Self Drafted -- Tank Top w/ Diagonal Seam (Flax)

The version I made. I inserted a greeting card into the in-seam pocket to show its placement.

Original garment

Several weeks ago a DF (dear friend) asked me to create a pattern from a go-to top from her wardrobe. Made by Flax, it's a 100% linen sleeveless v-neck, a-line tank with a diagonal seam, front and back. Cut on the bias, it has a pocket inserted in the front diagonal seam. (I inserted a greeting card in the pocket so you can see its placement.)

It's a wonderful top for layering and she'd worn it so much it was starting to develop holes. This doesn't really matter too much if you are using it as a layering piece, but she wanted more tops like this in different fabrics. While it might look like a pretty straightforward top to copy, it was actually pretty fiddly. (And by "fiddly", I mean "pain in the butt." :) ) The bias coupled with the stress on the original garment, plus the diagonal seams made it fairly tricky. It requires four pattern pieces, not counting the binding on the diagonal seams, because the front and back armholes and neck openings are shaped slightly differently.

I decided to make it up for her as a Christmas gift. She had expressed an interest in experimenting with new fabrics, so I sewed it up in a lightweight black rayon-lycra interlock. Because it was a knit, I cut it on the straight of grain and omitted the binding on the diagonal seams.

Hopefully it will work for her. (I hope she is not reading today, because we haven't yet exchanged our gifts.) This version has a very different drape than the original linen top, but will still work as a layering piece. Meanwhile, I just might have to make one of these for myself. :)

Christmas Booty

I finally took a photo of the wonderful Christmas booty from my kids. (I only exchange gifts with my kids and one close friend.)

I think I did pretty well!!! DD1 went onto Amazon and ordered me three of Sandra Betzina's books. Yay, reading for those nights I have insomnia! Then she went to Britex and picked out two pairs of gorgeous purse handles. I have been wanting to make a purse or two, and now I need to find a design and some fabulous fabric. :)

DD2 knew I liked Threads magazine, so she bought me a two-year subscription. I love how she presented it, though. She took one of her gaming magazines, superimposed a (handmade) Threads banner, and then modified the photo with a silver sharpie. She put yarn and knitting needles in his hands where he had been holding weaponry (I like to knit too, but haven't been doing much lately) and she added a talk bubble that says, "I just learned how to do the backstitch." LOL

Then a friend on Stitcher's Guild was de-stashing her patterns and I bought a number of Sewing Workshop and La Fred patterns from her. I was planning to get them from her later, but as a Christmas surprise, she shipped them to me in time for Christmas. Such booty for shams!

Finally, when I had an opportunity to get the Threads DVD (almost all articles from issues 1 to 146) at the discounted price of $77, I jumped at the chance. I picked up the DVD on Christmas day, so it felt like a Christmas present! Yay, more reading for those nights with insomnia!! I haven't cracked it open yet.

What a great Christmas. ;)

Au Bonheur des Petites Mains - Long Raincoat (#1233027)

(First, can I just say how grateful I am to have this week off work? Also, at the moment, the kids are away skiing, so I can really sew around the clock, or until I need a nap. I go back to work on Jan 5th. BLISS! :) )

OK, a little update on my progress.

I have finished the muslin of the raincoat. I used a twin-sized floral flannel sheet that DD1 has banned from her bedroom. (She used to have a floral theme but has recently decided she detests floral.) It's pretty sad looking, so I will spare you the pictures. But here is what I have learned:

• The 52 is very generously sized.
  
• Some of the fashion details result in sewing through many layers in certain key points, such as the side pocket facing, or the sleeve seam where that gusset is located. I would not want to use a thick or substantial fabric for this reason. Using a lightweight waterproof nylon, or something along those lines, is much more feasible. They used a thicker "quilted" fabric in the lining (matelasse), which is how one can give the coat some weight and warmth. Another approach is to leave it unlined and it will be a fetching, lightweight raincoat. This is my plan. :)
  
• The pattern seems to be pretty well drafted. The pieces go together well, as intended.
  
• There is a lot of ease in the armscye. Enough ease that I think it is intended to sit right on the shoulder point, though the garment in the photo looks like a dropped shoulder. When I re-pinned the sleeve at my natural shoulder, it looked much better. It is not too much ease, the pieces fit together, but it is more than you would typically see for a dropped shoulder.
  
• Even after raising the sleeve on the shoulder, the sleeves are too long. Not too unusual for me, because I have shortish arms. But, in this case, I like the longer sleeve because I plan to roll back the cuffs. (And it may be they were intended to be extra long for rolling.)
  
• I like the sleeve gusset, though the instructions for the snaps on the sleeve gusset still don't make sense to me. The only way they might make sense is if they are using a regular, sew-in snap, rather than a press-on snap that shows from the outside of the garment. However, I wouldn't want a snap there because it would constantly open from the natural stress on the sleeve and you really don't want the gusset to be unsnapped. What I did was to attach the upper to the lower sleeve by using a small tab of fabric, inserted underneath (after the gusset was installed and the topstitching completed). Then, I abutted the upper and lower sleeve at the marked point (over where the tab was hiding), and stitched in the same row of topstitching (both sides) I had previously sewn. Not sure this makes sense, but it looks pretty much like the garment in the photo and I like it. :)
  
• The pocket is very interesting. I would not recommend using a wide elastic, as it makes topstitching very difficult through all the layers. I used a scrap of 1" wide elastic to test the pocket because it was lying by the machine and it was about the right length. :) I will either use 1/4" elastic (as recommended by the pattern) or I will use round elastic with toggles (as shown in the finished garment photo). But I wonder why the casing is so wide for such narrow elastic.
  
• The darts seem to be placed ok. The coat is large and they may need to be shortened, or even raised a tad. I have to think on it.
  
• The front band instructions were just bad. The front band attaches to the right side only. You cut one piece and it has a fold line down the center. The instructions say to fold it right side together and sew three edges. If you did that, you couldn't possibly turn it right side out. Even if you left an opening, it would have no raw edges to use to attach it to the right side. So I sewed only the short ends, turned it right side out, and basted the long raw edges, then basted the whole thing to the right front of the coat. That seems to be the correct way to do it. The only way the instructions might make sense is if you were to sew along the fold line.
  
• The hood is great. I really like this hood. It stays on well and is a nice size. (At least in my muslin.)
  
• The diagram clearly shows the back hem is longer than the front hem. However, the jacket in the pattern photo shows the front hem is fairly long. It turns out the diagram is wrong and the photo is correct. The pattern pieces are shorter at the sides than at CF and CB. I think it looks a bit strange, so I may to reshape the front hem to be shorter in front, as shown in the diagram. Having said that, the raincoat is much longer than I expected. It's mid calf or thereabouts.
  
• The waist elastic starts 7" from the side seam, goes around the back, and then extends 7" from the other side seam. I think this extends too far for my shape, so I plan to shorten it. I will make the final length/placement in the final garment.
  
• The pocket is nice, though placed pretty low - I can't easily reach the bottom of it. I may move it up a bit, if there's room after the waist elastic is in place.
  

In a nutshell? I'm not completely sure about the fit yet. In a yellow floral flannel, the muslin looks a lot like a bathrobe. ;) I have a friend dropping by tomorrow and plan to get her opinion. I have not inserted the hem or waist elastic, which will change the shape significantly, but I will probably just wing it from here. ;)

Au Bonheur des Petites Mains

I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas had a wonderful holiday! For me, I ate such rich food for Christmas dinner and this morning (Boxing Day), that I haven't been able to eat since breakfast. (And it's almost 11pm!)

The last time I posted about these wonderful French patterns, Au Bonheurs des Petites Mains, I had just received three of them and had begun to translate the instructions. I even started a French-English sewing glossary (which I have been adding to). :)

I was primarily focusing on this raincoat pattern:

Which was the most complex of the three I had ordered. From my painstaking translation, I managed to learn that this coat has the following features:

• A front zipper underneath a snap placket.
  
• A back gusset, ending at the CB hem, which can be zippered closed.
  
• Front pockets, which have a gusset along the curved portion of the pocket only (not along the straight edge of the pocket, which is sewn into the side seam). The pockets are gathered at the top with elastic.
  
• Gussets in the sleeves at the elbows.
  
• Elastic around the hem (excluding the back gusset).
  
• Elastic at the waist, though not all the way around – it ends several inches short of CF.
  
• A full lining.
  

I was able to translate the instructions, up to a point. There were some things I could not quite understand, so today I met with a French friend who knows how to sew. We laid out the pattern and went through the instructions, line by line. We did this for the raincoat pattern, as well as the skirt pattern. What I learned was this:

• The name of the pattern company is Au Bonheur des Petites Mains. (I wasn't sure if this was merely descriptive text or actually the name of the pattern company.) I asked my friend if it really did mean "Good Times of the Little Hands" which is how it literally translates. (And which sounds a bit salacious to my ears. :) ) She explained that in the French couture houses, the dressmakers are called "Les Petites Mains", so a more accurate translation is "Good Times of the Dressmakers" or "Happiness of the Dressmakers" or something along those lines. Now that is a charming concept and I love it! :)
  
• The instructions are sadly lacking, at times misleading, and certainly incomplete. I have heard this is not unusual for French patterns, since most assume that the user of the patterns knows how to sew.
  

Here are a few of the problems we found with the raincoat pattern:

• The garment in the photo (shown above) clearly shows round elastic peeking out at the top-center of the pockets, secured with a toggle. However, neither the pattern, nor the supply list, make any mention of this feature. It calls for 1cm wide elastic for the pockets (between 1/4" and 3/8"). It does not mention round elastic or toggles. But it does instruct you to make a buttonhole at the top of the pocket, 4cm in (approx 1.5 inches) from the straight edge. However, it doesn't use that buttonhole. It instructs you to use the 1cm elastic, catching the ends at the sides of the pocket, and encasing the elastic. Also, if you want to use the buttonhole for a round elastic, 4cm is not the center of the pocket. It is very off-center, which does not seem correct if you look at the photo.
  
• The garment in the photo also shows round elastic with toggles at the hem of the jacket. The instructions do not mention this but instruct you to use 1cm elastic at the hem, which is entirely encased.
  
• The sleeve is in two pieces, a top piece and a bottom piece, and a gusset is inserted between them. You are then instructed to insert a small piece of elastic, joining the top and bottom, at four marked points (two on each sleeve). You are then instructed to insert a snap at this same location, to somehow join the top sleeve to the bottom sleeve. This bit really confused my French friend, who, after reading through it several times, advised me to ignore it. I will wing this part. :)
  
• The fact that the garment in the photo uses a different fabric for the front band and the sleeve gussets is not mentioned.
  
• The construction of the front placket was a little confusing, and it doesn't really explain how the separating zipper is installed. I am assuming this will become more clear as I work through it.
  
• I found some minor errors on the pattern pieces themselves. For example, on the (American) football-shaped gusset for the sleeve, it says to cut two on fold, when it must mean to cut two – the piece has no straight edges to put on the fold. :)
  

I have measured the pattern and determined that a size 52 (the largest size provided for this pattern) should be adequate. The dart in the pattern even seems to be the right location for me. I have traced the pattern off and hope to start the muslin tomorrow. I can't wait to get started. I will keep you posted. :)

I want to give a huge shout out and a thank you to Laurence, my French sewing friend. Thanks so much, Laurence, for your patient help!!! (It's pronounced La-Wrans, with the emphasis on the second syllable which starts with that wonderful rolled French R in the back of your mouth. She speaks German, and "Architect", too. ;) )

Self Drafted -- T-shirt with Chains

A few weeks before Christmas, a project leapt into my mind, fully formed. It just appeared out of nowhere. This must be what it was like for J.K. Rowling when Harry Potter jumped into her mind while riding the commuter train that fateful day. Except my idea wasn't nearly as original, take 10 years to execute, or make me the richest woman in Britain. ;)

Back in September, I had been shopping in Bloomingdales with DD1, when I saw a top in the expensive, boutique department on the top floor. It was black and was printed, or silk screened, with long necklaces. Then, over the necklace print a few actual chains were attached. DD1 loved it, but with a very high price tag (approx. $100 for a t-shirt) neither one of us wanted to pay for it. I forgot about it (or so I thought).

Fast forward to early November, when I was shopping at the discount fabric store and my favorite sales lady had on a black t-shirt with chains on it. The chains (if I recall correctly) were attached in a bandoleer style, so some went from the left shoulder to the right hip and others started from the right shoulder and crossed to the left hip. It was very edgy and very cute and I realized that she had sewn it because I recognized some of the chains from their discount wall. I confirmed she made it, and complimented it, but forgot about it (or so I thought).

Fast forward to three weeks before Christmas, when an idea popped into my head to make a top along these lines for DD1. Don't know why I didn't think of it before, except that I don't generally think of sewing for anyone but me. :)

I went to the fabric store and bought a handful of jewelry off their discount wall. These were really cheap necklaces and bracelets, and I selected only very lightweight pieces (heavy chains would pull too much on the garment). Most of these peices featured flowers, or butterflies, or similar "uncool" charms, but I knew I could cannibalize them. I was mostly after the chains, after all. Some were $.25 each, some were $.50 and a couple were $1.99. So, for a few dollars, I bought a nice assortment.

The raw materials. A pile of jewelry from the discount fabric store.

I had the t-shirt fabric at home – a wonderful, buttery cotton jersey with lycra and a 4-way stretch. I used the Burda twist knot top pattern in a size 34, except I cut the front in one piece, omitting the front knot detailing. (I did this because I am cheap, lazy, and it was a pattern that I knew would fit DD1.) I had to cut it on the cross grain because this pattern is cut as a single piece from wrist to wrist and, even in a 60" wide fabric, it was not wide enough. I quickly sewed it up. (Being a dolman pattern, there are only four seams to deal with.)

Then the fun began. I dug my jewelry tools out from the garage (from the days that I made wire-wrapped jewelry) and I started to cannibalize the pieces I had purchased. I removed rhinestones, and loud flower charms. I pieced together chains, and added a few of the less cutesy charms back. I liked the back of one charm better than the front, so I turned it around. I wanted a variety of chains, some with little adornments – I wanted it to look like she had thrown on several necklaces. This was so much fun and reminded me how much I enjoy making jewelry. :)

I auditioned it on the top and lived with it awhile...

Auditioning the chains

After living with it for 24 hours, I decided it was good to go. I sewed the necklaces onto a small square of the fabric and created a sandwich with a second rectangle. I tried to snug the ends of the chains to be fairly close to each other.

At first I was going to leave the top with raw edges (and told myself it was edgier that way), but in the end I did hem the sleeves, and the bottom, and I finished the neck with a strip of the fabric. I figured the top would last longer that way.

I sewed the ends of the necklaces to a scrap of fabric and then created a "sandwich" with another scrap. I let it pucker as I stitched the sandwich together – I liked the effect. I opened the shoulder seam and inserted the scrap in and hand stitched it together.

The end result:

I figured if DD1 doesn't want long sleeves, we can lop them to whatever length she wants, all the way to sleeveless.

After I finished the top, I wandered over to the Bloomingdales website. They had given me the idea, after all. If the link doesn't work, go to bloomingdales.com and then go to Womens and Tees, I was surprised out how many t-shirt styles they had featuring chains. If you page through the 10 pages of tees, you will see a variety. In fact, seeing those tops reminded me that the top DD1 liked originally was a BCBGMaxAzria design. (For me, I like that fringed necklace top on page 5!)

I then went to the Urban Outfitters website and found more tops with chains. I guess this top is right on-point, fashion-wise.

And if you are wondering why I am posting it now, before Christmas, it's because DD1 never, ever looks at my blog. DD2 looks at it now and again, but DD1 never. :)

Au Bonheurs des Petites Mains - report

They've arrived!

I ordered some patterns from Patrons de Couture on Dec 3rd, and they arrived on Dec 14th. A week and a half from France isn't too shabby.

I couldn't wait to dive into these puppies. I had no idea what to expect because the only other person I know who owns some, hadn't yet perused them. (That's not strictly true. I know someone else who ordered some after me, but received them first. However, she has less French than I do. :) )

This is what you get:

Each pattern arrives in a cardboard 3D "envelope" with quarter-inch sides and open on top, with a cut out window. Through the window you can see a small, black and white photo and the front/back line drawings of the garment.

The patterns are multi-sized and are printed on a thick white paper that you will want to trace off. The pattern pieces do not overlap. Different sizes are indicated by a different style of black line, so it will be easy to trace. There are minimal markings on the pattern - some of the markings are described in the text. Seam allowances are not included, but there are grainlines.

The front of instructions page, with the pattern paper in the background.

The back of the instruction page.

Everything else you need is contained on a single 8x11 piece of paper, printed on both sides, which contains:

• A level of difficulty rating. My patterns are all two scissors out of four scissors. Thank goodness! :)
  
• A small black and white photo of the garment, which is what you see through the envelope window. It's much easier to see details on the online photo, which is larger, and in color.
  
• Small line drawings of the finished garment, front and back. It's impossible to make out fine detail on these illustrations.
  
• A supply list, metric and in French.
  
• Instructions, in French. (No illustrations.)
  
• A two-columned table containing a list of pattern pieces, with cutting instructions for each. (No pattern layout or illustrations.)
  

I spent many sleepless hours last night translating the double-sided page into English. I am not completely done yet, but I had a Big 4 pattern nearby, and that was quite helpful. I also used online translators, and my pigeon French from high school. There are still sections that confuse me, but I do know some French speaking sewists, that I may pester at some point, if I can't figure it out. :)

I have been creating a glossary as I go. If you speak French and sew, maybe you can fill in some of the blanks? :) This is what I have so far:

I have moved the glossary to its own entry. You can now find it here.

I just noticed I have hit 40 blog followers. Wow, it is flattering that you want to follow me in my non mainstream sewing journey. :) I'll have to reward you somehow. I was thinking of writing a tutorial on how to draft the Burda twist knot top or a skirt flounce I saw in RTW. I wish I knew how to turn a pattern into a PDF file and whether it's possible to put a PDF file on blogger.

I didn't get any time to sew last weekend, which made me very grumpy. The holidays keep intruding, and they are lovely and all, but it can make shams a tad crotchety. ;)

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone for your comments on my polka dot jacket and tote bag. I really lucked out when I found that fabric at the discount fabric store. That place can be really hit and miss, but I have gotten some real treasures there.

A couple nights ago I completed my second tote bag. This one is for me me ME. I made this one a bit shorter and I used a different contrasting fabric on the bottom – it is a cotton flannel twill remnant from Britex and it's very soft, but sturdy. I also added a cell phone pocket on the inside. And that, is THAT, as far as tote bag sewing goes, for awhile. :)

I have a couple Christmas gifts in process that I can't post yet.

Meanwhile, have you heard of the Selfish Seamstress? Her fashion sense is completely unlike mine, but I enjoy her sense of humor very much. She often writes funny sewing Haikus. Who can't relate to this?

I hemmed for you once
And now you keep coming back
Like an infection.

If you want a laugh, check out her blog. Her work is impeccable, even though she is fairly new to sewing. She attributes her skills to a wonderful teacher in the Chicago area whom I would check out if he was anywhere near me.