bishop Sleeve Top pattern and chose the dramatic sleeve option with elastic in the cuff.

Really, it doesn’t take any longer to sew this dress than it does to sew a long sleeved top! Construction was all on the overlocker, with the sewing machine used to secure the hems and the neckband seam allowance. And it’s so easy to wear. A wardrobe winner!

The Zadie jumpsuit by Paper Theory has been a huge hit in the online sewing community.  I resisted jumping on the bandwagon for a long time because – well, jumpsuit.  Having to take the whole thing off to go to the loo.  But in the end, I succumbed.

I actually sewed this up in one afternoon in order to wear it out for dinner with some sewing buddies that evening! It shows you that this is a fairly quick sew, because I got it done just in time. I had already cut out and made alterations to the pattern pieces, so it was a matter of pinning them onto the fabric – I deliberately chose a red/white chambray that didn’t require pattern matching – cutting them out and sewing!

I had previously tried on a friend’s size 12 Zadie, and had noted that I would need to shorten the bodice length one inch, shorten the crotch rise one inch, and shorten the legs three inches. The 12 is a size smaller than my body measurements suggest, but the size 12 garment finished measurements are a size larger than my actual body measurements so it was the amount of ease that I was looking for. I did all those alterations to the pattern pieces, which meant some adjustment to the front bodice edge shaping as well. I am pleased with both the shortening of the bodice length and the crotch rise, but didn’t need to shorten the legs as much as I did. After wearing this at the photographed length I have gone back and unpicked the one inch double folded hem and finished the leg hems with bias used as a facing.

Bias binding is used to finish the front and neckine edges of the Zadie. I made fairly wide bias with my handy Clover bias tape maker and applied it the way that I usually do – sewed the bias binding to the wrong side, then flipped over the seam allowance to the right side and topstitched it down just in from the edge of the binding. I know that others who are more clever than me can sandwich the main fabric into the binding and just sew it all in one step, but I am guaranteed to miss catching some of the binding on the reverse side if I do it that way.  I found that the neckline sat really well during wear and didn’t gape.

You need to make sure that you have enough length in the bodice and crotch that you can comfortably sit down in the jumpsuit! There is enough in this after my alterations that removed two inches, but only just. I have my usual folds of fabric at the upper back thigh, which I can’t be bothered ‘fixing’. That’s what happens when you have thin thighs on a round torso with a flattish bum.

From the Paper Theory website: Available in sizes 6 – 28. The Zadie Jumpsuit is a relaxed and easy to wear one piece that comes with the option of wide 3/4 length sleeves, or sleeveless with a dropped shoulder. It wraps around the body and fastens with a tie so there is no need for buttons or a zip – making it quick and to easy sew, and quick and easy to get on and off. The legs are cut wide and skim above the ankle. There are deep slant pockets on the front, with small pleats at the waist on the front and back. The neck edge is finished with a bias binding. This pattern was designed especially for woven, medium weight fabrics like cotton and linen and would look great in fabric that has a draped quality like crepe, viscose twill or satin. It would also make up well in some heavier fabrics like drill and light weight denim. It is possible to make this in Knit or stretch fabrics like Jersey but the binding technique around the neck is tricky in a stretch fabric so be warned that would take the difficulty degree up a few notches.

I rather like the slanted side seam pockets in the Zadie as well. Hot tip – when going to the loo, stuff the long ties into the pockets to keep them safely out of the way. I ended up liking the Zadie much more than I thought I would, and I may well sew it again in the short sleeved version when Spring eventually returns. In the meantime, I have a different jumpsuit pattern paired with some linen waiting for me to move it higher up the sewing queue.